Parents, not enrichment centres, are key to result

[Chenonceau]

insider:

Chenonceau:

So why teach it in GEP? And no one said anything about NOT teaching concepts, or teaching it BEFORE concepts. Would you teach a child to read BEFORE teaching the alphabet?

teaching in GEP coz they have nothing better to teach since 'concepts' are so easy for these kids? It may take 6 lessons to cover a concept in mainstream but maybe 2 lessons for GEP and so teachers have to do something for that 4 lessons? I really dont know and could only guess. (this would mean if pr school have more maths lesson, then the kids maybe can also be taught heuristics as well but time constraint).

I am not saying that someone is saying not teaching concepts or teaching it before concept. I am stating the risk of if some parents have the mis-conception of can put the horse before the cart and go to such enrichment even before the child grasping concept. The risk is there. You may take all parents as 'intelligent' but I will take some of them may just follow the 'tide' and upon reading heuristics is 'good', start to queue up for such enrichment.

Chenonceau:

No one said anything about NOT practising either. So, we agree? My DD is also 19. She didn't need heuristics because she faced a DIFFERENT, less skills heavy PSLE. The data point is 7 years late.

Since when I said I don't agree with you huh?

I don't understand why you keep thinking that this 7 years data point is very different from the current. Both my kids still can solve almost any PSLE problem sum that is presented to them NOW (using 'pr school method'), and so the skill set required at their point of time is still similar to the current. I have been through seeing their complicated problem sums then and they are not very different from what I can read from current assessment books.

Ok.

[PiggyLalala]

I know of a few schools that have asked the students to purchase the onsponge book. These mainstream students have been taught the heuristics method. In fact I think the heuristic method are not specifically taught in any of GEP lesson. I agree with insider’s daughter that if someone understands a concept deep enough,heuristics will come naturally. However the onsponge book is useful to most students as it categorises the questions into various types.

[Chenonceau]

PiggyLalala:

I know of a few schools that have asked the students to purchase the onsponge book. These mainstream students have been taught the heuristics method.

I have noticed this too, and have said so some posts earlier. Not in all schools though.... because my DS's school doesn't do it.

PiggyLalala:

In fact I think the heuristic method are not specifically taught in any of GEP lesson.

This I can't vouch for because I did say that it is only through hearsay that I found out that they teach GEP in heuristics but some GEP students don't seem to get it. So I dunno....

PiggyLalala:

I agree with insider's daughter that if someone understands a concept deep enough,heuristics will come naturally. However the onsponge book is useful to most students as it categorises the questions into various types.

I quite agree with this too. Given enough practice, the brain develops its own heuristics. Deep understanding of concept comes with enough practice. It is enough practice that is important in the heuristic development that contributes to deep conceptual understanding. Practice is important.

http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2012/01/10000-hour-rule-of-practice.html

Onsponge is categorized by problem-solving technique (i.e., heuristics). It makes no explicit mention of heuristic.

It is more likely that if a child is REALLY smart, he would develop his own naturally. Less bright children MAY need it a bit more because their brains are less adept at developing these heuristics naturally.

These heuristics helped my son a lot. It is because he is not that bright, possibly, that these heuristics helped.

[PiggyLalala]

If you looked through the prelim papers, you will realise that not all questions can be solve by the standard heuristic method like

(1) Repeated identity
(2) External unchanged
(3) Unchanged total
(4) Constant difference.
These are the difficult sums that really required the child to think and work out the solution themselves.

[Chenonceau]

PiggyLalala:

If you looked through the prelim papers, you will realise that not all questions can be solve by the standard heuristic method like

(1) Repeated identity
(2) External unchanged
(3) Unchanged total
(4) Constant difference.
These are the difficult sums that really required the child to think and work out the solution themselves.

I also agree with this. The really challenging ones need creative thinking, and some flexibility. Teaching heuristics will not mean the child can do the whole paper. However, they do help with the easier questions. AND they do give some tools to mix and match with when dealing with the challenging ones.

[PiggyLalala]

I really do not know how the mainstream were taught maths. I have the feeling that they are taught the model method until the onsponge book categorizes the questions and develop the heuristic method of solving standard questions.

[Chenonceau]

PiggyLalala:

I really do not know how the mainstream were taught maths. I have the feeling that they are taught the model method until the onsponge book categorizes the questions and develop the heuristic method of solving standard questions.

Yours is in GEP hah?

[PiggyLalala]

Yup. Sec 2 this yr.

[Chenonceau]

PiggyLalala:

Yup. Sec 2 this yr.

So it isn't true that GEP are taught Onsponge stuff and equivalent?

Mine isn't GEP, and Onsponge helped a lot.

[PiggyLalala]

I agree that onsponge is very useful. I have recommended it to my friends too. I dont remember seeing any of the GEP worksheets that use the term repeated identity or constant identity.