Parents, not enrichment centres, are key to result
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ksi:
Thank you. I wanted to do justice to your sharing, and honour it for its quality. I did write an integration post earlier but it was a quick job. This one is much better.
Chenon, you have summarised everything very well. If we want to target the majority to handle Math at PSLE, (1)the basics have to be taught right to set a strong foundation. After achieving that, the race is more equal at streaming time and by right, streaming should be taking care of the stretch for HA students. -
insider:
Thanks insider, I appreciate the advice.
Musings,Musings:
.
Instead, these kids need to focus and master the basic skills before we talk about any higher order skills.
If the kids under your care do have some reasonable basic skills, you may actually try to explore using Onsponge's methods to teach them.
If you were to look through the methods, they are a bit like 'dead methods' (死学), ie, see this question, use this method, see that question, use that method, etc.
It depends on your objective in tutoring them. If your objective is to let them to have a better score for maths in PSLE, you may try, but if your objective is to let them have a more flexible brain for sec school maths, then you may have to think again whether to use this short cut. If they manage to see 'patterns' (most of the PSLE maths questions, if you see them long enough, carry 'patterns'), they have a high chance of getting the correct answer. It's a gamble to use heuristics right away with the technique of 'identifying' patterns in questions without further usual thinking process but at least they have a chance to 'gamble' and get it right.
I used to tutor some friends who were hopeless in their maths (or logical thinking skills) during my sec school days. As they were hopeless and I gauged that I was not powerful enough to make them understand concepts (I was young then at 16), I used 'patterns' to teach them (see this, do this; see that, do that; don't think of any other things). ALL did well enough for their business maths in their O levels at the end...
In some cases, we have to 死马当着活马医. This is the same situation when last minute, many children have to memorise compositions to score for languages... (the children must be able to memorise and apply in the first place else this gamble will not work as well...)
PS:
If the children under your care really having problems with challenging sums and you assess not quite possible for them to understand (whether concepts or heuristics), then you may actually throw these about 10 marks away and focus on other topics like area & parameters, etc. For certain kids, not worth to harp on the 10% challenging problems and missing other 'trees' that maybe easier to climb. Taking exams...most of the time is about 'strategies'... -
Chenonceau:
By the way, did you notice sth up there......
Thank you. I wanted to do justice to your sharing, and honour it for its quality. I did write an integration post earlier but it was a quick job. This one is much better.ksi:
Chenon, you have summarised everything very well. If we want to target the majority to handle Math at PSLE, (1)the basics have to be taught right to set a strong foundation. After achieving that, the race is more equal at streaming time and by right, streaming should be taking care of the stretch for HA students.
Just to share a lighter moment with you about my experience, I get PM asking me to teach their children.....of course it is joking but at the end of the day, we know every parent is concerned about this issue after our debate....
-
ksi:
By the way, did you notice sth up there......
Thank you. I wanted to do justice to your sharing, and honour it for its quality. I did write an integration post earlier but it was a quick job. This one is much better.Chenonceau:
[quote=\"ksi\"]
Chenon, you have summarised everything very well. If we want to target the majority to handle Math at PSLE, (1)the basics have to be taught right to set a strong foundation. After achieving that, the race is more equal at streaming time and by right, streaming should be taking care of the stretch for HA students.
Just to share a lighter moment with you about my experience, I get PM asking me to teach their children.....of course it is joking but at the end of the day, we know every parent is concerned about this issue after our debate....[/quote]I oso want you to teach mine leh... just paiseh to ask only!!!!
Yeah... I know the debate has made the issue salient to many parents. That's why I thought I should write a proper integration post. Unfortunately, we have not had much representation from parents who work and who have no time to teach their kids, so the perspective may still be incomplete.
Yes.. I noticed the streaming. Chose not to respond because seriously, my brain works by taking in new perspectives, and I CHANGE my mind as new pesrpectives come in... At present, I have no entrenched position on streaming. What I wrote... I wrote as questions to stimulate thought and push the boundaries. I haven't thought through streaming properly so I dun really have anything sensible to say. I have questions more than objections.
I do have an entrenched position on textbooks, however. -
Chenonceau:
If you are referring to me based on my earlier post, just to clarify, my ds1 attended TLL maths in upper primary but my ds2 never attended any maths tuition before. I am grateful to TLL for helping build a strong maths foundation for ds1 but it is not always necessary.At least one parent has children who did well in Math without Onsponge. That is my other bug bear. These books are EXPENSIVE. But this parent (who did not use Onsponge)
(1) sent her kids to The Learning Lab (which is even more expensive than buying the Onsponge book).
(2) is herself good at Math. -
wonderm:
Yup! I was referring to you. Could it be that you learnt from DS1 so you could help DS2?
If you are referring to me based on my earlier post, just to clarify, my ds1 attended TLL maths in upper primary but my ds2 never attended any maths tuition before. I am grateful to TLL for helping build a strong maths foundation for ds1 but it is not always necessary.Chenonceau:
At least one parent has children who did well in Math without Onsponge. That is my other bug bear. These books are EXPENSIVE. But this parent (who did not use Onsponge)
(1) sent her kids to The Learning Lab (which is even more expensive than buying the Onsponge book).
(2) is herself good at Math. -
Chenonceau:
I want the 2 of you to teach ME! Then I can teach my kids.
I oso want you to teach mine leh... just paiseh to ask only!!!!ksi:
By the way, did you notice sth up there......
Just to share a lighter moment with you about my experience, I get PM asking me to teach their children.....of course it is joking but at the end of the day, we know every parent is concerned about this issue after our debate....
.
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Funz:
I want the 2 of you to teach ME! Then I can teach my kids.
I oso want you to teach mine leh... just paiseh to ask only!!!!Chenonceau:
[quote=\"ksi\"]
By the way, did you notice sth up there......
Just to share a lighter moment with you about my experience, I get PM asking me to teach their children.....of course it is joking but at the end of the day, we know every parent is concerned about this issue after our debate....
.[/quote]
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
:dowan: -
insider:
:goodpost:
Musings,Musings:
.
Instead, these kids need to focus and master the basic skills before we talk about any higher order skills.
If the kids under your care do have some reasonable basic skills, you may actually try to explore using Onsponge's methods to teach them.
If you were to look through the methods, they are a bit like 'dead methods' (死学), ie, see this question, use this method, see that question, use that method, etc.
It depends on your objective in tutoring them. If your objective is to let them to have a better score for maths in PSLE, you may try, but if your objective is to let them have a more flexible brain for sec school maths, then you may have to think again whether to use this short cut. If they manage to see 'patterns' (most of the PSLE maths questions, if you see them long enough, carry 'patterns'), they have a high chance of getting the correct answer. It's a gamble to use heuristics right away with the technique of 'identifying' patterns in questions without further usual thinking process but at least they have a chance to 'gamble' and get it right.
I used to tutor some friends who were hopeless in their maths (or logical thinking skills) during my sec school days. As they were hopeless and I gauged that I was not powerful enough to make them understand concepts (I was young then at 16), I used 'patterns' to teach them (see this, do this; see that, do that; don't think of any other things). ALL did well enough for their business maths in their O levels at the end...
In some cases, we have to 死马当着活马医. This is the same situation when last minute, many children have to memorise compositions to score for languages... (the children must be able to memorise and apply in the first place else this gamble will not work as well...)
PS:
If the children under your care really having problems with challenging sums and you assess not quite possible for them to understand (whether concepts or heuristics), then you may actually throw these about 10 marks away and focus on other topics like area & parameters, etc. For certain kids, not worth to harp on the 10% challenging problems and missing other 'trees' that maybe easier to climb. Taking exams...most of the time is about 'strategies'... -
Chenonceau:
I oso want you to teach mine leh... just paiseh to ask only!!!!ksi:
By the way, did you notice sth up there......
Just to share a lighter moment with you about my experience, I get PM asking me to teach their children.....of course it is joking but at the end of the day, we know every parent is concerned about this issue after our debate....
Yeah... I know the debate has made the issue salient to many parents. That's why I thought I should write a proper integration post. Unfortunately, we have not had much representation from parents who work and who have no time to teach their kids, so the perspective may still be incomplete.
So many of you very 'solid'.....I like to read them tho sometimes I dun read all nor do I understand all :oops: )
I may not be a good representation....but I'll share my view
I am SAHM....have some time to teach....but can't really teach anymore cos' at P5, things start to look alien to me Anyway, the debate about heuristics......
I am blessed that my 2 kids are pretty strong in Maths right now as their foundations were strong. However, as they learn more and more heuristics (via external enrichment), I noticed that the younger child (who is generally weaker that the elder bro) is showing signs that she is just applying the method without any thinking process. Tho most of the time her final answer is correct, I SUDDENLY realsied that sometimes she could not explain the concept/understanding behind.....actually I asked her to explain cos' I dun understand the method she use and wanted to learn more :scared:
I too hold the belief that one must understand the concept first....so looks like I need to sit up & start going through her stuff before she gets stuck this year (P5)
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