no sci tuition, can??

[auntieM]

My DS likes the subject but somehow have difficulty answering questions the 'required' manner.. ..

So bopian, as much as I wanted to delay Science tuition for him...
I am putting him in Smart Science Lab, and :xedfingers: that they are good..

[fightingmom]

For me, besides getting DD a tutor, i would urge my DD to go through teacher’s answers especially those that she gotten wrong in the school worksheets so that she knows why - most of the time it is the way she worded it or maybe forgot to mention some key concepts that teacher is looking for.

[beanbear]

Of all the subjects, I find it hardest to find a good science tutor or science tuition centre. I’ve tried Smart Science before and they are targeted more towards the higher scoring students and at times go beyond the syllabus. While there are experiments done and things look quite fancy, I realized after 1 year with them, their teaching is not effective and pulled 2 of my kids out. My kids were doing worse in science that before in exams. The experiments are not well connected to the worksheets and some of the teachers are not qualified school teachers so they don’t know what’s really expected.


I also tried my DS for 2 months with Mindstretcher science just recently on the recommedation of my Sister in Law. I’m appalled at their approach. Many worksheets and yes sure lots of notes but some lessons, no teaching at all. Teacher just review worksheets and students just spend almost entire lesson doing tons of worksheets!! My DS in P6, cannot affort to waste time so I pulled him out. I guess you must know who is the good teacher in the centre otherwise waste time & $.

I’ve come to realize that if you really need a tutor, you need to find an ex-teacher or current teacher who is familiar with the marking rubrics and knows what is considered correct phrasing, adequate enough answers and interpretation of questions.

I just spoke with my DS tutor who is current school teacher and she told me it’s definitely harder to get a high A or an A* for science PSLE as the marking rubrics are very strict. You must read the question very very carefully and know how to interpret specific words in the question and then you can provide an accurate answer.

That’s why it’s hard for Parents to help their kids without tuition in Science. You may know content but if you don’t know enough of the answering techniques or the way exam questions are set, you may be misleading your child.

That said, I still believe that it’s better to go without tution if the tuition centre or teacher is not effective in their process skills and answering techniques.

[fightingmom]

Hi,


Just to share this: Try to get your DD or DS to score full marks for Section A (MCQ). Yes, they cannot afford to lose more than 4 marks , that is, the threshold for getting wrong answers is just 2 questions since each question carries 2 marks.

You will realize that Section A carries a total of 60 marks which is the bulk of the 100 marks. By securing full marks (60 marks), the child is well within the range of a B. Adding to the balance marks for Section B (40 marks), if the child can get 25-30 out of 40 marks, he is well within the range of a high A (we are talking about raw score here).

Hope it helps !

[auntieM]

Thanks for sharing beanbear,

I hope things won't be too bad for my DS.. :xedfingers:
I intend to put him nearer to the east where we are at Vitamindz Science next year coz they start classes from P4 onwards.
Perhaps can get feedback from fellow KSP parents.. ..
MTIA

[Bunbun]

Hi fightingmom, yup our strategy also something like yours. heheh :hi5:

[24hr-mum]

aiyo, actually my gal hv tuition now, the teacher is ex sch teacher. she is actually quite gd but somehow my gal just didnt do well, her grades keep dropping.

so now i am sourcing elsewhere…agree that mindstretcher just gv worksheets. no teaching

[auntieM]

Bunbun:

Hi fightingmom, yup our strategy also something like yours. heheh :hi5:

Bunbun and fightingmom,
Thanks for sharing your strategy.. ..
My DS's first year doing Science, plenty to 'learn' for me as well...
Strresss de.... :faint:

[Atan]

24hr-mum:

is it possible to get A* by self study thru exam pprs and assessment bk, without sci tuition? even tho we parents hv no sci backgrd??

It is possible. My child obtain A* in P3 last year without any tuition. Before exam, I read through the textbook first and then went through the Sc papers/worksheets, to gain an understanding of the marking system. When I revise with my kid, I emphasis on the key concepts, and ensure that he had a good understanding of the topics. I used i-Sc enrichment, Ultimate Sc and Ultimate Sc workbook. He also tried the school's past years' exam papers. No time to try other school's papers though.

[24hr-mum]

anyone tried rafflesedu at katong?