is it possible to teach p4 math ourselves?

[Herbie]

sleepy:

24hr-mum:

to me, i nvr tried kumon

problem sums。。。。will it help??

Don't think so

Attending Kumon does not help in solving problem sums.

[libran269]

Hi all,

What does Kumon help in? Is it useful to send kids to Kumon.
I am still thinking, your suggestion would really help.
Thanks

[sleepy]

I feel that Kumon is more suitable for preschoolers. Mainly arithmetics.


Not so much on heuristic problem solving which is MOE style of questions

[Herbie]

sleepy:

I feel that Kumon is more suitable for preschoolers. Mainly arithmetics.


Not so much on heuristic problem solving which is MOE style of questions

Yeap!

[Marshella Smith]

I help my daughter doing her studies as well as homework. but sometimes I face problems and so I take help of Khan videos or tutorteddy.

[hexagon]

Yes…it is possible but it involves lots of hard work, commitment, determination and patience on the part of the parents.


DS1 is doing PSLE this year. From P1-P3, he excelled in Maths. He went to GEP in P4 and that was the start of his downhill slide in Math. Parents were advised not to teach them or send them for tuition cos the method taught in GEP is different from mainstream and this might confuse the child. We heed that advice and left him to his own devices.

The result, to our dismay, was disappointing to say the least. He scored 68 in his prelims. Alarm bells start ringing and with one month to go before PSLE, hubby decided to take matters in his own hands. He decided to prepare for PSLE math himself. He went to the library to borrow books relating to Model method, he studied it diligently and tried to master it (he is now a Model convert, automatically solving questions using this method). He burnt midnight oil and did all the past year papers, SA1, prelims papers etc every night while our prince, who is the one taking the exams, sleeping soundly before 10pm.

With the help of a determined dad, DS1 showed improvement and was glad to report that he found this year’s PSLE math manageable and harbors the hope of getting an A*.

I think the main advantage of coaching our own kids is that we know them well and have a personal interest in their studies. We want them to do well and we will try all ways and devise personalized methods to help them, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses. However, the most important outcome to the child is not the As and A*s but the fact that his/her parents cared enough to devote time and energy to help him/her. To provide that morale support and walk the journey with them. This is especially so for boys (we have 4…good luck to you, DH) whose fathers are involve in their lives. We noticed DS1 is more cooperative, more motivated and less rebellious when his dad is coaching him as compared to me.

Just like the ebb and flow of the current, there are good days and bad. We work like a tag team. So on days when one is tearing his/her hair out and vowed never to teach him again, the other will take over. We just have to Keep Calm And Carry On.

[24hr-mum]

wow, ur DH is amazing!! most parents wld hv just paid millions to send their kids to tuition to "hug the buddha’s leg at the last minute".

i bought some model drawg books (a red one). very gd but after i read i also very confusing and must read a few times. patience can dry out sometimes.

the main reason i m thinkg of teachg myself, besides saving cost, is that the tuition centre cant pinpoint the weakness of my child, as in while she improves in model drawing, but she still cant tell for whc kind of question, use what strategy. if u teach model, she will use model for ALL questions and stimes its wrong when unguided. plus i hv 3 kids, good to know the syllabus myslf

[libran269]

hexagon, ur dh is role model for many hubby’s esp mine.

I am also keen to teach dd instead of sending for tutions.

[libran269]

Herbie:

sleepy:

I feel that Kumon is more suitable for preschoolers. Mainly arithmetics.


Not so much on heuristic problem solving which is MOE style of questions

Yeap!

Thanks! My dd is in the preschool. So let's see if there is any improvement in her arithmetic & calculations

[Lock]

Dear all,

I swear by Onsponge. I went through their parents' workshop and find their methodology very clear and easy to understand. My own maths background is weak but yet after the workshop, I could understand and do most sums in my kids' work.

So, now I send my dd(P4) to Onsponge tuition as she is weaker in picking up concepts but I reinforce learning at home cos sometimes she still can't grasp what the tutor has taught. And I teach my son (P2) on my own using Onsponge methodology and both are doing well; maintaining at band 1.