slmkhoo:

I don't agree with your basic premise (highlighted by me in red) if you mean by that that most kids can be pushed in the direction of GEP (which by Singapore's definition is for the top 1-2%(?)). I do agree with the sentiment I highlighted in blue, but a child may be pushed in many directions, and not all of those directions will head in the direction of GEP, or have the GEP even as a side effect.

most kids are similar, doesn't mean that most kids can be pushed into GEP. GEP is to measure Language/Maths/IQ and select the top 1% only. What I mean is that, every child has potential, before parents see the true shape of their children, parents shouldn't simply label a kid that he/she is not bright enough to go GEP then give up to try, or label a kid that he/she is entitled to go GEP then over push the kid to a direction which the kid may not be able to fit. One step more, even after GEP selection, so call 'GEPer' is similar to 'MSer' also. They are just different shape of jades.

westbb:

My child is in his second year of GEP. frankly the program is only as good as the teachers who are with the kids every day. and so far, I have not encountered any GEP teacher who is \"inspiring\" or \"better\" than mainstream teacher.

it is out of the topic already, but it is good points to highlight for GEPer.
I have similar feeling, i.e. teacher is same, mindset is same, way of teaching is not too far from mainstream. the things I saw difference is curriculum, it is wider and deeper than mainstream, so the kids have more room to find the topics they may interest in and use out their time.

jetsetter:

Why must parents restrict ourselves to cutting our raw jade to fit into this \"GEP container\" which is only good enough for this little red dot?

yah, it is my question also. my point is, don't cut the stone to fit the shape of GEP container, just follow its nature shape.

but you know in real world, you may have to tune yourself to fit into it. ie. if you can't change the world, you may change yourself.

:boogie:

Lynn2010:

I think it may be too late to develop a child if they're taking the GEP screening this year, unless the child is already that calibre

Technically I could not comment it is too late or not, to prepare a child for GEP this year. but to develop a child, just do it now, it won't be late.

based on my experience, if you want to do something now, get the kid to be familiar about IQ questions. I assume that the kid is good enough to pass 1st round exam.

lee_yl:

I am worried for those parents whose children are going to take the GEP screening & selection test soon, as they will think that it is their responsibility to push and develop their \"normal\" kid.

I find your posts contradicting, on the one hand, you claim that there is no special preparation needed but on the hand, you advocate pushing the kid hard to better unleash their potential as jade will not pop out by itself!

yes, it is exact my point. most kids are similar, parents shouldn't under estimate the potential of any kids. no matter the potential can fit into GEP or not, it is parents' responsibility to develop the kids for better future. GEP shouldn't be the only goal to set for kids' development. in another word, to push and develop the normal kids is mandatory responsibility, GEP is optional/side effect.

base on the above point, my post is not contradicting. to push the kid is not specially for preparation for GEP/PSLE, the purpose is to unleash their potential. if just happened that the kid is selected by GEP, it is side effect, it is not the purpose/goal. GEP shouldn't be the goal to push the kids by parents.

mathtuition88:

For \"Normal\" kid, pushing him/her to GEP is possible, but may not be to the benefit of the child. Especially with regards to self-confidence, at a young age it is better to be a big fish in a small pond, and then venture to a larger ocean at a later stage in life (theory by famous author Malcolm Gladwell).

This is one side of the argument.

On the other hand, joining the GEP has its benefits too, but one must be careful of the emotional state of the child. Provided that the child is resilient enough to handle the stress of GEP, GEP offers a wider exposure to knowledge outside of syllabus, better academic-pathways (eg direct entry, etc.), more high quality enrichment programmes, and more.

the points you highlighted are post-GEP-selection problem. I didn't go into the detail in the article. a lots of consideration behind.

fish pond problem has no right answer, much depends. once make a choice, just move on.

Except those 0.01% genius kids, I believe most kids are same, they just like a stone, waiting for parents and teachers to cut them into a jade. Different stones may have different shape/type of jade inside, but from outside, they are same, all are stones. This is why I used the work ‘Normal’ or Ordinary.


If parents don’t believe there is a jade inside the stone, the kids may lose the chance.
If parents believe the jade should pop up from the stone by itself, they may be disappointed.
If parents try to cut the stone to fit with the shape of GEP container, some time, it may not be able to fit.

no matter how, it is a better choice for parents to cut the stone into a jade following its nature shape. It would be a luck if the jade can fit with GEP where provides more resources.

玉不琢不成器.

jetsetter:

There're quite many 哈利波特 （中文版） @ 新华书店 in China. The kids there read the Chinese version of all 7 books
奥林匹克数学辅助/练习材料也不少哦。 :evil: :siam:

I can read Chinese version Harry Potter, but I would rather to read 金庸，the kids can't read Chinese book, so have to get English version for them.

jetsetter:

.........
It's ok for overseas students or temp FTs to use this term casually among themselves in chatrooms.
........

http://bbs.sgcn.com/thread-15629027-1-1.html

revised the article and remove the word. :heresmyfish: :censored:

it is out of the topic already.

sushi88:

I think the title is somewhat misleading. The sharing is trying to emphasise that GEP is a fair screening process. The boy is definitely not just an average boy cos he could read Harry Porter at P3. The parents was trying to say that he did things normally with no GEP training and he got into the programme. They did not expect him to get in because elder sis was smarter but did not get in. Think the parents forgot one point. Boys' chance is 2/3 and girls' 1/3 so the competition for girls is tougher even if the elder girl is smarter than the boy.

My english is not good enough to read Harry Potter, so don't have the feeling how difficult the book is, just saw many small kids reading it. Suprized that you said it is difficult for a P3 kid.
elder sister is still striving for top 1%, it is a tough work. It is difficult to recognize the talent of a kid through some superficial factors. at least it is beyond my knowledge and experience. so my point is just to try it. every kids have their own strengths.