Trapwithin:

Recently, my dd borrowed some \"Horrible Science\" books from the library.

They are pretty fun to read and teach principles well. they can act as good reference material in teaching Science.

I just bought the whole series from UK .. so much cheaper than getting them from Popular.

can i have the website? how many books are there in the whole series?

verykiasu2010:

php:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]Hi php,

Kids at P3 or P4 won't know how to get more info unlike P6 maybe.
There are 5 chapters to handle and it's very time-consuming to run around for info. Science paper is set so tough...really pity the kids.

kids have to start somewhere. when my dd was in kindy, they had a programme called Junior Scientist. the kids had to use computer to search for information and then presented them....dd was an expert in google search, yahoo search, etc ....but this must be done with adult presence. This is the direction where schools are moving to....in this internet world....Definitely P3 and P4 kids are more than capable in doing that but it is the parents that are worried and don't allow the kids to expose excessively to the wired world.....

janet & php

you may want to take a look at the complete series of i-science[/quote]verykiasu2010, thanks... i will but i will do that next year around this time....haha......probably janet can take a look at them b4 her kid goes to P5 next year.....

janet_lee88:

Hi php,

Kids at P3 or P4 won't know how to get more info unlike P6 maybe.
There are 5 chapters to handle and it's very time-consuming to run around for info. Science paper is set so tough...really pity the kids.

kids have to start somewhere. when my dd was in kindy, they had a programme called Junior Scientist. the kids had to use computer to search for information and then presented them....dd was an expert in google search, yahoo search, etc ....but this must be done with adult presence. This is the direction where schools are moving to....in this internet world....Definitely P3 and P4 kids are more than capable in doing that but it is the parents that are worried and don't allow the kids to expose excessively to the wired world.....

janet_lee88:

Hi php,

I thought there might be better textbooks. Sometimes, parents may not be lazy to do research but don't have the knowledge to do so.
Just curious, any old boy or girl from Pei Hwa here ? What was the standard during your time ??

sorry, not meant all parents are lazy...forgot to mention those having difficulty in gathering information. i believe they want kids to think 'out-of-box' - exploring on their own.

janet_lee88:

Most of the kids leave PH for Nanyang GEP. Maybe some of the girls will head for RGPS.


The present Science textbook 'My Pals' is simply hopeless...no way can a student pass if he/she depends on it. Don't tell me this is the 'teach less know more' approach...hope they can switch to a text with more info bcos not every child or parent will know how to source for reference books.

but i heard all the textbook are more or less the same... you can't find one textbook where you can get all the information you want. the school expects the kids to do their own research.....so if the parents are too lazy to do the job, then the best solution is to find a good enrichment centre for the kids.....

verykiasu2010:

php:

Ask yourself the following questions :-

How many top PSLE scholar come from GEP class each year?
How many top 'O' or 'A' level scholar come from GEP class each year?

Ans : The majority will come from non-GEP.....

If the assessment method is able to detect the top 5% gifted kids in each cohort, then a more decent figure of said 90-95% of them should come from GEP class, but this is not the case.

in the recent prelim (P6) more than half the top 10 in the whole cohort is from mainstream, and the #2 is from non-GEP (this is for one school around bukit timah)

And that school is NYPS, right?

Mrsbongz:

perhaps our current GEP programs isn't structured well enough to bring out the best in these children, hence the not-as-spectacular results from these gifted children.. each child is gifted in their own ways.. how to tailor a program to fit all these unique children? too difficult...


I rather have the GEP on a subject to subject basis, rather than as a class/school... as I realise that children are gifted in only some areas.. not all.. but this can be done by schools' subject banding already, no need for transfer of schools for 'GEP'

I have a fren who's son is selected for 2nd round GEP tests.. he is smart, but more because he's very well taught by his parents and preschool.. the mom's excited, but I wonder if the programs is the best option for the child..

Exactly....we have GEP, we have subject banding, now MOE is piloting 'cottage' class......they themselves do not know which is the right formula......

Jennifer:

janet_lee88:

Hi Comfy,

The focus on Maths & Science was what the prev principal mentioned...but I have no idea whether the school has this plan. However, the Maths & Science exams are pretty tough.

My elder boy had PE teachers as his Science teachers in P4 semester 2 and whole of P5, then P6 the HOD Science. All taught according to textbooks. No useful labs sessions (according to my boy lah). I dun see where the focus was.

Jennifer, i heard from my friend and this happened in other schools too. If you are going to depend on the textbook to do well, then you can simply forget about it.... there are too little information in there....what you can find in the textbook is just the basic concept and keywords that you need to know...the rest will be up to the kids to explore and research and apply correctly during the exam....so it is very different from the ways we learnt Science last time.....dd has another one more year to go, so i don't really bother to find out more about primary science. we wouldn't know when there will be any changes coming up...

Jennifer:

janet_lee88:

Hi Comfy,

The focus on Maths & Science was what the prev principal mentioned...but I have no idea whether the school has this plan. However, the Maths & Science exams are pretty tough.

My elder boy had PE teachers as his Science teachers in P4 semester 2 and whole of P5, then P6 the HOD Science. All taught according to textbooks. No useful labs sessions (according to my boy lah). I dun see where the focus was.

If you studied PHPPS statistic, Science was the weakest subject as compared to other subjects for the past few years. Maybe i should said that PHPPS is traditionally weak in Science. The HOD Science just joined the school last year (if i am not wrong), see whether he can improve the percentage in this subject.

E3:

markfch:

I actually think that GEP is a good programme for the truly gifted (too bad ds is definitely not in that league). I've a niece who's born gifted. She could read independently at 2 and write essays with plots at 4. If she is put into a 'normal' class, I think she'll be bored to death.


People like her should be given special education to nurture & maximise her potential. And yes, I agree that gifted doesn't equal success in life. If you check this morning's ST, there was a former child maths prodigy who ended up on the wrong side of the law.

Here are a few real examples:
1) girl -> GEP -> RGS -> didn't do well for \"As\", studied overseas
2) girl -> GEP -> RGS -> didn't do well for \"As\", took up Diploma
3) boy -> GEP -> Henry Park -> didn't do well for PSLE, neighbourhood Sec.

The above parents did not send their kids for any \"special training programmes\", the kids went thru the GEP selection and were successful.

4) girl -> non-GEP -> River Valley High -> studying Medicine in NUS.
5) boy -> non-GEP -> River Valley High -> studied Medicine in NUS, doctor now.
6) boy -> non-GEP -> RI -> accepted into Law in NUS
7) boy -> non-GEP -> RI -> accepted into Medicine in NUS
more to go...

Ask yourself the following questions :-

How many top PSLE scholar come from GEP class each year?
How many top 'O' or 'A' level scholar come from GEP class each year?

Ans : The majority will come from non-GEP.....

If the assessment method is able to detect the top 5% gifted kids in each cohort, then a more decent figure of said 90-95% of them should come from GEP class, but this is not the case.