Testing anxiety can be effectively addressed - and it is often not the underlying issue standing in your child’s way
With other tutoring companies, “testing-anxiety” often gets blamed for a student’s disappointing test-day performance when, really, the student was not truly prepared in terms of the material or didn’t receive the help they needed to perform at their best under test-day circumstances.
In scenarios in which the student hasn't truly learned the material, the student will get questions right during the lessons but not until they are 100% confident about their answers, or the tutor will fail to take into account all of the variations for how a topic might be presented on the actual test. At Tannenbaum Tutors, in complete contrast, we make sure that our students have memorized how to do the questions as well as they have memorized their own phone number and make sure that they are familiar with all of the ways a particular topic might be presented.
To make sure students are prepared for the day of the actual test, we offer in-person, proctored tests - tests put out by the actual test-maker - with other students in the room, holding the tests in the morning around the time of day students take the actual test. Before the practice tests, our proctors go over exactly what will take place in the testing room for the day of the actual test.
We also offer a host of effective tips for ensuring that students stay relaxed and confident.
Tutors should utilize the benefits of technology while avoiding its potential downsides
Technology can greatly enhance your child’s learning experience. During an online test-prep session, for example, a tutor can have at their fingertips eight or nine test-prep books, along with dozens of practice tests and a large amount of supplemental materials saved to their computer, allowing for an amazing level of tailoring based on the needs of the individual student. Additionally, we often use online learning-skills assessments that provide amazingly precise information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses.
At the same time, however, we are mindful of technology’s potential downsides and make sure that we proceed in a way that doesn’t involve a student excessively looking at a screen.
A standardized test is more than just "a stupid test".
Standardized tests often get a bad rap, but they assess students on skills and knowledge valuable for life in general. Grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, making logical inferences from charts and graphs, mental agility when tackling a difficult question - all of these things are helpful in contexts outside of the classroom.
That said, our approach to standardized test prep combines making sure that your child knows all of the tactics and strategies specific to the standardized test for which they are preparing with strengthening their academic knowledge base.
Academic tutoring should include a focus on helping your child become their own successful advocate in the classroom
When a student gets a less than desirable grade in school, it is often, to a certain extent, because of a strain or hole in their relationship with their teacher. We believe that tutoring should involve more than just filling in the skills and knowledge gaps and go beyond by incorporating guidance for the student on how to respectfully and confidently engage with their teacher. In our experience, even when a student has a negative relationship with a teacher, with carefully thought out advice, the student’s relationship with the teacher can vastly improve.
Academic tutoring needs to be both idealistic and pragmatic
We will always show your child what we sincerely believe is the best way to go about an assignment or a question on a test in school. We owe that to both you and your child. That said, if a teacher told your child to go about an assignment or a question in a way different from what we advise, and your child stands to receive a worse grade than they otherwise would if they don’t follow the teacher’s preferences, we will encourage your child to present to their teacher what the teacher wants, while, at the same time, making sure that your child understands and has fully memorized what we are confident makes the most sense for doing the work.
Overpreparation is often a key to success
While the makers of standardized tests often recycle questions, with every administration of a standardized test there will be at least some questions that have never shown up on the test before. Therefore, a key part of the test-prep process is anticipating what might be on the test, presenting students with questions that cover content that has a reasonable chance of showing up. This need for overpreparation is also the case when a teacher puts on their quizzes and tests material that was not taught in class.