The SA2 exam results have been released and your child may not have performed as well as you had hoped he or she would. This has to be one of the bigger, if not the biggest, points of concern for every parent.
There may be several reasons why your child did not perform as expected — stress, poor grasp of concepts, insufficient revision, the list goes on.
Instead of adding stress to your child and yourself, here’s what you can do during this term break to make sure your child does better next year.
More often than not, if your child has not fared well in this past round of exams, it could be due to poor understanding of the tested curriculum.
Having a strong foundation in the subjects that your child is taking will not only help him or her master answering techniques more efficiently, but also plays a huge role towards your child’s academic success in the long run.
“It is important for children to start working on their foundation early. This way, the gaps can be identified early, worked on and ideally, closed," Sue Lynn, TLL's Lower Primary Academic Director shares. "With the foundational skills set in place, they can then proceed on to building more complex concepts, skills and knowledge."
Take time to sit down with your child to identify the areas he or she might need some help with in the various subjects he or she is taking. Recognising these problems early will help you determine the next steps to take to empower your child to understand his or her subjects better.
Be sure to give your child lots of verbal encouragement as well. Knowing you are working together will definitely help your child’s confidence and build a positive mindset towards the need for improvement.
While the holidays are the time to relax and unwind, it is also an opportune time for your child to “catch up” on his or her weaker subjects.
Your child can use the school break to recap and revise topics that were covered throughout the year at a more relaxed pace and take time to fully understand the different concepts and theories.
One good revision strategy is to expose your child to model answers so he or she can familiarise himself or herself with the expected approach needed to secure more marks.
However, it is crucial to note that reference alone is not enough, your child needs to have proper recollection and application of information to fare well in his or her exams.
As part of your child’s revision, don’t forget to look over his or her exam papers again closely. Help your child understand why they might have made the mistakes they did and give him or her helpful tips on how to avoid these errors during the next exam.
But remember, don’t pile on too much work or your child may end up even more unwilling to touch any books this holiday!
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As your child progresses to the next level, he or she needs to be prepared to meet the demands and rigour of a more challenging syllabus.
Do pay more attention on mastering exam techniques — from time management skills to acquiring speed and accuracy in solving exam questions. Over time, this helps refine your child's knowledge and answering techniques and gradually improve his or her grades.
With regard to skills application such as in language learning or understanding heuristic problem solving methods, having a teacher analyse the student's problem areas would help in understanding where more discipline and practices should be applied.
Working on assessment papers all the time cannot guarantee that your child learns and internalises how to apply the required knowledge appropriately and effectively. So don’t stress your child (and yourself) with the drill and grill.
What is more important is that your child fully understands and develops a passion for the subjects that he or she is studying in school.
Even if your child takes a longer time to grasp more technical subjects like Maths and Science, don’t worry. It is normal for students to take time to adjust and adapt to new curriculum demands.
Whether it’s catching up with peers or improving your child’s grade, it’s important to start early.
At The Learning Lab, we believe that effective and meaningful learning begins with developing the right attitude towards school and learning.
Our curriculum is carefully crafted to get students excited about learning and attending lessons, ultimately developing genuine passion and interest in the subjects he or she is taking.
With a keen interest in his or her subject, your child will begin clarifying doubts on her own, revise more and a natural improvement in grades will follow.
Give your child an added advantage in their personal and academic growth. Our engaging lessons will equip your child with the necessary knowledge to excel in school and beyond.
Want a sneak peek into our curriculum in 2020? Click here to discover the enriching topics that we have in store for our Nursery to Junior College students.
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If you have any questions about our programmes, please email us at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist you.