HELP - how to help my year 12 son study - PLEASE

gadjah543

I would echo other posters who said to use past papers.My son failed highers in 5th year and was really upset so this year we spend time every week on past papers from the SQA website.We have found that the marking papers are actually more useful as we print off the answer and write the exam in the way that the examiners are looking for.He is starting to see patterns emerge in the same themes cropping up in different ways. I also cut out the questions for some subjects and he has to work out which theme they are looking for answers on.I also never realised how important the NABS are. If he fails these then he doesn't get put forward for the exam. Now when he has a NAB we study specifically for it and so far this year he has flown through them which is a massive contrast to last year where he was having to resit them and scrape through. With hindsight we should have been more proactive but as others have said sometimes they need to fail before they get motivated. I have also learnt to be extremely patient and to know when to back off as some days I can see that he is not up for it.

bluesnake

If money is not an issue and educations is, you could limit his fun hours by sending him to private tuition evenings and weekends, until his grades improve.

Also by the late teens, many children tend to show interest in certain areas and perhaps you should promote the subjects around those areas, but often maths and science are needed.

It is a kids duty to challenge the will of the parents, but sometimes kids do not always win

Dunroamin

OP, are you studying anything yourself or is there anybody in your family or friendship group that is? Sometimes a positive role model can do wonders in these situations.

Faith177

Both me and my brother slacked off when we were at school.

I use to constantly fall asleep in class (and I sat at the front). I never did my homework had more imporatant stuff to do normally involving the air cadets. I was predicted very low scores in my GCSE's despite being in top set for every subject. I am very lucky that I can do next to no revision walk in and pass the test because I'm able to take stuff in even if I don't seem to be paying attention

I knew what grades I needed to do the job I wanted in the RAF and my teachers were always warning me that I wouldn't get the job I wanted if I didn't apply myself.

I continued to do next to no work in school but did scraps of revision here and there when I felt like it. I would be up to the early hours chatting to friends on the internet while revising at the same time. My mum just gave up badgering me and basically said as long as I did my best she would be happy. She did give me some incentive though if I got C's and above in ALL my exams she would take me on holiday where ever I wanted.

When it came to sitting my exams I was the most chilled out one of all my friends because I had no pressure on me. I was able to just get on with it. I walked away with 6 C's 3 B's and an A.

I went to college for a year hated it with a passion and only had a 25% attendence rate mainly because I got myself a part time job and realised that I enjoyed earning money and being out in the real world more that being stuck in school. I am now a trainee underwriter preparing to sit my insurance exams paid for by work. I am further in my career path than any of my friends that went to university and I am in a better financial postion then them too with my own house. I have never been out of work since the day I left school and now I find that actually my GCSE results are no longer relevent because my experience is worth more.

My brother got terrible results in his exams he even got a U as he went to a festival rather than attend one of his maths exams. Like me he went to college hated it couldn't wait to leave.

He is now a team leader at 23 for a call centre and loves it. Again his GCSE's were only relevant to get his first job since then his experience and work ethic have proven more useful.

Don't be too hard on your son but by all means help him and give him support. Just remember if he doesn't do well it's not the end of the World xx

Idle_Jim

Going through a not dissimilar situation with step-daughter (17 doing a levels).

She's not interested in much at all apart from her smartphone, friends, fb, going out etc. Got OK grades at GCSE but we really had to push her to study. Has a job working a couple of hours after school each night. This obviously doesn't help with studying but she really likes the money and is paying for her own driving lessons. Yr12 is obviously a lot tougher and she has struggled from the off, but still wouldn't put in the hours studying etc. School offered extra tuition, after school sessions etc. She didn't really buy into it. We were told she should drop Maths to free up time to work on other subjects.

Her only real interest is in Geology (doing this at AS level) and ideally she wants to study it at University. But having dropped Maths and not doing a bona fide Science her options are limited. Grades needed are high AAB-ABB and she has been hovering around CD grades.

Our solution: She's had to give up her job. If she wants to work it can be a saturday job. We're going to pay for her driving lessons. We developed a study/revision timetable and if she wants to do anything social she needs to be achieving B+ across the spectrum. Phone is not allowed near her between 1630 and 1900 weeknights (study time). We are now in touch with her teachers quite a lot. We took her to visit a couple of universities, this really opened her eyes. Especially since straight after we got her online looking at the entry level call centre and retail type jobs she faces if she doesn't get to uni.

Early signs are good. She's working harder, and her last two assessments have been graded A and B. We know we'll have to keep on and on at her though, they always will try to find an excuse.

My suggestion for you:
-Have an adult-like chat with him. Find out what he wants out of the next 5 years or so. If he doesn't know, take him to visit a university or two, career fairs, etc.
-Assuming he wants to do well, I would draw up a study timetable to take up at least a couple of hours each afternoon. No xbox/phone etc until the studying is done.
-Reiterate you are on his side. But be aware you will need to be bad cop when he's not towing the line!
-If all else fails, nick his game controller!

Good luck
Jim

busiscoming2

I'm jumping in here as this is relevant to my family at the moment.
We had DS2's year 11 open evening last night and were very disappointed.
One subject he is doing badly in, we have a reason for that, but his other three subjects he just has not been applying himself.

He is fundamentally quite lazy although miraculously he did quite well in his GCSEs.

OP, I'd be very interested in which techniques work for you.