Using Secondary School material to prepare my PSLE kid

[verykiasu2010]

Pen88n:

VKS2010, you made me :shock: :scared: I dread to think if this trend continues, I will be getting P6 materials for my DD when she is in P3 in a few years' time :yikes:.


Why is this education system (not only school, but tuition centres and KS parents out there) making life so difficult for everyone??? Will go :siao: if generation and generation gets more KS like this :nailbite:

On a lighter note, I'm so glad I've :siam: and not born in this generation. I doubt I can survive :sick: :faint:

I don't think we should blame the education system

Some kids find the current level not challenging enough, some kids want to push ahead, each to his/her own ability to do it or not to do it

a few IP schools are actually using sec 3 text from year 1 onward, esp the science subjects and geog

[Chenonceau]

I definitely use Sec 3 materials for the languages. For Science, we use the internet and Youtube and tons of videos from Amazon… plus entire experiment kits sourced from US. For Science, none of the materials in Popular pass my stringent standards for ease of use, effective teaching and high rate of retention. For Math… the best books cannot be bought at Popular.


Don’t expect the schools to teach Science with these. They are still using textbooks and worksheets and concept maps.

[Pen88n]

Chenonceau:

I definitely use Sec 3 materials for the languages. For Science, we use the internet and Youtube and tons of videos from Amazon... plus entire experiment kits sourced from US. For Science, none of the materials in Popular pass my stringent standards for ease of use, effective teaching and high rate of retention. For Math... the best books cannot be bought at Popular.


Don't expect the schools to teach Science with these. They are still using textbooks and worksheets and concept maps.

Everytime I think about this, I worried about what the other poor parent is doing for his / her kid. One who is uneducated and do not know how to source for much materials, how to help his / her kid reach the best potential? In this current system, everyone uses additional resources that is beyond the level taught in school. School is merely equipping the kids with the mere basics, and this gap will be more obvious as we move up the level from lower to upper primary.

[LOLMum]

Pen88n:

Everytime I think about this, I worried about what the other poor parent is doing for his / her kid. One who is uneducated and do not know how to source for much materials, how to help his / her kid reach the best potential? In this current system, everyone uses additional resources that is beyond the level taught in school. School is merely equipping the kids with the mere basics, and this gap will be more obvious as we move up the level from lower to upper primary.

:goodpost:

many \"o\" & \"n\" levels, diploma and degree holders are struggling to teach their kids.

[SAHM_TAN]

Chenonceau,


May I know where do you source for Maths resources? Thanls.

[Chenonceau]

SAHM_TAN:

Chenonceau,


May I know where do you source for Maths resources? Thanls.

Onsponge

Math Heuristics

You can find them if you google...

[looking4Tutor]

Pen88n:

Everytime I think about this, I worried about what the other poor parent is doing for his / her kid. One who is uneducated and do not know how to source for much materials, how to help his / her kid reach the best potential?

This is the only way to produce local hawkers, local construction workers, local bus drivers, etc... .

[cnimed]

this thread is so scary....

[SAHM_TAN]

Chenonceau:

Onsponge

Math Heuristics

You can find them if you google...

Thanks

[ridcully]

Helping--Hand:

Last week, i went to popular to get some stuffs. I picked up a secondary 1 english practice book and began browsing it....

I was suprised :? that the practice is so similiar to p6's english: Synthesis, grammar,vocab, punctuation(i think there is) and etc.
Is Seconday 1's english similiar to p6? Can anyone tell me? Thanks ^^
(actually i thought that sec 1 is supposed to be difficult&different)

The Secondary English practice books in Popular vary considerably in style, content and quality.

Secondary English is much tougher than Primary English. In Secondary English, students have to focus on comprehension and composition. A new aspect to comprehension is summary writing; this is something many students, especially in Secondary One, find enormously difficult. There is a large focus on vocabulary in comprehension. In compositional writing, there are many new genres and text types; students find argumentative writing particularly difficult.

In Secondary English, the subskills of grammar, punctuation, vocabulary etc are treated as that: subskills. In other words, they support the main areas of comprehension and composition. This contrasts with the focus in Primary English where the subskills are taught as worthy in their own right, and tested accordingly.

To give an example: one of the reasons summary writing is done poorly is that students do not join ideas together succinctly. This reflects poor Synthesis and Transformation skills. Secondary schools do teach connectors, but they are taught in order to strengthen written expression, not because there will be a S&T assessment worksheet as there is in the PSLE.

With regard to teaching students secondary school material to prepare for the PSLE, I have one word of advice: Don't. Actually, that's a contraction of two words... Most primary children burdened with secondary school material will not see the wood for the trees. You should make sure a child has a firm grasp of the basics for the PSLE, so that the child does not throw away easy points. It is true that there will be the odd one or two questions, especially in maths and science, where an exposure to secondary school material will give an edge, but is it worth exhausting a kid to chase those one or two points? I have seen kids score the one or two points but have lost easier points through carelessness and over-confidence.

Just my five cents worth...

Rgds
R