When you were growing up, did you want to be just like everyone else? Maybe you dyed your hair, changed the way you talked, walked, or just wanted to do what others are doing. But we need to acknowledge that we are all different. From hair colour, eye colour, to the way our brains work. At Skills4Parents we teach about […]
We don’t like to take the blame – our children are their own people who make their own decisions. We can’t control them. But here’s the thing… Your attitude to learning will affect your young person’s attitude. I saw this in a non-scientific way at school. I’d have a young person who hated maths, and they had wholly given up. […]
There are many things I’m frightened of from spiders to looking stupid, but sometimes I just have to suck it up and deal with them. When it comes to spiders I either have to live alongside the spider, or I have to move it. That, or I never enter my house again! As to looking stupid, that happens regularly… and […]
I am really good at Maths. That isn’t a brag. It’s just true. I did my degree in Maths, and I love Maths, spreadsheets, calculations, formulae… it’s so incredible. However, it did not happen overnight – nor was I top of my class. I have overcome some limiting beliefs around this, and so imagine how heartbroken I felt for her, […]
Be honest, how many of you have developed a new hobby during lockdown? I know I have enjoyed gardening, and one of my friends has been baking the most amazing cakes. Some have taken up knitting or crochet, and others have been taking greater pleasure in the puzzle pages of the daily newspaper (guilty as charged, I love a good […]
Throughout history, school closures are rare. I remember when I was young, we got a day off because the school boiler had broken and they didn’t have enough heaters for all the classrooms. We also used to get about 2 snow days a year, although in recent years this has not been the case, with the exception of the Beast […]
During the Covid-19 pandemic we have probably all become more aware of the importance of understanding Statistics and Probability. The news is full of graphs, different statistics have been used to argue that we are doing well and not doing well. Understanding this topic can help in detecting whether we are being misled. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, […]
During March we are looking broadly at the four topics that make up the Maths curriculum. This week we are looking at algebra, which has probably just sent you into a spin! So many people find algebra scary, but with the right understanding and teaching it doesn’t need to be! Here are my top tips to help: Use your maths […]
When you think of Maths what do you think of? For a lot of people it’s numbers, for others it’s algebra. This month I want to think about the 4 areas of Number, Algebra, Geometry and Statistics, which make up the English maths curriculum. Understanding the make-up of these topics will help with maths GCSE, as you can work out […]
Last week I talked about the Forgetting Curve and the importance of going over learning. That is also where revision comes in. Revision time needs to be used well, and it’s important to consider what topics to revise so that your young person knows how to revise effectively. It can be really tempting for a young person to revise the things […]