Failing to Plan…is Planning to Fail.
Or put another way, ’Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.’ Either way, this old saying rings true for almost everyone. It is clear that thinking and planning ahead most certainly produces better results than acting spontaneously.
Finding a tutor to help with learning, enrolling your child in a tuition centre – and of course completing practice exams are methods guaranteed to bring in better results and keep a student in the top tier of applicants.
Yet, although this approach applies to all kinds of challenges and to people of all ages – preparation being the key to success – many of us fail to put it into good practice.
For parents
The planning element revolves around giving your children the best chance by finding an experienced tutor or education centre, as well as allowing them to practice relevant skills and topics.
Visiting schools, universities and attending open days also gives children the insight they need to understand their goals – plus the inspiration to succeed when taking those important next steps in their educational career.
For children
The planning element finds its roots in the overall approach described above- getting as much practice as possible to familiarise themselves with the style of assessment and types of questions they will face. On the micro-scale, the planning and preparation aspect is crucial when facing English, History and Geography, where papers and essays are of particular focus for assessments.
There are highly important planning skills required to maximise performance in both comprehension and composition tasks. The majority of students who perform better in the topics above invariably have comprehension exam technique mastered and also make use of simple plans every time they produce a piece of writing. With maths, science and reasoning, speed and accuracy are of the essence, so, by getting as many practice questions under their belts, you are giving your child the best chance to answer correctly and speedily by the time an exam comes around.
To help with this, regular mock tests are recommended – you can find out more and book these for maths, English and Reasoning at 11 Plus London. On top of this. Children often ‘don’t know where to start’ with many difficult tasks – so by giving them a framework, especially in English and essay writing, which they can apply to almost all types of questioning, they will gain confidence in their own ability to consistently produce quality work. They will also be encouraged to persevere when having a crack at solving problems in maths and reasoning too.
As the saying goes:
Give a man a fish and he can feed his family for a day. Teach him how to fish and he can feed them for an entire lifetime. Giving your child the ability for independent and confident planning and methodology will support them through demanding school exams, assessments – and way beyond – as they face the challenges of adulthood.
