What are the factors that contribute to a child’s educational test results?
At the most basic level, most of us are well aware of the importance of imparting the right knowledge in the right setting. However, this right setting is more than just cramming information within surrounding walls.
In fact, for most of the students, actually knowing an answer usually contributes to just half of the marks. The rest of the marks are built around the environment and the ability to express in a desired manner. In other words, self-confidence and management of stress are as important as actually knowing and understanding your content. The combination of these factors brings the needed balance. And, this has been the case for ages.
AN OLD LEGEND
You may have come across this old legend before.
An elderly, popular musician was about to perform on a sitar (an indian rendition of the modern guitar) for an anticipating crowd. However, when he tried to play the instrument, no sound came out. Rightfully, a nearby younger person pointed out that the strings were not tight enough to vibrate and produce a sound.
At this point, the elderly man started laughing and said that learning and education are the same. There is no positive outcome without the strings being fine tuned to vibrate in the needed motion.
In other words, there is no expression of knowledge, and hence test results, without the right mental state, i.e. confidence and stress management of the child.
The sad part is, all of us have gone through some form of pressure and stress. However, we seem to forget that kids go through the same, or similar cycles.
THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM
Do you remember the last time you were in an exam situation? Here, we are not just talking about an educational exam. In fact, the same principle can be applied to most challenges in life.
Now, in comparison, think of the first time you were in such a situation.
For most of us, unless you were always great at it, the situation is quite daunting. You may be great at speaking to a group now, but public speaking, for instance, is psychologically enlisted as one of the biggest fears among humans. Similarly, think of going blank in an interview.
The examples here are endless. The point we are trying to put across is: your child needs to learn and grow too; the same way as most of us did over time. And, learning so has helped us in more than one way.
The discussion here is not just regarding how many marks can your kid get but how well is your kid going to perform through their life.
To provide some further context for the discussion, let’s look into the reasons for why the stuttering happens.
UNDERSTANDING CONFIDENCE AND TACKLING IT
Do you know what is our brain’s natural reaction to excessive bleeding?
Shutting down the body.
This may sound completely illogical but our body goes into a closing mode when the going gets tougher.
However, if you can press down on the point of bleeding and get the right help in time, you can, in a way, fake it and create a coping mechanism for your brain, signalling that the situation is not so bad.
This is exactly the same case for confidence.
We may think that some people are simply more confident than others. This may be true at a basic differences level, but, keep in mind that confidence can be built with the right conditioning.
Our animalistic instincts might tell us to flee but if you can assure your brain that things are not as bad, with the right guidance to keep things in check, your kid will learn to fight with the right tools.
And, that is why, we, at Spark Academy have made confidence a central point in our tuition services.
To learn more, get in touch with us today.
And, to learn about other, related areas of tuition for your kids, check:
- Childhood Development: 3 Ways Your Child can Benefit from our Tutoring Services
- Exam Prep Stress? Here’s how to Combat it
- Celebrating Pupil Progress