NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (Diploma)
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Artume:
Yes, this is true for the Sciences and Math when I went for the Open house and talked to some of the current students. I talked to more than 10 students as I felt that its the best way to get true responses of the standard of teaching. They were all praises for the quality of teaching and help they get for the Sciences and Mathematics.Students generally do not go for enrichment/tuition classes. To be honest, it is difficult to find a suitable tuition class for NUSH students. We may be learning JC Physics material in Year 3, and then learning O level content in Year 4. Teachers provide consultation for students who need them after classes, both upon request or when the teacher deem that the student needs extra help.
Regarding sciences, all sciences will be taught every year. The fact that only textbooks for some subjects are in the book list is because that there is no recommended text for the other subjects. Teachers will teach according to lecture notes given out during lessons. Textbooks are supposed to be read by students at home, though occasionally there are some assignments or exercises that are to be referred to the textbooks.
But when queried about English, 90% of the responses was that they needed to go for tuition/enrichment as they could not improve with the standard of teaching in NUSH. When queried why they didn't go for consults like they did for Math/Sci, they seemed hesitant to answer and after probing more, it seemed that the students are not confident of how the English teachers could help. They didn't badmouth the English teachers but their body language and how they replied gave me the impression that the quality of English teaching is quite worrisome. Also looking at an essay(or sth along that line, could not remember where I placed it) publication by NUSH, I am not very impressed with the depth of thoughts shown but this may also pertain to the fact(please correct if I am wrong) that when NUSH admits students, they do not take into account the language standard of the students.
I forgot to find out about the humanities though.... -
try:
That's new to me. I had not known any of my friends going to English tuition. A few do go to mother tongue tuition, though.Yes, this is true for the Sciences and Math when I went for the Open house and talked to some of the current students. I talked to more than 10 students as I felt that its the best way to get true responses of the standard of teaching. They were all praises for the quality of teaching and help they get for the Sciences and Mathematics.
But when queried about English, 90% of the responses was that they needed to go for tuition/enrichment as they could not improve with the standard of teaching in NUSH. When queried why they didn't go for consults like they did for Math/Sci, they seemed hesitant to answer and after probing more, it seemed that the students are not confident of how the English teachers could help. They didn't badmouth the English teachers but their body language and how they replied gave me the impression that the quality of English teaching is quite worrisome. Also looking at an essay(or sth along that line, could not remember where I placed it) publication by NUSH, I am not very impressed with the depth of thoughts shown but this may also pertain to the fact(please correct if I am wrong) that when NUSH admits students, they do not take into account the language standard of the students.
I forgot to find out about the humanities though....
I think one of the main reason that some students do not like the English education here is that English is taught somewhat differently from other subjects. Mathematics and sciences are really adapted for the learning environment that the school is trying to foster, and English is perhaps to a much less extent. I would gladly admit that the average English capability in NUSH is perhaps less than that of other top schools, such as RI. I agree with you that it is also probably influenced by the intake profile, where we focus on mathematics and science.
In my opinion, English education is in no way neglected. One quirk that I've found is that the credits for English weighs roughly 1/7 of our overall grade, which is actually higher than that of A level students (GP is 1/9 of UAS).
With regards to humanities, it would be similar to English as you might expect. The school do invest resources and provide opportunities for students to take part in humanities program. The way humanities is taught is also different from that of mainstream, at least for economics. My economics teacher is formerly a economics teacher for mainstream JC. He remarked that our curriculum contains significantly less \"essay practice\" and more research and application (compulsory 2 years research project for economics, I suspect it's the same for other humanities too). Humanities subject, should students take them in Y5 and Y6, do not fall short of the content expected of an A level student, though the skill set acquired may be different.
Edit: Given that we are still a relatively young school (10 year anniversary next year, yay), syllabus are still being tweaked. What may be true to me may not apply 4 years down the road. -
1. English, Humanities & MT in NUSH is benchmarked to mainstream standards, with MT being an exact copy while EL & Humanities are modified to fit the NUSH context.
2. English education WILL be compromised in NUSH, compared to other top schools. Much less drilling, practice, and emphasis in NUSH. If you are good in English, you will still be good; but if you are not, you will probably not improve much compared to your JC peers. This will be an issue in university years, when significant amounts of writing are expected.
3. "A problem" with the system in NUSH is that there is no standardized exam to benchmark the students, and each teacher is given significant leeway to develop their own lessons without the need to adhere to a strict syllabus. If the teacher is good, then this is excellent; but if the teacher is sub-par, then quality of learning suffers. This was a problem in the first few batches. They’ve been trying to improve this issue the last few years by bringing in more NIE-trained teachers.
4. MT is completely de-emphasised. It is seen as a "pass and forget" subject, albeit a subject that will still affect your CAP significantly. Standards are definitely significantly lower than mainstream. -
Jtalk seems to know the system well
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Jfalk:
I feel compelled to reply to jfalk's comment as it seemed to transmit a negative message about NUSH. While what jfalk said may not be totally untrue but I think it is probably not taken in the correct perspective. The languages and humanities may have 'taken a back seat' because being a \"Maths & Science\" specialised school, one should expect greater emphasis in these subjects. Thus, the kids who chose NUSH are majority ones with great interests and can excel in these areas.1. English, Humanities & MT in NUSH is benchmarked to mainstream standards, with MT being an exact copy while EL & Humanities are modified to fit the NUSH context.
2. English education WILL be compromised in NUSH, compared to other top schools. Much less drilling, practice, and emphasis in NUSH. If you are good in English, you will still be good; but if you are not, you will probably not improve much compared to your JC peers. This will be an issue in university years, when significant amounts of writing are expected.
3. \"A problem\" with the system in NUSH is that there is no standardized exam to benchmark the students, and each teacher is given significant leeway to develop their own lessons without the need to adhere to a strict syllabus. If the teacher is good, then this is excellent; but if the teacher is sub-par, then quality of learning suffers. This was a problem in the first few batches. They've been trying to improve this issue the last few years by bringing in more NIE-trained teachers.
4. MT is completely de-emphasised. It is seen as a \"pass and forget\" subject, albeit a subject that will still affect your CAP significantly. Standards are definitely significantly lower than mainstream.
Much like the other specialised schools, the intent was to provide an avenue for kids to be able to develop and pursue their interests/talent earlier and more in-depth in their lives (not saying good or not but more if the child wishes to).
In the case of science, for e.g., the year 1s would have covered some topics from \"O\" level std. For the exceptional 'geniuses', they can be offered the 'super highway' and take maths at a level higher than their peers, even at NUS level.
As compared with mainstream secondary schools, e.g. year 1s take 3 science subjects compared with only 1. This thus translate to lesser time for humanities. But as the child progresses, s/he will be able to specialise in humanities and economics during their first 4 years.
As with almost all schools, there are bound to be better and less than ideal teachers. But I am glad my dd enjoys her languages as much as her other subjects, although she does comment that several of her classmates 'hated' CMT (then again, how unusual is this?).
It is common assumption that all NUSH graduates end up being scientists. But this is only if the child chooses so. There are several that I have heard choosing to go for law, for e.g.
Having a child each in NUSH and main stream, my 2 cents' worth is to look beyond COP, focus on your dc's strengths and interests instead. If your dc develops other interests later on, the options will be there, much like any other schools. At least for ourselves, we do not think the options for my kids will be different in the future.
Lastly, I wish to add that the best thing I appreciate about NUSH is they keep the admin stuff mainly to the beginning of the year and for the rest of the year, all focus is on the curriculum for the kids. No lengthy or multi-paged instructions to us parents! -
piggybank:
Jtalk seems to know the system well
your DS did'nt make it to NUSH with a 254 ... -
Anyone been to DSTA / DSO or any other Scholarship interview ? Can please share what are some of the typical questions ask ? TIA
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Let me share my view on the teaching and standard of English languages and humanities …
Although NUSH is a maths & science school, certainly there is no lacking in emphasis or standard as far as the teaching and English languages & humanities are concerned. Being an affiliate of NUS, they do follow a set of guidelines and curriculum which I understood from NUS English languages departments. Hence I am surprise by some remarks here …
My older DD completed her "O" level mainstream in a girl school that traditionally emphasis the teaching of good written/spoken english and she scored distinction for her both english and literature. My younger one has so far completed 3 years of English languages and humanities in NUSH. so I do have a basis for comparison. Certainly there are no lacking in standards or demands required of NUSH students …In fact in some areas they far exceed the typical "O" level requirements…
Jfalk (believe is an ex-NUSH student) is absolutely correct. If you are already good in languages and keen on humanities, you will do well and continue to excel in these areas regardless of whether in NUSH or in another top JC.
An observation: Although smaller in their cohort, you will find that most girls in NUSH will continue to do better than the guys in their final CAP because of their strength in language and humanities. -
dagong99:
Anyone been to DSTA / DSO or any other Scholarship interview ? Can please share what are some of the typical questions ask ? TIA
DD went for A*STAR scholarship awards. Typically ,they ask about personal stuff eg your interest and how you view certain things etc. Important thing is to be sincere and confident. -
This year NUS High has 6 yr 1 classes. Each class is about 21 to 23 students. The total number of new intakes is either 132 or 136, I can’t remember exactly. This is a small cohort.
My dd got into NUS High this year and she is very excited about it. My elder dd graduated from NUS High a year ago and is in NUS Science faculty now. My elder dd did not go for any tuition in her 6 years in NUS High, as we found that she is already busy enough with her curriculum. She dropped her third language in year 2 as she is finding it hard to cope.
I would like to congratulate those who got into NUS High this year. Just make sure your dc hand in their homework and do well in the small tests conducted, they are already half way passing the subject as homework and tests are all counted in the score. Unlike other schools which takes "O" and "A" level that have a national examination taken one time. NUS High graded their students very much like in many tertiary education where the students homework, tests and exam are all part of the grading system. All my dds likes this grading system than to depend on only one exam. Please note I am not saying "O" or "A" level is not good, but it is my dds preference.
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