is science tuition necessary for P3 or wait til upp pri?

[mrswongtuition]

Having tuition may not mean that your child will do well.

It really depends on how the tutor coaches the child.

If the tutor guides the child in analysing the experiments, the concepts that have to be applied and how to phrase the answers according to scientific terms, then it is effective tuition, worth starting at P3.

However, if the tutor simply goes through concepts only, then it will not even help if you start at any level.

If parents can afford the time and have basic knowledge on the concepts, you should not have any problems coaching your child from P3/4 Science.
The students who come to me for P3/4 Science are those whose parents are unable to help them at home (parents have totally no clue on what the questions are talking about, even after reading the answers). In such cases, tuition may be necessary, especially if the child is unable to do well in the tests/exams.

If your child’s timetable is already packed with other lessons, hold on first. Assess again after the first test.

[AuntieKiasi]

Hi mrswongtuition,


its true if ur child’s schedule is already packed, u have to reaccess the priorties. That’s what I did for ds. To accomodate his wishes for science enrichment, I reviewed all his existing tuition & decided to let Chinese tuition go. He is strongest in this subject although he only started speaking mandarin from K2.

[24hr-mum]

can i ask, for math eg the difficulty lies in those higher order thinking prob sums.


for science, what is the main challenge that hinders a child to do well without tuition? too much things to memorise, answers not scientific enuf or wat? i hv no idea cos my girl only p2.

also, wat difficulties to expect for science?

[verykiasu2010]

lauren:

can i ask, for math eg the difficulty lies in those higher order thinking prob sums.


for science, what is the main challenge that hinders a child to do well without tuition? too much things to memorise, answers not scientific enuf or wat? i hv no idea cos my girl only p2.

also, wat difficulties to expect for science?

math : ability to solve problems on same topic presented in different ways

science : scientific answers right to the point, not llls answers, good foundation is important if aspire to score well at P5 / 6. memorising is wrong, understanding and application is key. emphasis these days is process skills

[janet88]

Keywords very crucial for Science. Understanding & application of concepts is impt bcos the question can appear in diff ways.


As for Math, practice and a good foundation is key. At P1/2, the foundation is impt bcos it forms the basis.

[usaik]

Jennifer:

Same case for my elder boy who scored full marks in MCQ, understood the concepts but got prob answering section B.

Since your boy has a strong foundation in Sci, IMO no need to find tutors. The Lower Block Science 3 in 1 by Janet Sim has detailed ans with the keyword in bold.

I did not buy a similar one for my elder boy when he was in P3. Only chanced upon Janet Sim's books in P4. I sat down with him and explained why such keywords must be used, a bit long winded but such explanation was done again and again. Once he picked up the tactics, it was a breeze for him. I am doing the same with my P3 boy now.

I remembered one classic example of using keyword: He wrote \"Warmth\" which the teacher marked wrong, the keyword was \"Heat\". Must use more scientific words, not ordinary EL words used in creative writing.

YES. It's the KEYWORDS that kill!
I must say this subject is so SET on getting the keyword right that I felt it is restricting creativity and out of the box thinking! How would Newton discover gravity if he is taught to memorize key words .
Having said that, I will still have to succumb to the system and obediently go and understand what are the KEYWORDS the teacher is looking out for!
In any case, THANKS so much for your advice and the sharing on Janet Sim's books, I will look out for it!

verykiasu2010:

science : scientific answers right to the point, not llls answers, good foundation is important if aspire to score well at P5 / 6. memorising is wrong, understanding and application is key. emphasis these days is process skills

I think ds learnt the hard way that for p3 science, answering to the point in P3 means getting the right keyword. Jennifer's example is very apt. If teacher expect the word \"HEAT\", by giving the word \"Warmth\" will give you ZERO mark.

Very keen to learn more about this process skills....can share more by giving some model questions and expected answer on how science teacher test the kids? TIA.

[Leanne]

Hello verykiasu2010,


Well said.Many tend to think science is about memorising, but its not.

I remembered I was talking to a very exp sci teacher, asking him whether to do mind mapping and is it necessary to memorise it.He answered that with understanding of the topics and concept, mind mapping come naturally.

Also, answering sci question is a soft skill, u need practise and time to nurture the skill.Eng is impt but phrasing it correctly in the scientic way is even more crucial.
Just one cent of my thought.


Cheers
Leanne

\"]

lauren:

can i ask, for math eg the difficulty lies in those higher order thinking prob sums.

for science, what is the main challenge that hinders a child to do well without tuition? too much things to memorise, answers not scientific enuf or wat? i hv no idea cos my girl only p2.

also, wat difficulties to expect for science?

math : ability to solve problems on same topic presented in different ways

science : scientific answers right to the point, not llls answers, good foundation is important if aspire to score well at P5 / 6. memorising is wrong, understanding and application is key. emphasis these days is process skills[/quote]

[Brenda10]

Hi, just to share a sample of the following problem recently dd made during her revision:


Q:

There is a magnet placed on the End Y

Table of data provided:
Sheet made of material : Did the paper clips moved from End X to End Y

A : Yes
B : Yes
C : No

Question ask:
Which one of the materials, A, B or C, is made of iron? Give a reason for your answer?

DD answer:
Material C. We can see the paper clips cannot move from End X to End Y.

Teacher Answer:
Matrial C. It does not allow magnetism to pass through the sheet so the paper clips cannot move from End B to End A.

As such, have to highlight to her that she was not answered the question but just repeated what question was provided.

[Leanne]

Hi Brenda10,


Thank you for sharing.

Leanne

Brenda10:

Hi, just to share a sample of the following problem recently dd made during her revision:

Q:

There is a magnet placed on the End Y

Table of data provided:
Sheet made of material : Did the paper clips moved from End X to End Y

A : Yes
B : Yes
C : No

Question ask:
Which one of the materials, A, B or C, is made of iron? Give a reason for your answer?

DD answer:
Material C. We can see the paper clips cannot move from End X to End Y.

Teacher Answer:
Matrial C. It does not allow magnetism to pass through the sheet so the paper clips cannot move from End B to End A.

As such, have to highlight to her that she was not answered the question but just repeated what question was provided.

[24hr-mum]

after reading the posts, wow, made me very scared.

i dont hv much sci knowledge (dont really fancy it） but i do hv the time to read up. i think when all my kids are pri sch exam i wld go mad