Ms Brown has made a list of the top questions parents have asked her as a teacher when it comes to revising and having more visibility to what your child is currently learning. Here are a few of the questions and answers that you may have to help decode some of the anxiety around revision.
Q: My child says I am nagging them to revise and it’s causing arguments. How can I make them revise?
A: It’s about encouragement rather than enforcement. Try to stop asking them if they have started revising yet and try your best not to look over their shoulder if they’re doing work. Try to offer words of encouragement and praise and help if they ask. It is hard not to be too intrusive, but overkill on nagging will often have the opposite effect! Part of exams is learning to be independent; look at it as a life lesson. Rather than helping them revise, you can help in other ways; make drinks, cook their favourite meal and keep siblings out of the way.
Q: My child says they are stressed. How do I know if it really is stress or whether they are trying to avoid work?
A: Stress around exam time is totally normal, but some children struggle more with managing their stress than others. Warning signs to look out for include: decreased appetite, problems sleeping or complaints about aches and pains. If they are showing these signs, talk to them, reassure them and encourage them to take a break. Exercise, healthy eating and time with their friends will put exams into perspective.
Q: Other parents are offering rewards for good results. Is this a good idea?
A: Rewarding our children for hard work is a great way to incentivise but there is sometimes a fine line between reward and bribery. How about rewarding them for the amount of revision they do and showing a positive attitude rather than for their results? Rather than one big reward that can add to an already pressurised situation, offer mini incentives at the end of each week of hard work. This will encourage and hopefully build self-confidence. With EdPlace, students are able to collect badges and rewards based on their performance. When they reach a certain amount of points, they can get small reward like extra gaming time, a family outing, a new book etc. So you can easily motivate them and keep them constantly engaged. You can also talk to your child about what they think is a good reward and set up new rewards on the student dashboard.
Q: My child seems to have become more argumentative and short-tempered. Am I putting too much pressure on?
A: This is totally normal. Tempers do become frayed around stressful times and unfortunately, as the adult, it is your job to not rise to the bait and try to calm the situation. Ride it out. Try to create a stress-free environment at home and before you know it, exams will be finished and you will have your happy child back again!
Q: How can I track my child’s performance and measure their progress?
A: Having regular contact with your school and comparing your child's termly report marks. Take reports to parent/teacher meetings and discuss your child's progress there. The best way is simply to talk to your child; hearing how confident they are in different areas is a good indicator of how they are progressing.
With an online learning tool ike EdPlace, tracking your child’s performance in easy! All the content within the EdPlace library is broken down by topics and sub-topics so you can assign tasks based on where your child may be struggling in the classroom or feel your child could be challenged more.
Are you looking for online revision resources?
Look no further! Our teachers have created a set of exclusive online revision materials. With these resources learning is fun whilst getting the most out of revising. Browse our resources and get your child exam-ready with EdPlace!
Written by Roz Brown
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