Child Underperforms Because Tested Above Cognitive Level
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WE HAVE BEEN CONNED. The USA is not better than us. We wanna learn innovative teaching techniques? You only need to ask Mommies like psle2011mum and beanbear for ideas on teaching effectively. Some solutions are as simple as
(1) better textbooks
(2) better e-resources
(3) bibliographies
(4) libraries well-stocked with good resources
(5) more skills practices
(6) stop the vague marking
These are the nuts and bolts of BASIC teaching effectiveness... and they are NOT done. Then they go sign a sexy MOU with a country whose poorest children get the worst education. It is all wayang in the newspapers and shows that MOE just wants to look good without having to make real changes.
Again and again, parents are asking for MOE to look to Finland because the USA way is a recipe for social stratification and system burnout. BUT, they just went ahead and follow USA instead. MOE is deaf. Elections are over, but they will come back and by that time... education will be a hot button. -
Our MOE is run by scholars who are so used to giving the right answers (right as defined by significant others, like Teachers and Profs and Experts), that die-die they must find a significant other to follow. Our scholars have not been taught to come out with answers when no answers exist.
Signing an MOU with USA is a huge disappointment. This is how they review OUR system? No independent thinking? No critical thinking? USA is so great we must worship the ground it walks on? -
Chenonceau:
So, confirmed! Once you are with the herd, you have no choice by to move along - or move away.Whoa! Someone in China blogged about our system...
...我绝对不可以再让儿子输在小六会考上，除非移民，否则儿子的一生都将受到小六会考的影响。只能说，儿子在这样一个愚蠢和病态的教育体系中，不得不牺牲童年，要为追求自己将来的生存权利而战斗！置身于此，只能适者生存。 -
Chenonceau:
..MOE is deaf. Elections are over, but they will come back and by that time... education will be a hot button.
:rotflmao: Ta Boleh Tahan! -
beanbear:
:thankyou: Thanks, beanbear! Thanks for the tips and yet a reminder not to dwell too much into marks, but looking into long-term improvement instead!Hi Concern2,
For short-term goals, I get my children to memorize phrases or sentences for Introductions & conclusions. We modify sample sentences we get from books. I get them to read Model Chinese Essays but more to get into the feel of how the language sounds. For English, my children listens to English Audio CDs every night as they go to bed. These are stories by Roald Dahl, Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Wilde,etc. I find that to be one of the best ways to pick up great phrases & grammar structures indirectly plus they get to hear accurate pronunciation of words!
You know your child's ability best. What's the progress you want to see for this coming test? I prefer to focus on the progress rather a specific mark or number. Based on the gaps my child demonstrated in the previous exam, we have been working towards plugging those gaps, so in the coming CA1, I expect to see those skills demonstrated in the exams.
I've actually focused more on Comprehension skills in the Language papers rather than essay writing. I feel there's a greater chance for performing well in comprehension than composition. I'm taking a 6 month approach for composition and so letting that go for CA1. Comprehension- I've already started to see improvement from using Annotation techniques. Once the technique is applied, you can see immediate short-term improvements. DS1 used to fail in OE Comprehension, now he can score very well even for Chinese Comprehension. He annotates the entire Chinese passage into English and he was more able to answer the questions after that. I've told DS that once you are strong in the English Language, you can transfer similar skills to Chinese and apply similar techniques. Even his Chinese Teacher was impressed with what he did with the Chinese comprehension. -
Chenonceau:
give them time as they just can't get over with the recent pay cut.
Elections are over, but they will come back and by that time... education will be a hot button. -
Chenonceau:
Could it be that the teacher asked the students to copy model essays for the same purpose? just like some kids were asked to memorise Chinese poems since young.Are you talking about me violin_lover?
If you are, then I need to qualify that we don't memorize the essay to regurgitate. Like that, sure cannot score, because it would be out of point. We memorize to build cognitive pathways to process Chinese. DS still needs to write his own piece at the exam. -
wonderm:
Yeah... I thought that Teacher might have that in mind too. At least Teacher provided a model. My DS' teacher asked the class to contribute models ... :rotflmao:
Could it be that the teacher asked the students to copy model essays for the same purpose? just like some kids were asked to memorise Chinese poems since young.Chenonceau:
Are you talking about me violin_lover?
If you are, then I need to qualify that we don't memorize the essay to regurgitate. Like that, sure cannot score, because it would be out of point. We memorize to build cognitive pathways to process Chinese. DS still needs to write his own piece at the exam. -
I started to question the rationale of our education when DS1 was P3. Wow… that was 9 years ago. I became disillusioned with our education system just three years after my first born went into the system. Yet, my son was not at all a poor academic performer. He was always in the best class, and even topped the school in P3. But he was not happy.
I knew something had to be done, or he will lose all his passion. I had to ‘invent’ or think up something so as to keep his academic love alive and well. Afterall, in Singapore, when you are successful academically, more than half the battle is won.
It was a long process, and I crafted each of my children’s education carefully through research and thinking out of the box. I refused to follow the silly rat race. Yes, they test the kids above their cognitive level. Fortunately, besides Chinese, my kids survived and managed to do well. But that one subject was enough to give me insights to how much harm our education system can cause to my children’s self-esteem and the parent-child relationship.
Though I am a competitive person, but I am strongly against Darwinian’s theory, or the survival of the fittest, especially in the education system. Certainly, this planet can absorb more than the ultimate conqueror. Our education system is set up to identify that ultimate winner, and as if that really matters. And unfortunately, parents support and play along.
Yes, parents are also culprits which results in this unrealistic pre-university education. Our Sec 1’s are covering ‘O’ levels syllabus, our primary school kids are covering secondary school work. And, it is therefore not surprising that when our children finish their 12 years of education and ready to go to the university, they are overprepared, and often, burnt out. This is the result of parents all wanting their children to be the top in their school/class/level/country. But this expectation is not realistic! And sadly, they don’t even fare well compared to their peers from other countries who are ‘less’ prepared. I believe it is because they have lost their creativity along the way, being clamped down for 12 years trying to find only the ‘right’ answers.
This is a catch-22, MOE sets a high standard, everyone aces, then MOE sets a higher standard, everyone chases again. At some point, the children will crumble. As it is, as rightfully pointed out by that Chinese parent mentioned on this forum, they are already losing their childhood. How can a good, memorable childhood be more important than learning things to be repeated in the university? This puzzles me.
Somebody has to stop this in your family. I did in mine. If you choose to pave a good education path for the kid, he will be free from the stress, you will help him buy his childhood back. That does not mean he will not have a good education, or that he will not have a good career or that he will fall behind. Not all of us need to be #1 to do well. Let him be different. Let him be him.
I’m sure, your child will thank you forever for it. Think about it. There are more ways than one to survive and excel. Find yours. -
2ppaamm:
I think only YOU will believe me if I share that our goal for our child is not chasing for #1.Not all of us need to be #1 to do well. Let him be different. Let him be him.
I'm sure, your child will thank you forever for it. Think about it. There are more ways than one to survive. Find yours.
We want our child to do well but being #1 is not one of them, in fact we are always happy to applaud for someone who is #1.
And you are right that our child will thank us in future.
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