Achievers' Academy

2022 – 23 Registrations now open for Basingstoke Branch. Contact us at contact@achieversacademy.co.uk or call us at 0208 090 4824

11+ Prep Courses

Self-Determination in the Classroom

Achievers’ Academy focusses on providing students with a structured form of education, creating an environment that allows them to flourish. Our student intake is non-selective, yet we achieve outstanding results due to our holistic approach towards education. We teach them ‘how to learn’ rather than spoon-feeding them with merely what is needed to pass exams. Our students become motivated, self-determined and confident young adults as they navigate through life, beyond their education.

 

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has been considered in an educational context in the past. It attempts to uncover the degree to which activities are self-determined versus controlled by external or internal influences.

 

 

The model theorises that 3 ‘needs’ should be fulfilled to ensure the longevity of self-determined human motivation.

 

Autonomy

Research by Kasser and Ryan (references below) has shown that performance is enhanced when someone engages in self-governed behaviours or actions. In the classroom, this means  encouraging independent thinking and taking accountability for one’s actions. In addition, autonomy involves allowing students to set their own goals based on their perceived strengths and weaknesses. It is a crucial intrinsic factor that allows students take the reins, instilling confidence.

 

Relatedness

This concept refers to the feeling of acceptance and belonging, especially in a new environment. Taking the time to learn students’ names and facilitating learning in a group setting such that all students feel comfortable. In an educational context, this means practicing active learning, with questions and mistakes being recognised as crucial to the educational journey.

 

Competence

Self-efficacy is essential in maintaining motivation during challenging tasks. In teaching,  this means empowering students by giving them access to an arsenal of resources, including videos, exam papers and handouts. Additionally, competence involves equipping students with long-term study skills, such as note-taking and goal setting. These are valuable tools not only for immediate examinations, but even beyond them.

 

At Achievers’ Academy, we recognise that education and study should not feel like an imposition or a chore. Our intention is to inspire  students and help them develop as independent learners as opposed to academic machines.

 

 

References

Kasser T, Ryan RM. Further examining the American dream: Differential correlates of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Personal Soc Psychol Bull. 1996.

 

Patrick H, Williams GC. Self-determination theory: Its application to health behavior and complementarity with motivational interviewing. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2012.

 

 

11 plus exams private tutoring

11+ Grammar School Exams Prep: Why Times Tables are important?

11+ Prep: Importance of times tables before leaving primary school

 

Did you know? There is enough evidence that suggests that students who struggle with times tables in primary school are most likely to fall behind in secondary school. In fact, a study published by Ofsted, the school’s watchdog, suggests that students without instant recall of multiplication tables often struggle at math throughout their academic life. The study suggests that pupils should be able to recite 12 x 12 times tables by the age of nine.

 

Hence, it is important to introduce multiplication tables to primary school students in its basic form at the earliest, so pupils can easily notice the patterns early on. Understanding the repetitive pattern of multiplication tables allows 11+ students to apply their knowledge to more advanced problems for 11+ grammar school exams and even at a later stage.

 

11+ Exams Resources: Using Times Tables in Daily Life

Knowing times tables does not all have to be in an academic set up alone but can be easily applied in real life situations in a number of ways. Parents can innovate and teach times tables to kids by simple examples like cutting-up food into portions to share among friends and family, playing multiplication Bingo or Snap to handling money in various situations and numerous other real-life scenarios. This engages curious minds allowing them to apply multiplications on a day-to-day basis.

 

While emphasising on the importance of being able to recall times tables at primary school age, Nick Gibb, the Minister of State for School Standards said, “It is vital that all children can grasp and master arithmetic while they are still at primary school. If we fail children at this early stage, the risk is they will never catch up”.

 

Some of the benefits of knowing times tables early on are:

 

Learning one times tables helps learn the other combinations

Knowing one set of basic tables allows pupils to understand and remember combinations of others too. For example, when students know 2 x 4= 8, they can easily understand 20 x 40 = 800, similarly they can work out 20 / 4 = 5. If they know 4 x 5 = 20. Hence, multiplication tables form the building blocks for advanced concepts.

 

Helps mental arithmetic

Memorising multiplication tables enables students to work out problems quicker in their heads. It also enables them to add, subtract and divide faster.

 

Increases confidence

Knowing their tables gives 11+ pupils the confidence to tackle more complex problems faster without having to use their fingers. This will prepare them for 11+ grammar school exams and more competitive examinations like SATs and ease them into secondary curriculum.

 

Jean Humphrys, Interim Director Education and Care at Ofsted said a range of methods could be used to teach times tables but that the teaching must be “rigorous”. Hence, teachers often consider fluent recall of multiplication tables as an essential prerequisite to success in 11+ grammar school exams.

11+ Prep Resources: Times Tables

For all these very valid reasons, it is important that pupils are fluent in their calculations with regards to multiplication tables before they leave primary school especially when they are going for 11+ grammar school exams and 11+ admissions. After all, it is key for children to have all the important tools of arithmetic at their fingertips for every academic success.

We have some simple tools here to help you test your proficiency with multiplication tables. Why not give it a go? You may also want to read more about 11+ Exam Prep: Group Tutoring vs One-to-one Tutoring here.

 

If you are looking for maths tuition in Basingstoke or help with 11+ grammar schools exams, we have some of the best tutors in Basingstoke to help you excel at Maths. Please book a free assessment or get in touch.

 

References:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/8886480/Times-tables-key-to-good-maths-inspectors-say.html

11 plus grammar school tuition near me

11+ Exam Prep: Group Tutoring vs One-to-One Tutoring

Why does Achievers’ Academy provide 11+ grammar school group tuition rather than just 11+ private tutoring?

 

In a world driven by international competition, it is extremely critical to hone the skills and knowledge to be able to compete in the game. There is no doubt that giving a child the best education provides them the tools to climb the ladder, endowing them a lifetime of success.

 

At Achievers’ Academy, we offer 11+ grammar school exams tuition where children learn in a small group setting. All our 11+ exam tuition courses embed a competitive nature and empower our 11+ students to strive for excellence. In addition, our 11+ grammar school group tuition allows your child to go above and beyond others. Hence, pushing the child’s capabilities and enhancing their skills for the future.

11+ group tutoring vs 11+ private tutoring: Which one is better?

Here we will discuss the facets of the argument between 11+ grammar school group tuition vs 11+ private tuition or 11+ private one to one tutoring. Let us share how we are able to provide both to help your child with 11+ grammar school exams and 11+ admissions.

 

11+ Private Tutoring

For some, 11+ private one to one tutoring is attractive due to the attention that the child might not otherwise get in 11+ group tuition. 11+ private tutoring allows personalised 11+ exams preparation and teaching for students so they can learn at their own pace. This will enable the child to grasp the topics, improving their understanding and knowledge. However, due to the one-to-one nature of 11+ private tuition, the pace of the learning could be slower as the student is not pushed to excel by the peers around them. As a result, having a customised 11+ private tuition approach may result in missing out vital topics that the child needs to cover for a broad and in depth understanding of the course.

 

11+ Group Tutoring

Our 11+ grammar school group tuition allows the child to strive to be the best amongst like-minded people, installing a competitive streak within, which is vital for them to achieve their goals. Whether the child is preparing for 11+ or higher levels such as SATS, 13+, GCSEs or A-Levels, the presence of other people in a classroom allows for peer group discussion and provides a natural push and encouragement for each student to perform better at 11+ exams. At Achievers’ Academy, we have groups of maximum 10 -12 children that is optimum for 11+ grammar school tuition. This 11+ small group tuition setting maintains a formality and enables us to keep good teacher-student relationship at the same time. In this 11+ small group tuition setting,  the child can be open and need not be afraid of making mistakes. Moreover, 11+ group tutoring also provides an opportunity for the child to broaden their circle of peers, creating friendships with people that also want to strive for success.

 

11+ Group Tutoring Course Benefits for 11+ Exam Prep

During the child’s education journey there comes a time when they must start to learn to be self-sufficient and have control over their own path and education. 11+ one-one private tuition can deter children from the discipline over their journey and lead to overindulgence from both tutor and parents.

 

At Achievers’ Academy, we teach 11+ students how to develop their skillset to be independent and guide each child on their way to success. Our 11+ grammar courses and teaching aims to challenge the students, whilst best preparing them for 11+ exams. Our 11+ grammar school tuition in small group setting provides the optimal outcomes for the child to prosper.

 

11+ grammar school exams tuition: What’s right for you?

Children are constantly growing and being exposed to different environments and issues which allows them to grow as individuals. We want our students to become accustomed with various topics that develop understanding and their worldly view. An analysis by the Education Endowment Foundation suggests that this way of teaching enables ‘benefits on attainment… in addition to improvements on behaviour and attitudes’,[1] strengthening the argument for group study.

 

Hence, we provide a wide range of texts in 11+ English Tuition and real-life problems in 11+ Maths Tuition to show the importance of outside the classroom knowledge. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is founded upon the belief that children have great cognitive abilities,[2] which are enhanced when they are pushed and given opportunities to excel. Classrooms and formal schooling are a direct application of his theory,[3] proving that children become more experienced individuals when surrounded by like-minded people. Our 11+ prep classes allow for wide discussion, which allows children to reason with others, think logically and form succinct arguments, which builds their cognitive skills to be better equipped in the world.

 

Though 11+ group tuition has many benefits, sometimes students do prosper with one-to-one attention and 11+ private tutoring may be better for their needs. The child can understand a particular topic better when not under the pressure of a classroom. To combat this issue, Achievers’ Academy provides additional 1-to-1 aid to our 11+ students, where we go through individual topics in detail to make them proficient and up to speed with the rest of the group.

 

Furthermore, we take pride in our system that can be tailored to each child, as we know them personally and can give our best support to enable them to reach their goals. Parents of our 11+ students are self-assured in our ability of this as we produce growth in students’ year in year out, providing quality teaching and astute, able students.

 

To conclude, Achievers’ Academy provides 11+ grammar school exam group tuition for the 11+ preparation. We believe 11+ group tutoring is beneficial for students academically and socially. It develops not only knowledge and depth of understanding but soft skills such as discussion and reasoning, which is the most important tool to carry in life. Though 11+ private tuition and one-to-one tutoring has its strengths, and we are able to provide this where children fall behind the class, group tuition advantages outweigh those of private tuition, as we believe that it is vital to be encouraged by others in class to strive for excellence.

Wondering what is better for your child? Please get in touch with us at

 

References:

[1] Education Endowment Foundation, https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/reducing-class-size, 2018

 

[2] A spotlight on the stages of child development, https://www.superprof.co.uk/blog/tutoring-for-young-children/, 2018

 

[3] Piaget’s theory of cognitive development on children, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_development

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