School readiness for 4 year olds

It’s a popular pastime among many mums to boast about the astonishing IQ of their offspring: they can count to 100, they can name every country on the map and they can even write their full name and address. It’s every parent’s right to be proud but, as a result, others may start to question whether they’ve done their own child a disservice by not having instilled such a vast amount of knowledge in their 4 year old. They may even feel that they’ve ‘wasted’ too much time on play, fun and games and neglected the academic needs of their little one.

Reception

The truth is, ask any reception teacher and they will tell you, it doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t matter if they haven’t learnt how to hold a pencil. It’s not important if their alphabet’s hazy (or non-existent). It isn’t even a problem if they can’t count to 10 yet.

What the teacher would really love to see is a child that’s able to listen, be patient and ask for help if necessary. A child that can play with others, share, take turns and understand that others have feelings too. These children are usually happier in the classroom and easier to teach. Simple things like going to the toilet without any help, peeling their own banana at lunchtime and speaking clearly will do lots for your child’s confidence and will be a great help to their teacher too.

Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t sing a rainbow, try to teach them to count or work on the alphabet together, not at all. What I’m saying is that it shouldn’t worry you if it hasn’t sunk in. If you engage with your child they will have social skills. If you read to your child, they will have an attention span of some kind and will be ready to listen at school. If you sing educational songs with them daily, they will learn without even trying.

Confidence

As a matter that is close to my heart at the moment (my tiny nephew has just turned 4 and marched off with his lunchbox just a few weeks ago), transition from pre-school to reception can be very daunting for the adults involved. By arming your child with confidence and the ability to listen, you are doing far more to prepare them for ‘big school’ than by teaching them a few bits of knowledge – this can be left to the lovely, smiley teacher who is going to appreciate your little listener and be very grateful that you’ve prepared them so well. Don’t feel guilty… they’re ready for this new adventure (even if you’re not!)

Why do students find Maths such a difficult subject?

Talk to students, and you'll probably find that Maths is among the most unpopular subjects. It's boring, it's difficult, it lacks the excitement of what they really want to be doing.

The funny thing is though, that Maths is actually a fascinating subject, as well as one of the most useful for career success. Fields such as engineering and computer science really demand a good knowledge of Maths to succeed. And maths tuition, if geared towards the student's interests, can often light up the their abilities, even if they're not finding that interest in their school work.

Difficult

The problem for many people may be that Maths is seen as difficult, because a grounding in the basics is essential before you get to the more interesting stuff. Think of it as being a bit like a Beatles song. Take it apart, and it's very complicated: melodies are overlaid on one another, chords shift into different keys, scales from foreign cultures suddenly enter into the structure of the song. But when you hear it, you don't think of the underlying structure of the song, you just think it's a great tune!

Just as we might not realise that some of our favorite things are built on complicated structures, students may not realise that their interests might be related to subjects they would otherwise find prohibitively difficult.

Problem-solving

This is why a maths tutor with reluctant learners can really help their students understand the subject by igniting a passion in it. Relating a student's interests to the task at hand is just one way to create positive reinforcement in their learning. Perhaps their favourite song or favourite painting is built on mathematical principles. Maybe they're football fans, and don't realise that problem-solving skills are essential to a team's success. Whatever the method, by showing students how the most interesting parts of their worlds are structured on Maths, we can teach them that if they put in the work, they'll find more enjoyment than they knew existed.

The results day fallout

Many of us know at least one young adult that suffered the dreaded A-level results day last week or, if not, someone that will have a similar ordeal with today’s GCSE results.

As we all remember vividly, it’s a day that can go either way. After weeks and weeks of putting it to the back of your mind, that August date creeps ever nearer and occupies more and more of your thoughts.

The fact is, they’re not just exam results. They are the difference between packing for university in a few weeks’ time and having to rethink your whole career plan, the difference between joining your friends in the sixth-form and being the one left behind to resit Year 11.

Life-changing

That’s huge. That’s life-changing.

Despite the fact that these results are important, we have to keep in mind that they were written months ago and that there is absolutely nothing at all that can alter them now; no amount of hoping, wishing or praying will change the result inside that envelope.

What we do know is that, if a student is worried about their exam results, they care very much and, if they care, they probably studied well and revised as much as they possibly could last spring.

If all this is true, then they should be proud of themselves, whatever the envelope holds and they should know that ‘success’ in life doesn’t always rely on an exam result.

Success

There are many roads to success and, if they’re determined and hardworking, that little piece of paper won’t prevent them from achieving their goals. If they didn’t stand in the way of Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gough or Bill Gates, exam results shouldn’t be a hindrance for anyone.

So – for you students out there – whether your grades fall short of your expectations or exceed them, an exam result doesn’t determine your fate – you do...now go get ‘em!

Education column by Sarah Ludden-Roughley

Sarah is the owner and mentor of Harborough firm Inicio, based at Bennett’s Place Courtyard in Market Harborough, LE16 7NL. It offers exclusive private tuition in a bespoke study environment offering tailored one-to-one learning.

For more details, see its website at harboroughtutors.co.uk, email info@HarboroughTutors.co.uk or phone 01858 462648.

Follow Inicio on Twitter, @Iniciotutors