Going Backwards

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ITBarbie
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

Going Backwards

Post by ITBarbie »

Hi

We started to tutor our son in May for the 11+ and I have been told that he is a bight child. Working at level 5 in Year 5 blah blah blah. He was doing well with some maths papers gettting 75-85%etc but now he has gone backward in what appears to be everything. I am doing verbal reasoning 10min test with him and he is getting 40% as well as 40 odd in Maths !

Has anyone else had a child who appears to be reversing?

He has the first 11+ test on the 15th Sept (1 more in Jan). Do you think I should just stop any more work until say 2 weeks after this first test? He has not been working to the bone or anything but maybe he is just hacked off !
Catherine
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Berks,Bucks

Post by Catherine »

Hi ITBarbie,

Reading your comments, my first reaction was that he needs a break, he is bored and is loosing concentration.

I would let him rest for a few days, and just give him a test before the exam as a revision. Whatever his score, tell him that he did really well in oder to boost is confidence.

Just my thoughts

Catherine
ITBarbie
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

going backwards

Post by ITBarbie »

Hi

Thanks for replying. Yes maybe your right. I am sure he might pick up on how I feel about his scoring recently as well as him judging homself quite harshly. It's so difficult saying well done when he and I know that teh score is well below what he has acheived the past :(
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi IT Barbie

In a similar vein to Catherine's advice, I posted this yesterday on the VR thread to a Mum who was experiencing problems, although in her son's case it was total mental block.
I had a similar experience with my own son - sudden, blind panic at the combination of needing to get it right and within the time allowed.

The suggestion I would make is to let him do the next paper completely "untimed". Just tell him to work at a good pace. Give him a break half way through for a drink and a biscuit, a chat, some chill time. That will relax him even further and mean that he will have no idea of how long he takes to do the paper.

Keep a note of the time he takes yourself though. When you mark the paper, see if his mark is better once the time pressure has gone.

My son's marks did improve, and he actually completed the paper in about 10 minutes over the time limit. I then cheated ( :shock: ) by adding a couple of marks and telling him that he had completed the paper in 3 minutes over time. Don't over-egg it, just let him come to the conclusion in his own mind that it's OK after all. It restored my son's confidence completely and his marks soared for the next 2 papers.

Just my idea - if you decide to try it, I hope it helps.
It sounds as though there is a degree of "burn-out" here, and that is what happened to my son about three weeks before the 11+. The above experience happened a couple of weeks before the 12+, but I had learned by then that trying to maintain the momentum doesn't really work.

Back off on the timing and concentrate on accuracy. The adrenalin on the day of the test should drive him forward at a good pace. If he comes round again in time, do a couple of timed tests just before the real thing to build confidence in timing again.

Good luck
Sally-Anne
(P.S. Great user name - why did I choose something so boring when there's names like SunLampVexesEel, IT Barbie and Hermanmunster out there. :( )
ITBarbie
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

name

Post by ITBarbie »

Hi

Thanks for that I think I will lay off him before he melts :?

I am your archetypal airhead that rushes around but I adore computers and can often be found with a screwdriver in one hand and a hard drive etc in the other. Hence my old colleague's calling me IT Barbie and its stuck with me :D

Thanks again
Suesole
Posts: 153
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:38 am
Location: Bucks border / Berks

Post by Suesole »

Hi IT Barbie

My son is the same. He has been getting 90% in some of his practise and then down to 48% at other times. It depends when you catch him and what frame of mind he his in. Give your son a break for a day or 2 and then try again.
Catherine
Posts: 1348
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Berks,Bucks

Re: going backwards

Post by Catherine »

ITBarbie wrote:It's so difficult saying well done when he and I know that teh score is well below what he has acheived the past :(
This is very true :roll: Unless you don't show him the marked paper...
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: going backwards

Post by Sally-Anne »

Catherine wrote:This is very true :roll: Unless you don't show him the marked paper...
Indeed Catherine. A politican once used the phrase "being economical with the truth".
ITBarbie
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

marks

Post by ITBarbie »

Funny thing is I am so transparent I don't know if he will swallow it but I will give it a go! :wink:
ITBarbie
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

happy

Post by ITBarbie »

Hi

After advice I left the poor boy alone and he has done nothing for a week. His Tutor came around yesterday and I explained the situation. She did a maths test paper with him and a verbal reasoning. He got 86% in Maths and 17 out of 20 for the verbal reasoning! Yipee.

Now do I make him do any before his test on Saturday........ :twisted:
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