janet_lee88:

Nebbermind:

[quote=\"verykiasumummy\"]

u may find it ridiculous, but that makes the difference with other countries' education system.. why so many neighbouring countries strive to come to sg to study? because of the system as well...

My guess is that (especially for Math), th SG system test beyond the kids' age for pr school.

Nebbermind:

verykiasumummy:

u may find it ridiculous, but that makes the difference with other countries' education system.. why so many neighbouring countries strive to come to sg to study? because of the system as well...

My guess is that (especially for Math), th SG system test beyond the kids' age for pr school.

verykiasumummy:

Chenonceau:

:snuggles: :snuggles: I'm bad at Math and Science. I don't even try to read up. I make DS do it instead and smile at him when he explains to me. I'm good at English though... 98th percentile of GMAT global norms... BUT hor... when I wrote a compo for DS to pass up, I only scored 28/40.

So... yeah... I understand how you feel.

of cos, our standards were outdated liao...

my god, u help ur ds write compo?? is there such a need?

Chenonceau:

verykiasumummy:

both math n sci in fact...

i was one of the tops for sci back in my days... i thought the pri syllabus couldnt be of any challenge to me untill my eldest ds few yrs back when he was going thru his test paper with me... it all got so different, and i really made a very hard effort to read up on all those reference, guides, texts all over again to get to the bottom of what the kids are doing these days... really hard!!!

:snuggles: :snuggles: I'm bad at Math and Science. I don't even try to read up. I make DS do it instead and smile at him when he explains to me. I'm good at English though... 98th percentile of GMAT global norms... BUT hor... when I wrote a compo for DS to pass up, I only scored 28/40.

So... yeah... I understand how you feel.

Chenonceau:

Hah? I do? Anyway... I think I only pushed the thinking as far as inadequate textbooks. I dun think I wrote much about assessment books except that most are mind numbingly BORING and that I could never bring myself to get my kids to do assessment books because I would fall asleep marking them!!

I completely agree with the part in red too.

verykiasumummy:

both math n sci in fact...

i was one of the tops for sci back in my days... i thought the pri syllabus couldnt be of any challenge to me untill my eldest ds few yrs back when he was going thru his test paper with me... it all got so different, and i really made a very hard effort to read up on all those reference, guides, texts all over again to get to the bottom of what the kids are doing these days... really hard!!!

Nebbermind:

slmkhoo:

But why should they be doing assessment books? It's a highly Singaporean thing that I believe grew out of the gap left by inadequate textbooks and teachers not covering the full range of material. If the textbooks contain enough, and teachers teach all of it, then there will be no need for additional materials. I see no reason to do assessment books for assessment books' sake. If a child has interest and time, there are lots of other reading and activities to do rather than assessment books.

Think Chen has a thread on this sometme back...

Nebbermind:

verykiasumummy:

u may find it ridiculous, but that makes the difference with other countries' education system.. why so many neighbouring countries strive to come to sg to study? because of the system as well...

no doubts there is no absolute right or wrong in this, just different points of views, but learning is a process that should be nurtured young...

My guess is that (especially for Math), th SG system test beyond the kids' age for pr school.

verykiasumummy:

u may find it ridiculous, but that makes the difference with other countries' education system.. why so many neighbouring countries strive to come to sg to study? because of the system as well...

no doubts there is no absolute right or wrong in this, just different points of views, but learning is a process that should be nurtured young...

slmkhoo:

verykiasumummy:

but i feel it is good training for pri students too... in a way, so they wouldnt be just sticking to the text n refuse to do assmt books...

But why should they be doing assessment books? It's a highly Singaporean thing that I believe grew out of the gap left by inadequate textbooks and teachers not covering the full range of material. If the textbooks contain enough, and teachers teach all of it, then there will be no need for additional materials. I see no reason to do assessment books for assessment books' sake. If a child has interest and time, there are lots of other reading and activities to do rather than assessment books.

slmkhoo:

verykiasumummy:

but i feel it is good training for pri students too... in a way, so they wouldnt be just sticking to the text n refuse to do assmt books...

But why should they be doing assessment books? It's a highly Singaporean thing that I believe grew out of the gap left by inadequate textbooks and teachers not covering the full range of material. If the textbooks contain enough, and teachers teach all of it, then there will be no need for additional materials. I see no reason to do assessment books for assessment books' sake. If a child has interest and time, there are lots of other reading and activities to do rather than assessment books.

slmkhoo:

Nebbermind:

[quote=\"atrecord\"]

Shouldn't teachers be the one to:
- give good notes to the students
- and more so, make sure that the students understand what the textbook is talking about?

Actually, it's also a little surprising: all textbooks used in Singapore schools are approved by MOE, so if the textbook you used was so bad, how did it get approved in the first place?

Maybe coz I was a science student, I donch remember getting at notes from teachers when I was in sec school....all we had was just textbk.

Is textbook not enough?

atrecord:

Shouldn't teachers be the one to:
- give good notes to the students
- and more so, make sure that the students understand what the textbook is talking about?

Actually, it's also a little surprising: all textbooks used in Singapore schools are approved by MOE, so if the textbook you used was so bad, how did it get approved in the first place?

hquek:

Well I know some bright sec school kids who ask for tuition so they can have access to good notes.


When I was in sec 3, I took bio and had no clue what the super cheem book was talking about. Luckily I had a friend who quietly told me about this fantastic alternate textbook. Went to buy the book and the bio world made sense after that, moral of story...sometime studying hard ain't going to help if one don't have good crutches to lean on.

hquek:

Well I know some bright sec school kids who ask for tuition so they can have access to good notes.


When I was in sec 3, I took bio and had no clue what the super cheem book was talking about. Luckily I had a friend who quietly told me about this fantastic alternate textbook. Went to buy the book and the bio world made sense after that, moral of story...sometime studying hard ain't going to help if one don't have good crutches to lean on.

janet_lee88:

SAHM_TAN:

I think it's important for a child to go though and learn about the process of thinking. I have no issue if the child wants to buy notes or to use teachers' notes as additional resource but the child must have the thinking skills.


It's just like there are shoes with Velcro but I still insist that they learn how to tie shoe laces. Or like making ice-cream, there's an easy and more tedious way to do it. I will show them the tedious way before showing them the easier way. It's like I'm torturing my kids :rotflmao:

Making own notes is important for a child to learn. He/She cannot possibly be having a tutor beside to give notes. If the child can make his/her own notes, that would be more effective bcos it is 'personalized' to oneself...for eg the mistakes often made and areas which are overlooked. Critical thinking as well as thinking out of the box will make those notes more valuable.

There may be shoes with Velcro but they cannot be wearing Velcro shoes or digital watches for life. I don't think you are torturing but teaching them that life is not a bed of roses. :hi5:

SAHM_TAN:

I think it's important for a child to go though and learn about the process of thinking. I have no issue if the child wants to buy notes or to use teachers' notes as additional resource but the child must have the thinking skills.


It's just like there are shoes with Velcro but I still insist that they learn how to tie shoe laces. Or like making ice-cream, there's an easy and more tedious way to do it. I will show them the tedious way before showing them the easier way. It's like I'm torturing my kids :rotflmao:

janet_lee88:

jedamum:

Wait wait wait.

If the said students said they needed tuition to have discipline in studying, shouldn't it be enrichment already and not tuition?

Enrichment is different from tuition...bcos it's non-academic.
My friend's son in a popular school was asked if his tutors coach her son in school hw...if these said students need tuition, doesn't it confirm that tutors ARE hired for the wrong reason? :faint: Are these students implying they need someone to sit beside them so that they can study and get homework done?