2013 PSLE Discussions and Strategy
-
Verysuperkiasu:
I personally went there to enquire. They said I had to send my son for a free test/assessment first (no obligations). But the place was too far from my home, so I decided to drop the idea though I was quite tempted to try becoz from the website, it seemed quite impressive. Didn't get to find out the cost.
How much is the regular lesson at iSun?yeeling:
[quote=\"Verysuperkiasu\"]
There is another very good one at isun (goldhill). The trainer has very good testimonies. But very expensive.
Hope it helps.
Teacher Alice used to be at Science Buddies Bukit Timah. My children like her a lot, very witty and very good at coaching them in Science.
Now wondering whether to switch to her for my girl PSLE 2012 or stick with Science Buddies.
If you find the current tutor is good and your girl is enjoying the lessons, then better stick to it.[/quote]She likes the place, result ok. However she very much prefer Teacher Alice, more fun and she teaches the students how to answer the Paper 2 Questions, very thorough.
The fees at iSun seems steep. Maybe I will send her to a workshop next Sept.
Science Buddies is $400 per term. -
yeeling:
I think that's a great idea. You can let your girl continue with Science Buddies and then let her join the workshops during the holidays. I understand that centres like isun and science heuristics do conduct holiday intensive programmes. I think you should sign her up for the june one becoz by then sch would hv completed all the syllabus and it's perfect timing for her to attend the intensive revision. If want to wait till Sept then it'll be after her prelims.
The fees at iSun seems steep. Maybe I will send her to a workshop next Sept.
Science Buddies is $400 per term.
Hmm....actually science buddies charges $400 per term is quite reasonable. -
Hi Hi
Glad someone pointed me to this thread!!! The Kiasuism spirit is gearing up faster everyday!
Ok, verysuperkiasu mentioned that CL & EL must be strong. How strong is strong? Is Band 2 btw 75-84 considered weak (to me it is! panic-stricken).
My DS is weak in Compo writing even though he reads alot (dun understand why!). Colleagues say I too kiasu they will eventually catch up in P5/6 but that will be too late. How do you all cope with the tight schedule? Do you all send them to enrichment for all 4 subjects? Plus other enrichment like CCAs, Music etc…??? -
ScaredyMum:
It is a misconception to think that when a kid reads a lot, that will translate to good writing. Most kids read for plot, rarely pausing long enough to 'take in' the good phrases/vocab used in the story. Some kids are able to 'pick up' the style of writing and internalise good phrases and vocab as they read widely but from my experience, most kids don't. The 'caught on' theory in language learning, in my opinion, is a fallacy. Techniques of writing and grammar have to be taught specifically. Finally, writing, like learning an instrument, has to be practised. The more you write, the better you get.
My DS is weak in Compo writing even though he reads alot (dun understand why!). Colleagues say I too kiasu they will eventually catch up in P5/6 but that will be too late.
-
ScaredyMum:
How do you all cope with the tight schedule? Do you all send them to enrichment for all 4 subjects? Plus other enrichment like CCAs, Music etc...???
I don't send my dd to tuition for all 4 subjects, only those that she is weak in and can't study on her own, like Maths and CL.
I used to worry about her science when she was in P3, esp in process skills and did send her to Science Buddies for 2 terms. But decided to take her out when the fees became too expensive. Then, from this forum, I found out about Janet Sim and the guide bk 'Ultimate Science'. These proved to be very useful. So, the whole of this year, dd studied on her own using Janet Sim's assessments/worksheets and the Ultimate Science guide. I prefer this arrangement as this frees up her time to do other things and trains her to be independent in her studies. So far, for this yr her Sci results has maintained in the band 1 range But I am keeping my fingers crossed for next yr, since many have mentioned the increase in difficulty level 
-
Lock:
ScaredyMum:
How do you all cope with the tight schedule? Do you all send them to enrichment for all 4 subjects? Plus other enrichment like CCAs, Music etc...???
I don't send my dd to tuition for all 4 subjects, only those that she is weak in and can't study on her own, like Maths and CL.
I used to worry about her science when she was in P3, esp in process skills and did send her to Science Buddies for 2 terms. But decided to take her out when the fees became too expensive. Then, from this forum, I found out about Janet Sim and the guide bk 'Ultimate Science'. These proved to be very useful. So, the whole of this year, dd studied on her own using Janet Sim's assessments/worksheets and the Ultimate Science guide. I prefer this arrangement as this frees up her time to do other things and trains her to be independent in her studies. So far, for this yr her Sci results has maintained in the band 1 range But I am keeping my fingers crossed for next yr, since many have mentioned the increase in difficulty level
Who is Janet Sim? What are Janet Sim's assessments/worksheets? :scratchhead: -
Lock:
I fully agree that the more you write, the better you get. For both Chinese and English, the kids often write less than 10 compo a year in school. And it is an uphill task to ask them to write more at home. So, is sending them to creative writing class the only way out?
It is a misconception to think that when a kid reads a lot, that will translate to good writing. Most kids read for plot, rarely pausing long enough to 'take in' the good phrases/vocab used in the story. Some kids are able to 'pick up' the style of writing and internalise good phrases and vocab as they read widely but from my experience, most kids don't. The 'caught on' theory in language learning, in my opinion, is a fallacy. Techniques of writing and grammar have to be taught specifically. Finally, writing, like learning an instrument, has to be practised. The more you write, the better you get.ScaredyMum:
My DS is weak in Compo writing even though he reads alot (dun understand why!). Colleagues say I too kiasu they will eventually catch up in P5/6 but that will be too late. -
ah ha, sounds like now more people are realising it : the more you write the better you get
compo or essay writing needs practise, lots of it, so that it becomes natural
there was a period of time my DS’s coach made him write a compo a day, mon - fri, and he realises the effectiveness after a while, a chore becomes a habit
in exam it is all about speed. plot and good phrases and good vocab has to be second nature
not to be mistaken with rot learning or essay memorising
as someone mentioned above, just like playing an instrument, practise makes perfect - same for compo
there are kids who wrote on average 9 to 12 pages and they scored very high for EL, good plot, good writing style, logical flow, flawless grammar, no typo, good climax, good ending … -
8228:
I go by the guiding principle that if it's something the kid is able to learn on his/her own, with the help of guidebooks n parents of cos, then there's no need to send them for enrichment/tuition. There are many good resources out there that 'teach' writing.
So, is sending them to creative writing class the only way out?
We shd not rob our kids the chance for them to be independent n active learners. It's similar to the popular saying, \"it's better to teach someone how to fish than to give him a fish.\" that's my opinion. Many centers usually just spoon fed the kids, rarely giving them chance to think n go thru self discovery in learning.
-
Lock:
:goodpost:
I go by the guiding principle that if it's something the kid is able to learn on his/her own, with the help of guidebooks n parents of cos, then there's no need to send them for enrichment/tuition. There are many good resources out there that 'teach' writing.8228:
So, is sending them to creative writing class the only way out?
We shd not rob our kids the chance for them to be independent n active learners. It's similar to the popular saying, \"it's better to teach someone how to fish than to give him a fish.\" that's my opinion. Many centers usually just spoon fed the kids, rarely giving them chance to think n go thru self discovery in learning.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login