There’s something similar in the fine art world. Sculpture is at the pinnacle and is regarded by The Establishment as the highest form of art, the most important and valuable. At the very bottom are things like pottery, knitting and basketry – derogatorily named “craft” by The Establishment – not even worthy of being recognised as art. Landscape used to be considered a much lowlier artform than portraiture (not anymore thanks to JMW Turner).

The Tutor Subject/Age Hierarchy

Non exam-based tuition for primary children is the pottery and basket weaving of tuition, whereas A Level or elite private school exam prep is the sculpture.

Can we please take a moment to reflect how utterly ridiculous (and discriminatory) this is, and how it creates a glass ceiling for what tutors feel they can charge?

And yes, it annoys me because according to this hierarchy, I’m right at the bottom. Which is, to be frank, an insult!

Research is clear that THE most important stage in a child’s learning is the early and primary years. According to this logic, I should be at the top of the hierarchy. However, because working with young children is so infused with patriarchal beliefs that it is menial women’s work (I write more about this here), it is seen as just that. Menial, easy, not important, anyone can tutor primary, helping them become secure with the key foundations for all future learning (reading, writing, maths) is not as important as passing an exam, especially an exam for a top private school or university.

I’m not saying we all hold this belief dear to our hearts, I just think it’s become so conditioned into us that we don’t even notice or question it.

However, I have noticed it and questioned it.

If No Hierarchy – What?

I don’t believe it would be logical to switch the hierarchy so what I tutor was now at the top. Hierarchies don’t help anyone. They keep large groups of people small and suppressed while a minority get the riches.

I believe that ALL learning is equally valid and important, and the abilities needed to tutor someone in learning that thing are equally skillful – it’s just that the skills needed are different.

The skills needed to help a child pass the 11+ are different to those needed to teach someone to play the piano for pleasure, but the tutors are JUST as skilled in helping that person with their EQUALLY valid learning.

I decided to throw this outdated, patriarchal, and elitist nonsense in the bin and start charging according to my qualifications (I have lots of them), skills (I have lots of them) and experience (I have lots of it).

It works for me and it can work for you, and together we can move the tuition industry into the twenty-first century and make it be valued as the highly skilled profession that it is (or should be). That ALL learning is valid and important and the skills needed to help someone with that require training, development and nuance.

I’ve finished recording the videos for my course 10 Steps to Changing How You Charge and once I’ve worked out the tech (and, ironically, what to charge!) it will be available so you too charge appropriately for the highly skilled, top quality work you do, based on your qualifications, skills and experience, not what or who you tutor.

Sign up to my newsletter and/or join my free Facebook Group to be first to find out when it’s available.

The post Charging based on who and what you tutor is a problem. Here’s why. appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

If you look at your child’s maths homework or pop into their classroom, you may notice that the way maths is taught today looks nothing like it did when you were at school.

This can be unsettling for many parents because they don’t understand the new methods and don’t feel confident helping their child.  They may also question if their child is being appropriately challenged or if the new ways of doing things are any good.

Maths is taught so differently today because our knowledge and understanding of how children learn and understand maths has developed.  This is a good thing.  Just as you would want your doctor to be prescribing the most up-to-date treatments based on cutting-edge research (which might not be medication, but perhaps talking therapy or exercise), schools should be keeping up to date with the latest, cutting-edge research on how children learn and understand mathematics, and teaching in-line with this.

How is maths taught in primary schools today?

Let’s start with the word maths.  Maths is reasoning and problem-solving about problems in the world around us using logic.  What we were mostly taught at school under the name “maths” was actually closer to “arithmetic” in the form of memorising and solving number facts and calculation methods to be recalled at speed.  

Arithmetic is a branch of mathematics – it is not mathematics in and of itself.  And the speed thing is just something schools seem to have decided was important decades ago. 

Professional mathematicians are not always quick at solving arithmetic questions, and if they are, it is because they have excellent number sense – they can play around with and manipulate numbers.  They understand how numbers work.  When Rachel Riley works out the number round on Countdown in under 5 seconds, it’s because she has excellent number sense – she knows how to play around with the numbers to find the solution.  She isn’t just recalling facts, she’s applying her knowledge and understanding of number.  She is using logic to solve a problem.

What is “Mastery Maths”?

Most primary schools (and increasingly secondary schools) are now teaching a subject that fits the definition of “maths” much better – with arithmetic skills alongside –  and they are doing this using a method of teaching maths called “mastery maths”.

This teaching method originated in Singapore (one of the highest-ranking areas in the world for maths teaching) and began to be adopted in the UK about 8 years ago.  The school I was working in at the time was one of the first in Gloucestershire to implement this method of teaching.

The principles of mastery teaching are very different to how you would have been taught maths (and how I was taught to teach maths), and align with what maths actually is, and how children learn and develop an understanding of maths concepts. 

When my school introduced Mastery Maths, it really blew my mind and I didn’t think it would work after over ten years of teaching in ways that are perhaps more recognisable to parents. 

After just a few months teaching this way, I was totally converted and wished I’d been taught maths this way at school.  It is a much better way of developing maths skills that align with child development and ensures children understand what they are doing.  It teaches skills that are relatable to everyday life, and also the reasoning and problem-solving skills employers are, and most probably will be, looking for in the future.

Principles of Mastery Maths

Mastery Maths teaching is based on the principles that everyone can learn and enjoy maths.  It is about reasoning and making connections between concepts.  It is about developing a deep and secure understanding of key ideas that are needed to understand future learning.

It is about understanding how and why numbers work and connect, having mathematical dexterity, and being able to link concepts together.  For example understanding that multiplication and division are linked, and in turn, understanding that division is linked to fractions, and in turn, understanding that fractions, decimals and percentages are different ways of representing numbers less than 1. 

These skills set children up for success in any future mathematical study, and the use of maths in everyday life, far better than how maths used to be taught.  Most people disliked maths and find it hard to engage with because we were taught how to do something with no understanding of why it worked or why it was necessary or how it relates to other things, or that speed was a really important aspect (pressure of having to give an answer in a set time triggers our stress response and shuts the brain down into survival mode – not helpful!)

Mastery Maths teaching methods

In Mastery Maths – children are taught the same concept all together, broken down into small steps so that children build on previous learning and make connections.

This whole class approach makes people think that brighter children are not being challenged and children who are struggling are not supported.  This is not the case. Differentiation is still happening, but in much more subtle and effective ways.  Children who grasp the concept quickly are challenged by solving problems and reasoning about the concept, in more and more depth – they keep digging deeper and deeper into it so they have a solid understanding. Children requiring more help are supported with apparatus, different ways of presenting the concept to find a way that clicks for them, and repetition to practise and consolidate learning, alongside immediate, targeted teaching in small groups.

Research is very clear that putting children into ability groups and giving them tasks that create a ceiling on their ability holds children back and sends the message “this is all I think you will be capable of doing – don’t even try what that other table are doing”.  It impedes their learning, not develops it.  Expecting all children to be able to learn something (some will get there quicker than others) shows children they are capable and able to achieve.  And they do! You can read more about this research on my blog here.

The way concepts are presented is where most parents will come into contact with mastery maths.  You may see bar models, whole-part models, images of apparatus such as Numicon, place value counters or dienes apparatus.  These are all ways of representing a problem.  They are not methods like column addition or long division.  They help children visualise number problems and see them in different ways and how different connections can be made.  This helps learning not hinders it.  They will be taught the “traditional” methods, but, taking division as great example, diving straight into short or long division when children don’t understand that division is “sharing equally”, and firstly building a deep understanding of what this means through various representations, and then understanding we can divide through “repeated subtraction”, before moving onto the “traditional” methods– means that most children will struggle to understand what they are doing and therefore won’t remember the method.

By deeply understanding what dividing is and having done it in different (often less efficient, but more conceptually obvious ways) helps children take the step up to formal (“traditional”) methods because they understand why that method works.  The “ah ha” moments happen and they remember the formal method better, and if not, they have other methods to fall back on instead. They are able to access maths because they have a number toolkit.

Why not just teach them one method?

My Year 6 teacher always said “there is no right or wrong way to do maths” and she was spot on.  It doesn’t matter how a child gets to an answer if they have a method that works for them and they understand it.  There are a multitude of ways of reaching a solution – none is “better” than the other, although some are more efficient. It is important to develop an understanding of “efficient methods” but that is all part of the mastery process.

Why not keep things as they have always been? I’m OK at maths.

To return to my doctor’s analogy.  A few decades ago, if you had a bad back, doctors would have told you to lie down still.  Now, due to research and professional development of doctors, they will now tell you to move around as much as possible.  When this was a new idea it would have felt counter-intuitive and weird and “that can’t possibly work?!”

The way maths is taught is just the same.  The old ways are not necessarily the most helpful ways.  Just because something has been done a certain way for a long time, doesn’t mean it’s the right way going forward, in light of new research. 

Teaching methods are constantly being refined due to new research about how children learn. Teaching things the way they always have been is as unhelpful, and even as damaging as, prescribing treatments for medical issues which the research now shows impedes rather than helps.

How to help your child with maths:

If you feel unsure about helping your child using these methods you can:

• Ask your school for help in understanding the methods – many schools run parent information sessions to explain them.
• Ask your child to explain it to you.  If they can, it shows they have a really good understanding of the concept.
• Don’t beat yourself up.  You are not a qualified teacher and aren’t expected to understand these methods inside out.  Encourage your child to think back to their lessons and have a go.  Developing independence in learning this way actually helps learning, not hinders it, especially if they make mistakes (remember, mistakes are wonderful things and are needed for connections in the brain to be made).
• Read my other blog about how to help children with their learning here.

I use mastery maths methods in my tuition to develop a deep and secure understanding of maths concepts and to tie in with methods being used in schools so that children make links instead of being confused.

Contact me if I can help your child develop a love of maths.

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Choosing which school to send your child to can be a bit of a minefield.  Asking other parents is OK to a point, but, their opinion is biased by their own child’s experience of the school, and for every parent who dislikes a school, there will be another who loves it. 

Here, I’m going to talk you through some things to look for, from the point of view of a teacher.  Many of these are things teachers look for when applying for jobs.  “Do I want to teach here?” often translates across to “Do I want my child to learn here?” 

Whether to choose state or private is a whole other blog post.  All I’ll say is, state does not automatically mean lower quality and a worse education for your child and private does not automatically mean superior quality and a better education.  They each have pros and cons.  (Did you know private schools don’t have to employ qualified teachers or follow the national curriculum?) 

If you are considering private, do visit local state schools too and compare them.  You might be surprised that there is sometimes very little difference between them and you can get just as good, if not better, schooling for “free” (you’ve already paid for it via your taxes) at the local state primary.

1. Ignore Ofsted reports (or at least take them with a pinch of salt).

Ofsted is the body that inspects schools.  It is 30 years old and has always been controversial.  Ofsted has proven itself to be not fit for purpose within the teaching profession.  In a recent survey of 4,888 state school teachers, 79% rated Ofsted as “inadequate” or “requires improvement” (TeacherTapp), less than 1 in 10 teachers think Ofsted has improved standards in their school (The Times) and it is one of the top reasons why teachers leave the profession.  There are increasingly loud calls for Ofsted to be scrapped and replaced with a more supportive and positive accountability system.

A book could be written about why Ofsted does more to damage schools and learning than it does to support and help them improve, so all I’ll say is, don’t base your opinion of a school on a one or two word phrase given to the school by someone who has come in for a day or two (with little to no understanding of the area and the demographic of the children in the school), caused stress and disruption to learning in the process, and made a judgement on this snapshot of time that stays with the school for years to come.

Imagine a stranger coming into your home for a day, with no understanding of who you all are, and saying you are a “good” family or a family that “requires improvement” based on that one experience.  That’s Ofsted inspecting schools.

Schools in more deprived areas get a disproportionate amount of “requires improvement” and “inadequate” grades and schools in more affluent areas get a disproportionate amount of “outstanding” and “good” grades, but the schools in deprived areas are having to work harder for their children, often with less money and resources.  In my experience, it is these schools that are often providing a better education.

Schools rated “outstanding” between May 2012 and November 2020 (yes, Ofsted were going into schools during the pandemic and lockdowns!) were exempt from routine inspections.  This means there are “outstanding” schools that have not been inspected for 10 years. That’s a long time.  Things will definitely have changed.  Is it really still “outstanding”?  What is an “outstanding” school anyway?  My opinion, and that of most teachers on that, is vastly different to Ofsted’s.  (These schools will now be inspected by August 2025.)

Just because a school has been labelled “outstanding”, it doesn’t mean it is. Just because a school has been labelled “inadequate”, it doesn’t mean it is.

2. How close to home is it?  Can you walk there?

Gone are the days when children went to their local school and that was that. Parents now have more choice.  However, anyone who works in a school, or lives near a school will tell you the nightmare that is caused twice a day by children being driven to school and the problems of parents parking dangerously.  I think every school newsletter these days has a monthly reminder not to park like an idiot. Police have to be brought in.  Honestly. It gets that bad.

Children who walk (or scoot or cycle) to their local school are fitter, happier and safer.  They have better road sense because they learn how to deal with roads and traffic, whilst the children being driven are more at risk because they don’t develop these skills so quickly.  There is less pollution – that’s good for everyone.  The children who walk learn better due to the exercise and the mental health benefits of this. 

If there is a school within walking distance check this one out first.

3. How diverse is the school?

Teaching, primary teaching in particular, is a dominantly female profession, so most staff will be women.  However, I would be a little concerned if the whole staff, including support staff, office staff, dinner staff and cleaning staff were female.  All children, not just boys, need positive male role models, so look for diversity of gender.

Also look for diversity of age/experience.  There is a retention crisis in teaching and most teachers leave within the first 5 years of their career.  Experienced teachers are expensive and find it incredibly difficult to get jobs. 

If the whole teaching staff is made up of teachers all within the first 5 years of their career (clues – they are likely to be in their early to mid 20s and called “Miss something”) I would be cautious.  Where is the experience in the staff coming from?  Without experienced staff, teachers in the early stages of their career do not grow and develop from learning from those who have been doing it for longer.  Schools need a mix of fresh new enthusiasm and experience for the best outcomes.

How diverse is the school in terms of race or disability of both staff and children.  If you live in an area with little diversity in the population then this is obviously harder, but in some ways even more important.  The more diverse a school is, the more vibrant it is and the learning wider and the children more tolerant of others.  We need more tolerant people in society.  Diversity is good.  If everyone looks and sounds like you and your child, that might be a concern.

4. Look at the displays

If displays are of a range of children’s work then my heart sings.  Some of the work might look a bit messy or there might be mistakes, but for that child it is worthy of celebration by being proudly exhibited on the wall.

If all the work is looking beautiful and perfect, are the children who find things harder not being celebrated?  Are expectations unrealistic for some children?  Is the culture about getting things right, rather than effort and mistake making?

If displays are predominantly print outs of educational resources (eg alphabets or numbers, or prompt charts) with little to no input from the children themselves, I would be concerned.

5. Do they genuinely focus on the whole child, or is it a bit of an exam factory?

This can be really tricky to spot.  ALL schools claim to focus on the individual child, work in a child-centred way and put their wellbeing to the forefront, and 99% of schools do do this, but, some are better at it than others.  If you can, find out if children in Year 6 (and possibly Year 2) are doing practise SATs tests from the autumn term, or if they are expected to attend after school or holiday revision sessions.  If so, the school is putting more emphasis on exam results than child-wellbeing. 

Is there a nurture group or wellbeing sessions or strategies that are integrated into the school day, and not just fluffy add ons or one offs? 

Is there a pupil mentor or pastoral member of staff who helps children and families deal with difficulties. 

Is there a breakfast club?

Is there a wide variety of after school clubs that appeal to all sorts of different interests? 

Do the children seem happy, settled, and engaged in a variety of activities, or a bit “meh” and flat or robotic? 

What resources are around and do they look used, or is there just a lot of desks, paper, books and shiny resources that look nice but the kids clearly aren’t getting their hands on them. 

How much focus do the school put on foundation subjects (everything apart from maths, English and science)?  There should be a balance and evidence of other subjects being learned about.

Do visitors come in and do the children go out on educational experiences? 

Do they do Forest Schools or similar?

6. How do the staff come across?

Do the staff (not just the teachers, but office staff, Teaching Assistants, dinner ladies etc) seem happy and enjoying their work on the whole (there’s always one who doesn’t want to be there or is having a bad day!), or do most of them look tired, fed up, or exhausted (if it’s near the end of term, expect a bit of tiredness/exhaustion!)?  A school full of unhappy, stressed staff means they are not able to give your child the best learning experience they can.

If you can, find out about staff turnover.  Now, this might be hard, but if the Ofsted report is recent, it is one good piece of information you may find in it.  If staff have worked at the school for years, then that is a very good sign.  It indicates they enjoy working there, feel valued and there is likely to be a good mix of experience among the staff.  If there is a high turnover of staff, with lots of newly or recently qualified teachers taking up the vacancies, then that should ring some alarm bells that maybe not all is good up the ladder in management.

Talking of management – what do you make of the headteacher?  How much classroom teaching experience do they have (some are promoted very early in their career and have very little experience at the chalkface. In some academies or private schools, the headteacher will not even be a teacher!)  Do they keep their finger on the pulse and still take classes (even if occasionally) and muck into the wider school life? Are they respected by the staff, or are they sitting in their ivory tower and have lost touch with what teaching is all about?  This may be difficult to tell, as they will be putting on their best show to encourage you to join their school.  How do teachers/staff react around them?  Does the relationship seem natural and mutually respectful or fake? 

7. Teaching methods

The way children are being taught should look a bit different to how you were taught at school.  What we know about how children learn has moved on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some schools are very good at keeping up with modern pedagogy (the method and practise of teaching) and some are stuck in the early 2000s. 

If children are seated in ability groups I would be wary.  Research clearly shows that grouping children in this way hinders their progress rather than helps it.  Yet, so many schools still cling onto this outdated way of working.  Working in mixed ability ways doesn’t mean children aren’t being challenged or supported, but more sophisticated and developmentally appropriate ways of doing this are being used instead.  If the school follows a “mastery” approach then this is a good indication that they are keeping up to date with the research, so long as they are applying it correctly.

If there is a behaviour chart or smiley and sad faces on the board as a behaviour management tool, again I would be wary.  These approaches have been shown to be ineffective in helping children improve their behaviour and can in some cases make it worse.  Restorative justice systems and systems where children are rewarded for effort rather than achievement are much better and more effective. 

If children have points or rewards that they have already achieved taken off them, that is a big red flag to me.  If you have achieved something, that achievement still stands, regardless of how you behave afterwards.  Past successes should not be used to punish current wrong-doings.

Keeping children in to finish work in playtime is also a warning sign.  The children who need to get out and play the most are often the ones kept in more often.  It’s also a sign that either the teacher is struggling to pace their lessons appropriately, or deeper reasons why children are not finishing (eg processing delays or hearing loss) are not being picked up on.

8. Friends

You can send your child to the fanciest, most excellent school in your area, but if they don’t have friends there and are unhappy, it is pointless because they won’t be learning.  To learn we need to feel settled and happy.  If one school is amazing but your child has no friends there (and therefore is not happy about going) and another is not quite so good but they have friends there, the best option is usually option 2.  Unless your child finds making friends easy, or they are open to moving to a school where they don’t know anyone, they will find it much easier to settle and learn with friends around them.  The school day is long and hard without them.

9. Ignore strangers on the internet

I see so many posts on local Facebook pages asking about what schools are like. Just because little Tommy had a bad experience because Mrs Smith took a disliking to him (highly unlikely btw!) or little Jemima had the most wonderful time with Mr Jones, that doesn’t tell you anything useful about how your child will find the school. 

When I read comments about a school I used to work at online, we had to laugh (otherwise we’d cry) at some of the grossly inaccurate things parents were saying.  It’s school gate gossip gone online.  It’s mostly nonsense.  Don’t listen to strangers on the internet (or at the school gate).

10. Visit

Instead – visit the school for yourself.  Look out for the things I’ve mentioned.  Take your child with you if possible, but don’t base your decision purely on what they want – you are their parent and you need to make the ultimate decision taking into account all the elements and what fits best for them.  Get a feel.  If your gut is saying yes, or no, trust it.

No school will tick all of the above boxes (if you do find it – let me know!)  Focus on the most important elements for your child and family and go with a best-fit approach.  You will have to make compromises, but your child will receive a good education whatever school you choose.

If you have found this blog helpful, then do come and join my free Facebook group Primary Matters for more help and advice about learning in the vital primary years.

To discuss how I can help support your child’s learning, please contact me.

The post How to Choose a Primary School appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

SATs are the end of Key Stage assessments that children take in Year 2 and Year 6 in England.  They are what are known as “high-stakes tests” because the children’s results are used to judge schools and individual teachers.  And this judgement can be harsh and cruel – believe me – I’ve been on the receiving end of it!

SATs have been with us since the 1990s and have got more demanding over that time.  In 2016 the government really upped the stakes and made the tests even more challenging for the children (and therefore also for schools and teachers). 

In 2020 and 2021 there were no SATs for obvious reasons.  They returned in 2022, with almost no concession for the previous two years of distupted learning. This year we are back to business as usual.

Why they are so contentious:

I want to make two things really clear:

1.  Teachers and educators who speak out against SATs are not saying children should not be assessed.  What they are saying is that SATs tests are not the way to do this and there are much better ways to assess children’s learning that does not cause the amount of stress and narrowing of learning that the SATs tests do.
2. The curriculum and SATs tests are not the invention of qualified educators who understand child development and learning.  They are imposed on schools by the government who have little to no understanding of how children learn.  The government wants to be able to rank highly in international league tables and to rank individual schools.  To do this they have to reduce exam results, and therefore children, to statistics. 

There is so much pressure on schools to do well in SATs because poor results can lead to damaging Ofsted inspections and teachers having their pay and career progression assessed on the basis of the results of a cohort of young, complex human beings. 

This pressure comes down to schools from the government, Ofsted and local authorities.  This inevitably gets passed on from the Senior Leadership team to individual class teachers, who, no matter how hard they try not to, will pass some pressure onto the children to do well, because their pay, progression, and the reputation of the school depends on it.  The children who sit the tests are actually the people who have the least come back from the results. It is frankly, messed up!

I was a Year 6 teacher between 2014 and 2019.  That’s 6 sets of SATs.  I’ve experienced firsthand the damage these tests do to schools, teachers, children, and parents and I am so sad to see them back this year.  A little bit of me hoped when it was announced in March 2020 that they were not happening that year, that they were finally on their deathbed.  How naïve of me!

When are SATs and what papers do the children take?

So, we have to put up with them again this year.  What do you need to know as a parent so you can best support your child through them?

Year 2 SATs

Year 2 SATs are very different to Year 6 SATs.

Year 2 SATs can be taken any time within a 2 week period in May.  Those 2 weeks will be decided by each individual school – your school should inform you of the dates. 

They will sit 2 reading papers, 2 maths papers, a punctuation and grammar paper, and a spelling paper.

The papers are not usually timed and the tests are marked internally by the teachers.

This is the last year Year 2 SATS will be statutory. From September 2023, schools will decide if they administer them or not.

Year 6 SATs

Year 6 SATs will be during the week of May 9^th this year.

Tuesday 9^th – Punctation and Grammar test – 45 minutes

               – Spelling test – 20 minutes

Wednesday 10^th – Reading test – 1 hour.

Thursday 11^th – Maths 1 arithmetic – 30 minutes

– Maths 2 reasoning – 40 minutes

Friday 12^th – Maths 3 reasoning – 40 minutes

These tests have to be administered under strict exam conditions.  Children have a time limit and must not talk during the test.  The tests are sent away to be marked externally.

The tests are usually sat in the morning and the children often do more fun and creative activities in the afternoon. 

The results come back in July and the scores are standardised.  A score of 100 is the “average”. 

Tips for SATs success:

So, although I don’t agree with SATs and wish we had a more child-friendly and supportive assessment system, having got six cohorts of Year 6 children through SATs, and in 2019 achieving the best results in my area, 4^th within my county and within the top 1% nationally, whilst ensuring minimal pressure was put on the children, I picked up some key tricks and techniques to help them do their best.

1. Read the question 3 times before answering it.
2. Ask an adult to read the question to you.
3. Make sure you write your answer in the answer box.
4. Make sure your answer is legible, including numbers.
5. Check how many marks it’s worth.
6. Don’t waste time on a difficult question – move on and get some marks under your belt with questions you can answer.
7. Do your best – that’s all that matters.
8. Sleep!
9. Play and have fun.
10. You are not your SATs results.  They don’t define you or your future.

I will be discussing these 10 tips in more detail in my free Facebook group in the weeks leading up to Year 6 SATs, starting on April ^17th.  You can join the group here.

There is growing pressure to change how we assess children in primary school.  The campaign group More than a Score is well worth checking out to find out more about SATS, the problem with SATs and the alternative ways forward.

The post How to help your child with SATs appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

When was the Last Time you Handwrote Something? 

It’s something we seem to do less and less these days.  Here’s a list of the things I handwrite:

• Session plans and notes during a session
• To do list
• Events in my diary/calendar
• Nightly journal
• Notes from professional and personal development
• Development ideas
• Shopping list
• Greetings cards

Nearly every one of these is just for my reference and not necessarily for others to read.  I could do most of them on a computer or my phone instead.  Why handwrite anything anymore?!

Handwriting is a really important skill, and is part of the National Curriculum – but is something that is really difficult to fit into the school day.  I know.  I tried and failed to implement handwriting practise into my classrooms more times than I care to admit!  In our over-crowded curriculum, there always seems to be something more important to be teaching, and handwriting lessons always felt a bit “Victorian”.

Why is Handwriting Important?

Handwriting is a complex skill.  It requires both fine and gross motor skills.  It’s not just about holding a pen, but our posture, hand and arm strength and hand-eye co-ordination. 

Handwriting engages our brains in a different way from when we type on a screen.  Studies have shown that handwriting improves our memory – we are more likely to retain what we have written if we handwrite it instead of typing it.  This is especially useful for learning spellings.  Handwriting them out (you can do this in creative ways) helps us remember them better – our brain is creating neural pathways for how that word is formed each time we physically write it down.  The more we write it, the better we will be able to remember it. 

I personally think that learning to join letters early on helps with this.  We learn how the word “flows” together – the pattern it makes on the paper and how it feels to write it down.  However, whether it is better to join early on or not is still one of the great unanswered questions in education and each school will have its own stance on this issue.

We Still Need to Handwrite

Right through school, children still need to predominantly handwrite.  It does amaze me that in 2022 formal exams are still handwritten – but they are, so the examiner needs to be able to read the writing.  You might have written an amazing answer – but if the examiner (or computer) can’t read it, then you will not get any marks.  Harsh but true.  When I taught Year 6 I spent so much of my time working with them on their handwriting and formation of numbers so that their SATs papers would be legible.  Not my favourite reason for why handwriting is important, but it is a valid reason.

Why do Children Struggle with Handwriting?

There could be a range of reasons why, and it will be different for each child.  Problems with handwriting boil down to motor skill difficulties, which most of these issues fit into.  I have come across all of the below and many of the reasons cross-over:

• Children often say their hand hurts if they handwrite.  This is because they are holding the pen too tightly and/or in an inappropriate grip. 

• They may also have poor posture or using a table and chair that is the wrong size for them, making writing uncomfortable.

• They may have coordination issues (we need to be able to know how to place the pen on the paper and move it to form the shapes of letters and words, and follow this with our eyes along the page). 

• They may never have been taught how to form the letters correctly, or didn’t master this before it stopped being taught.  Schools really struggle to fit in dedicated handwriting practise due to everything else they are asked to fit into 30 hours a week.  The focus definitely gets lost once children move into Key Stage 2.

• They may not have been encouraged to make marks and experiment with different mark making implements in the Early Years.

• They may not see others handwriting and therefore do not see its relevance or importance.

• They can’t read their own writing so become demotivated.

• They are slow to write because it is difficult and become demotivated.

How to Help Children with their Handwriting

Allow children, especially in the early years (0-5,) to make marks.  Use crayons, pens, paint, chalk or whatever you like.  Make marks on different surfaces, such as chalk on the pavement, or on big rolls of paper.  Use their finger or implements to make marks in a sand tray or shaving foam.  It doesn’t matter what marks they make – they are learning that we can make shapes and use this to communicate ideas and information whilst also developing those motor skills of holding an implement and coordinating their body to make shapes.  The more they do this, the more stamina they will have to continue making marks for longer.

Practise motor skills – throwing and catching a ball, rubbing your tummy and patting your head, rolling a pencil between your fingers, drawing an 8 on its side in the air and following your finger with your eyes. 

Children will be taught how to form letters and words, certainly in Year R, but possibly also in nursery.  Some schools will implement joining early on, others will use print.  What’s important is that children learn that letters have a specific shape and size and are formed in a particular way.  The formation of letters helps us to join them together, making writing quicker and easier.  Check how your child’s school teaches handwriting and practise at home.  You can make it fun and creative using different writing implements and surfaces as above.  Praise effort and attitude.  They will make mistakes and that’s OK – just show them again how to form the letter and try again.  The more they practise the stronger their neural pathways will become and the easier it will get over time.

Give them opportunities to write.  My mum used to tell me her shopping list and I’d write down the items – not only helping my handwriting but also my (pretty atrocious) spelling!  Handwrite thank you letters for birthday and Christmas presents.  Handwrite party invitations and greetings cards.  Handwrite a letter to a grandparent.  Look for opportunities for your child to handwrite something and if it’s for someone else then there is more incentive to work hard on it.

It’s OK to make a draft with mistakes in it and then write it out “in best”, but again, praise effort not perfect writing.

Use spelling practise time to include creative ways to practise handwriting.  Use rainbow writing, wiggle writing, putting the words into sentences or a story to make it a fun and creative activity and not a chore.  And by handwriting the words, the brain is going to be able to remember them better in future.

Things to Remember About Handwriting

Writing doesn’t have to be perfect all the time, but it does have to be legible.  Not all letters have to be joined together and once children have mastered letter formation and have practised handwriting they will begin to have more stamina, the process will become easier because our brain is now practised at it, and we will eventually form our own handwriting style.

I have successfully improved children’s handwriting via online tuition.  Not only has the child’s writing improved, but so has their confidence and enjoyment of writing as a result.  If I can help your child with their handwriting do get in touch.

The post Why Bother with Handwriting? appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

In a parent consultation recently, the issue of giving praise to children came up.  Praise is good, right?  All children love praise!  They won’t achieve anything without it.

When I was training to be a teacher back in the noughties, everything was based around praise.  Praise for sitting still and listening, praise for writing the date, praise for answering a question right, praise for answering a question wrong, praise for not hitting that child, praise for saying sorry for hitting that child… 

I vividly remember being told never to tell a child they had got something wrong.  To say something like “good try, but not quite”. 

After a few years at the chalkface, it becomes clear that these strategies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.  Praise only works when it is used sparingly and honestly.  Praising a child every five minutes for things that don’t necessarily deserve it can lead to apathy and lack of motivation.

The Problem with Praise

For children lacking in confidence, such as many of the children I work with, it can be tempting to over-praise to raise their self-esteem.  You may say that their picture or writing, or whatever it is, is the “best you’ve ever seen” or that it is “amazing”.  However, research suggests that this language has the opposite effect.  If you say or imply something is “perfect” or “incredibly good” (when it isn’t) children know what you are saying is not true and as a result, are less likely to choose a more challenging activity afterwards compared to children who were told it was just “good”, (“Mind Over Money”, Claudia Hammond, 2016, p153-154). By over-praising, we are setting standards that children feel are too high and creating a fear of failure because they don’t believe they can achieve the same level again in the future.

Research by Professor Carole Dweck, who has pioneered thinking around mindset, shows that praise is more effective when it is given for effort or the way a task is approached, rather than results (getting answers right).  She found that repeatedly telling a child they are “clever” (even if they are) can result in them staying within their comfort zone and not wanting to challenge themselves.

Praise in Tuition

To return to my consultation with a parent, she mentioned that at school, praise was a little too forthcoming and results-driven, which had led to exactly the situation found by Dewck’s research.  My tutee thought the work they did was good (when it wasn’t always good) and they were resisting challenging themselves.  Having worked with me for a few months now, we can both see that the child is thinking more carefully about their work, putting more effort into it, and spending longer on it.  They are willing to try new things that will challenge them and move their learning forward.  They are also more receptive to making mistakes and correcting them.  This is because I don’t NOT praise, but I don’t OVER-praise, and I praise for effort and approach, not just results. 

If a child I’m working with has done something well, I will tell them; if it is truly amazing, I will tell them and we will celebrate that – but if it isn’t, I won’t claim it is, but will help them work out how to improve it.  If they have found something difficult, but have tried hard, overcome frustrations, or asked for help I will give praise, because this helps build their confidence and willingness to keep trying and challenging themselves more in the future. 

To go back to my training days and being told not to tell and child they got something wrong but to say something like “good try, but not quite”, well, I’ve dropped the “good try, but” bit if it wasn’t a good try.  If the child is clearly not thinking hard enough, or has rushed, or has shown no understanding of the question or task, it is not necessarily a “good” try.  The praise I give is appropriate and based on effort and approach, not just results.   The impact that has on the child’s confidence and learning is clear to see.

Do contact me to discuss how I can help support you with your child’s learning.

The post Giving Praise to Children appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

It’s nearly Christmas and so time for a fun blog post!  Christmas toys – but with an educational slant.  There are thousands of educational games and toys available, so I’m going to recommend just a small handful that I regularly suggest to parents. 

All these items are under £30 and many are under £15. I am not affiliated with any of the companies or brands mentioned in this blog and receive no payment for recommending them. I’m just sharing what I know children enjoy that will also help them learn.

Watch

Many children struggle to tell the time and many parents ask how they can help their child with this essential life skill.  The best way is to buy them a wristwatch.  It doesn’t really matter what type of watch, although an analogue one (with hands) is good because telling the time on a traditional clock is a trickier concept than digital, and there are still many analogue clocks in the world around us.  A watch with analogue and digital displays are also really useful and help children understand the 24-hour clock.  Children feel grown up with a watch and enjoy using it to work out the time themselves.  Google “children’s watch” and lots of options come up.  I particularly like this one because it has an analogue and 24-hour clock combined. 

As with children who display a good understanding of spelling and sentence formation because they read a lot, children with their own watch pick up the concept of telling the time and time management quicker than children who do not have a way of working out and managing their time for themselves.

Times table Games

Learning times tables can be loads of fun. 

I love these times table snap cards by Green Board Games Co.  I’ve had these for years and you can tell they have been played with and enjoyed quite a few times! Just google “times table snap” and they will come up, along with lots of other brands and variations, such as flash cards.  (I’ve just checked this and there is currently a packet on Ebay for £125! I think that is a typo!) There are various versions, including division facts, so you can choose the set that’s right for your child.

Bananagrams

Bananagrams is such a fantastic game.  Kids love it because the letter tiles are kept in a banana-shaped case and the tiles are really tactile.  The aim is to create a crossword with your letter tiles, but there are various ways to play the game, and some children enjoy just using the letters to spell out words or making up their own spelling games.

There’s also a “My first letter” set for younger children, and an Appletters game too.

Boggle

Another favourite for practising spelling is Boggle.  How many words can you find in the 4X4 grid of letters in 3 minutes? Again, you can vary the game to make it easier or more of a challenge.

Storycubes

Storycubes are great for developing imaginative thinking and storytelling for all ages.  Again, there are different versions and themes, so google “story cubes” or “story dice” and see which one your child will enjoy the most. I got my set from Flying Tiger for about £5.

Books

Reading is the key to all learning.  Children who read for pleasure – regardless of their family background, economic situation or where they live – do better at school, and consequently are more “successful” (whatever that means to them) in life.  Reading is also fantastic for developing empathy for others, especially for people from backgrounds different to our own, and for expanding horizons and aspirations.  It’s also really good for our mental health.  Check out my blog for some book recommendations.

I’ve discovered these “Can you find it” books this year and they have been such a hit with my tutees, right up to the 11 year olds. The images are so well put together and the children love finding the items hidden in the picture. They are also great for developing patience, observation skills and could even be used to inspire story writing! There are four books in total – Food, Around the World, Vehicles and The Zoo.

Orchard Toys

Orchard Toys are fantastic!  They produce games and jigsaws for younger children that are educational and fun.  The games are largely plastic-free and hardwearing. They cover number and letter skills, shape, colour and matching skills among many others!

I hope I’ve inspired some gift ideas and you have fun playing with them over Christmas and beyond!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from The Top Cat Tutor!

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Throughout November I will be going live on my Facebook page to quickly explain some of the most common misconceptions, or stumbling blocks, that the children I work with often display, and provide advice on overcoming them.

I’ll take a look at each of them further in this blog.

The Maths Blocks:

Firstly, a couple of maths issues that crop up again and again: multiplying and dividing by powers of 10 and the commutativity of multiplication.

Multiplying and dividing by powers of 10.

A power of 10 is 10, 100, 1000 etc.  When I was at school, and I’m sure when you were too, we were taught to add zeros when we multiply by powers of 10 and to take zeros away when we divide by powers of 10. It was only when I was in teacher training college 20 years ago that I found out this is mathematically incorrect, and sets children up for problems further down the line (and probably helps explain one reason why I struggled with maths).  It is important to teach this correctly from the start so children don’t get stuck later on.  However, children are still being taught this “trick” and I’ve lost count of the times it has put a barrier in their way over the years.

So, if adding and taking away zeros is not correct, what is?

We need to understand that it is the digits moving and changing their place value.  When multiplying, numbers get bigger, so the digits move up the place values.  This leaves a space, or spaces, so we need to use a zero as a “place holder” to show there are no ones, for example. 

When we divide numbers, they get smaller, so here the numbers move down the place values.

So far, however, the trick of adding or taking away a zero works and gets the right answer, so what’s the issue?  Why does it matter whether we add or take off a zero or move the digits? 

Let’s start with looking at dividing.  When dividing, not all numbers have a zero on the end to “take away”.  If you have been taught to take off a zero and then you are presented with 32÷10, you are now well and truly stuck.  You have no idea how to solve this problem.  You get despondent and frustrated.  Maths becomes “difficult”.  If you have, however, been taught that the digits move, then this barrier never appears.  We just know what to do – move the digits.  No problem was created and we can continue to access maths and understand number. The digits might need to “jump” over the decimal point to become tenths or hundredths. When I was at school, I was told to move the decimal point.  Again, this is fundamentally incorrect.  The decimal point is fixed to the spot.  It doesn’t move.  It is glued down.  The digits move around it.

What about when we are multiplying?  We are adding a zero so why is it a problem?  The answer is because it leads to poor understanding of place value.  This is understanding what each digit represents – hundreds, tens and ones (sometimes called units).  If we just add a zero to 32 without moving any digits we still have 32.  We don’t write 32.0 because the zero tenths is not telling me anything useful, because I don’t need to know I don’t have any tenths.  Adding a zero on the end of 32 does not change the number in any way.  We need to move the digits, then place a zero in the empty place value columns to show clearly what the number is and avoid confusion.  A three in the tens column means 30, but 30 what?  31? 38?  The zero place holder is saying “there are no ones”.  This zero is vital.  And it’s vital it is in the ones column, not the tenths column.  Where it is means very different things.

Children enjoy practising these skills by moving numbers up and down a place value chart.  Imagine the numbers sprouting feet, or wheels, or being pushed in a trolley – whatever works to remember they are MOVING.

To know how many places on the chart to move, look at the power of 10 you are multiplying or dividing by.  10 moves one place because there is one zero, 100 two places because there are two zeros, 1000 three places etc.

Times tables are commutative:

Commutative means that the calculation can be written either way around.  3X4=12 is the same as 4X3 =12.  As I’ve explained in my blog “What Can I do to Help my Child with their Learning?”, it is best to learn all the related times table facts together as it creates less work in the long run.  If you know 3X4 = 12 you therefore know 4X3 = 12 and therefore 12÷4 = 3 and 12÷3=4.  That’s four facts for the price of one!  Lots of children, when presented with 12X5 for example, will say they don’t know their 12 times table.  When asked “do you know your 5 times table?” they say yes and know 5X12 = 60.  Understanding that you can swap the numbers around is liberating.  Children think the 12 times table is hard, or that they don’t know it.  They will know more 12 times questions than they think.  Turn the question around!

The English Blocks:

Over sounding phonemes and resistance to editing writing.

“Uh” Phonics:

Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound within a word.  Children are taught phonics from the early years and there is a huge focus on it in school.  Children will be familiar with the word “phonics” and “phoneme”.  We use phonics to sound out words to help us read and write (this is only helpful to a point in English as lots of English words are not phonetic).

The children I work with who struggle with reading and spelling often are not sounding phonemes correctly.  They say, for example, “c-hu – ah – t-hu”.  We don’t say cat “cuhahtuh”,  it’s “c-a-t”.  The sounds are very small and quiet, with no “uh” on the end.  The vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) are louder and may have a slight “uh” on the end, but the consonants are small, made by a little puff of air (b, p), or restricting the back of the throat (c, k, q) for example.  Encourage your child to say the sounds as small and quietly as possible (but still being able to hear them!)  This will help them hear the word they are sounding out – “c-a-t” sounds like “cat” -which helps with reading and spelling.

As a side note, I’ve noticed lots of children calling letters words – “how many words in the word?”  It’s also important to know the difference between the name of the letter (A – ay) and the sound it makes (“a” as in apple).

Proofreading and Editing:

Children are generally great at writing.  They have fantastic ideas which they write down eagerly.  However, many think that once they’ve written the last word (not necessarily with a full stop after it) they are done and it’s time to move on to the next thing.  When you explain that the next thing is to go over and edit the writing, they sometimes become frustrated and despondent, and issues around fear of mistakes and getting things wrong surface.

Children need to understand that writing is a process, and correcting their work is an integral part of that process.  Proofreading (finding spelling, grammar and punctuation errors) and editing (changing the word choice, word order, sentence structure etc) are essential parts of being a writer. Every writer goes through this process and every piece of text that has been professionally published goes through this process, multiple times.  Find your favourite book.  The author didn’t write those words first time, and then it was printed and you bought it.  Those words are there after a process of changing, correcting, adding in or taking out many, many times before it was printed and sent to the shop.  Being a proofreader and/or editor is a career.  People are paid to check writing and make it as good as it can be.  It is not a criticism or telling off.  It is an essential part of the writing process.

When children understand that the first draft of their writing is not the finished version and there is an expectation to proofread and edit, and that is done in an engaging, creative way, they are able to see this as part of the process and embrace the task of making their writing “as good as it can be”.

A first draft should be about getting ideas out of your head and on paper.  Children shouldn’t be worrying about how to spell words or where to put full stops at this stage.  What’s important is getting the ideas down.  The next stage is to check the spelling, punctuation etc.  Children should do this themselves first, before someone else checks it (it is good to have a fresh pair of eyes look at it which is why authors use professional proofreaders and editors.)  Instead of looking for all the things that need changing at once, focus on one thing at a time.  Are the capital letters correct?  Now the full stops and other punctuation?  Are there any words I know are spelt incorrectly, or I think might be?  Check them (put a wiggly line under them first).  Be a writing detective.  Put yourself in the shoes of your reader.  Have you made your writing as clear as possible for them?  Will they understand and enjoy it?

Drafts of writing should be messy.  There should be crossing out, insertion, asterisks to show where new sentences and paragraphs are that couldn’t be fitted in.  Use different coloured pens if it helps, but it’s not necessary.  This shows the child has gone back and thought about their writing, and corrected errors, embedding learning along the way.

Young children in Years 1 and 2 should be checking they have used capital letters and full stops correctly, and maybe checking 1 or 2 spelling words.  Build up the amount of proofreading and editing done as the children become older and more skilled in their writing abilities. 

Editing is often seen as a chore by children, but it is actually a really creative process.  Is there a better word or phrase to use to really get across what I want the reader to know or imagine?  What happens if I move the words around, take a word out, change a word, move a comma…?  Editing is being playful with language.  That is fun!

To see my short explanations of these misconceptions, please visit my Facebook page.  Coming in the new year will be my Learning Support Membership where there will be short, engaging video lessons and supporting activities to address these misconceptions. Do get in touch if you are interested in discussing how I can help support your child’s learning.

I’m now off to proofread and edit this blog before publishing!  What you are reading is not the first draft 😉.

The post Four Common Misconceptions appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.

This was a common question at parent’s evening when I was teaching, and something I’m asked regularly by the parents I work with now as a tutor.

My suggestions are below.  Other than the first one which is the most important thing you can do to help your child with their learning, the rest are in no particular order.

Read

Reading is the most important thing children can do to help their learning along.  To find out more, have a read of my blog about the importance of reading here. It doesn’t matter what you read – books (fiction and/or non-fiction), comics, magazines, websites, computer games, instruction manuals, menus, shopping lists, cereal boxes…. just read!  It is the key to everything.

Your child listening to other people read is also fine.  It is important for children to listen to stories as much as reading them themselves.  Hearing someone else reading fluently helps them understand word pronunciation, rhythm, and expression.  It also helps them understand what is going on because they are not having to worry about “decoding” the words (turning the letters into sounds).  If you are confident reading yourself, then sharing a story at bedtime is an enjoyable experience for both of you.  If you don’t feel confident reading yourself, then audiobooks are also fantastic.  Don’t stop your child from listening to stories once they can read independently either.  Everyone loves listening to a story – even adults!

It’s OK for children to re-read stories they enjoy.  I’m an avid re-reader.  Familiarity develops confidence and enjoyment.  You also notice new things with each reading.  It’s also OK for them to sometimes read something “too easy”.  A variety of difficulty is important.  If they are always reading something that is a bit of a challenge, then reading becomes hard work and they no longer enjoy it.  After a “heavy” book about something serious, I usually choose a funny easy-read after it. 

Reading doesn’t have to be expensive either.  I’m a huge advocate of libraries.  They are free to join and are also now able to start running free events again.  You can also borrow audiobooks from them.  I used to love Saturday morning visits to the library as a child.  Books for free – what’s not to like?!

Times Tables

Recall of times tables is an important skill because it is so helpful across many areas of maths, such as fractions, percentages, and area.  It is a life skill. The children who struggle with maths invariably don’t have a solid recall of times tables.

There is a formal times tables test in Year 4 (which has been put on hold during Covid but will probably re-appear) and in Year 5 and 6 understanding of fractions, percentages, etc is made so much easier if children have good times table knowledge.

Don’t just learn them in order:

Eg 1X2, 2X2, 3X2, etc.

Do mix them up:

Eg 5X2, 8X2, 2X2, etc.

When we need to use times tables to access other areas of maths, it will be at random.  Eg a rectangle that is 5cmX12cm to find the area.  If we have to start at 1X12 and work though, it wastes a lot of time.  We need to just be able to recall 5X12 = 60.

Don’t just learn the answers:

Eg 2, 4, 6, 8…

Do say the question:

Eg 1X2=2.

Children who can only recite the answers in order have no access to what that number refers to and therefore really struggle to answer times table questions or apply them to other areas because they only know half of it.  They have to count up on their fingers to find out “how many 2s make 12” for example.  This is frustrating for them and wastes time. Say the whole times table out loud: “two times six is 12”.

Don’t learn the tables one at a time: 

Eg, the 2s, then the 3s, then the 4s etc.

Do learn the associated facts:

Multiplication is commutative (it doesn’t matter which way round the numbers are on either side of the X).  So, if you know 4X5 = 20, you automatically then know that 5X4 = 20.  This means that there is no need to learn the 12 times table because if you know the others, you automatically know the 12s.  There are only 21 times table questions you need to actually learn – the rest you know because you’ve learnt it the other way round! 

It’s also important to know that the opposite of multiplying is dividing, so learning the division facts alongside helps enormously when applying facts to other areas of maths.  So, if we are learning that 3X4 =12, we also learn that 4X3 = 12, and 12÷4 = 3 and 12÷3=4.  That’s 4 facts for the price of 1!

Do use what you know to help you with what you don’t:

If you know your 2 times table, then double it to find the 4s.  Double that to find the 8s.  Double the 3s to find the 6s, double that to find the 12s.  Alternatively, halve the 12s to find the 6s, etc. 

Also, your child may know up to 5X something but is stuck on 7X something.  Go back to 5X and count on 2 sets to find 7 times.  So many children start from the beginning and work up. Instead, start from what they know.  They probably know 10X but find 9X hard.  Start at 10X and take away one set and you have 9X. So much quicker than counting up from 1X.

Don’t worry too much about speed:

There has always been a big emphasis on recalling times tables facts at speed.  The Year 4 test does require questions to be answered at speed.  Whilst this can be helpful, especially when using the facts to help with other areas of maths so that you can carry on with the actual problem at hand and not end up bogged down in an extra task of working out 7X6 for example, it is not the bee-all-and-end-all.  There is a move in primary education now towards slower recall because speed can create anxiety.  Not everyone’s brain works quickly, and the time pressure causes many children’s brains to shut down (and adult’s – I’ve always suffered with “maths brain”.  I need time to think).  It’s OK to have to work it out, using a time-efficient strategy (such as the ones described above). 

There are so many fun ways to learn times tables.  Have posters up (children enjoy making their own), find songs and dances online, or download or have a CD to play in the car.  Use flashcards, or find games online (there are LOADS – Google “times table games”).

Praise effort not getting things right:

The children I work with who lack confidence in their learning all have one thing in common – fear of mistakes.  This is the biggest factor holding them back.  Before they can make progress academically, they need to reach the point where they are comfortable making mistakes.  Because making mistakes is how we learn.  Mistakes are fundamental and must be celebrated.  It’s OK to get something wrong, so long as we tried, and learn from the mistake so that we can iron it out in the future.  We need to practise things.  In our world of instant gratification and short attention spans children can find it difficult if they don’t understand something, or can’t do something, straight away. 

However, nobody ever achieved anything without trying.  Behind “successful” people there is a background of hard graft, failure, and perseverance.  It is effort, practise, and learning from our mistakes that needs to be recognised and praised, more than getting something right.  For example, a child may be struggling to work out a maths question. They have tried to solve it but got the wrong answer.  A great response would be something like: “Well done for trying that.  We have learnt that that isn’t the answer so let’s try another way.”  As the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  Each way that didn’t work, was part of his path to learning what did work.

Have fun:

We learn best when things are enjoyable.  If your child is tired after school and needs some downtime, then this isn’t the best time to practise spellings, times tables, or reading.  Find a time when they are rested and ready to learn for homework tasks.  If it’s not happening that day, don’t force it.  There’s always tomorrow.

We learn all the time from life in general.  Get your child involved in the housework (pairing up socks is a great maths activity for younger children), cooking, shopping, etc.  They love it and it doesn’t feel like a chore to them!  There is maths and English to be practised all around us just from doing day-to-day things. 

Go to the library, museum, park, a walk in the woods…  Your child will be soaking up all sorts of information, such as: learning to cross the road safely; how to behave in public; finding out about cultures from the past and present; different plants and animals; how keeping fit helps us feel good, to name just a few.  I learnt where places are in the country by watching the football results on a Saturday afternoon (“Mum, where’s Bolton?”) and I also remember sounding out the word “fog” when watching the weather forecast.  Learning can happen anywhere, anytime.

If your child needs further help with their schoolwork, do get in touch to see how I can help.

The post What Can I Do To Help My Child With Their Learning? appeared first on Karen Lander - The Top Cat Tutor.