Improving Focus And Concentration

[Bentan]

It is important to train a student to acheive speed and accuracy for PSLE, especially for Math paper.


Accuracy can only be acheived when the student can attain high concentration. Concentration can be trained, ideally from Pr 5 onwards. By June of PSLE year the student must be able to concentrate for at least 1.5 hours. This translates to score of 60 to 70% for Math paper. Some students have problem going beyond 1.5 hours (especially the boys). Correspondingly their PSLE aggregate are quite predictable.

Speed is familiarization through practices. This is why parents are buying assessment books for their child to practice. However, many parents cannot tell the difference between speed and speeding. Speeding is bad, especially for a student with low concentration. His speeding will get him more careless mistakes.

I hope my explanations are acceptable to all parents. Please leave me a message at http://singapore.math-chinese-tutor.com/contact-us/ if you want me to explain more.

[jazng]

Original Title: How can I improve focus and concentartion in a P1 kid?


hi chief KS,

My boy just started P1 this year and barely a month, his teacher feedback tt he is easily distracted and not attentive in class.

Most of the time, 70% as the teacher said, his mind is wondering around or playing with his stationaries. This happen in his English, Chinese and maths class (observed and feedback by the teachers). However, when it comes to school homeworks and spelling, he can complete it and did well. His form teacher (chinese teacher) told me tt as he is always the first few to finish his class work, nowadays, she dedicated some respomsibilities to him by asking him to coach some of the students who haven finish their work. This will keep him occupied rather than playing with his stationaries or dreaming in class.

At the same time, he is currently attending a chinese enrichment class and i tried to get feedback from the center teacher. Surprisely, the feedback is totally different. The teacher commented that he is a smart boy n can grasp n absorb the teachings very fast. Most of the time, he is attentive in class and they have no problem with him!!

So, i am really confused over this??!! Tried searching article online n they attribute to the lost of concentration = lost of interest = too boring..cld it be tt he is in a faster pace than others n already know whats the teacher is talking abt n thus find tt its boring??!!

btw, he is not ADHD and only attend a chinese enrichment class. I do give him some English and Maths accessment to do..most of the time he is on his own to finish it unless he encounter difficulties then he will approach me or his dad.

Any parents encountered such situations before or can give any advise? Any ways to improve his concentration span, staying focus and be attentive.

Wld be interesting to hear views from other parents or being refer to any article that is relevant.

Pls help.. tks

[tankee]

IMO, the fact that he is able to complete the schoolwork fast and correctly, means that he did paid attention and understood what were taught.


P1 teachers tends to repeat and repeat the same thing over and over again. Perhaps your boy finds it boring after hearing them the first time; thus start doing his own things.

Enrichment class do not have the benefit of time to keep on repeating, thus your boy are more engaged.

Perhaps you could pack an interesting story book for him to read when he completed his work in class?

by the way, wrong forum. This is for Secondary school.



MOD - please move .. thanks

[blesseddad]

I guess you have found the answer that school is boring to him as he is intelligent and could understand and grasp the stuff faster than his peers.


Maybe you can try to expose him to higher-level content. And if he can also learn them quickly, then take him out of schools and homeschool him. He is better off not in singapore’s education system.

[jazng]

tankee:

IMO, the fact that he is able to complete the schoolwork fast and correctly, means that he did paid attention and understood what were taught.


P1 teachers tends to repeat and repeat the same thing over and over again. Perhaps your boy finds it boring after hearing them the first time; thus start doing his own things.

Enrichment class do not have the benefit of time to keep on repeating, thus your boy are more engaged.

Perhaps you could pack an interesting story book for him to read when he completed his work in class?

by the way, wrong forum. This is for Secondary school.



MOD - please move .. thanks

oh isit ..wrong forum?? tot its stated primary school??

anyway, tks for ur advise..cant pack story book cos in class...he cant be reading story books n rest of his peers are still doing their home work..

tried talking to him abt this whole thing n hope he understand..

[jazng]

blesseddad:

I guess you have found the answer that school is boring to him as he is intelligent and could understand and grasp the stuff faster than his peers.


Maybe you can try to expose him to higher-level content. And if he can also learn them quickly, then take him out of schools and homeschool him. He is better off not in singapore's education system.

hi blesseddad
tks..i am really not sure if he is more intelligent than others by nw..actually was waiting for teachers feedback n prob knowing thru the tests..so far, his kindergarten teachers gave pretty gd feedback abt him..

unforuntely, i dun ve the luxury to do home based teaching to him as I am full time working mum.

[jedamum]

jazng:

anyway, tks for ur advise..cant pack story book cos in class...he cant be reading story books n rest of his peers are still doing their home work..

:? so the teacher prefers him to daydream than read a book while he waits for others to finish?? what are the teacher's expectations?
my ds1's class allowed the kids to go to the class library to grab a book for reading if others in the class are still working on their work. i had also subscribed to some mathmag of which my boy will complete during his 'free' time in class. he also likes to doodle stuff/create quiz/puzzles for his friends during such times when he is free in class.
the teacher did right to engage your boy in other stuff like coaching of weaker kids. give it sometime for your boy to settle into routine stuff...:) i'm sure in no time the teachers will find him very helpful to have around in class.

[jazng]

jedamum:

jazng:

anyway, tks for ur advise..cant pack story book cos in class...he cant be reading story books n rest of his peers are still doing their home work..

:? so the teacher prefers him to daydream than read a book while he waits for others to finish?? what are the teacher's expectations?
my ds1's class allowed the kids to go to the class library to grab a book for reading if others in the class are still working on their work. i had also subscribed to some mathmag of which my boy will complete during his 'free' time in class. he also likes to doodle stuff/create quiz/puzzles for his friends during such times when he is free in class.
the teacher did right to engage your boy in other stuff like coaching of weaker kids. give it sometime for your boy to settle into routine stuff...:) i'm sure in no time the teachers will find him very helpful to have around in class.

hi jedamum
oh really..i am not sure if he can read a book while waiting for others..i assume he cant as all are in the class. the teachers expect him to focus n be attentive during lessons. in fact, i was hoping the other teachers can propose solutions to us rather than telling us this. the way the teacher spoke to me is as if like he is really creating something \"big\" in class n kind of distrubing others..they cant seem to accept such behavior which i am not too please..but on the other hand, if he cont not concentraing n easily distracted in class, it may not be a good thing when he is in P3 or P4..for now, his chinese teacher is getting him engaged on other stuff once he finish his work..guess she shld share with the rest of subject teachers on her methods too.

I also tried talking to my son and ley him noe of his behavious n he needs to be attentive n listen to wat the teachers says..

hopefully, there will be some improvement..will see how he progress or he truly has a problem on tis.

[tankee]

P1 students are more varied in their abilities to understand and comprehen what is being taught. Thus, the teachers had to repeat & repeat to cater to the relatively slower children; the relatively faster children may feel bored like your DS.


This problem would be less of an issue in the later years as the slower children strengthen their foundations and more so, after the children are group into different classes according to their abilities.

[sleepy]

jazng:

oh really..i am not sure if he can read a book while waiting for others..i assume he cant as all are in the class. the teachers expect him to focus n be attentive during lessons. in fact, i was hoping the other teachers can propose solutions to us rather than telling us this. the way the teacher spoke to me is as if like he is really creating something \"big\" in class n kind of distrubing others..they cant seem to accept such behavior which i am not too please..but on the other hand, if he cont not concentraing n easily distracted in class, it may not be a good thing when he is in P3 or P4..for now, his chinese teacher is getting him engaged on other stuff once he finish his work..guess she shld share with the rest of subject teachers on her methods too.

The practice in my dd's school:
When teachers are conducting lessons, students can't do their own stuff, must pay attention or at least pretend to pay attention even for those easy topics.
During worksheets time, they can read story books or magazines after they completed their worksheets. Just grab any book & start reading, need not ask for permission. Most teachers would prefer silent reading over chit chatting with another classmate