2014 PSLE Discussions and Strategy

[MMM]

Frankly… I observed that my P5 has so much homework everyday that sometimes, she only has time for homework…

[snowball]

mummyv:

Hi all


My DD is in P5 this year. Just to share, I was complacent about the jump because she was the top 25% of her school's cohort during P4. I envisioned the strategies we put into place would serve her and me well - buying and doing worksheets/top school papers diligently closer to exams is sufficient. I was wrong.

What I think I would have done differently is let her have more time to PLAY. This year, I shed silent tears when I see her workload. I should step in earlier when extreme burdens are placed on her in the guise of homework e.g. 40 book reports in 2 weeks. I cringe when I see the remarks teachers make on her worksheets. I should have monitored more closely because the pace is faster in P5 compared to P4. I would build up her self motivation and self resistance to negative influences. I would encourage learning for self-discovery to make it less of a chore.

pls share with us on how we can build up their self resistance to -ve influences

Above all, the push to want to study to bridge the gap must come from the child because it gets really hard...and it MUST be enough if the child has really tried but is still not doing as well as your own expectations. Because we as parents must never lose sight of the fact that exams and PSLE are only part of the long journey ahead....

i will always come back here to remind me on this precious statment

:goodpost:

[mummyv]

MMM:

Frankly... I observed that my P5 has so much homework everyday that sometimes, she only has time for homework...

Yes MMM that is the case with mine too. It is compounded when DD homework is wasting time due to her own carelessness eg rewriting compos - she has even done up to draft no 3 for mistakes.... so part of the problem is getting the process right ...

[mummyv]

hi snowball


I am no expert in motivation. Dr Petunia Lee is the expert - http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/internal-drive-theoryr-motivate-your-child-want-study-0. Her book has been an eye opener on what I could have done better with my child and where I went wrong and hopefully how I can do better. Conversations with various parents too also cemented my belief that school is just a part of our child's lives and our upbringing focusing on education excellence is part of the social phenomenon that leads to expectations/standards spiralling out of control. The challenge for me is how to find the right balance. School teachers are no longer motivators/coaches in our children's learning journeys - they are also under tremendous pressure with the tough standard. They do not have the luxury of time/passion to pay attention to all children - their main aim is to finish the syllabus on time. Parents are now keeping their children home because teachers do not teach enough and well - to ensure children have a balanced life. Now harried teachers no longer talk about the moral value of education. It is now a checklist of what YOU should do to bring your child up to scratch. A child's character / social ability is not in the equation.

[KSP]

mummyv:

hi snowball


I am no expert in motivation. Dr Petunia Lee is the expert - http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/internal-drive-theoryr-motivate-your-child-want-study-0. Her book has been an eye opener on what I could have done better with my child and where I went wrong and hopefully how I can do better. Conversations with various parents too also cemented my belief that school is just a part of our child's lives and our upbringing focusing on education excellence is part of the social phenomenon that leads to expectations/standards spiralling out of control. The challenge for me is how to find the right balance. School teachers are no longer motivators/coaches in our children's learning journeys - they are also under tremendous pressure with the tough standard. They do not have the luxury of time/passion to pay attention to all children - their main aim is to finish the syllabus on time. Parents are now keeping their children home because teachers do not teach enough and well - to ensure children have a balanced life. Now harried teachers no longer talk about the moral value of education. It is now a checklist of what YOU should do to bring your child up to scratch. A child's character / social ability is not in the equation.

yes i agree, we cannot depend on the school and teachers for good grades anymore.....

their main aim is to finish the syllabus on time, whether the child can understand is another story ..... :sad:

[tppsue]

Haiz, I just don’t understand why kids like them has to go through so much at this age. They should learn to enjoy the journey of learning and not study because of exams. Look at those Americans, most of them turn out just as well without so much of exams… They learned things outside of books that our children don’t learn.

[Dino mummy]

chiam lah…my boy is alri v "qing cai" and relax now. V often, reluctant to do his homwork, learn his spelling and ting xie. Even more difficult to ask him to revise for exams or do his assessments.

Spoke to him numerous times and he is still like that. He has that "can’t be bothered" attitiude…we have a hard time w him this year.
I heard P5 is very tough…if he is alri like that this year, really worried how he cope next year.

[j.032906a.032906m.032906]

mummyv:

Hi all


My DD is in P5 this year. Just to share, I was complacent about the jump because she was the top 25% of her school's cohort during P4. I envisioned the strategies we put into place would serve her and me well - buying and doing worksheets/top school papers diligently closer to exams is sufficient. I was wrong. My focus on results and not on the process is incorrect.

What I think I would have done differently is let her have more time to PLAY. This year, I shed silent tears when I see her workload. I should step in earlier when extreme burdens are placed on her in the guise of homework e.g. 40 book reports in 2 weeks. I cringe when I see the remarks teachers make on her worksheets. I should have monitored more closely because the pace is faster in P5 compared to P4. I would build up her self motivation and self resistance to negative influences. I would encourage learning for self-discovery to make it less of a chore. I should have also stepped in earlier to advocate broad-based reading not just her fav chick lit. Quality reading NOT quantity translates into better English vocab.

Above all, the push to want to study to bridge the gap must come from the child because it gets really hard...and it MUST be enough if the child has really tried but is still not doing as well as your own expectations. Because we as parents must never lose sight of the fact that exams and PSLE are only part of the long journey ahead....

Thank you for your sharing. Right now, my dd is adopting the same study strategy as you and as you have observed, it's serving P4 well. Come P5, it seems that we might have to change it based on your valuable experience.

My heart aches for your girl regarding the amount of hw and her teachers' criticisms of her. Must have been very demoralising to her. Knowing my dd, she probably wouldn't be able to take that too, especially having enough sleep is essential to her well-being and ability to absorb what she learns. Thankfully, for teachers comments, she can usually take them with a pinch of salt but I truly worry about the amount of work she might have to do, hence sacrificing play and rest time.

Your advice is indeed timely cos I have seen recently that her hw has increased greatly. I will keep a close watch so that she doesn't overexert herself.

Your dd still has 1 more year to go till psle. I hope that she's able to find her balance and continue to do her best, knowing that Mommy's love and support is always there for her.

:snuggles:

[corneyAmber]

verykiasu2010:

okay this is sounding like madly kiasu to the extreme, the 2012 PSLE has NOT collected the last script from the kids and now talk about 2014 PSLE ?


well, it depends how involved you are as a parent and how kiasu you want to be for your kids' PSLE

after pri 3 streaming (last year 2011) into GEP and mainstream, the kids are adapting to a higher level of learning in Pri 4 (2012).

going into pri 5 next year will be a year of solid learning and stepping up in difficulty level in all subjects. some will also embark on higher mother tongue.

bearing in mind when in pri 6, most of the syllabus would have been completed by mid year or latest by July, and start term 3 with PSLE preparation, orals, etc etc .....

therefore pri 5 is the year to start catching up for the weaker kids; it is also a year for the stronger kids to ensure the solid foundation in all subjects is laid and build confidence level for pri 6

especially for kids weaker in CL/EL - may need to start looking for tutor if the performance has been weak - don't wait till pri 6 then realise it - it will be kind of late

for math and science, the exam covers stuff from pri 4 onwards....so better ensure that the kids have a good grasp throughout pri 5, so that by pri 6 time, it will be consolidation of knowledge and application

also, for DSA aspirants - you cannot miss pri 5 : all DSA sec schools require pri 5 performance record; and RI even asks for pri 4 records. so make sure your kids start to build the right & relevant credentials for the DSA starting from now.

I hate to say this but effectively this is so : the PSLE is the \"new O level\" where competition for entrance to top JC/IP schools have shifted down from the O level of old to the present PSLE, with the introduction of through-train IP schools.

so, parents of pri 4 kids (2012), this thread is dedicated for you to journey with your DD/DS's PSLE journey.....

who shall be the first kiasu pri 4 parent to start ?

Note: We just have to make Uncle's presence felt....

[vlim]

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