GEP Preparatory Program

[metz]

nansk:

metz:

His comments are as follows : -

...
That's all that I could manage to 'dig' out from him.

Thanks again. This gives us a pretty good idea of the tests. It is great that he could recall and describe the tests in such detail.

Those are his comments directly after the tests. He wouldn't even talk about them the next day. And when I asked him yesterday, he couldn't recall anything and reminded me that we agreed not to talk about the tests.

But if you are lucky to speak with some parents, their kids can even remember the questions and answers.

[nansk]

metz:

Without statistics, it's really difficult to conclude if these programs actually contributed to acceptance into GEP.

That is true. Perhaps these training programs give a nudge to the 2-5 percenters to catapult into the 1%?

metz:

The fact remains there are those who attended prep & enrichment classes/brain training classes/parental coaching but did not make it.

And I suppose this is the faction of parents who vent the loudest about unfairness.

metz:

One thing I observed (based on small samples), those that attended prep classes/enrichment classes/heavy parental coaching before GEP will tend to continue with them throughout the schooling years.

Of course. Parents who are heavily invested in their child's education will not stop doing so if the child doesn't clear the GEP selection (or, if the child does, they will not stop being involved after the child has completed PSLE.)
I read an eye-opening post once (on this forum or on some blog) asking such parents if they would spend the same amount of money month-after-month for their parents' happiness and welfare.

[metz]

nansk:

metz:

Without statistics, it's really difficult to conclude if these programs actually contributed to acceptance into GEP.

That is true. Perhaps these training programs give a nudge to the 2-5 percenters to catapult into the 1%?

Lady luck is important too.

[sunflower]

Nebbermind:

As for Gep selection test, my view is that it is coachable, BUT not 'muggable'. If you are one with high processing power, you will be able to handle the variety of questions using the knowledge gained in reallife or thru training. If u r just a mugger, you may not be able to handle it.

SInce GEP test is not based on a certain syllabus, and possibly have wide variation, I believe what MOE meant is that you cannot just focus on a few questions and try to replicate the answers in the tests.

I knew a P3 girl who didn’t seem to be extraordinary bright, attended TLL and MO training. Didn’t ask whether she attended those GEP prep courses. She cleared 1st round but not the second round of GEP tests. When I saw her again some time after the release of the 2nd round results, she seemed quite down cast and exuded a kind of feeling that she didn’t like to study, contrary to the time when I met her after she cleared 1st round, when she was full of enthusiasm in her studies.

I have a friend who teaches Chinese enrichment class. She shared with me that recently, a girl from GEP joined her class. My friend was really amazed at how fast the girl could learn things. Compared to the other students in her class, this GEP girl could grasp and apply what was taught just after telling her once, whereas the rest needed some time to practice and assimilate. She could really see the vast difference in their ability to learn things. She said this GEP girl 一点就通.

GEP tests may be coachable, but it really requires the child to already have that extra “something” in them for it to be effective.

[nansk]

sunflower:

I knew a P3 girl who didn’t seem to be extraordinary bright, attended TLL and MO training. Didn’t ask whether she attended those GEP prep courses. She cleared 1st round but not the second round of GEP tests. When I saw her again some time after the release of the 2nd round results, she seemed quite down cast and exuded a kind of feeling that she didn’t like to study, contrary to the time when I met her after she cleared 1st round, when she was full of enthusiasm in her studies.

This anecdote may or may not indicate anything. She may have been demoralized by the result, or perhaps she was mirroring her parents' reaction. In either case, it would likely have been a temporary effect. No one, esp. not a young child, can stay demoralized for too long.
Or it may have been an effect of some other occurance in her school or home life. We can't say until we have the full story.

sunflower:

... My friend was really amazed at how fast the girl could learn things. Compared to the other students in her class, this GEP girl could grasp and apply what was taught just after telling her once, whereas the rest needed some time to practice and assimilate....GEP tests may be coachable, but it really requires the child to already have that extra “something” in them for it to be effective.

Right. This second girl you described is kind of student that the GEB is trying to identify and groom.
If they do away with the perceived advantages (DSA and EESIS) of GEP, then perhaps they will succeed in locating all the truly intellectually gifted ones and no others.

[CayennePepper]

metz:

But if you are lucky to speak with some parents, their kids can even remember the questions and answers.

Although he was tired, my ds was so excited after the tests that he was drawing diagrams, tables and figures, and scribbling questions in the car on the way home. I was amused that he only talked about Math and GA. English is not quite his friend.
He didn't finish the Math paper though.

[sunflower]

nansk:

sunflower:

I knew a P3 girl who didn’t seem to be extraordinary bright, attended TLL and MO training. Didn’t ask whether she attended those GEP prep courses. She cleared 1st round but not the second round of GEP tests. When I saw her again some time after the release of the 2nd round results, she seemed quite down cast and exuded a kind of feeling that she didn’t like to study, contrary to the time when I met her after she cleared 1st round, when she was full of enthusiasm in her studies.

This anecdote may or may not indicate anything. She may have been demoralized by the result, or perhaps she was mirroring her parents' reaction. In either case, it would likely have been a temporary effect. No one, esp. not a young child, can stay demoralized for too long.
Or it may have been an effect of some other occurance in her school or home life. We can't say until we have the full story.

Perhaps her parents have high hopes in her and put in too much pressure for her to succeed in the GEP tests, regardless of whether she has that extra “something” in her. Yes, really hope it's temporary.

[CayennePepper]

nansk:

If they do away with the perceived advantages (DSA and EESIS) of GEP, then perhaps they will succeed in locating all the truly intellectually gifted ones and no others.

To a certain extent I do agree with this. The idea of providing differentiated learning for gifted learners is somewhat out of sync with its original intent if we can actually coach kids into being identified as gifted. If there are no 'benefits', real or imaginary, we can go back to the good old days. I miss those days when GEP wasn't a dirty word associated with prep classes and coaching.

[sunflower]

nansk:

If they do away with the perceived advantages (DSA and EESIS) of GEP, then perhaps they will succeed in locating all the truly intellectually gifted ones and no others.

Haha…I guess the perceived “benefits” do not comprise only the DSA, but small class size, “best” teachers and “exclusive” materials as well.

[sunflower]

CayennePepper:

To a certain extent I do agree with this. The idea of providing differentiated learning for gifted learners is somewhat out of sync with its original intent if we can actually coach kids into being identified as gifted. If there are no 'benefits', real or imaginary, we can go back to the good old days. I miss those days when GEP wasn't a dirty word associated with prep classes and coaching.

Yah, sad that the GEP has now been misunderstood from its original intent, so much so that it created an industry for people to milk money from GEP prep courses.