Do teachers teach these days?

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:36:41 GMT

octoberbaby — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:36:41 GMT

sunflower:
There’s no one-size-fit-all way of teaching.

This statement I agree.

The Winner takes all.

If running behind better catch up.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:50:29 GMT

sunflower — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:50:29 GMT

kamom:

...DD has a Math teacher who will not teach first. She will make the students discuss first, go up to present to the class and from there, she will teach what is not being understood. BTW, DD is just P3. :scared:

Haha…isn’t this what some people say is lacking in mainstream classrooms, the “GEP style” of teaching? i.e . learning by discussion, discovery and exploration? Different types of students respond and benefit differently to different teaching methodology. There’s no one-size-fit-all way of teaching.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 13:44:13 GMT

janet88 — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 13:44:13 GMT

octoberbaby:
Different kids have different learning abilities. The advance ones usually will try on their own first confidently. Teach less learn more, MOE vision.

MOE motto :evil:

Throughout the 6 years of primary school, my son had been blessed with exceptionally wonderful Chinese teachers.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 09:08:03 GMT

octoberbaby — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 09:08:03 GMT

Different kids have different learning abilities. The advance ones usually will try on their own first confidently. Teach less learn more, MOE vision.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:16:36 GMT

kamom — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:16:36 GMT

White_Gale:
It all depends on what type of teacher the child faces each year...meet those teachers who can teach, results sure improve.

I agree 101% to this.

DS had a really terrible Math teacher at P4. One who couldn't teach, I mean really couldn't teach. DS belongs to the group where you must teach first, he understands, able to apply and will then be able to do. At term 3, there was a change of teacher. His SA2 Math result shot up. At P5 and P6, he was very fortunate to have a good Math teacher and his results were consistently good.

DD has a Math teacher who will not teach first. She will make the students discuss first, go up to present to the class and from there, she will teach what is not being understood. BTW, DD is just P3. :scared:

Such method will only work well with kids with tutors who have taught the kids ahead of the teachers. What about those who do not have tutors?

Then she has a MT teacher who is concerned with grades and getting her kids to the best class in school.

This is my opinion, I find the way some teachers go about with their job, completely kills the joy of learning :sad:

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 01:48:52 GMT

janet88 — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 01:48:52 GMT

White_Gale:
It all depends on what type of teacher the child faces each year...meet those teachers who can teach, results sure improve.

That's for sure...if the child gets teachers who go all the way, tuition is optional.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:52:05 GMT

White_Gale — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:52:05 GMT

It all depends on what type of teacher the child faces each year…meet those teachers who can teach, results sure improve.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:22:53 GMT

sunflower — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:22:53 GMT

Every school is a good school, but not every teacher in every school is good.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:25:40 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:25:40 GMT

This is a sensitive topic…I am sure many will agree.

It’s TGIF…have a great weekend.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 04:28:55 GMT

limlim — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 04:28:55 GMT

Peony:
limlim:
[quote=\"Peony\"]
The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.
The sad thing is that there are black sheep that is allowed to strive amidst the white sheeps.....

if only there's a way to weed out the black sheeps....

My point is, keeping silent is pepertuating the problem but if we just complain loudly, we'd be labelled too. Have to be thought through and objective especially as we're not talking about most teachers just the black sheep.

They do get very sensitive so have to be tactful.[/quote]w/o mentioning any sch or anyone, just look at KSP forum alone can already.

Whenever we talk about black sheeps or existence of black sheeps, some pple get overly defensive and start to ridicule others who shared their experiences.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:11:43 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:11:43 GMT

octoberbaby:
Must be tackful in handling black sheep because usually they are seniors and the management respect them.

Usually these black sheep are senior staff...so they are shielded by management.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:55:18 GMT

octoberbaby — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:55:18 GMT

Must be tackful in handling black sheep because usually they are seniors and the management respect them.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:53:43 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:53:43 GMT

limlim:
Peony:

The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.
The sad thing is that there are black sheep that is allowed to strive amidst the white sheeps.....

if only there's a way to weed out the black sheeps....

The black sheep STRIVE very well among the good ones.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:32:35 GMT

Peony — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:32:35 GMT

limlim:
Peony:

The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.
The sad thing is that there are black sheep that is allowed to strive amidst the white sheeps.....

if only there's a way to weed out the black sheeps....

Giving feedback to the school is one step. But have to be objective, \"give benefit of the doubt\" and monitor over time. Of course by then, more than half a year is over.

I've met parents who had faced the same teacher and the same situation but they just endure. I decided to feedback as I don't want others to go through it - for \"greater good\".

Soon others gave feedback too. In a nutshell, we can see that the school has taken steps to minimise this problem. PM me if you want to know how as I'm not comfortable with revealing here.

My point is, keeping silent is pepertuating the problem but if we just complain loudly, we'd be labelled too. Have to be thought through and objective especially as we're not talking about most teachers just the black sheep.

They do get very sensitive so have to be tactful.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:44:34 GMT

octoberbaby — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:44:34 GMT

What can expect from a teacher? tuition teacher? They are not living with the child. The mother should be the heart of the family, instead of pushing to external parties. Appreciate them.

Ask youself, do you think yourself a good employee? bring sales to the company?

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:53:52 GMT

CuriousHippo — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:53:52 GMT

There are always 2 sides to a story. In situation where parents think his/her child’s school teachers cannot provide the learning adequately to the child, whether to have tuitions really depends on the given situation which varies child to child and family to family. I guess you all understand what I meant without going into details.

My DD, sec 1 this year, he is a slightly above average student. He loves to go tuitions for reinforcement of what he learnt from school teachers and from self-study. And most important to ask, acquire techniques and knowledge that he is not well-versed in. As a parent, I would wish to send him to tuitions, if not for the financial constraints!

Whatever it is, learning is always good if there is an opportunity, provided the party (ie the child) is willing coupled with all the needed pre-requistise. The people we encountered or to be specific in relation to our DD/DS, the teachers and tutors, do contribution in a way to the child in his/her learning path. We should appreciate them and hope for the best for our kids.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:46:22 GMT

limlim — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:46:22 GMT

Peony:

The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.

The sad thing is that there are black sheep that is allowed to strive amidst the white sheeps.....

if only there's a way to weed out the black sheeps....

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:51:38 GMT

Peony — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:51:38 GMT

octoberbaby:
They do teach.

Depends on the kids whether know how to apply or not.

That's what I thought until I encountered a teacher who told me point blank to enrol DD in enrichment centres - learning lab, learning point etc were mentioned.

First time I encountered such a teacher. She \"taught\" all 3 subjects some more. That year, I had to engage a tutor for DD.

She was the only teacher I ever encounted who was like that. Even the teachers who took the class the following year were shocked at how some basic things were not taught. You may not believe one child but how can the whole lot in what was supposed to be the best class be lying?

This is a disadvantage of being in the \"best class\". There are teachers who having learnt that the majority have tuition/enrichments or \"very on\" SAHMs decide that she need not be \"teaching\" - just reap the rewards of a class that performs well. And parents like me have to scramble to look for help as our kids are the \"minority\".

The amusing part is that DD, who sits by the door, actually picks up some tips from another class teacher, teaching a \"lower ability\" class. Even she can tell me that the teacher there actually teaches much more.

The majority do teach, but if you end up with the black sheep who doesn't, you have to step in to ensure your child does not suffer the consequences of having such a teacher.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:19:13 GMT

janet88 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:19:13 GMT

My son will always remember his Chinese teacher from P5. That teacher knows how to inspire students. During the PTM, that teacher readily told me he is not the patient type and loses his cool when students do not put in effort. But my son told me this teacher knows how to relate to the class and also understand what they are thinking. He discusses with the class. Kids now are mostly in English speaking families. It is difficult to engage their interest. I must give my heartfelt appreciation to this male teacher.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:39:35 GMT

sunflower — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:39:35 GMT

CayennePepper:
slmkhoo:

Unfortunately, there are some parents and teachers who prefer to have kids memorise and regurgitate, whether or not they have actually understood the concept. That is sad.
Totally agree with this. I was talking with a p6 kid about math and was amazed to hear that he has no idea how the area formula of triangle works. He told me when he asked, his teachers and tutors said 'Don't need to understand why, just apply it to get the answer.\"!!!!!

That's what kills interests! If you know why, you’ll want to learn. If you want to learn, you’ll be interested. If you’re interested, you’ll remember. If you remember, it’s easier to learn how to apply. If you know how to apply, you’ll know how to answer the questions! Many teachers teach only what’s written in textbooks, sad!

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:31:33 GMT

sunflower — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:31:33 GMT

slmkhoo:
sunflower:
Precisely! Taking the times-table as an example, there’s indeed no necessity to memorise. When DD2 was in P1, her friends bragged about knowing the times table so she asked me about it. I spent about 5 mins explaining the concept to her while waiting for the food at a restaurant. Guess what? She could explain and tell me the correct answer (though slower for bigger numbers as need a bit of counting) to times table of numbers up to 10 after that!

Indeed, I do value the “constructivist approach”. However, there are certain fundamentals that need to be taught first before this type of teaching approach can be effective.
I agree with you. My husband and I take the middle road because we see that both approaches have their strengths. Taking multiplication tables as an example again, when our kids were at that stage, we also made sure they understood the concept first. But after that, we required them to memorise the tables so they could answer quickly. In real life (and exams), they need to be able to multiply quickly and not rely on repeated addition or calculators all the time. Unfortunately, there are some parents and teachers who prefer to have kids memorise and regurgitate, whether or not they have actually understood the concept. That is sad.

Yes, there’s indeed value to memorise times table after understanding the “why”, makes calculations much faster. Me lazy, never memorise the times table, so am always 1 sec slower in getting the answer than those who memorise times table from back to front!

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 02:13:13 GMT

SAHM_TAN — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 02:13:13 GMT

Sometimes how a subject is designed to be taught might not be suitable for all. We speak mandarin at home so using STELLA to teach Eniglsh might not be suitable for dd1. She's enjoying the lessons. English is her favourite subject this year. However, looking at how the worksheets are designed from P1 and observing her journal writing, I know there are gaps I need to fill. The reason is not becos her teachers didn't teach. She does not have Eng tuition so I know her teachers teach but becos of her background there are certain aspects of English that need to be taught to her in an explicit manner. I fill in the gaps using guidebooks becos I do not know the rules of English too :rotflmao:

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:59:36 GMT

octoberbaby — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:59:36 GMT

Whether teacher teach or not, whether teacher good or not. Not all students 100% same view.

Depends whether student-teacher have chemistry or not.

The same teacher, same class, there are 2 views. A girl says good and a boy says no good. You know why? That teacher has 2 daughters, doesn’t even know the character of boys. Definitely she views boys are naughty and dislike that student from the beginning.

Reply to Do teachers teach these days? on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:55:01 GMT

happy to be mum — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:55:01 GMT

ChiefKiasu:
kamom:
Or they expect the kids to know because they all have tuition. I am probably one of the minorities who have refused tuition for my kids. How many parents here DO NOT send their kids fro tuition classes?

My kids have no tuition either, unless you consider their weekly Chinese enrichment classes as tuition. But certainly not on a one-on-one basis. So you are actually not in the minority.

If teachers do not teach, what do you think they do in school?

glad to know I am not alone here...my DS1 in P3 and no tuition...yet :evil: and DH is quite adamant not have it...yet

I do have to agree some teachers don't teach at all! My son can tell me his Chinese teacher in P2 don't teach and that was why his results were real bad for Chinese last year..just passed. Teacher don't teach and fierce and class is boring, most of the time, DS don't know what is going on. I am just so glad that this year all his teachers are good and my son can comment his Chinese teacher this year is good, fierce but fun. With a good teacher, half the battle is won.