Well, the answer lies in the following lyrics by Mariah Carey:
“And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you.”
: )
Rgds,
Ilyasa
For our latest timetable, click here => 
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ORIGINAL POST(OUTDATED):
For enquires, pls call 97860411, or visit www.conceptlearning.sg
To register for classes at Concept Learning, click here.
The PSLE Intensive Revision in Mathematics is a 4/5-day intensive revision programme conducted during the upcoming March and June school holidays to prepare P6 pupils for the 2013 PSLE Mathematics Examination.
The objectives of the programme are as follows:
A former MOE school teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in ‘A’ Level (H2/H1) Physics and (H2/H1) Mathematics for more than 7 years, as well as ‘O’ Level Physics, Additional Math, Math and PSLE Math for more than 10 years. An alumnus of RI and RJC, Mr Ilyasa holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Merit from the National University of Singapore, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Credit from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, and a Master of Education (Curriculum & Teaching) degree also from the NIE, Singapore.
Recently I met an enterprising young man who was trying to sell to me fire extinguishers. He’s studying in a polytechnic and does sales part-time. He speaks very good English so I asked him about his educational background.
He was from the Normal Academic stream and knowing himself, he felt that he wouldn’t survive another year studying for the O-levels in Sec 5. So he went to the ITE instead and eventually obtained a Higher Nitec cert which allowed him to be admitted into a local polytechnic.
This is what I’ve been trying to tell some parents. If, after so many years, your child still cannot sit still to study, please don’t force him or her to do the O-levels or the A-levels. There are so many pathways to success, including academic success, in Spore now. And there’s no shame in going to the ITE to pick up a vocational skill; the ITE is not a lesser school compared to a JC or an IP school. It’s just a different kind of school where you can acquire a different set of useful skills.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
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Let me share with you a difficult concept normally tested in P5 or P6 Math. I’m not sure if it has a name. It makes use of the concept of difference between two values but it’s not the same as the Constant Difference concept, which refers to the idea of a particular difference between two values being the same despite making changes to other quantities. The concept that I’m about to introduce actually makes use of TWO differences, the difference between individual values and the difference in their total values. Quite a number of tough P6 qns are actually testing whether students know that there is a relationship between the difference between two individual values and the difference in their total values.
I think this is best explained without any unknown values. Let’s say a pencil costs $1 and a pen costs $1.50. The difference in their values is $0.50 right? Let’s call this the Individual Difference. Let’s say you purchase 10 of each, costing a total of $10 and $15 respectively. The difference in their total values is $5 right? Let’s call this the Total Difference. Is there a relationship between the Individual Difference (ID) and the Total Difference (TD)? Yes. Notice that if TD is divided by ID (5 / 0.50), what you’ll get is 10, which is the number of each item you purchased. If this is easy for you to understand, it is likely because all values are known and you were working forwards to find the total difference, and not working backwards to find the number of each item bought.
Let me now show you how a typical P6 question looks like:
John bought an equal number of pens and pencils. Each pencil costs 50 cents less than a pen. John paid a total of $5 more for the pens than for the pencils. How many pencils did John buy? (using TD/ID, the answer is 10. but notice how intriguing the question has become?)
Please also realise that the concepts of ratio, decimals, fractions and percentages are all related and interchangeable. So let’s make the above question harder:
John bought some pens and pencils. The ratio of the number of pencils he bought to the number of pens is 1:1. Each pencil costs $1 and each pen costs 50% more than a pencil. John paid a total of $5 less for the pencils than for the pens. What is the total number of pens and pencils that John bought? (answer: 20)
Another way of looking at the above problem is to see that since each pencil costs 50 cents less than each pen, it must have taken 10 of them to be a total of $5 less than the SAME quantity of pens.
Rgds,
Ilyasa,
Founder, Singapore Learner; Director, Concept Learning Pte Ltd
Related links:
(1) Challenging PSLE Math Programme for Medium to High Ability Students
(2) P6 MATH & SCIENCE, March & June INTENSIVE REVISION For PSLE 2013
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For our latest timetable, click here =>
For our latest timetable, click here =>
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ORIGINAL POST(OUTDATED):
TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
Level/Subject: Sec 2 Algebra
Days: 5th to 6th June (total 6 hrs)
Time: 9.00 am to 12.00 pm
Location: Blk 627 Bukit Batok Central #07-640
Target Group: Suitable for: (1) Sec 2 to Sec 4 students who wish to revise and master intermediate-level algebra; (2) P6 students who wish to learn more about algebra to enhance their PSLE Math problem-solving skills; (3) Sec 1 students who wish to have a headstart in algebra.
Topics: (1) Expansion and factorisation of Algebraic expressions; (2) Simplifying and solving Algebraic Fractions and equations; (3) Solving Simultaneous Linear Equations.
Focus: Conceptual Understanding; Effective Problem-Solving
Format: Lecture + Worksheets + Discussions
Status: Registration has started. TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
Fees: $120 ($100 if you register by 17 May)
Class Size: 2 to 6 students.
Tutor(s):
Mr Ilyasa; M.Ed (NIE), PGDE (NIE), BSc (NUS), Ex-RI/RJC; ex-sch teacher, full-time tutor of PSLE, O and A Level Math and Physics. (h/p: 97860411)
TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
For our latest timetable, click here =>
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ORIGINAL POST(OUTDATED):
TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
Level/Subject: Sec 1 Algebra
Days: 3rd to 4th June (total 6 hrs)
Time: 9.00 am to 12.00 pm
Location: Blk 627 Bukit Batok Central #07-640
Target Group: Suitable for: (1) Sec 1 to Sec 4 students who wish to revise and master basic algebra; (2) P6 students who wish to learn more about algebra to enhance their PSLE Math problem-solving skills.
Topics: (1) Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of Algebraic expressions; (2) Simplifying and factorising Algebraic expressions; (3) Solving linear and fractional Algebraic equations.
Focus: Conceptual Understanding
Format: Lecture + Worksheets + Discussions
Status: Registration has started. TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
Fees: $120 ($100 if you register by 17 May)
Class Size: 2 to 6 students.
Tutor(s):
Mr Ilyasa; M.Ed (NIE), PGDE (NIE), BSc (NUS), Ex-RI/RJC; ex-sch teacher, full-time tutor of PSLE, O and A Level Math and Physics. (h/p: 97860411)
TO REGISTER, click here. YOU CAN ALSO SMS OR CALL 97860411
Cassius, in Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)
: )
Congrats to Ameerah from Clementi Town Sec who obtained 24/25 for her most recent Math test. It’s my fourth good news in two weeks (before this, Daniel Lam from BPGHS topped his class in A Math, Peng Wee from CTSS did the same in Physics and Hanaa from Hillgrove Sec missed the top spot in her class for Math by just one mark).
Over the years, many of my tutees topped their classes, in Math and/or Physics. Is there a secret to their accomplishments? No, and Yes. It’s not a secret that they all worked hard and smart. The secret is, and I intend to keep it as a trade secret, is what I tell them in class, at the crucial moments. The power of words, truly amazing.
In case you don’t believe, let me tell you of another student, Victoria, formerly from Nan Hua High, now in RI year 6. Her math results were very inconsistent, but she obtained A1 for both in the O-levels. She didn’t attend my lessons in the last month before the O-levels because I kind of scolded her badly, and she decided to study by herself. When she called to inform me of her O-level results, I asked her what caused the change, and she said, “It’s something you said.”
The lesson for teachers and tutors is, be careful of what you say to your students. I’ve made mistakes in this area before, in my first few years of teaching. If you are a parent, please be even more careful of what you say to your children. Words have power beyond our comprehension.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Congratulations to Daniel Lam, from BPGHS, who obtained 39 out of 40 marks for his recent A. Math class test on Quadratic Equations.
I’m still not used to publishing testimonials from current or past students for my teaching or tutoring. In fact, I hardly record or remember their pre-tuition and post-tuition marks. It is sufficient for me that my students have stayed with me for as long as they have needed my guidance (or nagging), and that they continue to do well all the way to university.
Yes, I’m not good at marketing. Even my website is not dazzling enough. It’s ok for now, as I still get a sufficient number of students every year. I don’t even produce my own materials (but I know where to get the good ones).
So without aggressive marketing, testimonials and “own materials”, how have I been able to attract students to come and learn? And in what ways do I add value to a student’s learning? Well, you have to attend my tutorial sessions to know what thinking looks like. : )
Rgds,
Ilyasa
For our latest timetable, click here =>
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ORIGINAL POST(OUTDATED):
Conceptual Revision classes are for Sec 4 students to revise their Sec 3 work in preparation for their SA1 or Prelim exams. Details as follows (sms or call 97860411 to register):
Level/Subject: S4 Additional Math
Days/Times: (1) Sundays, 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm.
Location: Blk 627 Bukit Batok Central #07-640
Topics: Sec 3 A. Math topics such as Polynomials, Binomial Theorem, Logarithms etc.
Target Group: This series of revision workshops is suitable for low to medium ability Sec 4 A. Math students who need to revise their A. Math in a systematic and effective way. High ability Sec 3 students may also attend these sessions to revise or have a headstart in their A. Math.
Focus: Conceptual Understanding, Solving Challenging or Tricky A. Math Problems, Exam-Answering Techniques.
Format: Lecture + Worksheets + Discussions
Fees: $200 per month
Class Size: 2 to 6 students.
Tutor: Mr Ilyasa; M.Ed (NIE), PGDE (NIE), BSc (NUS), Ex-RI/RJC; ex-sch teacher, full-time tutor of PSLE, O and A Level Math and Physics. (h/p: 97860411)
A former secondary school Physics teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in ‘A’ Level (H2/H1) Physics and (H2/H1) Mathematics for more than 7 years, as well as ‘O’ Level Physics, Additional Math, Math and PSLE Math for more than 10 years. An alumnus of RI and RJC, Mr Ilyasa holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Merit from the National University of Singapore, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Credit from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, and a Master of Education (Curriculum & Teaching) degree also from the NIE, Singapore.
To register, kindly call or send an sms to 97860411.