| Poor performance in science or humanities subjects in junior high school is usually a sign of poor study skills, problems with reading or maths, or more basic difficulties with learning. Extra coaching in the particular subject, without first addressing the underlying causes, will not
generally solve the problem. While there may be some improvement while a coach in the particular subject is being employed, marks may well drop again as soon as the student is left to do it alone.
As a parent you should be very concerned if your child is not able to work independently, and get good marks in all subjects by year 10, because it is at this time that schools decide which subjects can be chosen for years 11 and 12.
Science Subjects
Unless your child is absolutely certain about a career path, he or she should study subjects in senior high school which will provide maximum choice for courses at tertiary level. In terms of science subjects, that may mean studying both physics and chemistry. We strongly recommend that you have your child assessed by us before dropping either of these subjects, because once they have been dropped they are very difficult to pick up again later.
English and the Humanities
Students who perform poorly in language-rich subjects such as History, Geography and English will often blame themselves because they don't study hard enough. Closer examination of their work habits usually shows that the real problem is that they do not have good study skills. This is usually because they don't have a coherent strategy for learning such subjects.
Poor Teaching
Some struggling students complain that they have a poor teacher. This may be true but it is no excuse for poor marks. The solution to the problem is to have us teach your child independent study skills. Be aware that by the end of junior high school, students are expected to be able to learn relatively independently of their teachers, so that they can cope with the workload in senior high school, and later on during their tertiary education.
|
