All About Working With Children Who Are Weak Academically
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i hvnt got rpt bk so duno cohort ave. shes in 2nd class. but her frds tat i know r at least 85, many 90+
her marks tis sa is 77 sci, math 72, eng 81.5, ch 84.5. no band 1 at all. -
24hr-mum:
read else where that your girl manages 17-18 for EL compo. that could have pull her up into band 1. her 81.5 is due to paper 2? or Oral?i hvnt got rpt bk so duno cohort ave. shes in 2nd class. but her frds tat i know r at least 85, many 90+
her marks tis sa is 77 sci, math 72, eng 81.5, ch 84.5. no band 1 at all.
i find that maybe most (not all) girls are not so good in sc and math. i gave up looking at my boy's math paper since last year. for science, i only do Paper 2 by analysing his answering technique (for concepts he is not sure, i still have to seek his dad's help to explain). reading the questions and options in MCQ section gives me a headache. -
Parents who have been there, done that. What are your advice?
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I have a 16yo daughter who finds certain subjects a challenge, eg. Maths. She has some learning difficulties.
What I try to practise:
- Start where the child is, not where she ‘should be’ for her age or grade. If she hasn’t understood or forgotten something she should have mastered 2 yrs ago, she isn’t going to manage today’s work until she has revisited that concept or topic. Even if it means that she can’t do today’s work today (I will write a note to the teacher and promise to catch up within a few days) and needs time to catch up, it has to be done even if it seems very time-consuming.
- Moderate expectations. If a child is not academically strong, setting a goal of ‘top in class’ or ‘straight As’ is just setting her up for failure and disappointment. I set achievable goals (meaning they should stretch her a bit but shouldn’t make her give up in despair), eg. to get Bs for Maths since we know that As are out of reach.
- Never compare with other kids but compare against herself. My younger daughter is academically strong, and so I never compare the 2 girls. We will make a big deal of a strong B from her even though her sister always does much better.
- Measure work in terms of effort, not in results. If a child has put in several hrs of concentrated effort a day and still does poorly, then she should still be praised for her effort.
- Set a steady routine of work, play and rest. I think good habits and routine really help. It also gives the child an incentive to put in the work so she can rest and play after.
Hope this helps. -
Could you be more specific? Help kids who are not academically strong to do what? To improve in their studies? To score better? To boost their self-confidence?
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Thank you slmkhoo. You covered pretty well.
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Hi slmkhoo,
Thank you for the info :)) ! its pretty useful ! i was once like that too and thats how my family encourage me when i was young ! -
For young kids, like p 3 below, it is important to set some routine or habit in study, try to set half hour everyday for child to study, for each subject, at first, he might not know what to do, we have to guide them, once it becomes a habit, the rest will follow.
I also like what slimkhoo said, never compare, sometimes, it is hard for us not to, each child has own unique compactly, we have to be very encouraging, make a learning a happy one for our children. -
Kids who are not academically strong has low self steem. So, as much as possible i dont brag them to do excellent jobs at school. I just support them, and find time to teach him in his academic subjects.
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My preschool son is reluctant to do his work independently… And I don’t want to spend all my little time with him stressed over hmwork at night (yes, he has homework). I would rather spend time playing with him to develop his social skills and thinking skills. Does anyone have a tutor to recommend for a child like mine? Need one who can handle my active, and cheeky child