River Valley High School [*IP]

[WeiHan]

justsay:

WeiHan:

My guess is that the school want a grading system that will differentiate the extremely good from the \"just\" very good. I guess that up to 80, one will get a grade of 4 for example. And if your score is above 80 to 100 then, the grade becomes 5.

I find that it is counter productive. I thought the school want to exempt the good grades students from exams so that they can take up more enrichment programmes. Now with the higher GPA of 5, wouldn't some students want to mug even more with their already very good subjects to get a perfectscore of \"5\"?

Feedback from last year, some students were not exempted although their overall % were much higher than those who were exempted.
Example:
Student A, 7 A1 with 75 marks each subjects, GPA4, overall 75%.
Student B, 5 A1 with 95 marks each subjects, 2 C5 with 59 marks each, GPA 3.42, 84.7%.

Student B did not qualify for exemption. How to assess which student is better, GPA or overall %?

I find new grading with 5 points for >80 marks is fair. Student B now gets GPA 4.14, 84.7% and qualifies for exemption.

I will be nice if student B get a partial exemption from the 5 subjects. It will be extreme if he don't get any exemption or get exemption from all subjects.

[WeiHan]

I read Victoria-Cedar Ip prospectus. Look like they are using the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework for the IP. Maybe, it is a testament that this framework really works better. Is RV the pioneering school with this model?

[Brenda10]

WeiHan:

I read Victoria-Cedar Ip prospectus. Look like they are using the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework for the IP. Maybe, it is a testament that this framework really works better. Is RV the pioneering school with this model?

Hi WeiHan

Thank you for sharing.

The program that you mentioned seems interesting. So you're saying RV already has this program in place ?

[WeiHan]

Brenda10:

WeiHan:

I read Victoria-Cedar Ip prospectus. Look like they are using the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework for the IP. Maybe, it is a testament that this framework really works better. Is RV the pioneering school with this model?

Hi WeiHan

Thank you for sharing.

The program that you mentioned seems interesting. So you're saying RV already has this program in place ?

Yes, that was what i have been telling. RV's teaching framework is based on Harvard's teaching model-Teaching for Understanding (TfU). The students are required to do frequent presentations in their own words that demonstrate true understanding. If the can student can explain in his/her own words certain scientific concepts, not just regurgitating from textbooks, then it is genuine understanding. In addition, it seems that RV teaches more in depth for certain topics which the school believes enhances understanding and problem solving skills. Part of the reason RV has done very well in many academic competitions and the A level may be attributed to this new teaching model.

The only thing I am not sure is whether RV is the pioneering school for this model. Probably RV's former principal, Eek Soo Ben was instrumental for introducing this model.

[Brenda10]

WeiHan:

Yes, that was what i have been telling. RV's teaching framework is based on Harvard's teaching model-Teaching for Understanding (TfU). The students are required to do frequent presentations in their own words that demonstrate true understanding. If the can student can explain in his/her own words certain scientific concepts, not just regurgitating from textbooks, then it is genuine understanding. In addition, it seems that RV teaches more in depth for certain topics which the school believes enhances understanding and problem solving skills. Part of the reason RV has done very well in many academic competitions and the A level may be attributed to this new teaching model.


The only thing I am not sure is whether RV is the pioneering school for this model. Probably RV's former principal, Eek Soo Ben was instrumental for introducing this model.

Hi WeiHan

Thank you for your detail explanation.

RV is also one of the Secondary School that we are interested. :lol:

[daisyt]

So 惭愧，weihan knows more than us parents about the school :oops:


Btw, PE shirts & shorts are no longer available from the uniform vendor. Only can be purchased from a kiosk in the school, manage by students. This means during school holidays, it is not opened.

[justsay]

daisyt:

So 惭愧，weihan knows more than us parents about the school :oops:


Btw, PE shirts & shorts are no longer available from the uniform vendor. Only can be purchased from a kiosk in the school, manage by students. This means during school holidays, it is not opened.

Thank you for the info. Thought of changing uniform for dd, half way mark before change to the senior uniform.

[WeiHan]

You are welcome. Is my pleasure to do these research and share with all of you. Actually, what I have written was just a little of what I have found. Will find time to write more in future. Teaching for Understanding isn't really a burn-the-bridge kind of revolution in education. It is a framework of education put together in a well thought out philosoplical terms. Some teachers may have already tried teaching in this way occasionally but they are not aware that it can be coherently understood in this framework. Once they heard it explained to them, it will sound familiar to them. But of course, having a framework as backing, teachers will be more embolden, so to speak, to focus and strengthen further on what they believe in and have been doing in a more systematic way.


You can read the following article which explains TfU clearly-very interesting read.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/workshops/teachingforunderstanding.html

You will understand why the many programmes and why subjects are taught the way they are taught in RV. Why are the students given more thought-demanding tasks and homeworks and even test/exams questions are so. It is because TfU requires understanding performance (this is their terminology) which spurs the students to think more deeply into the topics and in the process brought about understanding. TfU is also concern with selection of contents as the contents need to be those that is worth TfU-they need to be generative knowledge (another terminology you will read in the article)-that which is \"connective\".

And you are right...in chinese TfU is called 学而思

[daisyt]

Weihan, thanks for e explaination n link of TfU. No wonder in maths n sci, students are asked to write reflection too.

[WeiHan]

daisyt:

Weihan, thanks for e explaination n link of TfU. No wonder in maths n sci, students are asked to write reflection too.

I suppose the teachers have to guide the students what they will be looking for in the \"reflection\". The reflection should demonstrate understaning of the topic. In order to get an idea what constitute true understanding, consider what is said in the paragraphs:

In brief, this performance perspective says that understanding a topic of study is a matter of being able to perform in a variety of thought-demanding ways with the topic, for instance to: explain, muster evidence, find examples, generalize, apply concepts, analogize, represent in a new way, and so on. Suppose a student \"knows\" Newtonian physics: The student can write down equations and apply them to three or four routine types of textbook problems. In itself, this is not convincing evidence that the student really understands the theory. The student might simply be parroting the test and following memorized routines for stock problems. But suppose the student can make appropriate predictions about the snowball fight in space. This goes beyond just knowing. Moreover, suppose the student can find new examples of Newton's theory at work in everyday experience (Why do football linemen need to be so big? So they will have high inertia.) and make other extrapolations. The more thought-demanding performances the student can display, the more confident we would be that the student understands.

In summary, understanding something is a matter of being able to carry out a variety of \"performances\" concerning the topic--performances like making predictions about the snowball fight in space that show one's understanding and, at the same time, advance it by encompassing new situations. We call such performances \"understanding performances\" or \"performances of understanding\".



Ideally, in the \"reflection\", the student is able to make advance of what they learn to emcompass new situations. These new situations which put the knowledge they just learn to usage requires deeper thinking and bring about the \"connectivity\" of knowledge which demonstrates genuine understanding. Parents will know what to look out for in a \"good reflection\".