PCF/PAP Kindergartens
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Han Seo:
I think you do not have a full picture of my girl's PCFDoes having difficult spelling list means the kindergarten standard is very high? If that is so, even my grandma can do it.
What is the purpose of giving difficult spelling words when the word has no meaning to the child? The child may be able to memorize it for the test but after that, it is totally forgotten. Worse, the child will come to hate reading and writing and once this thinking sets in, it is difficult to erase.
I would think school readiness goes beyond knowing how to spell x no. of words. What is important is also the ability to listen and take instructions, to get along with others and also to love learning. The emotional and social aspect is often neglected but these are just as important when our child starts formal schooling.
In her class, the teachers teach the meaning of the words before asking the child to learn them. They have a theme every term. For example, when they have a transport theme, they spend the whole term learning about aeroplanes, submarine, fire engines, etc, through various activities, and even trips to Changi airport. So every child understands the meaning of the words aeroplanes, submarine, fire engines, etc before they are asked to learn the spelling and tested on them. This term they are learning the digestive system. One example is that the teacher used a long sock and pushed some tissue through it to demonstrate food going through the intestines. They had a trip to SGH museum. Then the children are asked to spell words like stomach, lungs, etc.
The children are also taught to read books in class. They are given one to one coaching by the teacher to read. The parents are given a list of 30 english words, extracted from the book, to practice with the child at home, only word recognition, not spelling. Then the child is tested in class to see how many of the 30 words they can remember. I think they do this every 1 to 2 months.
Now in second term, they are already writing in sentences in English. At first I thought they don't teach much phonics in class, but now looking at my girl's worksheet, they actually do teach phonics. They are now learning long vowels and split vowels.
The same with Chinese. They know the meaning of the words very well, before they have the 听写。 They are also taught to recite 唐诗 like 清明时节雨纷纷，... and 慈母手中线，... Their Chinese teacher is from mainland China, and she taught the children some very interesting 童谣 that I have never heard before. However I think her Chinese words for 听写 have too many strokes, some children are only starting to write at 5 years old, so they may find it stressful.
For maths, they are now learning addition and subtraction.
All the above are done in the K1 class. So it is not only difficult spelling, they have a very enriching curriculum. They also include dancing, cooking, speech and drama, poetry, junior writing and lots of arts and crafts.
I think as others have mentioned before, PCF kindergartens all have very different standards. I am glad I found one that has a high standard near my place.Champion:
I am not sure about other PCF but I am sure there are many good ones around. I think it all depends on the teachers.Hi Tamarind,
Happen to read this topic and find it is really interesting.
I din know that K1 needs spelling liao...and really amazed that they are giving those words. I understand that your girl is in Blk 662B J West PCF; I will be putting my No. 2 in Nursery class wif Blk 262 Boon Lay PCF next year. I have heard from my ex-nanny that their standard is also very high and that the teachers are very strict with the children. Really stressful for us as parents
My girl's teacher is also very strict, I have observed her class before, the children are very well disciplined. This is actually very important so that the children can learn in a quiet and organized environment. -
Hi Tamarind,
Thanks for the post; It is always very hearten to read your reply because you are always so detailed in your analytical
Yup, i believe that every PCF Kindergarten has their own standard of teaching and I will keep track with the teachers for my child's progress. Also next year my older girl will be in Primary One so I will have double stress :shock: -
Tamarind
wow, that’s a lot of additional learning to be done at home for K1
now K2, the frequency is twice a month spelling & ting xie
Kindergarten teacher made all the kids write in class so they already learnt the words. Then repeat writing in homework book as revision
your girl’s PCF is very advanced. Writing sentences! -
There is a difference between penmenship and writing. Merely writing the words repeatedly is penmenship whereas writing is a mental process. When we write, we are trying to convey our ideas to the reader. As adults, when we write, aren’t we trying to convey our thoughts and ideas? Do we just write a list of words in our daily life? And I think this idea is important to convey to the child - that reading and writing is meaningful in our daily life.
I don’t know how meaningful it is to a child to learn how to spell fire engine, submarine etc. after a theme on transportation. These are words chosen by the teacher. After the spelling test is done, most of the words are soon forgotten (can test your child again 1 or 2 weeks after the spelling test).
A better way to nurture a love for reading and writing in your child is to put reading and writing within a natural context and make it fun. Take the field trip to the fire station as an example, the teacher may want to encourage the children to think of questions they want to ask the firefighters and then write the questions down (with assistance from the teacher). This is writing for a purpose and children will come to see how writing is relevant to their daily life. After the field trip, the children can make a mini book about the experience. Again, writing can come in here. As the words and sentences come from the children themselves, they are more motivated to want to read their own book. They can even invent a boardgame about fire engine and firefighters after the field trip. Here, math and language comes in - in a meaningful way.
Throughout the entire process, reading and writing are embedded in a meaningful way for the children. It is similar to why we adults write, doesn’t it? Why should children be made to memorize a bunch of words and then spell them out from memory when that’s not what writing is about in the real world? -
Han Seo:
There is a difference between penmenship and writing. Merely writing the words repeatedly is penmenship whereas writing is a mental process. When we write, we are trying to convey our ideas to the reader. As adults, when we write, aren't we trying to convey our thoughts and ideas? Do we just write a list of words in our daily life? And I think this idea is important to convey to the child - that reading and writing is meaningful in our daily life.
I don't know how meaningful it is to a child to learn how to spell fire engine, submarine etc. after a theme on transportation. These are words chosen by the teacher. After the spelling test is done, most of the words are soon forgotten (can test your child again 1 or 2 weeks after the spelling test).
A better way to nurture a love for reading and writing in your child is toput reading and writing within a natural context and make it fun. Take the field trip to the fire station as an example, the teacher may want to encourage the children to think of questions they want to ask the firefighters and then write the questions down (with assistance from the teacher). This is writing for a purpose and children will come to see how writing is relevant to their daily life. After the field trip, the children can make a mini book about the experience. Again, writing can come in here. As the words and sentences come from the children themselves, they are more motivated to want to read their own book. They can even invent a boardgame about fire engine and firefighters after the field trip. Here, math and language comes in - in a meaningful way.
Throughout the entire process, reading and writing are embedded in a meaningful way for the children. It is similar to why we adults write, doesn't it? Why should children be made to memorize a bunch of words and then spell them out from memory when that's not what writing is about in the real world?
So if PCF system is not good, then what is a good system? Or which pre-school has a better system? -
{quote}All the above are done in the K1 class. So it is not only difficult spelling, they have a very enriching curriculum. They also include dancing, cooking, speech and drama, poetry, junior writing and lots of arts and crafts.
tamarind
dancing , cooking, etc are during the 3 hrs daily lesson or it is extra enrichment conducted after the ‘formal’ lesson?? -
Han Seo:
There is a difference between penmenship and writing. Merely writing the words repeatedly is penmenship whereas writing is a mental process. When we write, we are trying to convey our ideas to the reader. As adults, when we write, aren't we trying to convey our thoughts and ideas? Do we just write a list of words in our daily life? And I think this idea is important to convey to the child - that reading and writing is meaningful in our daily life.
I don't know how meaningful it is to a child to learn how to spell fire engine, submarine etc. after a theme on transportation. These are words chosen by the teacher. After the spelling test is done, most of the words are soon forgotten (can test your child again 1 or 2 weeks after the spelling test).
A better way to nurture a love for reading and writing in your child is to put reading and writing within a natural context and make it fun. Take the field trip to the fire station as an example, the teacher may want to encourage the children to think of questions they want to ask the firefighters and then write the questions down (with assistance from the teacher). This is writing for a purpose and children will come to see how writing is relevant to their daily life. After the field trip, the children can make a mini book about the experience. Again, writing can come in here. As the words and sentences come from the children themselves, they are more motivated to want to read their own book. They can even invent a boardgame about fire engine and firefighters after the field trip. Here, math and language comes in - in a meaningful way.
Throughout the entire process, reading and writing are embedded in a meaningful way for the children. It is similar to why we adults write, doesn't it? Why should children be made to memorize a bunch of words and then spell them out from memory when that's not what writing is about in the real world?
The majority of children have to learn through many repetitions. Only very gifted children do not need repetitions.
Your method of teaching is ideally the best. But it works only for children, may be 7 years old and above, who already know the basics of reading and writing. I am talking about K1 children, who are only 5 years old. The majority of them don't even know how to read, how to expect them to write ? How many children can write a word on their own before they learn to spell it through at least few repetitions ?
Actually my 5 year old girl, who is reading Charlotte's Web now, is able to write many words, without first learning how to spell them. That is because she has been reading many books at home. She is able to remember many words after I teach her only once. In fact, I don't have to ask her to practice writing. Everyday she will draw a picture and write a few sentences on her own, without me asking
But my 4 year old boy needs at least 10 - 20 repetitions before he can remember a simple word. For certain words like \"want\" and \"what\", he needs more than 20 repetitions, because they look quite similar. I don't mean 20 repetitions in a day, only 1 - 2 times a day, over many days. I have tried all sorts of interesting methods. Like when I teach the word \"fin\", I pull out a real fish from the fridge, and let him touch the cold fin. But after that, he still does not know how to read the word fin. After a few weeks, he does not even remember that the fin is part of a fish. I don't expect him to be able to write words before first learning to spell them after many repetitions.
Every child is different. We cannot expect the same method to work for all.
Anyway, the teacher in her kindergarten class does not make the children write a word more than 10 times a day. She gives a worksheet to the parents, where the child writes the word only once a day for 7 days. She leaves it to the parents to decide whether the child needs more practice.
I don't think it is PCF system only, other private kindergarten also teach through repetitions, because the majority of children learn best this way. -
poohcutie:
Only dancing is 1 hour after the daily lesson.{quote}All the above are done in the K1 class. So it is not only difficult spelling, they have a very enriching curriculum. They also include dancing, cooking, speech and drama, poetry, junior writing and lots of arts and crafts.
tamarind
dancing , cooking, etc are during the 3 hrs daily lesson or it is extra enrichment conducted after the 'formal' lesson??
All others are included in the 4 hour daily lesson.
Champion:
I am stress too, especially for my boy. I have to start preparing him when he is 3 years old, because he takes longer time to learn things.Also next year my older girl will be in Primary One so I will have double stress :shock:
sleepy:
I am surprised too. I thought they will start in K2.your girl's PCF is very advanced. Writing sentences!
I think the teacher may be following my feedback. I wrote in my girl's mid year report book that I would like her to start writing composition in school :lol: -
When I say \"write\", I mean writing with assistance from the teacher. The child can dictate the words and the teacher can write it down and read it back to him or her. Children can also write using invented spelling when writing. In early childhood terminology, this is known as the LEA approach (Language Experience Approach).
I totally agree children need to learn through repetitions - but it depends on what we mean by repetition. Repetition and building up of concepts is different from drill. The latter is a very behaviourist approach (derived mainly from the work of B F Skinner and his experiment with pigeons) which does not go with what we know about how young children learn. In fact, the spiral curriculum emphasises on children's need to build upon previous concepts learnt.
By the way, what I've proposed about the LEA approach is what I'd done before because I was once a preschool teacher. Take a look at the National Association for the Education of Young Children to find out more about the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP):
http://www.naeyc.org
You might want to read up more about these scholars who have contributed to our understanding of how young children learn. Do a google search:
Jean Piaget
He is a stage theorist who believes strongly that young children learn through the processes of assimilation and accomodation. He debunks the myth that children are empty vessels waiting to be filled. Instead, children are actively constructing their own knowledge (e.g. nobody taught a 4-year old the word \"foots\" but yet, a 4-year old can come up with such a word; that is because he has internalized the grammar rule of plural nouns and come up with his own invention that makes sense to him. A child who is able to do this is actually a thinking child).
Piaget's theory implies that the teacher is not a transmitter of knowledge. Instead, children learn best when the teacher stimulates their thinking and brings their thinking to a higher level. For example, when a child thinks that all small objects float while big objects sink, instead of telling him the answer, the teacher may expose him to a variety of big and small objects and encourage him to experiment it himself. Through experimentation, the child comes to re-organize his thinking and this is where true learning takes place. It is almost similar to Confucius adage of \"I hear, I forget; I see, I remember, I do, I understand\".
Lev Vygotsky
A Russian psychologist who died at the untimely age of 36, his work has gained popularity in the educational field in recent years. His most famous tenet is that learning takes place within a sociocultural context. Vygotsky believes that play sets the foundation for higher learning because through play, children learn to manipulate symbols (which is similar to math and language as both require the use of symbols) and develop self-regulation.
I will encourage all parents of young children to read up on these famous scholars who have contributed to our understanding of child development.
If you are still keen, read up, too, on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Zero to Three website (http://www.zerotothree.org) has a good section on the latest findings in brain research. -
Most kindergarten in Singapore have 1 teacher to at least 8 - 10 children, some has up to 20 children. I think it is impossible for the teacher to write the words as each child dictates. For a weaker child, the teacher will always have to help him to write. So when is he going to learn ? My 4 year old boy still don’t know how to write all the alphabet yet, so if I don’t let him practice writing regularly, how is he going to learn ?
I am curious as to which preschool you taught in. If the preschool totally has no spelling at all, I think parents will be very worried. This is because every primary school in Singapore uses the traditional method of spelling. The teacher has to take care of 30 students in P1, she simply has no time.
I knew about multiple intelligences, and I think that the methods you wrote about are the best, in theory. I guess those very expensive preschools like Pat Schoolhouse and Chiltern House will be able to use your methods. But how many of us can afford to pay the $1600 monthly school fees ?
I want to clarify that when I mean "high standard", I don’t mean the best system of education. What I mean is the syllabus is very advance for 5 year old children. I cannot afford to go to schools like Pat Schoolhouse/Chiltern House. In fact, I cannot afford anything over $300 a month for each of my 2 kids. So I am glad to find an affordable PCF kindergarten near my place, which prepares my child really well for P1, and that is good enough for me. I never said that PCF is the best. I think that my girl’s PCF is good value for the $220+ of school fees. The centre head has a degree in early childhood education. I am sure she understands all the methods.
For those who can afford it, of course it is best to give their kids the best education. But I do not believe that studying in a PCF kindergarten means that my kids will not be able to perform as well as those kids.
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