Lose marks through carelessness!

[Vevey]

Checking is a habit that needs to be practised & formed, so that it becomes auto.

So it is critical to reinforce it as often as possible, as we can't expect the kids to \"switch on\" their checking mode on demand, if they don't have this habit in the 1st place. It is our discretion to give exceptions when there is mitigating factor like unreasonable work time given, sick etc.

The fine needs not to b just monetary but can be anything that the kids treasure e.g. tv/pc time, trading cards.

However, it is important to stress to the kids after each fine that the aim is not to take away their treasure but to help them form the habit to check their work. We can also give them some chances to \"earn\" back these \"lost\" treasures on other occasions.

Also look for opportunities in news & our daily lives to highlight the importance of a proper check & its adverse effect when not properly done. E.g. I told DS that engineers checked & double-checked to ensure the bridge can hold the weight of the vehicles; the supervisors & builders were v careful & checked their work when he asked why Sheares Bridge didn't collapse when we were travelling on it.*touch wood* :lol:

[Yong HL]

i felt so heartache now.

my hubby is threatening my daughter to stand outside the gate for being rude. she is crying now. but i dun want to interfere coz i also felt that she needs discipline.
for these few nights, i get really frustrated having to deal with daughter’s carelessness, forgetfulness, sloppiness in her work. Having to deal with all 3 subjects homeworks from school and home assignments are already so handful i couldnt even have time to make her read storybooks or read with her! This makes me even more frustrated when i know reading storybooks is the key to master language… i felt so overwhelmed and i know she is too… i have no choice… I am not asking her to get tip top marks just band 2 if good enough for me… but her recent tests really got her into band 3 coz her careless mistakes…

i dont know why singapore education has to make things so diffcult for kids. is it me? am i wrong to push her this hard? i feel like dont care liao… but i cant… its for her own gd in long run… she is still crying so hard… if only i’d known, i choose not to have kid in the 1st place… i felt like a wretched mum.

[Jennifer]

Yong HL:

i felt so heartache now.

Hugs to you.

Some children mature later. We just hv to accept this fact.

U r right that reading is the key to mastering languages. We often do not see immediate results when using this approach. But in the long run, the benefits reaped are many times more than doing assessment books exercises.

Instead of revising all topics, u can focus on her real weak areas one at a time. To attempt to do all daily is very taxing on you and your child. Just like doing exercise, our body needs a rest day in between the exercise days.

Take for example my p4 boy. Connectors and OE compreh are his weak areas (becos he reads a lot, he does not hv much prob with the other sections like grammer/vocab cloze). I took to coaching him connectors first and left OE compreh out. We studied the examples in the assessment books for connectors and analysed the usage. This way, learning is interactive and he is more receptive and can internalise the concepts. Now he is almost able to score full marks for connectors. We are just starting to work on OE compreh.

Becos of my method in coaching, he is bordering around high band 2 to low band 1. I am also worried but if I try to do more, it might backfire. So I try to push a little at a time and gauge his response. If he is ok, then I add more. If he complains too much, then I back off. Like flying a kite.

just my 2cts worth.

[schweppes]

KS_me:

Teacher said he has short attention span, first 20 qs no issue... subsequence qs he lost attention... don't need to talk about the checking part...

REally hope he wakes up by end of this year... at lease in time for the P6. :rant: :rant: :rant:

Hmm... not sure about the short attention span part but another possible reason cd be that he is mentally tired. So, as a result of that, sometimes, the child \"switches off\" because there's just too much to handle at that point. And coupled with exam/test stress, the mental fatigue will be heightened.

As the teacher highlighted that he has answered correctly for the first 20 qns, one possible \"strategy\" is to get him to take a short mental break after 20qns. Just 1-2mins. Close eyes, drink water... but must remind him cannot day dream. If he can abide by this, he may feel rejuvenated after that. :xedfingers:

[corneyAmber]

Yong HL:

i felt so heartache now.

...................... i felt like a wretched mum.

In all honesty, it is neither you nor your child's fault. Our system needs alot of drilling on assessments in order to build stamina because the questions also get harder by the years. My child can learn anything except too much drilling....I believe it takes away the fun of learning and becomes dull for her. I have come to accept that there is only so much my child can be drilled in the system.

Also watch out for signs of mental fatigue or tiredness. Sometimes a day of outdoor play is far more effective than the constant drill. When I saw my child's stamina fading in revision...I sent her downstairs for roller-blading......

[Chenonceau]

I’ve learnt that DS can reduce carelessness by about 10 marks depending on whether he is tired and overwrought or not. Since exams started, he has not done any practices. When he comes home, we do everything but study. We’ve watched 3 home movies, gone out to restaurants, went cycling, played cards… surfed youtube.


He has gone to school refreshed and emotionally composed everyday this week. This has paid off I think. He scored full marks for his Math P5 Paper 1.

[jedamum]

Yong HL:

i felt so heartache now.

my hubby is threatening my daughter to stand outside the gate for being rude. she is crying now. but i dun want to interfere coz i also felt that she needs discipline.
for these few nights, i get really frustrated having to deal with daughter's carelessness, forgetfulness, sloppiness in her work. Having to deal with all 3 subjects homeworks from school and home assignments are already so handful i couldnt even have time to make her read storybooks or read with her! This makes me even more frustrated when i know reading storybooks is the key to master language.... i felt so overwhelmed and i know she is too... i have no choice.. I am not asking her to get tip top marks just band 2 if good enough for me.. but her recent tests really got her into band 3 coz her careless mistakes..

i dont know why singapore education has to make things so diffcult for kids. is it me? am i wrong to push her this hard? i feel like dont care liao.. but i cant.. its for her own gd in long run... she is still crying so hard.... if only i'd known, i choose not to have kid in the 1st place...................... i felt like a wretched mum.

hugz hugz. i went through these phases of 'despair' too. why give up my job to face this attitude blah blah blah. but we must press on. choose your priority. list down what need to improve and then take them one at a time. let the kid give suggestions on what can be done. as for reading, if no time, don't force. you may make her resent it even more despite the good intentions. i understand your frustrations. after so many study tips, checking strategies etc, still show no improvement...can vomit blood right? my kid used to cry when i scold him. now at middle primary, he no longer. he will look sad, but jumped back, usually with improvements after a few :rant: from me. sometimes dunno why must wait until i scold him. but he comes to accept that he prefers me to scold him than not bother about him. nonetheless, we still quite close. also try to understand what is your kid's strength. my kid tend to be careless, sloppy during daily work, but come exam, so far, save for a test where he missed out an entire page, his careless mistakes are limited to not more than 3 per subject. his handwriting is also better, although there are instances when marks are deducted due to poor handwriting. he felt the pain of losing these marks and hopefully will learn from there.
and never lock a kid out. even if he/she is rude, banished to the room is better than locking the kid out. no matter what, he/she needs to feel secure.
ok, about curbing carelessness, someone mentioned earlier about a list of things to carry out checking. girls like cute stuff right? get those cute post-it/placard etc and write these strategies in short point form. attach this placard where it is highly visible (for my case, i paste a postit on the assessment that my kid does. let the kid refer to it for any other assignment that you need her to do checking. then :xedfingers: and hope that it will become a habit. if it fails every now and then, adapt and try again. if not, come here rant again and we'll brainstorm together la.
childhood is short. enjoy your kid before she grows up.
all the best.

[Yong HL]

Hi insider, my daughter is in p1 this year.


Hi Jennifer and jedamum
Thanks for the comfort given. i appreciate it…
Everytime i read about how self motivating other peoples’ kids can be, i am so filled with envy. Its a chore to repeat the same thing every night "take out your bottle water, do your homework, read your books etc etc…" and its exhausting to revisit the same type of questions due to carelessness and forgetfulness. Things never seem to be able to move on!

Now that the term 2 tests are over, she got her results back. Mainly in Band 2. To me, i am satisfied despite of her careless mistakes. But then at the back of my mind, i had this naggy thought of being told that its super easy for students in P1 to get band 1 (is it true). i tried to shut it off. Jedamum, you are right. childhood is short. this is something i shld ALWAYS bear in mind! So many times, i have been caught up with the rat race that study is ALL about Band 1 and Band 2. All i wanted my daughter to do is "to move up with the herd" as i called it… need not be top but certainly not lagging too much behind.

Thanks to the ideas given here in this forum, i worked out a reward pts system for her. I explained to her and she seems receptive. so i will be trying out and see how effective this can be to motivate her.

Apologies if my post is kind of messy… i just write whatver it comes to my mind… in fact the more i think about yesterday how she cried, i feel like crying myself now… but she is ok today talking and laughing with us. Its amazing and awesome how kids can be so forgiving…

[allseasons]

Insider and Jedamum,


Your postings are really encouraging for me… Thanks!

[Happy Mama]

Chenonceau:

I've learnt that DS can reduce carelessness by about 10 marks depending on whether he is tired and overwrought or not. Since exams started, he has not done any practices. When he comes home, we do everything but study. We've watched 3 home movies, gone out to restaurants, went cycling, played cards... surfed youtube.


He has gone to school refreshed and emotionally composed everyday this week. This has paid off I think. He scored full marks for his Math P5 Paper 1.

Wow, this is wonderful! :congrats: Chenonceau!