Tips & Techniques - SPANSS?

Advice on 11 Plus NVR papers and problems

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JaysDarlin
Posts: 548
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:34 pm

Tips & Techniques - SPANSS?

Post by JaysDarlin »

Calling all NVR tutors and parent-teachers!

Im not sure if anyone is following the threads on the VR forum where Patricia is giving her tips on how to best tackle the VR question types:

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... c&start=10

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... highlight=

Well, the threads are progressing so well, and I was wondering if anyone had an tips on how to best tackle the NVR questions.

The Bond books teach you how to look at each question using the SPANSS mnemonic. Shape, Position, Angle, Number, Sides and Shading.

But I cant get my head arouind it! Sometimes certain questions cannot be worked out using this method. Does anyone else use SPANSS?

For example, in NFER 11A(!), Section 2 Question 4, I now understand why the answer is c, but does anyone have a technique which would get them to the answer quickly?

Then, in AFN Practice Test C, Q 47 Lots of shapes.. where is the best place to start to find a pattern.

Any Tips?
JaysDarlin
Posts: 548
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:34 pm

Post by JaysDarlin »

Did anyone see Sally-Anne's list of practice materials ranked in order of difficulty?

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 8854#78854

Could any NVR experts possible tackle a list for NVR?

Please please please?
fm

Post by fm »

To Jays Darlin,

I tutor for grammar school but I've never used SPANNS --in fact, I'd never heard of it before using this website.

I always tell my children to do these by elimination--not look for the one it is but the ones it can't be. I usually tell them to look for the patterns in colour first because that's the easiest difference to notice. I advise them not to look at the shape as a whole but home into one particular aspect.

e.g. 11a, Section 3, Number 10.

I'd look at little arrow first. On the basis of this they would cross out c and d. Then I'd look at inner bowtie, this would eliminate e. When I am down to 2 shapes, I sometimes look at their difference and then work backwords i.e. b can't be right because the stripes are always in the same section.


On the AFN question, I would apply colour rule to all. First of all you look at inner shape and eliminate d as being the wrong colour. Again with colour they should notice there should always be a black/white, white/black and two blacks of each shape. We are missing 2 black version of the semi-oval (or whatever you call this shape) so b and c are out. We are missing white/black of the hourglass so e has to be right.

As to the NFER question, every year I forget what this one is about and every year I have to re-work it out. As far as I am aware, the answer is that the boxes on the right contain what box 1 and box 2 have in common, making it C. That said, there may be a much better solution to this. I usually use this one as an example of one they should not waste time on because it will cost them others at the end that they may be able to do.

I am sure SPANNS must work for some children but I think others might try to apply it too literally or worry if they can't fnd one aspect. I personally believe elimination and homing in on one aspect at a time works.

The order I practise NFER in is Bond Assessment Papers 9-10, 10-11, Learning Together Book 1, LT book 2, AFN, Bond Tests and finally NFER. Of these I would possibly omit Learning Together as not totally necessary.

In the Bond tests I do all of the series in a row, all of the analogies in a row etc.. I use 7 minutes as a time allowance for each section but don't make too big a deal over them not hitting this. At this stage I'd be happy with about 8/12 for each section (less probably for the what do they have in common/ which one is different section).

If they are still struggling after Bond, I might slip in IPS for practice but treat with caution as some of these seemed a bit obscure.

I would broach NFER A first but not expect them to score highly on this one. I think there is some psychology going on here with the hardest test being put first.

When giving time allowances, I would check what your exam actually expects. Our local school which does NFER allows 12 minutes for 20 which is more generous than the 6 minutes for 12 of the practice tests; I also understand from the children the real thing is easier. I would imagine, however, this varies from school to school.

The most important thing with non-verbal is to avoid you or your child getting the idea they can't do it. This is one style of exam that needs a very clear, logical brain uncluttered by doubt. I have had pupils for whom it hasn't fallen in place until the week before the exam but I have always told them it will come (even when their parents are saying otherwise!).

Hope this helps.
Gilly
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:30 pm

Post by Gilly »

Jays Darlin

The NFER question is easy. Simply repeating pattern both horizontally and vertically.

The AFN one:

The logic goes in threes. We have 3 boxes with white pentagon in the middle. 3 boxes with black + shape in the middle. So we need one more black ribbon to make its combination three.

The pattern of top shapes goes like - ( left white, right black), (both black), (left black, right white). Similar pattern applies to the bottom shapes as well.

With that logic if you eliminate the shapes in the answer sheet, you will end up with E.

For AFN, the credit goes to my DS who is off sick.

Hope this helps.

Gilly
Gilly
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:30 pm

Post by Gilly »

.. another point I thought worth mentioning is that in my experience I don't overload the child with many NVR question in one day.

I usually give one paper or couple of smaller ones with a break in between. Unlike VR or Maths, in my view NVR can easily drain the brain. So my advise would be to space out the NVR papers and practice so that they will feel fresh when they look at the questions.

Gilly
JaysDarlin
Posts: 548
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:34 pm

Post by JaysDarlin »

I totally agree, Gilly, NVR does drain the brain very quickly. :shock:
fm

Post by fm »

To Gilly,

I suspect I am being thick but what do you mean by repeating pattern both horizontally and vertically vis-a-vis the NFER question?

Regards,

Fm
JaysDarlin
Posts: 548
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:34 pm

Post by JaysDarlin »

Im glad you asked that fm.

I thought I was too thick to even bother asking.

Gilly? :lol:
fm

Post by fm »

We're probably both being thick, but I still can't see it, other than the end boxes have whatever the 1st and 2nd box have in common.
Gilly
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:30 pm

Post by Gilly »

Well, I think I didn't make it very clear and suspect may have used rather different words to describe the logic. I always use 'logic' when I discuss with my son. The 'pattern' word that I got from elsewhere made the explaining bit wrong (though I use pattern a lot at work. but that's a different matter).

When I said 'repeating', I meant the shape in the (1,1) position in that grid repeats again in (1,3). The same is true with other positions in the grid whether you look at the horizontal grid position or vertical grid position.

This may sound different if you are a teacher or a tutor and follow the rule books. Whether one applies the above logic or something else I can't see any great deal in that question.

Gilly
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