Dates: 23/6 to 26/6, 4 days straight.
Time: 1.30 pm – 4.30 pm.
Location: Blk 627, Bukit Batok Central. (It is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok bus interchange. Buses that stop along the road in front of Blk 627 are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 941, 947, 985)
Fee: $320
Max. no. of students: 8. (vacancies as at 30 May: 8)
Tutor: Mr Ilyasa (ex-sch teacher, M.Ed, PGDE, B.Sc).
A former MOE school teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in ‘A’ Level & IB Physics and Mathematics for more than 6 years, as well as ‘O’ Level & IP Physics, Additional Math, E. Math and PSLE Math for more than 10 years. An alumnus of RI and RJC, Mr Ilyasa holds both a Master of Education degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Credit from the National Institute of Education, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the National University of Singapore.
To register, sms <student name><SP> to 97860411.
O-Level Pure Physics Crash Course / Intensive Revision June 2014
Dates: 6/6, 13/6, 20/6, 27/6, 4 Fridays.
Time: 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm.
Location: Blk 627, Bukit Batok Central. (It is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok bus interchange. Buses that stop along the road in front of Blk 627 are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 941, 947, 985)
Fee: $320
Max. no. of students: 8. (vacancies as at 30 May: 8)
Who should attend: (1) O-level Physics students; (2) IP Physics students
Tutor: Mr Ilyasa (ex-sch teacher, M.Ed, PGDE, B.Sc).
A former MOE school teacher, Mr Ilyasa has been coaching students in ‘A’ Level & IB Physics and Mathematics for more than 6 years, as well as ‘O’ Level & IP Physics, Additional Math, E. Math and PSLE Math for more than 10 years. An alumnus of RI and RJC, Mr Ilyasa holds both a Master of Education degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Credit from the National Institute of Education, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the National University of Singapore.
To register, sms <student name><PP> to 97860411.
Short-term ad hoc Math or Physics tuition during June Holidays 2014.
By all means, go for your holidays, even short ones (I’m going on 10, 11 and 12 June). However, if you had done badly in your SA1 or mid-year exams, do not let the June hols pass without reviewing your first semester work. For things will only get harder in the second semester, and some topics or concepts learnt in the first semester need to be used to understand some topics later in the year.
If you are too busy to attend weekly tuition, you might want to take the opportunity this June to consult a qualified and experienced tutor, for just a few hours and for a few difficult topics. Since it is the school holidays, the lessons can be in the mornings or early afternoons.
If you need solid tutoring in Pri, Sec or JC Math, or Sec or JC Physics, don’t hesitate to contact me at 97860411 and I’ll work out an arrangement for you. You may opt for individual tuition or in small groups of 2 to 4 students from the same class or school. Fees vary depending on the level and number of students.
If you have any queries, you may also call or sms to 97860411, or send an email to principal@singaporelearner.com.
If you are serious about improving your Math or Physics, hope to hear from you soon.
Rgds,
Ilyasa
O-LEVEL 2014 Preparation for private candidates
We provide morning and afternoon tuition classes for the following subjects for students who wish to take the O-Level Exams privately. These small group classes (max 8 students) allow for better focus and discussions and are taught by NIE-qualified, experienced teachers who have previously taught in MOE schools.
E. MATH:
Every Monday and Wednesday, 10.00 am – 12.00pm (Session 1) or 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Session 2). Total 4 hours per week (includes lectures and practice).
A. MATH:
Every Tuesday and Friday, 10.00 am – 12.00pm (Session 1) or 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Session 2). Total 4 hours per week (includes lectures and practice).
As places are extremely limited, please register early to avoid disappointment.
Location: Blk 627 Bukit Batok Central. It is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok bus interchange. Buses that stop along the road in front of Blk 627 are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 941, 947, 985.
TO REGISTER, SMS <STUDENT NAME> <SUBJECT> <SESSION> TO 97860411.
FOR ENQUIRIES, CALL 97860411.
Between JC and Poly …
Should a O-Level grad choose to go to a JC or a Polytechnic?
Since many students and parents ask me this question every year, here is my opinion on the matter.
The answer is: It depends on several factors:
(a) Your method of learning;
(b) How sure you are about what you want to do as a career;
(c) Your strength in English and Mother Tongue;
(d) Which university you want to go to;
(e) Your level of self-discipline.
Let’s examine each one in detail:
(a) Your method of learning:
In general, if you learn more by reading, go to JC. If you learn more through hands-on activities and projects, go to Poly. If you learn well via both methods equally, go to part (b).
(b) How sure you are about what you want to do as a career:
In general, if you are undecided, go to JC. If you know what you want, go to
the Poly offering your course. For example, if you are sure you want to be a
physiotherapist, go to Nanyang Poly.
(c) Your strength in English and Mother Tongue:
In JC, you must take General Paper and Mother Tongue. If you are weak in English especially, you will suffer terribly in JC. In general, if you are not confident of vastly improving your English in a short time, go to Poly. Of course the Poly also expects you to write English well, but not at the level GP demands.
(d) Which university you want to go to:
If you insist on going to NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD or SUSS, please go to JC and work hard. If you go to Poly, you have to work extra hard to be the top 5 or 10% of your cohort or course, then you can be admitted to a local public university. However, SIT is a university that takes in lots of Poly grads. More than 70% of JC students make it to the local universities every year, so the chances of getting into the local universities are higher through JC than through Poly. If you go to Poly and don’t do well enough, be prepared to go to an overseas university (which is not a bad idea; don’t worry, money can be borrowed).
(e) Your level of self-discipline:
In JC, you are more supervised. Poly environment is like that of a university; you have to be more independent and responsible. I have ex-students from both sides regretting their choice, because they didn’t think about this issue.
There’s one more route that people often overlook: doing a three-year pre-university course at the Millenia Institute (MI). Bear in mind that only MI offers Management of Business and Principles of Accounting as A-level courses.
Lastly, please bear in mind that the above are just guidelines. Central to all forms of academic success is pure hard work and a thinking disposition.
I wish all O-Level graduates great success in their future endeavours.
Best Rgds,
Ilyasa
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TUITION CLASSES:
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EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:
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By EX-MOE TEACHERS & EXPERIENCED TUTORS
@ BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68. S(650644).
CALL 65694897 OR SMS 98530744 OR 97860411.
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Singapore Learner provides Group Tuition, Individual Tuition, Intensive Revision, Enrichment Workshops, Headstart Classes, Holiday Classes and Crash Courses at the Primary, Secondary and Junior College levels in the areas of Math, Pure Physics, Pure Chemistry, Science, Economics, and General Paper for the Singapore A-Levels, O-Levels and PSLE.
What to do if your O-Level results are bad ….
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES
The registration for ‘A’ and ‘O’ Level exams as a private candidate usually opens around mid-April (Please check SEAB website) and closes before mid-May. If you are registering for a Science subject (Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Combined Sciences), at the time of registration, you will be asked whether you have done any science practical training in any school, centre, or institute. Thus you must begin your science practical training before April. Science practical training in Singapore Learner qualifies as practical training for the purpose of registration for Science subjects for the ‘A’ and ‘O’ level exams.
Thus if you are considering Singapore Learner as your science practical training provider, you must register with us and complete at least 4 practical sessions for each subject by 31st April for us to certify that you have attended science practical training. As students usually do about 10 practical sessions per subject to be competent in practicals, the rest of the lab sessions can be done from May to early October, including the prelim/mock practical exams.
To proceed, please click on the following:
O-LEVEL PRACTICALS
What I mean by bad O-level results is that you neither qualify for JC nor Poly. And like I’ve said elsewhere, it’s ok if you cried at first, because chances are, you are below 21 and legally, you are still a child (I had a 43 yr old O-Level student once though). But let your sadness be for just one day, and no more after that. The past is over. You cannot change it, but you can still influence your future.
What to do (and what not to do) if your O-level results are bad:
(1) Do not blame others. The first step in making any kind of improvement to yourself is not to blame your teachers, your tutors, your textbooks and certainly not your pet who once chewed up your homework (or so you claimed). Blame yourself. It was YOUR show. Only YOU can fail your self and only YOU can make your self succeed. Got it? Thank you.
(2) Reflect on yourself. What went wrong – your lack of revision, your poor time-management, your addiction to computer games etc.?
(3) Search and find your true self. What are your real interests? What is your passion? Maybe you are not the type to just sit still and study? Maybe you have real talent in Music or the Arts instead?
(4) Plan your next course of action. What can you do with poor O-level results? Here are some options:
(a) Redo your O-levels. If you are below a certain age (check with the MOE), you can redo it in your sec school; you’d still need the right environment and the support. But if you dislike the teachers in your former school, then you either self-study (but don’t forget to register for the O-levels), get tuition, or enrol yourself in a private school or a private education programme. But re-taking O-levels will not bear fruit unless you do steps (2) and (3) above properly; if you continue your bad habits and bad strategies or you simply did not like the subjects you were taking, it’d be very hard for you to be self-disciplined and to maintain focus. You don’t get different results by doing the same things the same way over and over again (in fact, Einstein called that kind of expectation, “insanity”).
(b) Apply to the ITE. No, it’s not The End. But what course to do at the ITE? Don’t go to the ITE with the aim of working for someone later in life. Instead, go to the ITE in order to pick up a skill that will allow you to set up your own business. So what technical skills are good for business? What can you find in all homes and buildings that no ordinary person can install or repair? I can think of three: air-cons, electrical wiring and water pipes. In fact, you need a license from the government in order to do electrical wiring or plumbing work. Some day, you can become the owner or managing director of an electrical or plumbing company. Or you can migrate to Europe, America or Australia which are all in need of skilled personnel, instead of university graduates. And talking about skilled work or migration, don’t ignore nursing as a career. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.
(c) If you are very very talented in some sport, music or the arts, apply to a school catering to such talent whether local or overseas (which might be more forgiving of your past). Or try to catch attention by posting a video of your gig on Youtube. Ask Bieber and Psy what happened to them. And some day, Jack Neo might come looking for you …. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.
(d) Work first to get some experience of what you like doing. It would be good if you can be an apprentice in some place where there is skilled work, such as in a spectacle shop, watch shop, jewellery shop, air-con repair shop, bakery etc.
(e) If you are eligible for NS, do NS. Who knows, you might actually like working in the armed services, where food, clothing and accommodation (and even car park lots) are provided free. Before you think I’m crazy, why not you add up the total of cost of food, clothing and accommodation for some 30 years of work!
(f) Set up a business. No, you are not too young to set up a business. In fact, you can be a millionaire by the time you are 21. Do an online, e-commerce business, or simply a popular website that companies are dying to advertise in. The thing is, don’t be lazy. And have some courage.
(g) Apply to do a diploma or even a degree in a private school here, such as SIM. However, such a diploma or degree may not be recognised by the Singapore government for employment purposes in public service or even in govt-linked companies such as SIA or Singtel. And schools like SIM may require you to first complete a foundation course before you can be enrolled in a diploma or degree course. I know many students who have done poorly at the O-Levels will choose this option, because it makes them feel better this way, even if the diploma or degree is an external one, but let me tell you one thing – if you didn’t get 5 O-Level passes including passes in English and Math, it might come back to haunt you some day, because I’ve met adults who can’t be promoted or can’t change their jobs because of their grades at O-levels.
(5) Take action. Strategise. Gather resources. Believe in youself and your abilities. Adopt the right values and attitude. Set your short-term and long-term goals clearly. Write these down somewhere. Be positive, and be with positive people.
You see, there are so many ways to move on. Do not let setbacks affect you too much. Pick up and join back the pieces. Get up if you are down. Spend time with your loved ones. Remember these lines from Miley Cyrus’ song (if you don’t hate her of course):
“But I gotta keep tryin’. Gotta keep my head held high. There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side. It’s the climb.”
Do not worry about being left behind as your friends move forward. Chances are, you are going to live for another 60 years or so. When you look back someday, it wouldn’t matter that you ‘lost’ one or two years somewhere along the way. Setbacks happen to everybody; I had my fair share of failures and setbacks. How we respond to these setbacks matter.
If you still feel down, then please watch this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlTdkYXuzE. It might help you a bit. : )
Good luck and take care. : )
Ilyasa
For Practical courses, mock exams or schedules, please click on any of the following:
O-LEVEL PHYSICS PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL BIOLOGY PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL SCIENCE (PHYSICS) PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL SCIENCE (CHEMISTRY) PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL SCIENCE (BIOLOGY) PRACTICAL
Singapore Learner @ Bukit Batok
Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).
Tel: +(65) 6569 4897, +(65) 87762711
Email: principal@singaporelearner.com
If you wish to visit us, kindly call or sms first. Thank you.
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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
‘O’ Level Results 2013-2014
ALL THE BEST to those of you who will be receiving your ‘O’ Level results tomorrow, especially my 35 Sec4 tutees in 2013.
I will update their results here as and when they update me.
Please remember that if for some reason your results are not very good, you’d still need to get over it and move on; plan your next steps, re-strategise and take action. And if instead your results are very good, you have only become Ordinary; the battle for the ‘A’ levels or Diploma is still waiting to start. : )
Rgds,
Ilyasa
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Amirah (CTSS): A. Math A1, E.Math A1 (from D7-F9);
Valerie (BPGH): A. Math B3 (from F9);
Johnson (BPGH): Physics A1 (from D7);
Ronald (BPGH): Physics A1 (from C6-D7) ;
Darren (BPGH): Physics A1 (from C6-D7);
Nirupa (SMSS): Physics B3, Chemistry B3, A. Math B4 (all from D7-F9);
Yang Ming (Montfort): A. Math B3, Physics B3 (from E8-F9);
Hashfi (SCSS): Physics B3, A. Math B4 (from E8-F9);
Grace (NHH): Physics A2 (from prelim A2);
Jia Feng (NHH): Physics A2 (from C6-D7);
Sheng Ze (BVSS): A. Math C6 (from F9);
Ryan (BPGH): Physics A2 (from C6);
Regine (NHH): Physics B3 (from C6);
Rachel (Deyi): A. Math A2 (from D7);
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Although some of the above results are not spectacular, I know my own students and how much they have worked and how much they have improved and thus I’m very proud of them.
Do you need tuition in Pure Biology? Join us ….
Sec 4 Biology: Every Tuesday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm; Code: S4B1.
Sec 3 Biology: Every Thursday, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm; Code: S3B1.
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The Tutor:
Mr Lee K.S.: A First Class Honours B.Sc. graduate from the University of Melbourne, Mr Lee is an NIE-trained teacher who has taught Biology and Science in a top secondary school for five years. He will be focusing on Biology and Chemistry as well as Lower Secondary Science in Singapore Learner. A scholar and an ex-researcher, Mr Lee also holds a Master of Science degree in Medical Neurosciences from Germany’s Humboldt University.
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Administrative Matters:
Location: Blk 627, Bukit Batok Central. (Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok bus interchange. Buses that stop along the road in front of Blk 627 are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 941, 947, 985)
Max Class Size: 8
Monthly fee for each subject or slot is $180 respectively, inclusive of materials fee. Discounts apply for multiple subjects or slots.
TO REGISTER, SMS <FULL STUDENT NAME>, <CODE> TO 97860411.
For enquiries, kindly call or sms to 9786 0411 .
‘O’ Level results 2014 to be released on 13 Jan?
That’s what I heard. All the best to those who will be receiving their results. Whatever happens, just move on.
Related Links:
List of Junior Colleges (JC) (2012) in Singapore by Cut-Off L1R5 aggregate
List of ‘Top’ Courses of Polytechnics (2012) in Singapore by net Cut-Off ELR2B2 aggregate
Which one to choose? The IB or the A-levels?
What to do if your O-Level results are bad ….
Before you choose your JC subjects, read this ….
JC / IP / A-LEVEL CONCEPTUAL LEARNING SCHEDULE 2014