IMHO, Road trips and National Parks is one of the best ways to experience USA. I did it with my then 4 & 6 year-old. Took them out from pre-school for a trip in September.


Cheers.

Nebbermind:

Looks like they just pull the plug on this in the usa. We are starting to see the scary part of this innovation.

Where did you read about this?

I believe only the firearms design was pulled off the web (but not before it was downloaded over 100,000 times). 3D printing should be here to stay.

rawafish:

Thanks Mashy.
I should clarify - enrichment classes I meant classes like \"I can read\", \"Berries\", \"Learning Lab\" those academic ones.

My girl is taking ballet and piano classes, both she asked for. And swimming and blading. Classes that parents say are \"useless\". Oh well. Most importantly she enjoys them.

I do try to teach at home. Randomly got a P1 book and tried to be a kiasu parent. Taught her number bonds, which she understood almost immediately. Should I teach her more?

I chose this preschool because it is the least academic one that I could find, no spelling, no ting xie, no homework.. maybe I'm not even sure what I want for her? I didn't want the kids to have to slog for school so early in their lives, to enjoy their childhood, but it turns out they (my son as well) feel underchallenged. (The difference is my son LOVES school, LOVES his friends, and doesn't mind doing \"too easy\" things that he already knows)

Just my 2cts worth.

Go easy on the P1 books, no point doing it now, since it sounds like she's going to breeze through even if she will be learning them only when in P1, it'll keep them relatively interested in school (to learn something new) rather than being bored because they already know it.

More importantly to explore things out of academic curriculum
1. allow her to explore the world around, go for nature walks/talks the guides share their knowledge, no tests, just let her listen and learn on her own. Don't expect the kid to regurgitate out what was spoken, but it does stay in the head somewhere, waiting to be pulled out later
2. Read. Read. Read. She likes to read, let her read. Children can find out things that they really like through reading various books. What is she reading now? With a good skill in reading, they can study on their own easier
3. Travel, if finances allow, if it's in your blood (to travel on your own), and your child can and not too shy to speak. Go to places where interaction with people. I prefer Youth Hostels, B&Bs, where my children gets to interact with the locals or fellow travelers.

Somethings just can't be taught and must be experienced, and what is learnt just cannot be quantified, so do not worry about what you think they actually learnt through those experiences.

Cheers.

Here's a site for the Emotional Needs of a Gifted Child


http://www.sengifted.org/

Cheers.

teddy:

...

So, don't assume that you are exempted and not expected to do well in PSLE for sec placement

I can speak for myself that that is not what I assume as a parent. What some of the replies to you here is, do not expect them to be all going for 260++ scores, that should not be the focus. So correct me if I'm wrong if this is not your expectation.

I don't think many of the parents here think that they are 'exempted' either, this seems to me like a misconception, I hope not everyone thinks so either (either in GEP or in mainstream).

Cheers.

teddy:

If moe thinks that they don't need to take psle because they have a different path of education, they can always exempt them like they created the gep program for these gep kids. There is no reason that these kids can't do well in psle, that's why moe still want these gep kids to take psle.

I'm not a policy maker, but I don't believe that it would be 'easy' to just take them out of the PSLE test, I shan't comment on what might be if we take them out of the PSLE or not. However the original discussion here was what are the expectations of their scores, and why they 'must' be scoring 260+ etc., which I feel is not a right way to look at the program, as mentioned, it's not only about the scores. I leave it at that that we don't see this the same way.

teddy:

Do you know that moe wanted them to score at least 250 now in order to get eesis scholarship. I think this is a very easy target for them as 10% p6 kids can make it. They don't have this criteria in the past as long as they maintained their gep status n get into IS school. Why now?

It's fair enough to think that a lot of the GEP students can achieve this, why now? To be honest, I do not know the reason(s). And it should not take away the fact that these students are still in the program for reasons being on their ability, even if they do not meet this score.

It is not a good idea to get hung up on scores that must be achieved just because someone is in a program. As mentioned by others in the thread, they should not be expected to be out-scoring in the PSLE, they are mostly expected to do well, but it's not about the PSLE score, but what they are able to learn during these 3 years.

teddy:

Based on my observation, psle exams have been drastically changed recently to Have many difficult questions( those you can't prep) which are cater for them. Those will be too challeging for mainstreamers to tackle unless those kids have attended maths olympaid.

And this is where one of the concern is, it all boils down to PSLE, and the questions, and the syllabus, and now the need to review the PSLE . No matter what, it is still tied to a restrictive assessment, that is not entirely fair.

What do we say about a student who does alright/so-so for the SAs, but shines for those tests from other sources, and obviously did not study for those?

teddy:

I don't deny that every kid needs help. You sound like gep needs a lot helps, not just these kids needs help, majority mainstreamers need help
too!

Everyone needs help, but there is a general concern that many people take it that GEP students don't need help, so I mentioned it. And yes, they do need special help.

It's the form of help meted out to them that needs to be different, and I'm not necessary talking academically.

I leave this discussion at this point, but as mentioned, it's not all about the points they score in PSLE, is also about the education they receive. Not that the points don't matter, but it's not only the points that matter.

So if there's a question being raised (today) about how much the GEP students score, and statistically how 'successful' they are in reaching the top tertiary institutions, the one who asked that question may just be missing the point about GEP education (or at the very least, what I perceive it should be).

This was a good discussion, by the way, I hope you see it (the discussion) the same way.

Cheers.

teddy:

The fact is MOE insisted all gep kids to take psle, this explain all! If there is no intention for gep kids to score well in psle, then why bother to ask gep kids to take psle exams?

Please do not think that psle exams is about the drilling. The fact is many gep kids can't answer those psle questions are those high order thinking questions which mainstreamers obviously find difficult to answer.
So, don't say gep kids are not expected to do well. They have all to take to do well in psle than mainstreamers :please:

The fact is, MOE cannot just exempt them from PSLE just like that, period. They are not asked to take the PSLE.

The point is, for GEP, scoring in PSLE is not the main target, and it shouldn't be. But it doesn't mean they can never score the highest, but it should not be the main focus of their Primary education years.

I would think most of them can breeze through considering the amount of effort they put in for PSLE, and (my guess) probably at least 30-40% of the things they do and learn in the 3 years were never catered to answer any form of questions in PSLE. Perhaps, if mentally conditioned to just focus on PSLE topics, can likely be the top scorers, but that's not the whole point, now, is it?

On the other hand, mainstream education have something to get out of the GEP program (and the likes), to incorporate the habit of learning out of exam scope, find the joy in getting an education, and take a final exam, where it's not only about the points that will matter where they go in their next level of education.

Having said this, I'm not fully in agreement to what is being taught in the scheme, but is a decent attempt at helping these children. Yes, they need help.

It's not all about the scores.

If it is about how high is the PSLE score that we are concerned when it comes to GEP, then perhaps we are missing the whole point of education.


This is perhaps where DSA comes in, because these children are not expected to score the highest all the time in all areas, but are expected to do relatively ok, getting into a higher education centre (sec schools) of choice will not be solely based on points. It’s not that the points totally don’t matter, but it is always known that it’s not only the points that matter.

GEP students generally do not respond well to drilling, and repeated practice just so they can answer questions quicker, better, and score. But given a chance to absorb new material, stretch their minds, and broaden their scope that they spring into live. We should not be studying only on the scope that will be tested, and narrow the minds to strict borders of what is maths/science/arts/language etc, but should give the chance for a student to expand. True, some of the things that is taught, or learnt through the years may never be tested, but taking exams is not the point here now, is it?

We have often come to the conclusion (and rightfully so), what we study in school are hardly applied in work/life etc, but how did it become this way? We have been so caught up with the paper chase, we lose the idea of getting an education. So engrossed in being the fastest, most efficient, we missed out on the advantage we get if we step back sit back and think and see through another view, that we can apply what we have learnt, not what we did in the tests. There’s a physical limit to how productive we can be, and an age limit to how long we can sustain the pace, and once we reach that limit, as an individual, as a team, as an organisation, as a population, then what? How do we move forward besides being faster, more efficient in doing the same thing, to be more ‘productive’?

All the ideas about revising PSLE, cannot be still about the examinations, otherwise, no matter how the examinations are changed, it will still boil down to scores, drilling and in bad situation, streaming to those who qualify to take more advanced papers, or easier papers.

If it is still about the examinations and scores, the teachers cannot stop giving so much revisions papers and homework, schools cannot stop trying to churn out the highest scorers, parents would not venture out by giving the child the chance to explore out of scope. And all the talk of revising PSLE will still boil down to the same things, and maybe even end up in a worse situation.

–

Melodies:

Strange phenomenon indeed!


In western world, they have more to worry if their kid needs a 'gifted' education. \"Gifted\" has a different meaning for them. Many parents of gifted find that it is the social-emotional aspect of their children's lives that needs support and these gifted students are statistically somewhat more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disability such as bipolar disorder and to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education

In Singapore, most people can't help to want their children to be gifted and invited for the \"gifted\" education program.

I presume that there is a common misconception that only those in the academic best will be in the program, thus the 'preparatory classes' etc.

If a child does well through drilling and extra classes, they would do just as well (if not better) being in the mainstream.

Cheers.

tayv:

Hi all,


Sorry to pour cold water.

The choice is pretty obvious. If a child got thru the second round, it is more than certain that his/her parents would want to accept the GEP offer. If not, why let the kid go thru the GEP Selection Test?

Benefit of the doubt to them that perhaps they have not fully decided, and there is a chance they may accept, while in the meantime find out exactly what it means to be 'gifted' (google for: asynchronous development), what is the program about, and how it would help the child. Bear in mind that it will not benefit every child, and it is the duty of the parent to understand their own child, and come to a decision if the child will fit better in that environment.

tayv:

I don't think many has the mindset to use GEP Selection Test solely as a means to ascertain their kids' intellectual ability versus the whole nation standard.

It's not solely about the intellectual ability, but coming to understand the classification of the ability, these are not necessarily strongest in all the students, but they exercise intellectual maturity to think and extrapolate new ideas and thoughts.

tayv:

The question is not whether to accept or not to accept when selected. The real question is whether would my kid be branded as \"gifted\"?

'gifted', IMHO, is a bad choice of word, and this has led many into thinking it is all about academic results and success. IMO, it's about how a child classified in this category may not fit in the mainstream, and will benefit with different way of educating. A good number of them do have problem fitting in the mainstream.

tayv:

SA 2 exams would have been over for most of the Pri 3 kids, so it is time for all, parents and kids to relax abit rather than to ponder what to do when my kid is selected. When lucky stars fall, most will know what to do.

The program is not a one size fit all, and being in this category may, for some parents, help to explain the 'issues' their child has in school. And it may well be time to ponder about whether the program can help, if they wish to seek another path, or stay as it is and try to work things out.

Naturally, this child would likely have some good idea what it means, and should also be consulted and have a say in the final decision.

To me, it's not about 'lucky stars', and it's never meant to be a 'cream of the crop' classification. These children will trip and fall just like any other.

Cheers.