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Getting child to work slower with tutoring homework!

9 replies

WeirdyMcBeardy · 02/05/2018 11:56

DS is having tutoring for 11+. I don't think it's ability that will affect whether he passes, but speed.

He just works too fast when doing tests at home. His tutor said before he had a problem with not reading the question properly, which he is now doing much better with. But recently he had a 40 question, 40 minute maths test to do. Tutor said he wasn't expecting them to finish and said they should get to about 35/36 questions. DS came out of his room after 30 minutes saying he had finished. I sent him back to check his answers, he spent 5 minutes checking them then said he was done.

He got 27/40. When I looked through there were some I knew full well he could have got right, but because he rushed, he got them wrong. He insists he doesn't rush and seemingly cannot be told.

During tutoring this week, DS and another boy were working too quickly and the tutor made them slow down and they did better. We are now down to 4 months until the test. I know he has the ability to pass, but not if he rushes through like this. It's very frustrating.

How can I get him to work more slowly and carefully?

OP posts:
BassemB · 05/06/2018 15:18

Hi WeirdyMcBeardy,

Talking from experience, as this is the exact same behavior that I had when I was passing my exams when I was younger, confronting him about how you notice he has rushed through his exams does not help. However, I would advise to try and get him to write down clearly all the steps he has undertaken or at the very least the most important ones. I understand you might think he will not have enough time when he does this, but doing so will force him to carefully think through when providing an answer.

Hope this was helpful, again , this is exactly the same behavior I was experiencing and it is quite a hard habit to get rid off.

Mumsthewordssshhh · 21/01/2019 09:49

Curious how your son did @weirdymcbeardy as my son is exactly the same (year behind yours). Any tips on how to help the issue now you’ve “been there done that”?

andmypointis · 21/01/2019 14:17

@Mumsthewordssshhh same here ...

Mumsthewordssshhh · 21/01/2019 14:22

@andmypointis so frustrating isn’t it? Let’s hope @weirdymcbeardy can share some pearls of wisdom...

April2020mom · 23/01/2019 12:20

@weirdymcbeardy

Perhaps you should talk to him. Try telling him that it’s okay to take your time and check your answers carefully afterwards too. Maybe show him a video of someone who failed their exam for the exact same reason as him and had to make do with poor results when they could have easily got a decent mark. Hopefully that will make a difference in his attitude.
Basically he is throwing his future out of the window. Try reminding him of that.

DomesticAnarchist · 23/01/2019 12:45

You can try one of this type of quizzes. It's best done in a group for good effect.

www.uen.org/lessonplan/download/44825?lessonId=27659&segmentTypeId=2

thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 14:39

He may just be rushing them because he's, what? 10 or 11years old and really doesn't want to be stuck doing 'extra' work. He probably thinks 'let's get this done and get out'. How invested is he in passing the 11+?

RCohle · 23/01/2019 15:05

Calculate exactly how long he has per mark / question and set a timer to go off after the appropriate period (so once a minute for 40 minutes for the test you're discussing).

Have him practice sitting the test with the timer and with you/ the tutor not letting him move on to the next question until the timer is up. It will help him learn what the right amount of time per mark "feels" like.

I also wouldn't let him leave if he's finished the test early. If he's "done" make him keep sitting at his desk until the time allotted for the exam is up. He might be rushing because he wants to get on with more fun activities.

andmypointis · 25/01/2019 08:37

When did you guys start tutoring and how much work do you do? Is 1-1 the answer?

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