Child Underperforms Because Tested Above Cognitive Level

[mother777]

smartmummy:

keroppi:

[quote=\"smartmummy\"]One school subscribes good materials and others not?

Why all the kids can't treat equally?

Actually, if given a choice, I'd rather not spend money on any subscriptions. Or let me decide myself what I want to subscribe for the kids. Don't want all these mags piling up in the house. Worse case is newspapers subscription (LRD or Big Thumb or Comma), I end up having 2 copies of ST or Zaobao from my kids in diff schools!!

Sometimes the teachers would use the (subscribed) materials in class but from my experience, that's not usually the case.

I heard the LRD is a good one, I can't order by myself, means ST website mentioned parents can order through school only.[/quote]Yes I agree, I wrote to straits times to subscribe the LRD. But they told me to contact school instead.

Today sms DD1's form teacher. She was good to help me check with English level head. But got the reply that since school do not subscribe this magazine, we have to try to subscribe some other magazine..

Why make life difficult for kids who love to read and want to learn? Every child/student should get equal opportunity and access to resources..which can help them shine..

[Chenonceau]

I am all for empowerment. One can ensure complete equity in access to resources and STILL have empowerment. It is not one or the other. MOE is in the business of knowledge transfer. Organisational Consultants are also in the business of knowledge transfer.


More than 10 years ago, as a young consultant, I hadn't yet amassed the kind of experience I have today. My company had consulting offices in 66 countries worldwide. We were linked to a common BRAIN with every imaginable case study possible from all 66 countries. In there, I could access with a few clicks, research papers and consulting reports written for every client that the company had ever had, in every country that the company worked in. If I wanted, I could make a request for raw data too... Everything was there. Formulae, models, spreadsheets...

We had to Think Global Act Local. No... I didn't work in HSBC. Nonetheless, we were still asked to do that. Back in those days, IT networks weren't quite as advanced. The company ran hardwired cables to carry the kind of data consultants needed to be able to tailor interventions to clients. Many of our clients were MNCs. They expected the same level of quality service in the different countries they were present in. When Caltex first set up HQ in Singapore, their Global HR Director was a PhD. She gave my company business not because of me. I had NO PhD. I didn't KNOW research. She knew more than me, except that I was a conduit through which my company passed know-how to her.

It didn't matter who was the consultant, you had access to the same materials, the same BRAIN. The company just needed to recruit people who could think and process fast, so that we could process all that data and info, and pass it on. I was young and inexperienced but I was greatly empowered. No one told me what to do with the client. As long as there are no complaints, you do your job with little interference. I was EMPOWERED no less by access to the BRAIN. If I had trouble, there were practice leaders to ask. These could be in ANY country.

MOE is in a single country. It's Teachers don't share teaching resources. It's schools don't share teaching resources. Why? Households are fast getting open net. Mindef gives its recruits iPADs. MOE does not have a e-sharing platform that would cost a fraction to set up today compared to the system we set up to link up 66 offices worldwide. Why?

MOE has been sleeping all these years, and it still thinks it is world class. MOE management was busy getting Teachers to serve that it forgot that they need to serve the Teachers too.

[Chenonceau]

Oops… not countries… 66 locations.

[autumnbronze]

Chenonceau:

MOE is in a single country. It's Teachers don't share teaching resources. It's schools don't share teaching resources. [color=#800000][b]Why?
MOE has been sleeping all these years, and it still thinks it is world class. MOE management was busy getting Teachers to serve that it forgot that they need to serve the Teachers too.

Nice read :hugs:

I love the significance of the word 'empowerment'. I always use this word to motivate my pupils.

Chen,

Hope I am reading this correctly.

As to why teachers and schs are not sharing resources, it's due to
competition, insecurity of the people in question and KPIs. Thats what I observed during my time.

Whether KPIs are achieved or not, there has to be justification. And believe me, no one wants to produce a negative justification.

On a separate note, I came across in one of your postings where you questioned why teachers with passion are not being promoted. Well, its pretty obvious - they are not there to wayang and suck up to the 'right' people. Again, these are based on my personal observations. There was a teacher who always did the wayang during her lesson observations and presentations. She did well. So well that recently I heard that she has been posted to MOE. And these are the sort of people who will be spearheading MOE's policies .... Imagine that! *gasp*


I never said there weren't any bad apples in the teaching profession

[buds]

:shock: Gasp! Autumnbronzee... this is really why then MOE hadn't budged much for years. The ideal passionate ppl are not in there. They're on the ground working with the children. If they are up there, they be able to revamp n help even more children. One teacher I know does not give a hoot to even get there.. she says she enjoys her work most where the children are.. not with the adults. Her satisfaction came solely from teaching. This same teacher was known (by children) throughout all levels n not just the ones she was teaching. I wrote to P commending her extraordinary teaching AND mothering efforts for my girl as a thank you note before we left n complimented her in when I had a last chat with P. I told her, she had many hidden gems amongst her team n that teacher was one of them. :love:

[Chenonceau]

buds:

:shock: Gasp! Autumnbronzee... this is really why then MOE hadn't budged much for years. The ideal passionate ppl are not in there. They're on the ground working with the children. If they are up there, they be able to revamp n help even more children. One teacher I know does not give a hoot to even get there.. she says she enjoys her work most where the children are.. not with the adults. Her satisfaction came solely from teaching. This same teacher was known (by children) throughout all levels n not just the ones she was teaching. I wrote to P commending her extraordinary teaching AND mothering efforts for my girl as a thank you note before we left n complimented her in when I had a last chat with P. I told her, she had many hidden gems amongst her team n that teacher was one of them. :love:

THAT IS WHY WE MUST SPEAK UP!!

[Chenonceau]

buds and AB, you are, from every indication, intelligent and wise Mommies. You are going to sit silent and keep quiet KNOWING that the people in MOE who have passion are those with the LEAST power? They're those who are STILL working with kids and have no say on policy because they are supposed to be too stupid?


You are going to SILENTLY let these MOE big shots dictate the suffering of our children and mould the future of our country?

Speak up.

This is our country. Those are our children. Teachers are our friends, our sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts. They BELONG to US. If we care, we must speak or else nothing will change because from every newspaper report, we are told that MOE is world class by Minister Heng.

Is it? Ask your conscience. Is it?

[buds]

YES then! Let's!


But where's the proper channel so it won't just be yet another ranting fruitless corner, babe?

[Chenonceau]

buds:

YES then! Let's!


But where's the proper channel so it won't just be yet another ranting fruitless corner, babe?

Speak up here. People read. I am not unaware that there are good Teachers. I am not blind to the fact that there many great educators. I rebut every point that comes in to make excuses for MOE because it WON'T admit that it has failed this nation. I would concede every argument everywhere else (small matters) but I push hard solely on this topic so that people can be convinced.

We must speak publicly and often. It's no use telling MOE privately. Until we can get enough people to realize and to clamour for change only then will MOE take us seriously. Enough hush talk and discreet feedback. Enough gentle feddback.

If you care for your children and the future of this country... SPEAK. Forget about channels. SPEAK. In cafes... in other forums... with your spouse... with your kids' teachers... at every festival gathering. SPEAK.

[smartmummy]

If he tried and dropped, then it's ok lah. No regrets.

But never try then how. He like chess and his school doesn't have then we enrolled him in a private organization in last school holidays. He learnt from me only he skipped two levels and enrolled in the 3 rd level. They did an assessment. As a mother I believe he has the talent. Most of the time he won me and his classmate. He show the passion.
in

jedamum:

smartmummy,
there are alternatives.
when my boy does not have access to LRD last year, we were prepared to fork out money to subscribe to Today or MyPaper for that additional enrichment reading. ended up, we let him read Straits Times Online after the grandparents who are Straits Times subscribers told us about the promotional subscription they were having.

when my boy's sch did not subscribe to Chinese magazine last year, i went to buy fortnightly copies off the newstand too.

for CCA-wise that one really depends on luck. even if the sch has the CCA that your kid wants to join, sometimes, they only cherrypick potential students to fill in the limited vacancies.