Year 12 and struggling-tutoring

[MarshalTheTroops]

Dd is in year 12 taking maths, physics and chemistry. She got As in all 3 at GCSE without too much exertion. She has always been poorly organised.
She is really struggling at A level. She is used to doing the bare minimum and just doesn't appear to know how to study independently. She has also decided she is just not clever enough.
I was chatting to one of her friends who is at a different grammar school and she said that the majority of her class have tutors for science subjects.
If your child is at an 'outstanding'or grammar school or you teach at one, do you think tutoring is common?

[Rosieposy4]

Crash course chemistry and biology are both excellent.

[JustRichmal]

Just to go slightly off at a tangent, as chemistry has been mentioned, I can really recommend "Crash Course Chemistry" on YouTube. It is fun, informative and inspirational. I don't know what sort of level it is, so maybe someone who has watched it can advise. It also speeds through the facts, but is very witty. And the more fun you can make learning the more it will set up happy associations with the subject in their mind.

[GnomeDePlume]

As are excellent, your DD is to be congratulated. They show that your DD is on top of the work.

C - depends, how have others in her class done? Does she know where she gained or dropped marks? Are there any silly mistakes which she is working to eliminate?

These mid-term results can be difficult to judge.

[NicknameUsed]

Just got DD's school report. As for geography, biology and psychology and C for chemistry.

Is a C after half a term something to worry about? Or should we be considering a tutor now? I think the tutor would be needed to consolidate what she did in class rather than help with homework.

[GnomeDePlume]

My DD has learnt to distinguish between genuinely 'background' and things requiring some element of concentration.

The genuinely background stays on but the 'requires concentration' is a reward.

For my DD genuinely background is 'Say Yes To The Dress', 'Toddlers in Tiaras'. Proper trash television. It has about 5 minutes of actual content, the rest is just rehashing what has already been said/seen.

Her reward to herself is 5 minutes of YouTubing.

[NicknameUsed]

Great post JustRichmal

To answer a few points:
DD is getting all the work done. She does suffer from anxiety (currently waiting for CBT from CAMHS). She is also under the GP for her constant headaches and fatigue, which I'm sure don't help.

Homework is sort of timetabled, and I insist that she has a break. The main issue is that she insists on having distractions (You Tube/Messenger) on while working. Although she now fully understands that I can tell when she is on Messenger so is now not "talking" to her boyfriend while doing homework.

Unfortunately she needs her laptop to look up a lot of things and do research so I can't let her work without technology. If anyone has any useful suggestions for temporarily blocking social media on a Macbook I would be grateful.

And finally, she is a very young, summer born 16, and is less emotionally mature than a lot of her peers.

All that said, I shouldn't be doing this because DD needs to be self regulating because I won't be there for her at university.

So the question is, how do you get a 16 year old to do this? Bribery and treats don't work. Sanctions don't work.

[Rosieposy4]

She really needs to drop a subject nickname if she is getting Cs and stressed due to workload.
If she does 4, offers will be based on 4 and not lower because of it
Eg student A doing 3 is offered A*, A, A
Student B doing 4 is offered A, A, A,A

[NicknameUsed]

I would, but she doesn't want one. She is only in year 12 so not ready for exam papers yet. But thanks for your input.

[Leopard12]

Sounds like your describing me a few years ago op! Past exam papers are the best way to revise for a levels once you have the basics, get her to make a revision timetable and actually stick to it, my mum got me a tutor for biology and chemistry 1hr every week, for me she basically provided motivation, set me homework to do for her each week and was able to talk through anything I was struggling with, if you can afford it and she wants one, go for a tutor!

[NicknameUsed]

"Do they feel there is just too much and they will never have a chance to relax"

Definitely. DD is doing 4 A levels, and with an hour's homework per hour of subject taught this makes 21 hours of homework per week. By Friday DD is absolutely shattered so she usually has Fridays off for homework. At 3 hours per night for 4 nights a week this leaves 9 hours of homework over the weekend.

She struggles to study during free periods at school because a girl she is friendly with keeps talking to her when she wants to work. DD is not confrontational and dislikes conflict and doesn't like to be rude to this girl.

[GnomeDePlume]

Excellent advice JustRichmal.

Sometimes a source of anxiety can be having missed something early on in the course. It is like building a house, you have to get the foundations right.

This can be when a tutor could really help, checking the foundations are in place and sound.

[JustRichmal]

I like all the advice given by Gnome.

The only advice I can give is stop telling them and start listening to them. Why are they not putting in the work? Often it is as a result as a spiral of anxiety: it is too difficult for me, even if I try I will fail, I don't want to put the work in when I'll fail anyway, now I don't understand the work in lessons, it is too difficult for me, even if I try I will fail...

Do they feel there is just too much and they will never have a chance to relax? Would writing a timetable help.

Do they realise one of the easiest ways to learn maths is not to try to sitting with it and struggling on until they understand it, but just to read it, go away and let it sink in, then return to it later There is this myth of a genius who has to be told things only once and understands and deduces everything instinctively and instantly.

Is it important for them to get good grades and why?

All I can say is talk to them, offer advice, but don't tell them. No one learns much from being told the right answers, but learns a lot more by being asked the right questions.

[NicknameUsed]

Interestingly she likes chemistry because it is interesting. She just finds it difficult. Currently she isn't failing, she is getting Cs not the As she was getting at GCSE.

She adamant that doesn't want a tutor at the moment. I think she realises that she needs to do this herself, so part of this is pride. The thing is that when she does understand the topic she is fine. She finds that she has concentration problems and she can't always summon up the concentration when necessary.

I appreciate the comments, and sorry again for hijacking the thread.

[itshappenedagain]

I teach a level (chemistry and physics) and at this stage a few student have started looking at getting a tutor.
I agree that your dd needs to get a routine for what she is studying and allocating time for each, but I would speak to school about her attending study skills lessons too. As like pp have said if she doesn't know how to she won't be able to. Also she will have required core skills to complete to enable her to pass and these can take time to write up.

[NicknameUsed]

One homework completed so far today.

[GnomeDePlume]

That's fair enough. I am glad she was able to get some focus. Learning to manage energy levels is also an important skill.

[NicknameUsed]

She found the 20 minute on with 5 minutes off unhelpful for doing homework, because once she got into her stride she didn't want to stop. She isn't disciplined enough to do the 20:5 either. She got through quite a lot yesterday though, but still has loads to do today.

I should add that she isn't enjoying great health at the moment and is battling constant headaches and tiredness all the time, which doesn't help.

I think the 20:5 might be more useful when revising.

Thanks for all your help though.

[GnomeDePlume]

NicknameUsed how did your DD get on?

[NicknameUsed]

I have insisted she does this today. I have insisted she does this in the past, but you can lead a horse to water etc.

She is looking at the future BTW and wants to go down a medical route, not a doctor but maybe research. But is struggling to find the motivation to work. I have tried backing off, but then she does nothing and then gets upset with herself for procrastinating.

Every time she succeeds because she worked for something, or fails because she didn't the penny never drops. Aargh!

[GnomeDePlume]

She can drop a subject. Independent study isn't just about reading around the subject it's about taking ownership of and responsibility for the whole thing. She should only keep going with four subjects if she is enjoying them and will get good grades. Flogging a dead horse risks bringing down the subjects she is good at. 3 Bs will be far better than 4 Ds.

So, which subject to drop? Geography, biology and psychology make a nice cohesive group. They tend towards the humanities end of science. Alternatively geography, biology and chemistry pull towards a more definitely scientific route.

Play the future game.

Oh and as a biologist she must understand that she can't study by osmosis. Being in the same room as open books is not the same as actually studying.

Has she tried the 20 minute burst approach? 20 minutes of hard study followed by 5 minutes of YouTube? Use a timer for this.

[NicknameUsed]

Sorry for hijacking your thread Marshall.

[NicknameUsed]

Chemistry, biology and geography. She is fine with geography, OK with biology and struggling with chemistry.

I went out last night and came home to her feeling despondent because she had stared at her homework all evening and not done a thing.

She has to do quite a lot of online research for some of her homeworks, so removing all technology isn't always an option.

I have pointed out to her ad nauseum that trying to work with distractions doesn't work, and all she says is "I know mum" and then continues to do a chemistry paper while watching Gogglebox or You Tube.

I can control this while I am in the house, but I shouldn't have to as this doesn't encourage independent study.

The thing is she isn't failing any of her subjects, but to her, getting Cs in a subject isn't good enough.

At the end of the day she does get all her homework finished on time, but she isn't working efficiently enough and takes hours to do a piece of homework that should only take one hour.

I just don't know how she can motivate herself to work more efficiently, or how I can get her to do this.

She knows perfectly well she would have more down time if she just got on with her work in a more organised manner.

Tears hair out.

[GnomeDePlume]

I have DD1 here as well this weekend so have a broader range of subjects/personalities/schools to interrogate

[GnomeDePlume]

Which subjects is she studying NicknameUsed? I can see one of them is psychology.

[NicknameUsed]

She does not have time to read about a topic before a lesson. Also the teachers don't always tell them what is coming up, so she can't prepare.