Tag Archive for: concession facilitator

5 Helpful Responses To Your Child’s Report Card

/0 Comments/in /by

How to respond to your child’s report

Report card

It’s that time of year – the much anticipated (or dreaded) school report card will be coming home soon. As a parent, it’s often difficult to know how to respond to poor results, and how you do may impact your child more than you realize. Here are 5 helpful responses to your child’s report card: 

1. Talk to your child’s teacher 

If your child performed poorly in a certain subject, and you aren’t sure why, contact their teacher to ascertain whether this is due to not understanding the concepts, or some other aspect. You could also ask for an idea of how their peers performed, and where they rank on this scale. 

Social issues, learning problems or even something as simple as needing glasses could be affecting your child’s grades, and their teacher should be able to provide insight into this. 

2. Talk to your child Talk to your child about their report

Maybe they hate the subject, or don’t understand the teacher. Maybe they are being bullied, or don’t like their school or classmates. You will gain far more from talking to your child to understand what is going on in their lives and minds. Above all, do not disregard their feelings. Talk to them about how you could work together to improve their grades. 

 

3. Re-evaluate your own expectations 

If your child has one B on an otherwise straight-A report card, this may not be the issue you think it is. Are you being too hard on your child? You want the best for them, and for their future, which is why you push them, but be sure you don’t push them to the point of burnout. 

4. Reward your child Reward your child

Your child worked hard, and deserves praise for their achievements. Highlight areas where you are proud of their achievements, and celebrate with them in some small way – this could be taking them for an ice cream, or to see a movie, or just some quality time. Children want you to be proud of them, and will work hard for this, so make sure they know that you are. 

5. Arrange extra support 

BrightSparkz can help!

If your child is facing any kind of academic difficulties, they may need extra support. Contact BrightSparkz Tutors to arrange for a private, personalized tutor, or to arrange a session with our Edu-Coach to better understand why your child is struggling. Your child may need assistance in writing exams, such as a reader/scribe, or they may be lacking study skills that could be resulting in poor exam results. Whatever the reason, BrightSparkz offers a range of services that will help your child succeed. Contact us today! 

 

 

Written by: Tessa Cooper, BrightSparkz Contributor

Tutor Of The Month: Jade van Biljon

/0 Comments/in /by

 Jade van Biljon - IT Tutor - Maths Tutor

Jade is our August 2017 Tutor of the Month!

Jade is currently studying a BSc. in Information Technology at the Pearson Institute for Higher Education, and last year she completed a Higher Certificate in Systems Engineering at the same institution. She achieved 5 distinctions for Matric, graduating Cum Laude. Jade has been an IT and Maths tutor to our learners since the start of 2016, and we’ve had excellent feedback from her clients. Jade is always friendly and helpful, and willing to assist her clients. She is a bubbly person, with a real passion for working as a tutor.

Her advice for students? “Develop a passion for learning – when you do, it will never cease to grow!”

Erin’s clients have the following to say about her: 

“Unaisah loved working with Jade, she is amazing.”
 
“Lisa has done very well in her IT – 94%, and we are very thankful to Jade.”

 

To get your own amazing tutor, click here.

Tutor Of The Month: Erin Miller

/0 Comments/in /by

 Get your own amazing tutor!

Erin is our July 2017 Tutor of the Month!

Erin matriculated from St Andrews School for Girls in 2014 with excellent results all-round, and is currently in her 3rd year of a BA Psychology degree at the University of Pretoria. She is truly passionate about education and would like to teach special needs children once she qualifies. Erin joined BrightSparkz Tutors in 2016 and has gone over and above to prove herself as both an incredibly reliable, focussed and enthusiastic tutor and Concession Facilitator. She is always willing to help, even at short notice, and is constantly going the extra mile for her learners and clients. Erin has worked with more than seven of our clients (tutoring and exam concession clients) over the past year. All of her clients have been immediately willing to provide wonderful feedback and phenomenal testimonies for Erin as an outstanding tutor, as well as a mentor to their children. Erin – thank you for being exceptional! We are so proud to have you as part of our dynamic team!

Erin’s clients have the following to say about her: 

“As always the facilitators were punctual and very professional. Once again a pleasant experience liaising with all!”

“My concession facilitators were very friendly, kind and professional. They made me comfortable and calm when I was anxious about tests and exams. Your team is perfect!”

 

To get your own amazing tutor, click here.

Concession Facilitators: Making exams less stressful!

/2 Comments/in /by

What does a Concession Facilitator do?

At BrightSparkz, our Concession Facilitators (readers, scribes and prompters) ensure that all students have simple, smooth, and stress-free test and exam periods. By providing direct and personalized instruction alongside high-end proficiency in transcribing talent, a BrightSparkz Concession Facilitator ensures that your knowledge is truly reflected in the written component of your test or exam and that every aspect is addressed in a detailed and transparent manner. Concessions Facilitators also ensure that the instructions, questions, and any additional, relevant information are all highlighted and effectively presented to maximize academic performance.

To learn more check out our Ultimate Guide to Concessions and Accommodations

Readers

  • They dictate questions, sources, and instructions to ensure clarity and comprehension.
  • Having a reader will ensure that you hear every aspect of the question! This reduces the chance of mistakes and skipping parts of questions, and improves your ability to answer optimally.
  • Readers are a great help for any students with dyslexia, in addition to those with other special needs conditions that impair textual and visual reception.

Scribes

  • These highly skilled writers will transcribe your dictated work in a neat and professional manner, therefore ensuring you peace of mind.
  • Having a scribe will allow you to focus entirely on constructing your answer. You then simply dictate your words to the scribe who writes it down diligently and efficiently.
  • Scribes provide invaluable assistance to any students who qualify for writing allowances, including cases of arm and hand injuries.

Book a Concession Facilitator today!

Prompters

  • A prompter, or learning aid, sits with you in a test and/or examination and assists you with focus and time management.
  • Before a test or exam, you and the prompter will decide on a cue that they will give you (like tapping your shoulder, saying your name or holding up a coloured card) to indicate that you need to bring your attention back to the exam.
  • Prompters are normally used by learners with severe anxiety or ADD/ADHD, as well as students with more than one barrier to learning or who need both a reader and a scribe.

Personal Assistants

  • A personal assistant assists you in personal and/or practical ways during an examination or test, like turning a page or moving a computer mouse.
  • Normally, you will know your personal assistant.
  • A personal assistant is prescribed in the case of physical barriers to learning, including physical disabilities.

Invigilators

  • An invigilator supervises and controls an examination to make sure it’s fair.
  • If you have an additional concession, you will also need an invigilator. Sometimes this can be the same person.
  • If you are home schooled, you are likely to need an invigilator to oversee all your tests and exams. 

Endless Benefits!

BrightSparkz Tutors can provide you with experienced and talented Concession Facilitators to ensure that your tests and examinations reflect your true capability. With over 10 years of tutor-matching experience, BrightSparkz has assisted with more than 500 hours of concessions facilitation over the past 2 years. Learners have experienced a substantial increase in their academic performance and marks, as well as reduced stress levels. This has resulted in learners and students excelling at their studies in a way that highlights their true potential, and even exceeding expectation. Book a Concession Facilitator now.

What our Clients have to say

Friday’s exam went well. Both Munira and Nwabisa were waiting for Taryn and Kayla when they arrived at college. They both read well and clearly. Kayla mentioned that it was Nwabisa’s first time reading as she had only scribed previously, and that her reading was good and very clear. Both my girls felt very comfortable with them.

– Rowena, Durban North

Overall I give BrightSparkz a perfect 10/10 rating! The admin team were amazing as was my Writer. The test went really well and the admin team got back to me super quickly and assured me of a Writer. Amazing service and I couldn’t ask for better. 10/10! :)

– Aiden, Sandton

Written By: Filipp Stoliarov, BrightSparkz Tutor & Concessions Facilitator – Cape Town