Expert Advice:
Helping teenage students in uncertain times
Students are facing another school year out of the ordinary, so we turn to an education consultant and tutor to get some advice.
Here we go again! The school year of 2020/2021 has the potential to be just as uncertain as last year. For senior students, extended periods of school disruptions can have serious consequences. It’s important these students are engaged and armed with a plan to tackle the year, and any challenge it may throw at them.
JEROME BARTY-TAYLOR is Managing Director of Barty Education and Development. He has shared a lot of advice with Hong Kong parents over the past twelve months; here, he generously provides some additional tips for helping teens and parents alike plan for the next twelve.
You’ve got this… if you stay organised!
Organisation and setting expectations are key to success, especially during turbulent times.
• Get organised by creating a home learning routine and ensuring your sticking to it. Make sure you include some regular exercise and brain breaks.
• Parents, be sure to set clear expectations so children understand exactly what they must deliver as senior students. Also, give them the gift of efficiency. Teach them how to plan their day, how to create a to-do list and how to manage their time to achieve their goals. These are money-can’t-buy life skills.
No one knows what will happen this school year. The only certainty is uncertainty – and this includes final exams.
• Let your effort shine through on every piece submitted this year (for every subject). Remember, every piece counts. In fact, it might count more than you know at the end of the year.
• Don’t assume. This is not the time to make any assumptions. Be informed about how bell-curve grading works and what that means for you as an individual.
Jerome’s graduating students share their own advice.
Remember, every piece counts
For IB students, unless you have faultless internal assessments and a predicted “7”, it will be very hard to get a top score with algorithmic grading. Submit extra essays or past-paper responses so your teachers know what you’re capable of; if exams are cancelled, you’ll have the best shot at success.