Teach Less, Learn More
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Chenonceau:
It's Always Good that Some of Us Parents Raise the Concern. And Hopefully Improve the Situation Before it Become too Serious. In A Way, Like U Say, ALL Kids R to Be \"Tuition\" - Either Externally or By Own Parents. So No Need to Apologise for What U True-ly Feel and Care to Share with Us Parents.
My son has Kumon because we realized that the school does not give enough math practice. I brought him to his very first Chinese tuition last Friday and the tutor was amazed at his mastery since he has had no tuition till now and I am illiterate in Chinese. We've never believed in enrichment/tuition. My daughter had no tuition in primary school and she needed very little coaching from us. She still managed to get into a top secondary school.Funx3:
For those Kids without Tuition, they just have to Work Extra Hard and Study on their Own and Seek Clarifications from Parents / Siblings / Friends when such Occasions Happen. My Gal Belongs to this Rare Few who Wants to do it on Her own.
Else May Have to Follow the Trend and Outsource - Join the Tuition Route -liao!
However, my son's PSLE syllabus is so different. My husband and I spend hours coaching him. When he seeks help from us, it is still tuition, no? We don't outsource but it is still tuition... at least, I think of it as tuition.
Our family does this because both of us are highly educated. I score in the top 2 percent of GMAT worldwide scores for English. My husband scores in the top 2 % of GMAT for Math. That is why we don't have to outsource Science, Creative Writing, Math problem sums. Also, I once taught in MOE and still teach in uni. I can teach. Our family can manage and we look upon this as bonding. I truly wonder how the children of cleaners and roadsweepers manage.
Recently, the newspapers highlighted the cases of poor kids made good at 'A' levels. These kids went through PSLE before the new skills emphasis syllabus was put in. With this new syllabus, and the old way of talk talk talk teaching plus large class sizes, tuition (whether outsourced or done by parents) is necessary.
Skills can only be learnt when children DO... and receive individual feedback to then refine what they DO. The skills emphasis of the new syllabus is at odds with the teaching methods and the large class sizes. With so many students, teachers can only talk. They can't observe, and give personalized feedback.
I am beginning to sound a bit obnoxious. Funx3, pls forgive. However, the gap between syllabus (skills heavy) and method (talk) and class size (too large for skills refinement feedback) is so hidden in plain sight that I am hoping that if pointed out, something will change.
We Appreciate Your Sharing and Many of Us R Searching for Ways to Plug this shortcomings in Our Capacity as KSP
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Chenonceau:
That would be ideal. Those who have the time/resources can self teach or outsource can choose to do so. Those who do not should be offered such skill practice at school as supplementary. This way we can have both better education and better economy. win win situation. :celebrate:Actually, to teach such mental SKILLS. Small group coaching is essential. Given the syllabus, you need a lecture tutorial system where big groups are exposed to a short theory talk through and then tutors take over for skills practice.
That is what is happening now when parents coach kids after school or engage tutors to do so. School does the lecture. Parents and tutors do the skills practice after school. If that is so, they should shorten school hours so we have more time for practice. To go to school to listen to 6 hours of lecture makes no sense. -
Augmum:
Overheard ....
well, ins secondary school, the pupils have to depend on themselves,
no more time left for tuition or enrichment.
Tuition Centre Class (for Sec Sch) is Like Another Class Session from their School. U Practically Meet Your Whole Class there .... After School ....
So Not True that Sec Sch No Time for Tuition .... -
Brenda10:
Ha Ha ....
True, that's how I was being forced to learn about \"unit transfers\" for maths. :lol:Augmum:
yalor, since the schools implement \"teach less\"
somehow..... someone..... has to take over right ??haha
Can U Believe It, I Learnt about this Term Barely 2 Months Ago, Just Before CA1 .... And My Gal in P6 :oops: :oops: -
Happy Mama:
No kidding happy mama, google not allowed lah. While your cute Z is bakink you fluffy pillows, you should be sitting with the science guide book. The rest of us are working so hard( no time to even :drool: over your e breads), not fair, not fair.
Unfortunately, I ain't any \"walking encyclopedia\" and whatever I learnt during school days, not all I can remember. So whenever I cannot answer her questions, I will google for the answer.
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Chenonceau:
Our family does this because both of us are highly educated. Also, I once taught in MOE and still teach in uni. I can teach. Our family can manage and we look upon this as bonding.
Chenonceau, you are making my DH and I feel very guilty coz we outsource all subjects for DD who's only in Pri 3.... :oops: :oops: :oops:Chenonceau:
I truly wonder how the children of cleaners and roadsweepers manage. Recently, the newspapers highlighted the cases of poor kids made good at 'A' levels. These kids went through PSLE before the new skills emphasis syllabus was put in.
Kids of cleaners and roadsweepers are not necessarily less intelligent. In some cases, the parents are intelligent but because they were born into less privileged families and circumstances didn't permit them to complete their Primary or Secondary education, hence they end up as cleaners and roadsweepers. But their kids do have high IQs and may not necessarily need tuition as they can cope on their own.
I've seen the daughter of a bus driver, who has never had any tuition and studied all by her own, yet she made it to Medicine in NUS...
My mum's distant cousin... her Dad was a taxi driver and her mum was a hawker, yet she made it to Medicine too. She's now a senior consultant in her own private practice specialising in Cancer.
My cousin too, she never had any tuition even up to A-levels, just completed Medicine in NUS. -
tisha:
:? Why cannot google? Sometimes she asks Science questions like How, Why, When etc, and I am not able to answer lah, so the only way to get the answer will be to google... :oops: :oops:
No kidding happy mama, google not allowed lah. While your cute Z is bakink you fluffy pillows, you should be sitting with the science guide book. The rest of us are working so hard( no time to even :drool: over your e breads), not fair, not fair.Happy Mama:
Unfortunately, I ain't any \"walking encyclopedia\" and whatever I learnt during school days, not all I can remember. So whenever I cannot answer her questions, I will google for the answer. -
Funx3:
oic....
Overheard ....Augmum:
well, ins secondary school, the pupils have to depend on themselves,
no more time left for tuition or enrichment.
Tuition Centre Class (for Sec Sch) is Like Another Class Session from their School. U Practically Meet Your Whole Class there .... After School ....
So Not True that Sec Sch No Time for Tuition ....
whole class there ....wow...haha??
probably for some secondary schools....yes
i based my observations from my gal's IP school and also her ex-classmates who are in \"the better bands sec schools\" -
Brenda10:
i think all parents here only get to learn \"units transfers\" while our kids are in primary school.....
True, that's how I was being forced to learn about \"unit transfers\" for maths. :lol:Augmum:
yalor, since the schools implement \"teach less\"
somehow..... someone..... has to take over right ??haha -
Happy Mama:
James and the Giant Peach are for Pri 4s. DD is using BFF. :D[/quote]oh....u mean The Big Friendly Giant ??
Roald Dahl's bk isit the one titled \" James and the Giant Peach\" ??Augmum:
[quote=\"Happy Mama\"]
Ya that's true. DD was asked to buy Roald Dahl's book for English this year. Hopefully it will be put to use during Semester 2.
she bot too, part of the reading programme,
for exposure to more vocab and reading materials.
they also used it for acting out in drama lesson.
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