Year 12 #3: Open Days and Predicted Grades beckon

[whistl]

Yikes! The title has just hit me! It's too soon! I'm not ready!!

Thread number 2 link: https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3443840-Year-12-2-Carols-commutes-a-few-stocking-fillers

Well DD's progress report is encouraging, but it is a little disconcerting that we only get a grade and are actively discouraged from attending parent evenings. No news is good news. The pile of prospectuses is growing as they thud through the letter box each day. We've decided they are a bit like holiday brochures - selling a dream but with more basic accommodation. End of year exams are mid May, so a far dreams may become more or less realistic at that point.

DS2 got his Y12 "mock" results back. In each subject they had put together one paper's worth of questions on the topics they've done so far and attempted to make the level of difficulty similar to an A-level paper.

He got A A A* which is encouraging for him and is confirmation that his way of studying is working.

We have a parents' evening at the end of this term.

His next round of formal exams is in June; these will be used to set the predictions the school submit to UCAS.

That's more than encouraging, that's definitely confidence boosting. Excellent news.

Excellent news.

Thanks Stickerrocks he is the only one amongst his peers using the flipped learning technique, and I think he is seen as a bit of a curiosity. He is a very conscientious worker but is definitely forging his own path with his study style. To be fair, some of his friends who are using traditional study methods also got equally high grades, so it seems that different techniques can have similar outcomes.

Excellent news, TheFirst! Those grades bode very well for next year. I know what you mean about flipped learning - DS1 also getting on with independent study so much so he no longer thinks school is useful.

Wow !! Just wow !!

That bodes well not just for next year but also for success at Uni

DS is so busy st the moment doing ‘other stuff’ he is doing his prep and no more and that is not extensive either (probably an hour a day max).

As usual I’m torn between celebrating the other stuff which he s loving and some of which is useful and nagging him to put more work in to see if he can raise his grades

Fantastic TheFirst, congrats to ds! I think flipped learning is a great technique to teach in Y 12 and 13 as it really develops independent learning. It is also used at ds school and he really likes it.

Oratory1
It sounds as though your DS has found a work-life balance that's right for him. We want them to enjoy life as well as getting the grades they need for whatever they want to do next.

Thanks ! Keep telling me that

Wowl thefirst you and he must be so pleased!

Wonderful news @TheFirstOHN - you must be so proud. I am sure I remember reading about flipped learning. What is it exactly?

Thank you all for your kind comments about DS2's results. One of the reasons this thread is so lovely is that you all know the background and realise that there are aspects of life he really struggles with (social skills, coordination, life skills etc). So I feel I can share his successes here without worrying that it might be interpreted as boasting (which it might look like if you knew nothing about him).

Flipped learning (as DS2) practises it:

1. Before the lesson: he finds out what is going to be taught, reads that chapter of the textbook, looks at the examples and maybe tries a couple of the easier questions.

1. During the lesson: he consolidates his understanding, asks any questions about aspects he is unsure of and practises applying the knowledge.

1. After the lesson: he summarises the material into brief notes which he later uses for revision.

Pros: when it comes to exams, his understanding is secure and his revision notes are already complete, so the revision period is less stressful and there's more time for practice papers.

Cons: it is time-consuming and he can become obsessive about keeping up-to-date with making notes.

Perfect summary TheFirst. DS1 does all the pre-lesson work, goes into class and the teacher then teaches from the book as no one else in class has done the prep. It's little wonder he is so frustrated! He has now been put in a corner table away from everyone else. When he asks for extra work, the teacher says no, as she doesn't want him to be ahead of everyone else. Should I say something?

When he asks for extra work, the teacher says no, as she doesn't want him to be ahead of everyone else.
Her response doesn't make sense. He is asking for extra work on the same topic, not asking to start the next topic.
In his position, I would use the time to make notes or do some extra question practice.

That’s a great set of results TheFirst. Whatever he’s doing, he’s obviously doing it right!

Some teachers used flipped learning whereby they set reading on the next topic for homework and then do questions on it or have a discussion in class so dc can use the lesson time more effectively to test their understanding or get help on the bits they didn’t get - rather than just covering the material in the lesson (which they could do from a book) and having to do the questions or essay writing for homework when there is no one available to help if they get stuck. But only works if the whole class do the pre reading and the teacher doesn’t have to go over everything in the lesson

TheFirst those are brilliant results and lovely to know he's found a study style that works so well for him.
I use flipped learning a little bit with my Access students in respect of giving them reading to do ahead of a lesson but they don't all bother. This becomes very apparent when I give them an extract and ask them to explain the events leading up to it or how it relates to other parts of the book!

I sometimes use a similar technique, where my students learn the theory, then their time with me in class is spent applying their knowledge. It's handy for me when we have material from a 1200 page text book to cover in 5 days.

Well done, Thefirst's DS!

It has got so quiet around here that I have had to put the thread on my watch list so I can find it easily when it falls off the I'm on list!

Its all about to get manic after Easter here:
EPQ due in, geography field trip, yr 12 grade prediction exams, EPQ presentation etc. Calm before the storm!