GEP Preparatory Program

[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.

[nansk]

sunflower:

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

True. I don't know much about the way these classes are conducted, but from all my online research, a GEP class seems like a wonderful place to learn. From what I've read, the teachers treat the students with respect; almost as peers, their opinions and ideas are sought for, listened to, valued, and discussed, and they are given ample opportunity to express themselves and demonstrate their learning through various media. And all this without the parent lifting a finger or paying a single extra cent. Which parent would not want such a rich learning environment for their child?

[BeContented]

nansk:

sunflower:

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

True. I don't know much about the way these classes are conducted, but from all my online research, a GEP class seems like a wonderful place to learn. From what I've read, the teachers treat the students with respect; almost as peers, their opinions and ideas are sought for, listened to, valued, and discussed, and they are given ample opportunity to express themselves and demonstrate their learning through various media. And all this without the parent lifting a finger or paying a single extra cent. Which parent would not want such a rich learning environment for their child?

Sometimes the GEP kids are not really kids - They have the mind of ~14yo inside a ~11yo body. Sometimes they 'challenge' the parents/teachers & one will have to really reason out with them (not so easy to handle IMO). My friend's DD same age as my gal & when both are handling issues, you can really see the difference. All of a sudden, my gal seems like real kiddy. but I think more cute & easier to handle than 'little adults'.....anyway they will grow up soon, so I rather wait a bit.

[sunflower]

nansk:

sunflower:

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

True. I don't know much about the way these classes are conducted, but from all my online research, a GEP class seems like a wonderful place to learn. From what I've read, the teachers treat the students with respect; almost as peers, their opinions and ideas are sought for, listened to, valued, and discussed, and they are given ample opportunity to express themselves and demonstrate their learning through various media. And all this without the parent lifting a finger or paying a single extra cent. Which parent would not want such a rich learning environment for their child?

Frankly, any competently trained teacher would be able to deliver his/her lessons in the manner as described above, and I believe there are mainstream teachers doing so. That’s why I subscribe to the opinion of having all teachers upgrade themselves continuously and be trained in the ever evolving teaching methodologies.

I believe the GEP curriculum serves to stretch, and not to overload a student. This can only happen if the right kind of students with suitable aptitude are selected for the programme.

[metz]

sunflower:

nansk:

[quote=\"sunflower\"]I guess the perceived “benefits” do not comprise only the DSA, but small class size, “best” teachers and “exclusive” materials as well.

True. I don't know much about the way these classes are conducted, but from all my online research, a GEP class seems like a wonderful place to learn. From what I've read, the teachers treat the students with respect; almost as peers, their opinions and ideas are sought for, listened to, valued, and discussed, and they are given ample opportunity to express themselves and demonstrate their learning through various media. And all this without the parent lifting a finger or paying a single extra cent. Which parent would not want such a rich learning environment for their child?

Frankly, any competently trained teacher would be able to deliver his/her lessons in the manner as described above, and I believe there are mainstream teachers doing so. That’s why I subscribe to the opinion of having all teachers upgrade themselves continuously and be trained in the ever evolving teaching methodologies.

I believe the GEP curriculum serves to stretch, and not to overload a student. This can only happen if the right kind of students with suitable aptitude are selected for the programme.[/quote]Very well said. In fact, my son encountered such a teacher in his previous school. He was given a chance to share his understanding of fractions to the class as well as an opportunity to craft questions for a class test. The teacher even fulfilled his earlier request to visit the school's eco-garden before they were dismissed for the school holidays. These are just some of the things that the teacher did and they made a great difference for my son.