Sept P5 Math Revision Class Conducted by Ex-Math HOD

P5 Math Revision Class Conducted by experienced ex-Math HOD Profile of Teacher: - A dedicated ex-Math HOD with more than 10 years of teaching experience.  - Has taught the crème P6 classes for many years, producing stellar results. In 2011, 97.5% of the pupils from the top P6 class in a neighbourhood school achieved A* in Math.  - Has conducted numerous workshops for parents in school.  - Has also conducted sharing at cluster, zonal and national levels.  - Second Upper Honours Bachelor in Business Administration - Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NIE - Alumna of Raffles Junior College and Raffles Girls' Secondary Details of P5 Math Holiday Programme: 9-hour session  3 Sept (Mon) 9 am to 12 pm 4 Sept (Tue) 9 am to 12 pm 6 Sept (Thur) 1 pm to 4 pm Course Fees: $225 Max group size: 10 to 12 pupils  PSLE Trend: In addition to modelling, thinking skills and heuristics play a crucial role in solving the higher order questions in the PSLE Mathematics examination. These questions may not necessarily be found in just Section C! Increasingly, questions involving thinking skills such as identifying patterns / relationships and spatial visualisation, have surfaced. Data analysis is another important skill that the pupils need. Questions involving data analysis have increasingly been more applicable to real life situations (e.g. average questions). Objectives of P5 Math Holiday Programme: In this P5 Maths holiday programme, we aim to teach your child effective strategies to solve higher-order questions.  Modelling alone may be a limitation to the repertoire of strategies that your child can use. Algebraic manipulation will be taught in a clear and simplified tabulation method. This is to help your child solve challenging questions when modelling is not as straight forward.  At the end of the workshop, we hope that your child will not see Mathematics topics or questions in isolation. Many of the topics are interlinked. It is important to understand the strategies in Mathematics and identify the correct strategies to be used for each question. This is possible if pupils learn how to categorize the questions. Topics covered: Percentage Average (Higher order questions) Volume  Rate Registration If you are keen to enrol your child in the programme, please send us an sms (92781770) or email (serenagreenhouse@gmail.com). We will then contact you to finalise the details and make arrangement for you to go to the centre to make payment. Venue: Serena's Greenhouse Learning Centre Blk 501 Jurong West St 51 #03-263

Never Stop Learning

Never stop learning. This applies to everyone. 

Source: http://www.facebook.com/actionforhappiness

Food for thought: PSLE Oral 2012

The PSLE Oral Exam is finally over. The pictures are as follow:

EL Day 1 
Picture Discussion: Story-telling session in the classroom
Conversation: Tell me about your happiest moment

EL Day 2 
Picture Discussion: Charity Food Fair
Conversation: Tell me about a school event

CL Day 1
Picture Discussion: Scene of a Road
Conversation: What are the school rules you like and dislike the most?

CL Day 2
Picture Discussion: Old Folks' Home
Conversation: Tell me about a lesson learnt

Some parents commented in the Kiasuparents forum that children cried while leaving the examination room after their Chinese Oral Examination. I am not sure if it is true but here's some food for thought:

For the PSLE English Oral Examination, it's true that the topics are not the usual ones that the kiddos expect. Based on past year trends, the topics are usually more related to the picture discussion. Hence pupils were slightly caught off guard.

However, most of my tutees were able to think on their feet and applied the strategies taught to initiate and introduce ideas related to the conversation topic. I was impressed when some of them related what they had said during the examination. I am proud of them.

If a topic is unexpected, the child should still be able to apply the strategies and techniques taught to elaborate on the topic and engage the examiners.

Verifying rumours

Yesterday, a few family members and friends told me, at different times of the day, a rumour that they had heard. A famous and well-respected politician was critically ill or had passed away and the news was kept under wraps as National Day was round the corner. Some of my friends told me that the rumours seemed true as many people were talking about it even on Facebook and other social media.

I was doubtful about the reliability of the rumours. However, I was greatly relieved when I saw the politician at the NDP parade.

A few of my tuition kids also told me this morning that they had heard about the rumour via Facebook or from their family members and friends. I told the kids that they should not believe in rumours that have not been verified.

From this incident, we could see how potent social media is when it comes to the dissemination of official or unverified news. When enough people talk about it, what is not true will seem true. This incident is a good opportunity for parents to talk about the importance of verifying rumours.

Questions that we can discuss with the kids:
- Should we believe in rumours?
- What are some consequences of believing in unverified rumours?

Orchid Mantis Catching A Fly

The body shape and colour of the orchid mantis allows it to blend in with the orchid it is on and camouflages it. This enables it to attack and feed on the insect that flies past the orchid so as to feed on the nectar.

Allowing your child to make decisions

I like the way one of my friends gives her five-year-old child the opportunity to make choices and decisions. Some of you may be wondering, “Are you sure a five-year-old kid can make decisions?”

Well, if there are too many choices, it is possible that the child will have difficulty in making a decision. Parents need to help children learn how to make choices and decisions instead of making decisions for them all the time.

How do we go about doing it? Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and author of Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who is Bright, Bored, and Having Problems at School, suggests that parents use a technique called structured choices. What is a structured choice? It is when we give a child a choice of two or three things. For example, my friend knows what she wants her child to do and gives her child one of her predetermined choices.

For example, my friend will ask her child, “Do you want to read a book or paint a picture?” My friend is fine if her child chooses either option for her leisure time. Mummy has control and kid has control. There is no power struggle between mummy and kid.

If you find that your child does not know how to manage his or her time, help him or her by planning a daily timetable together. Within the structured time of completing his or her homework, let your child make a decision. For example, you can ask your child, “Do you want to complete the Math worksheet first or do the Science project first?”

If you want your child to clean up the mess in the room before you leave for your family outing on weekends, you can ask your child, “Before we can leave, your room needs to be cleaned up. Do you want to start with the toys on the floor or clear the top of your desk?”

Decision making is a skill that needs to be learned as all of us have to make decisions in our lives. What are the advantages of decision making?

• It allows the kids to gain more confidence and develop self-esteem. 
• It shows that we trust our kids.
• The conversations surrounding decision-making leads to a stronger bond between the parents and the child.

You must also let the kids know that choices have consequences. Their mistakes are their own and their successes are their own.

“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.”
~ Unknown

If young children are given the opportunity to make mistakes and have successes, as they grow older, they will be better able to make good choices instead of just doing what everyone else is doing.

“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.”

~ Chinese Proverb

Attitude: the little thing that makes a difference

Came across this article as my friend has linked this in his Facebook. A good read for parents and educators. I fully agree with what is mentioned in the article - Attitude: the little thing that makes a difference.

http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/2012/07/23/attitude-the-little-thing-that-makes-a-big-difference/