WHAT SHOULD I DO!
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Based on my experience 20 years ago, interest plays a more important role in Maths studies, especially after your kid reaches secondary/jc level, those without interest will struggle to catch up even they may score very well in PSLE Maths…
Of course, you need to make sure she can survive in her PSLE first, but if there is only a 5 marks difference, I suggest you don’t destroy your girl’s interest or she will suffer in future. -
bigmomma123:
Prob sums need EL compreh skills. Try this at home: Get your dd to read aloud a prob sum qn to you. Does she speed read? Does she understand how to interpret the figures given in the qn?my girl is practising papers, learning short cuts but not conventional problem sums.. thats why while she counts faster, and does mental math much better, she still doesn't do well at problem sums.
in a conventional tuition center, she will be forced to practice problem sums, hence improve. this is a math enrichment center which aims to teach other things.. that's why.
I sent my P4 boy to a popular MA centre at the beginning of the year. The class size is 12 children to a tutor. I hv stopped the lessons as my boy came back still not knowing how to solve all prob sums in the worksheet. I find individual adult supervision is necessary for him, at least I can force him to read the qn slower and explain to me how to use those figures in the qn.
P4 prob sums are getting more \"wordy\". An impatient child might find it harder to understand the prob. Hence the need to cultivate the habit of reading the qn at a slower rate and understanding each sentence well before reading the next sentence.
So far, this method works for my impulsive boy. -
Bigmomma, you have to see if this increased in interest can be translated into self-learning. If it can, MOE-aligned training is no longer required.
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I understand your dilemna but if I am you i will put my child’s interest before academic results because results cannot happen without interest. If problem sums is the issue, then talk to the centre to see if they can offer any help. Putting her in Kumon or other drilling centres could be disastrous. You may or may not get the result you want, but it will surely lead her to hate Math again!
My fren’s son was in Kumon and now he hated Kumon and Math. My fren is having a hard time getting her son to do Math. I dare not put my girl in Kumon after that…
Do not sacrifice long term benefits for short term results (if any)… -
Rabbit02:
My fren's son was in Kumon and now he hated Kumon and Math. My fren is having a hard time getting her son to do Math. I dare not put my girl in Kumon after that....
Oh, that's bad !
I find Kumon very taxing for both parents & child. But it does give child a good foundation in Maths. Parents must know when to 'terminate' the programme. Too brief, no impact. Too long, wither interest.
I withdrawn mine in K2. She reached fraction level then. I asked her to take a break from doing worksheets. Spend that amount of time reading storybooks instead, more fruitful in my opinion -
Rabbit02:
I understand your dilemna but if I am you i will put my child's interest before academic results because results cannot happen without interest.
yah i understd im sacrificing long term interest for short term gain - she's p4 now and i wanna make sure she can do well in psle..Rabbit02:
good idea - i will speak to them.. my daughter's weakness is in prob sums.. she's improved alot in mcqs and short ans from math monkey's training.. just that prob sums really are heavy weightage.If problem sums is the issue, then talk to the centre to see if they can offer any help.
im just curious - am i the only one to expect results improvement from enrichment centers? or should i be looking at other things e.g. attitude change instead? -
I think attitude change is priceless. I believe academic improvement will follow. My dd didn’t do that brilliantly in Term 1 when she was in P1 but because she was generally interested in learning, she picked up pace later on.
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bigmomma123:
Bigmomma123,my girl is practising papers, learning short cuts but not conventional problem sums.. thats why while she counts faster, and does mental math much better, she still doesn't do well at problem sums.
in a conventional tuition center, she will be forced to practice problem sums, hence improve. this is a math enrichment center which aims to teach other things.. that's why.
I can understand your dilemma. However, if you really sit down and analyse your gal's issue, it is actually very simple. She is doing foundation maths (to build the strong foundation of computation +-X/) at the Maths Monkey Centre you mentioned. However, at P4 now, she need to progress beyond foundation maths to problem solving. The centre is not equipping her with that skill.
The question you need to ask yourself is \"Is your girl's foundation in computing (calculating) good enough?\" so that you can stop the foundation building and move on to equip her with problem solving skills? Personally, I think this problem solving skill needs to start else you might face more issue in P5.
Hope this helps and good luck! -
Pen88n:
I disagree. Sometimes, problem solving is not about worksheet drilling offered by some tuition centres. It is about analytical ability and I think it can be developed without having to drill a child in this. It should not be looked upon separately.I can understand your dilemma. However, if you really sit down and analyse your gal's issue, it is actually very simple. She is doing foundation maths (to build the strong foundation of computation +-X/) at the Maths Monkey Centre you mentioned. However, at P4 now, she need to progress beyond foundation maths to problem solving. The centre is not equipping her with that skill.
The question you need to ask yourself is \"Is your girl's foundation in computing (calculating) good enough?\" so that you can stop the foundation building and move on to equip her with problem solving skills? Personally, I think this problem solving skill needs to start else you might face more issue in P5.
Hope this helps and good luck! -
Rabbit02:
Rabbit02,
I disagree. Sometimes, problem solving is not about worksheet drilling offered by some tuition centres. It is about analytical ability and I think it can be developed without having to drill a child in this. It should not be looked upon separately.
Please do not be mistaken. I've never at any point in time suggested drilling a kid with worksheet for problem solving. What I have suggested is to move the kid away from a centre that deals only with foundation maths (computing +-x/), to somewhere (be it a centre / individual tutor) that can equip the kid with problem solving skills.
I know Maths Monkey teaches Vedic Maths and their strength is in faster computation based on some properties of numbers. Whether it moves on to teach kids analystical skills for problem solving I'm not sure. In fact, drilling in Maths is never the way to go as it kills interest. It is only thru' understanding, analysing and tryingb out new ways that the kid will develop the love for doing Maths problems and achieve the satisfaction of being able to ultimately solve it.
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