phtthp\" post_id=\"2007319\" time=\"1607486450\" user_id=\"35251:

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2007316\" time=\"1607485981\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2007316 time=1607485981 user_id=53606][quote=\"sky minecrafter\" post_id=2007315 time=1607485560 user_id=130531]OT: 've also switched to paying for (pri) tuition fees monthly...

Same here, sky! I've changed to all 1-1 home tuition. They charge end of the month. One of them asks for PayNow after each lesson. No deposits required. Less commitment locked up there.[/quote]

Both of you paid up-front at beginning of the month for 4 lessons at one shot,

or

paid per lesson if the Tuition Tr show up at your place ?
If teacher didn't show up for tuition at your house, then don't pay ? Or is it via online zoom tuition ?[/quote]As a tutor and from my personal experience, this is my feedback.
If the tutor goes to your place, you pay only after the lessons. Usually if once a week lesson, then is pay after 4 lessons and if twice a week, pay after 8 lessons. Do not pay in advance. I have heard of tutors running away after collecting payment. One tutor even borrowed money from his student (he was an overseas student staying in a guardian's place and in charge of his own finance) and disappeared. If a tutor insisted on advance payment, my advice is not to engage him or her.

If you go to the tutor's place, then you pay in advance. I had a student whose father didn't pay me and disappeared when he was supposed to pay for the lessons at the end of the month.

From what I have gathered speaking to teachers and students (my own children and their teachers included), it depends on different schools and what the teachers deem fit.


Normal Technical stream
I tutored a sec 1 student from this stream years ago. The syllabus was similar to the P4 level.

NA stream
The syllabus is similar to Express stream except that it is taught at a slower pace. The students will sit for the Normal level in sec 4 and the better performers will proceed to take O levels in sec 5. In other words, they are given an extra year to prepare for their O levels. I was told by a teacher that it is more tough on a student in a NA stream than one who goes to the Express stream. Therefore, if your child is able to go to the Express stream it is better than opting for the NA stream. However, if the child is in a NA stream in a band 1 school, their progress is comparable to their peers in the Express stream in a band 2 school. I have heard of students who though made it to the Express stream in a band 2 school with their PSLE score, chose to go to the NA stream in a band 1 school. However, to be able to be transferred to the Express stream after their sec 1 final exams is not easy as only the top performers will be able to make it bearing in mind that the standard is high. If the same student goes to the NA stream in a band 2 school, the chances of being transferred to the Express stream is higher as the standard is lower compared to a band 1 school. By standard, I mean the pace of teaching as the syllabus is basically the same for all schools.

Express stream
Though students made it to the Express stream, the gap between the top scorers and the average scorers is very wide. For students in a band 1 school, they are taught at a faster pace and even cover some topics beyond their level for example, topics for sec 2 are taught near the end of sec 1 after the syllabus for sec 1 is completed. For a band 2 school, teachers do spend time going over topics that were learnt in primary school if the students are weak in them. Similarly for NA stream, the teachers may do the same. This is to better prepare them for their sec school syllabus.

I use band 1 and band 2 for easy illustration. Different schools have their own different teaching methods and practice.

For subject combinations, it depends on whether the subjects are offered by the schools and if there are enough students to form a class. If a student is deemed able, he will be allowed to offer additional subjects for O levels. Therefore, your child may not be able to offer the subjects he like for his sec 2 streaming and even have to take those that he doesn’t like.

I can only say that my DS3 didn’t have to buy any textbook as his school teachers will provide them with notes complied as textbooks. These notes are paid for at the beginning of each school year. For textbooks, if you want to save a bomb, you can go to BBC to get second hand ones which can cost half of the new ones. That is if your child doesn’t mind using used books. The store also sells new textbooks and sometimes you can even get new ones at a cheaper price. These are new books that are left too long on the shelves and grossed over by fussy buyers. You may also sell your used textbooks to them.

For 10 years series, the schools will be using them to prepare your child for their exams. If your child has tuition, the tutor will use them too.

As my DSs don’t have tuition and I only tutor primary school students, I am not familiar with sec school syllabus except for the subjects offered.

Haro\" post_id=\"1997961\" time=\"1602037105\" user_id=\"186154:

For mosquito qn, at first DS put “ layer of oil prevent oxygen/air from reaching the breathing tube hence cannot survive”. Then he cancelled it and put layer of oil prevent mosquito from settling on the surface and laying eggs on it. He thought trick qn cannot have simple answer. Sigh. Do u think both are acceptable ?

His first answer is correct and he shouldn't have changed it. The layer of oil acts as a barrier between the water surface and atmospheric air which the larva needed to survive. That is why it is easier to get rid of them when they are young instead of when they become adults as they would be more mobile, making it more difficult to control their population. This would be the answer for another question in this context.

blur_mum\" post_id=\"1997276\" time=\"1601676582\" user_id=\"14009:

one of the tuition agency posted the qns and answer to psle 2020.
https://www.facebook.com/56622160003/posts/10164162028945004/

https://www.facebook.com/mathsheuristics/videos/804504886969999/

I find that the explanation or method given is too long and a little complicated in the videos.
For the triangle question. For example, though my method to solve is the same, my explanation will be:
add the extra 54 cm to the width of the rectangle which is 2 X 15 = 30cm. Therefore, total length of all the sides will be 54 + 30 = 84 cm (which will be the length of the 12 sides of the cut paper). I ignore the length of the rectangle as the perimeter of the cut paper includes the 2 original lengths. As there are 12 sides of the triangles, take 84 divide by 12 = 7 which is the length of 1 side of the triangle. As there are 2 sides of the triangle, total is 2 x 7 = 14 plus the 5 cm at the base = 19 cm.
I find that sometimes it's better to use the simplest explanation to teach students instead of making it too technical which may hinder their understanding especially for weaker students. That's why I emphasize process thinking skills and how to apply information given to solve them.

BTW, there is a flaw with this question. If we use Pythagoras' theorem, the side of the triangle is 6.87cm based on the area of a triangle is 16cm2. For any question set, regardless of whichever methods used, the answer must be the same. Hopefully MOE will realize this and not penalize students using PT to solve.

For high ability students, they are allowed to use topics taught in sec school to solve such as simultaneous equations instead of models. For PSLE, as long as the students have the ability, they are allowed to apply them. Of course, if I deem my students wouldn't be able to master any higher order methods, I won't teach them. Having said that, I do have pri 4 students who are very good in factorization when I teach them Factors.

phtthp\" post_id=\"1997464\" time=\"1601816377\" user_id=\"35251:

tutormum\" post_id=\"1997462\" time=\"1601815965\" user_id=\"12573:

[quote=Fastblade post_id=1997301 time=1601691783 user_id=188704]It is definitely not 91, cos they started with Star so the pattern must follow accordingly, and not like the tuition. So it is not 91

I agree cos it's not fair for the students as the question is rather ambiguous to begin with. There is no mentioning that the tape can be cut from different points and it would be assumed that the starting point of the tape is what is shown in the diagram i.e. from S S H...... Answer would be 89 and 90, setting those students who were able to deduce 89 as another possible answer apart. That's how they differentiate the A and A* students.

Yes, agree with Fastblade and tutormom.

In fact, during PSLE Maths tense exam atmosphere, if student can think of 89, apart from 90, is very, very good already.

However, this being a 2 mark question, may not separate A from an A * student,
unless it is a heavy weighted 5 marks question,

because
2 marks difference, is too small, in that

If you write down 90 one answer, get 1 mark.

If write down 89 and 90, get 2 marks (full marks)[/quote]No lah, I was just using this question as an example on how questions are set to differentiate the students. During DS3's time, I was told that at least there were a few students in his school who managed to get the correct answer to a very difficult question while in some schools, none of the students got it correct. DS3 was very sure that he had lost at least 8 marks for his Maths papers but in the end still got that A*. There is a bell curve and it depends on the overall performance of other students besides your own.

Imami\" post_id=\"1997314\" time=\"1601699490\" user_id=\"56961:

678Yess\" post_id=\"1997280\" time=\"1601678787\" user_id=\"7364:

When so many people said that maths paper is easy... it worried me. As tolerance towards carelessness will be zero... which is not good for those that were strong in the subject but, not careful. I wondered, which subject is the will be the intentional differentiation subject ... I hope it will not an disadvantage to my ds.

I know right... The parents around me are mostly happy with the easier papers but I am worried (even though we should not be worried). The part in bold was what an experienced tutor told me earlier this year, after MOE announced the reduced syllabus.

Our kids just have to brave on, come what may.

It's true that tolerance towards carelessness will be lesser than a difficult paper but there is the bell curve. Most students are careless especially during a stressful situation like an exam. Even if the raw score may be low due to marks being deducted, but if most students did the same thing like not putting a comma where one is needed, there isn't much difference actually in terms of overall performance. If it is a difficult question, that comma will be overlooked. Those who are good in the subject will be able to complete the easy papers without much difficulty and have lots of time to check. That's why I always emphasize that students always check and double check their papers before handing in.

Fastblade\" post_id=\"1997301\" time=\"1601691783\" user_id=\"188704:

It is definitely not 91, cos they started with Star so the pattern must follow accordingly, and not like the tuition. So it is not 91

I agree cos it's not fair for the students as the question is rather ambiguous to begin with. There is no mentioning that the tape can be cut from different points and it would be assumed that the starting point of the tape is what is shown in the diagram i.e. from S S H...... Answer would be 89 and 90, setting those students who were able to deduce 89 as another possible answer apart. That's how they differentiate the A and A* students.

xiaomingiconic\" post_id=\"1997237\" time=\"1601644245\" user_id=\"188698:

yummers\" post_id=\"1997015\" time=\"1601616869\" user_id=\"188678:

My friend said that the question asked for possible numbers, but I only put 90. He could be wrong, but can I still get one mark if that is the case?

idk, maybe he could because his method should've been correct if he got 90 but the answer is actually 89 and 90 because in one group of stars and hearts there are 3 stars and 2 hearts and the heart is last, and they said that there were 135 stars, so yeah 90 is right but then there also could be 89 too, because even if you minus that last heart you'd still get 135 stars and so you're supposed to write 89 and 90
plus they said what are the possible answerS ... i put 90 only and now i know my mistake

I understood that the question was \"Find the possible numbers of hearts in that piece of tape.\" Most students would use number pattern to solve and get 90 while only a handful would know that the last heart is not necessary to be included in the tape. This is a trick question but IMHO I believe that giving 90 as the only answer would get half the mark to be fair to majority of the students cos at least they got one of the possible number correct.

ngl2010\" post_id=\"1973770\" time=\"1588430620\" user_id=\"40978:

To anybody who wants to buy masks,

Fairprice is now selling 1 box of masks (50 pcs) at $28.

I saw on last Wed SS was selling at $18 per box of 50 down from the week before at $26. Quality wise, I don't know.

Sam Hui live concert on now. For those interested.

https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/sam-hui-cantopop-free-online-concert-covid-19-12620658