Teach Less, Learn More
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janet_lee88:
My son struggled in P1 for the first term, managed to float quite ok.
Precisely Janet! We are in sync..P1/P2 too easy...P3 with \"B\" and \"C\" then going to a \"D\" is so close..... But having said this, I also want to qualify, expect results of the child realistically. If the calibre of the child matches the expectation, it will help the child.ksi:
[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]
For P1/2, I do understand there is a transition from kindergarten to primary school...however, I cannot accept B or C bcos it is easy at this stage. Come P3, the child will face the first jump and if I am ok with B or C, then she will go to a D. What's next ? With the new system in place ie no CA/SA in P1/2 (SA2 in P2), I am learning all over again.
In P2, he excelled at the end. We were very surprised but naturally happy for him.
When he went to P3, everything dropped to Band 3. We were advised this would happen and it did. In P4, he did ok in SA2. This year P5, naturally we are facing another crisis of playing a totally different ball game altogether.
For my P1 gal, she has remedial bcos she learns slow. It's tiring and pitiful but I hope she will pick up. I am not giving her any pressure, just do what we can for the first 2 terms esp since no CA or SA. Her school principal believes in a smooth transition from kindergarten, somehow I don't seem to see that 'mentality' passed down to the HODs and teachers :? In short, slow and easy for her in the meantime until son finishes SA1.[/quote]Hi Janet,
My P1 DD is doing alrite mayb b'cos her sch is not a v academic sch. That being said, we r not resting on our laurels. We have many frenz who have been there, done tat & gave us lots of warning to keep close tabs of our kids learning in sch.
A little :offtopic: here but at least yur DD is in an affiliated sch. (full of envy). Somehow, tis takes away some stress from PSLE ya?!
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Hi cantbearit2,
I wonder how long this affiliation thing will stay...sure hope and pray hard
the COP won't go to a level as good as not having any...then I will cry 
This school is not supposed to be very academic but teachers are pretty ON. I can't rest on my laurels even though I thought I could. -
cantbearit2, you have PM.
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janet_lee88:
My son was somewhere in bottom of class in P1, even at end of year. He got wise in P2, learnt what he should and should not do. Did well enough in P2. Then P3 drop, but not as bad as P5. Never FAIL before especially after being such a good boy . I looked at his face staring at the mark and I swear I felt physical pain in my chest. :heartbroken:
My son struggled in P1 for the first term, managed to float quite ok.
In P2, he excelled at the end. We were very surprised but naturally happy for him. -
Chenonceau:
For this SA1, I HOPE Eng/CL/Science can be in High end of Band 2 at least. As for Maths, please don't fail.
My son was somewhere in bottom of class in P1, even at end of year. He got wise in P2, learnt what he should and should not do. Did well enough in P2. Then P3 drop, but not as bad as P5. Never FAIL before especially after being such a good boy . I looked at his face staring at the mark and I swear I felt physical pain in my chest. :heartbroken:janet_lee88:
My son struggled in P1 for the first term, managed to float quite ok.
In P2, he excelled at the end. We were very surprised but naturally happy for him. -
Please dun :nunchuk: :rant: me..... perhaps I have not seen the REAL world cos' kids in neighborhood school.
While I have heard about results dropping, how bad will it go? Perhaps I dun expect that much so not overly concerned with some drop.
At P5, what is the kind of results acceptable to you? How much of a drop will you accept? When you talk about dropping, does that happen to the whole class? Just want to understand more so that I dun happy happy then cry later. Guess sometimes, hard to discuss with the classmates parents' cos seems a little sensitive?? -
janet_lee88:
Janet - gentle reminder. P5 is measured using P6 yardsticks, no longer Band1/2 etc
For this SA1, I HOPE Eng/CL/Science can be in High end of Band 2 at least. As for Maths, please don't fail. -
http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/skype-emoticons.html Errr... hello? Issit safe for buds to come out and play now?
Whatever it is, i surrender first hor.. http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/skype-emoticons.html
I was spoilt for choice on where to mark my 9000th post but since now
the coast here a bit clear, i ehekhemm.. decided that after weighing the
pros and cons... http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/facebook-smileys.html, i will mark it in this post with an extensive sharing, so pleeeze bear with me. :oops:
Honestly, i thought discussing General Election issues were already heated
enough, but phew... it was kinda hot in here when it started so i kinda errr..
chickened out for awhile... well, knowing the low profile me...... and
will now get my chicken in. :lol: I'm on the fence with this never-ending issue
with our ministry proposed style of teaching... http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/skype-emoticons.html but am going to offer some of my personal sharings
based on how our education system fared for my children & I since its implementation... with my not so powderful England.
TEACH LESS, LEARN MORE
\"TLLM would mean less dependence on rote learning, repetitive tests
and a ‘one size fits all’ type of instruction, and more on experiential
discovery, engaged learning, differentiated teaching, the learning of life-
long skills, and the building of character through innovative and effective
teaching approaches and strategies.\"
The above is taken from the official website marking the http://www.moe.gov.sg/about/yearbooks/2005/teach.html.
For as long as i could remember, parents here have been complaining of
the many assessments and tests and more tests on top the rote styled
learning of yesteryears.. Hence upon the many feedbacks and research
done by MOE, it finally chop to endorse the Teach Less, Learn More method
in schools. When it was first piloted however, not all schools started this
method at the same time... good in a way cause the method can be refined
further as it went along. As with any new programmes, new teachers, new
baby (etc)... it takes time for the new idea to sink in with the children, their
parents (us) and definitely even with the teaching personnel. It's akin to an
instance where the Teach Less part was married off with the Learn More.
As with any marriage, again, it takes time to reach the stage where things
hit off & slowly move into auto pilot mode. The method was cynically viewed
as we all know how teaching in schools have always been rote learning =
sit-down-face-whiteboard-listen-to-teacher kinda learning... so how in the
world would a teacher even begin to fathom the idea of teaching less of the
required curriculum within the same time frame?
Teaching Less
As per what the website indicated... Teach Less, Learn More is about teaching
better, to engage our learners and prepare them for life, rather than teaching more,
for tests and examinations.
Now, how do teachers go around teaching less to begin with and yet complete
the curriculum proper? How to ensure there's quality teaching as opposed to the
then quantity teaching which equates to long draggy periods of lecture mode?
The answer is, the teachers themselves gotta learn more... for
that is the only way to approach the method imposed on them as
constructive as possible.
In view of this change, teachers supposedly go for training to facilitate this
new idea of teaching the syllabus. I like to add that i see this idea pumped
more into the lower primary in the beginning.. Teaching less to engage our
new learners at P1/P2 levels does offer a holistic dimension that aimed to
benefit children of all the different types of learning abilities, pre-taught
knowledge, family backgrounds (etc). The modes of assessment go beyond
pen and paper based exams, which in reality bodes well for majority of the
average learners within our communities who can afford only basic
kindergarten education, which at this juncture is still not compulsory but...
definitely highly encouraged.
What's different for learners at this stage? My DD2 came into this method
the moment she entered her little feet to formal primary education and i
for one tried to look at this new idea positively & was drawn into this new
idea with teachers who must've ploughed thru' sleepless nites preparing
their lessons... for teaching less only means they have waaaayy more to
prepare to ensure that the young learners are indeed engaged.
The teachers in the school (neighbourhood sch by the way)... :love: lovingly
prepared a whole semester of events and activities for the children and
guess what...? Also for the parents! Yes, you didn't hear me or rather
read me wrongly... parents are given more opportunities to learn together
with our children on the different areas of learning and assessments and
were advised on the rubrics at the beginning of the first term. Parents were
given more opportunities to work hand in hand with the children, the school
and the teachers with alternative teaching modes. Children got to work in
groups, in pairs and also individually which in a nutshell allowed children
to work on leadership skills, interaction skills, public speaking skills and
also skills that enable them to think out of the box... which many parents
have emphasized our local children lack due to the then labeled as the
stifling-textbook-manner of teaching children. Cookie cutter mode some
said. This opening up to parents was definitely a new thing for us and a
big hit with most parents as schools are usually seen as a closed-door
instituition. With Teach Less parents also get to learn more about what's
being carried out in our children's classes & how they are being assessed.
Show & Tell... Project Work... Charity Work... Exhibitions... IT Learning...
Field Trips/Learning Journeys... Class Presentations... Stage Performances..
The above were a few of the new ideas my child and i have enjoyed with
this Teach Less method in place. Did it meet our expectations? In our
opinion, YES! My child loved school... looked forward going to school and
absorbed all the fun ideas without so much as having to study for testing..
but study to really learn... and not just classroom textbook based lessons
but also out of classroom experiences that they truly enjoyed. Children got
to work in the garden for early science exposure, went to the Science Ctr
for follow-up and submitted a group project for class presentation and
finally showcased their ideas with a mini exhibition. Yes... my little girl
actually did all that. And learnt so much from the experiences... This
would not have been possible if the education system kept to its old
school whiteboard-based learning where the teachers are always rushing
to finish the curriculum and pile children with endless homeworks that they
in turn have to mark, which adds to their list of to-dos as well.
For Language, children got to visit the library more often as classes take
turns to sit down and watch drama skits... participate in drama classes...
listen to story-tellers... exposed to more books and yes get opportunities
to tell about the books they read (the teachers introduce books appropriate
for their level) and also get to rate how interesting the books are based on
their genre of interest. Funny books and retold stories got the most thumbs
up, so i've heard. Parents enjoyed Reading Night where all of us
came with our books and picnic mats and snacks... crowded the school
hall to listen to engaging story-tellers from the National Library... be
awestruck by children performances and choral reading based on the
Stellar books covered for the term... a lotta work i tell you, but... our
children learn. Grammar contents were covered by the given Stellar
worksheets and more from teacher-prepared materials that encompassed
the specific grammar rules that was to be covered in the curriculum plan
handed out to parents during the first term.
Children were assessed based on classroom participation, how they behave,
how they helped peers and teachers alike, how they understood what was
delivered in and outside of the classroom, topical papers based on monthly
theme/book (etc... etc...) too many to name but in short everyone gets to
shine and excel in the attributes-variant where it isn't just paper based..
But yes... Teachers are still expected to cover the curriculum proper ie.
textbooks & activity/workbooks on top of all those fun activities.
Gotta end this sharing here for now for i gotta fetch my DD1 from supp
class which is another fun extra the sch is providing... will share more
if my sharings can provide the different perspective to what TLLM has
to offer.
To end this sharing, my girls and i evaluated the method... and the end
result? Did they really learn more?
.
.
.
.
.
Happy to note, i got a resounding YESSSS!
PS : As with any human-reliant industry... it is with profound knowledge
that we all know \"the teacher\" plays a huuuuge part in ensuring this
TLLM method to be a successful one. While there are still way too
many teachers who do indeed go bo-chap on us and the children
(yes, i have experience and can really shame the teacher if i
really want to.. :x) it's only fair that we give due credit to the
ones who truly truly truly and relentlessly make it work... and
in my case... it worked big time! :celebrate: -
Buds, that was a beautifully written post. It really captures Teach Less Learn More in all that it was meant to be. You pulled out all the stops for the 9000th eh dearie? This is impressive writing indeed.
By the way, where did you get that emoticon with the wall and you peeking from behind? -
Wow Buds
If ur England not powerful, I dunno what kind of England Im writing…hee.
I can’t help it, but thought that your gals are in lower primary? I’m not sure in other sch, but in my boy’s school, in p1 at least, the teachers engage the children in fun learning way too. Similar to what Buds’ gals school is doing. They even have mother tongue languages week which embark the children in many activities such as sampling food of different ethnic group during recess time, and the children MUST converse in their mother tongue so as to ‘order’ what they want to have/eat, etc.
I was wondering if these kind of learning happens only in neighborhood schools or those not so academically inclined schools (my boy school is not academically inclined) Or maybe the schools have so much time on hand that they organize such activities? Haha…
Or maybe it happens only in lower primary, and when it comes to upper primary, then its drilling all the way to PSLE??
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