With MOE’s announcement to remove mid-year examinations for the P3 and P5 kids since September 2018, our school’s approach towards assessments seems to have changed significantly.
Lesser tests, Yippie!
I was previously grumbling about the emphasis our school seemed to have placed in the numerous mini-tests that my then P2 and P1 kids had to go through almost every week during the second half of every term, consistently from Term 1 to Term 4. Read my earlier post here.
Now that there is a strong signal from the MOE to reduce the emphasis on grades, my P2 girl had no test during her first term at all! This is a stark difference as compared to my P2 son’s endless tests consisting of spelling, grammar and vocabulary, composition, maths (twice a term) and Chinese test.
Things have improved for my now P3 boy too. I am always more anxious about him, partially because he is a sensitive boy and my first-born. Every step he takes in his growing-up journey is new to me. He only had an English reading test, a Chinese test consisting of 4 chapters, a Chinese show-and-tell test, a series of home-based mini-tests in Koobits totalling 40 questions, and a mini Science bread experiment to carry out at home.
So we really didn’t have to be so stressed up over revising on time to meet our test schedules.
A Leap in the P3’s Requirement
Nonetheless, there is still an increase in the pieces of homework that my P3 son lugs home every day, especially with science as an additional subject. Perhaps the school or the ministry believes that P3 kids are more mature, the tone that the teachers use on the kids seem to be harsher too. The teachers reportedly “expect” the students to study well and score well for their spellings and tests.
I suppose this is part and parcel of growing up. Perhaps my not-so-little nervous and anxious boy needs more reassurance, encouragement and pushing to ease him into the next level.
More Non-academic Works
I am glad to see the P3 kids doing more non-academic work too. They learned Powerpoint and had a week of a cultural program during the Chinese New Year period. In term 2, they will learn to budget.
However, his Chinese Language teacher had to speed up her teaching in order to make time for the cultural program. I heard she often emphasized to the students that they had no time and need to quickly run through the syllabus. It seemed like she was pretty stressed up for a while.
My boy brought home 30+ pages of Chinese homework during the Chinese New Year weekend to complete within three days, excluding his Maths work. We were flabbergasted by the intensity and had to help him break down his tasks into more manageable pieces. Of course, we also compromised our Chinese New Year visiting schedule so that he had the time and space to finish his work. Although it was a one-off event, our experience was unforgettable.
I wrote an Instagram post on this.
I do empathise with the teacher. She needs to complete her syllabus on time and yet at the same set aside more blocks of time to carry other non-academic activities. She has been asked to do more though she is given the same resources, i.e. time. The kids are also exposed to more, which is excellent. But they have to learn the same syllabus within lesser time.
Does this approach benefit the children? Will any child be left behind?
I love the contents in the Chinese textbook, but it seems that the teachers have to run through it hastily. Is there sufficient time for the students to explore, ask questions and discuss? Especially so when this is a mother-tongue textbook. Or are they merely memorising the words to achieve a certain milestone at the end of the academic year?
I do not wish to approach the teacher to make any changes because she already has too many plates to handle. And many things are out of her control. But I will continuously seek to understand her intention behind her certain actions to facilitate my child in his learning journey.
No Test No tuition doesn’t mean all play
My children’s results are nothing to scream about. While many parents in their classes are already arranging for extra coaching for their children’s studies, my kids’ studies are supervised solely by yours truly. Since the children are not going for tuition, we revise bite size daily, depending on the load from their homework every afternoon.
The contents in the lower primary level can be quite “
Those guidebooks are truly useful for me. Firstly, I didn’t learn Mathematics modelling in my primary school days. That was in the eighties. I believe modelling was introduced to the Mathematics syllabus in the nineties. In fact, I have recently spent an hour to practice modelling for problem sums relating the 4 basic operations on whole numbers. I want to make sure that my steps align with what the school teaches.
Secondly, the information in the Science textbook is so basic that we could not answer many of the questions in the school worksheets as well as assessment books. It was a great refreshment for me. And I learn new things too – think fungi vs bacteria.
Benefits of no tuition
I am not sure how much I can contribute to my kids’ learning, but I will try for as long as I can, and as long as it shows results. It is a worthwhile undertaking for me.
Not only I can save the cost of sending 4 children to tuition classes, but the time that I spend with them also promotes bonding. Anyway, my kids don’t want to go for tuition. They prefer my presence and my input for now.
Further, there is no need to spend time commuting to and fro tuition centres and walk around the shopping malls while waiting for their classes to end. Imagine dragging 3 to 4 kids with me, finding a table in the crowded MacDonald every week.
Refreshing my knowledge of things learned many moons ago will definitely benefit my own brains too.
That’s about it. Supporting my kids’ learning journey is a huge undertaking and I am trying my best. Not everyone has the privilege, time and ability to be there to witness their children’s growth, share the experience and excitement. I better appreciate and relish what I have now!
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