Here I am again about two months too late. Once more life seems to get in the way of any kind of sensible writing (if you can call this sensible) and quiet.
In approximately 8 weeks our eldest son, Ben, will sit his A levels (or A2s as they are sometimes referred to here). It is quite mind blowing that his first, and last, two years in school are nearing an end. How he has fared I will leave for another post, perhaps I'll ask him to write one, if I can catch him at home for long enough once he's 'free' again!
Much to my surprise (and to be honest, relief) the A levels are yet again, being reformed. From September 2015 the A level course will be linear; assessment only after two years, rather like it was when I did my A levels all those years ago. The AS level will be retained but will be a qualification in itself and so one can no longer go and and complete a second year and turn it into an A level as Ben has done.
Additionally there is no longer any January exams available. Ben has decided to re-sit one Unit of his first year and instead of being able to do this in January just past, he has had to add it to his final exams which has caused some extra pressure and worry. (More on my part it must be said but then is it not a Mother's job to worry?)
Are these sensible and beneficial changes? I feel more at ease with two years for A levels with no break for exams after what is really about 6 months. When Ben went into sixth form to study A levels, he found himself after five tender months being told to begin preparing and revising for the summer exams. It is much to take on and most students (especially having gone from GCSEs which they do in schools and are a poorer standard than the IGCSEs) have a tremendous shock at the work load and the standard required of them to pass these exams well.
Here the home educated student is at an advantage- they have already learnt to work independently and do not need constant guidance in their research and learning. The depth of learning and requirements is a huge difference for A levels- the schooled child suddenly finds they are no longer spoon fed but feeding themselves.
So reforming the A levels to a two year course seems a good option to me. It allows the student to master their subject more deeply and become proficient at answering the exam questions and learning content more assiduously without the constant reminder of threatening exams after only a few months.
A levels remain well respected for their rigour and Universities require them and prefer them to other qualifications. If your student is seriously considering University, especially a Russell Group one http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/, then it might be worth considering the more traditional A levels rather than the 'soft' options.
It feels like yesterday when Ben made his debut into school for the first time ever. Now he is nearing the end and will, after a year doing some voluntary work and seeing the world, enter a new phase of his life; most probably University and I'm sure there will be a tale to tell about that too...
May the most Holy Family keep all our dear children ever in their prayers, and guide and govern them in their studies with discernment and good judgement.
Showing posts with label Exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exams. Show all posts
Monday, 24 March 2014
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Alternatives to IGCSEs.
Sitting in my kitchen last week drinking tea with a home schooling friend, the topic of alternatives to IGCSEs etc came up. It ignited the interest I had always felt in regards to studying and learning and I could vaguely remember (naively?) saying none of my children would ever take GCSEs/IGCSEs! And here we are a few years on and our second child is currently sitting two more exams in Latin and Maths!
So what changed? My friend and I were agreeing that the 'peer pressure' (yes! it even exists among home educators!) of many of their friends settling down to the exam courses was a factor, plus of course the age old argument that they are stepping stones for attaining any means of FE (further education).
This is most definitely true..after all once I'd contemplated it what would they actually *do* if they weren't now studying towards exams?
Our chat then wandered into other avenues...of course there are many other ways of learning and qualifications but not many people are aware of them.
For a student who may not be very academically minded but would like to fill their day with learning, there is the option of the BTEC qualification. Level 1 is a 'broad introductory level designed for those not able to achieve grades A*-C at GCSE'.
http://www.edexcel.com/international/qualifications/Pages/Vocational-Qualifications.aspx
There are a wide range of subjects - art and design, child care, music or engineering....
Level 2 (14yrs-16ys) is equivalent to GCSEs and again the range of subjects is impressive, even including fish husbandry and horticulture- unusual!
BTECs can be studied at home so quite accessible for the home schooler or at a college and once one has attained Levels 1 and 2 (I'm not sure if one needs to do both) then they can go on to 3 which are recognised by Universities and are equivalent to A levels.
An Art BTEC, for example, could be studied alongside a few IGCSEs too as it demands a couple of days in college allowing the student enough time to cover more studies if they wish.
The beauty of home education is that studying is done in the child's time- when the child is ready, not the school. Each child is different and the Mother will know how much her child can manage, unlike a school. Home education also allows the child to study over a longer period of time, ie many home educators will sit IGCSEs over three to four years, so it is flexible and less stifling.
Of course all this is dependent upon what the student actually would like to study in the future. Medicine demands top grades in the sciences and so IGCSEs followed by three to four A levels is imperative.
Do our children *need* GCSEs/other qualifications to succeed in life? Almost certainly not. I still stand by this yet I do also wonder what I would replace their studies with in reality. Does not sitting IGCSEs lower their chances to do A levels, or go to University? Possibly not, but I still am not courageous enough (yet) to take that chance!
So what changed? My friend and I were agreeing that the 'peer pressure' (yes! it even exists among home educators!) of many of their friends settling down to the exam courses was a factor, plus of course the age old argument that they are stepping stones for attaining any means of FE (further education).
This is most definitely true..after all once I'd contemplated it what would they actually *do* if they weren't now studying towards exams?
Our chat then wandered into other avenues...of course there are many other ways of learning and qualifications but not many people are aware of them.
For a student who may not be very academically minded but would like to fill their day with learning, there is the option of the BTEC qualification. Level 1 is a 'broad introductory level designed for those not able to achieve grades A*-C at GCSE'.
http://www.edexcel.com/international/qualifications/Pages/Vocational-Qualifications.aspx
There are a wide range of subjects - art and design, child care, music or engineering....
Level 2 (14yrs-16ys) is equivalent to GCSEs and again the range of subjects is impressive, even including fish husbandry and horticulture- unusual!
BTECs can be studied at home so quite accessible for the home schooler or at a college and once one has attained Levels 1 and 2 (I'm not sure if one needs to do both) then they can go on to 3 which are recognised by Universities and are equivalent to A levels.
An Art BTEC, for example, could be studied alongside a few IGCSEs too as it demands a couple of days in college allowing the student enough time to cover more studies if they wish.
The beauty of home education is that studying is done in the child's time- when the child is ready, not the school. Each child is different and the Mother will know how much her child can manage, unlike a school. Home education also allows the child to study over a longer period of time, ie many home educators will sit IGCSEs over three to four years, so it is flexible and less stifling.
Of course all this is dependent upon what the student actually would like to study in the future. Medicine demands top grades in the sciences and so IGCSEs followed by three to four A levels is imperative.
Do our children *need* GCSEs/other qualifications to succeed in life? Almost certainly not. I still stand by this yet I do also wonder what I would replace their studies with in reality. Does not sitting IGCSEs lower their chances to do A levels, or go to University? Possibly not, but I still am not courageous enough (yet) to take that chance!
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Revision Techniques
With yet another academic term nearing a close, many home educated students will be turning their minds towards their forthcoming examinations.
Usually most exam centres and schools will require one to register by January for the summer sittings, but many places will accept late entries (usually for a price!)
Revising at home will most probably come naturally to a child who has never been within a school environment, but some students find the whole prospect of revision daunting, and do not know where to start.
I would say along with exam technique (which is actually taught in schools as a singular lesson or at least within classes for GCSEs and A levels), revision is another task one just has to learn and are not spoon fed as they would be in school.
As home educated children are mostly independent learners and therefore can think for themselves, their revision techniques will probably be individual, exclusive only to themselves, making it far more beneficial in the long run.
If a child revises in such a way- whether it is reading a chapter thoroughly, covering it up and writing what they remember down, or repeating it out loud to themselves, or continously trying past papers - they will learn and become masters of revision best if they feel very at ease with their technique.
I can remember our 16yr old son, Ben, asking me a few weeks before his IGCSEs 'Mam, how do you revise?' and feeling inwardly quite shocked as I'd (wrongly) presumed he would just 'know'! At least he asked ! (and there were about 4 weeks left until the first exam).
We talked about how one retains a piece of information, be it by re-writing it out over and over again, singing it to a special tune, using mnemonics;
A Mnemonic is something which we can use to remember things much easier. As is often the case, it could be a phrase, a short song, or something that is quite easily remembered, that we use to remember something that would otherwise be difficult to remember. For example, we may use a phrase to remember a series of numbers, such as the mathematical Pi sequence (3.14159 etc) or an ordered list whose numbers or items are not easily memorized. Mnemonics are a way of remembering using association - associating easy to remember things with data.
I explained the advantages of mind maps which Ben became very fond of. They are also a memory aid- one takes a particular subject or word and draws lines (usually best that they're not straight!) to other connections to jog the memory into remembering. We have a book by Tony Buzan who has written a collection of memory aid books and which Ben enjoyed.
He told me he could actually picture some of his mind maps in certain exams which jogged his memory into recalling certain, important points. There is a specific children's mind map book by Tony Buzan too.
A good time table can also be helpful and the student can design this themselves; it is a good lesson for them to decide what they learn and how long for. There are many sites available to help a student consolidate a comprehensive timetable. When they begin will depend upon the student and what length of time they can concentrate for as everyone has different abilities of deep attentiveness.
Exams are a highly stressful time for many students (and parents!) It is hard watching your child become nervous and anxious over an exam so helping them to revise as well as possible and use the resources available will lighten the load and help them feel prepared.
Apparently fresh basil is good for the memory too!
And of course a prayer to dear St Fulgentius, patron of students, and the Holy Family!
What exciting, inventive revision techniques do your home educated children employ to help them remember facts and information?
Usually most exam centres and schools will require one to register by January for the summer sittings, but many places will accept late entries (usually for a price!)
Revising at home will most probably come naturally to a child who has never been within a school environment, but some students find the whole prospect of revision daunting, and do not know where to start.
I would say along with exam technique (which is actually taught in schools as a singular lesson or at least within classes for GCSEs and A levels), revision is another task one just has to learn and are not spoon fed as they would be in school.
As home educated children are mostly independent learners and therefore can think for themselves, their revision techniques will probably be individual, exclusive only to themselves, making it far more beneficial in the long run.
If a child revises in such a way- whether it is reading a chapter thoroughly, covering it up and writing what they remember down, or repeating it out loud to themselves, or continously trying past papers - they will learn and become masters of revision best if they feel very at ease with their technique.
I can remember our 16yr old son, Ben, asking me a few weeks before his IGCSEs 'Mam, how do you revise?' and feeling inwardly quite shocked as I'd (wrongly) presumed he would just 'know'! At least he asked ! (and there were about 4 weeks left until the first exam).
We talked about how one retains a piece of information, be it by re-writing it out over and over again, singing it to a special tune, using mnemonics;
A Mnemonic is something which we can use to remember things much easier. As is often the case, it could be a phrase, a short song, or something that is quite easily remembered, that we use to remember something that would otherwise be difficult to remember. For example, we may use a phrase to remember a series of numbers, such as the mathematical Pi sequence (3.14159 etc) or an ordered list whose numbers or items are not easily memorized. Mnemonics are a way of remembering using association - associating easy to remember things with data.
I explained the advantages of mind maps which Ben became very fond of. They are also a memory aid- one takes a particular subject or word and draws lines (usually best that they're not straight!) to other connections to jog the memory into remembering. We have a book by Tony Buzan who has written a collection of memory aid books and which Ben enjoyed.
He told me he could actually picture some of his mind maps in certain exams which jogged his memory into recalling certain, important points. There is a specific children's mind map book by Tony Buzan too.
A good time table can also be helpful and the student can design this themselves; it is a good lesson for them to decide what they learn and how long for. There are many sites available to help a student consolidate a comprehensive timetable. When they begin will depend upon the student and what length of time they can concentrate for as everyone has different abilities of deep attentiveness.
Exams are a highly stressful time for many students (and parents!) It is hard watching your child become nervous and anxious over an exam so helping them to revise as well as possible and use the resources available will lighten the load and help them feel prepared.
Apparently fresh basil is good for the memory too!
And of course a prayer to dear St Fulgentius, patron of students, and the Holy Family!
What exciting, inventive revision techniques do your home educated children employ to help them remember facts and information?
Thursday, 7 February 2013
The end of the English Baccalaureate before it even properly began!
I was informed this morning from my husband that the Government have, yet again, changed their plans and decided to dismiss the English Baccalaureate , claiming it is 'a narrow view of education'.
Well, why didn't they ask?! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21363396
To omit the Art subjects as less important shows great disrespect to those who are gifted in these subjects and it was bound to fail when a vast majority of the country's children are barely passing the standard GSCEs!
Many parents of schooled children strongly opposed this idea and felt Gove was being dictatorial in his proposes; choosing what was 'in' and what was 'out'...it is blatantly unjust on so many children...
It may help to show the differences between the IGCSEs and the GCSEs though; it would be comforting to know that they were valued more highly by the education system and FE places.
All this unrest and indecision only leads to more people feeling uncomfortable and unable to trust in any qualifications in the UK system..what will be required of our children next I ponder?
May the Holy Family keep all those involved in important changes to our educational system in their prayers and ask God to lead them wisely and with discernment.
Well, why didn't they ask?! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21363396
To omit the Art subjects as less important shows great disrespect to those who are gifted in these subjects and it was bound to fail when a vast majority of the country's children are barely passing the standard GSCEs!
Many parents of schooled children strongly opposed this idea and felt Gove was being dictatorial in his proposes; choosing what was 'in' and what was 'out'...it is blatantly unjust on so many children...
It may help to show the differences between the IGCSEs and the GCSEs though; it would be comforting to know that they were valued more highly by the education system and FE places.
All this unrest and indecision only leads to more people feeling uncomfortable and unable to trust in any qualifications in the UK system..what will be required of our children next I ponder?
May the Holy Family keep all those involved in important changes to our educational system in their prayers and ask God to lead them wisely and with discernment.
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Update on Preparing for Exams.
As discussed in the last post, 'Preparing for Exams', I stated that only private schools and tutorial colleges, with the exception of a couple of state schools, accept private candidates to sit the IGCSE examinations.
On further discovery I have since found that one can sit IGCSEs occasionally at state schools, namely the Edexcel board.
So it would be worth checking with one's local state school first before traveling miles to sit these exams. The nearest place will probably be the simplest as the child won't have far to travel and less time for nerves to set in! It also allows one to not have to account too greatly for traffic...we only have to travel into Oxford for our exams however to be there for 7.45am we usually leave an hour and we still worry!
This article also states how 400 state schools now teach the IGCSE and although I have yet to hear of one personally this is very assuring;
If Mr Gove proposals come to fruition then hopefully we will see many more state schools, if not all, teaching the IGCSEs and then the choice of where our students sit the exams will be widened. If anyone has any experience with sitting IGCSEs at a state school, do write in!
On further discovery I have since found that one can sit IGCSEs occasionally at state schools, namely the Edexcel board.
So it would be worth checking with one's local state school first before traveling miles to sit these exams. The nearest place will probably be the simplest as the child won't have far to travel and less time for nerves to set in! It also allows one to not have to account too greatly for traffic...we only have to travel into Oxford for our exams however to be there for 7.45am we usually leave an hour and we still worry!
This article also states how 400 state schools now teach the IGCSE and although I have yet to hear of one personally this is very assuring;
Rise of the IGCSE: Hundreds of state schools go for Gove's tough new exam
State schools are turning away from the traditional GCSE and offering pupils a tougher exam based on O-levels, figures show.
The number teaching the international GCSE has soared by 300 per cent since Education Secretary Michael Gove gave them more freedom to do so.
Two-thirds of public schools already enter students for the IGCSE, which does not focus on coursework.
New exams: State schools are turning their backs on GCSEs in favour of a tougher exam
Labour had banned state schools from adopting IGCSEs in key subjects amid fears they would undermine the domestic version.
According to data published by the University of Cambridge International Examinations, which offers the qualifications, increasing numbers are offering the IGCSE instead of the traditional exam, with English, history and biology particularly popular.
Four hundred state schools now teach IGCSEs compared with 97 in 2010 and 220 last year.
Some 500 public schools are also using the exams, up from 302 two years ago and 350 in 2011. Overall, schools made 50,000 IGCSE entries this year, the exam board said.
Peter Monteath, UK schools manager for CIE, said the structure of IGCSEs, which means pupils sit exams at the end, rather than throughout the course, is popular.
‘The feedback we are getting from schools is that they like the flexibility of these syllabuses, which gives teachers more scope to explore different topics with students,’ he said.
‘Their linear structure also gives students space and time to study topics in depth.’
The Department for Education said it was excellent news that schools were taking advantage of new freedoms and giving pupils the chance to leave school with the same set of qualifications as their peers at top private schools.
Government sources said the figures justified Mr Gove’s plans to replace GCSEs with a tougher, O-level qualification – which are being resisted by the Liberal Democrats.
‘Employers and universities are desperate for the exam system to be fixed,’ said one source.
‘GCSEs and A-levels are not preparing pupils for work or further study. That is why we are restoring universities’ role in A-levels and why we are fixing the broken GCSE system.
‘Those complaining should spend a day in Oxford or Cambridge to understand the effects of the disastrous devaluation of exams over 20 years.’
Mr Gove, in an interview with the Catholic Herald newspaper, said he was passionate about reforming education because ‘earned success is the route to happiness’.
‘People say I want children to learn by rote. I don’t. I want them to learn by heart,’ he added.
‘Think of musical scales. It’s only when you really know your scales backwards, when they are ingrained, that you are able to be creative. . . and to understand music.’
Mr Gove said he was unapologetic about his focus on discipline, rigour, standards and foreign languages.
‘There are people out there who are victims of an invincible prejudice, who believe that teaching, for example, classical languages is ipso facto for the elite,’ he added.
‘But the synapses connect in a different way when you learn a foreign language. The mind is framed to assess knowledge.
‘I simply want young people to be exposed to the very best that has been thought and written.
‘There’s no reason why children should be denied the opportunity to understand history, to discover the story of those who made them, on the basis that it is assumed they are incapable of appreciating it.’
If Mr Gove proposals come to fruition then hopefully we will see many more state schools, if not all, teaching the IGCSEs and then the choice of where our students sit the exams will be widened. If anyone has any experience with sitting IGCSEs at a state school, do write in!
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