All About Preparing For PSLE

[Dreamgear]

TheAnswer:

I refer to DSA via backdoors as going in using sports or any other talent. Not those who went in through results.


I believe in challenging my boy. He has to prove himself capable to get into the school of his choice. If you DSA into the school and end up playing for the school more than studying. Tough to cope.

There are reasons why some choose to dsa, it could be a AEP or MEP. I think DSA has a boarder context then just the top schools.

The reason why there is a dsa choice for sports or talents is to provide kids who are investing a lot of time into their pursuits an opportunity to enter the institution of their choice. Once again its the schools themselves who screwed it up by turning it into a rat race.

You might be surprise that there are schools who placed a premium on cca and there are basically no difference in the time spent on cca for dsa or non-dsa students.....like acsi, chs....

[JohnYeo]

wonderm:

There is much talk about having a more broad based definition of success and meritocracy. There is much criticism about over emphasis of exam results and there is a outcry for the need to have a truely holistic education. I think we parents need to have the right mindset. If all we want our children to do whole day is to study, study and more study and if we only value exam marks, I wonder what can MOE do to get us nearer to our goals.

Great post and I fully agree on this. Though it's true that parents need to have the right mindset, I observed that parents also do succumb to peer pressure too (pressure from other parents) that exam marks are important.

I have known parents who really want to and they believe that their kids should enjoy the entire learning process but at the same time, when it comes to exams, their worried face also tells alot including if they should get their kids to score well too.

I think the entire education system has its part to play and that include how teachers educate the parents, and how educators (including tutors) educate the parents...While MOE may be able to get us nearer to our goals (whatever that is), by the time that it gets passed down and get implemented by the teachers, it will be too late...so starting from parents may be a better alternative, i feel.

[weatherbee]

JohnYeo:

wonderm:

There is much talk about having a more broad based definition of success and meritocracy. There is much criticism about over emphasis of exam results and there is a outcry for the need to have a truely holistic education. I think we parents need to have the right mindset. If all we want our children to do whole day is to study, study and more study and if we only value exam marks, I wonder what can MOE do to get us nearer to our goals.

Great post and I fully agree on this. Though it's true that parents need to have the right mindset, I observed that parents also do succumb to peer pressure too (pressure from other parents) that exam marks are important.

I have known parents who really want to and they believe that their kids should enjoy the entire learning process but at the same time, when it comes to exams, their worried face also tells alot including if they should get their kids to score well too.

I think the entire education system has its part to play and that include how teachers educate the parents, and how educators (including tutors) educate the parents...While MOE may be able to get us nearer to our goals (whatever that is), by the time that it gets passed down and get implemented by the teachers, it will be too late...so starting from parents may be a better alternative, i feel.

I would want my children to enjoy studies and their school lives but sometimes it is really so stressful. Many things still weigh on their exam results. Like admission to JC/Uni or even reputable overseas Uni.

[JohnYeo]

weatherbee:

I would want my children to enjoy studies and their school lives but sometimes it is really so stressful. Many things still weigh on their exam results. Like admission to JC/Uni or even reputable overseas Uni.

Hi weatherbee,

I agree too. Many parents are experiencing being pulled in both direction, one direction is they want their children to enjoy, the other direction is the stressors from school environment...many times, we wonder which one to go and how much to go...

John

[wonderm]

weatherbee:

I would want my children to enjoy studies and their school lives but sometimes it is really so stressful. Many things still weigh on their exam results. Like admission to JC/Uni or even reputable overseas Uni.

A certain level of pressure or stress is unavoidable and in fact healthy in my opinion. Of course, we need to manage it and help our children to manage it so we don't get overly stressed. It is great if your children enjoy studies, they are likely to do better than those who see it as a chore. Exam results are certainly important, they are not always accurate in measuring a student's standard or potential, but most people still recognize its relevance. Take heart that to get into reputable overseas Uni, they don't look at exam results alone. All the best to you and your children!

[sharonkhoo]

weatherbee:

I would want my children to enjoy studies and their school lives but sometimes it is really so stressful. Many things still weigh on their exam results. Like admission to JC/Uni or even reputable overseas Uni.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing - study all day or play all day. For our kids, we try to strike a balance, even if it means less study time and perhaps lower scores. Even during the PSLE year, my daughter managed to read fiction and play games daily, even if only 1 hr a day. She got her weekends off unless the work really piled up (it never did), probably because we didn't send her for tuition but coached her ourselves, and we only asked her to do a few questions or read a few pages for revision each day. She may have got a few more points if we had made her work harder, but we decided that balance was more important.

[JohnYeo]

slmkhoo:

weatherbee:

I would want my children to enjoy studies and their school lives but sometimes it is really so stressful. Many things still weigh on their exam results. Like admission to JC/Uni or even reputable overseas Uni.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing - study all day or play all day. For our kids, we try to strike a balance, even if it means less study time and perhaps lower scores. Even during the PSLE year, my daughter managed to read fiction and play games daily, even if only 1 hr a day. She got her weekends off unless the work really piled up (it never did), probably because we didn't send her for tuition but coached her ourselves, and we only asked her to do a few questions or read a few pages for revision each day. She may have got a few more points if we had made her work harder, but we decided that balance was more important.

I feel that parents need to be very clear about what they want. So when parents are very clear about what they want, then it is easier for them to plan their children's study schedule and their workload. Everything then becomes more consistent (and not succumbed to other kinds of pressure) and the whole studying, coaching and learning experience for both parents and children become more enjoyable...

Without clear boundary, then there will be confusion in how we communicate with DCs and unnecessary stress will result...

and i feel this is a :goodpost:

[JW1000]

Honestly, I don't think that there is a need for tuition. In my case, my two daughters have already taken their PSLE and gotten 270(both of them), and they doesn't have any tuitions, but I recommend you to buy books(Science) with clear explanation of answers and for Maths, there is nothing you can do but practice, but you have to let your children/ child understand the concepts for the questions, especially in algebra.


If you have any questions that your child does not understand, you can send it to me and I will tell my daughter to explain it to you.

:celebrate:

[Poet2010]

JW1000:

Honestly, I don't think that there is a need for tuition. In my case, my two daughters have already taken their PSLE and gotten 270(both of them), and they doesn't have any tuitions, but I recommend you to buy books(Science) with clear explanation of answers and for Maths, there is nothing you can do but practice, but you have to let your children/ child understand the concepts for the questions, especially in algebra.


If you have any questions that your child does not understand, you can send it to me and I will tell my daughter to explain it to you.

:celebrate:

JW1000,
congratulate on the stellar results achieved for the PSLE, but do be modest with your posting. this forum is to share ideas and approach towards a holistic education platform, of which the education ministry is currently working on. students are encourage to participate actively in both CCAs and CIPs besides the classes, textbooks, worksheets, tutorials, tests, exams ... the list goes on. in a state of realistic approach, the learning curve of every kid differs, not forgetting their needs too, parental and peers' support, the school/learning institution, classmates, teachers ... do be objective and conservative in your posting, we do appreciate that ... Three Cheers to all Parents with kids pursuing the PSLE 2013, One Word of Encouragement \"Keep Steady, Be Diligent, Do Your Best, Keep It Up, Enjoy Learning\" ...

[janet88]

I have friends whose kids got into schools using sports…DSA thing.

Their kids spend MORE time singing (even to the extent of going overseas), swimming and running than studying. Whatever time is left at the end of the day has to be quickly spent on finishing homework before going to sleep…some may feel that this is encouraging kids to manage their time well…but is it really the case? There is no way out of this craziness. Day in day out, parents have to wake up at 5am to send the kid to the school swimming complex. A friend couldn’t get her daughter out of this…went overseas to continue education at 15.