All Schools are GOOD Schools
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Not sure how prevalent the practice of setting killer papers from P5 onwards is but this practice results in such young kids experiencing failure frequently and really shatters their confidence and self-esteem.
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verykiasu2010:
beware of what you guys are asking for ...... this ksp website may get banned, terminated, chief ks got jailed, forumers get interrogated and jailed for sharing ks tips ....... we are in for cultural revolution .....ooops, anyone spying me being ks ? :evil: :evil: :evil:
:rotflmao: before this website get banned, chief will get a notice from the MOE and banned us first.... apparently none of the official is reading this .... or maybe not yet... :evil: -
CRAZYBANANA:
Instead of doing away with PSLE, they should have nation wide examination at all levels from P3. Parents can bench mark their child better instead of waiting for a surprise check at P6 :yikes: . It saves a lot of resources for each school to set their own exam papers too since all schools have SA1 & SA2 from P3 on.
i get where you're coming from with this suggestion...as in all schools set differing levels of papers etc.
But parents being KS as we are, will tend to compare and it will become like having PSLE stress every year...can die liddat
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verykiasu2010:
beware of what you guys are asking for ...... this ksp website may get banned, terminated, chief ks got jailed, forumers get interrogated and jailed for sharing ks tips ....... we are in for cultural revolution .....ooops, anyone spying me being ks ? :evil: :evil: :evil:
oooooopsie , we cross the line issit , :oops:
where is the moderator :callme:
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I am inclined to think that the most obvious solution may not necessarily be the most effective one. The obvious solution to a rat problem is of course to kill the rats. The real solution is to remove the food source. The obvious solution to the tuition problem is to ban tuition. The real solution is to remove the source of revenue - parents.
MOE has tried to remove the food source by trying to change mindsets via the national newspapers... telling parents that THEY are kiasu and to stop being so kiasu... in the hopes of getting parents to remove the source of tuition centres' revenue - themselves.
However, parents are responding to a different set of incentives (food source again). The tuition centres give material that helps their kids ace the exams set beyond what is taught. These A grades give parents a sense of fulfillment. You think the parent will go cold turkey just because you say they're kiasu? Of course not! A grades are too yummy. Try to tell someone who loves sharkfin to give up sharkfin for no other reason than that he is a jerk for participating in shark murder.
It ain't gonna work.
Instead, the \"jerk\" is gonna get really mad at you for calling him a \"jerk\". And this is exactly what happened when MOE said the tuition phenomenon is the fault of parental kiasu-ism.
We got mad.
Sure... the sharkfin gourmet is a jerk (oops... sorry for those who like sharkfin), and sure... parents ARE kiasu. But jerks don't like to be called jerks for eating what they love. Parents don't like to be called kiasu when they are doing it for those they love. After getting mad at MOE, parents are just gonna do whatever they want. You're not gonna get lasting behavioral change this way.
Two Ways to Pop the Tuition Bubble
The are TWO ways I suggest to remove tuition centres' food source are focused on satiating parents' hunger for (a) high quality written resources given by tuition centres (b) individualized feedback for their children.
(1) aggressively compete with them on quality and quantity of written resources and individualized feedback. TLL's classes are 15 at most. Marking is done so throughly that even good compos look like they're BLEEDING ink. They hand out excellent notes. Can MOE compete (we will look at this question later)?
(2) stop testing beyond what is taught so that you don't spike parents' hunger for resources and feedback by failing their kids for no other reason that that the exam was setting way beyond what was taught. This should not be hard to do.
For sure, some parents are more greedy than others. Some of us love food and will overeat anyway. You'll never be able to satisfy these. But that's ok because many many many other parents DON'T overeat.
Can MOE Compete? How can MOE Compete?
(1) Leverage on the plethora of excellent resources already in schools but hiding.
(2) Really make smaller classes come true.
MOE functions on taxpayer funds. Upfront out of pocket expenses for parents are minimal. Their service offering is lower cost for parents and if comparable (or even slightly inferior) in quality, the tuition market will experience the effects of a substitute good (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitute_good).
Why Banning Tuition Won't Work
This solution is less obvious but it will be more effective because banning tuition will make it
(1) go underground (just like the alcohol ban lead to an increase of bootlegging in the USA of the 1920s... but was ineffective in curbing alcoholism)
(2) more expensive and then only people like jedamum will suffer because she REALLY needs tuition and she won't be able to afford it
(3) quite funny for Police Officers to go to work. They'll have to start treating tutors like prostitutes and children like prostitute clients.
In conclusion, the solution lies in upping the quality of MOE's essential service to the nation. If this can be properly done, the tuition problem will shrink. It won't ever go away because there ARE students who need it... but kids like mine... independent and willing to learn, won't.
limlim... ya got PM. -
linden2000:
Not sure how prevalent the practice of setting killer papers from P5 onwards is but this practice results in such young kids experiencing failure frequently and really shatters their confidence and self-esteem.
totally agree :scared: :
who can honestly say that getting 95/100 is better than getting 85/100 in terms of mastery, application and intelligence. The difference could have been luck, less or more drilling, speed, testing skills prep etc....are these skills a true measure of what a child has or has not mastered??? Would drilling them incessantly to score that 10 extra points make them more intelligent??
:scratchhead: :scratchhead:
IMHO, a parent/tutor/enrichment center who gives more drills to coach a child to get from A to A* is just making an intelligent child feel inadequate. It is not uncommon to hear of top scorers who break-down after a difficult paper or when they get an A instead of A*.
A grade is meaningless when you're not comparing apples with apples...a child who has no home support and no tuition scoring an 85 might be a lot better than one who has tutors and lots of home support who gets 95.
confidence and self-esteem are definitely important and grades should not be used to compare, shame or define children. -
Chenonceau:
I am inclined to think that the most obvious solution may not necessarily be the most effective one. The obvious solution to a rat problem is of course to kill the rats. The real solution is to remove the food source. The obvious solution to the tuition problem is to ban tuition. The real solution is to remove the source of revenue - parents.
MOE has tried to remove the food source by trying to change mindsets via the national newspapers... telling parents that THEY are kiasu and to stop being so kiasu... in the hopes of getting parents to remove the source of tuition centres' revenue - themselves.
great post! :idea:
However, parents are responding to a different set of incentives (food source again). The tuition centres give material that helps their kids ace the exams set beyond what is taught. These A grades give parents a sense of fulfillment. You think the parent will go cold turkey just because you say they're kiasu? Of course not! A grades are too yummy. Try to tell someone who loves sharkfin to give up sharkfin for no other reason than that he is a jerk for participating in shark murder.
It ain't gonna work.
Instead, the \"jerk\" is gonna get really mad at you for calling him a \"jerk\". And this is exactly what happened when MOE said the tuition phenomenon is the fault of parental kiasu-ism.
We got mad.
Sure... the sharkfin gourmet is a jerk (oops... sorry for those who like sharkfin), and sure... parents ARE kiasu. But jerks don't like to be called jerks for eating what they love. Parents don't like to be called kiasu when they are doing it for those they love. After getting mad at MOE, parents are just gonna do whatever they want. You're not gonna get lasting behavioral change this way.
Two Ways to Pop the Tuition Bubble
The are TWO ways I suggest to remove tuition centres' food source are focused on satiating parents' hunger for (a) high quality written resources given by tuition centres (b) individualized feedback for their children.
(1) aggressively compete with them on quality and quantity of written resources and individualized feedback. TLL's classes are 15 at most. Marking is done so throughly that even good compos look like they're BLEEDING ink. They hand out excellent notes. Can MOE compete (we will look at this question later)?
(2) stop testing beyond what is taught so that you don't spike parents' hunger for resources and feedback by failing their kids for no other reason that that the exam was setting way beyond what was taught. This should not be hard to do.
For sure, some parents are more greedy than others. Some of us love food and will overeat anyway. You'll never be able to satisfy these. But that's ok because many many many other parents DON'T overeat.
Can MOE Compete? How can MOE Compete?
(1) Leverage on the plethora of excellent resources already in schools but hiding.
(2) Really make smaller classes come true.
MOE functions on taxpayer funds. Upfront out of pocket expenses for parents are minimal. Their service offering is lower cost for parents and if comparable (or even slightly inferior) in quality, the tuition market will experience the effects of a substitute good (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitute_good).
Why Banning Tuition Won't Work
This solution is less obvious but it will be more effective because banning tuition will make it
(1) go underground (just like the alcohol ban lead to an increase of bootlegging in the USA of the 1920s... but was ineffective in curbing alcoholism)
(2) more expensive and then only people like jedamum will suffer because she REALLY needs tuition and she won't be able to afford it
(3) quite funny for Police Officers to go to work. They'll have to start treating tutors like prostitutes and children like prostitute clients.
In conclusion, the solution lies in upping the quality of MOE's essential service to the nation. If this can be properly done, the tuition problem will shrink. It won't ever go away because there ARE students who need it... but kids like mine... independent and willing to learn, won't.
limlim... ya got PM. -
Chenonceau:
I am inclined to think that the most obvious solution may not necessarily be the most effective one. The obvious solution to a rat problem is of course to kill the rats. The real solution is to remove the food source. The obvious solution to the tuition problem is to ban tuition. The real solution is to remove the source of revenue - parents.
MOE has tried to remove the food source by trying to change mindsets via the national newspapers... telling parents that THEY are kiasu and to stop being so kiasu... in the hopes of getting parents to remove the source of tuition centres' revenue - themselves.
However, parents are responding to a different set of incentives (food source again). The tuition centres give material that helps their kids ace the exams set beyond what is taught. These A grades give parents a sense of fulfillment. You think the parent will go cold turkey just because you say they're kiasu? Of course not! A grades are too yummy. Try to tell someone who loves sharkfin to give up sharkfin for no other reason than that he is a jerk for participating in shark murder.
It ain't gonna work.
Instead, the \"jerk\" is gonna get really mad at you for calling him a \"jerk\". And this is exactly what happened when MOE said the tuition phenomenon is the fault of parental kiasu-ism.
We got mad.
Sure... the sharkfin gourmet is a jerk (oops... sorry for those who like sharkfin), and sure... parents ARE kiasu. But jerks don't like to be called jerks for eating what they love. Parents don't like to be called kiasu when they are doing it for those they love. After getting mad at MOE, parents are just gonna do whatever they want. You're not gonna get lasting behavioral change this way.
Two Ways to Pop the Tuition Bubble
The are TWO ways I suggest to remove tuition centres' food source are focused on satiating parents' hunger for (a) high quality written resources given by tuition centres (b) individualized feedback for their children.
(1) aggressively compete with them on quality and quantity of written resources and individualized feedback. TLL's classes are 15 at most. Marking is done so throughly that even good compos look like they're BLEEDING ink. They hand out excellent notes. Can MOE compete (we will look at this question later)?
(2) stop testing beyond what is taught so that you don't spike parents' hunger for resources and feedback by failing their kids for no other reason that that the exam was setting way beyond what was taught. This should not be hard to do.
For sure, some parents are more greedy than others. Some of us love food and will overeat anyway. You'll never be able to satisfy these. But that's ok because many many many other parents DON'T overeat.
Can MOE Compete? How can MOE Compete?
(1) Leverage on the plethora of excellent resources already in schools but hiding.
(2) Really make smaller classes come true.
MOE functions on taxpayer funds. Upfront out of pocket expenses for parents are minimal. Their service offering is lower cost for parents and if comparable (or even slightly inferior) in quality, the tuition market will experience the effects of a substitute good (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitute_good).
Why Banning Tuition Won't Work
This solution is less obvious but it will be more effective because banning tuition will make it
(1) go underground (just like the alcohol ban lead to an increase of bootlegging in the USA of the 1920s... but was ineffective in curbing alcoholism)
(2) more expensive and then only people like jedamum will suffer because she REALLY needs tuition and she won't be able to afford it
(3) quite funny for Police Officers to go to work. They'll have to start treating tutors like prostitutes and children like prostitute clients.
In conclusion, the solution lies in upping the quality of MOE's essential service to the nation. If this can be properly done, the tuition problem will shrink. It won't ever go away because there ARE students who need it... but kids like mine... independent and willing to learn, won't.
limlim... ya got PM.
:goodpost:
Reduce class size is long long overdue.
And not testing beyond what is taught is the right direction.
Equally important is to tackle the problem of teachers not teaching the \"difficult maths problems\".
Some teachers even do not explain the steps but simply telling them to copy the answers on the board. -
KPI of Principal and teachers should be changed to 'Getting the most number of students scoring above 75%". This way, they won’t set questions beyond the average kids ability.
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Good one chen,
Class size must definitely be reduced.
I’d also go for longer school day or after school care within school.
Ex-Tuition centre staff could be deployed by MOE to do homework supervision, organize truly enriching/creative activities (not necessarily academic) based on children’s interest.
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