Child Underperforms Because Tested Above Cognitive Level
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buds:
bud-sies... for me, the only thing that matters is that we agree here...http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php
This is for you, Chenonceau... from where i am.
I understand you better today than yesterday.
I also understand your situation better than yesterday.
This is why i write.
I only care to write in stuff i care about.buds:
but dat's a nice emoticon...
AGREE on all three counts. :snuggles:Chenonceau:
It just takes one change of Principal. Unless there are other non-human strengtheners of the system.
(1) better textbooks
(2) better policies on teaching and testing
(3) e-sharing platform for teachers
And may i add... some form of evaluation or appraisal (system or committee) as well so everyone's accountable on what goes on in the \"teaching\". -
Teaching is clearly not her forte.
She has just left a sour taste in my mouth with her attitude cause she reminds me of DD1’s preschool teachers. Told the whole class to call her a baby just cos she wrote one word wrong. Not just saying it to the class but ridiculed.
NO. Of course, not all other families can manage… with this kind of character in the workforce. Plus not all parents are versed enough to teach MT curriculum or have time to do so.
She ought to just resign for the sake of the other kids. A better teacher may jolly well be waiting for her place but couldn’t get in cos she’s still there pretending to teach. -
buds… no one is perfect… why should we hold her more accountable than we hold MOE top management accountable for huge systemic gaps in Teacher Support? No… if we are gonna put effort in here… then, go for the big fish and hold THEM accountable.
Better investment of time and effort. Go for the big fish and the whole nation benefits. Slam the small fish and the small fish dies… no one benefits much. Dun waste time punching the little guys. Aim at the big guns and if things move, it’ll benefit all. -
Sorlie sorlie.. :salute:
:offtopic: by miles..
Aniwawes, back to thread topic....
In DDs previous school, this issue became hot topic when parents realized that different level heads were assigned to craft the exam questions/papers? If higher level teachers who do not teach that level was assigned to prepare for the exams, how would she know if the children were sufficiently prepared?
Now, cos of that... it was a clear case of testing above cognitive level cos the teacher had not been teaching that level for years. A P4 teacher preparing P2 exam questions... go figure. :roll:
The reason given was that it should be set by a neutral party.
But still... :skeptical: -
Chenonceau:
Agree. But aiming the big guns require time and LOTS of AMMUNITION. :evil:buds... no one is perfect... why should we hold her more accountable than we hold MOE top management accountable for huge systemic gaps in Teacher Support? No... if we are gonna put effort in here... then, go for the big fish and hold THEM accountable.
Better investment of time and effort. Go for the big fish and the whole nation benefits. Slam the small fish and the small fish dies... no one benefits much. Dun waste time punching the little guys. Aim at the big guns and if things move, it'll benefit all.
:rubhands:
Some things need immediate intervention before more damage is done. ESPECIALLY when it comes to our children.
To cite an example, clear the perpetrator doing experiments in the toilet immediately.. Remove the laser-eyed-stripping-teen teacher immediately.. Correct a teacher's bad grammar immediately.. some things cannot wait too long. Because dealing with big guns take time to plan children may have already died slow deaths in their learning journey. It was allowed to deteriorate.
We can deal with these small fishes and at the same time use their real-life cases as real issues the big guns failed to sieve and tackle.
This isolated case of yours deserved to be highlighted but that's my opinion. Especially if she had to take my children two years straight due to school practice. ie. each teacher takes two years before rotating classes. P1 and P2 take same class.. P3 and P4 take same class.. *GASP* :yikes: P5 and P6 take same class!
When it comes to accountability, no one should be spared.. big fish or small ones. :torch me: -
There are good trees, average trees and very sick trees in the forest. Just to share, our experience with primary school was similar to buds’ even though I think my kids’ school didn’t have Stellar programme for their years. We had our fair share of frustration with some teachers but there were many good experiences too. PSLE year was certainly not very fun but they have much better/hoslistic programme in Sec school now. However, I don’t think they were tested above cognitive level even though they might have encountered a few very challenging sums in some papers. I am not disageeing with any earlier posts, just sharing our experience with one tree, as the forest must be made up of many individual trees.
As for better quality textbooks. My understanding is that MOE only decides on the syllabus and they will approve multiple textbooks as long as they meet the requirements. Schools are free to choose among the approved textbooks and I believe they are also free to choose additional supplementary materials in the market if they do not have the time or ability to develop their own. Instead of waiting for MOE to agree to write the textbooks themselves, would it be faster if interested parties work on producing the better materials for the schools to use? For example, I agree the science textbooks used by my kids in primary school were quite useless, if someone can come up with a much better science textbook than what the schools are using now, many schools will switch to it and it makes good business sense for the author/publisher?
I believe good teaching goes beyond the teaching material as teachers have to understand the ability and needs of each class and deliver the teaching in the most effective manner with the best material he can find or develop himself. Hence, even if MOE were to take on the tasks of producing detailed lesson plans and teaching materials, I don’t think they can/should mandate that every school/every class follow the same lesson plan. If MOE makes it flexible for teachers to use or not to use their teaching materials, we will still see some teachers coming up with their own materials for their school or classes, right? There is no way (and I don’t think it is right) for MOE to force these teachers to share everything they develop with MOE.
Again, I am not against MOE coming up with its own version of textbooks and teaching materials. Just sharing my thoughts about alternatives.
On the claim of our education system being world class. I don’t know how one defines world class but I am glad my children study in our system even though it is not perfect as I know of some worse education systems elsewhere. It could be because my children are just lucky not to encounter those really sick trees or it could be we choose to see the glass as half full. -
Chenon, whatever you are doing now at the macro level, it is not going to benefit your son, maybe your grandchildren.
So whatever needs to be done at the micro level for your son, I am sure like every mum, with discretion you will choose the right battles to fight with due consideration to the impact on him. It is already tiring fighting on something that has direct impact on yourself so I can empathise it is even more tiring fighting on something which has no direct impact on yourself in the near future. Nevertheless, your heart is in the right place for the greater good, be encouraged and plod on patiently for the day the children get better resources across the board or exams are more reasonably set across the board again instead of only specific schools, we can pop champagne and rejoice here for you. -
ksi:
Chenon, whatever you are doing now at the macro level, it is not going to benefit your son, maybe your grandchildren.
So whatever needs to be done at the micro level for your son, I am sure like every mum, with discretion you will choose the right battles to fight with due consideration to the impact on him. It is already tiring fighting on something that has direct impact on yourself so I can empathise it is even more tiring fighting on something which has no direct impact on yourself in the near future. Nevertheless, your heart is in the right place for the greater good, be encouraged and plod on patiently for the day the children get better resources across the board or exams are more reasonably set across the board again instead of only specific schools, we can pop champagne and rejoice here for you.
Yah, must give her a pat on the back. :rahrah:
I can scarecely cope with mining this forum for gems on how to help my kids cope in this school system. This forum has been a fantastic resource. -
wonderm:
There are good trees, average trees and very sick trees in the forest. Just to share, our experience with primary school was similar to buds' even though I think my kids' school didn't have Stellar programme for their years. We had our fair share of frustration with some teachers but there were many good experiences too. PSLE year was certainly not very fun but they have much better/hoslistic programme in Sec school now. However, I don't think they were tested above cognitive level even though they might have encountered a few very challenging sums in some papers. I am not disageeing with any earlier posts, just sharing our experience with one tree, as the forest must be made up of many individual trees.
I ran into DS' ex-Kumon teacher (who used to be Math HOD in MOE) just 30 minutes ago. Her DS1 is in P5 this year, in a neighbourhood school. She told me that her DS' teacher said \"I will only teach you 60% of what you need to know for exams. The other 40% you must learn independently through assessments.\" The teacher was as upfront as that. But at least she was upfront. Parents are forewarned. The Teacher can't do much about it so she just faced the problem head on. Good.wonderm:
Their requirements must be very low.As for better quality textbooks. My understanding is that MOE only decides on the syllabus and they will approve multiple textbooks as long as they meet the requirements.
wonderm:
Why someone? Is not MOE the expert in education? After all, it IS world class. It would be really funny the day when Learning Lab publishes a better textbook for MOE schools to use. In fact, some schools already use Onsponge as a textbook. I think (not sure) only independent schools have that autonomy. Fully govt schools need to use approved textbooks. Some schools are actually using superior textbooks produced by tuition centres such as Onsponge. Of course getting someone else to write is possible but then it does reflect on how incapable our MOE is.For example, I agree the science textbooks used by my kids in primary school were quite useless, if someone can come up with a much better science textbook than what the schools are using now, many schools will switch to it and it makes good business sense for the author/publisher?
World class and they are only capable of developing a table with a few columns detailing the syllabus? Why do we expect so little from a Ministry that uses up millions of taxpayer dollars?wonderm:
Of course good teaching goes beyond the teaching material but until we provide adequate high quality resources reflective of the standards the children are tested at, excellent teachers have their effectiveness dragged down... and poor teachers just drown.I believe good teaching goes beyond the teaching material as teachers have to understand the ability and needs of each class and deliver the teaching in the most effective manner with the best material he can find or develop himself.
Good materials are a necessary part of teaching well... even if it isn't ALL.wonderm:
Since when did we suggest that MOE should produce lesson plans? MOE should haveHence, even if MOE were to take on the tasks of producing detailed lesson plans and teaching materials, I don't think they can/should mandate that every school/every class follow the same lesson plan.
(1) better textbooks
(2) a e-sharing platform that will enable and empower teachers
(3) better policy for teaching and testingwonderm:
It is desirable to provide a wealth of materials without having to force everyone to use the same. A wealth of materials means enough for Teachers to pick and choose for the situation, the student, the class... Few materials means Teachers must use the same for all.If MOE makes it flexible for teachers to use or not to use their teaching materials, we will still see some teachers coming up with their own materials for their school or classes, right? There is no way (and I don't think it is right) for MOE to force these teachers to share everything they develop with MOE.
As a consultant, nobody forced us to use the same materials for clients in different countries, but having globally shared resources meant that I could pick the best for every situation.wonderm:
World class system in the 21st century and we expect that it is not capable of writing better textbooks... and someone else must do it? When I was little, I would tell my mother that my friend did worse than me because I wanted to justify my less than stellar results. I was told that I should compare with the better students, not the worse.On the claim of our education system being world class. I don't know how one defines world class but I am glad my children study in our system even though it is not perfect as I know of some worse education systems elsewhere. It could be because my children are just lucky not to encounter those really sick trees or it could be we choose to see the glass as half full.
The USA education system is AWFUL in primary school. The best schools are private schools. MOE just signed an MOU with that country.
Wonderm, this isn't against you... but these notions are excuses that I have heard before from educators. I just wanna show that they're poor excuses. -
ksi:
Chenon, whatever you are doing now at the macro level, it is not going to benefit your son, maybe your grandchildren.
So whatever needs to be done at the micro level for your son, I am sure like every mum, with discretion you will choose the right battles to fight with due consideration to the impact on him. It is already tiring fighting on something that has direct impact on yourself so I can empathise it is even more tiring fighting on something which has no direct impact on yourself in the near future. Nevertheless, your heart is in the right place for the greater good, be encouraged and plod on patiently for the day the children get better resources across the board or exams are more reasonably set across the board again instead of only specific schools, we can pop champagne and rejoice here for you.
Yeah lor... I have my hands full teaching my son. I haven't the energy to fight my DS' teachers (which won't exactly make them more able to spell) AND teach him. So I choose to write coherently and clearly about systemic strengtheners.
People will read. They will think. Ideas have ways of taking root, and growing beyond the person who planted them.
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