Is GEP really necessary?

[Nebbermind]

KSP:

Privileges which GEP parents view as no big deal may be a big deal to these parents. Some of these parents spend thousands on prep courses. They are the demand of the market and obviously feel it is necessary. But when the result is out their perception will change. If you want to know why ppl are putting so much effort on it this should be the target group to ask.

But how many will admit to hothousing their kids for GEP??

[BeContented]

Nebbermind:

KSP:

Privileges which GEP parents view as no big deal may be a big deal to these parents. Some of these parents spend thousands on prep courses. They are the demand of the market and obviously feel it is necessary. But when the result is out their perception will change. If you want to know why ppl are putting so much effort on it this should be the target group to ask.

But how many will admit to hothousing their kids for GEP??

Ha ha....this is so true
My friend with GEP kid.....during the first briefing, some parents started 'protesting' and voicing out about unfairness, about hothoused kids not being real GEP etc, asking for statistic/data/survey on kids who had been hothoused etc.

The principal kinda turn the whole situation around by asking the audience to raise their hands if they had hothouse/tuition/prep their kids. Then the principal flatly asked them who will honestly answer these survey and admit they had hothoused the child?? :censored:

[Chenonceau]

KSP:

4. Small class of 25

Privileges which GEP parents view as no big deal may be a big deal to these parents. Some of these parents spend thousands on prep courses. They are the demand of the market and obviously feel it is necessary.

If I could turn the clock back, I would certainly pay for hothousing just for the small class size alone. The problem is that the syllabus that originated in GEP trickled over to mainstream, but the teaching support and quality in mainstream could not support such a syllabus.

I would pay to hothouse into GEP and I would have no problems admitting to it.

[concern2]

Chenonceau:

KSP:

4. Small class of 25

Privileges which GEP parents view as no big deal may be a big deal to these parents. Some of these parents spend thousands on prep courses. They are the demand of the market and obviously feel it is necessary.

If I could turn the clock back, I would certainly pay for hothousing just for the small class size alone. The problem is that the syllabus that originated in GEP trickled over to mainstream, but the teaching support and quality in mainstream could not support such a syllabus.

Wow, interesting. Never thought of it this way. Ok, so I still have time to start hothousing. :rubhands: Heading to Popular today for the GEP books.

BeContented:

The principal kinda turn the whole situation around by asking the audience to raise their hands if they had hothouse/tuition/prep their kids. Then the principal flatly asked them who will honestly answer these survey and admit they had hothoused the child?? :censored:

:rotflmao: What if tried but fail because kid simply refuse to be hothoused? Then should answer yes or no? \"I did hothouse, but it didn't work!\"

[BeContented]

Chenonceau:

KSP:

4. Small class of 25

Privileges which GEP parents view as no big deal may be a big deal to these parents. Some of these parents spend thousands on prep courses. They are the demand of the market and obviously feel it is necessary.

If I could turn the clock back, I would certainly pay for hothousing just for the small class size alone. The problem is that the syllabus that originated in GEP trickled over to mainstream, but the teaching support and quality in mainstream could not support such a syllabus.

I would pay to hothouse into GEP and I would have no problems admitting to it.

Problem is....statistics will not be accurate. There are many who will not admit esp. when it's not anonymous.

:offtopic: Just sharing, I knew 2 mommies who complaint to me about their children's classmates/classmates' mother. Apparently, either claim no tuition OR refused to make known where they attend their enrichment......

I also personally met one who proudly claim that the child does not have tuition .... but later during one of our many conversations, I realised the child has been going to an aunt who coaches the child twice weekly for 2hourly sessions for the last few years. And that aunt is an ex-teacher/HOD giving tuition to others too......
Frankly I'm kinda amused.....why the need to hide?? Anyway, not my biz I guess.

[jtoh]

Face-saving measures? If you tell people you don’t have tuition you appear smarter? Anyway, to each his own.

[Atan]

My child was in a HA (High Achiever) class in P3 and I did not send him for any GEP prep course. Later on in the year, he told me that many of his classmates went for prep courses, and out of the kids who went to GEP in his class, at least half attended prep courses. Other than 1 kid who is recognised as definitely gifted, the others are regular HA kids who neither scored better in NSW EL test nor challenging Maths Qns than my son or other HA kids who are the top few in class. In the end, my child was identified as High Ability (top 1.5-5%) and is in an intermingling class this yr. Acc to sch, GEP is top 1.5% and for High Ability, Sch cannot tell us if our kid is 1.51% or 4.99%!


I was a firm believer that one should not send kids for any GEP training as this may work against the kid later on in his/her learning journey. But, the reality proves otherwise, many parents sent their kids for training and therefore, it is no longer fairplay. I am not doubting that some hot-housed kids might enter GEP anyway without training, BUT, for similar calibre kids, it would definitely make a difference if one is exposed to such questions (esp GA which can be trained) compared to another who has not. One parent has a Korean friend whose kid was trained and entered GEP this yr. Acc to this kid, the questions were similar to what he was taught in the GEP prep sch!

Now, I understand why even a senior staff in the sch sent her child to GEP prep course (only discovered at the end of last year) against the preaching of MOE not to train kids.

Perhaps, MOE should look into changing the format of test in order to screen out the really gifted ones.

[drickymummy]

Nebbermind:

drickymummy:

Mommies n daddies,


Correct me if I m still in a dreaming state..

May I know what short cuts did MOE gave to the GEPpers?

Because of this DSA thing, some schools (maybe not RI/HCI level) do give a bye and CO to these kids for the fact that they r GEPPERS.

Also, the T-score for GEP to get the EESIS is alot lower than mainstream.

Perhaps I shd not have use 'short cut'...'advantage' wld be better, ya? When I was typing, I was thinking like GEP can somehow cut queue....*LOL*

From wat I understand, even for GEPpers to apply for DSA ...there is still not guaranteed CO.. It still depends on the child's performance.. There r till cases of kids who dun get CO from all these 9 centers. If CO are so easily obtained by GEPpers, then maybe that will make me a less worried mom.. or maybe I just think of the worst scenarios always...

As for the EESIS thingy, I m not so sure abt that ...

[cnimed]

The attraction is the small class size, and meeting other kids with similar interests. But from what I gather here, it seems that GEP no longer serves the gifted kids with their many quirks and uneven development, but the HA kids. I have been told by mothers whose kids went through it that GEP doesn’t truly stretch the kids for creative thinking, which is what they excel in; rather, it is taking high-level syllabus and packaging it for younger kids. It would take a certain kind of teacher to handle and understand these children, I feel, especially for boys who question authorities more and tend to go off on their oddball quests.

[drickymummy]

Edureach:

concern2:

[quote=\"Edureach\"]For the benefit of all chosen for this programme, the actual number shld first be reduced to 200-250 pupils max. Undivided attention can than be given to the selected ones.


The above suggestion can help to significantly reduce those who are planning to attend the prep classes and may even ensure that more bona fide ones are chosen.

...so that would be the top __ percent har? :? Getting more and more prestigious liao :rubhands:

Its all in the parents' mind and perception. Nothing prestigious really.[/quote]Mmm... Didn't really think of GEP as something prestigious leh :skeptical: .. Always tot that it is just a different learning journey that's all. Just like the gifted classes in international schs.. They r just additional classes with some interesting learning process to enhance the learning journey of these kids lor.. It is no big a deal really..if one gets in, then enjoy the program lor..if not, just be it lor...isn't it supposed to be that way? :scratchhead:

But in anyway, if a course r sch is 'made' prestigious, it is just as cos adults like parents n enrichment centers push it that way.. To these young kids, there shd be nothing more than a different way of learning ... Why not just leave them to enjoy the course... Especially those who got in without prep class....at least until moe decides to remove the whole program lor.. as for those who got in thru prep classes ... It is just their parents choice.. Nothing we can do abt it... Unless moe step in to say no such classes allowed anymore lor..