Y7 child not retaining information

[cortisolqueen]

My 12yo has moved to high school & there have been a number of teething issues, most of which have been resolved.

He's enthusiastic in class & previously in primary school had lots of positive comments about enthusiasm & engagement and was a high achiever

But what we're finding now is that he doesn't seem to be taking in the information in class. They've had a few "no warning" tests in a few subjects and he's scored really poorly (30-40%).

When he's had other tests that he can prepare for (& we've been helping him revise, testing his knowledge etc as he's not really known where to start) he's scored 90%, so we know he can learn things, but he doesn't seem to be able to on a day to day basis.

What can we do to help him develop the skills to retain knowledge better during his lessons?

One thing to ask is whether the 30/40% on spot tests is totally normal for his cohort.
Theres no short cut to retaining information, you have to go through it again, preferably in a different way (prob like homework). I doubt he has the time to do this for all his subjects.
btw my son retains 5% at best so I know the feeling!

The best thing is to revise, but not just by sitting reading his notes. He could talk to you about what he has learned, on a regular basis, so that he is consolidating his knowledge, and that way he should have easier recall in a test.

Is he really focusing in class? Or is he chatting to the person next to him while writing things down.

We know he's engaged in class (he gets annoyed when others talk!).

Others are getting 40-60%

If he knew a test was coming up he would revise (and as I said we have helped him to do this), but it's when it's spot checks he does poorly.

Having exactly the same challenges with my DD - interested to read that we are not alone!

He sounds like me! He's a visual learner and doesn't take in information by listening to someone telling him.

As such, he's lucky as he suits the UK system of passing exams by individual study rather than continual assessment. The fact that he revised at this age bodes very well for the future.

I would not be worried, as he shows commitment to his studies and can pull it out of the bag when he needs to.

They've had a few "no warning" tests in a few subjects and he's scored really poorly (30-40%).

As you would expect. Because kids forget stuff as soon as they leave the classroom, this is well known. (See the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve). This is why we do revision before tests - it improves general retention, and the more often you revise it, the more likely it is to be transferred to long-term memory.

The act of trying to retrieve information also improves retention (it flags it as 'important') so I would hope that the point of these tests is to try to remember stuff, go through the answers in class and then test again over time to show progress.

I wouldn't worry if he can't remember it the first time. He should be able to remember more of it the second time.

It's a bit disappointing if they are calling them 'tests' and giving scores and making it 'high stakes' though, as it should be a fairly low-key process to reduce stress.

You’re helping him revise for the other tests so of course there will be a big difference. You’re effectively teaching him it for a second time.

I’d try backing off and letting him revise himself and see if it helps him to be better at self managing his learning. But I think blower scores on tests where he doesn’t have a chance to revise are very much to be expected.

Thanks all - reassuring to hear that this isn't unusual/we're not alone.