2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[MdmKS]

Dharma:

Having said that, year after year, I find a number of GEP pupils who still attend external enrichment classes, when the school is already doing so much for them. A large number of them end up with very high PSLE scores (> 270).

It surprises me as the demand of the school’s workload is already so much and can’t understand where they find the time. Not sure if any enrichment class outside there is able to offer something new to them.

I came across GEP students at enrichment/tuition centres to \"upgrade\" or \"learn aheard\" themselve. The P4 kid was attending P5 level for English there,...etc but whether this is the right thing to do? The parents told me they are just not so educated ah soh, they can't teach the GEP kids so better let them learn ahead and be able to do well in school.

[keroppi]

rains:

Gifted children will do well no matter what you throw at them.

Your statement could be true for the highly gifted kids. Not every kid shows giftness in all subjects. As far as I know my DS is only good in maths. He's not great in languages. I'm sure it was his maths that got him through the GEP selection tests.

In fact, he has classmates who failed the last maths common test last term and MT, so these kids do struggle with subjects they are not good at.

[rains]

keroppi:

Your statement could be true for the highly gifted kids. Not every kid shows giftness in all subjects. As far as I know my DS is only good in maths. He's not great in languages. I'm sure it was his maths that got him through the GEP selection tests.


In fact, he has classmates who failed the last maths common test last term and MT, so these kids do struggle with subjects they are not good at.

I've a love-hate relationship with forums. I hate them when you have to explain every single word you enter. It makes me feel moronic.

Yes, there're gifted kids who are not good in everything too.

A friend's dd is in the 2nd best class in one of the IP schools despite being a gifted class. The top class is not a gifted class.

I hope that no one will say things like 'the top class is probably exam smart.' which is the obvious, and argue non-stop about why the gifted class is not top class.

Oh yes, I do notice that kids who are excellent in Maths get into GEP.

[turquoise]

Dharma:

turquoise:

Yes, GEP is very rigorous and tough, but the child should be able to cope without help and coaching from parents. Moral support, yes, coaching etc, not necessary.

Hi turquoise,

Agree with you. I’ve had the opportunity to look at some of the notes/worksheets/CA papers of an ex-GEP pupil and found them to be in depth and detailed. The teaching materials are so creative and will surely arouse the interest in a child, especially for science. The amount of work done by the GEP pupils is way ahead of what a mainstream pupil would have covered.

Having said that, year after year, I find a number of GEP pupils who still attend external enrichment classes, when the school is already doing so much for them. A large number of them end up with very high PSLE scores (> 270).

It surprises me as the demand of the school’s workload is already so much and can’t understand where they find the time. Not sure if any enrichment class outside there is able to offer something new to them.

Hi Dharma,

The first thing the teachers/HOD told the parents and girls at our dd's school was, Do not send your child for any outside tuition. They do not need it. By and far, they are right, because the teachers are very accessible and the girls are bright enough to manage the syllabus. Having said that, I do know of girls who have lots of tuition. And some of these are very bright, scoring very well. I think it's the kiasu mentality of the parents rearing its ugly head.

[glchua]

Maybe we have to differentiate between being smart and being "system smart". Survivors of our school system doesn’t mean they are smart. My P2 daughter gets band 1 in every subject unlike my P3 son who barely scrap through the tests and exams. But I don’t think my daughter is smart, she’s just focused and competitive.


The really truly gifted will not survive the system no matter how it is tweaked to "nurture" them. This is because the people running the show are mostly above-average. They might try to think and implement things that they felt is best for the gifted pupils, but they will not truly understand how these gifted pupils feel and need.

Maybe MOE had thought out a program based on some "research" done by psychologists. How are these "research" done? Probably very few look at them carefully. Reminds me of all those self-help books and books telling us how to rear our young. How many of those "rules" are rigorously tested scientifically?

To me, any programs like GEP, or our general PSLE system, is just a large social experiment based on some idea. Thus, smart pupils may not do well, and pupils who did well might not be smart. All these are just performance indicators. Good and necessary to have, but should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Leonardo da Vinci never had a formal education. Einstein did badly in school. I don’t think Richard Feynman is in any special program. But all of them are good in tinkering with things from young. Something our children have very little time to do.

[glchua]

turquoise:

Hi Dharma,

The first thing the teachers/HOD told the parents and girls at our dd's school was, Do not send your child for any outside tuition. They do not need it. By and far, they are right, because the teachers are very accessible and the girls are bright enough to manage the syllabus. Having said that, I do know of girls who have lots of tuition. And some of these are very bright, scoring very well. I think it's the kiasu mentality of the parents rearing its ugly head.

I feel that tuition and parental coaching should be kept to a minimum. I think, very often, this \"kiasu\" mentality is founded on some short term, result oriented need of parents, not some long term aim of nurturing capable adults.

The child will cease to know how to walk independently if overly hand-held. The road is very long, there will be a day in which the stuffs you need to learn can't be reiterated by another, and there is no 10 years series to practice on. That is why many of our students struggle in the university and struggle when they go to work. They just can't listen, learn and think.

[Courage]

glchua:

Leonardo da Vinci never had a formal education. Einstein did badly in school. I don't think Richard Feynman is in any special program. But all of them are good in tinkering with things from young. Something our children have very little time to do.

Glad to hear this. :celebrate:

[watmekiasu]

glchua:

Leonardo da Vinci never had a formal education. Einstein did badly in school. I don't think Richard Feynman is in any special program. But all of them are good in tinkering with things from young. Something our children have very little time to do.

Not only that, when they find something that they are interested and good at, they are encouraged to focus or specialize on it. Here, we spend the least time on our strongest subjects and the most time on our weakest. That's one reason why we fail to have locals outstanding in specialized field in the internatonal community as they started too late.

[rains]

I’m not sure if I want my kid to be put thro so much hardship just so that she’ll be a history maker. I just want her to have a cushy job and be happy all her life. I don’t want her to be humiliated as being ‘too stupid for schools’ or sleep 4 hours a day, conduct 1000 experiments before she invented a lamp.


No need. No need. I just want her to lead a simple life and be a happy person.

[Fairy]

MdmKS:

Dharma:

Having said that, year after year, I find a number of GEP pupils who still attend external enrichment classes, when the school is already doing so much for them. A large number of them end up with very high PSLE scores (> 270).

It surprises me as the demand of the school’s workload is already so much and can’t understand where they find the time. Not sure if any enrichment class outside there is able to offer something new to them.

I came across GEP students at enrichment/tuition centres to \"upgrade\" or \"learn aheard\" themselve. The P4 kid was attending P5 level for English there,...etc but whether this is the right thing to do? The parents told me they are just not so educated ah soh, they can't teach the GEP kids so better let them learn ahead and be able to do well in school.

P4 attending P5 class? I am aware (from an aquaintance) of a P4 GEP girl who has completed P6 enrichment classes together with the graduating classes! This girl is also attending SMO (J) classes meant for the sec1s! That's really kiasu. Anyway, look at the participants of SMO J. It's meant for sec1 & 2s but many primary school students took part. Of course, their results are non-spectacular. Their parents probably sent them for classes/competitions to get the exposure ahead of their time. There's no end to how kiasu people can be.

I am also aware of sec1 IP students signing up & already completed a year of sec3 enrichment classes for pure Sciences & Maths. (Information from enrichment centres).

The competiveness of these students & parents is suffocating for normal students who prefer to take one step at a time and enjoy the learning journey. However, these students have sacrificed a lot of their childhood, leisure and life to stay ahead of the cohort. Except for the truely highly gifted who has a good reason for their thirst for knowledge, the rest have paid a high price for what they are chasing after. So, don't envy them. Be glad that our children are more balanced and have the best of both world.