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My
Child Fails Every Test
Tests make them
nervous
It's inexplicable, but your child
just can't seem to do well in tests. It's not that he's lacking in intelligence
because you've personally done revisions with him and he definitely knows
all the answers at home. But his test results are always poor to dismal.
Today, the pressure on children to
perform and achieve is tremendous. Parents are pulling out their hair and
feeling like they are back in school again as they try to jog their memories
and fathom the mysteries of fractions, decimals, maps, historical events,
and the basic principles of science. They will try anything to get their
children to perform - cajoling, screaming, bribing, extra classes, etc.
But sometimes nothing seems to work.
The problem, in such cases, is one
of test anxiety. Children become so nervous about the test that when faced
with a blank answer sheet, their minds go blank, even if they are well
prepared. Most parents find it hard to believe that mere nervousness can
make a child forget everything he's learned and fervently pray that he'll
grow out of it.
Short circuit
of the brain
Some researchers give a physiological
explanation for test anxiety. According to them, when a child prepares
for a test, the information is stored in the short-term memory. The area
of the brain that controls short term memory is also the centre for emotion.
Thus, when a child becomes anxious during a test, the emotional upheaval
overrides the child's ability to retrieve the information from the short-term
memory.
Studying the wrong
way
Sometimes a child may have used the
wrong method to prepare for a test. For instance, a child revises for a
spelling test by spelling the words out orally, but when faced with the
blank lined sheet of paper, he cannot seem to get the spellings right.
In such a case, it may be a good idea for parents to give him a mock written
spelling test at home the night before.
Too much pressure
Parents can unwittingly pressure
their child to such an extent that they cannot perform. Even before they
have answered the first question, they are worried that they might not
meet their parents' expectations of their performance. This anxiety obviously
steals their concentration and they perform poorly. Parents should try
not to lay too much stress on the importance of doing well in the test.
No doubt, it is important, but if your child is going to be so petrified
of failing that it affects his performance, how does it help? Try to make
them look at tests from another point of view, as a method for teachers
to assess whether their teaching is effective. Reassure them that you're
sure that they'll do better next time.
Lack of confidence
Other children are just not confident
enough. There are many children who revise the material again and again
because they are convinced they don't know it well enough. Even though
they are so well prepared, the same children will be twiddling their pencils
between their fingers, desperately thinking about what to write during
an exam. This happens because when they see even a couple of questions
to which the answer doesn't immediately come to mind, they are convinced
that they know nothing and accept defeat without even trying to recall
the information.
Studying is 'uncool'
By the time they are teenagers, it's
not considered 'cool' to study too hard for tests. As a result, studying
is usually done at the last minute and naturally leads to panic. Children
cannot be expected to absorb information if they are constantly wondering
if they'll be able to finish studying the material before the night is
over. The best that parents can do is to make their children put up the
test schedule on the calendar so they know how many days they have to go
before the test. It's another matter entirely whether children actually
look at the calendar.
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