Recommendation of changes to reduce Stress for PSLE

[Lilac66]

slmkhoo:

Lilac66:

Maybe I was still pondering over DKWhy's post about self-learning.. no tuition but if there's alot of parental involvement , does it also = not self-learning?

It's a continuum. No-one can have information forced into them, so there is some element of 'self'-learning even with heavy involvement of teachers, parents or tutors. But the ideal, in my mind, would be a child who is motivated to read, google, ask and learn with decreasing involvement of adults as he grows. Every child is unique in capacity to learn and manage, and every parents has a different threshhold for allowing a child to figure out his own way and (inevitably) make mistakes along the way. That's why I believe that a good foundation of English is key - it's hard to self-learn well if you can't read and understand the materials available.

Just to share about being motivated to self-learn. How true it is.
DH related to me how he was giving part-time tuition donkey years ago to some Sec 4 kids for Maths and most passed with flying colours. He has a knack for making the Maths look so simple ... however when his students went to JC, quite a few dropped Maths as they could not cope w/o a good tutor.

[wonderm]

Lilac66:

Thank you wonderm for helping me see the light ....and the difference. Yes, what you describe perfectly fills the gap betw parental involvement and tuition.
Tutors are just paid to provide ready answers to whatever questions the child has, but a parent's involvement is much more than that. We have to go on a journey of self-discovery with the child. It's definitely more tedious but the skills imparted to them will see it's value years down the road. In fact it's also better for parents as we can let go of the hand-holding earlier than later.
Well, will bear in mind these useful tips if I have to be more involved in his work in future.

Your DS is still very young? I am sure you and your DS will enjoy this learning journey together.

[Lilac66]

wonderm:

Lilac66:

Thank you wonderm for helping me see the light ....and the difference. Yes, what you describe perfectly fills the gap betw parental involvement and tuition.
Tutors are just paid to provide ready answers to whatever questions the child has, but a parent's involvement is much more than that. We have to go on a journey of self-discovery with the child. It's definitely more tedious but the skills imparted to them will see it's value years down the road. In fact it's also better for parents as we can let go of the hand-holding earlier than later.
Well, will bear in mind these useful tips if I have to be more involved in his work in future.

Your DS is still very young? I am sure you and your DS will enjoy this learning journey together.

Mine is in P5..

[KSP]

Lilac66:

Mine is in P5..

yours P5? oh, I like to learn from P5 parents coz it's the turning point in pri education.... but it's not all about study study and get whacked in P5 results, they also have a chance to watch NDP rehearsal :rahrah:

[janet88]

KSP:

Lilac66:

Mine is in P5..

yours P5? oh, I like to learn from P5 parents coz it's the turning point in pri education.... but it's not all about study study and get whacked in P5 results, they also have a chance to watch NDP rehearsal :rahrah:

P5 is the year:
1) when kids get to learn 'new' Math
2) watch preview of NDP and get good vouchers. Oh yes, I love that bag.
3) have their camp.
4) get their jab.

[Coolkidsrock2]

janet_lee88:

There will be changes to Science, Geography, Math & maybe history for next year 's Sec 1...our kids are just done with PSLE :faint:

I am not highly educated. So there is a limit I can coach my kids. For the highly-educated parents, they are worrying too early when they have not even started a family.

Education will change, hopefully for the better. Quality of teachers should also be upgraded. Just thinking, wouldn't it be a good idea for MOE to 'interview' the students?

Hi Janet, think you had been doing a very good job of guiding your DC. It is not a matter of how highly educated the parent is. The teaching can be outsourced to a tutor. It is more about being there for them, being their parent during these critical years. This is something that cannot be outsourced. It makes a difference having a parent beside them as they study. I have a friend who does that every night even though DC are in secondary school. Not teaching, just being there.

Your insights have always been enlightening and such critical thinking skill, you can pass on to your DC. While this may be something schools are supposed to teach, sometimes, it does not necessary turn out this way.

SAHMs are very 伟大. It takes a lot to be a SAHM. Think I will lose my sanity if I have to stay home with DC.

[Lilac66]

wonderm:

I think tuition itself is not a monster. It can really be helpful to kids who are weak in foundation and require 1:1 lesson to catch up with the rest of the class. Some kids are so weak in the subject, it may be very difficult for them to phrase their questions or difficulties if we ask them to seek help from school teachers or friends.


However, over-tutoring can be counter productive if the child pays less attention in class, does not bother to try very hard at the questions himself , does not bother to read the text/notes/previous working examples carefully to try to understand it himself, does not bother to ask friends or finds other ways to tackle the problem.

I agree tuition is useful and necessary esp if the child cannot get sufficient help from other sources. But once the foundation is more or less laid, hopefully they can be weaned off coz once there's over-reliance on it and if these crutches are removed, the child may feel very helpless.
As it is , my child still has to rely on Chinese tuition but I'm hoping once he's gained the confidence in the subject, we can do away with it.

[janet88]

Coolkidsrock2:

janet_lee88:

There will be changes to Science, Geography, Math & maybe history for next year 's Sec 1...our kids are just done with PSLE :faint:

I am not highly educated. So there is a limit I can coach my kids. For the highly-educated parents, they are worrying too early when they have not even started a family.

Hi Janet, think you had been doing a very good job of guiding your DC. It is not a matter of how highly educated the parent is. The teaching can be outsourced to a tutor. It is more about being there for them, being their parent during these critical years. This is something that cannot be outsourced. It makes a difference having a parent beside them as they study. I have a friend who does that every night even though DC are in secondary school. Not teaching, just being there.

Your insights have always been enlightening and such critical thinking skill, you can pass on to your DC. While this may be something schools are supposed to teach, sometimes, it does not necessary turn out this way.

SAHMs are very 伟大. It takes a lot to be a SAHM. Think I will lose my sanity if I have to stay home with DC.

Don't praise me...in case I get swell headed. :rotflmao:

[Chenonceau]

Peony:

Chenonceau:

[quote=\"Nebbermind\"]Aiyah! Donch envy me lah. Everyone has his own set of problem when it comes to our kids' education. Just that sometimes we willingly let it overwhelm us.


Science is a different monster. Gotta rely on good revision books which have side notes to explain why the question is answer that way. personally, donch need too many, just 2 or at most 3 for ref.

Math...*LOL*...I still struggle with P4 work!!! Was revising SA2...and I asked my girl how she managed to draw the model...then she told me \"U TAUGHT ME!!\" :oops: Took me awhile to understand my own solution!!! :slapshead:

Haha! So funny! For Math, I dun bother. I passed DS all the best books I could lay my hands on. Then I asked him \"Do you understand?\" If he said \"Yes\", I believed him. Thank God for a particular helpful Daddy from KSP AND the PSLE Math thread. If rely on his teacher... and his school notes... gone liao.

Science is my DS' thing. In P3, he tried to ask me about lysosome action. I didn't know, so I showed him how to google and he just took off from from Google. Thank God for Youtube and Google. After that, to check in, I asked him to teach me. When I mark his Science papers, if he challenges my marking.... I am usually wrong. Very embarrassing.

And that inspired my DD!! I love it when I retrieve the iPad, and I see all the \"places\" she's been!! She goes beyond the syllabus out of her own interest.[/quote]They do learn very interesting things that range far and wide beyond the syllabus. Strangely, this has the effect of helping them retain the syllabus better.

[Chenonceau]

Coolkidsrock2:

janet_lee88:

There will be changes to Science, Geography, Math & maybe history for next year 's Sec 1...our kids are just done with PSLE :faint:

I am not highly educated. So there is a limit I can coach my kids. For the highly-educated parents, they are worrying too early when they have not even started a family.

Education will change, hopefully for the better. Quality of teachers should also be upgraded. Just thinking, wouldn't it be a good idea for MOE to 'interview' the students?

Hi Janet, think you had been doing a very good job of guiding your DC. It is not a matter of how highly educated the parent is. The teaching can be outsourced to a tutor. It is more about being there for them, being their parent during these critical years. This is something that cannot be outsourced. It makes a difference having a parent beside them as they study. I have a friend who does that every night even though DC are in secondary school. Not teaching, just being there.

Your insights have always been enlightening and such critical thinking skill, you can pass on to your DC. While this may be something schools are supposed to teach, sometimes, it does not necessary turn out this way.

SAHMs are very 伟大. It takes a lot to be a SAHM. Think I will lose my sanity if I have to stay home with DC.

:lovesite: :goodpost: Yet another warm and edifying post I read this morning. Hmmmm... forum must be having a good day.