4 types of assessment books on the market
Identify what your child needs - whether he requires a guide book, one for revision,for extra practice, or just to gauge his ability - before heading for the bookshop
ASSESSMENT books can be used for four main purposes: a guide book supplementing a textbook, for revision, for extra practice, and to test if a child knows his work.
Education experts explain how to identify the right assessment books for children:
As a guide
A CHILD who does not understand a topic will benefit from a guide book.
An assessment book serving as a guide book will have the usual quizzes at the end of each chapter, but it will also explain the theories and formulas the child needs to know.
Good guides will give summaries of key points. The better guides - especially for science - will also give accurate and detailed 'concept maps' showing the connection between key ideas in a topic.
They do not simply regurgitate what is in the textbook, but help explain them further. And they offer information in simple language.
Some, such as examination guides, come in convenient pocket sizes and offer short notes for the child to recall easily.
For revision
THESE books should have key information presented in a simple and clear way, such as in point form, to help remind the child of what needs to be known.
Some revision notes have no worked examples of problems showing how to answer questions. This is fine, as long as there are summaries, easy-to-understand diagrams and pictures that are well-labelled.
Those worked examples showing model solutions let the child check against his own answers.
A parent can also use the worked solutions to explain the answers to his child.
Some children prefer books with pictures and diagrams, as they make understanding easier and learning more interesting.
To practise to perfection
THESE books let the child practise in a particular area or refine his technique in answering questions.
Choose those with many questions, rather than those with many revision notes but few
exercises for practice.
The questions could be set by topic (for instance, algebra, atoms and molecules, active and passive voices), by type (for example, multiple choice, structured questions, essays), or by test (such as the 10-year-series assessment books, which offer test papers compiled within a 10-year period).
By tackling the various types of questions, the child will become familiar with different question formats and gain confidence for real tests in school.
Revision notes are usually excluded, because these books assume the child has already understood the concepts.
Such books should be used to reinforce his knowledge rather than to revise a subject.
The repetitive exercises sharpen the child's ability to respond to a similar question during examinations.
To gauge ability
IF YOU want to use the book to find out the areas the child might need to pay more attention to, choose a book that assesses his overall knowledge of the subject and his ability to answer the questions correctly.
So if the book has a series of tests which the child cannot complete in the given time, the parent can review which section has slowed him down.
Take science, where students often lose marks for structured questions because they do not know how to phrase their answers. Look for assessment books that pose a similar type of questions and use them to test the quality of the child's solutions over time.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
The Straits Times: 26 July 2004
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