GEP 2012 - Screening & Selection
-
Chenonceau:
Hi Chen, I believe in small class size too. However I do not agree that critical thinking skills needed in psle are only taught in gep. I believed there are schools that prepare the mainstream pupils very well in this area too. I have seen very good notes for the mainstream pupils. Better than the gep materials as in the sense they are better organized, I feel. I think it maybe yr experience with yr ds school or trs that u have this impression that mainstream pupils are shortchanged.
Now... the PSLE syllabus comprises critical thinking skills that GEP style teaching is best for. So... you have a bunch of less able kids in mainstream... tested at PSLE for skills that GEP style interactive teaching is best for teaching... but mainstream teachers teach in huge classes of 40 using thin textbooks and ummm... teachers so incompetent they make 5 spelling mistakes in 250 words.
If you wanna test GEP like thinking skills in mainstream, then provision should be made to be able to teach it as well as to the GEP. If not, dun test it in mainstream. Keep it to the GEP. -
O, obviously you are not aware of 2009 episode, there are many GEPpers cried right after the maths paper. The PSLE maths paper were very difficult and so much so that many of them (GEPPers) left with many (2-4) 4-marked questions unanswered. If the PSLE maths papers were set with this level of difficulty, do you expect majority kids can manage them? I beg to differ, a mediocre result at PSLE does make some differences in life as PSLE is still a placement test for secondary school which is a very important phrase in the upbringing process. I think secondary is more important than primary.
3Boys:
I dun see that their levels of testing are so exceedingly difficult, nor that a mediocre result at PSLE makes all that amount of difference in life. But I guess I shouldn't dig in, even if that is my genuine view.
-
不是三个男孩的爹吗？
mamago:
三个孩子的爹??? hahaha.... Nebbermind, you are good!
-
PiggyLalala:
Did I say they were only taught in GEP? No I did not. I said that class sizes of 25 are best for teaching such skills. Poor teachers in mainstream have larger classes and less able pupils to teach these skills to. Notes are not enough to teach thinking skills you know. The individualized feedback and group interaction is very important too.
Hi Chen, I believe in small class size too. However I do not agree that critical thinking skills needed in psle are only taught in gep. I believed there are schools that prepare the mainstream pupils very well in this area too. I have seen very good notes for the mainstream pupils. Better than the gep materials as in the sense they are better organized, I feel. I think it maybe yr experience with yr ds school or trs that u have this impression that mainstream pupils are shortchanged.
I am talking about class size dearie. I am puzzled that HSK says that class size does not contribute to teaching quality in mainstream but it seems to be important to quality in GEP. But well... who cares... DS is now in secondary. He'll be older and more able to source for his own learning no matter the teacher nor the school. I have no eyes to see this issue of class size. Doesn't bother us at all personally. Not anymore... let the parents of kids who will be taking PSLE in the next few years experience Upper Primary for themselves.
Hopefully with the learning portal.... and no more school ranking... and a different way of allocating money to schools... their experience will be better lor... These are big and gutsy changes. I am already grateful. -
Melodies:
不是三个男孩的爹吗？
mamago:
三个孩子的爹??? hahaha.... Nebbermind, you are good!
Ya, Melodies's version is more accurate.... 三个男孩的爹. (Boys mah=男孩) -
You have a very clear mind! : :rahrah: boogie:
I do think that GEP is not the only solution for all problems in our educational system. That's why I said I have reservation with the GEP program.Nebbermind:
But that's coz the school or teachers are under par n gep may solve your problem but not THE problem.Chenonceau:
Tell that to a high ability child with no access to tuition nor supplementary materials from his school. 3 years with only textbooks to learn from can mean the difference between NA and Express. -
By the way, what is the typical class size of non-IP sec classes? 40 too?
-
buds:
Haha. I also fight for the scarcity. But I got sportsmanship leh.Somebody no need to fight the scarcity mah.. so can be contented.
:siam: When I lose, I not very sore worrrrrr..... Actually I have dreamt of HCI from the time I look for BF till hoping son can go HCI (somehow I like their Chinese Chinese feel :scratchhead: dunno why). It's a 20+ years dream unfulfilled, looks like either gotta wait for son-in-law or grandson.
Still, knowing its the top tier school & DS stood a chance, never get in also no choice, fated lah. So how to be not happy with character & mindset like mine :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
知足常乐. 傻人自有傻人福. 你奈我何？ :boogie:
不过， 我会气死旁边要求比较高的人。
-
拥有阿Q 精神，何尝不是一件辛福的事?
叫人羡慕不己！ -
40 stated in MOE website
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2012/04/target-class-size-in-primary-a.php
Parliamentary Replies
April 9, 2012
Target Class Size in Primary and Secondary Schools
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many primary and secondary schools currently have class sizes of 40 students and above; (b) what is the Ministry’s targeted class size for primary and secondary schools; and (c) when the target can be achieved.
Response
1Most primary and secondary schools have classes of 40 students or fewer, while Primary 1 and 2 classes have 30 students or fewer. We plan on the basis of 30 students per class at primary 1 and 2 and 40 students per class at the other primary and secondary levels.
2While a smaller class size may be intuitively appealing, empirical evidence on the benefits of a smaller class size remains inconclusive. Studies have shown that teacher quality is the most important factor in achieving better student outcomes. Hence, MOE’s focus is on raising the quality of teachers, even as we increase our recruitment of teachers.
3Without compromising teacher quality, our approach has been to progressively deploy more teachers to the schools while giving schools the flexibility to decide on how best to deploy their teachers to meet the needs of their students. This may involve reducing class size for certain subjects or student profiles. For example, in Design & Technology and Home Economics, where students may be required to operate machinery or equipment, the class size is usually 20. Learning support programmes for Primary 1-2 students with difficulties in basic literacy and numeracy skills are conducted in small groups of eight to 10 students. Some schools also deploy two teachers in a class of 40 students—one teacher brings the class through the curriculum, while the other teacher assists specific students who may have difficulty understanding the materials being covered.
4Thus, while the Ministry does not mandate targets for class size, we plan to improve the pupil teacher ratio from 18 and 15 at the primary and secondary levels to 16 and 13 by 2015 when the Education Service grows to 33,000 Education Officers. This will ensure that our schools are well-resourced so that they can organise learning to best meet the needs of our students.
Parliamentary RepliesNebbermind:
By the way, what is the typical class size of non-IP sec classes? 40 too?
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login