All About GEP

[jasst]

Yup, I understand . But for someone who is already much advanced and touching on p6 Maths, consistently practising the Maths and doing it reasonably well… I find it disturbing that the standard is dropping at P4. Just can’t imagine what about higher levels…

[lee_yl]

jasst:

Yup, I understand . But for someone who is already much advanced and touching on p6 Maths, consistently practising the Maths and doing it reasonably well.. I find it disturbing that the standard is dropping at P4. Just can't imagine what about higher levels..

My girl is currently in P5. Last year, although I do not know what is the average score for her class, most of the P4 geppers I know scored above 90 for Maths in P4 SA2. If your DC scored between 80-90 for SA1, then it sounds ok to me. Maybe you can wait till P4 SA2 before reviewing the situation.

[jasst]

The class average for the common test is 38 and she got 45 … highest is 46.5 … I do not think the test is hard since the class average is high. I can’t imagine what is she going to get for SA2…


Also, would it be right to say many of the helpers would probably be touching on p5 and 6 syllabus themselves outside school too?

[jedamum]

jasst:

The class average for the common test is 38 and she got 45 .. highest is 46.5 .. I do not think the test is hard since the class average is high. I can't imagine what is she going to get for SA2..

:scratchhead: with such a score, I don't understand what you worrying about?
I don't think the average of 38 is high .. My son's 42 in sa1 P4 last year was considered below class average (to be fair, we had full marks scorers).

[jasst]

Wow… your boy’s school standard must be quite high. Just that all the while, she is strong in Maths … scoring full marks or even close to it in SA1… just heard from her that there is a change in the marking scheme and the class average is pulled down to even a lower one.


So … feel quite uncomfortable that results not that ideal and wondering if it is her or the paper…
And if I need to do something with her to buck up.
Usually, the least effort is spent on Maths during exams… now I am thinking twice if I can still do that

[lee_yl]

jedamum:

jasst:

The class average for the common test is 38 and she got 45 .. highest is 46.5 .. I do not think the test is hard since the class average is high. I can't imagine what is she going to get for SA2..

:scratchhead: with such a score, I don't understand what you worrying about?
I don't think the average of 38 is high .. My son's 42 in sa1 P4 last year was considered below class average (to be fair, we had full marks scorers).

Same here. I don’t quite understand why do you need to be worried with a score of 45. My DD got only 38 for her very first P4 CT1 Maths

But by P4 SA2, she managed to bounce back to score above 90% (highest in her class scored full marks). P5 CT1 Maths result was maintained at 94% so I suppose P4 kids need some time to adjust.

If sounds to me like you have very high expectations like must score full marks or near 100. I suppose it’s not impossible because there are always girls who can obtain a perfect score in Maths.

[jasst]

Hihi, thanks for your reply. You are probably right. Guess it all stems from the fact that she already picked up p6 Maths since p3 and I gathered she should be quite accomplished in that subject compared to others , whereby the results are mediocre and I do not hold that high a expectation .


Hence, I am quite at a loss if this should be the results she is getting or should there be more ? And there is nothing to worry about at all…

SA2 is approaching and much more time and effort is needed to target on her weaker Ones such as Chinese and science that I am hardly sure if she needs some time for her Maths as well…

Seriously, Guess its’s probably the parent who is the problem and needs to adjust the expectation instead of the child.
At my end , I am still trying … Any suggestions ? How would you all cope if your kid zooms all the way down to seventies and eighties in the academics?

[fable]

It sounds like her math is pretty strong already, but the whole idea of GEP math is that they stretch and challenge the kids. Some of my son’s classmates are ridiculously talented in math, and can figure out any strange questions you throw at them from first principles, some are very good at the tested questions but don’t do the puzzles and challenging questions quite as well. All I looked at was his post-test results to have an idea of whether he was learning the methods and techniques he was being taught. And for mistakes, I would see if they were careless or conceptual. But I didn’t "pre-teach" him anything, nor does he has tuition in any subject.


To me, the reason why GEP appealed to my son was because it gave him the opportunity to learn lots of interesting things, without focusing on whether it was within curriculum. I wouldn’t say he was bored to the point of being disruptive before he joined the programme, but he certain enjoyed the various things he got to do in these last 3 years.

I guess what I’m saying is that if the teachers don’t think there is an issue that they have reflected to you, and she is enjoying herself, then work on adjusting your own expectations. P4 is the adjustment year after all, and every kid has their own challengers. For my son, it was filing (shudder). Enjoy the journey!

[jasst]

Hi Fable,


Well,similar to your Son, my girl enjoys the entire course. However, sometimes , she does whine when she comes across obstacles in English which is pitched at a much higher level.

Not sure if she has made the correct choice. However, the countless of projects is draining quite a lot of their time too and more often than not, I have to get involved. To be involved or not to be is also a choice but when you see the quality of work churned out by the classmates in class, you will know for sure that majority of the parents helped out. It seems to be a rat race between the parents than the kids.

For her , she has no tuition except for Chinese enrichment and I wonder if it’s time to outsource the essay writing since the school seems not to be competent or diligent in that area…

She is only P4, just can’t imagine when she is going for psle… I supposed I will go bonkers then …

But, thanks for your advice, you are right… I really need to work hard on adjusting my expectations now which would be beneficial for me and my girl…

[fable]

jasst:

Hi Fable,


Well,similar to your Son, my girl enjoys the entire course. However, sometimes , she does whine when she comes across obstacles in English which is pitched at a much higher level.

Not sure if she has made the correct choice. However, the countless of projects is draining quite a lot of their time too and more often than not, I have to get involved. To be involved or not to be is also a choice but when you see the quality of work churned out by the classmates in class, you will know for sure that majority of the parents helped out. It seems to be a rat race between the parents than the kids.

For her , she has no tuition except for Chinese enrichment and I wonder if it's time to outsource the essay writing since the school seems not to be competent or diligent in that area..

She is only P4, just can't imagine when she is going for psle.. I supposed I will go bonkers then ..

But, thanks for your advice, you are right.. I really need to work hard on adjusting my expectations now which would be beneficial for me and my girl...

In my opinion the hardest year for my son was Primary 4 because of many reasons: he was in a new school (that had girls, who generally had better handwriting and were better behaved than him), there were very many outstanding kids in his class, lots of projects to do, and that dreaded filing that he was soooo bad at. By the time he was in Primary 5, he had hit his stride and was handling everything much better. So I do think it will get better for your daughter.

As for parents doing projects for their kids, we saw some of that too, but the teachers told us that it was eminently obvious when parents \"helped\" with projects. They seemed more lenient about that in the fist 6 months or so, but after a while in my son's class they would mark down the work that was not done by the kids and scold them. My son wanted to do the projects on his own, and while we would sometimes discuss the project, he wanted to work to be entirely his, which we respected. I think we can choose if we are going to take part in the race or not. It also helped me keep perspective when I thought about the whole point of the education - to learn and grow, rather than to get the highest marks. My son is in the midst of his PSLE now. After this, its Secondary School. At some point they will have to fly on their own, so my approach was to keep a watchful distance.

E.g. there was a stage where he was spending quite a lot of time on schoolwork everyday and it was starting to impact his training for his sport. So I started looking at what he was doing, and realised that alot of the time was spend doing (and redoing) corrections because his approach was to finish his homework as quickly as possible within considering the quality of work. I worked out how much time he was actually wasting for the few minutes he saved in doing quick but shoddy work, plus the impression he was giving his teachers, and the impact on his filing (coz he couldn't fill things straight away and they were therefore more likely to get lost). When he understood that, we worked out an administrative system for him to use to manage homework and corrections, and he focused more on doing his work well rather than just quickly. So that was the kind of work I would do with him rather than projects per se. And slowly he improved.

He's in the midst of the PSLE and I don't know how he will do, but I think if you are stressed in P4 you will be bonkers by P6, so pace your panic - there will be ample time for that in a few years