Penguin Tutoring personalises the placement of a screened and trained tutor, matched to your child’s needs, and provides inspirational extra lessons and tutoring for them in the comfort of your own home. Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za to find out more.
Melenie van Wyngaardt is our Operations Manager based in Port Elizabeth. She heads up operations for Johannesburg, and provides support to franchisees. She is a mother of two, and has been with the company for over a year. She has spoken to many moms and dads, and shared in the trials and tribulations of those childrens’ academic challenges. Call her today, she’ll be certain to provide advice, or assist you in personalising a tutor for you. She has shared her findings on exam preparation below. Please comment and share your own tips.
Our extensive experience in this field, but also as parents ourselves, has led us to conclude that the burdens for any examination weighs more heavily on young learners and cause them more stress than any other form of academic assessment. Many people will not face a more stressful situation for the remainder of their lives. We wish to share a few tips on what we as parents, can do to relieve the pressure:
- Make them aware that they are being supported by all in the family. Sometimes the scariest prospect for our children is what will happen if they disappoint us. We can let them know that we are on their side, regardless of their results.
- Be considerate to the pressure they might be putting on themselves. Help them to set realistic goals and put the exams in perspective!
- Let them know that their studying is a priority for the whole household by trying to minimise any sense of isolation they may be feeling. Put a copy of their exam timetable on the fridge to make it easier for everyone to talk to them about it. If regular household habits, such as having the TV on all afternoon, are making it difficult for them to remain focussed, try and make temporary changes that demonstrate the family’s support.
- We can make ourselves more available, by offering to help with study planning or even perhaps setting time aside at the end of the day to test them. Give them tips on other ways to jog their memory during an exam, e.g. acronyms or keywords or perhaps even those sometimes silly rhymes to remember scientific elements. Discuss any problems they may have with their exam technique. Address time management & the importance of taking time to read and interpret a question before answering. Try and come up with creative ways to help them improve on their mistakes.
- Our individual dynamic strengthens / inhibits our relationships with others and likewise so our children may have trouble relating to their teachers. Take time to discuss their individual relationships with their teachers. Schedule an appointment with the teacher and discuss these related issues. Also, discuss possible guidelines on areas which should be focussed on.
- The internet is a vast resource for previous exam papers. Our website also has a useful link to these resources, which can be found at www.penguintutoring.co.za
- Stress can deplete our systems from necessary nutrients and inhibit the brain from maintaining optimal concentration levels. Get an appropriate multivitamin to aid them with concentration. Make sure that they are getting enough breaks during their study sessions. Encourage them to be outdoors and carry on with their extra murals. Make sure that all meals are balanced and have a few healthy snacks on hand. Ensure that they are getting enough sleep as this is vital to clear & calm thinking.
- A tutor can be an enormous help during this stressful time. These young individuals would be equipped to mentor, offer support and act as an understanding ear. Furthermore, they would be sensitive to the stressful nature of an exam as they would have experienced exactly the same!
We understand that the approach to learning needs to be done in a specific manner and each learner needs to be especially catered for - you need look no further than Penguin Tutoring to invest inexpensively in your child’s future. For a tailored solution, find out more about our offering at www.penguintutoring.co.za. Our national footprint now includes Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and the Winelands.
Please leave a comment on how you’ve found exam preparation made easier.
