H got back all his exam papers today. He did extremely well. No wonder his English and Science teacher asked if we revised with him cos he got 97.5% for English (due to a careless mistake) and 100% for Science. Now she must think we are super kiasu parents... hahaha!
He also did really well in his Bahasa Malaysia paper which is rather a surprise. He got 95% for the paper. This time we can't blame careless mistakes for the 5% - I think he really couldn't remember some of the BM words and spelling. Oh well, 95% is amazing considering he didn't study for it.
I'm a happy mom cos I know now (with certainty) that I can be totally hands-free with H on the academic side. Yeah!
Now we need to work on his social and emotional side. Sigh...
Showing posts with label exam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exam. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
math exam results
H got back his math exam paper. He got 84%, not bad for someone who didn't revise. I looked through the paper - he would have gotten 90% if not for careless mistakes. It's funny how he made careless mistakes on the simplest of questions, but for the more tricky ones, he got them all right. The other 10% I don't think he would have gotten since I'm quite certain he doesn't know how to spell words like hexagon, twelve, etc.
Parenting best practice is to praise effort and give encouragement! So here goes...
Praise effort
Mommy saw your maths paper, you got 42/50, that's really good.
I like that you try to spell the words even though you don't know how to...
Give encouragement
Mommy knows you can count the objects, you just didn't count carefully. Next time you count slowly or count it twice like this...
See now the teacher wrote down the spelling for you, next time you will know how to spell the words :-)
Great job H, gimme 5!!
****
H was beaming with pride. The paper wasn't that difficult. I'm sure if drilled, most kids would have been able to score 100%.
Po-Po said that when she went to pick H up from school last Friday, H's English and Science teacher asked if we revise much with H at home. Po-Po said not really. Oops, that can only mean 2 things - he either aced his exams, or flunk really badly. We shall find out soon...
Parenting best practice is to praise effort and give encouragement! So here goes...
Praise effort
Mommy saw your maths paper, you got 42/50, that's really good.
I like that you try to spell the words even though you don't know how to...
Give encouragement
Mommy knows you can count the objects, you just didn't count carefully. Next time you count slowly or count it twice like this...
See now the teacher wrote down the spelling for you, next time you will know how to spell the words :-)
Great job H, gimme 5!!
****
H was beaming with pride. The paper wasn't that difficult. I'm sure if drilled, most kids would have been able to score 100%.
Po-Po said that when she went to pick H up from school last Friday, H's English and Science teacher asked if we revise much with H at home. Po-Po said not really. Oops, that can only mean 2 things - he either aced his exams, or flunk really badly. We shall find out soon...
Monday, 4 March 2013
Have I made the wrong school choice?
H's classmate celebrated her birthday yesterday and it was a great opportunity for the mommies to get together while the kids played. H's school is one of very few private schools with no PTA so parents don't get a chance to 'gang up' and voice our concerns. Our topic of conversation was of course around kids and education. Everyone was asking about the March exams and wanted to know how the other mommies are approaching it. I told them frankly that I'm just going to let H sit for the exams. If he does well, good, if not, I'm not too bothered either. C'mon, the kids are only 4-5 years old. There must be better things for them to do at home (like play) than to study for exams.
The more I get to know about the school (from other parents and from my own observations), the more I have this nagging feeling that we have made the wrong choice. I can't help wishing that we had stuck to our original idea, i.e. to give H a year out. I feel so kesian that he has to wake up so early in the morning and that I have to rush him to bed every night (I know he wants to spend more time with mommy, I do too but there's no choice else he won't get sufficient sleep). I'm also beginning to wonder if he'll lose interest in learning. Too much academic work too early will definitely kill the joy of learning. Learning should be associated with fun rather than homework and exams! H used to proactively ask for worksheets (he thinks it's cool to be like the big kor kor /cheh cheh with homework to do) but these days he finds homework more a chore than something he enjoys doing for fun.
Anyway, I digressed. Back to school choices. We're almost quite certain now, after having experienced private (international) schooling that perhaps it's really just a hype. Are private schools really better? Is the international syllabus really better? Not necessarily. It all boils down to the quality of teachers and the school management (who determines the philosophy of teaching / learning the school adopts). Unfortunately this is something difficult to assess unless you experience it first hand as some schools are just really good at marketing. So not all private schools are good, and certainly not all public schools are bad. One of the mommies I spoke to at the party admitted that she actually regretted putting her daughter (who's in Year 2) in the international stream. As with all choices, there are the pros and cons. Thankfully H is only 4+ years old so we still have time to decide whether to continue with the international stream or put him in the SJK(C) stream. Meantime, we have to decide if we should let him continue with Reception, take him out of school, or put him in a play-based kindy.
Do parents these days think too much?
The more I get to know about the school (from other parents and from my own observations), the more I have this nagging feeling that we have made the wrong choice. I can't help wishing that we had stuck to our original idea, i.e. to give H a year out. I feel so kesian that he has to wake up so early in the morning and that I have to rush him to bed every night (I know he wants to spend more time with mommy, I do too but there's no choice else he won't get sufficient sleep). I'm also beginning to wonder if he'll lose interest in learning. Too much academic work too early will definitely kill the joy of learning. Learning should be associated with fun rather than homework and exams! H used to proactively ask for worksheets (he thinks it's cool to be like the big kor kor /cheh cheh with homework to do) but these days he finds homework more a chore than something he enjoys doing for fun.
Anyway, I digressed. Back to school choices. We're almost quite certain now, after having experienced private (international) schooling that perhaps it's really just a hype. Are private schools really better? Is the international syllabus really better? Not necessarily. It all boils down to the quality of teachers and the school management (who determines the philosophy of teaching / learning the school adopts). Unfortunately this is something difficult to assess unless you experience it first hand as some schools are just really good at marketing. So not all private schools are good, and certainly not all public schools are bad. One of the mommies I spoke to at the party admitted that she actually regretted putting her daughter (who's in Year 2) in the international stream. As with all choices, there are the pros and cons. Thankfully H is only 4+ years old so we still have time to decide whether to continue with the international stream or put him in the SJK(C) stream. Meantime, we have to decide if we should let him continue with Reception, take him out of school, or put him in a play-based kindy.
Do parents these days think too much?
Friday, 1 March 2013
March Exams
H's school first quarter (March) exam syllabus for Reception. Looks pretty intimidating, but I have full confidence in H. He seems to have a good grasp of all that is taught in school since he doesn't need guidance when doing his homework (I take that as he knows the subjects well). He only needs reminding to finish his homework and not dilly dally. So exams or not, I'm not going to succumb my little boy into studying. He's just too young to be spending time studying for exams.
Don't you agree this is too much for a 4.5-year old? I still think kids this young should not be tested!
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| Bahasa Malaysia. Not sure how strong his BM is but hopefully his good memory serves him well |
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| Math. H claims it's easy peasy... |
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| English. Shouldn't be a problem since he speaks English at home |
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| English Spelling. Good thing is H has a strong grasp in phonics so spelling is easy for him |
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| Science. Seems like a lot of topics but what is covered in each topic is actually quite basic |
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| Exam time-table |
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Kindergartener and exams
I've never really thought much about kids' exams. What do kids get tested on anyway, especially kindergarten kids? I just feel it's so wrong for kids this young to be tested. They probably don't even know the concept of exams or have the stamina to sit through the exam papers (how many 4-5 year olds can concentrate for 1.5 hours on a single paper?!!!). I know in H's school calendar, it has been clearly marked out that 12-14 March are exam days for Reception kids. Yeah yeah exams, no big deal, until I saw in the Parents' Handbook last night that I realise this school takes the whole exam business really seriously.
3 days of exams, 4 subjects will be tested (BM + Ejaan, English + Spelling, Math and Science). There's even a list of topics / areas in which they will be tested on for each subject, and the list is long (I kid you not)!
Should I revise with H to prepare him for the exam, or should I just let him be? I really don't think kindergarteners should be given exams. The teachers should be able to assess how much they've learnt by observing their class work, no? Research shows that formal academic testing in young kids is inconclusive anyway since most kids this age can't even read instructions, nor have the attention span. I know H probably doesn't, given how he likes to dilly dally when doing his homework, but it doesn't mean that he does not know his work. So to me, exams are counter-productive and introduce unnecessary stress on kids. I dread having to tell H that he will be having exams and that he has to finish the exam papers and finish them fast. I can just foresee him asking me tonnes of questions like What is exam? Why must have exam? Why must finish? Why must do fast? Why this why that...
As far as I remember, I've never studied for exams throughout my primary school years, nor do I remember my mom ever revising with us. So I think I shall just let H be. He'll just need to learn from this coming exams - if he does well hopefully it'll motivate him; if he does badly hopefully he'll learn to buck up. What I wish to instil in my little big boy is for him to be an independent learner. That way mommy can relax knowing that he can take full responsibility for his own learning. *A long way to go I know, but I should really start by teaching him to take responsibility for his own homework*
3 days of exams, 4 subjects will be tested (BM + Ejaan, English + Spelling, Math and Science). There's even a list of topics / areas in which they will be tested on for each subject, and the list is long (I kid you not)!
Should I revise with H to prepare him for the exam, or should I just let him be? I really don't think kindergarteners should be given exams. The teachers should be able to assess how much they've learnt by observing their class work, no? Research shows that formal academic testing in young kids is inconclusive anyway since most kids this age can't even read instructions, nor have the attention span. I know H probably doesn't, given how he likes to dilly dally when doing his homework, but it doesn't mean that he does not know his work. So to me, exams are counter-productive and introduce unnecessary stress on kids. I dread having to tell H that he will be having exams and that he has to finish the exam papers and finish them fast. I can just foresee him asking me tonnes of questions like What is exam? Why must have exam? Why must finish? Why must do fast? Why this why that...
As far as I remember, I've never studied for exams throughout my primary school years, nor do I remember my mom ever revising with us. So I think I shall just let H be. He'll just need to learn from this coming exams - if he does well hopefully it'll motivate him; if he does badly hopefully he'll learn to buck up. What I wish to instil in my little big boy is for him to be an independent learner. That way mommy can relax knowing that he can take full responsibility for his own learning. *A long way to go I know, but I should really start by teaching him to take responsibility for his own homework*
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Entrance assessment
It seems like I'm busier than ever when I don't go to work. The kids have been all over me I don't even have time to blog.
Last Wednesday, we took H for the school entrance assessment. It was the last assessment for the year to make it into Jan 2013 intake. I really don't know why they had to start the assessment so early (at 9am), and we had to travel all the way to Cheras. Since both hubs and I weren't familiar with the place, we thought we'd better leave early. H was really well prepped. There was an unusual sense of maturity in him that morning. He was up and having breakfast all by himself by the time I got out of the room (and ready to wake him up). Then he got into the car without any fuss, knowing we were going to the big school. We didn't tell him he was going for an entrance assessment, rather he was required to do some worksheets with some other children so that the teachers know how much he's learnt and can teach him new things. He seemed ok with the idea.
We arrived about 15 minutes early and there were some children training in the pool. H was fascinated to watch them swim laps. I told him that he'll be also taught how to swim just like those big kor kor and cheh cheh. Swimming is compulsory and is part of the core curriculum. When it was time to go into the room, he happily sat down on the table labelled with his name. I was rather surprised he didn't insist that we stayed in the room with him.
First was the Math paper. I think it must be rather easy. I sneaked a glance and saw a few questions, e.g. colouring the bigger of 2 numbers in the squares, filling in the missing number in the sequence, etc. I wasn't sure if there were any equations (i.e. additions and subtractions) but when I asked H at the end of the assessment how was the Math paper, he said there was no Math paper. I guess he associates Math with equations, so no equation means no Math.
When we went in to sneak a peek at him after 10 minutes, he's finished his Math paper and was given the English paper. That was really quick. Other kids were still working on their Math paper. Great, that means we can head home early! So I thought. After about half an hour, I told hubs to go check on him. Hubs came back laughing, H was busy 'decorating' his name with different colours, and he's not started on his paper. The thing about H, he sometimes needs to be given instructions. I guess the teacher just handed him the paper and he didn't know what to do.. hehehe. So he just sat there and wrote his name, then got bored and started 'decorating' his name. One of the teachers then came and gave him instructions (I guess she finally noticed him sitting there bored). Hubs said the paper was quite difficult. Obviously you can't expect a 4 year old to know grammar. They are also tested on their reading ability. Hubs didn't stay long to watch so we don't really know what other questions were in the paper.
The last paper was supposed to be the Science paper. What would a 4 year old know about science I really am not sure. But after about 15 minutes from when he actually started doing his English paper H came out. We asked if he was done he said yes. Hmmm... we asked if he did the Science paper he said he didn't know. Alamak <slaps forehead>! That's also another thing with H, you really can't get any proper answers from him. We asked him what was in his Science paper he said he doesn't know, it's a secret. So we asked the teacher if we can go, she said yes, he's done. So I guess he was really done.
On the way back I asked H why didn't he start doing the English paper. He said he didn't know what to do. I guess you can't expect kids that age to be able to read instructions. I asked him why didn't he ask the teacher. He said they were busy with other kids. Aiyoh this H really should learn how to be more assertive. I then told him next time he should put up his hand otherwise the teacher won't know he needs help.
Anyway we are glad it's over and really proud of H for being so independent :-)
Last Wednesday, we took H for the school entrance assessment. It was the last assessment for the year to make it into Jan 2013 intake. I really don't know why they had to start the assessment so early (at 9am), and we had to travel all the way to Cheras. Since both hubs and I weren't familiar with the place, we thought we'd better leave early. H was really well prepped. There was an unusual sense of maturity in him that morning. He was up and having breakfast all by himself by the time I got out of the room (and ready to wake him up). Then he got into the car without any fuss, knowing we were going to the big school. We didn't tell him he was going for an entrance assessment, rather he was required to do some worksheets with some other children so that the teachers know how much he's learnt and can teach him new things. He seemed ok with the idea.
We arrived about 15 minutes early and there were some children training in the pool. H was fascinated to watch them swim laps. I told him that he'll be also taught how to swim just like those big kor kor and cheh cheh. Swimming is compulsory and is part of the core curriculum. When it was time to go into the room, he happily sat down on the table labelled with his name. I was rather surprised he didn't insist that we stayed in the room with him.
First was the Math paper. I think it must be rather easy. I sneaked a glance and saw a few questions, e.g. colouring the bigger of 2 numbers in the squares, filling in the missing number in the sequence, etc. I wasn't sure if there were any equations (i.e. additions and subtractions) but when I asked H at the end of the assessment how was the Math paper, he said there was no Math paper. I guess he associates Math with equations, so no equation means no Math.
When we went in to sneak a peek at him after 10 minutes, he's finished his Math paper and was given the English paper. That was really quick. Other kids were still working on their Math paper. Great, that means we can head home early! So I thought. After about half an hour, I told hubs to go check on him. Hubs came back laughing, H was busy 'decorating' his name with different colours, and he's not started on his paper. The thing about H, he sometimes needs to be given instructions. I guess the teacher just handed him the paper and he didn't know what to do.. hehehe. So he just sat there and wrote his name, then got bored and started 'decorating' his name. One of the teachers then came and gave him instructions (I guess she finally noticed him sitting there bored). Hubs said the paper was quite difficult. Obviously you can't expect a 4 year old to know grammar. They are also tested on their reading ability. Hubs didn't stay long to watch so we don't really know what other questions were in the paper.
The last paper was supposed to be the Science paper. What would a 4 year old know about science I really am not sure. But after about 15 minutes from when he actually started doing his English paper H came out. We asked if he was done he said yes. Hmmm... we asked if he did the Science paper he said he didn't know. Alamak <slaps forehead>! That's also another thing with H, you really can't get any proper answers from him. We asked him what was in his Science paper he said he doesn't know, it's a secret. So we asked the teacher if we can go, she said yes, he's done. So I guess he was really done.
On the way back I asked H why didn't he start doing the English paper. He said he didn't know what to do. I guess you can't expect kids that age to be able to read instructions. I asked him why didn't he ask the teacher. He said they were busy with other kids. Aiyoh this H really should learn how to be more assertive. I then told him next time he should put up his hand otherwise the teacher won't know he needs help.
Anyway we are glad it's over and really proud of H for being so independent :-)
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