THE
11 PLUS - SURVIVING THE TRANSFER TEST
When
11 plus results day finally arrive it’s
not just the children that are anxious. Parents too will be concerned
about the result, and how their child will feel, whatever the grade.
We talked
to a school principal and a clinical psychologist about how to
handle the result and what to do next.
Helping our children
survive the transfer test
Information sheet prepared
by Roger Bailey – BSC MSc C Psychol.
AFBPsS, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
1 Ensure that you let your child know that they are valued and
loved.
2 Recognise the effort that they have put into the procedure,
their own “personal best” achievement. They have
shown self discipline in their study, worked to achieve something
they wanted, overcome their nerves and subjected themselves to
public competition with their peers. These are things to recognise
and praise unconditionally in every case.
3 Assure them that you still believe in them, in their ability
to succeed and attain their goals.
4 Celebrate and point out all the positive things your child
brings to the family and will take on into the world, their skills
and abilities, kindness, sense of humour, sporting ability, musical
or artistic abilities, times they have helped others. Think of
the different aspects of intelligence and point out where their
particular strengths lie, praise and recognise their different
abilities and positive attributes. Remember that so far they
have only been tested on linguistic and logical-mathematical
ability, only two out of (at least) seven recognised areas of
ability.
5 Recognise your own feelings, if you are disappointed, afraid
for the future, or angry with the whole procedure then explain
your feelings to your children (younger children may have to
face this procedure in the future, they need to be reassured
as well). It is better to label your feelings by stating “I
am upset because I think you deserved more” or “I
am upset because you are upset”.
6 Talk to your child, find out how they are feeling and discuss
their fears or hopes for the future. If they have not done as
well as they hoped, try to understand what this means to them.
Reassure them that the desire to succeed is what is important,
they can still attain their goals, encourage their hopes and
aspirations.
7 All our children face a big change, the transition from one
school to another, larger and possibly intimidating. Change can
be threatening in lots of ways, new environments, teachers and
friends. Remind your child that it can be rewarding, offers new
opportunities and is a sign of being more “grown up”.
8 Help your child to celebrate their achievements in graduating
from one tier of education to another, remind them of all they
have achieved since they first went to primary school, the skills
they have learned, the challenges they have taken on and conquered.
Reading, writing and mathematics seem commonplace now, but in
reality these basic skills have taken years of hard work to develop!
9 Remind
your child that you are with them, beside them every step of the
way in this new challenge. Despite the eager way
in which all children strive to be more “grown up”,
they are aware of their own vulnerability, and need to be reassured
that parents will be close by to offer love and support, a listening
ear and a hug.
Types of intelligence, where do your strenghts lie?
Psychologist Howard Gardner identified the following distinct
types intelligence.
Visual/Spatial Intelligence
Ability to perceive the visual. These learners tend to think in
pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information.
They enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies.
Their skills include: puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding
charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting,
creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual
arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical
objects, interpreting visual images.
Possible career interests: navigators, sculptors, visual artists,
inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, engineers
Verbal/Linguistic
Intelligence
Ability to use words and language. These learners have highly developed
auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers. They think
in words rather than pictures.
Their skills include: listening, speaking, writing, story telling,
explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and
meaning of words, remembering information, convincing someone of
their point of view, analyzing language usage.
Possible career interests: Poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer,
politician, translator
Logical/Mathematical
Intelligence
Ability to use reason, logic and numbers. These learners think
conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections
between pieces of information. Always curious about the world around
them, these learner ask lots of questions and like to do experiments.
Their skills include: problem solving, classifying and categorizing
information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship
of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make local
progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering
about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations,
working with geometric shapes
Possible career paths: Scientists, engineers, computer programmers,
researchers, accountants, mathematicians
Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence
Ability to control body movements and handle objects skillfully.
These learners express themselves through movement. They have a
good sense of balance and eye-hand co-ordination. (e.g. ball play,
balancing beams). Through interacting with the space around them,
they are able to remember and process information.
Their skills include: dancing, physical co-ordination, sports,
hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting,
miming, using their hands to create or build, expressing emotions
through the body
Possible career paths: Athletes, physical education teachers, dancers,
actors, firefighters, artisans
Musical/Rhythmic
Intelligence
Ability to produce and appreciate music. These musically inclined
learners think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They immediately
respond to music either appreciating or criticizing what they hear.
Many of these learners are extremely sensitive to environmental
sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps).
Their skills include: singing, whistling, playing musical instruments,
recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies,
understanding the structure and rhythm of music
Possible career paths: musician, disc jockey, singer, composer
Interpersonal Intelligence
Ability to relate and understand others. These learners try to
see things from other people's point of view in order to understand
how they think and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to
sense feelings, intentions and motivations. They are great organizers,
although they sometimes resort to manipulation. Generally they
try to maintain peace in group settings and encourage co-operation.They
use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal language (e.g. eye
contact, body language) to open communication channels with others.
Their skills include: seeing things from other perspectives (dual-perspective),
listening, using empathy, understanding other people's moods and
feelings, counseling, co-operating with groups, noticing people's
moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both verbally
and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution,
establishing positive relations with other people.
Possible Career Paths: Counselor, salesperson, politician, business
person
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Ability to self-reflect and be aware of one's inner state of being.
These learners try to understand their inner feelings, dreams,
relationships with others, and strengths and weaknesses.
Their Skills include: Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses,
reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings,
desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning
with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others
Possible Career Paths: Researchers, theorists, philosophers
According to Gardner, the implication of the theory is that learning/teaching
should focus on the particular intelligences of each person.
For example, if an individual has strong spatial or musical intelligences,
they should be encouraged to develop these abilities. Gardner
points out that the different intelligences represent not only
different subject matter, but also different modalities of learning.
A further implication of the theory is that assessment of abilities
should measure all forms of intelligence, not just linguistic
and logical-mathematical.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice.
NY: Basic Books.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NORTHERN IRELAND
RATHGAEL HOUSE,
43 BALLOO ROAD,
BANGOR CO DOWN BT19 7PR
TEL: 028 9127 9279
FAX: 028 9127 9100
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