My son did not finish his Algebra Curriculum during last school year. As a homeschooler, his class allowed him to move at his own pace. However, he needs to finish the curriculum this summer or start over in the fall. Since he is just going into 9th grade, it would not hurt him to start from scratch, as he would end up with a better understanding of the course. Still, He chose to finish the curriculum this summer.
In watching him perform in Algebra over the last year, I noticed that he is still having problems taking tests. As explained by Lynn Newton in the Education blog, he has some real issues with test anxiety. Interestingly enough, these issues are not as bad when he tests at home versus when he tests in a classroom setting. In fact, I noticed a 15-point test score difference between tests taken in classes to tests taken at home.
I had a talk with him about why he thinks he has much better results at home. He says that when he is in a classroom taking a math test, he has a hard time concentrating because there are so many things going on in the room. At home, he can go into a room where no one else is and take his test in peace. In addition, he can take more breaks at home and has less time constraints. He is not shy about taking breaks either. I could give him a test at 9am and not get it back until 1pm. In addition to taking the test, he may also stop to walk the dog, play a few songs on the piano, and even cook himself a meal. Such breaks would never be allowed, or even possible in public school.
Now I realize that as a rising 9th grader, who is college bound, my son needs to get over his test anxiety in the near future, and I will be implementing many of Lynn’s ideas to help him. Meanwhile, and at least this summer, he has a better chance of having good results through the remainder of the Algebra course and his self esteem in his math abilities will definitely improve.
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