Preparing kids for P5 in 2011
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Herbie:
Yes, school teacher are qualified teacher but some of them dun really teach well and we have to send kids for tuition. I still remember my son's teacher who was trained in maths but was tasked to teach english and science. And this teacher told my son that she doesn't really know Science!!!
wow lau! :shock: -
janet_lee88:
Talking about this make me :mad:
When kids score HIGH / TOP marks in primary school, sad to say the credit belongs to the tutors/enrichment centres. We pay through our noses to get those marks. It's idiotic that MOE makes the system this way. Aren't school teachers qualified to teach our kids ?Peony:
cimman,
As a result, top marks in primary school has lost its appeal to me. Taste more bitter than anything else.
Can't wait to get out of the primary school system. In the long run, kids who gain top marks this way may (IMHO) not be successful later.
I remember my dd did very badly in MT in P1 (she cant speak, cant write, cant read - i know it is \"te rok\"). The MT teacher phoned me and ask \"Mrs xx, What are you going to do about it? Does she have tuition? Do you want to apply for exemption?\" I was speechless and shock at that time. To think back now, I should have replied \"You are the MT teacher, please tell me 'What you are going to do about it? Are you going to give her extra tuition/remedial lesson\" (should have throw the questions back to her) -
janet_lee88:
My son came home happily yesterday...He is the only one with full marks for his Science practical test...I was rather amazed. I praised him for a great job and added :evil: if he can continue to work as hard, he will do well for his SA2 and PSLE next year. I hope he will remember this feeling and motivate himself.
Awesome!! Congrats. Keep encouraging him. -
cimman:
just wanted to share this incident. My son came home and announced he has some good news and some bad news for his Topical Maths Test. The bad news was that he had 3 careless mistakes, the good news was that he got the top grade for his class. Well, of course, we celebrated the momentous occasion.
He had never topped his class in any subject in school, so it is a very big deal
for him.
After having gone through he Maths paper, I realized that there was a question in Section C where he used algebra to solve the problem. Now, I've been teaching him algebra since end of last year, so it is good to know that some of that has sunk in. His form teacher actually presented his solution to the class but requested them to not to write it down. So whle he acknowledged that using algebra is permissable, it is not the recommended approach. Having gone through a fair bit of past year exam papers, both SA1 and SA2, I find that both modelling and algebra have their place. There are some problems where you will need to use modelling and some problems where modelling can be used, but it is much easier to see the mathematical relationship through algebra.
There are also some problems where basic algebra concept is a must, ie. Area and Perimeter. I used to think that Area and Perimeter problems were not considered difficult. Don't under estimate them. Without a basic understanding of algebra, it is impossible to solve some of the more difficult ones, like the relationship 3 breadths = 1 Length or 3B=1L.
The other category that benefits from algebra is Guess and Check type of problems. Yes, you can solve these problems through Trail and Error, but with alegbra, you cut out the Trial and move straight to the solution.
That's not to say that alegbra can solve most problems. In some cases, the modelling approach is far easier and has much fewer steps.
I would say, put algebra in the child's maths tool bag. Don't wait for P6 to come before introducing this concept because the sooner the child gets to use this concept, the easier it is to solve certain types of problems. Algebra concept is harder to teach, so it does take some time before the concepts sink in. Best to have a headstart in this area.
There is a caveat to this. Some teachers are against using algebra and might mark the solution as wrong. Best to check with the form teacher on this. At any rate, when it comes to P6, algebra is permissable.
Cimman,
If your DS answer is correct, challenge the teacher. Take the marks back. I'm sorry that i have to sound so aggressive.
Ask the teacher, is he/she preparing the child for P5 or P6? In P6 (PSLE), you can use any method to solve a question as long as you can show how you get the answer.
I have question teacher(s) many times before, they know I'm tough. I got marks back before too. -
ksme:
Oral exams coming up next week and my ds' teachers have not done anything to practise with them or gave them any notes. Sigh, looks like we are on our own again.
Hi, did your kid's school using http://www.lead.com.sg?
Over there, you can login to the\" Oral buddy\" for both Englisg and Chinese. The system has step by step oral practise. Not bad. -
Hi. Just to share. There is another website- http://www.mcenrich.com. This is a free online website for primary school for Math and English. I had register last few months at the Book fair. I just let my kids try the tests online.
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Lynn2010:
Also the mt teacher just asked the kids to copy thechinese copy which she has written on the board. If the kids write their own compo, they kana scolding. So ended up my ds's compo is really 'good'.Herbie:
Yes, school teacher are qualified teacher but some of them dun really teach well and we have to send kids for tuition. I still remember my son's teacher who was trained in maths but was tasked to teach english and science. And this teacher told my son that she doesn't really know Science!!!
wow lau! :shock:
This is the down side of gg to a english potato school they just ignore the importance of mt.
:frustrated: -
Herbie:
During MY time, my classmates were the 'eat potato' type...we hated MT...literally disliked the subject. Fast forward to the present...the very same school is now focusing EQUAL number hours to MT. After the first test in May, all the girls were split into different classes. I appreciate this move because my daughter's CL teacher is able to focus more attention on the weaker students.This is the down side of gg to a english potato school they just ignore the importance of mt.
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janet_lee88:
Janet,
Hi ksme,
Firstly, my apologies for not emailing you the Math answers yet. Hubby has catarat op on Thur and I'm keeping him away from the computer / TV so that he can rest his eyes.
No worries. Hope your husband feeling better now. Must be tough on you to be watching the kids and taking care of him. Take care of yourself too. -
shurley197323:
Thank you Shurley for the recommendations. Really appreciate your kind gestures. :grphug:
Hi, did your kid's school using http://www.lead.com.sg?
Over there, you can login to the\" Oral buddy\" for both Englisg and Chinese. The system has step by step oral practise. Not bad.
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