| My daughter has her KS2 SATs starting in about 2 weeks time... so, she has been revising, working on previous test papers etc. for the last term.
Would she be better off being taught new stuff? I don't know.
However, when I was at school (all those years ago...) we never did any practice papers. Some of us coped OK in exams (I used to like exams... but the reason I didn't get good marks was because I hadn't concentrated for the two years before each one!) However, some others "went to pieces" in exams, and, although they had worked hard in each subject, ended up with no better marks than I did.
By doing all the previous papers, I think todays children are much better able to cope with the stresses of exams, for the same reason we all practice our basic diving skills... so that they are "no big deal" when we really need them.
Oh, and at almost 11, my daughter has got to the point where I can no longer help with some of her Maths... it is more advanced than some of the stuff I did for my CSE/GCE's!
Mrsabucks works in education as an "early years" teachers assistant, and the amount of paperwork required even at this level (4 to 5 year olds) is something to see...
Andrew |