HVR:

Why want to stress the child till such extend? From what I know these preparatory courses require the children to pass their 'entrance' test and I take this to mean if you passed, you are more likely to get selected for GEP anyway. It is just like olylimpic heats, you eliminate the inferior performers first. So, why waste money. If our children don't have what it take, it will do more harm than good if they are hothoused into GEP.

Sorry, my memory may be a bit fuzzy. But from what I remember, the screening test is more like a usual primary school exam. The screening test can be prepared for, just like any normal exam. However, the selection test is very different in most aspects and cannot be prepared.

GEP students may not score well academically and may have trouble with the screening test, but they may have no problem passing the selection test.

Just saying, not that I'm condoning these preparatory courses in any way. Personally, I think the best form of preparation for both tests is a usually underrated good night's sleep.

Melodies:

Anyone can throw more lights on this? My question is why deprive those pupils from getting EESIS who have t-score in the range of better than 255 (someone told it it abt 255) for average GEPpers to 26O? Also, why there are more priority given to GEPper than mainstream in IP schools (NOT IS). If score 260 (albeit top 3% scorer), you may not be able to get into some of the good schools like RGS, NYG and RI and HCI.

The below is pure speculation.

I think that some GEP students don't score as well as they are expected to in exams. Students in the GEP are usually more intelligent and may be more hardworking than average, but the only real inference is that they are the top 1% who passed the GEP test - not the top 1% in intelligence or academics.

Besides, GEP students also do not study the normal curriculum which is tested in the PSLE. The GEP is designed to encourage self-learning/self-discovery and covers wide areas outside the curriculum. In my time, it was only in primary 6 when we started to do the same revision as other students, and not everyone could cope. It is highly possible that if these students studied the same syllabus in the previous years, they could have fared better. The EESIS system for GEP could be a means to mitigate this discrepancy.

PSLE also tests more hard work than intelligence. GEP students need not necessarily be more hardworking and therefore some may score lower.

However, I think that GE branch thinks that these GEP students are still able to cope with higher ability material. Therefore, the EESIS could be a means of encouragement to continue in the GEP.

LOLMum:

U heard he is giving tuition (which minister's kids???) at the above address....got proof or not?

Agree with this. Don't really like stuff without proof, it makes this place sound like Temasek Review.

Snow Crystal:

Hope you don't find this aunty lor li lor sor (llls) but.... do dust some EQ on when you put across remarks instead of sounding like you are engaging in some debate...For example, in All About GEP thread, your sentence 'I don't believe GEP students should be made to slow down for others in the IP to catch up' sounds a bit offensive to mainstreamers and undermines efforts of the mainstreamers who work so hard to get into IP.

Well, I do believe that is the truth, isn't it?

The advent of IP was based on the premise that just because a student can enter into a \"top\" school, he/she can learn more complicated stuff at the same pace as a GEP student. Besides, by this point, they reasoned, late bloomers would have caught up in academic standards. But as others have pointed out, high ability does not equate to gifted and gifted also does not equate to scoring well.

Perhaps, you do have a point though: From my batch, GEP students tend to fare better than mainstream students in boys schools, but they tend to be similar or even worse off than mainstream students in girls schools when comparing average marks.

2ppaamm:

But when I say that I have taught many students from GEP, and have kids from GEP, you say it is logical fallacy. Don't want to say anymore. Let you win, like my 18-year-old like to say. I'm off! :siam:

No, I just don't think that you are treating me (or others) at the same level as yourself. You are definitely not posting in the tone in which you would treat an equal.

You seem to be using the sentence structure \"I'm a teacher so I know\" etc. But we must recognise that this is not exactly true in all cases.

You don't hang out with GEP kids as peers for 7 years. You don't know what GEP kids confide in their peers. You don't know what goes on in school behind the backs of teachers or away from parents. You probably have heard of, but have never experienced the automatic discrimination of GEP kids by certain others just by having the \"GEP\" label affixed to their class.

What you do know is these: The study habits of GEP kids, the problems of bringing up GEP kids, the problems of teaching GEP kids.

There is no denying that you are able to contribute with your vast experiences, but that does not mean that others can't know more than you in certain niche areas.

2ppaamm:

O, sorry. I didn't know you have not started university yet. Maybe you will find out later when or if you get there. :boogie:

As I have stated in a previous post, personal experiences should not be used as credentials in any form, if it does not help any one. Credentials are immaterial here, if they were indeed necessary, there would be an admission test to this forum!

It does not matter where I am now, if this does not help others on the forum in any way. Where I am or have been only matters if others need help for getting into the same course/university/job.

And it should never be a case of \"You don't know, so don't talk\", but rather, \"You know, so please share more\".

Perhaps the difference lies in how we view the forum. I treat it solely as a place for intellectual discussion, not as a place for me to relax and chit-chat. That is the reason as to why my tone and language are very formal.

Personal experiences should be shared to enlighten others so that they can understand vicariously, not used as credentials to put others down.


Posting something like, "I’m a teacher, I help my students learn via this method, which works well. Parents can also use this method for their kids." is very helpful to everyone on the thread.

However, stating that, "I am a teacher, my students do this. I put them down/ignore them. You are just like them, so grow up and come back next time." isn’t the correct usage of experiences.

I don’t care about credentials. My only point of stating that I was from the GEP is so that I can share my experiences about the GEP and correct common misconceptions. That is my only intention of joining this forum in the first place, since I figured too many unsubstantiated rumours about the GEP were buzzing around.

It is not to demonstrate my level of intelligence and/or academic capabilities and put others down because they are of a different standard, which some posters have already misinterpreted on other threads.

A forum is for sharing opinions, not for personal attacks. It is also a place where people find out more from others who are more knowledgeable, so there is nothing wrong in seeking explanations.

2ppaamm:

Re-read every post again. And then write an essay to tell me how I have attacked the profession, in this format:
1. Topic sentence for each paragraph, write down how I attack the profession, quoting exactly my words and how you interpret that.
2. Support your views for each based upon your understanding.
3. Give a proper conclusion to your thesis.

You should learn to interpret things yourself, since you have clearly stated your credentials. At the tertiary level, we don't spoonfeed.

Remember what I said in a previous post in GEP about some vice-principal saying \"write me a report and get back to me on the findings\" instead of replying to the student during a forum? Déjà vu.

Trying to suppress others with \"credentials\" instead of explaining where I went wrong? I would like to reiterate: This is a forum. Rubbish cleaner, president, housewife from all walks of life are welcome here.

Does that mean as long we aren't university professors, we have no right to talk on equal terms and find out more from each other, because \"At the tertiary level, we don't spoonfeed\"?

Just out of curiosity, do you treat students this way too?

2ppaamm:

ForumWriter:

I must admit ignorance on one part though: I'm still wondering why you are so anti-teacher. Please enlighten me on that one.

Because I am one. You really need to read with comprehension. I really feel very bad telling you this. It is not because you are a match that I choose to ignore you, but it is because you remind me of the many first year undergrads that I teach, and I feel bad putting you down. Educators don't put people down like that.

So, instead of arguing with you, I choose to ignore you, hoping that one day, you will come to your senses yourself. Now is not the time, you are too far away from where I am, young man.

Go re-read everything you post. You misread almost every single thing, and choose to interpret everything as you deem fit. Respect is something we should give each other. I don't detect it, I don't need to respond. I am already giving face typing this out patiently.

I have never attacked you directly and you have never bothered to explain what I have interpreted wrongly.

This post is effectively saying \"You're not fit to post here, get lost and grow up\". I thought you were strongly against your son for being arrogant?

This is a forum, a place to discuss issues in an intellectual manner. Not to attack people and dismiss others' points of view without explanation.

Also, being a teacher is not a reason for one to be anti-teacher. In fact, I would have thought that a person should be proud of his/her profession and defend it - or if there is something lacking, he/she would take affirmative action so that he/she can be proud of the profession. Not simply criticise it.

Snow Crystal:

ForumWriter:

Point proven. 2ppaamm is definitely not from the GEP.

:rotflmao:
Forum Writer, you obviously have no clue who 2ppaamm is to pass this remark......*hint* - go search in this forum a bit of her background and you will be :yikes: :oops: for passing such remark... :spank:
2ppaamm is probably one of the cleverest persons you will ever 'meet' in this forum...no need to be from GEP... She old era one lah no GEP yet :evil: :rotflmao:

I don't see how a person's intellectual background matters actually. And what makes you think that I'm not up to standard?

You misunderstand me when I said that 2ppaamm is not from GEP. I meant that he/she has not experienced and does not understand the culture there firsthand, not that he/she is lacking in the intellectual department.

A student in the \"A\" class, no matter how smart he/she is, will still be more ignorant when compared with a student in the \"Z\" class when discussing on \"Z\" class matters - unless the \"Z\" class student is not paying attention to experiences/surroundings.

At least, I know that I have a personal experience, which will always be more accurate when compared to \"experiences of DS/DD\".