NCEA what's the big deal PART 2

 Growing up, I thought that teachers must be so smart and I was in awe of their knowledge because I felt that I knew so little. Boy, was I in for a great big shock when I started teaching and I realised that not everyone should be teaching and knowledge was usually accumulated over years.

Some of the teachers' attitudes stunk too. So when I listen to my children's teachers I'm checking out their attitudes, and will put in my 2 cents worth, if I think it's important and I'll also correct or challenge them if it's necessary because sometimes it isn't. So as you can see I'm very critical about what I hear them say as well as listening to what my children think of their teaching styles.

In fact, I remember being told that "these children won't do well in English" when I taught senior English at a South Auckland high school and when most of the class passed and some got excellent grades some teachers were gobsmacked and wouldn't talk to me for days.

So what's the big deal? what was the secret to success? I believe the teacher makes the biggest difference regarding content and attitude and for me, I think the difference was that I cared enough to give them the skills that I had picked up as a successful Uni student and over the years, I've learnt that pretty much the skills are transferable given the amount of exams I've studied for.

I firstly handpicked texts with themes that I thought they would relate to i.e. classics like "To kill a mockingbird", "Cry, the beloved country" and Pacific poetry and would discuss in depth the themes with examples and then go over exam questions and explain how to write to the excellent grades.

This is where, I believe, a lot of our Pasifika and second langugage/cultural students may fail to understand is the in-depth writing and examples that are required to get those "excellence" grades. I used to say that it was a "palagi/pakeha/European" way of thinking. It is very focused writing.

Memorization plays a big part in exam writing so knowing the information thoroughly for each topic is important and being able to relate information to the question is crucial. So that's why the last minute cramming doesn't work so well for the day before exams. You need time to let the information sink in and make sense.

Another "biggy" is being able to answer the question. It's so important that the question is answered thoroughly with examples from a text etc. and that you write in such a way that you show the examiner that you have a deep understanding of all of the parts of a question.

I've shown students many times on how to break a question down to it's vital parts and then make sure that you answer accordingly. I've seen so many students write a general answer having just retold the story (as I did when I first started) until I learnt that every question is focused and requires a focused answer.

I even go into knowing the structure of the exam paper and I figure out the timing of each section. I tell students how many minutes they should use on each and to write out a quick plan (like a mind map) that breaks down the question with examples to answer each part and then tick off as you go.

I explain that it's important not to get stuck on any particular question but to keep moving through the question paper then come back making sure that you leave plenty of room for answering questions. I've gone through many 3 hour exams where I've dismantled the answer paper ensuring that there is enough room for each question and work on parts, backwards and forwards and I've written all over the question paper with my own notes.

These are just a few hints to knowing how to master the exam paper but also the frame of mind that is needed to be able to stay on top of things but managing your time (first blog on this topic) and handing assessments in on time that have been well considered...