Today I received good news during tuition class from Afiq; he obtained 90/100 for Science. That is amazing given that the lower sec science class is hard to conduct as different schools have different lower sec science syllabus. In fact most tuition centres do not provide S1 or S2 Science tuition.
The trick in lower sec science is to do upper sec science questions, but you must select the topics and questions carefully as the two syllabi overlap only partially. Like my S1 daughter, Afiq also reads upper sec science textbooks, as lower sec science books are not rigorous enough.
There is one problem though; I can’t teach the Bio parts. For the Bio parts, I let them read good materials and then attempt questions. It works because Bio is not as mentally challenging as Chemistry or Physics, and also because I make them read upper sec Bio books.
I’m now planning for Sec 2 Science headstart as well as our strategies for next year. Certainly I would want Afiq and my daughter to excel in Science again next year, especially since it would be their streaming year. It is important to be able to do at least two Pure Science subjects in Sec 3.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Yay, last year’s O-level intensive revision for E Math DID have an impact
I thought of not conducting the above this year as the same course last year attracted only 3 students. It was a four day, 3 hr course conducted in early October. Maybe the timing was not right, or something like that. However I did my best, explaining ALL the important E Math concepts in 12 hours, clearly and concisely. I conducted the course because I reckoned that there WOULD be S4 or S5 students who needed a crash course in E Math, which is a VERY IMPORTANT subject as a fail in it would mean you will be NOT be accepted into most post-O-level courses.
However, last night I received a call from a parent whose son was one of the three above (she was looking for math tuition for her younger son). She said the course benefitted her elder son greatly such that he was able to obtain a B3, despite doing very badly in the subject at school. Thus I’m now more motivated to re-launch the course later this year. Hope it will benefit some students again.
Ilyasa
Yay, my RVHS student got A1* for his math
I didn’t know there is such a grade as A1*. Does it exist only in RVHS? Anyway, today my S3 Math student Ryan told me he obtained that grade for his Term 1 Math. He had been doing well so far this year, but it wasn’t the case 2 years ago when he first came.
I’ve always said that IP students should not be doing badly in math in the first place, for the simple reason that most of them obtained A* for math at the PSLE. But many IP students DO perform poorly in math right from sec 1. When Ryan showed me his test answers back then, I could immediately tell what his problem was. So I gave him some diagnostic questions to confirm my suspicion about his weak areas. Continual coaching and many lessons later, his math became OK and now it is of a high standard.
But it takes two hands two clap. Ryan succeeded not only because he sought help early, but also because he has developed a learning disposition that is typical of eventual top students. So if you want to improve your grades, please do the following:
Always THINK about what you are doing. ASK QUESTIONS when something about what you are learning or solving doesn’t seem to fit in (i.e it causes a dissonance in you). READ A LOT so that your knowledge base is sound to begin with. Always REFLECT on your own learning, your solutions, and even your questions.
WHAT YOU ASK REFLECTS A LOT ABOUT YOU. That is why you must ask a lot of questions, so that your teacher or tutor knows what your problem is. Of course you might get some scolding along the way, but that is how you learn even more.
Happy Learning!
Ilyasa
Yay, at least two from my PSLE Science class obtained A* for Science
I normally don’t ‘kay poh’ about my students’ results so I just wait for people to tell me. So I was pleased when two of my Science tutees informed me that they each got A* for Science, something I believe is harder to achieve than the same grade for Math. Hope for more good news tomorrow when I meet the students attending my Sec 1 Algebra class.
My own daughter has qualified for most of the schools in my list of top 30 (List of ‘Top’ Secondary Schools (2014) in Singapore by Cut-Off PSLE aggregate score (2013) ) so we are now having a headache again as to which school she should go to. Since I’m ok with any school in the list, it boils down to two things only: (1) distance from home and (2) her personal feelings about the school.
If she chooses a non-IP school, I will create an Integrated Programme for her and students like her, so that she will be as prepared as, if not more prepared than, the IP students if she eventually decides to go to a JC. Yes, since IP tuition is so messy due to different curricula, I will discuss with my JC Math and Science tutors about designing and conducting a Advanced Integrated Programme (AIP), with only excelling in the A-levels as its main objective, starting from Sec 1, in a progressive yet rigorous manner; we will only teach what is directly or indirectly demanded by the A-Level exams.
Anyway, my eldest daughter will be doing her O-levels next year and I would have to prepare for her a bridging course to close the gap between non-IP students and IP students.
Ilyasa
Yay, my jc1 h2 physics student scored 35/40 for his first test
Getting 35/40 for a physics test at sec 4 level is already very good, but getting this score for a h2 physics test is really an achievement. He said the test was easy, yet some of his classmates failed the test, on measurement and kinematics. These two topics may sound very familiar to those who have done O-level physics, but if you are an a-level physics student you would know that these two topics are much harder than their o-level counterparts. But his success doesn’t come as a big surprise to me, as he started his jc1 physics tuition on 9 Feb this year, soon after getting his jc posting. But why so early?
I guess he and his dad (who came to speak to me) understood that the content for jc subjects is very heavy and rigorous, and doing well in jc is all about preparation and consistency. The a-level cert is a passport to a university education, and thus getting good a-level grades is very important, much more important than getting good grades at the PSLE. Yet, if you’ve been in the tuition industry long enough, you’d have noticed that parents and students are more concerned about performance at the PSLE than at other levels.
Tuition for any examination for most kids has never been necessary. But if the examination that you’d be taking is just one step away from a university education and for some reason you are not confident of making it on your own, then I think it makes sense to get help early.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Yay, my student passed his A. Math!
I’m so happy that Sheng Ze, one of my tutees in 2013, obtained a C6 in his A. Math in the recent ‘O’ Level exams, after getting F9s almost all the time from Sec 3 to Sec 4. He was even asked many times, directly and indirectly, to drop this subject but each time I advised his mum and him to continue doing the subject because he himself felt he was improving and did not want to drop it.
I’ve said it elsewhere and I will say it again: Schools generally do not care about their students or their students’ future; they are only interested in their own academic reputation such as percentage passes.
Schools can improve their percentage passes in certain subjects by simply disallowing their weaker students to study or take the exam for these tough subjects, such as A. Math and the Pure Sciences. But by doing this, they are adversely affecting the future of their students who will be denied many future courses and future jobs.
A. Math is an important subject for both Science and Business courses at higher levels. DO NOT DROP A. MATH SO LONG AS YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED TO DO WELL IN IT. Schools have no power to force you to drop any subject. The teachers will try their best to coax you to drop it, but ignore them please.
One of my existing tutees, Syakir, was also “offered” to drop A. Math at the end of last year due to his poor performance throughout Sec 3. But I offered to tutor him intensively instead in Nov and Dec and now he is in the top one-third of his class based on his latest post-holiday test.
Where there is a will there is a way. You can do well in any subject, in fact in anything, if you keep your focus on it and persevere. Do not feel disheartened or lose hope just because someone says you are not good enough. Prove them wrong instead.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
Yay, my P6 student made a big improvement in her Math
Congratulations to Victoria Ng for obtaining 73% for her PSLE Math Prelim Paper as compared to just 43% for her P6 Math SA1. This is also the first time she has passed Math in P6.
Although she was a comparatively weak Math student, I allowed her to join my Sat morning Challenging PSLE Math Programme for Medium to High Ability Students as I believe that most students will benefit from the exposure to the tough questions that I give.
I adopt a metacognitive approach in all my teaching, making students think about their own solutions and making them compare their solutions with those of others and my own. In this way, they will learn the most efficient method to solve a particular type of problem. They will also learn about their natural way of thinking, and how the latter may not be the best approach for some problems.
Yay, my student finally passed her Sec 2 Math
I have a tutee from Crescent Girls’ who has not been passing her math tests since the middle of her sec 1 year. After one lesson I knew her main problem was doing Algebra. So we had been focusing on Algebra, especially Algebraic Fractions, for the last few months and the effort has paid off. Two topics important for lower sec students to master are Algebra and Indices.
I’ve said elsewhere and here I will say it again – If your Algebra is bad you need not attend Math lessons anymore in secondary school.
Yay, my Sec 4 student topped her class in Math. : )
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
Yay, my sec 3 NA student topped his class in A. Math.
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