2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[sleepy]

I think it’s very important for educators & parents to keep an open mind, that there are children with higher abilities who can absorb information faster, like high end processors. If we hold them back, keep telling them there’s no point being so advanced, are we hindering their progress instead?


I believe the truely gifted ones need not study whole day. For the same amount of time spend studying, they are capable of acquiring more indepth & advanced knowledge. That’s the whole point of being high end processors, processed data faster. In fact, they should have more time to play or read widely outside school syllabus to satisfy their quest for knowledge

[david59]

glchua:

Kid's insatiable urge or parent's/teacher's insatiable urge?


More knowledge in which eventually everyone is able to acquire?

It is already dubious that the kids are doing it in a learning centre, with curriculum that most will go through. Purpose?

Won't the kid get the same thing repeated to him when he goes to school?

Sorry, I'm cynical of the concept of \"jumping grades\" in whatever manner. One thing our government does right in this area is not to allow it in our public school. Rather, they took the more difficult route of introducing GEP etc.

Accelerated learning is easy to do and implement, but broadening horizon is not. Hence I guess, that is what most people would justify to do to \"satisfy kid's insatiable urge for knowledge\".

I have this GEP P6 student in my centre. During study time, he would rather help other P6 students with their works than doing centre's assessment work. Not because he is proud but bcos he needs more challenging things to do. So, I try my best to find him more difficult qns. to do as they are no assessment books catered for GEP students in the market as far as I know.
Like I say about my centre's P1 kid who is doing P3 maths. I will only let him do if he wants to. Can you imagine letting him keep on doing copy upon copy of P1 Maths. He would probably freak out. :!: :stupid: :?:

[vlim]

Actually the gifted education programme are accelerated programme and subjects are taught more in depth for the gep qualified students. For example, the language subjects are taught at higher level likewise for science and maths.. But one thing which I feel a bit contradicting is that, at the bottom line, they still need to go throught psle after the 21/2 yr of ge programme. ... from some parents' feedback is that the gep students left with not much time to prepare for the psle unlike the mainstream pupils :?

[MdmKS]

vlim:

Actually the gifted education programme are accelerated programme and subjects are taught more in depth for the gep qualified students. For example, the language subjects are taught at higher level likewise for science and maths.. But one thing which I feel a bit contradicting is that, at the bottom line, they still need to go throught psle after the 21/2 yr of ge programme. ... from some parents' feedback is that the gep students left with not much time to prepare for the psle unlike the mainstream pupils :?

Perhaps PSLE is something they can fall-back in case they fail to meet the min requirement. Anyway they need only T-score of 200 once they got DSA offer to their stream school. Buy then why mainstream student s need 262 and above to offer EESIS while they don't need to? This is something which many feel unfair for the mainstream students.

[glchua]

tony:

Correction: It is possible to accelerate even in Singapore.
http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/gifted-education-programme/faq/exceptionally-gifted/

Sorry, I didn't know about this.

[justbehappy]

MdmKS:

Butthen why mainstream students need 262 and above to offer EESIS while they don't need to? This is something which many feel unfair for the mainstream students.

EESIS COP may be higher, in 2007 it was 264. Anyway, agree that this is unfair to mainstream students .. it's strange why GEP students do not have to satisfy this reqmt, I wonder how many % of the GEP actually get below the EESIS COP, anyone has statistics?

[atutor2001]

About 50%

[glchua]

david59:

I have this GEP P6 student in my centre. During study time, he would rather help other P6 students with their works than doing centre's assessment work. Not because he is proud but bcos he needs more challenging things to do. So, I try my best to find him more difficult qns. to do as they are no assessment books catered for GEP students in the market as far as I know.
Like I say about my centre's P1 kid who is doing P3 maths. I will only let him do if he wants to. Can you imagine letting him keep on doing copy upon copy of P1 Maths. He would probably freak out. :!: :stupid: :?:

I guess for cases like this, there is probably no choice but to keep him interested with more difficult questions.

But why did his parents send him to a learning centre in the first place?

My point is that kids like this may be better off doing things extra-curricular in their free time.

For example, research into a subject that the kid is interested in. Electronics projects, physics exploration, robotics project, computer programming, biology and chemistry even. Obviously the kid will need to learn a subject in more depth to do such work, but most importantly, time is spent tinkering with things, coming up with solutions etc, not finding answers in which the answer is already there in the back of the book.

In my field, I had seen people with lesser academic credentials achieving much more in their research than people who scored As. These people has no fear of giving \"wrong\" answers and have less respect for the status quo. I, myself, am still unlearning my learning.

I had a colleague once. He had studied overseas almost the whole of his life. He tinkered with many things from young in his free time (he is still tinkering with things now). He probably has a lot of free time because his parents were not there with him! Anyway, his solutions to problems are remarkable and it takes some leap of faith at times to find such solutions. He is definitely smart, but most importantly, he is able to explore, a skill he had learnt since young.

By the way, many eminent scientists were bored kids that burnt down garden sheds, fixed radios and hang out in the woods often.

Academic knowledge should be viewed as a tool, not as an end in itself. Focusing on grades and exams and using the \"gift\" to generate good grades and jump ahead is I think, a waste of the \"gift\".

[Puffer]

If you have a kid whom you think is ‘gifted’ i.e. has the hunger to read, finds the class lessons boring, learns quickly, good memory and reasoning abilities etc. How are you going to provide a proper guidance and nurturing? Will the GEP be ‘ideal’ (if he gets into the programme, that is)? Is paying huge sums of tuition fees for him to learn more at those so-called very good enrichment centres do any good?


I’ve been searching for an option for my DS1 - I feel he is a Science guy who has flair in Maths and Science, but just covering the school syllabi won’t satisfy his desire. He is very quick to pinpoint adults’ mistakes,and thinks alot (and therefore worry too much too!) Also, he’s very impatient when it comes to writing - that explains his tardy handwriting, which I’m growing to accept it as ‘doctors’ handwriting’ now.

[MdmKS]

justbehappy:

MdmKS:

Butthen why mainstream students need 262 and above to offer EESIS while they don't need to? This is something which many feel unfair for the mainstream students.

EESIS COP may be higher, in 2007 it was 264. Anyway, agree that this is unfair to mainstream students .. it's strange why GEP students do not have to satisfy this reqmt, I wonder how many % of the GEP actually get below the EESIS COP, anyone has statistics?

Mainstream students who are talented in sport or other domains and offered DSA are not given EESIS to subsidise them at IP independent schools if they do not meet the COP for their PSLE T-score.