Avoiding Academic Burnout before the PSLE...

Most schools will have completed their Prelims this week. After the Prelims, some parents or schools will tend to "pump" the pupils with current year Prelim papers of top schools.

I believe that for a child to achieve optimal performance at the PSLE, they should peak at the right time. Over the years, I have seen pupils who suffered from academic burnout before the PSLE. Some fell sick during the PSLE period due to stress or lack of rest.

It is my personal belief that during this period before the PSLE, the kids should not be overwhelmed with lots of revision papers. Instead, they should reflect on the mistakes that they have made during the Prelims and identify their weaknesses. They should revisit and review the topics that they are weaker in and clarify any doubts that they have.

It is all right to do a few revision papers or selected questions during this period to ensure that the brain is conditioned. However, quantity should not be the key focus during this period. Doing more during this period does not guarantee stellar results in the PSLE. As a parent, you could select questions that are more challenging or tricky for your child to attempt if he or she is in the high ability group. If your child is of average ability, make sure your child knows how to do the commonly tested questions first. Then let him or her attempt some of the more challenging questions after you have ensured that he or she knows how to do the commonly tested questions.

To achieve peak performance during the PSLE, the child should be well physically, emotionally and mentally. Hence it is important to ensure that your child is not too stressed. Besides revising and doing some questions to condition the mind, your child should eat more fruits, drink more water and have enough rest.

Weekly Planner for Kids

Hi, everyone! Happy New Year and have a GREAT year ahead! After taking a break for one month, I'm back! 


I have always been a firm believer of the importance working out a weekly planner at the beginning of the year. This will enable the pupils to think through the school activities and enrichment classes that they are involved in and how much time they have left to complete other tasks such as homework, projects and revision. 


Here are some simple steps that you can follow:
(1) List down the planned school activities (Supplementary lessons, CCAs etc) and enrichment classes (Ballet/Music/ Swimming classes, tuition etc) that you are involved in every day.


(2) Mark these activities out in the weekly planner.


(3) On the weekly planner, mark out daily routines such as mealtime, bathing time, exercise time etc 


(4) Allocate time for completing homework and revision. Generally, studying in 1-hour blocks (50 minutes of study with a ten-minute break) is more effective. Mark out the blocks for homework and revision separately. 


You MUST always allocate time for daily revision. During this revision period, you will review the concepts that you have learnt in school for the day to check your understanding. Flag out those concepts that you do not understand to check with your teacher the following day.


Tip:
- Be aware of your peak periods of concentration. When you are the most alert, schedule time for studying or reviewing the subjects that you are weaker in. 


Useful templates to download:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/time/print_weekly_planner.html
http://web.mit.edu/uaap/learning/teach/time/weeklyplanner.pdf


~ Serena's Greenhouse