Do teachers teach these days?
-
slmkhoo:
Totally agree with this. I was talking with a p6 kid about math and was amazed to hear that he has no idea how the area formula of triangle works. He told me when he asked, his teachers and tutors said 'Don't need to understand why, just apply it to get the answer.\"!!!!!
Unfortunately, there are some parents and teachers who prefer to have kids memorise and regurgitate, whether or not they have actually understood the concept. That is sad. -
They do teach.
Depends on the kids whether know how to apply or not. -
ChiefKiasu:
glad to know I am not alone here...my DS1 in P3 and no tuition...yet :evil: and DH is quite adamant not have it...yetkamom:
Or they expect the kids to know because they all have tuition. I am probably one of the minorities who have refused tuition for my kids. How many parents here DO NOT send their kids fro tuition classes?
My kids have no tuition either, unless you consider their weekly Chinese enrichment classes as tuition. But certainly not on a one-on-one basis. So you are actually not in the minority.
If teachers do not teach, what do you think they do in school?
I do have to agree some teachers don't teach at all! My son can tell me his Chinese teacher in P2 don't teach and that was why his results were real bad for Chinese last year..just passed. Teacher don't teach and fierce and class is boring, most of the time, DS don't know what is going on. I am just so glad that this year all his teachers are good and my son can comment his Chinese teacher this year is good, fierce but fun. With a good teacher, half the battle is won. -
Whether teacher teach or not, whether teacher good or not. Not all students 100% same view.
Depends whether student-teacher have chemistry or not.
The same teacher, same class, there are 2 views. A girl says good and a boy says no good. You know why? That teacher has 2 daughters, doesn’t even know the character of boys. Definitely she views boys are naughty and dislike that student from the beginning. -
Sometimes how a subject is designed to be taught might not be suitable for all. We speak mandarin at home so using STELLA to teach Eniglsh might not be suitable for dd1. She's enjoying the lessons. English is her favourite subject this year. However, looking at how the worksheets are designed from P1 and observing her journal writing, I know there are gaps I need to fill. The reason is not becos her teachers didn't teach. She does not have Eng tuition so I know her teachers teach but becos of her background there are certain aspects of English that need to be taught to her in an explicit manner. I fill in the gaps using guidebooks becos I do not know the rules of English too :rotflmao:
-
slmkhoo:
Yes, there’s indeed value to memorise times table after understanding the “why”, makes calculations much faster. Me lazy, never memorise the times table, so am always 1 sec slower in getting the answer than those who memorise times table from back to front!
I agree with you. My husband and I take the middle road because we see that both approaches have their strengths. Taking multiplication tables as an example again, when our kids were at that stage, we also made sure they understood the concept first. But after that, we required them to memorise the tables so they could answer quickly. In real life (and exams), they need to be able to multiply quickly and not rely on repeated addition or calculators all the time. Unfortunately, there are some parents and teachers who prefer to have kids memorise and regurgitate, whether or not they have actually understood the concept. That is sad.sunflower:
Precisely! Taking the times-table as an example, there’s indeed no necessity to memorise. When DD2 was in P1, her friends bragged about knowing the times table so she asked me about it. I spent about 5 mins explaining the concept to her while waiting for the food at a restaurant. Guess what? She could explain and tell me the correct answer (though slower for bigger numbers as need a bit of counting) to times table of numbers up to 10 after that!
Indeed, I do value the “constructivist approach”. However, there are certain fundamentals that need to be taught first before this type of teaching approach can be effective.
-
CayennePepper:
That's what kills interests! If you know why, you’ll want to learn. If you want to learn, you’ll be interested. If you’re interested, you’ll remember. If you remember, it’s easier to learn how to apply. If you know how to apply, you’ll know how to answer the questions! Many teachers teach only what’s written in textbooks, sad!
Totally agree with this. I was talking with a p6 kid about math and was amazed to hear that he has no idea how the area formula of triangle works. He told me when he asked, his teachers and tutors said 'Don't need to understand why, just apply it to get the answer.\"!!!!!slmkhoo:
Unfortunately, there are some parents and teachers who prefer to have kids memorise and regurgitate, whether or not they have actually understood the concept. That is sad. -
My son will always remember his Chinese teacher from P5. That teacher knows how to inspire students. During the PTM, that teacher readily told me he is not the patient type and loses his cool when students do not put in effort. But my son told me this teacher knows how to relate to the class and also understand what they are thinking. He discusses with the class. Kids now are mostly in English speaking families. It is difficult to engage their interest. I must give my heartfelt appreciation to this male teacher.
-
octoberbaby:
That's what I thought until I encountered a teacher who told me point blank to enrol DD in enrichment centres - learning lab, learning point etc were mentioned.They do teach.
Depends on the kids whether know how to apply or not.
First time I encountered such a teacher. She \"taught\" all 3 subjects some more. That year, I had to engage a tutor for DD.
She was the only teacher I ever encounted who was like that. Even the teachers who took the class the following year were shocked at how some basic things were not taught. You may not believe one child but how can the whole lot in what was supposed to be the best class be lying?
This is a disadvantage of being in the \"best class\". There are teachers who having learnt that the majority have tuition/enrichments or \"very on\" SAHMs decide that she need not be \"teaching\" - just reap the rewards of a class that performs well. And parents like me have to scramble to look for help as our kids are the \"minority\".
The amusing part is that DD, who sits by the door, actually picks up some tips from another class teacher, teaching a \"lower ability\" class. Even she can tell me that the teacher there actually teaches much more.
The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher. -
Peony:
The sad thing is that there are black sheep that is allowed to strive amidst the white sheeps.....
The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.
if only there's a way to weed out the black sheeps....
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login