As an unprecedented and challenging school year enters its closing stages, parents’ thoughts will quite naturally turn to the next academic year, which will be the first full year of the ‘new normal’.
This means that your child will have to make adjustments and adapt to new changes on top of those that come with the transition from one level to the next.
Ensuring that your child prepares early and well will be crucial for a smooth and successful transition. No one can say for sure what the next year might bring, but The Learning Lab is committed to journeying with you and your child in this period.
Here are 5 tips from us on what you can start doing to smoothen your child’s journey and give him or her a head start for the new academic year:
1) Put this year’s achievements in perspective
It’s one thing to get a head start and quite another to jump the gun. Before you start thinking about next year, make sure to give you and your child a pat on the back for surviving this year!
The pandemic years have been a real rollercoaster for all of us, and spending some time just to appreciate what you and your child have achieved is both needful and helpful.
Celebrating past achievements also helps build morale for what is to come, but there’s more to looking back at what your child has accomplished than just feel-good vibes.
A comprehensive review of your child’s past performance in school with his or her teachers can be a good springboard and starting point for coming up with the plan for next year.
2) Prepare for the expected...
You won’t know exactly how your child will handle the step up, but there’s plenty that you can find out about the step up itself.
If you’re entering new territory with the step up from Primary 2 to Primary 3 with the additional Science subject, for example, take the opportunity to start consulting people who are familiar with the process, whether they be your child’s teachers in school, here at TLL, or even friends with older children.
Perhaps your child might benefit from making an adjustment to their daily routine with the increased workload, from making a habit of good housekeeping for their notes and worksheets, or from being introduced to preparatory material in advance.
Getting proper guidance early could be the critical difference between a strong and sputtering start for your child.
3) …and the unexpected
At the same time, the global COVID-19 situation remains volatile, even if the state of affairs in Singapore has stabilised somewhat.
It would be wise not to count on having a return to normal too soon where school is concerned, only to see your expectations and plans overturned by events should the local situation take a turn for the worse again.
This means that you and your child should prepare yourselves mentally for consequences such as the return and potential ramping up of home-based learning, factoring these in with all the other changes that come with moving from one level to the next.
One way you can do so is by exploring digital ways of learning together with your child, such as through educational videos or web-based assessments.
4) Identify areas of improvement
The next step in your preparation process is to identify areas your child needs to improve in across his or her subjects. Is it time to address a weak foundation in Mathematics, for example, or is the root problem a lack of interest from your child in a particular subject?
You may also already have a good idea of what these areas are, but require more help to target them in a way that best prepares your child for what is to come.
Again, don’t be afraid to seek out advice, guidance or a second opinion. Talk to our TLL teachers, who will be more than happy to provide some suggestions!
5) Set new goals
So you’ve laid all the groundwork and figured out, to the best you can, what to expect in the upcoming year for your child. With all that in place, you can move on to goal-setting with your child.
Going back to our first point, you will want goals that recognise the efforts your child has previously put in for their studies, and that also encourage them to challenge and stretch themselves in the new year.
By getting your child to think about what he or she wants to achieve and the specific steps he or she has to follow in order to do so, your child will develop the confidence to follow through and find success.
Having clear, achievable goals can also help steady the nerves of children who may be a little daunted by the prospect of making the step up to the next level.
Charting the Development of Effective Learners in the New Normal
At The Learning Lab, we believe that good, quality education can and should be a constant even in times of unprecedented disruption and change.
As we continue to nurture your child's academic growth in the new year, the way we conduct our lessons has evolved to ensure that your child receives the same high quality education in a safe and conducive environment.
TLL Online is our newest range of programmes that will be offered to Primary 3 to Junior College 2 students starting from Term 1 – 2021. These classes are part of our core programmes offerings and will be conducted fully online at a reduced fee, while still following the same curriculum as our regular classes.
Meanwhile, our current hybrid class arrangement, which sees two groups of students alternating between physical lessons and online lessons on a weekly basis, will persist until it has been deemed safe to shift back to full centre-based learning.
Early bird registration for the new year is now open, and slots for both TLL Online lessons and our hybrid classes are filling fast. Click here to find out more about how you can kick start your child's journey for the next academic year.
The Learning Lab is now at 9 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our range of programmes or class schedules, you may contact us at 6733 8711 or drop us an email at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg.
The Learning Lab is now at 9 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
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.