2021 PSLE Discussions and Strategies (Children born in 2009)

[Marina Collection]

SG_KP1\" post_id=\"2042268\" time=\"1634223825\" user_id=\"188234:

yangshixin\" post_id=\"2042256\" time=\"1634218952\" user_id=\"195344:

Yup, I think having only few days to make that decision is not easy. Esp when one has to make it while deciding on the Sec school which is a headache in itself. So just hoping to get as much info as possible. Do hope that if such a webinar does exist they can open it to the non GEP too.

FWIW, here is what I've observed this year:
a) Need to make time to do something with the language multiple times per week. The kids that pickup the books once or twice a week start falling behind, and it gets to the point where attending class is not fun. The motivation to do hw/practice becomes less and less which kicks of a vicious cycle.

b) You may not know your CCA for sure yet but if you do see how many extended days are already on your schedule. Some CCAs are more demanding than others.

c) Between CCA, leadership opportunities, and other elective classes try to estimate how important Third Language is or where it would rank in terms of the student's priority. Many kids are doing well with Third Language but they seem to be the ones that were interested, and despite being an \"optional\" subject it probably wasn't last on their list of things to do. In contrast, if it is last on your list of things to do because you know you can drop it, I feel there's a strong chance of ending up with what's described in a).

d) Keep in mind the subject load will increase in upper secondary and kids will have more specialized opportunities available to them. Third Language could result in 10 subjects, which is quite a load (if even allowed) so if there is already something else the kid has in mind it may be worth considering that now. On the otherhand, Third Language ranks ahead of advanced subjects for some, in which case it is a good thing to take up.

Good luck.

Very wise advice here . Yes I had the same observation amongst my son classmates . The initial takeup rate of third language was really high like more than half a class. Then a few weeks later , the dropouts started . And continued all the way till less than a handful left .

Not forgetting that the kids have to grapple with a new daunting environment and increased CCA days (sports take up 3 days for some schools) and the kids have to make their own journey to MOELC after school …

All these can add up to the kids getting a bad impression of how demanding secondary school life is & that they can’t cope - which is not something that we parents want .

Sometimes when we present this option to the kid, and the kid might say yeah , I’m interested. I think it’s also good to know them know if they take it up , it’ll add like xx hrs to your schedule , which typically end at a pretty late time each day . Just so that the kids are fully aware and mentally prepared .

[Imp75]

Agree parents view on 3rd lang. To progress further really requires interest/passion and exposure to the language other than the school materials.

[absolut_vodka]

having interest definitely makes a big difference - my #1 is very into korean stuff so she picked up the language on her own, just by learning online. If only they offer that as a 3rd language option at O levels, I’m sure she will score well

[forrestz]

IMHO, the added benefit of learning a third language at MOELC is very limited. If one only wants some superficial ability, now can easily learn by oneself, with all the technologies available nowadays. To acquire a high level of proficiency requires a lot of commitment, which few would have. I think being a polyglot is overrated–before long, AI will give us an app that can easily translate between languages.

[tinker_bell]

3rd language was perhaps useful back in the 80's and 90's when japanese, german, french and bahasa melayu was required to conduct business or study in the various regions of the world.


Now with google translate, its all a moot point.

And with youtube and education apps, any child who has a direct interest in learning a foreign language can pick it up very easily. In fact, my nephew is learning spanish from an app called https://www.babbel.com/.

[bbcxd]

I think that is very likely to be rumours. :evil:

I googled and found this
https://www.moelc.moe.edu.sg/textbooks-syllabus/

yangshixin\" post_id=\"2042071\" time=\"1634092183\" user_id=\"195344:

Dear parents. Been struggling to find more information about 3rd language to make an informed choice. was hoping the authorities can provide more support in this area. Heard some rumours about some sort of 3rd language choosing webinar for GEP students by their seniors. If anyone know any information like the time or link would appreciate if you can share. Thanks.

[Zeal mummy]

tinker_bell\" post_id=\"2042386\" time=\"1634278581\" user_id=\"194652:

3rd language was perhaps useful back in the 80's and 90's when japanese, german, french and bahasa melayu was required to conduct business or study in the various regions of the world.

Now with google translate, its all a moot point.

And with youtube and education apps, any child who has a direct interest in learning a foreign language can pick it up very easily. In fact, my nephew is learning spanish from an app called https://www.babbel.com/.

Agree with you.. although certification is still needed when one wanna work in areas where translation is involved.

[zac's mum]

Hi I was downloading the 2021 prelim papers and noticed something strange:


In previous years, ACSJ and ACSP shared a common prelim paper. But in 2021, the 2 school had separate exam papers.

Anyone have any comments on the difference between the 2 schools’ papers? Can I assume that (as per the P1-P5 trend) ACSP papers are more difficult than ACSJ?

Also, any insiders from JS know why the school suddenly decided not to have the same paper as PS?

[sky minecrafter]

OT:
[quote]... certification is still needed when one wanna work in areas where translation is involved...[/quote]Certification is Not necessary (unless you want to work in educational institutions/ professional translation+ interpretation services). AFAIK, the organisations (French/ Japanese/ MNC/ ministries; IT, banking/ financial institution, HR) will just get their multilingual staff (who are not hired as interpreters/ translators) to translate as an additional task. I remember an acquaintance who part-timed as a subtitler (Japanese-English-Mandarin) for Bloomberg when she was studying. There are few who can be as fluent as Mr Leong MW, even after the A Levels

[Zeal mummy]

sky minecrafter\" post_id=\"2042863\" time=\"1634632376\" user_id=\"130531:[quote=\"sky minecrafter\" post_id=2042863 time=1634632376 user_id=130531]
OT: [quote]... certification is still needed when one wanna work in areas where translation is involved...[/quote]

Certification is Not necessary (unless you want to work in educational institutions/ professional translation+ interpretation services). AFAIK, the organisations (French/ Japanese/ MNC/ ministries; IT, banking/ financial institution, HR) will just get their multilingual staff (who are not hired as interpreters/ translators) to translate as an additional task. I remember an acquaintance who part-timed as a subtitler (Japanese-English-Mandarin) for Bloomberg when she was studying. There are few who can be as fluent as Mr Leong MW, even after the A Levels[/quote]Yes, I was referring to professional translation services. Definitely certification is the way to go. Thanks for your clarification.