Some boys and girls working towards the Eleven Plus will show extraordinary differences in physical development – and we accept this wide divergence as natural. Individual differences within the sex groups are sometimes even more impressive. The social consequences of these difference in eleven plus children is sometimes clearly apparent in the way some girls appear to mature far more quickly than the boys.
When children on working on practice eleven plus papers it is not always easy, however, to prove that there are wide ranging intellectual differences between the sexes. We have seen, for example, girls excelling on non verbal reasoning papers – and relishing the challenging questions on codes and rotations. Equally boys embarking on eleven plus verbal reasoning work have not appeared to suffer from any lack of ability to read and understand words and verbal concepts.
The world of eleven plus preparation is highly complex. Just because two children will achieve exactly the same mark at age eleven – suggesting equal ability – it does not mean the two will also earn matched scores at seventeen years old. Factors such as experience, temperament, and other attributes will play their part.
In one of the authorities where we work the names of the top one hundred and eighty children are published. There can be little desire of the part of the local grammar schools to guarantee that these children will still be in the top 180 in `A’ level results. The maturity of these `A’ level students will also show considerable variation. By the age of seventeen same may prefer to play the guitar than study. Others, for example, will want to be doctors and will spend most of their waking hours working and dreaming.
If we took the final eleven plus scores of the children who gained entry to a grammar school, and followed their school careers, it is likely that some children will gain outstanding `A’ level results – while others will not enjoy the academic side of school – with corresponding results. Of course it is likely that top eleven plus results will deliver top `A’ level results – and children who gain entry on the border line will continue to struggle – but this can not be guaranteed!
Just imagine the pressure on children and their parents if cumulative testing of eleven plus children became the vogue. Children would be hot housed into passing pre eleven plus tests from the age of seven. Some would even argue that younger children can show the aptitude to do well academically. After all, a four year child with a reading age of eight is likely to `do well at school’.
There is a problem, however, with a subjective educational prognosis of future academic success. At the moment to pass the eleven plus a child needs certain passing scores. If the grammar schools had to contend with additional pressures from teachers and head teachers at primary school, then a wealth of additional factors could muddy the entrance criteria. The ten year old boy who only wants to talk and play football could easily mature into a secure and responsible member of the school debating team.
For some children the stimulating and challenging environment of the grammar school will draw out a complex range of factors which will determine subsequent performance. Some parents will be very grateful for the changes wrought by the school – and thereby justify in their own minds all their efforts to help their child earn a place in a grammar school.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Eleven Plus and Lazy Children
“I am sick of doing eleven plus papers.”
“I wish I could go to my tutor instead of going to school.”
“I don’t want to do any extra work.”
“I’m bored with all this extra work.”
“Yes, thank you. I love school.”
“I really want to go to grammar.”
“I don’t want to try hard and do my best.”
“Can’t I even have one day off?”
“Please can I do the verbal reasoning first?”
“I hate maths.”
“I love maths.”
Parents will be offered a variety of `opinions’ on the eleven plus at one stage of the preparation or another. The range of comments about the eleven plus will change during the natural cycle of the eleven plus.
Many years ago some bright children were sometimes labelled as `lazy’ or `unwilling’ - and these are words no parents wanted to admit or even hear. The efficiency of these teachers was challenged by parents and educators and this lead in the nineteenth century to a system within schools of` payment by results’. The argument was that since all children were born equal – any difference in the ability of a child to learn to read and write was down to the teacher or tutor.
Of course teachers protested and rebelled against the assumptions and this lead to a need for tests to be developed that would take into account individual differences. Back in those early days the tests were often a reading age test and basic and rather crude intelligence tests. The way in which children were taught in schools was modified to take into account individual differences. Progress was in the air.
Of equal importance it was recognised that learning was an active process – where the co-operation of children needed to be matched by the enthusiasm of the teacher.
As the value of testing was recognised by more and more parents and teachers, so new tests emerged. It was noted that girls tended to do better than boys on tests. It was also recognised that intelligence, as measured by intgelligence test, tended to continue growing into late teens.
Little bit by little bit educators began to recognise that bright children were more likely to do well at sport. It was also seen that able children tended to have a wide range of hobbies and interests.
Today’s eleven plus children naturally benefit from these observations. There must be many parents of bright children who will be eternally grateful for the benefits of wall to wall television, internet and computer games. After all a Google search is a whole lot quicker than a trip to the library.
To label a bright eleven plus child as `lazy’ now seems to be more than unfortunate. The child may not enjoy the confining scheme of work covered by the present eleven plus. After all a diet of paper after paper must be essentially inedible and unappetising for some.
As the children gain more confidence in their ability to cope with eleven plus papers, it is likely that comments will change. When a child has worked through a key eleven plus process several times sentiments and the perception of the content of the examination may also alter.
“I know how to do these. We did them before.”
“These are easy.”
Testing has been with us for a long time – and the use and application of tests is not going to go away. Attitudes to testing on the part of teachers, parents and educators will also remain uneasy. There are some sure things, however. Girl will always be able to do better than boys on some things. Parents will always want the best for their children. Some children will always need to be encouraged and stimulated. Bright children are always likely to be all rounders.
“I wish I could go to my tutor instead of going to school.”
“I don’t want to do any extra work.”
“I’m bored with all this extra work.”
“Yes, thank you. I love school.”
“I really want to go to grammar.”
“I don’t want to try hard and do my best.”
“Can’t I even have one day off?”
“Please can I do the verbal reasoning first?”
“I hate maths.”
“I love maths.”
Parents will be offered a variety of `opinions’ on the eleven plus at one stage of the preparation or another. The range of comments about the eleven plus will change during the natural cycle of the eleven plus.
Many years ago some bright children were sometimes labelled as `lazy’ or `unwilling’ - and these are words no parents wanted to admit or even hear. The efficiency of these teachers was challenged by parents and educators and this lead in the nineteenth century to a system within schools of` payment by results’. The argument was that since all children were born equal – any difference in the ability of a child to learn to read and write was down to the teacher or tutor.
Of course teachers protested and rebelled against the assumptions and this lead to a need for tests to be developed that would take into account individual differences. Back in those early days the tests were often a reading age test and basic and rather crude intelligence tests. The way in which children were taught in schools was modified to take into account individual differences. Progress was in the air.
Of equal importance it was recognised that learning was an active process – where the co-operation of children needed to be matched by the enthusiasm of the teacher.
As the value of testing was recognised by more and more parents and teachers, so new tests emerged. It was noted that girls tended to do better than boys on tests. It was also recognised that intelligence, as measured by intgelligence test, tended to continue growing into late teens.
Little bit by little bit educators began to recognise that bright children were more likely to do well at sport. It was also seen that able children tended to have a wide range of hobbies and interests.
Today’s eleven plus children naturally benefit from these observations. There must be many parents of bright children who will be eternally grateful for the benefits of wall to wall television, internet and computer games. After all a Google search is a whole lot quicker than a trip to the library.
To label a bright eleven plus child as `lazy’ now seems to be more than unfortunate. The child may not enjoy the confining scheme of work covered by the present eleven plus. After all a diet of paper after paper must be essentially inedible and unappetising for some.
As the children gain more confidence in their ability to cope with eleven plus papers, it is likely that comments will change. When a child has worked through a key eleven plus process several times sentiments and the perception of the content of the examination may also alter.
“I know how to do these. We did them before.”
“These are easy.”
Testing has been with us for a long time – and the use and application of tests is not going to go away. Attitudes to testing on the part of teachers, parents and educators will also remain uneasy. There are some sure things, however. Girl will always be able to do better than boys on some things. Parents will always want the best for their children. Some children will always need to be encouraged and stimulated. Bright children are always likely to be all rounders.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Eleven Plus in Six Months
There is a big debate on at the moment about training new teachers in six months. The opposition comes from a predictable variety of sources. The first job that springs to mind where training takes a lot less that six months is being a mother.
To safeguard your unborn child a mother has to eat the right food, take appropriate exercise, listen to the right music and give up other key pleasures of life – no smoking and no alcohol. This transformation of a woman’s life is called `Learning on the Job’ and comes with very few perks and vouchers. There are plenty of books, advice, videos and support groups but basically the woman is on her own.
When the pre Eleven Plus candidate is born a whole lot of new `On the Job Learning’ takes place. I have always admired the way mothers are able to unfold a pram carrying a baby, a hand bag, shopping, the bag of nappies and extra supplies. There are new guide lines that should be followed by the mother about child care and `Raising a Brighter Child’. This learning has to take place in a lot less than six months – because every mother knows the first six months are vital if the future `Eleven Plus Candidate’ is to learn to read well enough to be able to cope with verbal reasoning questions in another nine years time.
First time fathers also have a lot to learn about preparing their child for the eleven plus. If the family live in an authority where non verbal reasoning is part of the eleven plus then a lot of onus must fall on the father, Dad now has less than six months to learn how to prepare a child – who is not yet walking and taking – to be able to recognise shapes and patterns and cope with the multiple choice element of any form of competitive assessment.
From the child’s point of view the first six months are also vital. Not only does he or she have to cope with mood swings on the part of mum and dad and premature pre examination pressure – but the child has to be able to distinguish between four alternatives.
Option A: Cry for vitamin packed food
Option B: Refuse all food
Option C: Demand supplements to diet
Option D: Seek the arms on another.
Will the government win and help newcomers into a recession proof industry? Of course they will. Even the most vociferous of opponents must, in time, realise the benefit from the input of a seasoned professional. The new teachers must bring a sense of freshness and enthusiasm to their teaching. It is highly likely that the new recruits will welcome the advice and comments from more experienced teachers and colleagues.
Most important of all some of the new recruits may be able to cope with some of the more abstruse and esoteric of the eleven plus questions. After all if you struggle on an eleven plus paper at home, who better to ask for some help than your child’s teacher?
It is time to mention Mr Eric Morris once again. Very early in my teaching career my Head Teacher gave me the responsibility of a top stream class of nine year olds. We completed the year’s syllabus in the first term. Mr Morris taught the year ahead and would not allow us to infringe on the work he planned to follow. The parents, children and I had to devise new ways to educate and enrich the class. Perhaps if Mr. Morris had been a new fast track teacher he would have welcomed and embraced change.
So if you are the partner of one of the new breed of six month teachers then you need to count your blessings. You will have a partner eager to learn and receptive to change. You should enjoy the benefit of a partner determined to make a difference. Who knows you may also have a child ready to embrace the challenge of the eleven plus. If your child is then taught at school by one of this new breed of teachers you may have a child who will be able to actually benefit from the eleven plus experience. This could be a child able to think and explore and not just able to sit through the tedium of eleven plus paper after eleven plus paper.
To safeguard your unborn child a mother has to eat the right food, take appropriate exercise, listen to the right music and give up other key pleasures of life – no smoking and no alcohol. This transformation of a woman’s life is called `Learning on the Job’ and comes with very few perks and vouchers. There are plenty of books, advice, videos and support groups but basically the woman is on her own.
When the pre Eleven Plus candidate is born a whole lot of new `On the Job Learning’ takes place. I have always admired the way mothers are able to unfold a pram carrying a baby, a hand bag, shopping, the bag of nappies and extra supplies. There are new guide lines that should be followed by the mother about child care and `Raising a Brighter Child’. This learning has to take place in a lot less than six months – because every mother knows the first six months are vital if the future `Eleven Plus Candidate’ is to learn to read well enough to be able to cope with verbal reasoning questions in another nine years time.
First time fathers also have a lot to learn about preparing their child for the eleven plus. If the family live in an authority where non verbal reasoning is part of the eleven plus then a lot of onus must fall on the father, Dad now has less than six months to learn how to prepare a child – who is not yet walking and taking – to be able to recognise shapes and patterns and cope with the multiple choice element of any form of competitive assessment.
From the child’s point of view the first six months are also vital. Not only does he or she have to cope with mood swings on the part of mum and dad and premature pre examination pressure – but the child has to be able to distinguish between four alternatives.
Option A: Cry for vitamin packed food
Option B: Refuse all food
Option C: Demand supplements to diet
Option D: Seek the arms on another.
Will the government win and help newcomers into a recession proof industry? Of course they will. Even the most vociferous of opponents must, in time, realise the benefit from the input of a seasoned professional. The new teachers must bring a sense of freshness and enthusiasm to their teaching. It is highly likely that the new recruits will welcome the advice and comments from more experienced teachers and colleagues.
Most important of all some of the new recruits may be able to cope with some of the more abstruse and esoteric of the eleven plus questions. After all if you struggle on an eleven plus paper at home, who better to ask for some help than your child’s teacher?
It is time to mention Mr Eric Morris once again. Very early in my teaching career my Head Teacher gave me the responsibility of a top stream class of nine year olds. We completed the year’s syllabus in the first term. Mr Morris taught the year ahead and would not allow us to infringe on the work he planned to follow. The parents, children and I had to devise new ways to educate and enrich the class. Perhaps if Mr. Morris had been a new fast track teacher he would have welcomed and embraced change.
So if you are the partner of one of the new breed of six month teachers then you need to count your blessings. You will have a partner eager to learn and receptive to change. You should enjoy the benefit of a partner determined to make a difference. Who knows you may also have a child ready to embrace the challenge of the eleven plus. If your child is then taught at school by one of this new breed of teachers you may have a child who will be able to actually benefit from the eleven plus experience. This could be a child able to think and explore and not just able to sit through the tedium of eleven plus paper after eleven plus paper.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Eleven Plus Scene
It is not hard to be tempted to be pessimistic about the future of the Eleven Plus. It does not look as if there has been any new research in recent years. The Eleven Plus was an innovation fifty years ago – but since then the number of grammar schools has declined and the nature and content of tests seemed to have changed little.
There must have been slow and significant progress – but it hard to capture the essence of change.
The internet has allowed new techniques – but there does not seem to have been much research into the impact of recent change on the examination.
The Eleven Plus scene, however, is not one of failure or disappointment – far from this.
Parents are always eternally optimistic about their children. Parents who are `in the loop’ are also positive about the value of grammar schools and grammar school education.
We will only be able to feel a little more complacent when more work has been done on the actual nature and content of future eleven plus tests.
There must have been slow and significant progress – but it hard to capture the essence of change.
The internet has allowed new techniques – but there does not seem to have been much research into the impact of recent change on the examination.
The Eleven Plus scene, however, is not one of failure or disappointment – far from this.
Parents are always eternally optimistic about their children. Parents who are `in the loop’ are also positive about the value of grammar schools and grammar school education.
We will only be able to feel a little more complacent when more work has been done on the actual nature and content of future eleven plus tests.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Eleven Plus Luck
We were doing a little speed work last Saturday on completing multiple choice questions under pressure. The drills were simple – the last ten questions in eight minutes. It was an easy exercise – as the children were being urged to look for, and eliminate, answers that could not be right. The children were trying to get to a position where they had to select between only two questions.
One child was left handed. Left handed children hold their pens and pencils in a multitude of positions. Left handed children are not often noticeably slower than right handers but many factors come into account when the child is working on multiple choice papers – and the position of the writing hand is partly covering the answers.
Speed
Legibility
Quality
Pressure
Fatigue
I am fortunate to have a copy of Robert W. Service’s `The Rhymes of a Red-Cross Man’ published in 1916. There is a poem called `Grand-Pere’ which came to my mind when thinking about handedness.
And so when he reached my bed
The General made a stand:
“My brave young fellow,” he said,
“I would shake your hand.”
So I lifted my arm, the right,
With never a hand at all;
Only a stump. A sight
Fit to appal.
“Well, well. Now that is too bad!
That’s sorrowful luck,” he said;
“But there! You give me, my lad’
The left instead.”
So from under the blanket’s rim,
I raised and showed him the other,
A snag as ugly and grim
As its ugly brother.
He looked at each jagged wrist;
He looked but he did not speak;
And then he bent down and kissed
Me on either cheek.
You wonder now I don’t mind
I hadn’t a hand to offer . . .
They tell me (you know I’m blind)
`T’was Grand-pere J offer.
What ever we are – right handed, left handed or even ambidextrous – we are just plain lucky!
One child was left handed. Left handed children hold their pens and pencils in a multitude of positions. Left handed children are not often noticeably slower than right handers but many factors come into account when the child is working on multiple choice papers – and the position of the writing hand is partly covering the answers.
Speed
Legibility
Quality
Pressure
Fatigue
I am fortunate to have a copy of Robert W. Service’s `The Rhymes of a Red-Cross Man’ published in 1916. There is a poem called `Grand-Pere’ which came to my mind when thinking about handedness.
And so when he reached my bed
The General made a stand:
“My brave young fellow,” he said,
“I would shake your hand.”
So I lifted my arm, the right,
With never a hand at all;
Only a stump. A sight
Fit to appal.
“Well, well. Now that is too bad!
That’s sorrowful luck,” he said;
“But there! You give me, my lad’
The left instead.”
So from under the blanket’s rim,
I raised and showed him the other,
A snag as ugly and grim
As its ugly brother.
He looked at each jagged wrist;
He looked but he did not speak;
And then he bent down and kissed
Me on either cheek.
You wonder now I don’t mind
I hadn’t a hand to offer . . .
They tell me (you know I’m blind)
`T’was Grand-pere J offer.
What ever we are – right handed, left handed or even ambidextrous – we are just plain lucky!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Post Eleven Plus Blues
Some parents burn with a blazing passion at times when the words `Eleven Plus’ come into a conversation. There are a restricted number of places available in the grammar school of their choice and there is lots of competition for those prized seats of learning.
We need to go back to 2136 BC, when a hungry dragon tried to eat the sun. The Emperor of China, and all his people, were terrified.
The dragon took a little bite, then a quarter of the sun – and then a half. Suddenly the whole sun was covered. The Chinese knew what to do. They ran around in the strange light, beat drums, banged gongs and hit wooden ducks. The dragon took fright and ran away.
The sun was saved!
The Emperor, however, was very upset. He ordered his two Imperial Astronomers to be beheaded for failing to warn him of the dragon’s approach.
Of course the astronomers have been awarded an epitaph in the form of a rhyme:
Here lie the bodies of Hsi and Ho,
Whose fate, though sad, was visible;
Being killed because they did not spy
The eclipse which was invisible.
We need to carry this forward a few thousand years.
The Emperor becomes the parent. The astronomers evolve into the Eleven Plus Tutor.
The parent asks: “Will you cover the entire syllabus for the Eleven Plus?”
The tutor answers: “Oh yes!”
After the examination the child storms out to the waiting parent: “There were some questions I could not do!”
The parent confronts the tutor and demands: “Why does my child feel a failure because there were two questions that were impossible to answer?”
The tutor throws up his hands and says:
Here lies the answer to your cross demand,
Your child did his best, so don’t reprimand.
Children are children and they do their best,
I am sure your child is better than the rest!
We need to go back to 2136 BC, when a hungry dragon tried to eat the sun. The Emperor of China, and all his people, were terrified.
The dragon took a little bite, then a quarter of the sun – and then a half. Suddenly the whole sun was covered. The Chinese knew what to do. They ran around in the strange light, beat drums, banged gongs and hit wooden ducks. The dragon took fright and ran away.
The sun was saved!
The Emperor, however, was very upset. He ordered his two Imperial Astronomers to be beheaded for failing to warn him of the dragon’s approach.
Of course the astronomers have been awarded an epitaph in the form of a rhyme:
Here lie the bodies of Hsi and Ho,
Whose fate, though sad, was visible;
Being killed because they did not spy
The eclipse which was invisible.
We need to carry this forward a few thousand years.
The Emperor becomes the parent. The astronomers evolve into the Eleven Plus Tutor.
The parent asks: “Will you cover the entire syllabus for the Eleven Plus?”
The tutor answers: “Oh yes!”
After the examination the child storms out to the waiting parent: “There were some questions I could not do!”
The parent confronts the tutor and demands: “Why does my child feel a failure because there were two questions that were impossible to answer?”
The tutor throws up his hands and says:
Here lies the answer to your cross demand,
Your child did his best, so don’t reprimand.
Children are children and they do their best,
I am sure your child is better than the rest!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Eleven Plus Conversations
Four eleven year old girls are standing outside the cinema talking about the approaching Eleven Plus. When this extract begins the girls have already been talking for a few minutes. The girls are all in the top sets in mathematics and English – and, hopefully, represent the very cream of pre eleven plus candidates. They seem to be discussing a boy who does not appear to be doing well academically.
1. Well, one day the teacher will notice.
2. Yes, that does seem likely.
3. She will have to help him one day with his work, because he keeps asking me.
4. And you don’t like ..
5. No, I don’t mind him but ..
6. But the teacher really likes him – you know she keeps smiling at …
7. Well, he really is good at mathematics but he does not like finishing his work.
8. I know what you mean. I had to sit near him last year and all he did was talk. He never did hand his work in.
9. Mm.
10. But he is good at football.
11. I suppose do. When I ask him for help with my maths he just giggles. What a ….
12. No! Don’t say that. What should we do? He just talks, and yawns and plays. Miss keeps telling him not to ride on his chair.
13. What school does he want to go to?
14. His brother goes to ….
15. Mm.
16. It is not fair. We have to work hard all the time and he just works when he feels like it.
17. I know he can do the work – I think he just like to annoy me. I wish I didn’t have to sit near him.
18. He keeps turning round to talk to his friends. It is so annoying.
19. He hates being shouted at by Miss.
20. Well he shouldn’t talk so much.
If even you really want to know how your child is doing at school, why not chat to some of the members of the class. Their insight may be illuminating. They could tell you that your child is bright, talks too much and is good at mathematics. (Which you knew any way.)
We could then pick up the conversation and see how the girls intend to solve the problem.
After all you may need all the help you can get.
1. Well, one day the teacher will notice.
2. Yes, that does seem likely.
3. She will have to help him one day with his work, because he keeps asking me.
4. And you don’t like ..
5. No, I don’t mind him but ..
6. But the teacher really likes him – you know she keeps smiling at …
7. Well, he really is good at mathematics but he does not like finishing his work.
8. I know what you mean. I had to sit near him last year and all he did was talk. He never did hand his work in.
9. Mm.
10. But he is good at football.
11. I suppose do. When I ask him for help with my maths he just giggles. What a ….
12. No! Don’t say that. What should we do? He just talks, and yawns and plays. Miss keeps telling him not to ride on his chair.
13. What school does he want to go to?
14. His brother goes to ….
15. Mm.
16. It is not fair. We have to work hard all the time and he just works when he feels like it.
17. I know he can do the work – I think he just like to annoy me. I wish I didn’t have to sit near him.
18. He keeps turning round to talk to his friends. It is so annoying.
19. He hates being shouted at by Miss.
20. Well he shouldn’t talk so much.
If even you really want to know how your child is doing at school, why not chat to some of the members of the class. Their insight may be illuminating. They could tell you that your child is bright, talks too much and is good at mathematics. (Which you knew any way.)
We could then pick up the conversation and see how the girls intend to solve the problem.
After all you may need all the help you can get.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Eleven Plus Drills
Many years ago I had the privilege of attending an MCC course aimed at helping teach teachers acquire an MCC Cricket Coaching Certificate. The course lasted a week and covered techniques and drills in bowling, batting and fielding.
We were set up in rows and made to practice forward defence and back defence batting shots. The idea was that by drilling us we would then go on to help our children acquire the correct range of defensive strokes. The premise was that a good defence was essential – as runs could be scored off loose balls.
We were taught the necessity of a straight back lift along with prescribed movements of the feet. The same feet position would work for a forward defensive shot and a backward defensive shot. To play a drive or volley all the batman had to do was to follow through in a more expansive manner. Defence first, attack second.
The West Indians, however, had a very different approach. They had been brought up playing cricket on beaches. The policy of every child was hit the ball as hard as possible. Attack every single shot. Attack first and defence second.
We need to think of the generations of children who were taught by products of the MCC system – always on the defence and occasionally hitting out. “Guard your stumps at all cost. Never mind the runs they will come.”
Think now of the generations of eleven plus children being drilled by eleven plus book after eleven plus book. The books and papers, however, are not generally designed to promote free wheeling thought. Many of the papers seem to be presented in a series of drills. “Learn these methods of approaching this type of question – and here are twenty more to try.”
This must produce an eleven plus child who is well prepared to enter an examination but not necessarily prepared to think. Is it conceivable that when the children come to sit the eleven plus examination there will be moments when rote learning will be enough? Using the cricketing analogy referred to earlier, a well drilled child should have all the necessary tools for the eleven plus examination. If this is indeed true, then does the present structure of the eleven plus presume that flamboyant thinking and strokes of genius should be neutered?
There could be many very bright and able children who are failed by the `system’ or the `coaching manual’ of the eleven plus. I am not sure today if well meaning MCC coaches still demand a straight back lift and precise placing of the feet. The world has moved on – and cricket has moved with it. Twenty Twenty cricket, for example, has become immensely popular because runs have become more important than defence.
There must be a way to shake up the powers who prescribe the content of the actual eleven plus examinations. Perhaps they need to understand that some children would benefit from being encouraged to think creatively instead of having to perform to drills. Poor children! What a waste of some talents!
We were set up in rows and made to practice forward defence and back defence batting shots. The idea was that by drilling us we would then go on to help our children acquire the correct range of defensive strokes. The premise was that a good defence was essential – as runs could be scored off loose balls.
We were taught the necessity of a straight back lift along with prescribed movements of the feet. The same feet position would work for a forward defensive shot and a backward defensive shot. To play a drive or volley all the batman had to do was to follow through in a more expansive manner. Defence first, attack second.
The West Indians, however, had a very different approach. They had been brought up playing cricket on beaches. The policy of every child was hit the ball as hard as possible. Attack every single shot. Attack first and defence second.
We need to think of the generations of children who were taught by products of the MCC system – always on the defence and occasionally hitting out. “Guard your stumps at all cost. Never mind the runs they will come.”
Think now of the generations of eleven plus children being drilled by eleven plus book after eleven plus book. The books and papers, however, are not generally designed to promote free wheeling thought. Many of the papers seem to be presented in a series of drills. “Learn these methods of approaching this type of question – and here are twenty more to try.”
This must produce an eleven plus child who is well prepared to enter an examination but not necessarily prepared to think. Is it conceivable that when the children come to sit the eleven plus examination there will be moments when rote learning will be enough? Using the cricketing analogy referred to earlier, a well drilled child should have all the necessary tools for the eleven plus examination. If this is indeed true, then does the present structure of the eleven plus presume that flamboyant thinking and strokes of genius should be neutered?
There could be many very bright and able children who are failed by the `system’ or the `coaching manual’ of the eleven plus. I am not sure today if well meaning MCC coaches still demand a straight back lift and precise placing of the feet. The world has moved on – and cricket has moved with it. Twenty Twenty cricket, for example, has become immensely popular because runs have become more important than defence.
There must be a way to shake up the powers who prescribe the content of the actual eleven plus examinations. Perhaps they need to understand that some children would benefit from being encouraged to think creatively instead of having to perform to drills. Poor children! What a waste of some talents!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Eleven Plus Codes
I have just been working on codes with a bright, able and articulate Eleven Plus girl today. The content was abstract, abstruse and wholly surreal. It was obviousy manufactured and the designer of the questions was clearly trying to be be impressive. Why not offer some codes like this?
YY
UR
YY
UB
IC
UR
YY
4
ME
Of course every eleven plus child will immediately recognise:
Too wise you are
Too wise you be.
I see you are
Too wise for me.
This type of exercise has a point - and at least some humour.
Oh well .......
YY
UR
YY
UB
IC
UR
YY
4
ME
Of course every eleven plus child will immediately recognise:
Too wise you are
Too wise you be.
I see you are
Too wise for me.
This type of exercise has a point - and at least some humour.
Oh well .......
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Eleven Plus Intelligence
If only parents knew how to boost a child’s intelligence.
Some parents working with their children will want to be non competitive. “We don’t believe in working through papers towards the eleven plus. If my child passes then that is bonus – but we don’t think that it is right to hot house a child.”
Other parents will be scrapping for every bit of possible advantage. “I don’t mind if he passes, I just want to give him the best possible chance.”
There are even some who approach preparation as if it was a military operation. They leave nothing to chance. There child has every book, every tutor, every on line help and every bit of spare time belonging to mum or dad.
If a parent wanted to try to help their ten year old become a swimmer of note there is a path that many would recognise. The recognised route must be group and individual swimming lessons during the `formative’ years. The child will then eventually arrive in a swimming school where the coach will recognise exceptional talent. The child may progress to the elite squad.
The competitive drive will be honed by a wealth of swimming galas. “Don’t worry dear. Just do the best you can.” The swimming coach will discuss his or her protégée with colleagues. Parents will be given well meaning but conflicting advice from the swimming club secretary, the club chairman, other parents and other coaches. The prospective champion will sail through the maze with a laid back approach – confident in his or her ability and prowess.
Trying to build the ability to pass an eleven plus examination could follow a slightly different path. The screaming, shouting and encouragement that takes place before and during a gala does not take place. Galas come up a regular basis so there is lots of opportunity for a second chance. There is no second chance in an eleven plus examination.
The Eleven Plus is trying to find some form of intelligence or aptitude. Looking at some eleven plus questions is sometimes very difficult to work out just what kind of intelligence is being tested.
Gottfried Reinhardt once said: “There are three kinds of intelligence – the intelligence of man, the intelligence of animals and the intelligence of the military – in that order.” Thank goodness we can jettison the latter two types of intelligence – leaving us with the mysterious intelligence of man.
The problem is that people who do intelligence tests seem to do better on intelligence tests. We presume too that working on verbal reasoning papers helps one to do better in verbal reasoning tests. It had better be right – otherwise think of all those poor children working through paper after paper.
Some parents working with their children will want to be non competitive. “We don’t believe in working through papers towards the eleven plus. If my child passes then that is bonus – but we don’t think that it is right to hot house a child.”
Other parents will be scrapping for every bit of possible advantage. “I don’t mind if he passes, I just want to give him the best possible chance.”
There are even some who approach preparation as if it was a military operation. They leave nothing to chance. There child has every book, every tutor, every on line help and every bit of spare time belonging to mum or dad.
If a parent wanted to try to help their ten year old become a swimmer of note there is a path that many would recognise. The recognised route must be group and individual swimming lessons during the `formative’ years. The child will then eventually arrive in a swimming school where the coach will recognise exceptional talent. The child may progress to the elite squad.
The competitive drive will be honed by a wealth of swimming galas. “Don’t worry dear. Just do the best you can.” The swimming coach will discuss his or her protégée with colleagues. Parents will be given well meaning but conflicting advice from the swimming club secretary, the club chairman, other parents and other coaches. The prospective champion will sail through the maze with a laid back approach – confident in his or her ability and prowess.
Trying to build the ability to pass an eleven plus examination could follow a slightly different path. The screaming, shouting and encouragement that takes place before and during a gala does not take place. Galas come up a regular basis so there is lots of opportunity for a second chance. There is no second chance in an eleven plus examination.
The Eleven Plus is trying to find some form of intelligence or aptitude. Looking at some eleven plus questions is sometimes very difficult to work out just what kind of intelligence is being tested.
Gottfried Reinhardt once said: “There are three kinds of intelligence – the intelligence of man, the intelligence of animals and the intelligence of the military – in that order.” Thank goodness we can jettison the latter two types of intelligence – leaving us with the mysterious intelligence of man.
The problem is that people who do intelligence tests seem to do better on intelligence tests. We presume too that working on verbal reasoning papers helps one to do better in verbal reasoning tests. It had better be right – otherwise think of all those poor children working through paper after paper.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Eleven Plus Finance
One day a number of our eleven plus children may be leading the country. Some of them may be financiers, others industrialists while some may emerge as politicians. Bright and articulate young leaders will be needed in the future.
We need to look back in history to see other occasions when the world was in financial turmoil. During 1930 – 32 the whole financial world was turned upside down. The wholesale prices of commodities fell – especially wheat. Rubber was also a key factor in the market’s collapse. The prices of stocks fell and the holders could not meet their obligations. There was a fall in the volume of orders – and the numbers of unemployed grew rapidly. The value of the world’s income, in money terms, fell by half.
In 1932 the unemployed grew to one sixth of the working population. Britain was in a dire state.
Of course the financiers and the economists could not agree on the causes of the problem. They could equally not suggest a solution. Naturally the banks were blamed. A topical solution was the creation of vast public works. The banks kept saying that they saw signs of improvement. There were cuts in the salaries of cabinet ministers, judges and others.
Britain had to borrow £50 000 000 to balance the budget. It took Britain some time to pay the money back. It would make an interesting Eleven Plus question to work just how much Britain had to borrow in today’s terms!
We can see immediate parallels between the banking crisis of the early 1930’s and that of today. Banks still need to borrow money. Leaders are still being vilified and hounded.
Strong leaders were needed then to drive the economy forward. Perhaps some of our eleven plus children will go down in history if they can save the country the next time a great crisis comes again.
We need to look back in history to see other occasions when the world was in financial turmoil. During 1930 – 32 the whole financial world was turned upside down. The wholesale prices of commodities fell – especially wheat. Rubber was also a key factor in the market’s collapse. The prices of stocks fell and the holders could not meet their obligations. There was a fall in the volume of orders – and the numbers of unemployed grew rapidly. The value of the world’s income, in money terms, fell by half.
In 1932 the unemployed grew to one sixth of the working population. Britain was in a dire state.
Of course the financiers and the economists could not agree on the causes of the problem. They could equally not suggest a solution. Naturally the banks were blamed. A topical solution was the creation of vast public works. The banks kept saying that they saw signs of improvement. There were cuts in the salaries of cabinet ministers, judges and others.
Britain had to borrow £50 000 000 to balance the budget. It took Britain some time to pay the money back. It would make an interesting Eleven Plus question to work just how much Britain had to borrow in today’s terms!
We can see immediate parallels between the banking crisis of the early 1930’s and that of today. Banks still need to borrow money. Leaders are still being vilified and hounded.
Strong leaders were needed then to drive the economy forward. Perhaps some of our eleven plus children will go down in history if they can save the country the next time a great crisis comes again.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Eleven Plus Lottery
Good luck to all parents and children who will have to be unwilling participants in the approaching lottery for school places.
Polly Curtis, in the Observer, explained that the government is set to review the lottery system for school places.
Graeme Paton in the Telegraph had a slightly different approach and went into detail on what the alternatives were if the lottery system was scrapped.
Polly Curtis, in the Observer, explained that the government is set to review the lottery system for school places.
Graeme Paton in the Telegraph had a slightly different approach and went into detail on what the alternatives were if the lottery system was scrapped.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Talking and the Eleven Plus Lesson
There is saying in education that a lesson is made up of two thirds talk. To some that appears to present a perfectly reasonable ratio. Then comes the crunch statistic – and the important number is that two thirds of the talking is taken up by the teacher. In a class lesson, therefore, the teacher is talking for four ninths of the lesson – or for around twenty five minutes in an hour or around thirteen minutes in thirty minutes.
Teachers also feel the need to question their children on what has been taught. In a carefully prepared lesson – after all the talking and the questions – there must be little time for actual work.
This statement them promotes another series of questions – what is work in an eleven plus question? Is it listening to a teacher talking? Is it working through a series of exercises? Some children will want to break the `lesson’ by looking in a dictionary to understand the meaning of any new and unfamiliar words. Other children will simply nod silently when an explanation is offered and then want to do more questions. Eleven Plus preparation then becomes doing more questions one after another. Conscientious work will vary from lesson to lesson.
When parents are working with their children towards the eleven plus there are likely to be two extremes. One could be: “Do the paper, mark it and then bring it to me so we can go over any problems.” This could be a paraphrase of: “Do the paper, mark it and then take the paper to your teacher or tutor.” The shortened version then becomes: “Do the paper, take to your tutor to be marked. Your tutor will go over any problems.”
Other parents will want to sit beside their children working on the paper together – question by question. Their child therefore gets immediate feedback. This builds great rapport. The benefit of the close relationship between patent and child is immediately obvious. The problem comes in the examination. If the child is so used to working `together’ then everything could fall apart in the examination when there can never be any outside help.
It is unlikely that there will have been much of an opportunity for any research into how many words a child will speak in a typical eleven plus lesson. First of all there can be no typical eleven plus lesson – unless the teacher or tutor is lecturing. Secondly part of a lesson could be new or difficult work where there would be a need for many words. On easy or familiar work the parent or teacher would naturally need to speak less.
Perhaps the only words that need to be monitored are those when the child deviates from the lesson. Every one knows that a child learns best when he or she is stimulated by something of interest. It would be wonderful for children if the content of an eleven plus course could be challenging as well as interesting. Many bright children won’t want lessons that are totally dependant on a torrent of words from the parent or tutor. After all we could easily check the veracity of this discourse by simply asking are children:
“Am I talking too much?”
This then leads to another truism: “Never ask a question if you do not already know the answer.” After all your child may slip through your defences and give credence to the statement: “Never ask a question if you do not want to hear the answer.”
In your next lesson why not sit down with two stop watches. Time how long you talk. Encourage your child to time his or her words. No one can say what the right balance is – but the end result may be illuminating.
Teachers also feel the need to question their children on what has been taught. In a carefully prepared lesson – after all the talking and the questions – there must be little time for actual work.
This statement them promotes another series of questions – what is work in an eleven plus question? Is it listening to a teacher talking? Is it working through a series of exercises? Some children will want to break the `lesson’ by looking in a dictionary to understand the meaning of any new and unfamiliar words. Other children will simply nod silently when an explanation is offered and then want to do more questions. Eleven Plus preparation then becomes doing more questions one after another. Conscientious work will vary from lesson to lesson.
When parents are working with their children towards the eleven plus there are likely to be two extremes. One could be: “Do the paper, mark it and then bring it to me so we can go over any problems.” This could be a paraphrase of: “Do the paper, mark it and then take the paper to your teacher or tutor.” The shortened version then becomes: “Do the paper, take to your tutor to be marked. Your tutor will go over any problems.”
Other parents will want to sit beside their children working on the paper together – question by question. Their child therefore gets immediate feedback. This builds great rapport. The benefit of the close relationship between patent and child is immediately obvious. The problem comes in the examination. If the child is so used to working `together’ then everything could fall apart in the examination when there can never be any outside help.
It is unlikely that there will have been much of an opportunity for any research into how many words a child will speak in a typical eleven plus lesson. First of all there can be no typical eleven plus lesson – unless the teacher or tutor is lecturing. Secondly part of a lesson could be new or difficult work where there would be a need for many words. On easy or familiar work the parent or teacher would naturally need to speak less.
Perhaps the only words that need to be monitored are those when the child deviates from the lesson. Every one knows that a child learns best when he or she is stimulated by something of interest. It would be wonderful for children if the content of an eleven plus course could be challenging as well as interesting. Many bright children won’t want lessons that are totally dependant on a torrent of words from the parent or tutor. After all we could easily check the veracity of this discourse by simply asking are children:
“Am I talking too much?”
This then leads to another truism: “Never ask a question if you do not already know the answer.” After all your child may slip through your defences and give credence to the statement: “Never ask a question if you do not want to hear the answer.”
In your next lesson why not sit down with two stop watches. Time how long you talk. Encourage your child to time his or her words. No one can say what the right balance is – but the end result may be illuminating.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Eleven Plus Differences
Before the Second World War the grammar schools were mainlu used by the children of professional middle class - and the bright children of the working class.
As many small firms were lost during the war years, so more jobs became avavilable in larger firms. We can see that this trend has existed until today. When Woolworths closed thousands of jobs were lost. Large chains with hundreds of shops have closed down.
To get a good job in a chain or a large organisation a school leaver had to have a good education. Grammar school boys and girls were prized employees - especially in the adminstrative and management posts.
Most early grammar schools had a house system - with prefects and compulsory games.
Some things haven't changed much!
As many small firms were lost during the war years, so more jobs became avavilable in larger firms. We can see that this trend has existed until today. When Woolworths closed thousands of jobs were lost. Large chains with hundreds of shops have closed down.
To get a good job in a chain or a large organisation a school leaver had to have a good education. Grammar school boys and girls were prized employees - especially in the adminstrative and management posts.
Most early grammar schools had a house system - with prefects and compulsory games.
Some things haven't changed much!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Eleven Plus Moves
Would it help if all eleven plus children were taught to play chess? At least playing chess would teach children the need to follow rules – because chess players can not make random and idiosyncratic moves. Think of your child working through a verbal reasoning paper – thinking ahead, conscious of the time while being both attacking and defensive. This does sound like an eleven plus dream scenario!
Chess players have a wide variety of choices during the course of a game. The choices, however, have to be made within the rules. Children can be taught a series of opening moves. There is of course an opponent. As soon as a player moves the pawn in front of the Queen, the opponent can think; “Queen's Pawn Opening Gambit”. This makes life easy because there a number of moves to counter the effectiveness of the opening.
It would be very difficult to win a game of chess if the play made legal moves – but did not think about the consequences. Chess is full of tactics. It must be possible to achieve check mate after a series of random moves – but it would make life more difficult!
One of the best things about chess is that it is a game.
We sometimes hear parents saying, “Oh yes, we try to make our preparations for the eleven plus into a game.” This is understandable because parents know their children. Sadly, however, the games have to stop on the day of the examination.
`Check Mate’ is but a few marks away for some poor children.
The Eleven Plus is governed by rules. Parents, teachers and tutors need to understand the rules. All concerned need to abide by the rules. It is essential that our children understand the rules. They need to try, for example, to complete as much as possible of the test in the time allowed.
Many Eleven Plus children would love to learn the King’s Indian Gambit! (It would make a change from some rather uninspiring eleven plus papers.)
Chess players have a wide variety of choices during the course of a game. The choices, however, have to be made within the rules. Children can be taught a series of opening moves. There is of course an opponent. As soon as a player moves the pawn in front of the Queen, the opponent can think; “Queen's Pawn Opening Gambit”. This makes life easy because there a number of moves to counter the effectiveness of the opening.
It would be very difficult to win a game of chess if the play made legal moves – but did not think about the consequences. Chess is full of tactics. It must be possible to achieve check mate after a series of random moves – but it would make life more difficult!
One of the best things about chess is that it is a game.
We sometimes hear parents saying, “Oh yes, we try to make our preparations for the eleven plus into a game.” This is understandable because parents know their children. Sadly, however, the games have to stop on the day of the examination.
`Check Mate’ is but a few marks away for some poor children.
The Eleven Plus is governed by rules. Parents, teachers and tutors need to understand the rules. All concerned need to abide by the rules. It is essential that our children understand the rules. They need to try, for example, to complete as much as possible of the test in the time allowed.
Many Eleven Plus children would love to learn the King’s Indian Gambit! (It would make a change from some rather uninspiring eleven plus papers.)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Eleven Plus Influences
In 1940s, when ideas about the eleven plus were being developed, there were a number of different schools of psychology. At one end of the spectrum were the `Behaviourists’ who felt that people assimilated knowledge in small steps. A different group, for example, were the `Freudians’ who postulated the need to psychoanalyse human behaviour.
In among these warring and divisive groups of professionals were the psychologists who often had rival views on the nature of intelligence. More and more efforts were being made to standardise tests. Some psychologists were fully concerned with experiments with rats – trying to learn from their behaviour. Other psychologists made tests of intelligence or personality. Then there were some, again for example, who looked at lighting in large scale industrial operations – to see the effect that lighting had on the ability to work. (I was recently taken round a large school in Kent where the head teacher was very proud of the lighting in his new academy.) Then we had psychologists who were concerned with behaviour patterns in primitive tribes.
All this diversity led to lots of talk, with many different views on education and children. This must have affected the earnest souls who were developing tests for the eleven plus. Intelligence, as we know it today, is made up of so many factors that no one would be brave enough to stand up and say that their system is the only one to be followed.
So when we are offered a series of eleven plus question that set out to select children for a grammar school education we do, perhaps, have a right to query the validity of the question.
A staple eleven plus question could be along the lines:
Find the one word that is unlike the others:
Alter regulate adjust modify replace
Does a question like this have much relevance to the life our bright children are going to experience in a modern grammar school?
Many years ago the BBC brought in a service that would allow pages to be displayed with up to date information. If you wanted to find the time a plane was landing you pressed a button and selected a page – and then waited while the ten or so pages scrolled around. There was a name for this service – but the service has now been discontinued. The rolling, scrolling pages have been replaced by broadband and internet searches. We can even get live feeds into our telephones so as not to be so dependent on television.
During the days when early eleven plus work was being developed, news and information were often dispersed through the old fashioned movie houses. People would crowd into cinemas to watch pictures of men and women at war – and every moving picture was in black and white. These were examples of the influences on the psychologists who developed the early eleven plus tests all those years ago.
No one has yet challenged the relevance and reliability of our current eleven plus tests. The world, however, has moved on. It is time for new research and new ideas.
In among these warring and divisive groups of professionals were the psychologists who often had rival views on the nature of intelligence. More and more efforts were being made to standardise tests. Some psychologists were fully concerned with experiments with rats – trying to learn from their behaviour. Other psychologists made tests of intelligence or personality. Then there were some, again for example, who looked at lighting in large scale industrial operations – to see the effect that lighting had on the ability to work. (I was recently taken round a large school in Kent where the head teacher was very proud of the lighting in his new academy.) Then we had psychologists who were concerned with behaviour patterns in primitive tribes.
All this diversity led to lots of talk, with many different views on education and children. This must have affected the earnest souls who were developing tests for the eleven plus. Intelligence, as we know it today, is made up of so many factors that no one would be brave enough to stand up and say that their system is the only one to be followed.
So when we are offered a series of eleven plus question that set out to select children for a grammar school education we do, perhaps, have a right to query the validity of the question.
A staple eleven plus question could be along the lines:
Find the one word that is unlike the others:
Alter regulate adjust modify replace
Does a question like this have much relevance to the life our bright children are going to experience in a modern grammar school?
Many years ago the BBC brought in a service that would allow pages to be displayed with up to date information. If you wanted to find the time a plane was landing you pressed a button and selected a page – and then waited while the ten or so pages scrolled around. There was a name for this service – but the service has now been discontinued. The rolling, scrolling pages have been replaced by broadband and internet searches. We can even get live feeds into our telephones so as not to be so dependent on television.
During the days when early eleven plus work was being developed, news and information were often dispersed through the old fashioned movie houses. People would crowd into cinemas to watch pictures of men and women at war – and every moving picture was in black and white. These were examples of the influences on the psychologists who developed the early eleven plus tests all those years ago.
No one has yet challenged the relevance and reliability of our current eleven plus tests. The world, however, has moved on. It is time for new research and new ideas.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Eleven Plus Change
We have been working with a very pleasant boy over the last few months, He failed his eleven plus and his parents want him to try again. He did not fail by much. It is likely that if only the children in his local authority gained admission to the grammar school he would he happily ensconced in the school of his choice in September.
We did not work with him on his attempt at the eleven plus but he came to us through a remarkably complex network of parents and recommendations. If he is to pass an examination called the Twelve Plus it is clear that he needs to be doing well at school.
The grammar schools within his community will only accept him with a firm recommendation from his school. It does sound as if there is more important than any test results. This means that we do not have to work with him on a range on verbal reasoning exercises as he will not do verbal reasoning at school – but he will need strong English skills.
In order for his new school to be able to recommend him for a place in a grammar school it is essential that he does well at school. His work must be executed beautifully, there must be as few errors as possible and his work needs to be at a consistently high standard. Mother and father have to contact the head of the school to see if he or she will recommend their child. The parents have all ready been told that there is a grammar stream in his new school.
There is a second grammar school that is only half a mile further away that the grammar school of his choice. His home is at the apex of a triangle. The second grammar school, because it comes under a different local authority, require the parents to apply directly to the school. The school will be sending out a pack of instructions for the 12+ in the near future. There will be entrance tests – but the school could not say what would be in the tests – other than to say that the pack would be sent out shortly.
Poor parents – on the one hand they, and their son, have convince a head teacher that their child should be recommended for grammar. In the second case the parents have to enter their child for an examination where the date has not been set and there are no real clues as to what may or may not be in the examination.
We know of one boy who passed a 13+ examination only to be told that although he had passed he was number 32 on the grammar school waiting list!
The father today said: “Why can’t there be just one way of testing for the eleven plus and one way for the twelve plus?”
Why not? We have one driving test that tests thousands of candidates each year. The test is a mixture of theory and practical examination. Some one, somewhere, is saying `But this is the way we have tested eleven plus children for the past fifty years. Why change?”
We need to find the `no changer’ and change him or her!
We did not work with him on his attempt at the eleven plus but he came to us through a remarkably complex network of parents and recommendations. If he is to pass an examination called the Twelve Plus it is clear that he needs to be doing well at school.
The grammar schools within his community will only accept him with a firm recommendation from his school. It does sound as if there is more important than any test results. This means that we do not have to work with him on a range on verbal reasoning exercises as he will not do verbal reasoning at school – but he will need strong English skills.
In order for his new school to be able to recommend him for a place in a grammar school it is essential that he does well at school. His work must be executed beautifully, there must be as few errors as possible and his work needs to be at a consistently high standard. Mother and father have to contact the head of the school to see if he or she will recommend their child. The parents have all ready been told that there is a grammar stream in his new school.
There is a second grammar school that is only half a mile further away that the grammar school of his choice. His home is at the apex of a triangle. The second grammar school, because it comes under a different local authority, require the parents to apply directly to the school. The school will be sending out a pack of instructions for the 12+ in the near future. There will be entrance tests – but the school could not say what would be in the tests – other than to say that the pack would be sent out shortly.
Poor parents – on the one hand they, and their son, have convince a head teacher that their child should be recommended for grammar. In the second case the parents have to enter their child for an examination where the date has not been set and there are no real clues as to what may or may not be in the examination.
We know of one boy who passed a 13+ examination only to be told that although he had passed he was number 32 on the grammar school waiting list!
The father today said: “Why can’t there be just one way of testing for the eleven plus and one way for the twelve plus?”
Why not? We have one driving test that tests thousands of candidates each year. The test is a mixture of theory and practical examination. Some one, somewhere, is saying `But this is the way we have tested eleven plus children for the past fifty years. Why change?”
We need to find the `no changer’ and change him or her!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
An Eleven Plus Crusader
Back in 1902 the Education Act abolished the 2500 school boards and established the equivalent of our Local Authorities. The state therefore took on the role of organising the senior schools.
The old grammar schools were used a model for the newer grammar schools. The grammar school became the preserve of the middle class. Problems came when it was evident that the lower class were not being represented fairly.
Grammar schools one hundred years ago were trying to develop a love of learning, and a place where children could work hard. In today’s parlance a grammar school was a place where `children could achieve their potential’.
The grammar schools that are left are encouraged to include children from poorer homes. Children who are in care, for example, are helped by the grammar school, as much as possible, to win a place.
We must look forward to changes coming in the composition of the grammar schools. The changes may not come early enough to affect the children who are writing this year. Change may be wrought by political will – as happened back in 1906 – when education was very high on the political agenda. It is unlikely that any government today will want to effect change – simply because of fear of a general political backlash.
It does seem likely, however, that a climate of opinion will one day change the attitude of the country to grammar schools. We have had well known crusaders for education over the years. Once the swell for change begins it may land up in an avalanche. We all thought, for example, that banks were inviolable. Yet in a few days the whole banking world was turned upside down – and with this collapse the lives and hopes and dreams of millions around England were affected.
We want a crusader who will drive for a fairer system of entry. We want a more level playing field for children from all walks of life. We don’t want a system, however, that militates against parents who have the will and the money to be able to help their child to do as well as possible.
The crusader will not argue the need for change for change’s sake. We do need a different range of tests. This will drive the need for new materials and new methods of teaching bright, able and articulate children. An examination system that relies of exercises similar to: Rearrange the letters to make the name of a bird: (SGKIERFNIH) must be both dated and suspect. Surely our understanding of the nature of intelligence has developed to a position where grammar schools could look for children who want to be stimulated and excited by preparing for an examination.
The old grammar schools were used a model for the newer grammar schools. The grammar school became the preserve of the middle class. Problems came when it was evident that the lower class were not being represented fairly.
Grammar schools one hundred years ago were trying to develop a love of learning, and a place where children could work hard. In today’s parlance a grammar school was a place where `children could achieve their potential’.
The grammar schools that are left are encouraged to include children from poorer homes. Children who are in care, for example, are helped by the grammar school, as much as possible, to win a place.
We must look forward to changes coming in the composition of the grammar schools. The changes may not come early enough to affect the children who are writing this year. Change may be wrought by political will – as happened back in 1906 – when education was very high on the political agenda. It is unlikely that any government today will want to effect change – simply because of fear of a general political backlash.
It does seem likely, however, that a climate of opinion will one day change the attitude of the country to grammar schools. We have had well known crusaders for education over the years. Once the swell for change begins it may land up in an avalanche. We all thought, for example, that banks were inviolable. Yet in a few days the whole banking world was turned upside down – and with this collapse the lives and hopes and dreams of millions around England were affected.
We want a crusader who will drive for a fairer system of entry. We want a more level playing field for children from all walks of life. We don’t want a system, however, that militates against parents who have the will and the money to be able to help their child to do as well as possible.
The crusader will not argue the need for change for change’s sake. We do need a different range of tests. This will drive the need for new materials and new methods of teaching bright, able and articulate children. An examination system that relies of exercises similar to: Rearrange the letters to make the name of a bird: (SGKIERFNIH) must be both dated and suspect. Surely our understanding of the nature of intelligence has developed to a position where grammar schools could look for children who want to be stimulated and excited by preparing for an examination.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Eleven Plus Diet
Back in the early days in Rome most teaching took place in the home. The early Romans followed the ancient custom of passing on literature and commentary through word of mouth. Children used to sit at the feet of their parents to learn.
Boys used to go with their fathers to their places of work. They learnt the business from the bottom up. Boys were encouraged to conduct themselves in the same way as their parents. Girls learnt the art of home management from their mothers. Early Roman education was vocational and practical.
Later on the Romans embarked on a series of wars. Some become rich and acquired slaves. Some of the slaves from other lands were highly educated. A number of the slaves were Greeks. The Romans thus acquired the language of civilisation. The roots of the eleven plus were born!
We know of grammar schools being established in Rome around 230BC. It was only a few years later (around 160 BC) that grammar schools teaching rhetoric and philosophy were established. Not everyone in Rome was pleased about the way the grammar schools were educating – and around 96BC some grammar schools were closed because of the way they were teaching philosophy in Latin!
We can see that were divided opinions about grammar school that began many years ago! The Romans wanted a practical education while the Greeks advocated a more cerebral and academic education. No wonder that the Romans thought the Greeks were effeminate, while the Greeks thought that the Romans were barbaric.
In today’s world it is possible that some children from comprehensive schools would perceive some grammar boys as being effeminate – while a few grammar boys possibly think that elements within the comprehensive are barbaric!
Recent developments within schools still reflect different opinions on how children should be educated. Some of the more traditional comprehensive school are being broken up and are re-emerging as specialist Academies. Grammar schools too are becoming specialists in a variety of guises – from science to maths and computing while others are enjoying specialism within languages.
The days of grammar schools relying on Latin, Greek and rhetoric are long gone. Any self respecting grammar school will offer a bouquet of courses. If there are subject combinations that cannot be satisfied is always recourse to facilities at nearby school. Schools do not cater for the ability of a boy or a girl to be able to wander around after mother or father learning the trade from the bottom up.
We see in corner shops children sitting on counters watching their parents selling newspapers and bread to the general public. But these children do not grow up to work with their parents – they go onto university to become doctors and dentists.
It is unlikely that the Eleven Plus will every return to the `Good Old Days’ of Latin, Greek and rhetoric, but some children, I should imagine, would welcome a break from the bland diet of eleven plus paper after eleven plus paper.
Boys used to go with their fathers to their places of work. They learnt the business from the bottom up. Boys were encouraged to conduct themselves in the same way as their parents. Girls learnt the art of home management from their mothers. Early Roman education was vocational and practical.
Later on the Romans embarked on a series of wars. Some become rich and acquired slaves. Some of the slaves from other lands were highly educated. A number of the slaves were Greeks. The Romans thus acquired the language of civilisation. The roots of the eleven plus were born!
We know of grammar schools being established in Rome around 230BC. It was only a few years later (around 160 BC) that grammar schools teaching rhetoric and philosophy were established. Not everyone in Rome was pleased about the way the grammar schools were educating – and around 96BC some grammar schools were closed because of the way they were teaching philosophy in Latin!
We can see that were divided opinions about grammar school that began many years ago! The Romans wanted a practical education while the Greeks advocated a more cerebral and academic education. No wonder that the Romans thought the Greeks were effeminate, while the Greeks thought that the Romans were barbaric.
In today’s world it is possible that some children from comprehensive schools would perceive some grammar boys as being effeminate – while a few grammar boys possibly think that elements within the comprehensive are barbaric!
Recent developments within schools still reflect different opinions on how children should be educated. Some of the more traditional comprehensive school are being broken up and are re-emerging as specialist Academies. Grammar schools too are becoming specialists in a variety of guises – from science to maths and computing while others are enjoying specialism within languages.
The days of grammar schools relying on Latin, Greek and rhetoric are long gone. Any self respecting grammar school will offer a bouquet of courses. If there are subject combinations that cannot be satisfied is always recourse to facilities at nearby school. Schools do not cater for the ability of a boy or a girl to be able to wander around after mother or father learning the trade from the bottom up.
We see in corner shops children sitting on counters watching their parents selling newspapers and bread to the general public. But these children do not grow up to work with their parents – they go onto university to become doctors and dentists.
It is unlikely that the Eleven Plus will every return to the `Good Old Days’ of Latin, Greek and rhetoric, but some children, I should imagine, would welcome a break from the bland diet of eleven plus paper after eleven plus paper.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Eleven Plus Shocks
Surely parents of Eleven Plus children are quick to praise their children? Just think, your child completes a full eleven plus paper. The two of you mark the paper. You find one or two errors where your child did not read the question carefully. You find evidence of two questions where it is obvious that guessing took place. The final straw comes when your child makes a mistake on a question you know should be answered correctly. What are you going to do? Shoot your child.
Over in Wisconsin an essay by a nine year old boy landed a father with a child abuse charge. The father allegedly shot his nine year old son in the buttocks with a ball bearing gun.
The boy wrote about being shot in a school essay.
The father explained that his son had been blocking his view of the T.V.
This leads us neatly to what parents could legally do to their children for making mistakes on an eleven plus paper. Please use a five point scale when 5 is total wipe out and 0 means a laugh and a hug. Please email your analysis to us so we cans share your collected thoughts.
Forgetting to read the question twice:
5 4 3 2 1
Making the same mistake twice as many days:
5 4 3 2 1
Not remembering that `product’ means multiply:
5 4 3 2 1
Your child answering back – even when you know that you are in the wrong:
5 4 3 2 1
Your child not acknowledging that you are in fact that you are the most intelligent and forbearing eleven plus parent in the world:
5 4 3 2 1
After you and your child have had an eleven plus bust up, your child then forgets to say: “Thank you for all your love and help. I am very grateful. I will never call you nerdy again.”
5 4 3 2 1
Of course we don’t want our children to be shot – physically or mentally. We don’t want to shout at our eleven plus child in order to win a pre eleven plus argument. If our eleven plus child makes a mistake – like lurking in front of the T.V. – then a simple loving admonishment will suffice. We could say: “Oh my dear, please do not linger in from of the T.V. while the rest of the family are trying to watch. We think that you are a kind a thoughtful child. Please will you move? Thank you so much.”
That language and approach is much better than a short sharp shot (sorry I meant a short sharp shock).
Over in Wisconsin an essay by a nine year old boy landed a father with a child abuse charge. The father allegedly shot his nine year old son in the buttocks with a ball bearing gun.
The boy wrote about being shot in a school essay.
The father explained that his son had been blocking his view of the T.V.
This leads us neatly to what parents could legally do to their children for making mistakes on an eleven plus paper. Please use a five point scale when 5 is total wipe out and 0 means a laugh and a hug. Please email your analysis to us so we cans share your collected thoughts.
Forgetting to read the question twice:
5 4 3 2 1
Making the same mistake twice as many days:
5 4 3 2 1
Not remembering that `product’ means multiply:
5 4 3 2 1
Your child answering back – even when you know that you are in the wrong:
5 4 3 2 1
Your child not acknowledging that you are in fact that you are the most intelligent and forbearing eleven plus parent in the world:
5 4 3 2 1
After you and your child have had an eleven plus bust up, your child then forgets to say: “Thank you for all your love and help. I am very grateful. I will never call you nerdy again.”
5 4 3 2 1
Of course we don’t want our children to be shot – physically or mentally. We don’t want to shout at our eleven plus child in order to win a pre eleven plus argument. If our eleven plus child makes a mistake – like lurking in front of the T.V. – then a simple loving admonishment will suffice. We could say: “Oh my dear, please do not linger in from of the T.V. while the rest of the family are trying to watch. We think that you are a kind a thoughtful child. Please will you move? Thank you so much.”
That language and approach is much better than a short sharp shot (sorry I meant a short sharp shock).
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Eleven Plus Lists
Eleven Plus tests, as they stand, are immensely useful to the men and women who think like bureaucrats. You take all of a child’s upbringing at home, all the hard work done at school, the efforts of the child at preparing for the examination – and then reduce the whole fermenting melting pot into one score.
Parents
Look at verbal reasoning, passing the eleven plus goes back to the vocabulary and speech patterns used by adults when addressing the baby. Parents will try to read stories to children at a level commensurate with their child’s oral comprehension. Most parents will not persist in reading Oliver Twist to their year old baby – even through they take time to explain some of the more complex words. A year old child will be acquiring vocabulary and will be stimulated by stories pitched at a sensible level.
Children will be learning new vocabulary from their parents at home all the time. Children may learn, for example, words that will never appear in an eleven plus examination. For example either mother or father may describe the behaviour of another driver in pungent terms. The words `little sponges’ spring to mind.
TV
Other contributions to vocabulary are made by the type of television program the child watches. Young children, for example, are being very well served by CBeebies.
School
When the child arrives at school there will be hundreds of well meaning literacy lessons. Teachers will work meaningfully on comprehension and the acquisition of vocabulary.
Children will acquire new words in many different ways. Reading, going on holiday, visiting friends, shopping, sports and even formal eleven plus lessons in vocabulary from a tutor.
An the day of the examination all this learning and education is reduced to a set number of questions that have to be completed within strict time limits.
In some far flung office a real human (not necessarily a bureaucrat) will ratify the scores and pass them to officialdom. This is where administration takes over.
Your child’s ability, personality, confidence and academic future are all condensed into a single score. Your child is then graded into a list of `pass and fail’. The list does not take into account sporting prowess, musicianship, membership of the gifted and talented register and leadership qualities. Your child may have read before school, and completed all the Harry Potter books before he is she is ten years old. Your child may have the super qualities of looking after a disabled parent, or demonstrated outstanding bravery by saving a drowning child.
A child’s academic future is still determined by the position in a list. This position is determined by how many multiple choice questions were answered correctly. Surely a child is worth more than that? There must be a way of `helping’ bureaucracy’ to be able to add value to scores.
When the eleven plus examinations were established there were no computers capable of collecting complex bits of information and organising, sorting and grading. Surely the opinion of the teacher and the head can factored into the equation. If all a child’s school reports could be scanned and digitised then words like `hard working’, `able, `conscientious’ and diligent could count just as well as answering some artificial verbal reasoning question.
If we do need to land up with one score, then let us pray for a score that will at least represent a mosaic of a child’s strengths and weakness.
Parents
Look at verbal reasoning, passing the eleven plus goes back to the vocabulary and speech patterns used by adults when addressing the baby. Parents will try to read stories to children at a level commensurate with their child’s oral comprehension. Most parents will not persist in reading Oliver Twist to their year old baby – even through they take time to explain some of the more complex words. A year old child will be acquiring vocabulary and will be stimulated by stories pitched at a sensible level.
Children will be learning new vocabulary from their parents at home all the time. Children may learn, for example, words that will never appear in an eleven plus examination. For example either mother or father may describe the behaviour of another driver in pungent terms. The words `little sponges’ spring to mind.
TV
Other contributions to vocabulary are made by the type of television program the child watches. Young children, for example, are being very well served by CBeebies.
School
When the child arrives at school there will be hundreds of well meaning literacy lessons. Teachers will work meaningfully on comprehension and the acquisition of vocabulary.
Children will acquire new words in many different ways. Reading, going on holiday, visiting friends, shopping, sports and even formal eleven plus lessons in vocabulary from a tutor.
An the day of the examination all this learning and education is reduced to a set number of questions that have to be completed within strict time limits.
In some far flung office a real human (not necessarily a bureaucrat) will ratify the scores and pass them to officialdom. This is where administration takes over.
Your child’s ability, personality, confidence and academic future are all condensed into a single score. Your child is then graded into a list of `pass and fail’. The list does not take into account sporting prowess, musicianship, membership of the gifted and talented register and leadership qualities. Your child may have read before school, and completed all the Harry Potter books before he is she is ten years old. Your child may have the super qualities of looking after a disabled parent, or demonstrated outstanding bravery by saving a drowning child.
A child’s academic future is still determined by the position in a list. This position is determined by how many multiple choice questions were answered correctly. Surely a child is worth more than that? There must be a way of `helping’ bureaucracy’ to be able to add value to scores.
When the eleven plus examinations were established there were no computers capable of collecting complex bits of information and organising, sorting and grading. Surely the opinion of the teacher and the head can factored into the equation. If all a child’s school reports could be scanned and digitised then words like `hard working’, `able, `conscientious’ and diligent could count just as well as answering some artificial verbal reasoning question.
If we do need to land up with one score, then let us pray for a score that will at least represent a mosaic of a child’s strengths and weakness.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Eleven Plus Time
Just how old do you need to be to work on Eleven Plus courses? The answer probably is in the Seven Ages of Man. (Actually poetic licence has offered a few more ages.)
Pre birth.
Mum reads to child. Parents take it in turns to play suitable music.
Toddler
Parents start explaining to their child how cubes rotate. The toddler is learning to build and knock down blocks as well as flatten the blocks into nets.
Nursery School
The child starts learning nursery rhymes – which are completed into eleven plus questions. “If Bo Peep was herding her sheep, and she had four and twenty, did any back birds come to the party?
Reception
Eleven Plus work hots up. The child is `put down for a tutor’. This does not mean that the child is worked over by the tutor, not does it mean that the tutor employs derogatory words, it simply means that the tutor places the child on the waiting list.
Primary
The entire Bond series is available on the child’s book case. (Mum was offered a
premium to take the whole series. Mum thought. Why not? The child starts on Question 1 on Book 1. Only three thousand questions to go!
Secondary
Child is at grammar. (Thank the Lord!) Eleven Plus books again are used for younger brother.)
University
Young adult picks up extra pocket money tutoring for the Eleven Plus.
Married Life
Start with own family. Cycle begins again.
Retirement
No legal requirements for grand children’s education. (Other than the fact that someone still remembers how to do percentages.)
The Other Side
Epitaph One on Stone
Masie lived and died the eleven plus dream.
Epitaph Two
Uncle Burt was a true eleven plus product. He knew that 34 times 10 was 340!
Pre birth.
Mum reads to child. Parents take it in turns to play suitable music.
Toddler
Parents start explaining to their child how cubes rotate. The toddler is learning to build and knock down blocks as well as flatten the blocks into nets.
Nursery School
The child starts learning nursery rhymes – which are completed into eleven plus questions. “If Bo Peep was herding her sheep, and she had four and twenty, did any back birds come to the party?
Reception
Eleven Plus work hots up. The child is `put down for a tutor’. This does not mean that the child is worked over by the tutor, not does it mean that the tutor employs derogatory words, it simply means that the tutor places the child on the waiting list.
Primary
The entire Bond series is available on the child’s book case. (Mum was offered a
premium to take the whole series. Mum thought. Why not? The child starts on Question 1 on Book 1. Only three thousand questions to go!
Secondary
Child is at grammar. (Thank the Lord!) Eleven Plus books again are used for younger brother.)
University
Young adult picks up extra pocket money tutoring for the Eleven Plus.
Married Life
Start with own family. Cycle begins again.
Retirement
No legal requirements for grand children’s education. (Other than the fact that someone still remembers how to do percentages.)
The Other Side
Epitaph One on Stone
Masie lived and died the eleven plus dream.
Epitaph Two
Uncle Burt was a true eleven plus product. He knew that 34 times 10 was 340!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Extending Eleven Plus Entry
One of the major problems with the Eleven Plus, after it was set up by the 1944 education act, was that intelligence tests appeared to play so large a role in determining a child’s future. Even psychologists could not agree on what intelligence was. There had been an earlier White Paper in 1943 which stated that `Children should not be selected by a competitive test, but by the assessment of their individual aptitudes, largely by such means as school records, supplemented, if necessary by intelligence tests, due regard to parents’ wishes and the careers they have in mind.”
This allowed parents to have a much greater say in helping their child gain entry to grammar school. In many eleven plus areas there is a rigid – but straightforward procedure to follow.
Enter your child on a common application form.
Work through some papers together.
Some, but only some, may choose a tutor or family friends to help soften the blow.
Listen to other parents and think: `Why did I not start this earlier?’
Remember that your child is actually bright – so relax for a moment.
Take your child to the school gates. Lots of hugs, kisses and `Good Lucks’.
More hugs when your child returns from the tests.
You wait fretfully for the results.
Your child does not seem to care – of hides it very well.
The results come. Tears of joy or grief.
You put in an appeal (if necessary) and this is the only time in the when your wishes will be listened to. This does seem to be without foundation. I understand why schools can not interview ten sets of parents for every one place. But we live in the culture of computers. When your child reaches `A’ Level or `IB’ then one application form is filled in which can then be distributed to the different universities.
The following could be adapted into the proposed `Eleven Plus Common Application Form’ (EPCAF)
Child
Why I want to go to grammar. (50 words)
What subjects I would like to study.
What I do outside of school
Parent
Why I would like my child to go to grammar.
The subjects I would like my child to study
How we will solve the problems if we acre not offered a place.
School
Why we think this child should go to grammar
The grades we think the child will achieve at `A’ level.
Supporting statement
The computer then collects and collates all this information and posts them into EPCAF. The grades from the EPCAF are added to test scores. The highest combined scores win places in the grammar school. The EPCAF must make a contribution to an Eleven Plus system that does seem very unfair at times.
This allowed parents to have a much greater say in helping their child gain entry to grammar school. In many eleven plus areas there is a rigid – but straightforward procedure to follow.
Enter your child on a common application form.
Work through some papers together.
Some, but only some, may choose a tutor or family friends to help soften the blow.
Listen to other parents and think: `Why did I not start this earlier?’
Remember that your child is actually bright – so relax for a moment.
Take your child to the school gates. Lots of hugs, kisses and `Good Lucks’.
More hugs when your child returns from the tests.
You wait fretfully for the results.
Your child does not seem to care – of hides it very well.
The results come. Tears of joy or grief.
You put in an appeal (if necessary) and this is the only time in the when your wishes will be listened to. This does seem to be without foundation. I understand why schools can not interview ten sets of parents for every one place. But we live in the culture of computers. When your child reaches `A’ Level or `IB’ then one application form is filled in which can then be distributed to the different universities.
The following could be adapted into the proposed `Eleven Plus Common Application Form’ (EPCAF)
Child
Why I want to go to grammar. (50 words)
What subjects I would like to study.
What I do outside of school
Parent
Why I would like my child to go to grammar.
The subjects I would like my child to study
How we will solve the problems if we acre not offered a place.
School
Why we think this child should go to grammar
The grades we think the child will achieve at `A’ level.
Supporting statement
The computer then collects and collates all this information and posts them into EPCAF. The grades from the EPCAF are added to test scores. The highest combined scores win places in the grammar school. The EPCAF must make a contribution to an Eleven Plus system that does seem very unfair at times.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Eleven Plus and Parent Choice
Back in mediaeval times education did not end with school. Children and young adults were apprenticed – and were trained in technical skills from master craftsmen. We do not have SATs tests or GCSEs to be able to judge just how sound an education the children received. We do have some clue, however, from the records of accounts or household bills and transactions.
The old Grammar schools were founded in the towns like Canterbury and York – and were essentially cathedral schools. We only have to walk round the grounds of these schools to see the scale that the buildings were conceived on to be able to surmise that it is likely that the education of the children was also conceived in grandiose terms. The same must hold true today.
A number of grammar schools today rely heavily on tradition – not only of the curriculum – but also of buildings and grounds. We tend to think of a modern grammar school as a leafy place with polished corridors and rooms full of computers and modern technology.
Long, long ago schools were allowed to develop along their own lines. A parish could have a school that reflected the local environment. There were not only farm school but dance schools, song schools and even reading and writing schools. Schools often prided themselves as being `Free’. Parents had a certain freedom of choice. Back in 1406 the Statute of Artificers stated that every man and woman had the right to freedom of choice in school, and that parents “ shall be free to set their son or daughter to set their son or daughter to any seat of learning that pleaseth them within the realm.
There was no distinction between the education of girls and boys. Girls were generally well off in terms of education – and had access to whatever education was available.
There was no talk of eleven plus examinations in those days. Naturally there must have been some form of split as the children grew older. It is unlikely, for example, that a strong 12 year old boy would have been allowed to stay at school if he had been needed on the farm. A bright and able twelve year old girl, with some learning, may have been swept into managing the family’s finances – or running the household.
There would have been little talk of verbal reasoning questions back in those days. Bright, able and articulate children would not have been drawn into a culture of studying an increasingly narrow selection of work. After all there can be only a limited number verbal reasoning questions. The present eleven plus examinations requite children to think and to reason – but do not look for creativity and excitement. We have all seen children pleased and excited over solving an eleven plus conundrum. Few of us would have seen an imaginative and creative eleven plus student – unless the content of the lesson was so structured.
If one day there is a great shake up of the eleven plus examinations, and if the powers that be can evolve new ways of testing and examining children, then one day we may return to the free schools of yester year.
The old Grammar schools were founded in the towns like Canterbury and York – and were essentially cathedral schools. We only have to walk round the grounds of these schools to see the scale that the buildings were conceived on to be able to surmise that it is likely that the education of the children was also conceived in grandiose terms. The same must hold true today.
A number of grammar schools today rely heavily on tradition – not only of the curriculum – but also of buildings and grounds. We tend to think of a modern grammar school as a leafy place with polished corridors and rooms full of computers and modern technology.
Long, long ago schools were allowed to develop along their own lines. A parish could have a school that reflected the local environment. There were not only farm school but dance schools, song schools and even reading and writing schools. Schools often prided themselves as being `Free’. Parents had a certain freedom of choice. Back in 1406 the Statute of Artificers stated that every man and woman had the right to freedom of choice in school, and that parents “ shall be free to set their son or daughter to set their son or daughter to any seat of learning that pleaseth them within the realm.
There was no distinction between the education of girls and boys. Girls were generally well off in terms of education – and had access to whatever education was available.
There was no talk of eleven plus examinations in those days. Naturally there must have been some form of split as the children grew older. It is unlikely, for example, that a strong 12 year old boy would have been allowed to stay at school if he had been needed on the farm. A bright and able twelve year old girl, with some learning, may have been swept into managing the family’s finances – or running the household.
There would have been little talk of verbal reasoning questions back in those days. Bright, able and articulate children would not have been drawn into a culture of studying an increasingly narrow selection of work. After all there can be only a limited number verbal reasoning questions. The present eleven plus examinations requite children to think and to reason – but do not look for creativity and excitement. We have all seen children pleased and excited over solving an eleven plus conundrum. Few of us would have seen an imaginative and creative eleven plus student – unless the content of the lesson was so structured.
If one day there is a great shake up of the eleven plus examinations, and if the powers that be can evolve new ways of testing and examining children, then one day we may return to the free schools of yester year.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Twitter and the Eleven Plus
We must all, at one times or another, wonder at the sheer effrontery of the some of the verbal reasoning questions that our children are some times exposed to. Naturally every one reading this statement will be horrified to think that the words sheer and effrontery can appear side by side in a sentence. Perhaps we need to look back in history.
There was a Professor of the History of Philosophy in the University of Rome back in 1913. He (Gentile) wrote: “A text book is a text book: when it was written, and if the author was capable of thinking and living in his thought, it too was a living thing.”
The roots of Eleven Plus questions were founded fifty or more years ago. It is doubly sad that some of the questions do not seem to have changed. After all there has been an explosion of thought and volcano of new ideas about education, but the sober and sterile question much loved by the authors of eleven plus text books and papers still lives on.
If the early authors of eleven plus thought were capable of being alive I am sure they would be horrified to see just how little as changed. It is almost as if the constructors of todays `real’ eleven plus tests have simply not moved on ay all in their thinking.
When the children come to actually sit the examination they are sitting an examination prepared by experts at the height of their profession. These experts, we presume, have not been charged with finding new ways to select children for a changing society. Because all the selection material we are offered are remarkably similar, we must presume that the examinations are similar.
So what can the expert do? Invent a new kind of eleven plus test? Why not? Twitter was not around fifty years ago – yet I bet any self respecting eleven plus child could use and apply the concept in seconds. There would be little need for the child to sit through endless papers that cover much the same ground. Twitter would allow new strains and stands of thought to develop in the build up of the examination – and this could in turn influence the actual composition of the paper.
Perhaps Twitter is not the answer – but we do need to have a rethink of value of the eleven plus.
Gentile tells us (almost a hundred years ago}: “A pedant is the teacher who pins his faith in repetition and memorising.” It is a sorry thought that we need to rely so heavily of repetition and memorising to help children pass the eleven plus examinations. Perhaps we all need to have a far reaching twitter – and then we may have something that could be of real use to our children.
There was a Professor of the History of Philosophy in the University of Rome back in 1913. He (Gentile) wrote: “A text book is a text book: when it was written, and if the author was capable of thinking and living in his thought, it too was a living thing.”
The roots of Eleven Plus questions were founded fifty or more years ago. It is doubly sad that some of the questions do not seem to have changed. After all there has been an explosion of thought and volcano of new ideas about education, but the sober and sterile question much loved by the authors of eleven plus text books and papers still lives on.
If the early authors of eleven plus thought were capable of being alive I am sure they would be horrified to see just how little as changed. It is almost as if the constructors of todays `real’ eleven plus tests have simply not moved on ay all in their thinking.
When the children come to actually sit the examination they are sitting an examination prepared by experts at the height of their profession. These experts, we presume, have not been charged with finding new ways to select children for a changing society. Because all the selection material we are offered are remarkably similar, we must presume that the examinations are similar.
So what can the expert do? Invent a new kind of eleven plus test? Why not? Twitter was not around fifty years ago – yet I bet any self respecting eleven plus child could use and apply the concept in seconds. There would be little need for the child to sit through endless papers that cover much the same ground. Twitter would allow new strains and stands of thought to develop in the build up of the examination – and this could in turn influence the actual composition of the paper.
Perhaps Twitter is not the answer – but we do need to have a rethink of value of the eleven plus.
Gentile tells us (almost a hundred years ago}: “A pedant is the teacher who pins his faith in repetition and memorising.” It is a sorry thought that we need to rely so heavily of repetition and memorising to help children pass the eleven plus examinations. Perhaps we all need to have a far reaching twitter – and then we may have something that could be of real use to our children.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Eleven Plus Help from a Tutor
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
Please help me. I hate using my brother’s old eleven plus papers. He has written all over them and I don’t like working over his scribbles. He was given new books. I know they are expensive but I think that I deserve new books too.
I wouldn’t mind working from his books but he makes these funny marks under answers which he thinks can not be right. I don’t always agree – but it is confusing.
Anon 10
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
I hate eleven plus work. My mother keeps smiling and saying: “Just do the best you can,” but I know she really wants me to do well. I know I have to do the work but it is so boring. Anyway she makes me do the same thing every single day of the week. I have had enough. I would prefer to work only three days a week – leaving me time to do other things with my life.”
Fed Up 10
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
I have to write three different eleven plus examinations this year. This means that I have to study four different subjects. I don’t mind doing extra English because I like the subject – but I hate doing the silly comprehension passages from olden day books. The passages are so boring. Why can’t we do comprehension from books that are more modern?
Other children that I know do not have to do non verbal reasoning. I only do non verbal because my mum and dad want me to try for a school that wants non verbal in the eleven plus examination. I don’t really want to go to that school because the buildings are so old. I like new looking buildings.
Anyway, why do I have to do three different examinations? Why can’t I do just one test and then have the results sent to all the schools?
Please Help 11
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
Please talk to my mum and dad. I don’t want to do the eleven plus. They want me to go to grammar. I don’t want to.
I don’t want to have to work hard for the examination and then probably fail and so go to a comprehensive.
I really want to go to college and learn how to sail my boat. I love going on the water and don’t think that I want to go to 6th form in a school and then go to university. I would much rather spend my time sailing. If I get good I could go to the Olympics and think that that would be much better.
Please can you do something to help? Mum and dad just do not listen.
Help 10 and a bit
Please help me. I hate using my brother’s old eleven plus papers. He has written all over them and I don’t like working over his scribbles. He was given new books. I know they are expensive but I think that I deserve new books too.
I wouldn’t mind working from his books but he makes these funny marks under answers which he thinks can not be right. I don’t always agree – but it is confusing.
Anon 10
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
I hate eleven plus work. My mother keeps smiling and saying: “Just do the best you can,” but I know she really wants me to do well. I know I have to do the work but it is so boring. Anyway she makes me do the same thing every single day of the week. I have had enough. I would prefer to work only three days a week – leaving me time to do other things with my life.”
Fed Up 10
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
I have to write three different eleven plus examinations this year. This means that I have to study four different subjects. I don’t mind doing extra English because I like the subject – but I hate doing the silly comprehension passages from olden day books. The passages are so boring. Why can’t we do comprehension from books that are more modern?
Other children that I know do not have to do non verbal reasoning. I only do non verbal because my mum and dad want me to try for a school that wants non verbal in the eleven plus examination. I don’t really want to go to that school because the buildings are so old. I like new looking buildings.
Anyway, why do I have to do three different examinations? Why can’t I do just one test and then have the results sent to all the schools?
Please Help 11
Dear Eleven Plus Tutor
Please talk to my mum and dad. I don’t want to do the eleven plus. They want me to go to grammar. I don’t want to.
I don’t want to have to work hard for the examination and then probably fail and so go to a comprehensive.
I really want to go to college and learn how to sail my boat. I love going on the water and don’t think that I want to go to 6th form in a school and then go to university. I would much rather spend my time sailing. If I get good I could go to the Olympics and think that that would be much better.
Please can you do something to help? Mum and dad just do not listen.
Help 10 and a bit
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Eleven Plus Crime and Punishment
There is a law when dealing with children. It is called the law of cause and effect. We know that there are many different types of cause and effect.
Cause and Effect 1
A banker wants a big bonus. The banker tells his friend that a different bank is in trouble. The friend sells his shares in the bank. The banker buys them. The friends take a commission on the sale for selling the shares and the banker takes a commission for buying the shares. The banker then tells his friend that the company in questions is going to be all right as a result of a share issue. The banker sells his shares and takes a commission, and the friend buys the shares and takes a commission.
The banker expects a large bonus for anticipating problems with the company and having the skills to know when to buy and sell. The problem is that the bank is now partly owned by the government who want to change the rules so no commission is paid – unless both parties can agree.
Cause and Effect 2
A child who refuses to put his toys away at the end of play time finds that his mother refuses to let him have the toys when ever he wants.
The principal here is that a wrong act can be undone by a right one. The mother is fully within her rights to stop the child playing when he did not tidy up. The child has to learn.
Cause and Effect 3
A child who does not want to work on an Eleven Plus paper should be punished. An appropriate punishment would be taking away the mobile phone for the first offence. The next time there is an argument about working at home the television goes off for a week.
This is fair enough. The eleven plus child should learn. After all if a three year old child was playing with a sharp knife then no parent would leave the knife with the child `to see what happened’. The consequences may be too serious.
In the olden days if a child did wrong then the child would expect his ears to be boxed. Under rules of this type it would be fair to box a child’s ears – and then when the child asked, “Why did you box my ears?”
The answer would come: “It is up to you to find out why your ears are boxed.”
There must be some common link to these three different cause and effect scenarios. We can not box the ears of the banker for wanting to take a commission on every sale and purchase of shares. We do need to make sure that the punishment fits the crime.
Punishing an eleven plus child with a physical withdrawal of his `toys’ is indefensible – unless a moral ban is also imposed. We can not make the banker give up his commission. (After all it was written into his or her contract and so has earned it.) We can make the three year old give up the sharp knife. (After all it is dangerous.) Why should we punish the eleven plus candidate for not working by denying him something concrete?
Should the banker lose the bonus on the commission? Yes.
Should a child lose the right to his or her toys? Depends.
Should the Eleven Plus child have privileges withdrawn? If the punishment fits the crime.
Should you box a child’s ears? You can feel like it but you can’t do it!
Cause and Effect 1
A banker wants a big bonus. The banker tells his friend that a different bank is in trouble. The friend sells his shares in the bank. The banker buys them. The friends take a commission on the sale for selling the shares and the banker takes a commission for buying the shares. The banker then tells his friend that the company in questions is going to be all right as a result of a share issue. The banker sells his shares and takes a commission, and the friend buys the shares and takes a commission.
The banker expects a large bonus for anticipating problems with the company and having the skills to know when to buy and sell. The problem is that the bank is now partly owned by the government who want to change the rules so no commission is paid – unless both parties can agree.
Cause and Effect 2
A child who refuses to put his toys away at the end of play time finds that his mother refuses to let him have the toys when ever he wants.
The principal here is that a wrong act can be undone by a right one. The mother is fully within her rights to stop the child playing when he did not tidy up. The child has to learn.
Cause and Effect 3
A child who does not want to work on an Eleven Plus paper should be punished. An appropriate punishment would be taking away the mobile phone for the first offence. The next time there is an argument about working at home the television goes off for a week.
This is fair enough. The eleven plus child should learn. After all if a three year old child was playing with a sharp knife then no parent would leave the knife with the child `to see what happened’. The consequences may be too serious.
In the olden days if a child did wrong then the child would expect his ears to be boxed. Under rules of this type it would be fair to box a child’s ears – and then when the child asked, “Why did you box my ears?”
The answer would come: “It is up to you to find out why your ears are boxed.”
There must be some common link to these three different cause and effect scenarios. We can not box the ears of the banker for wanting to take a commission on every sale and purchase of shares. We do need to make sure that the punishment fits the crime.
Punishing an eleven plus child with a physical withdrawal of his `toys’ is indefensible – unless a moral ban is also imposed. We can not make the banker give up his commission. (After all it was written into his or her contract and so has earned it.) We can make the three year old give up the sharp knife. (After all it is dangerous.) Why should we punish the eleven plus candidate for not working by denying him something concrete?
Should the banker lose the bonus on the commission? Yes.
Should a child lose the right to his or her toys? Depends.
Should the Eleven Plus child have privileges withdrawn? If the punishment fits the crime.
Should you box a child’s ears? You can feel like it but you can’t do it!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Eleven Plus Learning Patterns
There are a number of different ways that your child make progress during your Eleven Plus saga. Sometimes you will feel that there is week by week progress, while at other times there may appear to be little progress – and then a sudden spurt. No one type of pattern is usual.
Some parents will be attempting to measure progress on a week by week basis, other will try to test their children more infrequently. For the sake of discussion we could use the Bond 10 – 11 Verbal books – aimed at 10 minutes study slots.
Steady Improvement Pattern
Here you child will make progress week by week. Sometime this could be quite desirable.
Sudden Improvement Pattern
This is where you may feel that your child is not making much progress, and then there is a sudden jump. This could be when you child has not really grasped something on a week by week basis – and then the penny drops.
A Plateau Pattern
Progress is being made – suddenly a plateau emerges where nothing seems to happen. There could be progress week after week – and then suddenly it seems that learning is not taking place.
Irregular Patterns
Parents will find this difficult as they will not know what their child is doing. One week the child is up, another it will seem as if nothing at all ha been learnt.
Small Improvement Pattern
This is where you will feel that your child is just not making much progress. You may need to explain that in eleven plus terms it is all very well to be slow and methodical, but at times there really does need to be a burst of energy and performance.
Look back to learning to drive. Your driving instructor will have observed all these patterns in you. Think about taking an advanced driving course. Ask your instructor to grade you (1 – 5) each lesson. You will hope that your instructor will offer lots of praise and encouragement even when things are not going too well. This will give you some indication of hum much continuous prise and encouragement your eleven plus child needs.
Some parents will be attempting to measure progress on a week by week basis, other will try to test their children more infrequently. For the sake of discussion we could use the Bond 10 – 11 Verbal books – aimed at 10 minutes study slots.
Steady Improvement Pattern
Here you child will make progress week by week. Sometime this could be quite desirable.
Sudden Improvement Pattern
This is where you may feel that your child is not making much progress, and then there is a sudden jump. This could be when you child has not really grasped something on a week by week basis – and then the penny drops.
A Plateau Pattern
Progress is being made – suddenly a plateau emerges where nothing seems to happen. There could be progress week after week – and then suddenly it seems that learning is not taking place.
Irregular Patterns
Parents will find this difficult as they will not know what their child is doing. One week the child is up, another it will seem as if nothing at all ha been learnt.
Small Improvement Pattern
This is where you will feel that your child is just not making much progress. You may need to explain that in eleven plus terms it is all very well to be slow and methodical, but at times there really does need to be a burst of energy and performance.
Look back to learning to drive. Your driving instructor will have observed all these patterns in you. Think about taking an advanced driving course. Ask your instructor to grade you (1 – 5) each lesson. You will hope that your instructor will offer lots of praise and encouragement even when things are not going too well. This will give you some indication of hum much continuous prise and encouragement your eleven plus child needs.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Eleven Plus Plans
One concern parents must have is just how well their child is learning. The poor mite has slaved on papers, worked with parents and attended a tutor. He or she HAS to pass. After all this effort, however, just how much has been learnt?
It is quite easy. The tutor is teaching Plan A. The child is studying through papers – Plan B. Parents are working on Plan C. (Plan C is trying to manage the whole Eleven Plus project – along with good solid parent input.)
Scenario 1
Child learns Plan A – and is tested through Plan B.
If Plan A is working there should be an effect on Plan B.
Scenario 2
Child does daily papers on Plan B – supported by tutor on Plan A.
Child is tested by tutor on Plan A – supported by parents on Plan C.
Scenario 3
Learns on Plan A and Learns on Plan B
Supported by Plan C
Tested by Plan A and Tested by Plan B.
Tested by Plan C.
Underpinning the whole deal is the candidate who is in the top groups at school. The teacher is keen on academic study and pushes hard with mathematics and English. The head teacher is keen on the idea of pupils going to `good’ schools.
The reality is that the scenarios meld and blend into each other. The plans co-exist with successes and failures. The `candidate’ has good day and bad days. It is really a pity that we have to be realistic about the eleven plus – because it is good to dream!
It is quite easy. The tutor is teaching Plan A. The child is studying through papers – Plan B. Parents are working on Plan C. (Plan C is trying to manage the whole Eleven Plus project – along with good solid parent input.)
Scenario 1
Child learns Plan A – and is tested through Plan B.
If Plan A is working there should be an effect on Plan B.
Scenario 2
Child does daily papers on Plan B – supported by tutor on Plan A.
Child is tested by tutor on Plan A – supported by parents on Plan C.
Scenario 3
Learns on Plan A and Learns on Plan B
Supported by Plan C
Tested by Plan A and Tested by Plan B.
Tested by Plan C.
Underpinning the whole deal is the candidate who is in the top groups at school. The teacher is keen on academic study and pushes hard with mathematics and English. The head teacher is keen on the idea of pupils going to `good’ schools.
The reality is that the scenarios meld and blend into each other. The plans co-exist with successes and failures. The `candidate’ has good day and bad days. It is really a pity that we have to be realistic about the eleven plus – because it is good to dream!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Eleven Plus Selection
Way back in 1948, when tests were being used to select children for grammar school, there was also discussion about tests that would select children for `trade schools’.
General tests of intelligence still rely heavily on verbal ability. There is one county where eleven plus children are selected purely on the results of verbal reasoning tests. Other selection tests use mathematics and / or non verbal reasoning – as well as verbal reasoning.
If parents were wondering what sort of school would best suit their child, then some parents could be grateful for a test that did not rely too heavily on verbal reasoning. A practical test could be much more useful in predicting future success in a range of non academic subjects.
If a primary school in Year Six needs to spend time in preparing children for SATs tests, then there may be little time to spend preparing children for practical tests. After all it would be difficult for an eleven year old child to try to decide on what type of comprehensive school would be suitable if he or she had not been exposed to a wide range of occupations and hobbies. Even comprehensives and academies are becoming specialist schools.
General tests of intelligence still rely heavily on verbal ability. There is one county where eleven plus children are selected purely on the results of verbal reasoning tests. Other selection tests use mathematics and / or non verbal reasoning – as well as verbal reasoning.
If parents were wondering what sort of school would best suit their child, then some parents could be grateful for a test that did not rely too heavily on verbal reasoning. A practical test could be much more useful in predicting future success in a range of non academic subjects.
If a primary school in Year Six needs to spend time in preparing children for SATs tests, then there may be little time to spend preparing children for practical tests. After all it would be difficult for an eleven year old child to try to decide on what type of comprehensive school would be suitable if he or she had not been exposed to a wide range of occupations and hobbies. Even comprehensives and academies are becoming specialist schools.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Eleven Plus Timing
Some parents must think sometimes, that helping their child towards the Eleven Plus has elements of a full time and intensive job.
Issue a reminder about Eleven Plus work
Supply an answer to a statement of intent.
Offer something to eat.
Offer something to drink.
Supply food and drink.
Accept thanks with a smile
Help to find an Eleven Plus verbal reasoning book
Suggest an exercise
Discuss whether a different page should be used
Help with first question
Take washing out of washing machine
Return to candidate
Help with a different question
Turn kettle on
Answer a yelled question
Make tea
Walk into room with tea, mark work done so far, drink refreshing tea
Wonder at intelligence of child
Hope for a miracle
Answer telephone
Reassure child that you will not be long
Discuss Question 34 with friend
Accept advice
Return to lounge
Sit
Drink cooling tea
Allow min to go blank – just for a second
Climb wearily to feet
Return to scene of study
Hug child
Discuss answer to question 34
Leave room
Look at watch and wonder that only twenty minutes have passed since you and your child have arrived home from school.
Time does fly when you are having fun!
Issue a reminder about Eleven Plus work
Supply an answer to a statement of intent.
Offer something to eat.
Offer something to drink.
Supply food and drink.
Accept thanks with a smile
Help to find an Eleven Plus verbal reasoning book
Suggest an exercise
Discuss whether a different page should be used
Help with first question
Take washing out of washing machine
Return to candidate
Help with a different question
Turn kettle on
Answer a yelled question
Make tea
Walk into room with tea, mark work done so far, drink refreshing tea
Wonder at intelligence of child
Hope for a miracle
Answer telephone
Reassure child that you will not be long
Discuss Question 34 with friend
Accept advice
Return to lounge
Sit
Drink cooling tea
Allow min to go blank – just for a second
Climb wearily to feet
Return to scene of study
Hug child
Discuss answer to question 34
Leave room
Look at watch and wonder that only twenty minutes have passed since you and your child have arrived home from school.
Time does fly when you are having fun!
The Eleven Plus Club 10/02/09
Act 1
Scene 1
A University town with two grammar schools.
“Hi, I would like to introduce myself. I am in the 6th Form. I am studying Mathematics, Design and Technology, Information Technology, Physics and Economics – all at A level.
I have been accepted by four Universities – subject, the main, to two A grades and one B. I am actually writing five A level subjects. I have already got 9 A and A* GCSE grades. I play rugby for the school and I am in the orchestra where I play the oboe.”
“Well done, where did you go to school? Did you go to your local grammar?”
“No ways. I go to our local comprehensive. I passed the Eleven Plus and chose the school where all my friends went.”
This last bit of information forces us to readjust our view of the boy. Attending a grammar school may appear to bestow a status on a young person growing up. It is almost as if there is an invisible boundary based on the grounds of school as well as GCSE and A level results.
So far as socialising is concerned, it might seem on the surface, that there are distinct labels that can be applied to people. Can we imagine an eleven year old, with a grammar school place, giving up the idea of grammar school to continue education in the same school as one’s friends?
Scene 2
The town is the same. The comprehensive is still a comprehensive and has not yet changed to an academy, and the grammar school is still there.
The boys have changed to men. They have very different occupations, two went to university. They all have very different addresses.
Do the boys who went to grammar feel they have a monopoly on prestige? Do they view all comprehensive men as upstarts and ill educated – not quite so good?
“We are all members of local golf clubs. We don’t all go to the same club. Only one of us is a member of the best club in town. He didn’t go to university and transferred his junior membership of the club to adult status. He was earning so could afford the fees. The men who went to university are earning more now, but can not join the club because there is such a long waiting list.”
We all remember Groucho Marx talking about clubs. “I don’t care to be a member of a club that accepts people like me as members.”
I sincerely hope that going to a grammar school gives a child growing up the feeling that they are members of a special club. I am naturally delighted when any child from any background earns a place in grammar school. It is also highly edifying to hear stories about grammar school boys and girls who have gone on to make something of themselves. An ex grammar school pupil does, however, become an elite member of a prestigious minority.
Here we have a scenario, to maintain a steady membership of `The Club’ the ex grammar pupil has to be a member of a minority group and be subject to factors involving occupation, education, family background, behaviour, sporting interest, salary, home ownership and diposable income.
It does sound a little like the basis of a musical, doesn’t it?
Scene 1
A University town with two grammar schools.
“Hi, I would like to introduce myself. I am in the 6th Form. I am studying Mathematics, Design and Technology, Information Technology, Physics and Economics – all at A level.
I have been accepted by four Universities – subject, the main, to two A grades and one B. I am actually writing five A level subjects. I have already got 9 A and A* GCSE grades. I play rugby for the school and I am in the orchestra where I play the oboe.”
“Well done, where did you go to school? Did you go to your local grammar?”
“No ways. I go to our local comprehensive. I passed the Eleven Plus and chose the school where all my friends went.”
This last bit of information forces us to readjust our view of the boy. Attending a grammar school may appear to bestow a status on a young person growing up. It is almost as if there is an invisible boundary based on the grounds of school as well as GCSE and A level results.
So far as socialising is concerned, it might seem on the surface, that there are distinct labels that can be applied to people. Can we imagine an eleven year old, with a grammar school place, giving up the idea of grammar school to continue education in the same school as one’s friends?
Scene 2
The town is the same. The comprehensive is still a comprehensive and has not yet changed to an academy, and the grammar school is still there.
The boys have changed to men. They have very different occupations, two went to university. They all have very different addresses.
Do the boys who went to grammar feel they have a monopoly on prestige? Do they view all comprehensive men as upstarts and ill educated – not quite so good?
“We are all members of local golf clubs. We don’t all go to the same club. Only one of us is a member of the best club in town. He didn’t go to university and transferred his junior membership of the club to adult status. He was earning so could afford the fees. The men who went to university are earning more now, but can not join the club because there is such a long waiting list.”
We all remember Groucho Marx talking about clubs. “I don’t care to be a member of a club that accepts people like me as members.”
I sincerely hope that going to a grammar school gives a child growing up the feeling that they are members of a special club. I am naturally delighted when any child from any background earns a place in grammar school. It is also highly edifying to hear stories about grammar school boys and girls who have gone on to make something of themselves. An ex grammar school pupil does, however, become an elite member of a prestigious minority.
Here we have a scenario, to maintain a steady membership of `The Club’ the ex grammar pupil has to be a member of a minority group and be subject to factors involving occupation, education, family background, behaviour, sporting interest, salary, home ownership and diposable income.
It does sound a little like the basis of a musical, doesn’t it?
Monday, February 09, 2009
An Eleven Plus Wind Up
What does the parent of an Eleven Plus child do if their child is still having difficulty with reading? Some children will dislike reading because they have a problem with reading and understanding words. Other children may not read because their parents don’t read, and there are no books in the house other than books from school.
Some children at the age of eleven will not read simply because they do not choose to. Their parents may have been nagging theme for years to read – and their child understands that reading is very important to the parent. A battle of will begins.
“If you continue to nag me about reading, I simply won’t read. You can’t make me. I will just sit and look at the page. I am not reading.” Some children appear to prefer to argue about what they should and should not be doing – and this leaves little time to do what is expected of them.
“Right, if you won’t read those lovely books I bought your for Christmas, and it is nearly February, you can not: (Pick any one of the following: Watch T.V. Go swimming. Have your friend over. Get your pocket money this week.”
“Mum, you should know this by now. The more you pressure me, the less likely I will do what you want. I don’t like reading. I sometimes find it hard to decode words I don’t know. Please help!”
“Well I don’t know about that. If I don’t pressure you then you don’t do anything at all. There are other children in this household. They all read. I read. Your father reads. Your grandparents read. Your sister reads. You actually can read – but you choose not to.”
“Well when I read my eyes get tired. The words dance around the page. I get bored very quickly. Anyway I am too old for the books you got me for Christmas. They are just boring, and for younger children.”
“We have had this argument before. Books are fun. They can be exciting and you can learn a lot. I have told you before. I have this feeling that I should be doing more to encourage you to read. All you do is say that you don’t like reading, but you never give us a chance.”
“Oh, all right then. I will read three pages before I go outside.”
“Thank you.”
“But I won’t read any more.”
“I really am tired of arguing with you. It is your future. I have had enough.”
“Sorry mum, I was just winding you up. I will go and read now. Is there anything else I can do to help? I really do love you.”
Some children at the age of eleven will not read simply because they do not choose to. Their parents may have been nagging theme for years to read – and their child understands that reading is very important to the parent. A battle of will begins.
“If you continue to nag me about reading, I simply won’t read. You can’t make me. I will just sit and look at the page. I am not reading.” Some children appear to prefer to argue about what they should and should not be doing – and this leaves little time to do what is expected of them.
“Right, if you won’t read those lovely books I bought your for Christmas, and it is nearly February, you can not: (Pick any one of the following: Watch T.V. Go swimming. Have your friend over. Get your pocket money this week.”
“Mum, you should know this by now. The more you pressure me, the less likely I will do what you want. I don’t like reading. I sometimes find it hard to decode words I don’t know. Please help!”
“Well I don’t know about that. If I don’t pressure you then you don’t do anything at all. There are other children in this household. They all read. I read. Your father reads. Your grandparents read. Your sister reads. You actually can read – but you choose not to.”
“Well when I read my eyes get tired. The words dance around the page. I get bored very quickly. Anyway I am too old for the books you got me for Christmas. They are just boring, and for younger children.”
“We have had this argument before. Books are fun. They can be exciting and you can learn a lot. I have told you before. I have this feeling that I should be doing more to encourage you to read. All you do is say that you don’t like reading, but you never give us a chance.”
“Oh, all right then. I will read three pages before I go outside.”
“Thank you.”
“But I won’t read any more.”
“I really am tired of arguing with you. It is your future. I have had enough.”
“Sorry mum, I was just winding you up. I will go and read now. Is there anything else I can do to help? I really do love you.”
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Eleven Plus Teachers
What sort of person becomes an Eleven Plus tutor or teacher? The answer is simple. It takes all sorts. Somewhere along the way the Eleven Plus teacher or tutor has had to go to school for many years. The majority will probably have gone on to study at sixth form or in a sixth form college. Most, but not all, will have gone on to take a professional qualification.
Over recent years there have tended to be more woman teachers than men. There is one point which may or may not be relevant – there is probably a much higher proportion of teachers who have had one or both teachers in the teaching profession.
There is a chance that your eleven plus teacher will hold radical views – but most will probably be rather conformist in their thinking. Some parents will be attracted to an eleven plus teacher with green hair and torn jeans. Other parents will want to put their trust in rather more formal attire.
A number of parents would probably prefer to work with a teacher who appears to like children. You may be drawn to your prospective eleven plus tutor who actually looks at your child – and addresses friendly remarks. Most of us, however, will probably remember teachers who did not seem to like children.
When you look at the C.V. of your prospective eleven plus teacher, you could be attracted to read in the hobbies section that the person who will be preparing your child for the eleven plus likes reading. There must be some wonderful and inspiring teachers, however, who don’t read.
We all know of teachers who do not appear to fit any criteria. After all teachers are like the rest of the general populations. Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. The amount and degree of their eleven plus expertise will vary from teacher to teacher.
All you can hope is that your child feels happy and secure – and is motivated to want to do well. (The same with your teacher!)
Over recent years there have tended to be more woman teachers than men. There is one point which may or may not be relevant – there is probably a much higher proportion of teachers who have had one or both teachers in the teaching profession.
There is a chance that your eleven plus teacher will hold radical views – but most will probably be rather conformist in their thinking. Some parents will be attracted to an eleven plus teacher with green hair and torn jeans. Other parents will want to put their trust in rather more formal attire.
A number of parents would probably prefer to work with a teacher who appears to like children. You may be drawn to your prospective eleven plus tutor who actually looks at your child – and addresses friendly remarks. Most of us, however, will probably remember teachers who did not seem to like children.
When you look at the C.V. of your prospective eleven plus teacher, you could be attracted to read in the hobbies section that the person who will be preparing your child for the eleven plus likes reading. There must be some wonderful and inspiring teachers, however, who don’t read.
We all know of teachers who do not appear to fit any criteria. After all teachers are like the rest of the general populations. Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. The amount and degree of their eleven plus expertise will vary from teacher to teacher.
All you can hope is that your child feels happy and secure – and is motivated to want to do well. (The same with your teacher!)
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Eleven PLus Choice
A parent’s right to some form of choice of school remains a controversial area. Back in 1944 the Education Act set out what parents could expect.
“The minister and local education authorities shall have regard to the general principle that, so far as it is compatible with the provision of efficient instruction and training and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, children are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.”
The Eleven Plus meant that only around 20% of parents ended up with a right of choice – because they were the parents of children who had passed the Eleven Plus.
The Eleven Plus is now restricted to a small number of grammar schools. Even fewer parents there have freedom of choice. If every parent could freely choose where they want their child to go, then school would need to be flexible enough to be able to accommodate fluctuating numbers of children. If we were all suddenly given the ability to go to a popular comprehensive, we could land up with a large intake one year – that could simply overwhelm the teachers and the ability to provide classroom space. In some school there would be a surplus of teachers and classrooms.
“The minister and local education authorities shall have regard to the general principle that, so far as it is compatible with the provision of efficient instruction and training and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, children are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.”
The Eleven Plus meant that only around 20% of parents ended up with a right of choice – because they were the parents of children who had passed the Eleven Plus.
The Eleven Plus is now restricted to a small number of grammar schools. Even fewer parents there have freedom of choice. If every parent could freely choose where they want their child to go, then school would need to be flexible enough to be able to accommodate fluctuating numbers of children. If we were all suddenly given the ability to go to a popular comprehensive, we could land up with a large intake one year – that could simply overwhelm the teachers and the ability to provide classroom space. In some school there would be a surplus of teachers and classrooms.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Guessing and the Eleven Plus
Sage advice to an eleven plus child is that if you are nearing the end of an eleven plus paper, and time is becoming restricted, then simply guess the remaining answers. If there are four choices in an eleven plus test then you will naturally explain that you have 1 in 4 chances of guessing the right answer. You will probably go on to say that if there are ten questions left at the end of the examination, and you guess the answers. Then you may guess two or three correctly. It could even be that he or she would guess one question correctly for every three or four questions.
Eleven plus examination do not have a `guessing correction’ built in. You could try this at home. Take any one of your standard eleven plus selection papers that has 100 questions. Suppose your child answers 64 correctly, 30 incorrectly and leaves 6 out then you could assume that your child has really scored 54.
You would, however, hate to assume that your child guessed all the wrong answers. If this was true then It is however, very unlikely that your eleven plus child will deliberately guess all the answers that he or she is unsure of. After all you would expect your child to al least try to work some out. (We sometimes see a patch on a certain page where all the answers are marked with the same answer – so it then becomes likely that perhaps the guessing was deliberate for one reason or another.)
We all actively tell our eleven plus children that guessing is not penalised. If your child answers all the questions correctly it is highly unlikely that he or she will have guessed all the questions. If however your knew 80 out of 100 questions, and guessed a further 8 correctly, the score that would appeal to the eleven plus examiners would be 88. The eight questions that were guessed do not matter. After all a pass at the eleven plus may depend on the number of questions that your child knows plus the number of questions that were guessed correctly.
What children, parents teachers and tutors try to is to reduce the number of questions that have to be guessed. Of course it must be possible to pass an eleven plus examination and leave out a number of questions without guessing.
When your sits the eleven plus examination the questions will already have been tested on a cohort of children not directly involved. The questions will probably have been drawn at random from an item bank. Each question will have been tried out with a number of children. If 80% of children found Question 1 easy, but only 30% coped with Question 2, then the eleven plus examiners would need to look closely at the two questions. After all the eleven plus examination is trying to find children who are at the top end of the ability scale rather looking at the average population.
An eleven plus question that 80% of successful eleven plus answered correctly may be considered a rather difficult question for a test that looked at a wide range of children. Equally a question that only 30% of eleven plus children could pass, would probably be a rather demanding question for any one to attempt.
When parents meet a question on selection papers that appears to be ridiculously hard, it may be no more than a design to stretch the child, the tutor and the parents. Take heart, if your bright child found it hard – so will nearly every other child. You may need to explain this to your child.
The only other advice you could offer your child is: “If you are going to guess, make sure you guess correctly!”
Eleven plus examination do not have a `guessing correction’ built in. You could try this at home. Take any one of your standard eleven plus selection papers that has 100 questions. Suppose your child answers 64 correctly, 30 incorrectly and leaves 6 out then you could assume that your child has really scored 54.
You would, however, hate to assume that your child guessed all the wrong answers. If this was true then It is however, very unlikely that your eleven plus child will deliberately guess all the answers that he or she is unsure of. After all you would expect your child to al least try to work some out. (We sometimes see a patch on a certain page where all the answers are marked with the same answer – so it then becomes likely that perhaps the guessing was deliberate for one reason or another.)
We all actively tell our eleven plus children that guessing is not penalised. If your child answers all the questions correctly it is highly unlikely that he or she will have guessed all the questions. If however your knew 80 out of 100 questions, and guessed a further 8 correctly, the score that would appeal to the eleven plus examiners would be 88. The eight questions that were guessed do not matter. After all a pass at the eleven plus may depend on the number of questions that your child knows plus the number of questions that were guessed correctly.
What children, parents teachers and tutors try to is to reduce the number of questions that have to be guessed. Of course it must be possible to pass an eleven plus examination and leave out a number of questions without guessing.
When your sits the eleven plus examination the questions will already have been tested on a cohort of children not directly involved. The questions will probably have been drawn at random from an item bank. Each question will have been tried out with a number of children. If 80% of children found Question 1 easy, but only 30% coped with Question 2, then the eleven plus examiners would need to look closely at the two questions. After all the eleven plus examination is trying to find children who are at the top end of the ability scale rather looking at the average population.
An eleven plus question that 80% of successful eleven plus answered correctly may be considered a rather difficult question for a test that looked at a wide range of children. Equally a question that only 30% of eleven plus children could pass, would probably be a rather demanding question for any one to attempt.
When parents meet a question on selection papers that appears to be ridiculously hard, it may be no more than a design to stretch the child, the tutor and the parents. Take heart, if your bright child found it hard – so will nearly every other child. You may need to explain this to your child.
The only other advice you could offer your child is: “If you are going to guess, make sure you guess correctly!”
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Eleven Plus and Ability
It is possible for very bright children to have difficulty at school. There will always be some high flyers who develop late, or perform far beyond their own level so they are not recognised, but the majority will have been identified early on.
The brightest children may sometimes face the problem of working at the pace of the class. Mixed ability teaching is designed to implement, in an enlightened manner, the concept that every child learns at his or her own speed. Even if the very bright child is in the top group, then he or she could be held back by the speed of the children in the top group.
We recently had an eleven plus child with us who went on to achieve outstanding eleven plus results - 140 in mathematics as well as verbal and non verbal reasoning. The top group in his class were working from mental arithmetic book 3. He found our mental arithmetic book six a bit too easy. He worked on book three at school, book six with us and really needed something considerably higher. Hi school was in special measures, he was the only boy in his class to pass the eleven plus, but enthusiastic and hardworking class teacher simply did not have the resources to be able to offer him a `super’ group on top of the top group.
Luckily this extremely well balanced and mature child did not demonstrate boredom by day dreaming, or coasting or becoming the class joker.
Academically he could possibly have transferred to grammar school at the end of Year 3 and certainly would have passed the eleven plus at the end of Year 4. A different route could have been for him to miss a class at grammar school – and so work with boys a year older. It is very likely that he would have held his own.
It is likely that the teachers at the grammar school will argue that working a year ahead causes more problems that it solves. Unless a child is exceptionally mature working with children who are physically a year older can be very tiring. Boys who are a year older can suddenly shoot up in size – and this could cause problems all round.
Schools and parents traditionally encourage the very bright child to do a lot of reading and try to encourage in depth study. Some grammar schools provide enlightened programs where children can study a wide number of GCSE examinations. We all year of stories of a child pass 13 or 14 GCSE examinations – simply because the child has the ability to pass examinations. We have also heard of grammar schools which deliberately restrict the number of GCSE subjects to encourage the child to take up a number of outside activities.
Parents, of course, will do their best. We have a 12 year old grammar school girl with us at the moment who could pass a GCSE Higher mathematics paper now. Her parents, and her have opted against this as they would prefer her to go at the same speed as the other children in her class. Instead the girl has opted for swimming as an outlet. Last week she swam 14 hours with her swimming club and five hours with the synchronised swimming squad – representing Great Britain. One weekend, she swam, we understand, 126 lengths of the pool! There she is; gifted academically, gifted physically and the nicest child you could wish to meet.
The school system has not failed her, her teachers at primary and grammar school have not failed her. Her outside activities have not failed her. Who says that education is collapsing all around us?
The brightest children may sometimes face the problem of working at the pace of the class. Mixed ability teaching is designed to implement, in an enlightened manner, the concept that every child learns at his or her own speed. Even if the very bright child is in the top group, then he or she could be held back by the speed of the children in the top group.
We recently had an eleven plus child with us who went on to achieve outstanding eleven plus results - 140 in mathematics as well as verbal and non verbal reasoning. The top group in his class were working from mental arithmetic book 3. He found our mental arithmetic book six a bit too easy. He worked on book three at school, book six with us and really needed something considerably higher. Hi school was in special measures, he was the only boy in his class to pass the eleven plus, but enthusiastic and hardworking class teacher simply did not have the resources to be able to offer him a `super’ group on top of the top group.
Luckily this extremely well balanced and mature child did not demonstrate boredom by day dreaming, or coasting or becoming the class joker.
Academically he could possibly have transferred to grammar school at the end of Year 3 and certainly would have passed the eleven plus at the end of Year 4. A different route could have been for him to miss a class at grammar school – and so work with boys a year older. It is very likely that he would have held his own.
It is likely that the teachers at the grammar school will argue that working a year ahead causes more problems that it solves. Unless a child is exceptionally mature working with children who are physically a year older can be very tiring. Boys who are a year older can suddenly shoot up in size – and this could cause problems all round.
Schools and parents traditionally encourage the very bright child to do a lot of reading and try to encourage in depth study. Some grammar schools provide enlightened programs where children can study a wide number of GCSE examinations. We all year of stories of a child pass 13 or 14 GCSE examinations – simply because the child has the ability to pass examinations. We have also heard of grammar schools which deliberately restrict the number of GCSE subjects to encourage the child to take up a number of outside activities.
Parents, of course, will do their best. We have a 12 year old grammar school girl with us at the moment who could pass a GCSE Higher mathematics paper now. Her parents, and her have opted against this as they would prefer her to go at the same speed as the other children in her class. Instead the girl has opted for swimming as an outlet. Last week she swam 14 hours with her swimming club and five hours with the synchronised swimming squad – representing Great Britain. One weekend, she swam, we understand, 126 lengths of the pool! There she is; gifted academically, gifted physically and the nicest child you could wish to meet.
The school system has not failed her, her teachers at primary and grammar school have not failed her. Her outside activities have not failed her. Who says that education is collapsing all around us?
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
From the Eleven Plus to the 12+
If your child has not won (or earned) a place in a grammar school, then at some time or another the school will need to do an assessment. Some Local authorities opt apply the eleven plus tests to all the children in the borough. The advantage of this is that the senior schools have SATs results as well as Eleven Plus results to gather an early picture of a child’s attainment and academic abilities.
Some schools will proceed to implement, at one stage or another, some form of streaming – but do not always make rigid and unflinching decisions. If there is an element of steaming then, as children are assessed continuously, the school leaves plenty of room for manoeuvre.
Even schools which offer mixed ability teaching need some for of assessment to ensure the classes have a fair distribution of children. Some schools like to offer a completely random system of allocation of pupils to a class – and so use means like initial letters of surnames. Most, however, in the eleven to thirteen years appear to desire a mix of high ability and slow learners.
One of the most important reasons for a series of early assessment just after transfer to senior school is to try to find the children in need of additional support.
Some schools have what could be called the `express or `grammar’ stream Where able and hard working children are encouraged to accelerate their learning. A number of children flower in an environment where they feel that they are top of the year group – rather than struggling with the pace of a grammar school.
If your child does not pass the eleven plus then all is not lost. Some children will simply shrug off the `failure’ of not passing the eleven plus and get on with their lives. Others, admittedly a much smaller number, will still express a desire to `get to grammar’. In some cases it will genuinely be the child’s ambition – but in other cases parents will be the driving force and will try everything possible to help their child win a place in a grammar school.
What ever the motivation, the prospective 12+ or 13+ candidate has to take a lot of responsibility. The eleven plus examination is most often an open and shut – pass, fail or appeal. Factors such as the ability to try hard at school, an untimely and upsetting occurrence in the family personal pressure and problems at school only really come out in an appeal situation. Much more preparation than working through a number of selection papers is needed at the 12+ and 13+ levels.
Books, assignments and notes need to be immaculate. It may become difficult for some parents to become involved in the school work of a 12 year as often the child is not used to close scrutiny. Where possible, however, parents could check every single possible bit of work to ensure that there are as few spelling mistakes as possible, that work is rules off and underlined. Pictures, diagrams and maps have to be completed. Where a teacher has made a comment – then every effort needs to be made to make sure that the work has either been redone or the relevant corrections applied.
What can happen at the 12+ stage is that entry to the grammar school may ask for a report from the secondary school. Of course you want a good report showing diligence and a positive attitude to learning. In some cases your child’s school books may also be asked for. It would be sad if your child lost a place in grammar school on a technicality. If the science teacher had said, for example, “Underline all heading and complete the previous two experiments,” and your child (and you) has not complied, then the grammar school could justifiably offer the coveted place to a different child.
Some schools will proceed to implement, at one stage or another, some form of streaming – but do not always make rigid and unflinching decisions. If there is an element of steaming then, as children are assessed continuously, the school leaves plenty of room for manoeuvre.
Even schools which offer mixed ability teaching need some for of assessment to ensure the classes have a fair distribution of children. Some schools like to offer a completely random system of allocation of pupils to a class – and so use means like initial letters of surnames. Most, however, in the eleven to thirteen years appear to desire a mix of high ability and slow learners.
One of the most important reasons for a series of early assessment just after transfer to senior school is to try to find the children in need of additional support.
Some schools have what could be called the `express or `grammar’ stream Where able and hard working children are encouraged to accelerate their learning. A number of children flower in an environment where they feel that they are top of the year group – rather than struggling with the pace of a grammar school.
If your child does not pass the eleven plus then all is not lost. Some children will simply shrug off the `failure’ of not passing the eleven plus and get on with their lives. Others, admittedly a much smaller number, will still express a desire to `get to grammar’. In some cases it will genuinely be the child’s ambition – but in other cases parents will be the driving force and will try everything possible to help their child win a place in a grammar school.
What ever the motivation, the prospective 12+ or 13+ candidate has to take a lot of responsibility. The eleven plus examination is most often an open and shut – pass, fail or appeal. Factors such as the ability to try hard at school, an untimely and upsetting occurrence in the family personal pressure and problems at school only really come out in an appeal situation. Much more preparation than working through a number of selection papers is needed at the 12+ and 13+ levels.
Books, assignments and notes need to be immaculate. It may become difficult for some parents to become involved in the school work of a 12 year as often the child is not used to close scrutiny. Where possible, however, parents could check every single possible bit of work to ensure that there are as few spelling mistakes as possible, that work is rules off and underlined. Pictures, diagrams and maps have to be completed. Where a teacher has made a comment – then every effort needs to be made to make sure that the work has either been redone or the relevant corrections applied.
What can happen at the 12+ stage is that entry to the grammar school may ask for a report from the secondary school. Of course you want a good report showing diligence and a positive attitude to learning. In some cases your child’s school books may also be asked for. It would be sad if your child lost a place in grammar school on a technicality. If the science teacher had said, for example, “Underline all heading and complete the previous two experiments,” and your child (and you) has not complied, then the grammar school could justifiably offer the coveted place to a different child.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Eleven Plus Wind Up Artists
Occasionally, very occasionally, your child may feel a little reluctant to do uplifting eleven plus work. You could meet a tiniest resistance to sitting down to do any work. You may even hear, very faintly, words like, “Well, I don’t care. I am going on strike.”
Our neighbours across the water have a reputation for going on strike to express their feelings. Perhaps our Eleven Plus children have something to learn from our European neighbours. It would be admirable if our children could learn to have the confidence to be to say, “Just for the moment I had had enough, and I would rather do something else.” The more you push the more the child stands firm. It is called growing up. Many parents would argue that growing up is all very well, as long as it does not impact on eleven plus work.
When you sit down to discuss the mini crisis one of the first questions you will ask is if everything is going all right at school. If you child shows a lasting resistance to work then you need to try to find out why. There could be any of a number of reasons:
Worries about school work
Problems with the hitherto much loved teacher
Other child causing problems in the classroom
Difficulty with a child or children in the playground.
Most children will meet at least one teacher during their school like whom they simply do not get on with. Your child may feel that the teacher does not like him or her. The teacher may be perceived, by your child, to be too soft or too hard – or even too unfair.
You will need to explain that he or she will have to learn to live with people they dislike – just like in real life. What a parent needs to be is remarkably tactful because the feelings towards the teacher can change with the passage of time or a different set of circumstances beyond your control. Of course you will discuss favouritism or unfairness. You will talk about gossip and problems with peers. All parents can do is the best they can. They can not win every fight – even if they want to.
Your child may be unhappy because of other children at school. Your first instinct will be to try to protect and shield from unwholesome incidents. Children can sometimes pick on their brighter peers. All you can hope is the school’s attitude to bullying is firm and unyielding.
Of course parents will compromise over one or two missed eleven plus sessions – but most mothers and father will stand firm if the desire to work appears to have left their eleven plus child. After all your child have to test himself or herself against the world of parents every now and then. What better test is there of trying the patience of mum and dad?
I heard very bright one child saying to her sister: “It is good fun winding mum up, isn’t it?”
Our neighbours across the water have a reputation for going on strike to express their feelings. Perhaps our Eleven Plus children have something to learn from our European neighbours. It would be admirable if our children could learn to have the confidence to be to say, “Just for the moment I had had enough, and I would rather do something else.” The more you push the more the child stands firm. It is called growing up. Many parents would argue that growing up is all very well, as long as it does not impact on eleven plus work.
When you sit down to discuss the mini crisis one of the first questions you will ask is if everything is going all right at school. If you child shows a lasting resistance to work then you need to try to find out why. There could be any of a number of reasons:
Worries about school work
Problems with the hitherto much loved teacher
Other child causing problems in the classroom
Difficulty with a child or children in the playground.
Most children will meet at least one teacher during their school like whom they simply do not get on with. Your child may feel that the teacher does not like him or her. The teacher may be perceived, by your child, to be too soft or too hard – or even too unfair.
You will need to explain that he or she will have to learn to live with people they dislike – just like in real life. What a parent needs to be is remarkably tactful because the feelings towards the teacher can change with the passage of time or a different set of circumstances beyond your control. Of course you will discuss favouritism or unfairness. You will talk about gossip and problems with peers. All parents can do is the best they can. They can not win every fight – even if they want to.
Your child may be unhappy because of other children at school. Your first instinct will be to try to protect and shield from unwholesome incidents. Children can sometimes pick on their brighter peers. All you can hope is the school’s attitude to bullying is firm and unyielding.
Of course parents will compromise over one or two missed eleven plus sessions – but most mothers and father will stand firm if the desire to work appears to have left their eleven plus child. After all your child have to test himself or herself against the world of parents every now and then. What better test is there of trying the patience of mum and dad?
I heard very bright one child saying to her sister: “It is good fun winding mum up, isn’t it?”
Monday, February 02, 2009
The Eleven Plus and Hot Tubs
It would be very easy to dream of your child falling asleep – and then waking up full of eleven plus facts and opinions. You stride confidently into your child’s bedroom – offer a loving kiss and leave secure in the knowledge that your child will assimilate eleven plus knowledge and technique during a deep refreshing sleep. I am sure parents would pay good money for a service of this nature.
We need to go back to Mesmer (1733 – 1815) who was known as a saint to some and a sinner to others. He dealt with incurable cases – and was loathed by many other physicians. He created an attitude in the patient towards the `problem’. This developed into a crises – along with twitching muscles and a trance. After this had passed the patient would feel weak and lethargic – but the odds were on that the illness or malady had disappeared.
Later in his professional life he accidentally came upon the sleep like state – which we call hypnosis today.
He also developed a different technique. (This could, possibly, be adopted on eleven plus courses – if parents and children gave permission.) He filled a large tub with magnetised filings. The tub had around thirty projecting handles – so 30 different problems could be serviced at the same time.
Just picture the scene. 30 eleven plus children enter a large, warm tub carrying verbal reasoning books. The children hold the rods; they close their eyes and on command lift their verbal reasoning books to the heavens. They rub their bodies with the iron filings. The energy flows and eleven plus knowledge enters their bodies.
This view of an easy passage for children towards the eleven plus will be greeted, no doubt, by scepticism and suspicion by doctors, teachers, scientists, parents and general public.
Doctors will feel that the tub suggestion is frivolous.
Teachers will laugh at the idea of an easy short cut in education.
Scientists will demand proof.
Parents will hope that immersion in a tub of iron filings will not he harmful – but will be pleased to try anything as long as it helps.
The general public will simply groan and say, “It was not like this in my day!”
A large number of us regard hypnotism with a combination of smiling apprehension – along with an almost mystical belief that `there might be something in it’
But parents can cast their minds back. Do you remember the colicky baby who cried and cried? What did you do? Of course you soothed your child by rubbing circles on your child’s back while murmuring quietly. No rods. No iron filings. Nothing mystic – just plain common sense.
So when your child looks out of sorts with the eleven plus you could do worse than revert to those early days.
Take your eleven plus candidate, including the verbal reasoning book, into your arms. Give several soothing pats and say: `There, there. There, there.’ (The incantation!) Suggest a hot warm bath with lots of bubbles. Offer the comfort of a hot water bottle, along with a medicinal cup of cocoa.
When you come to think of it your loving offering is not much different from the hot tub suggested by Mesmer. Parents know just how good for the body and soul the hot tub is!
We need to go back to Mesmer (1733 – 1815) who was known as a saint to some and a sinner to others. He dealt with incurable cases – and was loathed by many other physicians. He created an attitude in the patient towards the `problem’. This developed into a crises – along with twitching muscles and a trance. After this had passed the patient would feel weak and lethargic – but the odds were on that the illness or malady had disappeared.
Later in his professional life he accidentally came upon the sleep like state – which we call hypnosis today.
He also developed a different technique. (This could, possibly, be adopted on eleven plus courses – if parents and children gave permission.) He filled a large tub with magnetised filings. The tub had around thirty projecting handles – so 30 different problems could be serviced at the same time.
Just picture the scene. 30 eleven plus children enter a large, warm tub carrying verbal reasoning books. The children hold the rods; they close their eyes and on command lift their verbal reasoning books to the heavens. They rub their bodies with the iron filings. The energy flows and eleven plus knowledge enters their bodies.
This view of an easy passage for children towards the eleven plus will be greeted, no doubt, by scepticism and suspicion by doctors, teachers, scientists, parents and general public.
Doctors will feel that the tub suggestion is frivolous.
Teachers will laugh at the idea of an easy short cut in education.
Scientists will demand proof.
Parents will hope that immersion in a tub of iron filings will not he harmful – but will be pleased to try anything as long as it helps.
The general public will simply groan and say, “It was not like this in my day!”
A large number of us regard hypnotism with a combination of smiling apprehension – along with an almost mystical belief that `there might be something in it’
But parents can cast their minds back. Do you remember the colicky baby who cried and cried? What did you do? Of course you soothed your child by rubbing circles on your child’s back while murmuring quietly. No rods. No iron filings. Nothing mystic – just plain common sense.
So when your child looks out of sorts with the eleven plus you could do worse than revert to those early days.
Take your eleven plus candidate, including the verbal reasoning book, into your arms. Give several soothing pats and say: `There, there. There, there.’ (The incantation!) Suggest a hot warm bath with lots of bubbles. Offer the comfort of a hot water bottle, along with a medicinal cup of cocoa.
When you come to think of it your loving offering is not much different from the hot tub suggested by Mesmer. Parents know just how good for the body and soul the hot tub is!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
The Eleven Plus and Clothes
We have a remarkable shopping complex in Kent called Bluewater. When it first opened back in 1999 newspapers and television marvelled at the way in which women saw the shopping trips to Bluewater as a ritual. Women, apparently, used to dress up to shop. Sociologists observed that the visit to Bluewater reassured women of their high status.
Women arriving used to look chic and poised. They also dressed their children in smart clothes. (I am not sure how successful the women were in making sure their husbands were attired correctly – but I am sure the men did their best so as not to disappoint their wives and partners.)
We all know the story, or the variation on the story, of a woman who went shopping in a prestigious store only to be told that a garment was not for sale because she was not dressed well enough. The women returned the following day attired in her best. She was not recognised the same sales clerk – who proceeded to fawn over the customer – and expedited the purchase. (A variation on this story took place in a highly regarded film.)
Bluewater has a multitude of clothing shops. We know that clothing has been used for years and years to demonstrate wealth. We have been told that `old’ money does not follow fashions but the owners of `new money’ needs continual reassurance – and a constant stream of new clothes.
There is a saying that as you go up the class scale there are an increasing number of fat men – but the opposite is true of women. I wonder if any of our eleven plus children will go on one day to test the theory?
The eleven plus children I met yesterday were models of correct clothing. The colours were generally muted. The girls were invariably smartly dressed. The boys wore uniformly similar clothes.
Why such a preoccupation with clothes? In some verbal reasoning papers our poor children are posed some remarkably artificial questions.
Write the incomplete word from the sentence:
The woman wore smart new c . . t h . . when she went shopping.
Arrange these words in alphabetical order:
Chimney character clothes thank contract
Look at the following pair of words. If they have the same meaning select A. If they are opposite, choose B:
Clothes apparel.
Finally:
A shopping paradise for men, women and children in Kent: E E T R W U L B.
Women arriving used to look chic and poised. They also dressed their children in smart clothes. (I am not sure how successful the women were in making sure their husbands were attired correctly – but I am sure the men did their best so as not to disappoint their wives and partners.)
We all know the story, or the variation on the story, of a woman who went shopping in a prestigious store only to be told that a garment was not for sale because she was not dressed well enough. The women returned the following day attired in her best. She was not recognised the same sales clerk – who proceeded to fawn over the customer – and expedited the purchase. (A variation on this story took place in a highly regarded film.)
Bluewater has a multitude of clothing shops. We know that clothing has been used for years and years to demonstrate wealth. We have been told that `old’ money does not follow fashions but the owners of `new money’ needs continual reassurance – and a constant stream of new clothes.
There is a saying that as you go up the class scale there are an increasing number of fat men – but the opposite is true of women. I wonder if any of our eleven plus children will go on one day to test the theory?
The eleven plus children I met yesterday were models of correct clothing. The colours were generally muted. The girls were invariably smartly dressed. The boys wore uniformly similar clothes.
Why such a preoccupation with clothes? In some verbal reasoning papers our poor children are posed some remarkably artificial questions.
Write the incomplete word from the sentence:
The woman wore smart new c . . t h . . when she went shopping.
Arrange these words in alphabetical order:
Chimney character clothes thank contract
Look at the following pair of words. If they have the same meaning select A. If they are opposite, choose B:
Clothes apparel.
Finally:
A shopping paradise for men, women and children in Kent: E E T R W U L B.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)