Report card: See beyond the grades
Aug 12, 2006
IT is holiday time once again! To most parents it will be frowns and smiles as they see their children’s report cards. Yes, it is frustrating to spend money on a child who is not improving. But there is more to a report card than meets the eye.
PARENTING - Wagwau Jamesa
IT is holiday time once again! To most parents it will be frowns and smiles as they see their children’s report cards. Yes, it is frustrating to spend money on a child who is not improving. But there is more to a report card than meets the eye.
A report card is a documentation of a learner’s academic progress throughout the term. Most report cards show both continuous assessment marks and end of term marks. The average of the two is used to gauge the learner’s progress during the term. In spite of the grades therein, a report card still eludes many parents and it hardly provides an absolute yardstick to gauge a learner’s progress. This is because learning is such an abstract concept that exam marks alone cannot measure.
An average report card does not stretch beyond academic grades. But who says education is only about academic work? Doesn’t learning go beyond intellectual domain? Education is multidimensional and there is more to a child’s progress than reflected in the report card.
How is the child’s interpersonal skills? Some children fail to pass exams but make tremendous progress in their ability to relate with others. Look at specific learning points that are not reflected in the report card like, progress in reading, handwriting, communication skills and responsibility. All these are essential components of education that cannot be taken for granted.
Although to most of us education is synonymous with marks, ideal education stretches beyond academic success. Did you know that straight ‘As’ is not a recipe for success in life? This doesn’t mean that children should take their studies lightly. You could instill the desire for excellence without pulling your child down.
Compare the term’s mark and end of term exams mark. A child who scores 55% in the term’s work and scores 15% in the end of term exam has a problem that calls for attention. Does the child fear exams or did something go wrong?
The report card has comments like ‘improve,’ but the child doesn’t know how to ‘improve.’ Help the child lay strategies for better marks.
Do not be swayed by the child’s position in class. The first position does not necessarily mean the child has excelled just like the last position is not synonymous with failure. Your child could be in first position with no progress or be in the last position with a great improvement! What matters is progress not position.
A child’s greatest fear about failure is that it results from lack of ability. Ask your child questions like: Did you understand and follow instructions? Did you prepare well for exams?
Every child is a bunch of potentialities and education helps them to come to terms with ‘who they are’. There is a greater value in your child than the marks reflect.
However low the marks are, find something positive to compliment the child for. Expressing hope and confidence in the child’s ability propels them to perform better.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
0772-631032
IT is holiday time once again! To most parents it will be frowns and smiles as they see their children’s report cards. Yes, it is frustrating to spend money on a child who is not improving. But there is more to a report card than meets the eye.
A report card is a documentation of a learner’s academic progress throughout the term. Most report cards show both continuous assessment marks and end of term marks. The average of the two is used to gauge the learner’s progress during the term. In spite of the grades therein, a report card still eludes many parents and it hardly provides an absolute yardstick to gauge a learner’s progress. This is because learning is such an abstract concept that exam marks alone cannot measure.
An average report card does not stretch beyond academic grades. But who says education is only about academic work? Doesn’t learning go beyond intellectual domain? Education is multidimensional and there is more to a child’s progress than reflected in the report card.
How is the child’s interpersonal skills? Some children fail to pass exams but make tremendous progress in their ability to relate with others. Look at specific learning points that are not reflected in the report card like, progress in reading, handwriting, communication skills and responsibility. All these are essential components of education that cannot be taken for granted.
Although to most of us education is synonymous with marks, ideal education stretches beyond academic success. Did you know that straight ‘As’ is not a recipe for success in life? This doesn’t mean that children should take their studies lightly. You could instill the desire for excellence without pulling your child down.
A child’s greatest fear about failure is that it results from lack of ability. Ask your child questions like: Did you understand and follow instructions? Did you prepare well for exams?
Every child is a bunch of potentialities and education helps them to come to terms with ‘who they are’. There is a greater value in your child than the marks reflect.
However low the marks are, find something positive to compliment the child for. Expressing hope and confidence in the child’s ability propels them to perform better.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
0772-631032