<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body><div id="attachment_106436" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-106436" onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-106436 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u36736/pexels-pixabay-301920.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u36736/pexels-pixabay-301920.jpg 700w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u36736/pexels-pixabay-301920-320x213.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/alphabet-blur-books-close-up-301920/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pexels</a></div>By 2023, there will no longer be mid-year exams for Singapore&rsquo;s primary and secondary school students.&nbsp;
In fact, we have already been shifting towards a less exam-centric system for several years &mdash; today&rsquo;s&nbsp;Primary 1 and 2 students do not have to sit for tests and exams at all.&nbsp;
But will the year-end exams carry much more weight, and be even harder to prepare for?&nbsp;
If your child leaves revision to the very last minute, then yes, he or she may be in for a rude shock. But if children are completing their homework and preparing for &lsquo;mini&rsquo; tests throughout the year, there will be enough checkpoints to gauge if they are on track with their learning, and plug gaps before the final exams.
Not sure when your child&rsquo;s final exams will be held? Your child&rsquo;s school should&rsquo;ve given you an &lsquo;assessment overview&rsquo; document, which lists all the weighted assessments for the year, including the final exams. You should refer to this document for the exam dates, as well as the topics covered for each subject.&nbsp;
For Primary 1 to 5 students, final exams will take place anytime between late September and early November. Primary 6 students will sit for their Primary School Leaving Examination written papers from late September to early October.&nbsp;
Have more questions about helping your child with the exams? Read on to find out what other parents and students commonly ask &mdash; and get answers that you can use right away!
<h6 style="text-align: left;">Advertisement</h6>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nSaGVvGsLg" width="400" height="226" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&#65279;&#65279;</iframe>
<h2>How to study for exams?</h2>
One mistake that parents make is assuming that children instinctively know how to revise for exams. Many children are actually not aware of what &lsquo;revising&rsquo; for exams means, or how to study effectively. That&rsquo;s why parents will need to provide some guidance!
First, have a discussion with your child to come up with a revision plan. Here are some questions that you can ask:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">From now till the exams, which are the days available for revision?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">How much time can you spare for revision on each of these days?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">How will you revise for each subject? (E.g. Reading the textbook and notes, redoing questions that you have made mistakes on, or practising new sample questions?)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">What/how many subjects/topics will you cover each day?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">How much time will you spend on each revision activity?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">How will you review what you have read? (E.g. Ask yourself questions, explain concepts to someone else, or practise sample questions?)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">If you are practising questions, how many questions will you target to complete every day?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Will you prefer to mark the answers yourself?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Who will you consult if you are stuck on a problem, or need help to understand an answer?</li>
</ul>
Put revision plans down on paper, and advise your child on what a realistic schedule might look like, so that he or she doesn&rsquo;t plan to cover too much in a day &mdash; and fail.
<h2>How to do well in exams?</h2>
Ensure that your child is not spending too much time on study methods that have proven to be less effective!&nbsp;
The most common revision method involves highlighting or rereading the textbook, and copying pointers into a notebook or flashcards, i.e. &lsquo;making notes.&rsquo; Although this may feel comforting and productive, <a href="https://pcl.sitehost.iu.edu/rgoldsto/courses/dunloskyimprovinglearning.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> has shown that it is not as effective as other more &lsquo;active&rsquo; study methods, such as:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Self-explanation: explaining learning materials to oneself</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Elaborative interrogation: asking &ldquo;how&rdquo; and &ldquo;why&rdquo; questions, to improve understanding&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Practice testing: working on topical exercises or sample tests and exams</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Distributed practice: studying a topic with breaks in between</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Interleaved practice: covering different subjects or topics in one study session</li>
</ol>
By focusing on effective study methods, your child will be able to understand and retain information better, and therefore be better equipped to tackle questions in the final exam.
Bonus tip: If there is essential information that your child needs to memorise but keeps forgetting, have him or her <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/study-finds-reading-information-aloud-yourself-improves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read the information out loud</a> &mdash; the dual act of speaking and reading makes information more memorable for the brain, and increases the likelihood of retention. You can also teach your child to use mnemonics, such as the name &ldquo;ROY G. BIV&rdquo; to represent the colour spectrum.&nbsp;
<h2>Where to find motivational quotes about exams?</h2>
Some dedicated teachers will print out motivational quotes for students before the exams, and you can do the same at home. But be mindful to pick quotes that your child can apply, rather than something too abstract, such as &ldquo;believe in yourself, and you will be unstoppable!&rdquo;
Quotes about adopting a growth mindset can be very useful before the exams. Examples include:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m so smart &mdash;&nbsp;I just stay with problems longer.&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;By becoming a little better each and every day, over a period of time, you will become a lot better.&rdquo;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;You&rsquo;re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://everydaypower.com/carol-dweck-quotes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> for more quotes from psychologist Carol Dweck, who popularised the term &lsquo;growth mindset.&rsquo; You can print out some of these quotes for your child, and explain how they are relevant in real life, especially in the way we approach exams.
<h2>What to eat before exams?</h2>
Is there such a thing as an &lsquo;exam diet?&rsquo;&nbsp;
Some local parents advise their children to stay away from <a href="https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/800/Heaty-and-cooling-09Nov2015-NHG" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;heaty&rsquo;</a> foods to avoid falling ill before the exams. You can also read up on brain foods to help ensure that your child&rsquo;s mind is in tiptop shape. These include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">fatty fish (such as mackerel, sardines, and anchovies)&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">dark leafy greens&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">berries&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">dark chocolate&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Keen to know more? Read our <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/the-psle-diet-food-habits-that-can-boost-your-childs-smarts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quick guide</a> to why the above foods can boost your child&rsquo;s smarts!
<h2>What to do if a child is stressed about exams?</h2>
A child who is stressed may display one or more of these symptoms:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Headaches, stomachaches, or feeling &lsquo;sick&rsquo;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Anxiety</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Aggression, irritability, or mood swings</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Depression</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Nightmares</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Changes in appetite or sleep habits</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Withdrawing from usual activities</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Bedwetting</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Unusual negative behaviour</li>
</ul>
As a parent, you should first try to understand why exams can be stressful. It&rsquo;s usually due to these factors:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Consequences, such as not getting into the class or school of one&rsquo;s choice if one performs poorly.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The relationship between grades and self-esteem: When students assess their worth based on grades, a higher grade will lead to high self-esteem, while a lower grade will cause a dip in confidence.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Judgements from others, such as parents.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Fear and anxiety, because parents, teachers, and other authority figures may have overstated the importance of exams.</li>
</ul>
With this in mind, do some self-reflection to check that you are not contributing to your child&rsquo;s exam stress. (Read <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/helping-children-cope-with-exam-stress-tips-from-a-parenting-workshop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a local counsellor&rsquo;s tips</a> on talking to your child about exam anxiety.)
At the same time, be aware that not all stress is detrimental. Just like pro athletes, a student entering an exam hall can be energised by a small amount of stress &mdash;&nbsp;if the student is able to view it positively. According to research, those who are able to remind themselves that stress could be helping them to perform better may eventually score better too!
But if your child is more likely to be overwhelmed by stressful feelings and thoughts, teach him or her this simple &lsquo;4-7-8&rsquo; calming technique. This involves breathing in for four seconds, holding one&rsquo;s breath for seven seconds, and breathing out over eight seconds. Repeated over several cycles, this relaxation technique helps to regulate breathing, and prevents one from entering into &lsquo;fight-or-flight&rsquo; mode, where the body will begin to show physical signs of stress.

Need more exam-related tips? Browse our <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewforum.php?f=27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Primary Schools &ndash; Academic Support</a> forum section to find a relevant chat and connect with other parents! Or simply start a new conversation of your own. 
</body></html>

What Singapore Parents and Students Want To Know About Exams: How To Do Well and More!

It’s the least favourite time of the year for many primary schoolers in Singapore, and perhaps their parents too.
How do you deal with resistance to exam revision, and are there any revision strategies that will lead to surefire results? Read on to find out what educators think!
<h2>Resistance To Revision</h2>
What if a child is procrastinating on starting revision, or simply refusing to pick up his or her books? 
One question that you can ask, says enrichment school educator Diana Petrov, is: “On a scale of 1 to 10, ‘1’ being ‘not ready to start revision’ and ‘10’ being ‘ready to start anytime,’ where do you think you are right now?”
<img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-78201" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p-6.jpg" alt="PSLE revision" width="850" height="478" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p-6.jpg 850w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p-6-320x180.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/p-6-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />
No matter what number your child comes up with, these are some follow-up questions you could ask:
<ul>
<li>“I wonder what would be one small thing you could do to move up the scale?”</li>
<li>“Is there anything I can do to help you move up the scale and feel more ready?”</li>
<li>What is one small step that would be easy to start your exam prep with? Let’s write it down.”</li>
<li>“Let’s make a list of revision tasks, and add one easy step every day.”</li>
<li>“What would be a good day to start your exam prep? Let’s mark the calendar.”</li>
<li>“When I’m busy or not home, how will you remind yourself to do your revision?”</li>
<li>“How are your friends doing their revision? Is there anything that you can apply too?”</li>
<li>“What works for you? Let’s do more of that!”</li>
</ul>
As parents, your main role is not to play substitute teacher, but to highlight and praise any positive efforts that your child might already have made, and to give them the space to express their emotions — even negative ones — about studying. Perceptions and habits can’t be changed overnight, so practise patience, and give your child the time and space to improve. (Read more tips about overcoming resistance to studying <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/these-5-tips-can-dramatically-change-how-your-children-view-studying/">here</a>.)
<h2>Revision Must-Dos</h2>
If you’re thinking that your child should be clocking a prerequisite number of revision hours in order to make the grade, think again. 
“There is <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/ask-the-learning-lab-all-about-exam-prep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">no magic number</a> [for revision] as this would vary from student to student,” says seasoned Math teacher Phua Kai Ying. “I would prefer to determine that based on the student’s level of preparedness, while taking into account his or her stress level.”
Looking at your child’s schedule, which encompasses time spent at school and co-curricular activities, as well as enrichment classes, and factoring in mealtimes as well as break times, and getting ample sleep, how much time is there left for revision? Even if it’s just one or two hours a day, don’t fret, but instead, make revision time count.
<img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-78200" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/103276484_s.jpg" alt="PSLE Revision" width="848" height="565" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/103276484_s.jpg 848w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/103276484_s-320x213.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/103276484_s-800x533.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 848px) 100vw, 848px" />
Although there isn’t a magic formula for studying, there are certainly some tried-and-tested methods that have proven effective. 
For instance, Phua says that working on practice papers and quizzes “is one of the most effective ways to revise,” because students are actively required to retrieve knowledge from their memory banks, rather than passively reading through their notes. Also, it helps students to identify what they do — and do not — know, and mentally prepares them for the requirements of the exam. Tedious as they may be, your child’s revision routine should definitely include practice papers.  
Apart from practice papers, one should always review past mistakes, and the most effective way of doing so is for your child to redo the questions that they have not been able to answer correctly before. Again, this is because redoing the question is an active process that tests your child’s understanding, whereas reading a model answer is a passive process that may not aid retention.
<a href="https://shopee.sg/BRANDS-Essence-Of-Chicken-For-Children-AlphaMynd-With-Lycium-i.34420137.1990334183?&amp;utm_source=webpage%20advertorial&amp;utm_medium=seller&amp;utm_campaign=s34420137_SS_SG_OTHR_KIASU%20Parent%20Advertorial%20&amp;utm_content=BRAND%27S%20Essence%20Of%20Chicken%20For%20Children%20(AlphaMynd)%20With%20Lycium"><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-76489 size-full" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/BRANDS-AlphaMynd-KS_Parents-336x280pixels.jpg" alt="brands" width="336" height="280" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/BRANDS-AlphaMynd-KS_Parents-336x280pixels.jpg 336w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/BRANDS-AlphaMynd-KS_Parents-336x280pixels-320x267.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px" /></a>
If your child needs to memorise notes, say for Science, bear in mind that students are thought to learn best during the first 10 minutes of a study session when their minds are fresh, and in the final 10 minutes of a session, where the realisation that the end is near can bring on a surge of energy. To maximise learning and retention, you can use a timer to help your child track his or her study sessions. Allocate 25 minutes to reading, five minutes for a verbal quiz to make sure your child has understood and remembered essential content, and five to 10 minutes for a break thereafter. (Read more effective study strategies <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/make-last-minute-revision-count/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
As for other more subtle strategies that may increase your child’s chances of doing well in the exams, you could use a study cue to help your child to focus. This could range from having your child study in the same place each time, turning on a study lamp, or putting on a non-intrusive (e.g. instrumental) playlist to signal to them on a subconscious level that it is time to put away all distractions and focus on the task at hand. 
A study has also shown that setting goals could give you a 62% chance of fulfilling your goals, while giving a weekly progress report to a third party could increase one’s likelihood of success to 76%. Note that self-awareness is crucial to goal setting — children should know why achieving their goal is important, and understand exactly what they need to do to meet their targets. (Read about goal setting <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/every-parent-know-goal-setting/">here</a>.)
And finally, ensure that your children are getting sufficient sleep leading up to the exams — at least one study has shown that children who get better sleep <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/exam-strategy-fix-your-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perform better</a> on math and language-related tests.
Need to check on your child’s progress before the exams? Bookmark <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/checklist-is-your-child-exam-ready/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this list of 20 exam-readiness questions</a> you can ask your child!

Revision Strategies & Techniques That Educators Swear By

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body><img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-57655" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/apr-article-2.jpg" alt="" width="612" height="426">
Is your home turning into a battleground as the exams draw near? Are you feeling increasingly frustrated by your children&rsquo;s procrastination habits, their inability to map out revision plans, or their general resistance towards work?
Parents can help their children to change their negative work attitudes, by employing conversation strategies that involve questioning and careful listening, says Diana Petrov, an educator and aspiring life coach. However, she cautions that although the strategies may seem deceptively simple, much thought and effort is required to put them into practice.
Below, Diana highlights a common exam-preparation scenario that can lead to stress and unhappiness, and demonstrates how parents can help to turn the situation around.
<h2>Deal With Resistance </h2>
Scenario: A child is making excuses to delay getting started on revision.
Begin by asking your child, &ldquo;On a scale of 1 to 10, &lsquo;1&rsquo; being &lsquo;not ready to start revision&rsquo; and &lsquo;10&rsquo; being &lsquo;ready to start anytime,&rsquo; where do you think you are right now?&rdquo;
If your child names a number higher than one, you can reply, &ldquo;What makes you say &lsquo;2&rsquo; and not &lsquo;1&rsquo;?&rdquo; This is a chance for children to notice any small detail that might indicate that they are actually on the right track.
To make this more concrete for younger children, you can draw a scale, and use an object or favourite small toy to signal moving up the scale.
If, however, your child says he or she is at the bottom of the scale in terms of work readiness, ask your child why this is so. It is likely that your child will give a negative response, such as, &ldquo;I flipped through my revision books, but it looks so difficult and boring.&rdquo;
If this should happen, the onus is on you to find something positive to acknowledge. For instance, you could say, &ldquo;Wow, it&rsquo;s great that you took the time to flip through your books. Sounds like a good start.&rdquo;
This is also your chance to dig deeper, by asking questions such as, &ldquo;How did you manage to make yourself flip through the books, even though you felt they were difficult?&rdquo;
After highlighting the positive efforts that your child has made, you can continue the process with questions such as:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;I wonder what would be one small thing you could do to move up the scale?&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;What would be helpful to do, to get to a 2.5 or 3 and feel more ready?&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Is there anything I can do to help you move up the scale and feel more ready?&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
Take your children&rsquo;s suggestions seriously, as these will cue you in to the support that you need to provide. Other questions that you can ask include:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;What was useful when you prepared for your exams last year? How did you achieve that? Is that something that could work this year too?&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Imagine that your best friend is giving you ideas for revision: what do you think he/she would say?&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
To further motivate your child, you can also try this visualisation activity: ask your child to draw a picture of how he or she would feel, and what he or she would do, after completing the exams. Give positive feedback about your child&rsquo;s picture, such as, &ldquo;Wow, look at that! You look so happy!&rdquo;
Next, ask your child, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s a small thing that you can do to start preparing for your exams, so that when it&rsquo;s over, you can feel and do what&rsquo;s in your drawing?&rdquo;
<h2>Move Into Action</h2>
To get your children to commit to actionable steps for their revision, these are some questions you can ask:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;What is one small step that would be easy to start your exam prep with? Let&rsquo;s write it down.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s make a list of revision tasks, and add one easy step every day.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;What would be a good day to start your exam prep? Let&rsquo;s mark the calendar.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;When I&rsquo;m busy or not home, how will you remind yourself to do your revision?&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;How are your friends doing their revision? Is there anything that you can apply too?&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;What works for you? Let&rsquo;s do more of that!&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<h2>Listen Intently</h2>
When you are facing resistance from your child, try to listen more. Just like adults, children respond negatively to stress, and sometimes all they need you to do is to hear them out without judgement or expectations.
When children are venting or grumbling, you can support them by gently looking at them and holding space for them to release their emotions. This involves nodding or using conversation fillers (such as &ldquo;mmmm&rdquo; or &ldquo;um-hmm&rdquo;) to let your child know that you are listening. Keep your words short if you wish to reply (&ldquo;I see,&rdquo; &ldquo;yes,&rdquo; or &ldquo;hmmm&rdquo;), and resist giving lengthy replies or preaching.
This restraint on your part will allow your child to process his or her thoughts, and you can observe if it helps to improve both of your moods.
<h2>Reflect &amp; Paraphrase</h2>
When children are sharing their feelings, you can help them to reflect on their thought processes by restating or paraphrasing their words. You may find this exercise to be slightly unnatural when you first carry it out, but it can help your child to develop greater self-awareness, as they consider their statements and assess if what they said makes sense, and if their ideas are feasible.
Here are some common statements made by children regarding work, and how you can respond to them:
&ldquo;I wish I didn&rsquo;t have to do this.&rdquo; &ldquo;You wish things were different.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I hate this!&rdquo; &ldquo;I can tell you really don&rsquo;t like this. Shall we take a break?&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel like doing any worksheets.&rdquo; &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t feel up to it now. When would be a good time?&rdquo;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just so tired right now.&rdquo; &ldquo;Hmm, you&rsquo;re tired. When would be a better time to do this?&rdquo;
<h2>Affirm &amp; Compliment</h2>
It is important to affirm your child by highlighting his or her strengths. Regular affirmations will help children to feel more confident and positive about the future.
A bonus tip: for greater impact, mention your child&rsquo;s name as you are sharing your affirmation or compliment.
Here are some examples of affirmations that parents can use:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m impressed that you could come up with this idea.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know that you could do this all by yourself.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;All the progress you&rsquo;ve made shows how resilient you are.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;My friends also noticed how ambitious you are.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I admire your perseverance.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;The cool thing about you is that you&hellip;&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I appreciate that you&rsquo;re trying your best, despite it being challenging.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m inspired to be more disciplined, just like you.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;Your effort to complete this task is inspiring.&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;You have a gift for&hellip;&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I really like how you&hellip;&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re really good at this!&rdquo;</li>
<li>&ldquo;I should learn from you.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

These 5 Tips Can Dramatically Change How Your Children View Studying

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body>Have you wondered if you&rsquo;re helping your child to prepare for the exams in the most effective or efficient way? We brought our questions about revision to Phua Kai Ying, an academic director at <a href="https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/" target="_blank">The Learning Lab</a>. Read on for her advice.
<img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-43588" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/49254439_s.jpg" alt="49254439 - 10 year-old asian elementary schoolboy doing homework at home." width="450" height="338">
When exams are a month or two away, what should students focus on? 
With the examinations coming so soon, my usual advice to students would be to do time trials, be it at home, in school, or in enrichment classes. I always emphasize to students to practise the skills, topics, or concepts they will be tested on. If the exam involves solving word problems, you need to practise problem solving; if the exam involves writing an essay, you need to work on composition writing.
Preparing for an examination is like training for a marathon. It essentially lies in the &ldquo;practice makes perfect&rdquo; arena. How did Joseph Schooling manage to win an Olympic gold medal for Singapore? Through sheer hard work and determination!
Another piece of advice would be to review one&rsquo;s past mistakes. Ask yourself which topics or areas you are particularly weak in and review the worksheets you have on those topics. When I say review, this includes re-doing the questions&mdash;just looking at the solutions or workings won&rsquo;t help you practise them.
Any little-known or surprising revision tips to share? 
Many revision tips can be found online, but I would say they are not little known or surprising. Constant practice leading up to the exams and sufficient rest on the eve of the big day would be key.
How much time should primary school students spend on revision every day, given their long hours in school and homework load? 
There is no magic number to share as this would vary from student to student. I would prefer to determine that based on the student&rsquo;s level of preparedness, while taking into account his or her stress level.
Looking at it from another angle, given that there are only 24 hours a day, allowing for eight hours of sleep, three hours for meals, and time spent in school, at CCA, and at enrichment classes, some of the remaining time can be spent on revision.
More important, children need breaks&mdash;set time aside for leisure and relaxation to refresh their minds.
Could you recommend a daily work plan for P6 students in the final month?
P6 is a crucial year where students have to sit for their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Subtracting time spent in school and enrichment classes, as well as time for sleeping and eating, students should try to spend two to three hours per day doing self-revision.
Parents would know their children best, and ultimately, I would re-emphasize that there is no magic number that works for all students.
Does using mnemonics contribute to learning at all, in your opinion? Should students rely on this or avoid it? 
A strong grasp of the fundamental concepts for the various subjects would be the most important for students to internalise and understand what they have been learning.
Depending on the subject, some students may find <a href="https://www.learningassistance.com/2006/january/mnemonics.html" target="_blank">mnemonics</a> useful when recalling longer lists of factual information. I would thus not advise students to avoid it altogether, but to use it to supplement their learning.
What&rsquo;s your view on making summaries and notes? Would you recommend it? 
Summarising material via note taking is a skill that promotes greater comprehension. When students take any piece of information and put it in their own words, it helps them to remember and understand it better.
What about mind mapping?
It is recommended that during the revision period, students spend time creating their own mind maps that summarise all the key concepts, formulas, and commonly tested questions onto a piece of paper. Regardless of whether it is via a mind map or note taking, it is important for students to put pen to paper and not solely read through their textbooks and past practice papers.
Many parents will ask their kids to work on practice papers&mdash;would you say this is the best way to revise? 
Formative assessment is one of the most effective ways to revise. Henry L. Roediger III, a cognitive psychologist at Washington University, studies how the brain stores and retrieves memories. He realised that in order for students to memorise information, they should attempt to retrieve that information from their own memories, rather than review the materials repeatedly from notes.
Testing oneself also helps students to discover what they do or do not know. I would recommend parents to assign exam papers or mini quizzes to their kids at home. It is also equally important to provide their kids with feedback after the formative assessment. &nbsp;
</body></html>