Berries - Discussion

[venus77]

yup…teacher will arouse the interest of the child…


now he is attending a chinese enrichment class in CC…

[drumstick]

Hi hi


Can any mummies give me feedback on bukit batok branch? Really appreciate! thanks!!

[venus77]

drumstick:

Hi hi


Can any mummies give me feedback on bukit batok branch? Really appreciate! thanks!!

hi drumstick..

i just did in previous page..

[cookie]

my 2 DS are happily attending Berries @ Palais Renaissance.


the teachers are great........ patient with the kids & it's nice to see them always cheerful

my 2 DS adapted quickly because berries teaches mandarin the fun way and also because the teachers are patient.

by the way, berries @ palais will be moving to pacific plaza.

[tamarind]

Sotong_mum:

Hi


Can anyone comments on the centres at West Coast or Pandan Valley or Bukit Batok?

Thks

My girl attended Bukit Batok when she was 4 years old, she had a very good teacher, 杨老师 from mainland China. For a few months there were only 4 students in her class, so it was very good for learning. However, later her class became so popular, the number increased to 12 and unfortunately a hyperactive boy joined the class. The boy could not sit still and liked to walk around, once I saw him kicking a child. Later I saw him pushing my girl so hard she almost fell onto the floor. So I pulled my girl out and put her in Woodlands. 杨老师 is good but too bad she cannot control the class.

Both my kids were in Woodlands for about 2 years, I highly recommend that center. Teachers can control the class very well and my girl liked her teacher very much. My boy had a very strict teacher, he told me that she was very boring but I didn't believe him because he was the kind who cannot focus during class.

Later I heard that the West Coast center has opened, so I decided to try there. Though Woodlands is good, I felt too tired traveling there from Jurong West. Since my girl has finished the Si Wu Kuai Du series of books (read my blog : http://tamarindvillage.blogspot.com), the P1 class has become too easy for her, so I did not put her back in Berries. My boy joined the K2 class from the beginning of the year. He had a teacher from mainland China, I think her teaching is good. My boy normally does not pay attention in class, but now he is learning well. The teacher is quite fierce so he does not like her, but that is fine for me because that means that she can control the class very well. Her classes are completely full.

West Coast customer service is not as good as Woodlands which is really very good.

I think the most important thing is to find a class that has as few children as possible. All Berries teacher are trained to teach in the same way using the exact same materials. But if there are too many kids, it means that a child who completes her work quickly will need to wait a long time for others to complete their work, since the teachers have to mark every child's work and explain his/her mistakes. Teachers may also have problem controlling a big class.

[sunshinelove]

tamarind:

Sotong_mum:

Hi


Can anyone comments on the centres at West Coast or Pandan Valley or Bukit Batok?

Thks

My girl attended Bukit Batok when she was 4 years old, she had a very good teacher, 杨老师 from mainland China. For a few months there were only 4 students in her class, so it was very good for learning. However, later her class became so popular, the number increased to 12 and unfortunately a hyperactive boy joined the class. The boy could not sit still and liked to walk around, once I saw him kicking a child. Later I saw him pushing my girl so hard she almost fell onto the floor. So I pulled my girl out and put her in Woodlands. 杨老师 is good but too bad she cannot control the class.

Both my kids were in Woodlands for about 2 years, I highly recommend that center. Teachers can control the class very well and my girl liked her teacher very much. My boy had a very strict teacher, he told me that she was very boring but I didn't believe him because he was the kind who cannot focus during class.

Later I heard that the West Coast center has opened, so I decided to try there. Though Woodlands is good, I felt too tired traveling there from Jurong West. Since my girl has finished the Si Wu Kuai Du series of books (read my blog : http://tamarindvillage.blogspot.com), the P1 class has become too easy for her, so I did not put her back in Berries. My boy joined the K2 class from the beginning of the year. He had a teacher from mainland China, I think her teaching is good. My boy normally does not pay attention in class, but now he is learning well. The teacher is quite fierce so he does not like her, but that is fine for me because that means that she can control the class very well. Her classes are completely full.

West Coast customer service is not as good as Woodlands which is really very good.

I think the most important thing is to find a class that has as few children as possible. All Berries teacher are trained to teach in the same way using the exact same materials. But if there are too many kids, it means that a child who completes her work quickly will need to wait a long time for others to complete their work, since the teachers have to mark every child's work and explain his/her mistakes. Teachers may also have problem controlling a big class.

Hi Tamarind,

Thanks for a detailed explanation of how things work at Berries, have you heard anything about Molin? I heard quite a lot of good reports about Molin from my friends. Some of them were saying Berries is better for younger kids, do you think anything about it?

[Leanne]

Hello Sunshinelove,


I cannot agree more that BERRIES is good for younger kids, cos they make learning fun and thr arts and crafts, they nurture the children in the love of it.Also, the teachers are trained to be very energetic with kids...

For upper pri, I know many would prefer indiv coaching instead.


Leanne

sunshinelove:

tamarind:

[quote=\"Sotong_mum\"]Hi

Can anyone comments on the centres at West Coast or Pandan Valley or Bukit Batok?

Thks

My girl attended Bukit Batok when she was 4 years old, she had a very good teacher, 杨老师 from mainland China. For a few months there were only 4 students in her class, so it was very good for learning. However, later her class became so popular, the number increased to 12 and unfortunately a hyperactive boy joined the class. The boy could not sit still and liked to walk around, once I saw him kicking a child. Later I saw him pushing my girl so hard she almost fell onto the floor. So I pulled my girl out and put her in Woodlands. 杨老师 is good but too bad she cannot control the class.

Both my kids were in Woodlands for about 2 years, I highly recommend that center. Teachers can control the class very well and my girl liked her teacher very much. My boy had a very strict teacher, he told me that she was very boring but I didn't believe him because he was the kind who cannot focus during class.

Later I heard that the West Coast center has opened, so I decided to try there. Though Woodlands is good, I felt too tired traveling there from Jurong West. Since my girl has finished the Si Wu Kuai Du series of books (read my blog : http://tamarindvillage.blogspot.com), the P1 class has become too easy for her, so I did not put her back in Berries. My boy joined the K2 class from the beginning of the year. He had a teacher from mainland China, I think her teaching is good. My boy normally does not pay attention in class, but now he is learning well. The teacher is quite fierce so he does not like her, but that is fine for me because that means that she can control the class very well. Her classes are completely full.

West Coast customer service is not as good as Woodlands which is really very good.

I think the most important thing is to find a class that has as few children as possible. All Berries teacher are trained to teach in the same way using the exact same materials. But if there are too many kids, it means that a child who completes her work quickly will need to wait a long time for others to complete their work, since the teachers have to mark every child's work and explain his/her mistakes. Teachers may also have problem controlling a big class.

Hi Tamarind,

Thanks for a detailed explanation of how things work at Berries, have you heard anything about Molin? I heard quite a lot of good reports about Molin from my friends. Some of them were saying Berries is better for younger kids, do you think anything about it?[/quote]

[Sotong_mum]

[quote="tamarind"][quote="Sotong_mum"]Hi


Hi tamarind

Thks for the info.

I also staying at Jurong West. Actually it’s nearer to go Bukit Batok but I’m still on waiting list. Since there’s vacancy at West Coast, I signed up for a trial class. 

I find that when teacher is too nice, she may not be able to control the children unless he/she is firm. In fact, I think the teacher should step in if the child gets too violent. Afterall, maintaining order is also part of the teacher’s job.

Travelling is a major challenge especially if it’s long term…although it’s only once a wk. My wkend is also packed with the children enrichment and I really find it tiring.

Wow…I saw the books in your blog & find it very difficult…guess Berries really work for your girl. I suppose it’s difficult to find a class with less children especially all classes are full.

I’ll see how the trial class goes. If not, may have to consider Tien Hsia as another alternative.

[tamarind]

sotong_mom,

My girl can read those difficult books because I trained her using the Si Wu Kuai Du series of books (http://tamarindvillage.blogspot.com) at home. Attending Berries is not enough

Yes Tien Hsia should be fine too, though their standard is not as high as Berries. Tien Hsia at Jurong Point is also full for all their weekend classes.


sunshinelove,
I have never been to Molin, but I checked their website before. They teach Di Zi Gui, Tang poetry, etc. I personally do not want my kids to study Di Zi Gui because I want them to learn Chinese the fun way, no point asking them to memorize things that they are not interested in. I would rather make them read lots of cute and fun Chinese books to develop their interest in Chinese. Though I have taught my older girl many 唐诗, that is because she likes 唐诗 very much, and I also love 唐诗. Otherwise, it is really not necessary to make a child memorize Di Zi Gui or Tang poetry. This is because we do not write that kind of format anymore, memorizing all those old literature will not help a child to write good compositions.
It is much more useful to learn 成语, and to read as many Chinese story books as possible, then kids will be able to write Chinese compositions effortlessly.

Berries do not teach any 唐诗, Di Zi Gui, etc. They teach 成语 since 4 years old, and they focus on teaching the child to know enough words in order to read independently. They have very little homework, and no ting xie at all. I feel that this is the best way to teach Chinese. Between the ages of 3 to 6, we should focus on developing a love for the Chinese language, and not try to make the child write as many words as possible, or memorize boring literature.

This is only my personal opinion, other parents please feel free to comment.

[sunshinelove]

Hi Leanne,


But it is hard to find personal tutors that are good, do you know any?