PSLE - New Format for Maths
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There’s a news article on CNA on how tough the Math paper was this year, and the typical MOE response
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To Tang:
Hi, most of the time I will drill on the time topic to make sure they can add hrs/mins to the hours given. This is very important as if they do not get this basic right they will struggle for exam time as drawing timeline is sort of waste of time. The time can be use for checking.
About the balloon questions I will not draw out the balloons. But I intend to use it as a example for my future students. I think I will think of a better way to explain rather than drawing it out. Reason being it will be tedious and I do not wish my student to draw out 100 ++ balloons for a question.
About the calculators, in my own opinion it is too early for the children.
Why? Most of the students I teach now do not even know simple timetables and mental calculation due to the reliance on the calculator. In the end the calculator act as a time waster instead of a time booster.
Calculators should be restrain unless they are doing questions that give unlimited decimal place. Calculators also act as a confuser for some of my student.
For example: 10 / 3 the calculator will show 3.33333333 and one of student come up to me and say the answer is wierd because it has .333333 behind and do not know it means 1/3.
I urge parents to control the usage of calculator for your children as it is really not helping your children. Imagine when they are at secondary 4, they need a calculator to solve a simple multiply which is quite bad.
Also help your children in their timetables as timetables will help them a long way in this long education journey. -
enoawng:
For your 4 assumptions to the question, there is absolutely no ambiguity. It is obvious that in a race, all start at the same time and at the same starting point. It did state that they did not change their speed. The fact that Lin is 3.5km behind Mei shows that Mei's speed is faster.There is too much ambiguity in this question and there are also too many assumptions one need to assume.
The total distance of the race could have been 7km. Hence Mei could have crossed the fnishing line and waiting there which is 3.5km from midway where Lin is.
These are the assumptions in this question
a) both start the race together and at the same time
b) Mei still did not finish the race when Lin is halfway
c) Both are travelling at constant speed
d) Lin's constant speed is slower than Mei
To me this is not a maths question. It is a more an IQ or a MENSA question;-)
As for assumption 'b', Mei indeed had not yet finished the race. Otherwise, the question would have definitely stated so.
This question is certainly not one of those \"speed' questions that PSLE students had been practising very hard for the last 9 over months. Rest be assured that every year, MOE must think of a few questions which are rarely come across before so that they can ensure only the cream of the crop will be able to do them correctly every year to achieve A*. -
david59:
I'm sorry where does it say Mei has not finished the race when Lin is halfway. It states Mei is 3.5km ahead of Lin. You are making an assumption;-)For your 4 assumptions to the question, there is absolutely no ambiguity. It is obvious that in a race, all start at the same time and at the same starting point. It did state that they did not change their speed. The fact that Lin is 3.5km behind Mei shows that Mei's speed is faster.
As for assumption 'b', Mei indeed had not yet finished the race. Otherwise, the question would have definitely stated so.
This question is certainly not one of those \"speed' questions that PSLE students had been practising very hard for the last 9 over months. Rest be assured that every year, MOE must think of a few questions which are rarely come across before so that they can ensure only the cream of the crop will be able to do them correctly every year to achieve A*.
If Mei has reached the destination which is 3.5km more than halfway, Lin's speed is indeterminate.
If there is no ambiguity then there will not be a discussion in this forum.
I think you are absolutely naive to think that this is a question for the gifted. This question is poorly thought through and is academically flawed. It will not help Spore create a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs.
If you want a really tough question, then MOE should ask what will be Lin's minimum speed. Lin's speed also cannot be less than 10km/hr otherwise the whole question breaks down. :stupid: -
enoawng:
How is that possible? If Mei was ahead of Lin, then obviously she was faster than Lin...
...then it is possible that Lin's speed could be more than Mei's.
And BTW, am I the only 1 who thought the paper was really easy? -.- -
enoawng:
I'm sorry where does it say Mei has not finished the race when Lin is halfway. It states Mei is 3.5km ahead of Lin. You are making an assumption;-)
If Mei has reached the destination which is 3.5km more than halfway, Lin's speed is indeterminate.
If there is no ambiguity then there will not be a discussion in this forum.
I think you are absolutely naive to think that this is a question for the gifted. This question is poorly thought through and is academically flawed. It will not help Spore create a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs.
If you want a really tough question, then MOE should ask what will be Lin's minimum speed. Lin's speed also cannot be less than 10km/hr otherwise the whole question breaks down. :stupid:
Mei could not have crossed the finishing line when Lin was at the mid-point.
Reasons:
As Mei took 10.5 min to cover the extra 3.5 km, Lin definitely would need more than 10.5 min to cover the first half of the distance.
Since Lin was slower than Mei, the half distance was definitely more than 3.5 km.
Hence conclusion is that Mei could not have completed the race.
But to be fair to do this speed question, there are so much to be thought through. 3 to 4 minutes are definitely not enough. The only consolation is that it is just a 3-mark question. From the cbox, quite a good number of P6 got this question correct, whether by chance, luck or really know what to be done at that moment.
I took almost 10 minutes to think through before I knew that it was only just 3 steps to get the answer. -
enoawng:
Wow, if you choose to think it your way, it is fine with me.I'm sorry where does it say Mei has not finished the race when Lin is halfway. It states Mei is 3.5km ahead of Lin. You are making an assumption;-)
If Mei has reached the destination which is 3.5km more than halfway, Lin's speed is indeterminate.
If there is no ambiguity then there will not be a discussion in this forum.
I think you are absolutely naive to think that this is a question for the gifted. This question is poorly thought through and is academically flawed. It will not help Spore create a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs.
If you want a really tough question, then MOE should ask what will be Lin's minimum speed. Lin's speed also cannot be less than 10km/hr otherwise the whole question breaks down. :stupid:
Just wish to say that it would more naive for national exam to be so easy so much so that there will be too many students with 3 to 4 A* produced. Then all these parents will be complaining to MOE, the schools and the press why their children with such excellent results cannot secure a place in the top schools lor. :stupid: :stupid: :stupid: -
Guan Hui:
As a student, I agree with you. I myself do not use calculators. Most of the time I use mental calculations. When the students use a calculator, they tend to get too dependent on them and forget how to do it themselves. I don't use them for multiple reasons and I will not state them. One of them, however, is that since young, I have been used to mental calculations, taught by my teachers and parents. Therefore I find using the calculator a waste of time when doing questions. I only use it when I meet questions with large numbers.About the calculators, in my own opinion it is too early for the children.
Why? Most of the students I teach now do not even know simple timetables and mental calculation due to the reliance on the calculator. In the end the calculator act as a time waster instead of a time booster.
Calculators should be restrain unless they are doing questions that give unlimited decimal place. Calculators also act as a confuser for some of my student.
For example: 10 / 3 the calculator will show 3.33333333 and one of student come up to me and say the answer is wierd because it has .333333 behind and do not know it means 1/3.
I urge parents to control the usage of calculator for your children as it is really not helping your children. Imagine when they are at secondary 4, they need a calculator to solve a simple multiply which is quite bad.
Also help your children in their timetables as timetables will help them a long way in this long education journey. -
[quote]I think you are absolutely naive to think that this is a question for the gifted. This question is poorly thought through and is academically flawed. It will not help Spore create a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs.
If you want a really tough question, then MOE should ask what will be Lin's minimum speed. Lin's speed also cannot be less than 10km/hr otherwise the whole question breaks down. :stupid:[/quote]
This is fault finding with the question.
Many P6 classmates of my little one could see and solve this question. -
MrsLow:
Hmmmm - I am not sure I agree with you Mrs Low. Many students' concepts are clear and they would be able to handle these very sums if they just had more time. We have to look at the entire PSLE paper and not just these few questions we are discussing and under exam conditions.In any exam, the child must be taught the syllabus, time-management and stress management... In Singapore probably this is what the ministry wants too.. know, be inform and be prepare... as I have mention before one must know the topic well and must not depend on memorise concepts. .. in every questions there are clue... or clues... student must know and be taught... even so..not many can readily receive this information unless they know the application of the formula well.
Its true that PSLE maths is tough but this is also part of the process to know the future scholar. We must remember the fact that this is Singapore, if one wants to survive in out education system, all must go through this.
In my opinion, the ministry wants our students to be a thinker, practical person and have alot of drive in this subject. ...\"only the fittest will survive\" ..this is how I see the situation...
It is very easy as an adult to expect perfection in all that's done, but i wonder if we remember these kids are just 11 or 12. This is an age to develop a love for the subject and kindle a passion for something they wld like to pursue later in life. And sorry scholars can bloom any time, if they are given the time and support to pursue their passion. Did you read abt the latest Nobel Prize winners ? Nothing close to the kind of scholars you are referring to ....
Sorry if i sound too strong, but truly there needs to b a mind set change ...
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