sss

Supporting students during the exam waiting period: tips for teachers

Waiting for exam results can be extremely stressful. The anxiety and pressure that most students are feeling leads to worry and fear of uncertainty, and while these emotions are normal, it is important to let your students know that they are not alone.

Students Interacting

Waiting for exam results can be extremely stressful. The anxiety and pressure that most students are feeling leads to worry and fear of uncertainty, and while these emotions are normal, it is important to let your students know that they are not alone.

Here are 6 tips for how you, as a teacher, can help your students during this exam waiting period.

1. Maintain calm amongst students

It is easier said than done to ask someone to remain calm in a stressful situation. These are words that will make your students’ eyes roll but really, during this stressful time, it is imperative to remind your students to try to relax. Have your students take a deep breath before you announce exam results in class to help them feel less overwhelmed. Also, soothing words will help simmer the bubbling nerves by providing comfort and encouragement.

2. Get students moving

Exercise is a good way to relieve stress. Encourage your students to go for a walk or a run, play a game of soccer with their friends. The release of endorphins during exercise can help alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms.

3. Reward students

Exams are over! That is something to celebrate. Your students have studied hard, so now it’s time to reward them with something they’ll enjoy. A field trip to the beach and perhaps a movie in class are simple rewards that your students will be sure to appreciate. Students will be sure to stay relaxed and calm with these fun activities.

4. Look out for your students

Stress can lead to fatigue, emotional exhaustion and even depression. Look out for your students during this time. If you notice that they are irritable, suddenly change their behavior, or isolate themselves, encourage them to talk to someone about how they feel. They can talk to you, a family member or a counsellor in the community. See below for a list of professional people your students can talk to.

5. Encourage students to get results directly from their school

It’s advisable not to receive exam results via SMS, online or looking in the newspaper, rather students should go to school. Students who did poorly or failed only a few subjects can discuss their options right away with the principal. They could even request a remark or apply to write the supplementary exam.

6. Remind students to stay positive and formulate a plan of action

Make sure that your students remember that success is not always about achieving the highest results. Instead, success is about how you accept challenges, solve problems and continue with determination to succeed. Instead of worrying, try finding the root of the problem and discussing ways to solve it. Help students to decide on their plan A and formulate a backup plan in case their first plan doesn’t happen. Discuss with them the possibility of taking a gap year and working or finding an apprenticeship while they decide what to do next.

 

Who can I talk to?
Here is a list of organisations students can contact. They offer free telephone counselling.

SADAG (The South African Depression and Anxiety Group)
To contact a counsellor between 8am-8pm Monday to Sunday:

Call: 011 234 4837 / Fax No: 011 234 8182

For a suicidal emergency contact us on: 0800 567 567

24Hr helpline: 0800 456 789Learn more at: https://www.sadag.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1897&Itemid=101

Childline South Africa

Childline National Office:

Tel: (+27) -(0)31-201 2059

Fax: (+27) -(0)86 511 0032

Learn more at: https://www.childlinesa.org.za/contact-us/

Improve students' note-taking skills

Many students find making notes a troublesome act. With proper study notes, studying and passing exams becomes much easier, and with good results. Note taking forces you to pay attention and aids your concentration in class (or while reading a textbook). According to research on learning, actively engaging with the topic by listening and then summarising what you hear helps you understand and remember the information later. Most importantly, it makes learning more enjoyable.

Note taking students

Why is it important to write study notes?

Many students find making notes a troublesome act. With proper study notes, studying and passing exams becomes much easier, and with good results. Note taking forces you to pay attention and aids your concentration in class (or while reading a textbook). According to research on learning, actively engaging with the topic by listening and then summarising what you hear helps you understand and remember the information later. Most importantly, it makes learning more enjoyable.

Here are 5 tips you can use to help your students take and use their notes more effectively and efficiently.

1. Outline your lesson

Try to organise your lesson both orally and visually. Write your lesson outline on the board and use your outline to highlight topic shifts during the lesson. Studies show that students typically record what the teacher has written so practice caution when using the board or other visuals. You can also use signaling phrases and transition statements like “this is important,” “remember,” “these differ in three important ways,” “the second point is,” or “next…”. This will help students to organise their content when writing notes and will make it easier for them to find something when they are revising their work.

2. Train students to take notes better notes

Provide students with feedback on their notes. Hand out your version of the lesson’s notes after class on occasion so that students can compare their notes to yours. When you meet with students who are struggling with your subject, ask them to bring their notes with them. Poor notes (or no notes!) could be the root of many of their issues. Many teachers also advise troubled students to re-copy their notes in order to organise them, fill in gaps with text, and identify points that are not completely understood and require additional study.

3. Inform students about what they should record

Should they keep track of examples, sample problems, and class discussions? What about example explanations and problem solutions? Is it necessary to keep track of names, dates, and research citations? The answers to such questions vary depending on the course. You can assist students by providing explicit instructions about what to include in class notes, at least in the first few classes.

4. Encourage students to think

Pause every now and then and ask them to paraphrase what they’ve written in their notes — to rewrite definitions or retell examples. Encourage them to speak in their own words. Suggest that they explain their notes to a nearby student. To encourage students to elaborate and extend their notes (and their understanding), have them write the following sentence endings: “Another example of this might be…”; “The last time I saw a problem like this was…”; “I remember discussing this issue with…”; “This information might explain why…” Such prompts encourage students to make connections between new and old material, which is another step toward understanding and retention.

5. Make time in class for note-taking activities

Remember that you’re using note-taking to encourage students to think more deeply about what is been taught in the classroom. Many students benefit from taking and reviewing notes. You can demonstrate your interest in helping students “learn how to learn” by expressing the importance of taking notes in class. Provide students with note taking time when discussing an important topic. You may also increase the likelihood that your students will remember what you teach them.

 

References

Blogs, L. F., n.d. Learn From Blogs. [Online]
Available at: https://learnfromblogs.com/why-study-notes-are-so-important
[Accessed 06 08 2022].

Dartmouth, U., 2020. UMASS Dartmouth. [Online]
Available at: https://www.umassd.edu/dss/resources/students/classroom-strategies/why-take-notes/#:~:text=Note%20taking%20forces%20you%20to,and%20remember%20the%20information%20later.
[Accessed 06 August 2022].

NEBRASKA–LINCOLN, U. o., n.d. OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES. [Online]
Available at: https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/professional-development/teaching-development/teaching-resources/notetaking
[Accessed 06 08 2022].

Coding & Robotics for Foundation Phase

Whilst it might seem far fetched to consider teaching a child how to code or operate a robot, the benefits of coding and robotics far exceeds the obvious.

Young learner on tablet in classroom

Children will learn creativity through play using digital, but they can also be the creators of their own learning. In addition to learning computational thinking, it enables learners to understand logic and develop cognitive skills in terms of logical and sequential processes. This means that they will not only be able to use logic to solve problems but also apply those skills to other subject areas and situations.

Coding encourages collaboration as your child learns to work in groups solving problems and share what they learn alongside one another.  In doing so, they also develop their communication skills which enables them to better explain or share their difficulties or their victories more confidently.

Your child will also learn how to be persistent in keeping them engaged to try again. Coding enables them to complete a task by systematically training them how to navigate through complex problems.

The world of coding and robotics is not limited to encouraging learners to become astronauts, gaming experts or engineers but it does provide clear advantages to boost their confidence in the world they live in, today.  Introducing new possibilities, logical reasoning creating new career paths of learning now and in the future.

We have compiled a few interactive activities to take you on a short journey of what coding looks like in the world of a young learner.

PLEASE NOTE: for an optimal experience, complete the activities on a PC.

Instructions on how to complete the activities:

  1. Click on the interactive you want to complete.
  2. When you want to listen to the instructions, click on the speak button on the screen.
  3. Each time you complete a screen, click on the next button.
  4. Each time a new screen appears, you can click on the speaker button to listen to the next set of instructions followed by the next button.
  5. You will know that you’ve completed each task successfully when you reach the “Star”.

Decomposition Interactive Activities

Decomposition is the process is the first process in learning computational thinking skills (using coding). Learners will learn how to process complex problems or responsibilities by breaking huge tasks into smaller bits of information. This will allow them to feel less overwhelmed by tasks, and enable them to process each part and work out where they get stuck.

Activity 1: Space Puppy

Skills taught:

  • Developing a structured problem-solving method
  • Identify individual parts of a problem
  • Following instructions to complete a task

Activity 2: Treasure Hunt

Skills taught:

  • Identify and plan the steps involved in solving a problem
  • Using smaller steps to solve a complex problem
  • Recognise, identify and name two-dimensional shapes in pictures
  • Identify, copy, extend and create patterns

Activity 3: Ready, steady go!

Skills taught:

  • Breaking problems down into its different parts
  • Solve problems in context using concrete apparatus
  • Identify and match shapes
  • Recognise, identify and name two dimensional shapes in pictures
  • Deconstruct a large shape into smaller shapes 

Algorithm Interactive Activities

Algorithms will teach your child how to come up with a solution, step-by-step.  This is the last piece of the puzzle in learning computational thinking skills. It is also the process in which they’ll develop a clearer understanding of order.  So, in the real world, they’ll need to figure out which patterns will result in the best or most successful outcome.  When they’ve mastered this skill during coding lessons, they will be able to communicate clearer and more concise.  In a coding application, you child will not be able to progress further during an activity and will find themselves having to repeat the activity, teaching them how to persevere and evaluate their plan using strategy. This concept also teaches them how to translate concepts into actionable steps, which can be applied to any of their areas of learning.

Activity 1: To the Park

Skills taught:

  • Recognise that the order in which steps are taken is important for problem solving.
  • Follow directions to move within a specific space.
  • Place steps in the correct order, to achieve a specific objective.

Activity 2: Busy Beads

Skills taught:

  • Identify simple patterns
  • Identify colours
  • Recognise order in which steps are taken in order to solve the problem
  • Identify sequence of events
  • Making calculations

Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Workbook & Teacher’s Guide

9781776103942 Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Grade 2 Workbook

The Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics workbook assists learners in understanding coding and robotics concepts. It consists of write-in worksheets that can be used by teachers to introduce the subject to young learners, or by parents who want their child to learn and practise the skills required for coding and robotics.

Workbook features:

  • Activities with clear instructions and answers
  • Cutout coding blocks for additional practice
  • Cutout keyboard and screen to make your own laptop
  • Star chart and certificate

Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Teacher’s Guide in eBook format provides the educator with guidelines to help learners with the activities. It includes reference to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) addressed on each page in the Smart-Kids Coding & Robotic workbook and includes the answers to the activities.

Click here to purchase Smart-Kids Coding & Robotics Teacher’s Guide Grade 2.

How to answer exam questions correctly

When a learner understands what the examiner is asking them, they’ll be able to answer the questions in an exam paper correctly. To understand what the examiner is asking, the learner must identify the question and focus words in an exam question.

Learner studying for exams

It is important for learners to look for and understand the question words (the words that tell you what to do, also known as key action words) to correctly understand what the examiner is asking.

Once the learner has read the question once, they should circle the question word and then underline any other important focus words (the words that tell you what content to include in your answer). The combination of the circled and underlined words will tell the learner exactly what is being asked.

Share these explanations with your learners so they can use it as a guide to help them answer questions.

QUESTION WORD WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Analyse Separate, examine and interpret the concept
Argue Give arguments to support your statement or to oppose somebody else’s statement, and substantiate your argument with an example
Assess Give a judgement and back it up with evidence or reasoning
Calculate This means a numerical (number) answer is required. You must show your working, especially where two or more steps are involved
Classify Group things based on common characteristics
Compare Point out or show both similarities and differences between things or concepts
Critically evaluate Describe both sides of an argument, come to a conclusion and justify your decision
Debate State the positive or negative side of an argument, and substantiate your point with an example
Define Give a clear meaning of the concept
Describe State in words (using diagrams where appropriate) the main points of a structure/process/phenomenon/investigation
Determine To calculate something, or to discover the answer by examining evidence
Differentiate Use differences to qualify categories
Explain/ Discuss Give a clear, detailed description of the focus topic
Identify Name the essential characteristics
Illustrate Give examples to demonstrate or prove something
Justify Give clear, detailed reasons fo taking a particular position
Label Identify on a diagram or drawing
List Write a list of items, with no additional detail
Mention Refer to relevant points
Name Give the name (proper noun) of something
State/Give Write down information without discussion
Recommend / Suggest Give your opinion and back it up with facts, reason or an explanation
Tabulate Draw a table and indicate the answers as direct pairs