PM Says new Stat Board to oversee pre-school education

[Mawar]

pirate:

Funz:

Primary schools need to stick to their guns and not let the over prepared kids dictate the speed which each subject is taught.

Yes!!!!!! MOE are you reading this?[/

I used to hear how advanced and clever kids these days are. It is only after I have kids of my own, and started knowing more kids, I realized that preschoolers are fast learners. If learning is fun, it appears effortless to these kids. So to tell schools, where most of the students come from middle class, to keep to the basics is also not right.

Most of these kids are way above the P1 syllabus. Since the syllabus is pitched at the mid section of the cohort, it will be too easy for many. More so, if the kids have received quality enrichment outside.

With the P1 registration package, the schools encouraged all students to attend pre-school else they would trail behind their peers. So maybe the new stat board should make K2 compulsory. Some lower income families do not send their kids to preschool due mainly to costs.

[Busymom]

3Boys:

SAHM_TAN:

taking into account the child's abilities.

That is the key sentence....there is a school of thought amongst some parents that every child is of equal ability and the only determinant of success is how good a school is or how much cramming is done.

That is indeed key, but maybe what some of these parents are saying is that, parents should be the one deciding how much cramming is to be done (or maybe the child should be the one deciding for those who are self-motivated), and not the school or MOE?

[SAHM_TAN]

To add on, the quality of water theory. To some extent it does help but from my observation, it will not be the equaliser, meaning not all will benefit in the same manner.

[Busymom]

SAHM_TAN:

My dd1's kindy do not have ting xie but faces no problem in P1 becos during lessons her Chi trs will practise with the the class by incorporating it as part of her lesson plans.

My kids' kindy also do not have spelling or tingxie and I don't think they are any less well-prepared for it.

[Busymom]

Funz:

Doubt they will. They are not ready for that yet.


What I hope to see the stats board doing is bridging the gap between what they have proposed as the curriculum guideline for preschools and the expectations on the kids when the kid goes to primary school.

One of the reason preschools are facing more and more pressure to do more and more by parents is because there is a disparity. Here they tell preschools not to touch HYPY and no need to do spelling or tingxie. But when parents send their kids to P1, the realise that the schools may skip the basics and move ahead if they think majority of the kids already know them. Thus parents turn around and say the preschool did not prepare the kids well enough and in order the cater to parent's expectations, the standards are raised and the cycle continues. Primary schools need to stick to their guns and not let the over prepared kids dictate the speed which each subject is taught.

Sadly, even my child's kindy has fast forward some of the stuff previously done in K2 to K1 (or K1 to nursery), and I had thought this preschool is the type that sticks to their guns despite demands from parents.

In a few more years when it comes to my #3, I wonder what's gonna happen

[nms1]

Busymom:

3Boys:

[quote=\"SAHM_TAN\"]taking into account the child's abilities.

That is the key sentence....there is a school of thought amongst some parents that every child is of equal ability and the only determinant of success is how good a school is or how much cramming is done.

That is indeed key, but maybe what some of these parents are saying is that, parents should be the one deciding how much cramming is to be done (or maybe the child should be the one deciding for those who are self-motivated), and not the school or MOE?[/quote]Are you saying that the parents should be determining what the school teaches? Maybe if it is a private, non-government run school that could be the case but in a public school system it should be determined by the school/MOE. If you let the parents have their way, schools with a large number of \"over-kiasu\" parents will end up cramming their students leaving behind those who can't afford or don't want to have extra tuition.

We (meaning the parents, the schools and the MOE) have to stand up to these parents and tell them to stop, that it is neither acceptable or necessary to push children unnecessarily. So much of the pressure in the system is created by the parents and has become a vicious circle into which the teachers & the schools are drawn.

[Busymom]

nms1:

Busymom:

[quote=\"3Boys\"]

That is the key sentence....there is a school of thought amongst some parents that every child is of equal ability and the only determinant of success is how good a school is or how much cramming is done.

That is indeed key, but maybe what some of these parents are saying is that, parents should be the one deciding how much cramming is to be done (or maybe the child should be the one deciding for those who are self-motivated), and not the school or MOE?

Are you saying that the parents should be determining what the school teaches? Maybe if it is a private, non-government run school that could be the case but in a public school system it should be determined by the school/MOE. If you let the parents have their way, schools with a large number of \"over-kiasu\" parents will end up cramming their students leaving behind those who can't afford or don't want to have extra tuition.

We (meaning the parents, the schools and the MOE) have to stand up to these parents and tell them to stop, that it is neither acceptable or necessary to push children unnecessarily. So much of the pressure in the system is created by the parents and has become a vicious circle into which the teachers & the schools are drawn.[/quote]No, I didn't say that. Just saying some parents may be saying that.

[SAHM_TAN]

Busymom:

SAHM_TAN:

My dd1's kindy do not have ting xie but faces no problem in P1 becos during lessons her Chi trs will practise with the the class by incorporating it as part of her lesson plans.

My kids' kindy also do not have spelling or tingxie and I don't think they are any less well-prepared for it.

I must qualify that for my case, we speak Mandarin at home so Chinese is not something that she dislikes.

Plus reading is very important. So now throwing tons of books in their direction

[Busymom]

SAHM_TAN:

Busymom:

[quote=\"SAHM_TAN\"]My dd1's kindy do not have ting xie but faces no problem in P1 becos during lessons her Chi trs will practise with the the class by incorporating it as part of her lesson plans.

My kids' kindy also do not have spelling or tingxie and I don't think they are any less well-prepared for it.

I must qualify that for my case, we speak Mandarin at home so Chinese is not something that she dislikes.

Plus reading is very important. So now throwing tons of books in their direction [/quote] :hi5:

Although lot of my chinese books are still.. untouched...

Looks like I must try harder.

On the spelling and tingxie, once a child is more matured like in P1, surely they can learn at that point? The foundation to speak and read, of course, ought to be laid in preschool or at home when they are younger.

[autumnbronze]

Funz:

Primary schools need to stick to their guns and not let the over prepared kids dictate the speed which each subject is taught.

:goodpost: