2015 PSLE Discussion and Strategies

[lego]

Ilye:

Thanks lego and TA for the reply. My DS is staying back for extra lessons 4 times a week, 2 days up to 3.15pm and another 2 days up to 5pm since early this year. He seems to be so busy everyday with all the supplementary, remedial, homework and tuitions, left with no time to do his own revision. The problem is, i don't see improvement to any of his subjects, he is still weak in all subjects despite all the school's supplementary, remedial and tuition class, he even fall his EL... I don't know whether should I continue him with the current arrangement or should i withdraw him from all the supplementary, remedial and tuition class in order to do own revision at home? i have discussed with him, but he doesn't like the idea of withdrawing from the supplementary, remedial and tuition class, in fact he is the one who asked for all the extra tuition. i feel so lost and worry now...

Hi Ilye, you must be very worried, posting this at 2 a.m. in the morning. :hugs:

I understand that dd was doing past year PSLE papers and sometimes other schools' practice papers under exam conditions (timed) during the supplementary classes. The teachers went thru the answers with them in class and I consider those exercises as beneficial to her, so I did not stop her from attending.

I did ask dd to skip some extra papers that were given out by her Maths Teacher every week
(which they did not go thru the papers in class but the teacher post the answers online), so that we can have time for our own revision.

I don't have the answers for you. I just want to say take comfort that you have a ds who has a very good attitude towards his studies. Be there to support him, 加油！

[mummyxoxo]

Hi, I am here to share with all of you some good advice for PSLE preparation (this is passed on from my dd’s tutor, think it will be useful):


1. Get all the basics right first- if your child is particularly weak in the chapter (eg. speed), drill in that component (practising on the basic and commonly-tested questions) first. Make sure your child is at least 80% sure of that chapter before proceeding on

2. After basics are settled, tackle exam paper. Exam papers serve as an overall revision to know the standard of the child, which part is she still weak in etc. However, for every subject, one to two paper per week will suffice (don’t need to do paper everyday, most importantly, your child must learn from every paper she has done)

3. English –> drill on components (compo <need the most time due to the need for sensational phrases, story plot, etc.>, paper 2 components, oral etc.) before proceeding to exam paper

4. Math –> familiarise with commonly tested problem sums for each topic before proceeding to exam paper

5. Science –> get all the theory right before proceeding to exam paper to reinforce the theory learnt as well as grasp the answering technique for section B component

6. Chinese –> similar to English

Hope these are helpful. I am not sure if I have covered everything my dd’s tutor told her that time but I think these will be useful to some extent. All the best to all P6 students!

[mceducation1]

33mama:

Do u know where I can get 2015 psle school exam papers for sa1?

Hi 33mama,

Doubt you can get the SA1 papers outside now.

You may like to consider this link:
http://www.testpapersfree.com/index.php

The only problem is that the printing ink can be costly.

Michelle Choo
Math Educator

[Ilye]

lego:

Hi Ilye, you must be very worried, posting this at 2 a.m. in the morning. :hugs:

I understand that dd was doing past year PSLE papers and sometimes other schools' practice papers under exam conditions (timed) during the supplementary classes. The teachers went thru the answers with them in class and I consider those exercises as beneficial to her, so I did not stop her from attending.

I did ask dd to skip some extra papers that were given out by her Maths Teacher every week
(which they did not go thru the papers in class but the teacher post the answers online), so that we can have time for our own revision.

I don't have the answers for you. I just want to say take comfort that you have a ds who has a very good attitude towards his studies. Be there to support him, 加油！

Thanks lego for the warm hugging. :hugs: at least i know that someone is hearing me.

Yes, i have been having sleepless night since term 3 started, maybe due to the fear and fact that ds is not progressing by now. As in I was under the impression that ds should be gradually progressing by the time of term 3, but in fact, this is not the case...
thanks for sharing of your dd's experience, just hope that the teachers would be able to close some gap for him by the end of term 3.

Sometimes, i could see the disappointment in his eyes, i know that he has the intention to do well in his studies, but just that his ability is not there, sigh.

[sharonkhoo]

Ilye:

Thanks lego for the warm hugging. :hugs: at least i know that someone is hearing me.


Yes, i have been having sleepless night since term 3 started, maybe due to the fear and fact that ds is not progressing by now. As in I was under the impression that ds should be gradually progressing by the time of term 3, but in fact, this is not the case...
thanks for sharing of your dd's experience, just hope that the teachers would be able to close some gap for him by the end of term 3.

Sometimes, i could see the disappointment in his eyes, i know that he has the intention to do well in his studies, but just that his ability is not there, sigh.

Perhaps both you and he need to come to terms with his ability. Some kids are not academic, or not exam-smart. Also, I also second the advice to get the basics right first. I know that it is already late in the year, but having lots of activity doesn't mean lots of learning. It can be a distraction. You may have to focus on one or 2 things that really contribute to learning, and help your son see that too many classes etc may be a crutch, but not really result in more learning. Also watch his self-esteem - it doesn't mean that if his exam grades are poor that he is \"worthless\" (you may not think that, but that is probably the message he's getting from school, peers etc), but that academics is not his forte. Help him focus on doing his best (which is not the same as working more hours aiming for a target which is too out of reach), and help him see that there are other things he is or can be good at, and other ways ahead besides the widely-acceoted \"good\" schools and careers. I have a child who is not academic either, so I understand the anxiety.

[D3-n]

slmkhoo:

Ilye:

Thanks lego for the warm hugging. :hugs: at least i know that someone is hearing me.


Yes, i have been having sleepless night since term 3 started, maybe due to the fear and fact that ds is not progressing by now. As in I was under the impression that ds should be gradually progressing by the time of term 3, but in fact, this is not the case...
thanks for sharing of your dd's experience, just hope that the teachers would be able to close some gap for him by the end of term 3.

Sometimes, i could see the disappointment in his eyes, i know that he has the intention to do well in his studies, but just that his ability is not there, sigh.

Perhaps both you and he need to come to terms with his ability. Some kids are not academic, or not exam-smart. Also, I also second the advice to get the basics right first. I know that it is already late in the year, but having lots of activity doesn't mean lots of learning. It can be a distraction. You may have to focus on one or 2 things that really contribute to learning, and help your son see that too many classes etc may be a crutch, but not really result in more learning. Also watch his self-esteem - it doesn't mean that if his exam grades are poor that he is \"worthless\" (you may not think that, but that is probably the message he's getting from school, peers etc), but that academics is not his forte. Help him focus on doing his best (which is not the same as working more hours aiming for a target which is too out of reach), and help him see that there are other things he is or can be good at, and other ways ahead besides the widely-acceoted \"good\" schools and careers. I have a child who is not academic either, so I understand the anxiety.

Well said!

I'd also like to add that some children blossom later than others.
My university classmate performed average in PSLE, went to Catholic Junior College BUT ended up as the Top Student in my course.
It's a marathon, so I tell my students to just do their best all the time. We don't have to be first at every stage. If our potential is an A, get that A. If it's a B, get that B. Just make sure we are able to get promoted to the next level as our ultimate goal is to get that university degree.

On a positive note, the fact that you're child feels disappointed shows he wants to perform well. I have met students who are intelligent BUT are so lazy, complacent and unmotivated. This I think is worse in the long run. They simply take things for granted.
So just encourage your child to do his best, but you must reassure him that his best will always be good enough for you. Children are very sensitive and they can \"feel\" it if their parents are stressed or disappointed. So make sure you don't send him such vibes subconsciously.
All the best!

[bbsin]

sg50:

Hi, My son did his PSLE in 2013. Back then , I have prepared a lot of Maths, Science and Chinese Oral powerpoint slides for him based on past years exam papers. The answers are provided steps by steps with explanations. I did this powerpoint slides as a less stressful help for him since he is already stressed up by school and tuition homework plus extra practices we imposed on him. It took me a very long time to do this and it covers all chapters for Maths and Science. I am giving this free to families who are too poor to afford tuition for their kids and do not have the knowledge to help their kids. I will burn the slides into a CD/DVD and you will have to come and collect it yourself.

This is only for poor families. If you can afford, then I will request that you pay. The money collected will then be donated to a charity that helps poor families. Ignore me if you have the slightest doubt about my sincerity. In fact, I am hesitant about doing this since I do not even know if it is legal. But the charity part and the materials are real and sincere.
Note: I will only do this when I am free and I will stop this as and when I please.

Hi

It's very nice of u to offer, I would like a copy if u have.

Tks

[bb_ mom]

D3@n:

So just encourage your child to do his best, but you must reassure him that his best will always be good enough for you. Children are very sensitive and they can \"feel\" it if their parents are stressed or disappointed. So make sure you don't send him such vibes subconsciously.
All the best!

I absolutely agree. At the end of T1 when DS' results showed no improvement, I starting panicking. He picked up the vibes and started having meltdowns. I started easing off and talking to him. He still has those meltdowns but hopefully it'll be less intense as we get closer to PSLE.

He is not an A* student. DH & I are well aware that getting 3As would be a hat trick for him. So far, we've been telling him best effort is important. And if he works hard and tries to improve by 10% each time, he'll do fine. And we would be happy. Most importantly, he would learn that with hard work comes results.

[Ilye]

Thanks everyone for your courage and advice.

slmkhoo:

, and help him see that there are other things he is or can be good at, and other ways ahead besides the widely-acceoted \"good\" schools and careers. I have a child who is not academic either, so I understand the anxiety.

slmkhoo, you are right, he is not the academic type, the only things he is very confident and good at is \"direction\". At the age of 6, he could remember the driving route by only been to the destination for one time. By now, he can travel to any part of the island by himself with only studying on the directory map for 5 mins. How I wish if he has this giftedness in his studies.

D3@n:

Children are very sensitive and they can \"feel\" it if their parents are stressed or disappointed. So make sure you don't send him such vibes subconsciously.

bb_ mom:

I absolutely agree. At the end of T1 when DS' results showed no improvement, I starting panicking. He picked up the vibes and started having meltdowns. I started easing off and talking to him. He still has those meltdowns but hopefully it'll be less intense as we get closer to PSLE.

Thanks for the advice. i think i better learn not to be so stressed and anxious from now...

[sharonkhoo]

Ilye:

Thanks everyone for your courage and advice.

slmkhoo:

, and help him see that there are other things he is or can be good at, and other ways ahead besides the widely-acceoted \"good\" schools and careers. I have a child who is not academic either, so I understand the anxiety.

slmkhoo, you are right, he is not the academic type, the only things he is very confident and good at is \"direction\". At the age of 6, he could remember the driving route by only been to the destination for one time. By now, he can travel to any part of the island by himself with only studying on the directory map for 5 mins. How I wish if he has this giftedness in his studies.

I say that to myself about my daughter very often! However, try to find ways where this skill might be put to good use in later life. I don't know exactly what, but since this skill probably comes from having good spatial awareness and spatial memory, there will be areas where this skill is an asset. Once you have found a few possible areas which you can interest him in, you can use that to spur him on to do his best in his academic work (which is unavoidable for the next few years, at least!). And if you show him that certain grades are prerequisites for getting into relevant training courses, that can also motivate him to focus on his studies more.

Another idea, maybe if you get him to \"map\" information and show him the \"route\" from one idea to the next, that could help him master the info? Maybe mind-mapping could help?