Petition to Review the Singapore Education System
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ksi:
So process concept not taught is something acceptable? I don't think so.
Not acceptable. I agree. Textbooks dun have. Worksheets dun have. -
My child sat for the PSLE last year. I have gone through with him questions from top sch papers and examined the PSLE questions too. The Maths questions in section C from some of the top sch prelim or P5 SA2 papers can be very challenging. If these are the common questions found in the exam or PSLE, how can then the school not teach the pupils the skills. Schools also aim to do well in the PSLE. I may be wrong because my experience is only based on my child’s school.
I strongly believe that schools have to teach all the skills and concept needed in the exam. However, that does not mean all pupils know how to apply the relevant skills or concept to solve the questions. Also not all teachers are competent in teaching such skills. That’s why i always pray for good teachers for my child at the beginning of each year.
In your child’s case, could the teacher be intentionally not teach the skills before the exam. They may want to assess how many students know how to solve the ‘unseen’ sums in the exam and that they will be teaching the skills only in term 3. Of course I maybe wrong. -
PiggyLalala:
My child sat for the PSLE last year. I have gone through with him questions from top sch papers and examined the PSLE questions too.
If the school were doing its job well enough, you would not have to go through with him questions from Top School papers. My daughter went through PSLE 7 years ago and I did not have to look at a single top school paper. I left it entirely to the school and her. No tuition also. She wasn't failing so I didn't worry. In fact, all by herself, she was doing quite well.
What about the kid without a mother to go through the top school papers?
My son however, failed in 1st quarter this year. This year, I have had to analyze all the papers, know the syllabus and teach my child. Result - 2nd in class for SA1.
Yes... I get your point about not all Teachers can teach the new skills. Then don't rev up the syllabus so fast that it's beyond the teachers' capability. Poor teachers. Actually, it would already help if textbooks documented process skills in the same way that Onsponge or Mathe Heuristics does.
Once I got hold of these books, I passed to my son. He managed. Result - 2nd place in SA1. Some solutions are simple and easy to implement, and can help a lot already. -
Chenonceau:
Just sharing this from another perspective. I remember when my son was in P1. There was a simultaneous equation question in the maths paper. For some reason, he managed to solve it without help from teachers or parents, and I don't even know what method he used. He just knew the answers. My friends asked me why I taught and hot housed my son this way. Well, I didn't.ksi:
So process concept not taught is something acceptable? I don't think so.
Not acceptable. I agree. Textbooks dun have. Worksheets dun have.
It is true that some kids can solve some problems without the correct concepts and methods, and derive answers through simple first principles only, and using only addition and subtraction. But I believe it is not very meaningful to test these capabilities in an exam like PSLE, even if such questions are put there to stretch the examinees. For those one or two questions, many tutors and teachers would have pumped in so much time and work on the children. While it is easy for some children to solve using their own invented methods, majority would have to study the steps and methodologies that take too much time.
My kids are not gifted in Chinese. I shudder to think how it is like if they want to stretch the children in Chinese exams. They'll probably spend years and still not get anywhere near understanding these concepts. Then get demoralized and give up completely. Or psyched themselves into believing they are stupid. They are just not gifted in that area. And it is perfectly fine.
At PSLE, we should test what we teach. And if we want to go beyond that, make it known that we are testing their capabilities in a separate test, like HAST. Otherwise, parents and teachers will be trying to catch up forever. This target will be shifting forever, in the name of trying to stretch just that small population. -
2ppaamm:
At PSLE, we should test what we teach. And if we want to go beyond that, make it known that we are testing their capabilities in a separate test, like HAST. Otherwise, parents and teachers will be trying to catch up forever. This target will be shifting forever, in the name of trying to stretch just that small population.
Yes... I agree. Ksi suggested this too. Our family is nowhere near Gifted. This gives us a choice. -
Chenonceau:
Even in the psychological testing arena, there are two kinds of testing: IQ tests and achievement tests. I tend to think that PSLE is an academic achievement assessment, and hence, we should not include IQ-like questions to quiz the children. I think most challenging Maths questions tend to be testing IQ more than Maths. Testing pattern recognition etc. These are not related to academic achievement.2ppaamm:
At PSLE, we should test what we teach. And if we want to go beyond that, make it known that we are testing their capabilities in a separate test, like HAST. Otherwise, parents and teachers will be trying to catch up forever. This target will be shifting forever, in the name of trying to stretch just that small population.
Yes... I agree. Ksi suggested this too.
There are already available tests for Secondary school placement that schools like ACSI and MGS are using for DSA, like HAST. I believe Raffles family, Duman and other schools use a local test (can't remember the name of the test off hand). These tests are useful for testing propensity of English, Writing, Spoken language, Comprehension, Maths, Science and Art as well. Perhaps use these instead of trying to put everything into the PSLE paper? -
I agree that in the primary school education, the ‘poorer’ students tend to be at the disadvantage as there are many ‘richer’ Singaporeans that can afford tuitions in many of the subjects. However, once the students get into the sec school, a lot would then depend on the students themselves. The reasons being most parents would have lost the stamina to go after their children esp after they have entered their teens and also the tuitions for all secondary school subjects would then be too expensive for most Singaporeans. Also by then, most parents are not able to coach their child in most of the subjects. Students with the right attitude and self motivated would then excel.
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PiggyLalala:
I agree that in the primary school education, the 'poorer' students tend to be at the disadvantage as there are many 'richer' Singaporeans that can afford tuitions in many of the subjects. However, once the students get into the sec school, a lot would then depend on the students themselves. The reasons being most parents would have lost the stamina to go after their children esp after they have entered their teens and also the tuitions for all secondary school subjects would then be too expensive for most Singaporeans. Also by then, most parents are not able to coach their child in most of the subjects. Students with the right attitude and self motivated would then excel.
Ummm... I have no issue about secondary school either. The petition and this thread is about primary school (given that primary school results determines the kind of opportunities one gets in secondary school).
I quite agree with this post of yours about secondary school. Though I wouldn't really know until my son gets in there. I have learnt that 7 years, between 2 kids, can change a lotta things.
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Chenonceau:
As I've said before, my son's only beginning his journey in formal education, so I don't know if your description if the education system is accurate, but I love love love love love this post! I love its sincerity and passion. I love how it very clearly articulates what is bothering you (which has kinda gotten lost in the 60 pages of posts..). I find it moves me more than the petition letter.Actually, seen from an personal perspective, I also find the system quite ok. There are ways to work around it. All I have to do is to look ahead and teach my son what the teachers have no time to teach, but still will test.
I did that this time, and DS is 2nd in class. We lost our footing earlier this year (and was super stressed), but we have an even surer footing now (and are stressed no more). My son is actually quite relaxed because it seems that the worst is over.
Seen from a personal perspective, I also find the system quite good because my kids are doing well in it. One already has a scholarship. One might make it. Of not, she'll still make it to a good uni. The last child is identified as high potential. Not gifted but good enough to be able to enjoy some of the yummy opportunities the system has to offer. All 3 are highly motivated, enjoy learning and love being stretched between CCAs and interesting projects.
Seen from a personal perspective, I have no problems with Teachers either. DS FT was unfriendly and unhelpful. I persisted in being charming and understanding and considerate and respectful. She is slowly warming up to me. DS' last year's teacher and I became such good friends that I went to see her in hospital, lent her books... and she sms-ed me today to know DS' SA1 exam results. When she heard that he is 2nd in class, she was thrilled.
Seen from a personal perspective, I really have nothing to worry about. The worry starts when I think beyond my personal situation. If MY son fails exams because exams test what is not taught in class, then what about other people's children with equivalent intelligence but NO ONE to teach them at home?
Of course parents can individually choose to be less kiasu so that their kids are not stressed. But when we do that, we think only of our own children, no? It's a bit like \"Ok... the public transport is full up, so I will drive. This way, no stress.\" I have a car. I choose to drive to save myself the stress. Every individual with enough resources can afford to make choices.
Parents who can log into this thread to leave a comment, are at least literate enough to be understood, and can afford a computer. We have choices. The picture is different when you are a cleaner earning $800/= a day, and you want a better life for your chid. You cannot afford to say \"Let's expect less.\" The family has no buffer. No ources to say... well... if you dun do well, we'll give you some money to sta a business. Or it's ok if you only have 'O' levels, we can migrate. If the child doesn't make it, he will be a cleaner too. I know a fellow (my batch) son of a laundry woman who went on to become a President's Scholar. I grew up in a system where the Teachers taught what was needed and so sons of laundry women and cleaners had a ticket out of poverty. I grew up in that system and I am sad that it is no longer true.
When schools don't teach everything they test, the child MUST have tuition to cope and do well. The laundry womasat
ith no money for tuition may have a bright child, but that child will never be like my friend - today a President's Scholar. I think the discussion about stress misses the point. The discussion about how parents should be less kiasu also misses the point.
If PSLE standards are so high that
(1) some schools feel the need to start heuristics in P1 and P2 to help their children cope with PSLE
(2) some teachers have to choose to teach different sets of material to different classes because there is no time to cover all bases for all classes
(3) teachers have no time to mark and give feedback on skills practice in a syllabus that emphasizes skills
(4) textbooks don't document essential process skills in a skills heavy syllabus
then the Possible President's Scholar child of a laundry woman has NO CHANCE in today's system. And no voice to speak his lack of opportunity today because his laundry woman mother cannot write as well as Chenonceau.
I lament that our system has left behind something I always thought important - meritocracy. I lament it because I grew up with it and know people who would be nothing today without it. I have lived in USA and France. I know both countries to be elitist. Rich parents can afford better schools.
Living there, I was proud of being Singaporean and key to that pride was the notion that in Singapore, it didn't matter who you were born to, you would still make it. Is it still true today? I am not so sure. I feel this loss almost as a loss of national identity, as a betrayal of whom we are and what the word \"Singaporean\" stands for.
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Chenonceau:
I don't really have a problem with secondary school either, except for a few repercussions of the PSLE:PiggyLalala:
I agree that in the primary school education, the 'poorer' students tend to be at the disadvantage as there are many 'richer' Singaporeans that can afford tuitions in many of the subjects. However, once the students get into the sec school, a lot would then depend on the students themselves. The reasons being most parents would have lost the stamina to go after their children esp after they have entered their teens and also the tuitions for all secondary school subjects would then be too expensive for most Singaporeans. Also by then, most parents are not able to coach their child in most of the subjects. Students with the right attitude and self motivated would then excel.
Ummm... I have no issue about secondary school either. The petition and this thread is about primary school (given that primary school determines the kind of opportunities one gets in secondary school). I quite agree with this post of yours about secondary school. Though I wouldn't really know until my son gets in there. I have learnt that 7 years, between 2 kids, can change a lotta things.
1. Self esteem. If we teach our children to pin their intelligence or capabilities to that T-score, or the number of A's they get, it becomes very dangerous. Many well tutored students have a wrong perspective of their capabilities and when parents and tutors 'let-go', they fall.
2. Burnout. I have seen many of my son's school mates who are clearly burnt out. And I'm not surprised. One particular boy refused to do anything in Sec 1 and 2. Nothing. Like a rebel. This boy got >270. This is not an isolated case, I know a few more in the same school.
3. Rebel. A FEW of my son's friends who scored high for PSLE went on to do so badly in secondary school, they have to go into 'rehabilitation'. For some reason, without constant supervision and external motivation, they cannot get themselves to finish their tasks. Some of them I know were GEPers, whose parents/tutors will do all their research for them, like looking up all the difficult words in the dictionary for them in their comprehension. I found this ridiculous, but they told me their children had no time. ???
Basically, I am not for PSLE at all. I believe PSLE should be removed. It does nothing for our 12 year olds, who at puberty, need to sleep, grow and learn fun things (like styling their hair, sewing a button to their shirt, singing crazy songs).
How about using just school based exams and students' daily work, and for the identified 'special schools' (maybe for the top 10%?), students can choose to sit for a HAST-like exam?
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