I Can Read - Discussion

[ZY_Mom]

Hi anastasy,


So sorry to hear your unhappy experience with ICR @ Jurong East branch. My DS has been attending ICR @ Woodlands for almost half a year and so far so good. Which stage was your son in?

[cantbearit2]

weekender:

Hi,

My child is in K2 now, he will be entering P1 in 2011. We went to Bt Timah ICR for an assessment and he is placed in the preliminary level, PRP.

I am wondering if the PRP + ICR programme is appropriate for my child as he will be in P1 in a few months' time. Are we too late in starting the programme now? or should we look for an exam-focused curriculum instead?

The teacher said that the ICR provides the strong foundation for writing and comprehension, are there any parents here who are able to testify to this?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Cheers

Is your child able to read the instructions in P1 books? If yes, then you may wish to consider \"exam focus\" kind of enrichment class. If not, it's important to start your child on the ground works, ie reading.

Without reading ability, your child will not be able to understand the instructions and thus unable to fulfil it's requirements. This will in turn affect his results.

If you are worried about catching up, you may consider those intensive phonics class. If not, IMHO, ICR PRP is a good start to build those foundations. In less than a year, your child will be able to read reasonably well (in most cases).

[Monster Mummy]

Hi,


I believed that ICR provide the student a background in the basic phonics of decoding the word and how to read out properly. For my end, I see an improvement in my gal who initially do not know how to read till this stage where she know how to decode although still not so quick but she is learning to decode.

Even her ICR teacher is also quite strict, if the student does not show interes in the reading, i think that the teacher will request to have a talk with the parent. I think that he did ask the student to quit after so many chances given.

I believed that this is also up to individual teacher professionism.

[Cassmania]

Can anyone comments on the I can Read, Little Bears Club which is meant for 2.5 - 3.5yrs old?

[Monster Mummy]

Hi,


I think that Little Bears club seem like the new programme just implemented this year.

I think that you will need to call the respective centre and talk to their staff on the programme before you decide to enrol the child or not.

[steffi88]

Cassmania:

Can anyone comments on the I can Read, Little Bears Club which is meant for 2.5 - 3.5yrs old?

Brought my younger boy to the Little Learner's trial last week. It is similar to Little Bears, just that for the latter, there are 2 lessons each week. In Little Learners, the teacher focus on interaction, singing, story telling.

[Cassmania]

Any feedback for I Can Read at Harbourfront or tiong bahru branch

[tweetyjing]

I wouild like to share my personal experience with ICR here.


My daughter was in ICR simei before we moved house and she was doing well there. She benefited from their phonic programme. The center was well managed during my time (2007-2008). However, things changed 180 degrees after we transfered her over to Katong branch.

First of all, the course coordinator placed my daughter in a wrong class for 2 conssecutive lessons despite my notice and discussion with them. After my daughter’s 1st lesson, she complained that she coudn’t understand a single thing from her class. I went to check the material and realised she was not doing book 6 (grammer introduction). I went to the center staff and told her my concerns, she insisted it is right class for my daughter and if I ahve concerns she needed to check with the class teacher, meanwhile asked us to continue in the class. After the second lesson, my daughter cired and told me she did not want to go to class anymore as she couldn’t understand a single thing. I stepped out this time and talked to her new class teacher, and she pointed to us that her class was actually more advanced than what my daughter’ s pace in Simei! Only then the center admitted its their fault and agreed to refund me 2 lessons. Hwever, the my poor thing has experienced the traume.

[tweetyjing]

Not long after the incidence, my daughter fell sick and took MC. She usuallu was placed in a group teaching setting under same teacher for the same content in Simei center. They ran both weekdays and weekends groups so the child who missed their lesson in either group get their make up lesson in the other.


When I asked Katong center for her makeup lesson arrangement and I was pushed for a one- to-one lesson, but for 30MINUTES only.As I know my daughter, who needs time to settle and she loves the interaction during the big class with her peers, I asked for the group teaching make-up. But they refused my request and insisted on one-to-one. And then I asked if the duration can be extended as for my daughter, she wouldn’t be able to learn much if she sits for just 30 minutes. Of course I am slowly changing her, but the changes don’t take place overnight, and I want her learn while she is still with the center. After much intensive discussion, they finally agreeed to give my daughter 50 minutes make up.

I felt very tired to ask for what I think is the right for my daughter in this center.

[tweetyjing]

And just not long agao, unfortunately my daughter fell sick again and took MC. So I asked for a 1-hour one-to-one make up lesson for her from the center based on my unpleasant experience before. And this time they pushed me further and they insisted to give my daughter just 30 minutes sharp make up lesson. If I requested to extnd the makeup lesson to 1 hour, I need to top up 40 dollars for that. Hence they totally not considering group make up lesson at all.


This time I requested to speak to the center manager, hoping to solve the issues once for all.

Firstly I asked her why the arrangement for make-up lessons are like this in the center. And I was told the course fee I paid for 1.5 hours is ment to be devided into 8, means each student get teacher’s attention just slightly more than 10 minutes only during the class. And Now they are willing to give 30 minutes one-to-one make up, we are at the advantage!

And then I asked if she can grant for group teaching make up. And the center manager "did not encourage" due to the price difference between the weeday fee and the weekend fee. An here I verbalised my own opinion (may not be true), that, the group students may not attend the class fully each and every time, even they attend fully, you just slot in one studentor two, it wouldn’t affect the class quality much. Of course, you control the total number of the students to ensure a smooth lesson. And not every weekend parents mind so much about taking a weekday student in the class with their kids occasionally because of the money issue. The center manager insisted "she had majority parents interests in heart", "not fair for the weekend parents to accept a weeday kid in thier class"…

And then I elaborated our situation as in my daughter’s character. And I asked her to give us a peaceful transition by doing some special arrangement for the makeup lesson. Not to be too regid about 30 minutes sharp. Lets say extend to about 45 minutes? And this time she agreed to extend the class SPECALLY for us, not so calculative, but to extend 2 or 3 minutes, which is fine with her. The reason why she is so concern about the duration is to "ensure the teaching quality" as teacher may get tired by extending their teaching hours. And she emphasised this is business, and that’s how she run her business.

By then I understood clearly, how a student’s interest placed in her center.
And I told her that we have a crush in different beleves, we’d better go seperate ways. And I decided to withdraw my kid totally from ICR, and will not go back, at least to this center, anymore.