DS nearly 7 concentration issues with school work

Counting_Pennies_2

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Your Beavers group meets at the weekend? That is dedicated! .

Some lovely dedicated dads whose only time is to help on the weekend, so it is going from strength to strength

Ms_Magnetite

Sorry OP...I drifted off after the 4 apples and 5 people, or whatever it was......

Honestly, I'm a fully grown adult who has no problems whatsoever with mathematics, algebra or English, and I couldn't concentrate for long enough to read the problem through. It's boring. And puts children off their fruit. (Think I'm kidding? Put them through an hour of apples and oranges and then ask if they want a piece of fruit with dinner )

You could try just leaving off for a bit. Give his brain a chance to rest and get on with learning to get on with friends, kick a ball more accurately, colour in pictures without going over the lines, notice patterns in music, whatever.

Intensively schooling him outside school hours can be counterproductive as it reinforces his perception that he has done something wrong - as he wouldn't be getting the tutoring if he had got it right for you.

Gingham_Ribbon

Ms_Magnetite wrote: »

Intensively schooling him outside school hours can be counterproductive as it reinforces his perception that he has done something wrong - as he wouldn't be getting the tutoring if he had got it right for you.

Some kids need to be left alone after a hard day at school, especially if they have special needs. Some want, crave even, support that they don't get in a large classroom full of kids. And if this teacher says no hands up and is refusing to sit and help him, what parent wouldn't make sure he got that help? 80 minutes per week isn't intensive schooling.

I was speaking to staff at the local private primary school recently and they work from 8.30 till 5.30, with most children staying until 5.30, although they can leave at 3.50.

JC9297

I find it strange that such emphasis is being put on 6 and 7 year olds having to write out the answer to a maths problem in a full sentence. From what you have said your son seems to be fine academically, perhaps needs a bit of help to stay on task but that's all.

From what you have said it sounds like they are in actual sets with a different teacher, rather than sat on different tables within a class, which is very unusual at this age, so I suppose it is more obvious how they are grouped. Perhaps you can explain that he has moved because he doesn't get enough work done (not because he can't do it) and that is what the tutor is trying to help him with.

My son in year 2 was perfectly able to do the work but often did hardly anything in lessons but couldn't explain why, he got top marks in his SATs and was always in top groups after that. It helped that he was sat with other high achievers because he knew what level he was expected to be working at. He still does not always get as much done in class as he is capable of but that is usually down to chatting, he is now almost 14 and doing really well at secondary school.

patchwork_cat

Earlier you said he isn't allowed to put his hand up. How is he supposed to ask a question?

vouchersrme

It may be worth asking the school what his preferred learning style is, he may be a Kinesthetic learner which means he likes movement and activity. If this is the case then the way he is asked to complete a task could be changed.

Ms_Magnetite

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Some kids need to be left alone after a hard day at school, especially if they have special needs. Some want, crave even, support that they don't get in a large classroom full of kids. And if this teacher says no hands up and is refusing to sit and help him, what parent wouldn't make sure he got that help? 80 minutes per week isn't intensive schooling.

I was speaking to staff at the local private primary school recently and they work from 8.30 till 5.30, with most children staying until 5.30, although they can leave at 3.50.

I'm not criticising the OP for wanting to help. But it may not be the best thing as it could reinforce any 'I'm thick' feelings he is already having.

I was classed as G&T as a child - but I would have still found that work completely offputting, when there were things such as music, drawing, painting, training the dog to beg for biscuits and just falling off my bike into hedges to be done after school.


A private primary after hours is essentially an after school club. Whilst the fees may be even more extortionate than one held in a church hall, it's still just childcare - it doesn't mean all children should have extra tuition, just that the parents don't get home from work until then.


If he were 5 years older, then it would be certain that he would benefit from more assistance, but he's only little. Other countries would only be just expecting him to learn to read round about now, but we seem to expect them all to be perfect little students at a time when it is still accepted as par for the course for bedwetting to happen. I got to do the modelling with clay/plasticine, painting and potato printing, as well as baking cakes and making music - they taught me pattern recognition and playing with wooden beads and toys would be a physical way of doing the apples and oranges questions without even noticing it.

- listening to boring problems, having to visualise what the problem is, work it out, then recognise that the visual manifestation relates to an abstract concept expressed through markmaking on paper in a particular format, all at the same time as looking completely enthralled and interacting at close range with someone much older, and markmaking in the way that the adult finds acceptable....

(and whilst ideas of 'I must be thick, I got into trouble for doing this wrong at school, and now Mummy's spending lots of money to make me do it here, so she's going to be real mad - I wonder if Ben 10 has to do this stuff? He was really cool when his Grandpa went to that place...........' are running through his head)


Sometimes, it is better just to give them a break and learn techniques through the things I suggested earlier - which is the kinasethesic or enactive learning process.

flora48

If he is reading chapter books at the age 7 there cannot be much wrong. Perhaps he just can't see the point of doing what the teacher asks of him. I have seen both sides of this as a teacher and as a parent of a clever but unorthodox boy. Providing you know he is learning I would back of the school issues and when he is at home let him follow his own interests. Actually my own unconventionial boy, now nearly 40, emailed me last night with his appraisal from work, which he titled, 'The school report I never had'. It has been a long wait for the glowing report I have to say!!

Dontknowanymore

nottslass wrote: »

The school sounds useless !!!


I'm really sorry that I can't give you any expert advise,but my DS aged 8 finds concentrating difficult (amongst other stuff) and school have given him an egg timer and it seem to have made quite a bit off difference and he now manages "short sharp bursts" of concentrating - he has now learnt to focus intently for the 3 mins which is enough to get the question answered !!!

Have you ruled ther possibility there may be other issues such as inattentive Add ,dyslexia or other learning disability ?

Thanks for that Idea, I recently posted about looking at my son's behaviour and maybe certain foods being the cause, he sounds a bit like the child in the OP!
I think introducing the egg timer at home will help up do his reading/maths and spellings at home, if he knows it's only for a short time he will be more likely to do it.

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

First of all, I think it's extremely unhelpful for a child to know that he's been 'dropped down a set' at that age. Do the groups have different names/colours? Has he just worked it out for himself?

A couple of things.

He sounds like he's comfortable doing his own learning (looking for patterns in numbers and rhyming names is definitely evidence of that.)

He sounds like he's able to do the work but just not write it down quickly enough.

And he sounds like he can read well but doesn't notice how words are spelt.

He sounds like he drifts off into his head when he's being asked to do something he finds difficult or boring.

These are all common traits in gifted children. This doesn't mean he's gifted, but it is something worth checking out if he seems to be a clever boy who's not doing as well at school as you'd expect.

Have a look at this questionnaire and see if it makes sense. There are strategies that will help if this is what's going on, and they'll be different to ones put in place for other children.

http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/parents.php?id=213

I just done that test and it came out that Thank you for completing NAGC's online questionnaire about your son, Aston. The responses you gave indicate that DS1 is likely to be gifted.
I don't think he is gifted, just very clever, But I worry that I am not able to help him reach his full potential, he's had an awful start in life really, I do not want him to fail because I have been a rubbish Mum