MOE to stop publishing names of top students?

[david59]

pirate:

david59:

Just convince me one good reason why DSA is neccesary that outweighs the bads and I will say no more about DSA. If not, why continue it. Thks.

People want Singapore to \"move away from an over-emphasis on academic achievements\" :evil:.

And I quote no less than our esteemed Minister[quote]I believe in the pursuit of excellence – in all areas of endeavour. We must encourage our students to apply themselves and to persevere, so that they can reach their full potential in their chosen fields.

So, there. :razz:[/quote]Hahahaha :razz: :razz:

There are other ways for these students to excel in what they want to excel lah. We have swimming clubs, Athletic clubs, bowling clubs and many more. DSA schools are just getting these kids to win medals for their schools lah.

Try better next time lah :razz: :razz:

O yes, like Him4mixmer shared, he or she would rather they don't go to IP school. :heresmyfish:

[him4mixer]

The new ‘A’ level examination started in 2006 with the introduction of H1, H2 and H3 subjects. The papers (not the MTL) btw are NO LONGER set by Cambridge!! Instead the questions are now set by MOE (through XXX branch).


What’s the difference?

Many of us who took the ‘A’ levels in the good ole days could do well just by constantly practice & practice TYS. It worked because many of the questions then were LOT (lower order thinking) like recap and recall. Few questions were on HOT (higher order thinking) like data analysis and application. Those who took ‘S’ paper would work on questions requiring them to synergize and extrapolate the concepts/knowledge learnt.

Unfortunately now this is not so…

H2 papers nowadays have literally no recap and recall questions that will favor the hardworking students. Instead the papers are filled with thinking questions where it will favor the thinking students.

Example: I had no problem finishing 40 MCQ qns within 20 min in the old syllabus and achieve perfect score. However now even if I am to finish the MCQ paper in time (as a capacity as an experienced teacher!), I am not confident to achieve perfect score. Some of the concepts tested in the paper were what I learnt in the university, up to Masters!

Thus the IP schools start to teach these HOT skills real early so that they will be well prepared when they come to us as JC students. Life is never fair but that’s how it works. The smart ones have now a better advantage IF they can benefit from our system.

[him4mixer]

In conclusion:


‘A’ level system has changed dramatically since our times. The preparation by the non-IP JC students has improved but LINEARLY. The preparation by the IP schools has improved EXPOTENTIALLY.

I hate to say this but this system makes the smart so much smarter that it makes others look ‘stupid’.

[david59]

:goodpost:

Sun_2010:

CayennePepper:

It's a CHOICE. Nobody's making them. Or maybe their parents are?

hmm so what should MOE do? take out a restraining order against the parents? :evil:

Not to make a joke of it, Schools should make clear to the sports DSA students and their parents what could happen when things go wrong. After all, till P6 , the child can quit his sports. But once DSAed thru sports, the child cannot leave the sport CCA and trainings even if he realises he needs more time with his academics or that he cannot manage the both. That kind of binds the child. And that detrimental to his development.

We can say that the school should allow students to withdraw from CCA if they cant cope. But then we would have parents exploit that by making the child first DSA with lots of coaching , and then put up a pretense of unable to cope to escape commitment. Sigh! Sometimes I think humans are too smart for their own good.

:goodpost:

[jtoh]

Sun_2010:

CayennePepper:

It's a CHOICE. Nobody's making them. Or maybe their parents are?

hmm so what should MOE do? take out a restraining order against the parents? :evil:

Not to make a joke of it, Schools should make clear to the sports DSA students and their parents what could happen when things go wrong. After all, till P6 , the child can quit his sports. But once DSAed thru sports, the child cannot leave the sport CCA and trainings even if he realises he needs more time with his academics or that he cannot manage the both. That kind of binds the child. And that detrimental to his development.

We can say that the school should allow students to withdraw from CCA if they cant cope. But then we would have parents exploit that by making the child first DSA with lots of coaching , and then put up a pretense of unable to cope to escape commitment. Sigh! Sometimes I think humans are too smart for their own good.

I believe schools hold briefings for the DSA sports student and his parents before they accept the CO. They're told clearly what is expected of them, academically and in their CCA. But do you think these parents are thinking clearly at that point in time about years of commitment on the part of the child? All they want is to secure a place in a school of their choice.

[sinoboy]

him4mixer:

In conclusion:


‘A’ level system has changed dramatically since our times. The preparation by the non-IP JC students has improved but LINEARLY. The preparation by the IP schools has improved EXPOTENTIALLY.

I hate to say this but this system makes the smart so much smarter that it makes others look ‘stupid’.

Has the number of foreign students (at least in your JC) increased LINEARLY or EXPONENTIALLY in the last few years? What is the percentage of foreign students as a proportion of the total student population?

[atutor2001]

him4mixer:

.....


H2 papers nowadays have literally no recap and recall questions that will favor the hardworking students. Instead the papers are filled with thinking questions where it will favor the thinking students.......

I fully agree on the point in red. I used to boast to my kids that econ and physics are chicken. Kept my mouth shut after they had shown me their questions.

Econ is machiam like GP. Physics requires great understanding of concept and application (e.g. this years question on the current/voltage graph of a diode - it is so simple yet so difficult).

Last time when I heard that thousand over students (about 1200 I think) have gotten straight A's in A level each year, I thought that the level has dropped. I vouched that it has not. A-level is tough and those with straight A's are either very smart or have worked very very very very ...hard.

[Melodies]

him4mixer:

In conclusion:


‘A’ level system has changed dramatically since our times. The preparation by the non-IP JC students has improved but LINEARLY. The preparation by the IP schools has improved EXPOTENTIALLY.

I hate to say this but this system makes the smart so much smarter that it makes others look ‘stupid’.

I was like :yikes: to learn that A level has gone up so high since 2006? Is it necessary to push our a level students to study materials that are equivalent to the master degree level? No wonder the whole nation has resorted to engage tuition n studying all the time and have no time for others? Yet all ministers kept telling us that psle is not be all and end all exam, how not to be? If don't do well in psle ,then have to take o level route n then struggle in a level? why! why? Why? MOE, please give them a life!

I am speechless! :faint: :sad:

[pirate]

him4mixer:

The new ‘A’ level examination started in 2006 with the introduction of H1, H2 and H3 subjects. The papers (not the MTL) btw are NO LONGER set by Cambridge!! Instead the questions are now set by MOE (through XXX branch).


What’s the difference?

Many of us who took the ‘A’ levels in the good ole days could do well just by constantly practice & practice TYS. It worked because many of the questions then were LOT (lower order thinking) like recap and recall. Few questions were on HOT (higher order thinking) like data analysis and application. Those who took ‘S’ paper would work on questions requiring them to synergize and extrapolate the concepts/knowledge learnt.

Unfortunately now this is not so…

H2 papers nowadays have literally no recap and recall questions that will favor the hardworking students. Instead the papers are filled with thinking questions where it will favor the thinking students.

Example: I had no problem finishing 40 MCQ qns within 20 min in the old syllabus and achieve perfect score. However now even if I am to finish the MCQ paper in time (as a capacity as an experienced teacher!), I am not confident to achieve perfect score. Some of the concepts tested in the paper were what I learnt in the university, up to Masters!

Thus the IP schools start to teach these HOT skills real early so that they will be well prepared when they come to us as JC students. Life is never fair but that’s how it works. The smart ones have now a better advantage IF they can benefit from our system.

In other words, our non-IP secondary schools are failing to teach our students the necessary or relevant skills. Thank you very much for that enlightenment. In a nutshell, this looks like a systemic failure to me at the secondary school level. I take back what I said earlier about there being a reasonably level playing field.

Minister Sir, are you reading this?

Now you know why PSLE is so stressful. If your kid does not score tops enough to get into IP, they will have to go to a secondary school that will fail to teach them the required and relevant HOT skills necessary for them to prepare for the A-levels.

[david59]

pirate:

him4mixer:

The new ‘A’ level examination started in 2006 with the introduction of H1, H2 and H3 subjects. The papers (not the MTL) btw are NO LONGER set by Cambridge!! Instead the questions are now set by MOE (through XXX branch).


What’s the difference?

Many of us who took the ‘A’ levels in the good ole days could do well just by constantly practice & practice TYS. It worked because many of the questions then were LOT (lower order thinking) like recap and recall. Few questions were on HOT (higher order thinking) like data analysis and application. Those who took ‘S’ paper would work on questions requiring them to synergize and extrapolate the concepts/knowledge learnt.

Unfortunately now this is not so…

H2 papers nowadays have literally no recap and recall questions that will favor the hardworking students. Instead the papers are filled with thinking questions where it will favor the thinking students.

Example: I had no problem finishing 40 MCQ qns within 20 min in the old syllabus and achieve perfect score. However now even if I am to finish the MCQ paper in time (as a capacity as an experienced teacher!), I am not confident to achieve perfect score. Some of the concepts tested in the paper were what I learnt in the university, up to Masters!

Thus the IP schools start to teach these HOT skills real early so that they will be well prepared when they come to us as JC students. Life is never fair but that’s how it works. The smart ones have now a better advantage IF they can benefit from our system.

In other words, our non-IP secondary schools are failing to teach our students the necessary or relevant skills. Thank you very much for that enlightenment. In a nutshell, this looks like a systemic failure to me at the secondary school level. I take back what I said earlier about there being a reasonably level playing field.

Minister Sir, are you reading this?

Now you know why PSLE is so stressful. If your kid does not score tops enough to get into IP, they will have to go to a secondary school that will fail to teach them the required and relevant HOT skills necessary for them to prepare for the A-levels.

I salute you. :salute: :salute: :salute: