Makes my day! :rotflmao:
Thank you for posting!
Posts made by wwcookie
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RE: Refreshing answers by desperate students
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RE: Important tips for students who are weak in essay writing
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your tips once again! I was just embarking on my plan to guide my son in his writing and wondering how to go about it when I chanced upon your first article about a month ago. Your method is very logical and easy to apply. One month on, he has indeed improved! Thank you very much! -
RE: Important tips for students who are weak in essay writing
Hi Amanda,
Thanks so much for sharing these tips. I was just embarking on a plan to guide my boy in composition writing after I realised just how bad his writing is, and then I stumbled upon your post which is like a godsend to me! Could you elaborate more on point 2 when you have the time? Thanks a lot! -
RE: All About GEP
DecJan:
I think answer is 2 - box. Cos crate and box has similar meaning, and box and hit also has similar meaning.
Hi,DaddyPapa:
Hi all I am a newbie here :lol:
Would like to share a GA question from my DD.
Crate ________ Hit
1) Punch
2) Box
3) ??? she forgotten
my dd said this is an \"example\" qn to show the children how to approach the questions. It is not one of the questions that they were required to do. -
RE: All About GEP
sakura_2009:
OIC..must be my own perception then, coz those students i know of who make it to round 2 are already in the best 2 classes in their respective schools. Maybe they were already quite strong in English and Maths to begin with...
It's not true cos best 2 classes include CL in their score. So some kids who are strong in English and Maths may not be in best 2 classes cos of their poor CL. But they can get through 1st round cos of their strong English and Maths. -
RE: All About GEP
applepie:
My son's memory not good too - he can't remember any of the questions - but he did tell me one of the questions has the pattern divide by 2, minus 2, divide by 2, minus 2... i think he should be talking abt this one..Hi mrsseah
At least your daughter can remember the 50 in the number pattern question, this shows her memory is not too bad after all. :lol:
Actuali there r a couple of other pattern questions, however I m not sure how to post the diagrams :lol:
Btw, did ur kids say how many questions are in the papers? Just checking to see if my son hasn't missed out answering any questions... heee.. -
RE: All About GEP
Can I just ask those mommies and daddies who have been thru this before - do all the kids sitting for GEP selection test get to know their results/scores regardless of whether they are selected??
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RE: All About GEP
fruitplus:
Shouldn't all classes be conducted in this manner? GEP or otherwise? I'm sure all children will benefit from such creative ways of teaching, not just the gifted ones. MOE should strive to nurture creative and confident children, regardless of whether they are in the top 1% or not, and not just exam-smart children.
By the way, the GEP teachers are very well-trained and the students are encouraged to ask questions and participate actively in class discussions. Due to small class size, the teachers know every students very well. They can pinpoint their weakness very easily and the teacher/student rapport is really very good.
So, it is a very different style of teaching compared to mainstream class. When my son was in P4, I helped in Parent support group and I found out 1st hand that they are very 'nosy' (they asked so many questions!!!), very confident, very cheeky, compared to mainstream class. I personally think that it is very difficult to teach such classes, and the teachers are all great.
Oh, after a year in GEP class, my son became more 'cunning', more vocal, and more cheeky. He always tries to find 'loop-hole' in what I said, he is not as obedient as before. Well, I guess that is how it goes...
I just remembered 1 of the Interesting (and humorous) Maths worksheet he did in P4. The kids loved it!!! They get to count M&Ms, then did some groupings and answered some observations. I remembered Instruction 1 said: Open the M&Ms, BUT DO NOT EAT THEM. The last instruction on the worksheet said: NOW YOU CAN EAT THE M&Ms!
Don't you think it is a very enjoyable way to learn Maths??! My daughter from mainstream was so envious!!
I almost forgot. The other things that the kids would learn is : Filing.
There is no textbooks for English, Maths, Science and Social Studies, just lots and lots of worksheets. The kids are given content page every term, they have to file the worksheets and test papers accordingly. The filing contributes to 10% (I think) in the final results.
I think this is to encourage the kid to be organised and systematic. -
RE: All About GEP
jtoh:
Hi jtoh,Hi wwcookie.
I agree with you on points 2 & 3. I am definitely against the idea of prepping a child for GEP tests. But despite MOE's urging for parents not to prep their kids, and parents of current GEP students who warn against it, kiasu parents will continue to do so. A mentality of not wanting to lose out I suppose.
On point 2, I feel that parents of gifted children should also try to engage their children on their own and not be that reliant on MOE.
On point 1, yes, everything hinges on the dates of the tests, but that's also the case with other IQ tests and the Mensa test too.
As to why children who qualified for Mensa did not qualify for GEP, I can only speculate. One, of course, is that the GEP and Mensa tests test for different abilities. The GEP test is broader as it includes Math and English components in addition to the General Paper. Second, a child who qualifies for Mensa at age 4 may not qualify for it again at age 9 if tested again.
On point 1, yes all test results are based on the child's performance that day. But the purpose of the GEP test is to identify these children and put them into a program specially tailored for their needs. So whether the 'gifted' child gets a chance to go into a program that suits his learning needs for the next 3 years hinges SOLELY on his performance on the dates of the tests. This is mightily unfair cos if the child did not do well for whatever reasons on those dates, he will be 'left out' of the program which in the first place is designed with him in mind. Even if it's one case, the GEP department will have failed in its aim - to identify such children and cater to their needs. Maybe a better way of identifying such children is through identification by trained teachers in their classes, through observation and various discrete tests, in addition to the nationwide tests conducted at P3. Afterall, schools identify children with learning difficulties in the same way too - through teacher observation.
On point 2, yes parents have a responsibility to find enriching activities for their 'gifted' child. However, since the MOE aims to cater to the different learning needs of all children, why wait till P4 to cater to this group of children? Afterall, the schools don't wait till P4 to cater to children with learning difficulties - they start straightaway from P1 onwards if they are identified to be so. Same case should apply for the other end of the spectrum - 'gifted' kids are considered 'special needs' too. By waiting until they are P3 to identify them, some would have been underachieving by then as not all parents will have the resources or knowledge to fully engage them intellectually.
Yes, intelligence level do decrease if the brain is not stimulated properly to its full capacity. That's why a child's intelligence level at 4 may be higher than when he is next tested at 9 if he is not challenged intellectually in the years in between. That's why MOE should identify these children as early as possible and cater to their learning needs instead of waiting till P4. 'Giftedness' is inborn - they can be identified at very early ages. There is no need to wait till the child is 9 to see it manifest. However, 'giftedness' can be lost if the brain is not properly challenged. Therefore, for some of these children, it may be too late when MOE comes around to identify them at age 9 as they would have lost their 'giftedness' by then. -
RE: All About GEP
Sorry, just sidetrack a bit…
I do know of some Mensan children who were not selected for the program. Why?? If they are Mensa members, they must be intellectually ‘gifted’, no? Isn’t the GEP program catered for such children?
I feel the GEP selection process has some major flaws:
1. Everything hinges on the child’s performance on the screening and selection test days.
2. Some intellectually ‘gifted’ children would have started underachieving by the time they sit for the test in P3, as they would have been subjected to 3 years of unchallenging lessons, esp so if they are not in the ‘best’ classes. Hence, they will not do well in the tests when MOE comes around to identify them.
3. By making the tests known, some kiasu parents will be tempted to prepare their children for the tests, and some of these children might actually get in, and suffer. And deprive some other children whom the program is really catered for, a place in the program.