Chinese impt in secondary level?

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:41:22 GMT

Muffins — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:41:22 GMT

In ACS(I) Integrated Programme, Chinese is a compulsory subject to get the most points for, because it is a must-add for your points. At least 28 points out of 4 are needed to stay in the IP programme…

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:41:38 GMT

octopusmum — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:41:38 GMT

Hi Innovate

thks for your detailed explanation…will be printing it out for reference …

so, the conclusion is, if possible, should take HCL in sec school and if the kid finds it difficult to cope, should send him for tuition and one of the recommended centre is Hua Language. i am going to drop berries for next yr.

regards

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:17:58 GMT

tiger262 — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:17:58 GMT

INNOVATE:
tiger 262, Sun_2010

Much have been said about A-level vs IB education in recent yrs, as such, I shall not dicuss on the merits of each as the discussion will merely be my own perspective at best. Instead, I shall outline the general grading system of each type which I think is more beneficial...............

..........In conclusion, parents know their kids best. Selection must be based on kids' attributes and peace of heart and mind. Let commonsense prevail!

Hi INNOVATE,

Thank you for a splendid analysis comparing the two systems - IB and A-level. I have to doubly thank you since you cared to post a detailed analysis in spite of the issue being 'out of topic' in this thread.

In a later posting, you had described the profile of a good 'O-level' student and the 8-subject combination undertaken by such a student. I learnt a lot. Excellent contribution. Your inputs are truly informative.

Thanks and Regards.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:37:44 GMT

S-H — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:37:44 GMT

INNOVATE:
S-H

Glad to hear of his decision. He has made a right choice. As parents, we always want our kids to do their best at all times. Final result is independent of our love for them because our love is totally unconditional.

God bless!

Hi INNOVATE,

Thank you so much for your advice and info. :thankyou:

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:10:55 GMT

INNOVATE — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:10:55 GMT

S-H

Glad to hear of his decision. He has made a right choice. As parents, we always want our kids to do their best at all times. Final result is independent of our love for them because our love is totally unconditional.

God bless!

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:03:05 GMT

S-H — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:03:05 GMT

INNOVATE:
S-H

At lower sec level, its good to stress yr ds a little without affecting his overall grade. His results must be pretty good for his sch to consider him taking HCL. At this pt, its impt to provide you with a typical profile of a good 0-level student. A good O-level student has 8-subject combination which briefly can be summarised as follows:

English
MT
Double Maths
Double Science
Double Humanities
Plus CCA and HMT.

Generally able students are able to achieve good 0-level grade, excel in CCA and passed HMT. Many good students have 4 pts at their disposal, which is used for joint admission to jcs. Therefore, every single pt is vital and it can strictly determine the type of institution he is posted.

His comfort level at this pt in time is not vital. After all, he is still in the same school as his buddies. At the end of sec 2, you can than decide whether to continue with HCL. If he decides to drop, he will find CL relatively easy. Should he decide to continue, apart from 2 bonus pts, he will have approximately 4 hrs weekly free from H1 chinese in a jc which frees him for revision. At this junction, I have to remind you that the A-level is approximately 3x more difficult than O-level.

Go for it!

Hi INNOVATE,

Your advice is a real relief for me bcos my ds came back just a few minutes ago and told me he had signed up for the HCL! I am real shock by the news and he said that he will try his best. I am worry that he cannot cope bcos he did not do HCL since primary school and it is a disavantage to him when he joined the class that is doing HCL since primary school. Anyway, he had signed for it, we will support him.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:52:38 GMT

INNOVATE — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:52:38 GMT

S-H

At lower sec level, its good to stress yr ds a little without affecting his overall grade. His results must be pretty good for his sch to consider him taking HCL. At this pt, its impt to provide you with a typical profile of a good 0-level student. A good O-level student has 8-subject combination which briefly can be summarised as follows:

English
MT
Double Maths
Double Science
Double Humanities
Plus CCA and HMT.

Generally able students are able to achieve good 0-level grade, excel in CCA and passed HMT. Many good students have 4 pts at their disposal, which is used for joint admission to jcs. Therefore, every single pt is vital and it can strictly determine the type of institution he is posted.

His comfort level at this pt in time is not vital. After all, he is still in the same school as his buddies. At the end of sec 2, you can than decide whether to continue with HCL. If he decides to drop, he will find CL relatively easy. Should he decide to continue, apart from 2 bonus pts, he will have approximately 4 hrs weekly free from H1 chinese in a jc which frees him for revision. At this junction, I have to remind you that the A-level is approximately 3x more difficult than O-level.

Go for it!

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:34:35 GMT

S-H — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:34:35 GMT

computerkid:
S-H:
Hi computerkid,

My ds will be put to another class taking HCL. That's another reason why my ds is against taking HCL bcos he has made quite a no. of good friends in this present class. We are also afraid that he cannot cope with it so we may ask him to continue with CL instead of HCL.
For my DS case, he is still in the same class. But for HCL, it is split into 2 class. 22 students take the normal HCL. 18 student take the \"\" upgraded HCL class\", this class will get the special guidance from teacher.

The HOD CL has given us assurance that they will continue to monitor the progress, if by sec 2, the kid cannot cope. They will go back to CL .

If your DS school just put him together with the rest of the class taking HCL all along. All of them has been taking HCL since primary school. I would think it is very stressful for your DS.

That's true. if ds school is like your ds school, that will be better. He himself also worry, that's why we may ask him to stick to CL although 2 bonus points is very attractive.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:08:08 GMT

computerkid — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:08:08 GMT

S-H:
Hi computerkid,

My ds will be put to another class taking HCL. That's another reason why my ds is against taking HCL bcos he has made quite a no. of good friends in this present class. We are also afraid that he cannot cope with it so we may ask him to continue with CL instead of HCL.

For my DS case, he is still in the same class. But for HCL, it is split into 2 class. 22 students take the normal HCL. 18 student take the \"\" upgraded HCL class\", this class will get the special guidance from teacher.

The HOD CL has given us assurance that they will continue to monitor the progress, if by sec 2, the kid cannot cope. They will go back to CL .

If your DS school just put him together with the rest of the class taking HCL all along. All of them has been taking HCL since primary school. I would think it is very stressful for your DS.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:33:30 GMT

S-H — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:33:30 GMT

Hi computerkid,

My ds will be put to another class taking HCL. That’s another reason why my ds is against taking HCL bcos he has made quite a no. of good friends in this present class. We are also afraid that he cannot cope with it so we may ask him to continue with CL instead of HCL.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:23:12 GMT

computerkid — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:23:12 GMT

S-H:
Hi INNOVATE,

I need one more advise fm you. My ds is in sec 1 and is taking CL. Bcos of his good result, he is given a chance to take HCL in sec 2. However, from what we see, his standard of chinese is only average, he is more powerful in his English. I'm aftraid that he will be pressurised if he take up HCL in sec 2. DS also me that he doesn't hv much confident too. We are in a dilemma. He is to give the teacher the answer not later than 25/10/2010. Hope you can give me some advice. Thanks.

Hi S-H,
Your DS situation is quite similiar to my DS. My DS only took CL in PSLE. In the beginning of the year, the HOD CL held a dialogue seesion with the parent of kid taking only CL. We were told that the school \"\" Strongly advise us to change to HCL\"\". Because it is a SAP school.

HOD explain he will form a special class for the kids. The CL teacher is very good, he explain to us his approach. He will gradually move the student to HCL progressively. So this class do not join the normal HCL class.

The teacher is very motivating and my DS enjoy his class and coping well. By Mid year, he has been \"\"promoted to the normal HCL class\" his EOY exam for HCL is not excellant but coping well. And of course we arrange tuition for him.

My opinion is, what is the school approach for your DS. If they just put him together with the rest of the HCL class. Then I think it is very difficult for your DS to cope. Because HCL is very much more difficult then CL. Maybe you should have a chat with the CL teacher on this.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:26:58 GMT

S-H — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:26:58 GMT

Hi INNOVATE,

I need one more advise fm you. My ds is in sec 1 and is taking CL. Bcos of his good result, he is given a chance to take HCL in sec 2. However, from what we see, his standard of chinese is only average, he is more powerful in his English. I’m aftraid that he will be pressurised if he take up HCL in sec 2. DS also me that he doesn’t hv much confident too. We are in a dilemma. He is to give the teacher the answer not later than 25/10/2010. Hope you can give me some advice. Thanks.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:54:00 GMT

S-H — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:54:00 GMT

Hi INNOVATE,

Thanks for your explanation, however, may I know what is H1/IB standard level. Thanks

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:17:09 GMT

verykiasu2010 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:17:09 GMT

INNOVATE

Thank you for the summary and comparison

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:47:07 GMT

INNOVATE — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:47:07 GMT

tiger 262, Sun_2010

Much have been said about A-level vs IB education in recent yrs, as such, I shall not dicuss on the merits of each as the discussion will merely be my own perspective at best. Instead, I shall outline the general grading system of each type which I think is more beneficial.

A-Level Education

4 H2 + Project Wk + General Paper or
3 H2 + 1H1 + Project + General Paper

Notes: 1. 1 of the content subject must be contrasting ie if 3 H2 are all science subjects the other H2/H1 must be from arts domain. A typical student may offer H2 Phy, Chem, Maths H2/H1 Econs.
2. PW is taken at JC-1/yr5
3. GP is compulsory, however, it can be sustituted with Theory of Knowledge which by itselt is a contrasting subject.

University Rank Pts
H2-A=20 pts, every grade down minus 2.5 pts.
H1-A=10 pts, every grade down minus 1.25 pts.
Max 90 rank pts.

Universities world-wide take into account 3H2 + 1H1 + PW + GP at one sitting. For those who took 4H2, the weakest H2 is regarded as H1. H3 is not relevant in the computation, however, it is for top students vying for scholarships.

IBDP
3 subjects at higher level
3 subjects at standard level
3 core subjects mainly, theorey of knowledge(1200-1600 words)‘extended essay(4000 words) and creativity, action,service-150 hrs.

3 HL and 3 SL must be chosen from six main grps comprising of:
Grp1 English Lit
Grp 2 Second lang CL/ML HL and SL
Tamil/Hindi SL
Grp 3 Humanities Hist/Geog/Social Sc/Econs
Grp 4 Science Phy/Bio/Chem
Grp 5 Maths
Grp 6 Arts Music/Dance/Theatre/Visual arts
Grp 6 may be sustituted with one subject from above 5 grps.

Grading System 1-7 pts for each subject for both HL and SL.
Max 6x7=42 pts, with the remainding max 3 pts from theory of knowledge and extended essay. Total 45 pts.

You will observe from above the main difference in the gradings. A level is more structured whereas, IB is more broad base and attempts to offer different perspective in the training of students’ minds. In fact, in recent yrs, with the introduction of a contrasting subject, A- level is moving closer to IB. Both are equally rigorous and well-known internationally. Our A-level grading system is recongnised by Oxbridge to be of higher standard than those taking Cambridge A-level. MOE sets damn high standard! IB though lesser known locally is highly regarded in countries like Australia, Canada and many parts of Europe. In many of these nations, IB is ranked higher than their own high school diplomas.

In conclusion, parents know their kids best. Selection must be based on kids’ attributes and peace of heart and mind. Let commonsense prevail!

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:58:32 GMT

verykiasu2010 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:58:32 GMT

Oct 21, 2010

Milan goes gaga over Mandarin
MILAN (Italy) - A TOTAL of 18 high schools in Lombardy region, whose capital is Milan, have put Chinese in the curriculum this year, showing a growing interest towards Chinese culture in the Italy's most industrialized district.

Some 1,500 ordinary students throughout the northern region are studying Mandarin, which is becoming a foreign language more and more popular with Italy, following the recent Education Ministry' s decision to include Chinese among the curricular languages in high schools.

\"Chinese is the language of the future. I am doing my best efforts to learn it, as I am sure to have done the right choice,\" a student of Milan's Manzoni High School, Camilla, told Xinhua.

Her classmate Sara said that she decided to study Mandarin after choosing China as a main topic of her middle school term paper.

\"I was so fascinated by the vastness of this country and its millenary history that I decided to deepen its knowledge,\" she stressed.

\"The most moving moment since I began learning Chinese was when our teachers took us to visit a Terracotta Warriors exhibition in Treviso,\" said 17-year-old Federico, adding that he particularly enjoys the deep relation between Chinese language and culture. -- CHINA DAILY/ANN

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_593491.html

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:06:25 GMT

INNOVATE — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:06:25 GMT

S-H

A HCL student is required to sit for O-level CL at sec 3 with the exception of few top schools. Prior to this, some schools have the policy of asking its weaker students to drop to CL at end of sec 2. Subject to satisfactory performance at O-level, students proceed to continue to study HCL. All HCL students including all top schools take the HCL O-level exam at year 4.

HCL can be used as a L1 in place of English but not as one of R5 in the computation of O-Level score though a 2 bonus pt is given. Henceforth, despite its advantages, a student with a weaker foundation should not attempt it as it is detrimental to one’s academic situation.

Upon passing HCL O-level, a student is deemed to have fufilled our unis MT entrance requirement. All those who are at express level have to continue studying at H1/IB standard level.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:18:20 GMT

S-H — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:18:20 GMT

INNOVATE:
octopusmum

Let your ds take HCL instead of CL for reasons outlined in my earlier postings. At sec 3, he will be asked to take 0-level CL togehter with the 0-level cohort. Basing on his result, you can make an informed choice whether to take HCL. All in all, your ds will have a total of 3 chances(if he drops HCL eventually at sec 3) to improve his CL score instead of two for students taking CL.

At any point of time, the school will ask him to drop to express level if he is deemed unable to cope. No worries.

Hi INNOVATE,

You mean if ds pass the HCL in sec 3, he will be exempted to study CL in sec 4 and use this result to apply JC after O-level?

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:17:06 GMT

Sun_2010 — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:17:06 GMT

tiger262:
INNOVATE:

Is my dd taking IB(yr 5) next year. My ds attempting A-level exam next year. Wishing your kids well in their academic endeavours.
Hi INNOVATE,

There is a lot of talk going on comparing IB vs A-level. With one child doing IB and another doing A-level, you are in a unique position to authentically comment from your first-hand experience. Although it is out-of-topic in this thread, can you just briefly give your views comparing IB vs A-level? I am very keen to know from someone like you who had seen both. (I hope other members too will be keen to know your inputs).

However, if you do not want to comment in this thread, please PM me if you can spare time. I am most grateful.

Thanks and Regards.

Innovate, would really appreiciate if you want to tell us ur thoughts in this debated topic....

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 06:38:22 GMT

tiger262 — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 06:38:22 GMT

INNOVATE:

Is my dd taking IB(yr 5) next year. My ds attempting A-level exam next year. Wishing your kids well in their academic endeavours.

Hi INNOVATE,

There is a lot of talk going on comparing IB vs A-level. With one child doing IB and another doing A-level, you are in a unique position to authentically comment from your first-hand experience. Although it is out-of-topic in this thread, can you just briefly give your views comparing IB vs A-level? I am very keen to know from someone like you who had seen both. (I hope other members too will be keen to know your inputs).

However, if you do not want to comment in this thread, please PM me if you can spare time. I am most grateful.

Thanks and Regards.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:11:36 GMT

markfch — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:11:36 GMT

daisyt:
For me, Chinese is important in our life, because it is our mother tongue. No other reasons can overtake this.

:goodpost: Is this the shortest good post on record? keke

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:59:41 GMT

Quintessential Mum — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:59:41 GMT

I thought that based on on the PSLE scores, the MOE will offer the HCL option to the student and then they can decide whether to take it or not. Do let me know if my understanding is incorrect. Thanks[/quote]

Yes, to take HCL you have to meet certain criteria, which I’ve quoted below. But at SAP schools and NJC, HCL is compulsory.

Quoted from MOE:
Pupils who offer Mother Tongue Language (MTL)(i.e. Chinese/ Malay/ Tamil) or HMTL (i.e. Higher Chinese/ Higher Malay/ Higher Tamil) at the PSLE and

* are ranked among the top 10% of the PSLE; or
* are in the top 11% - 30% band who meet the language criteria (i.e. an A* grade in the MTL or at least a Merit in the HMTL)

may opt to study HMTL at secondary schools.[/quote]

Thanks for the clarification!

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:52:35 GMT

jtoh — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:52:35 GMT

Quintessential Mum:
jtoh:
[quote=\"octopusmum\"]Do we have a choice to take higher chinese or express Chinese in sec school ? Or it depends on the school we go to?

Also Wat is h1 chinese and IB?

Is Han language centre better than berries in Chinese , both higher and express for sec level?
You can choose to take HCL or CL in secondary school. The only exceptions are some SAP schools and NJC where HCL is compulsory/preferred.

I thought that based on on the PSLE scores, the MOE will offer the HCL option to the student and then they can decide whether to take it or not. Do let me know if my understanding is incorrect. Thanks[/quote]Yes, to take HCL you have to meet certain criteria, which I've quoted below. But at SAP schools and NJC, HCL is compulsory.

Quoted from MOE:
Pupils who offer Mother Tongue Language (MTL)(i.e. Chinese/ Malay/ Tamil) or HMTL (i.e. Higher Chinese/ Higher Malay/ Higher Tamil) at the PSLE and

* are ranked among the top 10% of the PSLE; or
* are in the top 11% - 30% band who meet the language criteria (i.e. an A* grade in the MTL or at least a Merit in the HMTL)

may opt to study HMTL at secondary schools.

Reply to Chinese impt in secondary level? on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:46:09 GMT

Quintessential Mum — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:46:09 GMT

jtoh:
octopusmum:
Do we have a choice to take higher chinese or express Chinese in sec school ? Or it depends on the school we go to?

Also Wat is h1 chinese and IB?

Is Han language centre better than berries in Chinese , both higher and express for sec level?
You can choose to take HCL or CL in secondary school. The only exceptions are some SAP schools and NJC where HCL is compulsory/preferred.