Teach Less, Learn More

[Chenonceau]

smurf:

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??

I'm not sure but I rather suspect that the current batch of P5 & P6 are a group caught in uncomfortable transition. They were taught using traditional methods in lower primary BUT they are tested in Upper Primary according to the newer Learn More standards. Could it be?

I am pretty sure that the Teach Less Learn More methods are highly effective in skills building if properly done... and if Buds' kids are in Lower Primary and this has been her experience, our nation has hope yet!! Yay!! Unfortunately though, for the current batches of P5 & P6 parents we're in transition?

I reckon I am not feeling the stress for Science and English because we've been doing many of these Teach Less Learn More activities for fun at home (without knowing that it would help for exams). We've been doing experiments for fun since he was in Pampers and when he saw how the red dyed hot water immersed in a pail of cold water exploded like an underwater volcano, he was hooked. As for English, we've also been doing stuff for fun. He reads the Straits Times Insight and we talk about it.

The result is that he can handle the practice papers for Science and English easily enough even this year, even without doing assessments.

Unfortunately, for Math, I held him back by refusing to teach him beyond the syllabus. Math isn't fun for me so we didn't do Math for fun. Math was work and it never occurred to me that he would fail P5 SA1 if I held him back. As for Chinese, I'm hopeless and I didn't know how to have fun with him... And now, we have to resort to drastic measures so that he can tackle PSLE and get into a good school. Sob!!

[Sun_2010]

buds:

Errr... hello? Issit safe for buds to come out and play now?

buds, you should come out and play more often :nunchuk:
remember - All work and no play ,

Thanks for that informative write up.

the point is while TLLM is an excellent methodology, the point is it is only as good as its teacher. after all Tool is only as good as the skills of the craftman using it.
So lets cross our fingers and pray.

So far DS seems to be enjoying, but we are not sure what is happenning at school... , only info is there will be a show n tell, they is a learning Journey, spelling etc.

DS does on his own, while i butt in at times and try to help him out - sometimes i realise i am being a Nuisance and a times i wish I had intervened earlier. The problems is when i intervene I expect some standards :oops:

That makes me wish that teacher would let us know when and where parents could help and what are the ones the children are left alone to do by themselves. What is really expected of the children.
Waiting for the PTM...

[buds]

smurf:

Wow Buds


If ur England not powerful, I dunno what kind of England Im writing...hee.

I scared to write oso at first especially in the company of my favourite
resident writer whom i now know is top 2% u noe.. *gulp* .. but phew..
just hoping no strawberries thrown at me, k?http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/facebook-smileys.html

Just thought to help bring us aaaallll back to the original gist of this thread
nia. http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/skype-emoticons.html

It is indeed a debatable issue for no two teachers are alike in a sense but
not to say that all's bad lar. There are pros and there are cons and there
are those bo-chaps that do get on my nerves sometimes. Positively put,
it is not entirely the fault of the idea of Teach Less, Learn More but rather
subjective to the individuals who are actually carrying out this idea.. for if
they embrace it and learn to deliver it well, our children benefit more than
we know rather than if they bo-chap and don't bother even trying it out &
making parents go frantic with outsourcing everything which takes up like
sooo much time outside the home. Where is the time to rest then? Where
is the time to be the children that they are?

Discussion is healthy. Hopefully we can all learn from our different
experiences.. and be more prepared needless of the outcomes of
the differing schools of thought. These sharings also help me to
appreciate my girls' teachers more than i already do.. for there
are indeed exemplary and extraordinary teachers out there. I
for one am proud to say, i've shook the hands of many... & still
in contact with some.

If in eventuality reality does bite, at least from these constructive
discussions we & other new parents to formal education are more
prepped and less :!:...

smurf:

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.

That's good to know, smurf. :hugs:

smurf:

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...

Don't liddat say lar dahling.. definitely not. Neighbourhood schools have
been the underdog performers of late and my girls' old school produced
top ten psle scorers a coupla times too. :love: The teachers in their sch
in my honest opinion makes the school a banded one. Reason being....
every teacher bands together with a hands-on principal to ensure that
no child is left behind wherever they can help it.

Mostly done within school curriculum time except for learning journeys,
probably mass exhibitions and also extra workshops or supplementary
lessons. Again, subjective to the individual school.

smurf:

Or maybe it happens only in lower primary, and when it comes to upper primary, then its drilling all the way to PSLE??

P3 onwards more content. While there may still be fun activities organised
on and off... it definitely will not be as much as during the first two years..
but again, with a dedicated teacher who finds it in herself to shake each
and every one of her children to wake up their idea, even the impossible
is possible. I believe with good foundation, our children's education can
pave itself in the right direction. PSLE is not entirely about P6 work but
really encompassing work done from P1 to P6 if we look at it.

While i may not totally advocate pre-teaching as necessary for different
folks call for different strokes, it may be required when parents are
forced upon themselves to deal with those uhmmm bo-chaps and the
heck-its. Very angry if i start talking about those patterns... so better
stick to thread topic, aye? :lol:

[tamarind]

[quote]
Neighbourhood schools have been the underdog performers of late and my girls' old school produced top ten psle scorers a coupla times too.[/quote]buds,
That school is definitely not just any neighbourhood school, it is a \"premium\" neighbourhood school. Most neighbourhood schools do not have any top 10 PSLE scorers.

My kids' neighbourhood school only produced 1 top 10 PSLE scorer in 10 years. It is the top choice in my area, because none of the other primary schools have produced any top scorer in their entire history.

My kids' school do have some activities that you mentioned. However, recently I heard one parent complaining that her girl was made to do Grammar workbook from page 20+ to 90+ in one day Quite sad. My girl also encountered teachers who made the whole class write the exact same set of words for a few days just before SA1. I think it really depends on the teacher.

Whatever methodology it is that MOE is trying to implement, if they don't have proper control over how teachers teach, it is still quite useless.

[Brenda10]

I remembered when dd was in P1 (year 2006), the system was : Project SEED (Strategies for Effective Engagement and Development of pupils in primary schools).


There was also not formal exam in P1 and they gave out "Progressing Report". Formal Exam like SA1, SA2 only started from P2 onward.


Not sure what is the different between SEED and TLLM ?

[buds]

Chenonceau:

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.

Coming from you, my sleek French lady... is a beautiful compliment.
Am blushing myself pink! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php

Pulled out stops awrite! :lol: You can't know how itching i was to reply to
Way2GO's quip on the swimming costume thingy over at the phrase game
and how even itchier i was not being able to pitch my tent over at the notti
phrases game too! :faint: Abstinence ain't as easy as they said it would be. :politebleah:

Aniwaes, i'm a sentimental wreck.. just that i want my achievements marked
in threads i either care about or have affinity with.. when i get my kachings
from Chief. Heh.. Sucker uh?

Chenonceau:

By the way, where did you get that emoticon with the wall and you peeking from behind?

Don't tell you! Nah nah nah poo poo! :cheeky:

Naaaah... google it darl! Go search Free Smileys and you'll be spoilt for
choice!

Btw my kiddies are in P4 and P2. :please:

[buds]

Sun_2010:

buds:

Errr... hello? Issit safe for buds to come out and play now?

buds, you should come out and play more often :nunchuk:
remember - All work and no play ,

I was chicken. :siam:

Sun_2010:

Thanks for that informative write up.

That was actually cut short for if i can be honest... in between that i had to
multi-task bf-ing buds_chubs and then changed him when he did a poopy
on me then multi-task again tapping him to sleep and when i finally got
the adrenaline rushing in, i had to go get DD1 from school! :frustrated:

But that's just for today.. Most days i'm quite free. Hee.

Sun_2010:

[the point is while TLLM is an excellent methodology, the point is it is only as good as its teacher. after all Tool is only as good as the skills of the craftman using it. So lets cross our fingers and pray.

Aaah.. there's also the Principal who has a role to play in all this too.

Sun_2010:

[So far DS seems to be enjoying, but we are not sure what is happenning at school... , only info is there will be a show n tell, they is a learning Journey, spelling etc.

There's more sharing from me with regards to this but well.. time no enuff
for me today it seems.. blaaah.. :roll:

Sun_2010:

[DS does on his own, while i butt in at times and try to help him out - sometimes i realise i am being a Nuisance and a times i wish I had intervened earlier. The problems is when i intervene I expect some standards :oops:

You are a normal parent, Sunny! :celebrate:

Sun_2010:

[That makes me wish that teacher would let us know when and where parents could help and what are the ones the children are left alone to do by themselves. What is really expected of the children.
Waiting for the PTM...

Parents shouldn't just wait for PTM. The communication btwn parents and
teachers should ideally be established since day 1. Know how to win over
your children's teachers so that they in turn will win your hearts over too..
That my friend, i save for another sharing ok?

[cantbearit2]

janet_lee88:

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.

Ya, I Thot yur DD sch is pretty on cos their latest PSLE results was v impressive. Guess more stress on parents Wen sch is on. But on e gd side, some kids thrive wif a little pressure

[cantbearit2]

Chenonceau:

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.

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:

Dun b so hard on yourself chenonceau. U have not been warn tats all. Fr all yur previous posts, i can tell u R oredi doing all tat u can to mitigate e shock 4 both yur ds & yourself. We r all tryg our best 2b e best parent we can b. Wats best to some may not be so for others. Like wat I always told my DD as long as u have tried yur best, tats gd enough for mommy. Mommy will try her best to help u tackle e flawed sys

[teh_oh]

tamarind:

[quote]
Neighbourhood schools have been the underdog performers of late and my girls' old school produced top ten psle scorers a coupla times too.

buds,
That school is definitely not just any neighbourhood school, it is a \"premium\" neighbourhood school. Most neighbourhood schools do not have any top 10 PSLE scorers.

My kids' neighbourhood school only produced 1 top 10 PSLE scorer in 10 years. It is the top choice in my area, because none of the other primary schools have produced any top scorer in their entire history.

My kids' school do have some activities that you mentioned. However, recently I heard one parent complaining that her girl was made to do Grammar workbook from page 20+ to 90+ in one day Quite sad. My girl also encountered teachers who made the whole class write the exact same set of words for a few days just before SA1. I think it really depends on the teacher.

Whatever methodology it is that MOE is trying to implement, if they don't have proper control over how teachers teach, it is still quite useless.[/quote]Hi Tamarind,
My child just reached home at around 5pm due to similar 'holistic' activities in school. The class was still given homework for all 4 subjects to be handed in tomorrow and there are still Oral exam tomorrow, really bad news for those last minute mugger. He needs to go to bed by 8pm. Luckily our Oral revision is 85% done. We are not allowed to opt out of such afterschool activities and he will be having twice weekly CCAs (which he so looks forward to) next Semester. If schools want to TLLM, please cut down on written work or at least give the children more time to complete them.