Petition to Review the Singapore Education System
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sall:
I wonder if this new Education Minister is really going to listen to the voices of teachers, parents and students. Every time there is a new minister, there are changes, and the workload of tr and students will go up. I'm keen to see how this new one is going to keep his words.
I'm also waiting to see if there are changes made...hopefully the changes (if any) will lessen the paperwork of teachers and improve the teaching standard. The BEST thing to happen will be reduce class size.
Teaching Science to our kids is not easy. The experiments are just to 'spice' up interest :xedfingers: . Ultimately, our kids learn to answer those TOUGH questions in CA/SA from past year exam papers (maybe not all but enough to pass)...not taught in schools right ???
Fortunately I have the time (every morn), knowledge (after reading up guide book/Internet), discipline and resources to guide my son. But how many parents have the time and ability to do this coaching ? -
Chenonceau:
Very well said. If MOE's school is a private enterprise in the real world, where parents are required to pay for their kids education, then maybe no one would send their kids to schools. Parents would rather send their kids to tuition or teach kids themselves to get good grades.
The way the education system has evolved in the past 7 years, I doubt that we are leveraging on any economies of scale. Parents have to be \"partners\"... attend Science Workshops (conducted by the school) to learn how to answer Science questions. These workshops go far enough to show us how much we need to know... and how much help our kids need from us... but they don't go all the way to teach us HOW TO help our kids.dovetail:
Yes, how to do Science experiments for home schooled kid's? There's no economy of scale. The parent must have so much time, knowledge and discipline and resources.
As it is, parents need to have time, knowledge, discipline and resources anyway or else, our kids learn only 40% to 50% of what they need to cope with exams. I put my DS homework file next to his SA1 test paper. Nowhere in his homework can I find questions of the same level of difficulty as in his SA1 paper. How are children supposed to know what they have not been taught? It is up to parents to homeschool their kids after school (either by tutors or like me, by myself).
Happily, I do have the time, knowledge and discipline and resources. and my DS is doing well enough that I am not worried. But not every child has parents with time, knowledge and discipline and resources. to engage in the after school homsechooling that MOE's teachers all assume will/should take place after school. Again and again teachers advise parents to give their kids tuition (i.e., after school homeschooling).
Of course, no system is perfect... but simply stating that no system is perfect does not mean we stop looking for ways to help the system evolve so that our children and grandchildren can benefit.
Was discussing this state of education with dh last nite and he is appalled that the school does not teach the kids and tuition is a must. I also asked my friend who is a teacher if it is okay not to send the kids to any tuition at all and she said no, not if you want to do well for PSLE.
The t-score is the real problem. It basically rank everyone in the cohort from 1 to 50,000. This is very damaging. We do not rank for O or A level or even at university. An A1 is an A1 is an A1. A first class is a first class is a first class. BUt for PSLE, we actually rank who has a better A*. Getting 4A* is not important but what is more important is my 4A* is better than your 4A*. So, with this kind of ranking, the kids always have to do better than their peers. Even if you are gifted, you will need tuition, to do better than your gifted peers. WHich explain why even the top and brightest students go for tuition. And if the top and brightest go for tuition, then how can those who are not gifted not go? It is not just parents who are kiasu. It is the system.
I do hope MOE is reviewing the system. A few years back, during REACH feedback session with Mrs Grace Fu, she asked if parents would like to abolish PSLE. No, parents do not want PSLE abolish. But I think parents would like t-score to be abolished. Let an A be an A be an A. -
I’m afraid for GCE ‘o’ and ‘a’ level, results is also not criteria based. Marks are modulated to fit into a normal distribution curve. Your B could actually have been an A, you’ll never know. Only the IBDP is criteria based.
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Son's Math tutor told me many parents also have problems teaching kids from P5 onwards...they just can't teach the kids anymore...I couldn't agree more.
If parents want kids to pass and do well in P6, tuition is a MUST. There is no escaping
:moneyflies: -
Hi Jenao, it is not fair to say that the school does not teach the students and tuition is a must. If schools do not teach students, what are the students doing in school? For a lot of schools, there are a lot of supplementary lessons conducted after the formal sch hours for the students, even during holidays, teachers conduct supp. classes. I know of teachers who even went back during public holidays to help the students with their work. There could be some not too dedicated teachers, but there are also a lot of very hardworking and overworked teachers. I see teachers who are still working in the staffroom even at 8 pm, these teachers are in the morning session.
Some students actually don’t need tuition, but they lack the discipline, so the parents got the tutors to help to push these kids. Some may be academically weak, but the tr can’t slow down to cater to the few, in this case, then the students should get tutors.
In my experience, out of 10 students, only 2 are weak and ill-disciplined, the rest just lack the discipline needed to get good results. -
sall:
If schools do not teach students, what are the students doing in school?
School is compulsory. Many students go to school to have fun. The real work of learning happens at home with Tutors.sall:
Even the most dedicated Teachers cannot do a good job in a system thatFor a lot of schools, there are a lot of supplementary lessons conducted after the formal sch hours for the students, even during holidays, teachers conduct supp. classes. I know of teachers who even went back during public holidays to help the students with their work.
(1) emphasizes skills
(2) BUT loads classrooms with 40 students so that Teachers have no time to mark skills practices and give in-depth individualized feedback
Supplementary classes are more of big class teaching where teachers talk and explain. The PSLE is skills heavy. You can only learn skills if you have skills practice. Teachers simply have no time to give enough skills practice. Teachers waste their time and their students' time with these talk heavy supplementary classes.sall:
Absolutely, my DS' last year's Teacher was so dedicated she ended in hospital. But this year's Teacher marks compos with a tick only. No mark. No comments.There could be some not too dedicated teachers, but there are also a lot of very hardworking and overworked teachers. I see teachers who are still working in the staffroom even at 8 pm, these teachers are in the morning session.
sall:
Apologies... I do beg to differ. My son is very disciplined. He came home yesterday and declared \"Mom, my math is rusty\". After lunch, he completed one Math Paper 2. He scored 85. He was not happy and did another. But he was tired and he scored worse. He went to bed in tears whilst I pooh poohed his tears and said \"Go and sleep. You scored badly 'cos you were tired\". After school today, he printed out another paper and did it.Some students actually don't need tuition, but they lack the discipline, so the parents got the tutors to help to push these kids.
But even my very disciplined son would not do well if I did not
(1) provide resources that Tutors normally provide (e.g., Onsponge assessments and Math Heuristics workbooks)
(2) ensure my husband spends some time every week to brainstorm solutions to the 1 or 2 problems that stump him
(3) provide the skills practices he needs that his teacher cannot give because she has no time to mark
Kids can't absorb material that schools don't teach. And there is plenty that schools don't teach but DO test. For some anecdotal evidence see http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=427099#p427099 -
jenao:
Was discussing this state of education with dh last nite and he is appalled that the school does not teach the kids and tuition is a must.
99% of the teachers pour in their heart and soul, sacrificing their own weekends and holidays to prepare and mark the homework, tests etc.
it is not that the teachers are not teaching. they simply have too many duties to cover. admin works, cca, concerts, competitions, various fund raising activities etc to which take up alot of their time.
the main responsibility of the teachers should be strictly teaching and not anything else. sadly this is not the case here in singapore.
a school up north had about 3 funfairs in 6 months. who were the ones doing the work? - the teachers of course. -
Hi Chenoneau, for the end classes, the students are really there to have fun. It is a nightmare to teach these students. For the top 2 or 3 classes, we still have serious and interested students, thankfully.
My dd was really lucky to get very good teachers for P5 and P6. She was given a lot of good notes and questions and the teachers marked all of them. I believe there are also very good teachers in other sch but students got to be lucky to be taught by them.
Most of the students that I encounter so far are those who can do well but choose to play and play v hard. That’s why their parents get tutors to help to push them.
As for trs, I hope the new minister will really look into their welfare.Take out all those unnecessary report writing of students, appraisal reports and a whole lot of other nonsense. I agree that class size is too big, but there are not enough classrooms or tr, so may not be able to have a smaller class size. -
sall:
It's impossible for a teacher to spend time with each and every student in a class of 40. Teachers have to do a lot of unnecessary admin work, bring kids out for CCA etc...literally robbing them of their CORE job - TEACHING.My dd was really lucky to get very good teachers for P5 and P6. She was given a lot of good notes and questions and the teachers marked all of them. I believe there are also very good teachers in other sch but students got to be lucky to be taught by them.
As for trs, I hope the new minister will really look into their welfare.Take out all those unnecessary report writing of students, appraisal reports and a whole lot of other nonsense. I agree that class size is too big, but there are not enough classrooms or tr, so may not be able to have a smaller class size.
My son is blessed with a very dedicated Math teacher this year...she emails parents regularly with updates on topics she has done/will be doing. -
This thread is not a teacher bashing thread. Reading jenao again, I did not see any teacher bashing in what she wrote. No one is blaming teachers unfairly. This is a thread aimed at getting MOE to review the system from
(1) textbooks to
(2) syllabus to
(3) testing methodology to
(4) hidden incentives that stimulate parent kiasu-ism to
(5) management of intellectual capital (to prevent ex-Teachers etc… from making indecent profits by leveraging on what they developed in the crucible of their years in MOE. Such knowledge should be free for the nation’s children.)
Certainly, any review of the system needs to examine how the system can improve Teacher management (i.e., work design, workflow, team dynamics etc…). I don’t think this has been looked at or studied properly. There have been some disparate efforts to take away admin load etc… but the efforts are not comprehensively and critically thought through in view of the entire teaching environment. Efforts have been made to design pay and promotion schemes but these are easy and ineffective solutions to a systemic problem.
As to the question of poorer academic classes wanting to have fun, I can understand why that happens in this system. Our system celebrates the top. Only those at the top feel encouraged to work hard. Only one child in 40, can be at the top. Only the top 2 classes feel good about themselves. Everyone else feels lousy and wanna play to destress.
What is taught in school (and documented in textbooks) is insufficient to pass P5 SA1 and P5 SA2. It is impossible for any child with bad tutors or no tutors to do well given what they are taught at school. They need external resources and practices. Children intuitively know when the odds are stacked against them. Those in the bottom classes without access to external help from parents nor tutors will seek refuge in play. One cannot blame the children. There is nothing they can do to pull up their grades without external help. So, they grab what little happiness they can from life - play.
Again, no one is not blaming teachers. We call for a system review. And such a review should help teachers so that teachers can help students.
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