I realise many students are going through end of term assessments, preparing for eleven plus exams and mock examinations in 2022. One Year 11 student springs to mind, when she said recently 'well I know I've got this wrong' even before she found out what the answer was. Now this student knows her stuff. I know this, but for some reason in her mind there is some barrier. An inner gremlin as it were, just telling her otherwise - I am sure we can all relate to this at some point in our lives.
When she realised, she got it all right she was pleasantly surprised….
'Oh really - okay maybe I do know my stuff!'
A positive mindset and not aiming for perfection every time is the name of the game - especially in today's world where so many outside influences promote perfection. If your child is in the right mindset before he or she starts the exam paper this will induce those endorphins or happy hormones to flow. Granted you cannot get away from the stress of the situation so of course our good friend adrenaline will kick in - my inner Biologist just had to pipe up there 😉
Every hurdle your child might be going through to prepare for these moments, this positive mindset is key. After all, Science is and never was 'perfect' and some of our greatest discoveries such as antibiotics were made through an accidents.
The process of trial and error can also be seen more recently in the development of the Covid-19 vaccine – I would highly recommend a recent lecture given by Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert which describes this so clearly and honestly.
So, the upshot of this?
Yes of course place importance on these formats which test your child - but not to the extent where they forget why they are doing it or become so stressed that they get brain fog on the day. Ultimately, shifting our thinking from practise makes perfect to practise makes progress.
*I’m currently fully booked for Science Tutoring for the current Academic Year 2021/2022 *
If your child needs one to one support or has friends in the same year for small group support do get in touch to book a call and reserve your child’s slot for 2022.
rsadiscovery@outlook.com
RSA Discovery offers Science Tutoring for ages 6-19 for Biology, Chemistry and Physics and Biology for A-level students across all the exam boards. In addition to tutoring, I will be offering my bespoke primary school workshop & education consultancy services from 2022. Get in contact for further information.
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