A guide to successful revision
The academic challenges increase rapidly as children get older. And although some teenagers cope, for most
it can be quite a testing time - with increased homework to focus on, mock exams, then the real exams to revise for and sit.
When it comes to concentration on schoolwork here are a few ideas that could help:
- Help them organize their time and workload. School homework tasks need to be managed over weeks and months, not at the last minute in a rush. When your child is organized and in control of the tasks, they’ll be
able to focus on them and not be so stressed. - Get them to regularly show you the homework that’s set and ask what’s required, what’s the progress
and what’s needed to complete it. Doing this helps your child focus and shows you are interested. - Make sure they build in sufficient time to complete the homework task or to revise. Doing 20 minutes
revision a night for the week previous is better than a panicked all-nighter on the eve of an exam. - Help take off the pressure at exam times by giving them a break from household chores and, yes, get
them to cut down on their socializing until the exams are over. - And above all be supportive and don’t pile on the pressure or be a pushy parent – they’ve got enough to
cope with.
At exam time:
Our children are constantly reminded, if not just by us then by the world out there, that the exams they do now will affect them for the rest of their lives. They pave the way for a good place in University, then a good job, earning good money. Exams are easy for some, not so easy for others. So how can you as a parent help?
It’s a time to be sensitive to what your child is going through. More listening than telling is probably the key. Many children do better in coursework than they do in exams. No surprises there really – after all exams do require the ability to learn, understand and store complex information, then efficiently get it down on paper while the stopwatch is ticking.
Fortunately, most schools give focused tuition in exam technique to help pupils channel their energies and to help them deal with the stress and worries that exams bring. If you’ve got concerns, it’s worth talking them through with your child’s teachers. And above all keep giving your child the support and encouragement they need from you. Remind them that you just want them to try their very best and that’s all. However important exams are, health comes first. Exams can be re-sat if necessary.
