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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Eleven Plus Probability

One wonderful aspect of the eleven plus is the ability of the examination to generate debate. We are bombarded with opinions, ideas, rumours, facts, fiction and truth. The influence of social media sites are growing in importance. Some topics seem to bubble away under the surface only to emerge by being triggered off by a remark or a statement. Some elements of the ongoing eleven plus debate appear to be annuls and others perennials.

There seems to be endless discussion as to what sort of parents want their children to do well in eleven plus examinations. (Is she really a pushy mum?)

Will too much or too little pressure leave permanent effects on a child’s personality and development?

Should there be far more notice of the feeling and emotions of eleven plus parents?

What changes in advice have been offered to eleven plus parents over the past fifty years?

Is there one best way for a parent to adopt in trying to help their child prepare for the examination?

Do some eleven plus parents feel neglected and out on a limb?

We were doing probability today – and tried to use the example of a weather forecast.

This morning there is a chance of light rain. The rain will die away in the afternoon leaving a sunny and clear evening.

Probability is used to try to predict what is likely to happen. The probability scale runs from `0’ to `1’.

0 - Unlikely
Half - even chance
1 – Certain.

It is certain that there will be some pushy eleven plus parents.

There may be an even chance that some children will be affected by pressure from their parents.

It is unlikely that the examination will ever take into account the feelings and emotions of parents.

The outcome of the examination should influenced by the toss of a coin! (Use Twitter, Facebook and Blogger to discuss)

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