Holistic Approach to PSLE - A Talk
Speaker: Madam Lee Mui Hoong, formerly Head of Department (Science) at Catholic High School
Date: 15 November 2008
Venue: Golden Mile Complex Auditorium (Level 4)
Event partner: onSponge Pte Ltd
NOTE: This is an edited transcript of the talk made available here for the onSponge community through the kind permission of Mdm Lee who has more than 20 years of teaching experience. Schools she had taught include Pei Chun Public School, Nan Yang Primary School and Catholic High School. With experiences in both the mainstream as well as the gifted programmes, she is a firm believer that the right processes and attitudes are must-haves for any child to succeed in his/her learning journey.
Opening address
Thank you, Elsa for the kind introduction and the onSponge team for all the help with the registration, a wonderful lot of people whom I have been blessed to meet and work with.
And of course, you my fellow parents...I want to take this opportunity to honour each and every one of you for taking the time to be here today. You're your children's unsung heroes whether they realize it or not. Your very presence shows your deep love for your child. You and your child are the reasons why this talk has been organized.
Before I start, I would like to seek your understanding and patience about areas that I may highlight since we may differ in views due to our upbringing, our cultural and religious backgrounds.
Background - Two crucial things you may want to know about me
Firstly, I've been teaching for about 30 years...I just realized that as I prepared for this talk!
Secondly, I love my job, not because the Ministry of Education (MOE) pays me well...often I don't even check if the right amount goes into my account 
.
Neither is it because of the status, or that it feels good to be in authority, or because it is the noblest thing to do, or because I was inspired by one of my teachers and aspired to be like him or her.
Well, at some point or other, some of these reasons do give me a little sense of satisfaction.
Why I love teaching
But the real reason is that thrill which teaching gives me, and knowing that one can never stop learning. You may teach the same subjects year after year and know the facts like the back of your hand, but how you really effectively ‘transport', ‘transfer', ‘convey', ‘transmit', ‘teleport' or whatever you might like to call it...to the bunch of kids sitting in your class who don't seem to care.
Facts and theories may become outdated, but learning how to learn will not.
Currently, I'm helping out at MOE on a part-time basis at its STELLAR programme. I also run enrichment classes for primary pupils...those of you who are interested to find out more may do so at the end of the talk.
I do not have excellent paper qualifications. In fact as a student, my main concern was then how to survive and earn sufficiently to see myself through school. I didn't have much time to study, let alone do well in examinations.
But I have produced numerous pupils who have surprised me with their learning potential, having benefited from well-designed learning connections and when the right buttons are pushed.
I have produced batches of pupils who I am proud of, not just by their academic performances, but more importantly, their characters. Among these, T-scores range from as high as 283 [mainstream] to the lowest from a boy who got 150...and I still remember that when he came to me earlier in P6, he was only scoring single digits for his mathematics.
The best parting gift for myself just before I left my last school was when my mainstream pupils topped the school for the year as they had higher T-scores than the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) pupils.
What about the weak pupils, you may ask? Well, they sure are an active bunch! But when I had a weak class with several pupils who initially scored only single digits in mathematics, as the year progressed and when it came to PSLE, the lowest grade I had for that class in all three subjects I was teaching them was a C!
Basically what I'm trying to tell you is that I have my strategies to work with children and I'm blessed to be able to share some of them with you.
These are strategies that work as I have tested them again and again, and affirmed time and again that they do work with all the different types of children I've taught so far. My testimonies are my ex-pupils who still send me text messages on Teacher's Day to thank me for providing them with a good foundation. And the older ones invite me to their weddings .
I don't claim to have all the solutions you think you need, but I will indeed share with you what I've seen and tried out with my own children as well as my own pupils.
Why do I share?
This is something close to my heart. I've shared rather similar kinds of talk to parents while I was in school, and when I left, at some learning centres as well. I hate to see wastage. I feel that there's been so much energy being wasted year after year, by parents, teachers as well as by pupils through using inappropriate methods, getting exhausted and adding the wrong kind of stress to all concerned, causing hurt to relationships and learning habits. I hope to see this energy being channelled into the right areas to help our kids to achieve their maximum potential.
Of course, it's another heart issue when I come to know of some tragedies that happen due to PSLE. It pains my heart to know that there are children who may not be very normal or may not get to enjoy living just because of examinations.
I hope for pupils to adopt the right attitudes towards learning so that they can be truly stretched without breaking. And as such, to produce more well-balanced young men and young ladies for the nation...don't forget our future depends on how they in turn work, guide and lead the country. To put it bluntly, how we spend our old age depends a lot on them!
What PSLE is not
- It's not about helping schools to maintain their high ranking positions or our face.
- It's not being in the teacher's good book.
- [kids will love this] It's not about piles and piles of assessment, school papers, etc.
- It's not about lining your child up for class after class regardless of his/her actual needs.
Then, what is PSLE?
- It's about a learning journey that you and your child can enjoy together because this child is a gift.
- It's about you helping your child to inculcate the right habits and attitudes towards learning so that they can become life-long learners with you as their model.
How they handle this first national examination is likely the way they are going to handle the others as well. The first is always the most significant, and since your child is at that age when they are neither here nor there, all the more they need you to help them through.
Let love be the governing rule in learning. The roles of parents include to support, motivate and inspire, getting children excited about learning, helping them to fall in love with learning, helping them to love things that endure and build patience.
Have you seen any two or three year old who does not like to learn or ask question? What has happened to that child who had previously been asking so many questions?
Rekindle that curiosity of learning in them so that they can go on to the next lap of their learning with ease and more preparation. I'm not saying that after that you can let go...it's just that you need not work as hard as before as they'll be more mature and more mentally and physically ready to take on more challenges.
It's about bringing out the best in your child even if that means 150 for T-score or not being in the top school or best class.
What does it mean to bring out the best in your child?
Firstly, let everything you do be motivated by love for this is what's going to last when all else fail.
Secondly, know your child well, his likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. Know your kid's learning style, habits. Help them to cultivate good habits from young so you have less to worry about when they are older ie training a child in the way he should go on so that when he is older he will likely not depart from it. Parents' expectations can be high, even to the state of being in denial, such that it may be difficult for us to have an objective view. Hence you may want to enlist the help of close friends or relatives. Read about and participate in parenting programmes and forums. For example, check out the parenting portal onSponge that makes an effort to provide content related to parents of the primary school age group.
Thirdly, believe that no matter what there's a gem to be polished in every child. Remember the familiar cliché "we are all winners at birth...". Help our children to believe in themselves, that there's this greatness in them, and then help them to bring it out.
"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him." - John Steinbeck, Pulitzer-prize winning author (1902-1968)
Fourthly, maintain consistency! Undue stress is not healthy for kids. Channel the energy spent on unnecessary stress to the "useful" types of stress. This helps your child to have more confidence to face other challenges as courage begets courage, strength begets strength. Stress is good but there is a limit to how much the body can take at each time. Unhealthy stress comes from poor sleeping habits, undisciplined mind, poor time management, taking on more than what the body can handle [like excessive activities - what is "excessive" can vary from child to child]. The body needs to be trained, what happens is that sometimes anxiety of parents and teachers [with good intention] unknowingly load children with a lot more activities. Allow your child to know that it's ok to make honest mistakes, and help him to correct the mistakes before it turns into habits which'll be even more difficult to change.
Fifthly, identify any other underlying reasons. Identify the problems [intrinsic or extrinsic] that may hinder your child from doing his/her best. Notice that I mentioned love and support first before this...this is unconditional love, love no matter what the child is or has.
Once all of these are in place, work consistently with your child to revise their work. If this cannot be done due to both parents having demanding jobs, work closely with teachers or tutors [ I can help you solve that problem ].
Note the importance of addressing emotional issues that your child may be struggling with, misunderstandings with friends, teachers...you can seek the aid of counsellors and religious mentors, or consult an educational psychiatrist for which you can approach school counsellors for help with referrals.
Read about learning challenges [dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD] that your child may face, and seek professional help early as this will help minimize the frustrations of the child. Otherwise, this can only deprive him/her the joy of learning. In that context, any normal child would like learning from birth. If not, then what has happened along the way that has changed your child? It's good to seek professional confirmation of your suspicions.
Final words
As parents, we see and know our children better in the many areas that teachers cannot know. However, note that teachers often see the aspects to the child that parents do not see. This is because different situations draw out different responses from different people.
As adults, we can sometimes be control freaks. I know I was one and occasionally this creepy freak still pays a visit once in a while 
. We must appreciate that while we may be right most of the time, it does not mean we are always right.
Understand that in nurturing a child there's no quick fix. Rather, it's like a gift that's long in coming - an opportunity for us to grow in patience, understanding and perseverance.
However, whatever the process we go through, do bear in mind that we are our children's greatest inspiration...or we can drive them to desperation.
"A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark." - Chinese Proverb
Which do you think is more important? Helping your child to score A* or helping your child to develop skills for life-long learning? As I see it, our role as adults is to provide them with the right environment so that they can rise to shine more easily. So, enjoy the learning, excite them, inspire them.
Expectations for PSLE
If you don't wish to stress your child, don't cram everything into the last minute. Start early. So what can you do as parents to help with the preparation process?
I'll briefly share with you the requirements for each paper. Please bear in mind that how well a child does in school examinations depends a lot on maturity. Take the time to explain ‘adult' stuff to your children. That's why it's so important for you to love to read. This triggers in them also the love to learn. If they have forgotten to love learning, find some stimuli to trigger that again.
English Language
Read the newspaper to get in touch with the real world and also topics related to PSLE. Focus on those with issues on consideration and being civic-minded.
Vocabulary: Learn a new word/phrase a day. Understand the use of root words/ prefixes/suffixes.
Grammar: Drill and more drill, work on structure.
Comprehension & Composition: These have related structures. Find out the hot topics related to children's experiences.
Situational writing: Get them used to various text types.
Mathematics
Know the basic concepts of each topic, work on drill and then on challenging questions. Note that if your child cannot understand the basic concepts, it'll be difficult to proceed to those involving multiple concepts. Challenge them on speed and accuracy.
Science
My favourite! Nothing beats relating to the child that science is everywhere, including what's happening in their bodies as well. I am sad that many of our children these days are not good with their hands ie not hands-on. Let the child explore and be excited when they do. My sons are very excited about their science lessons. The reason is simple - the teacher allows them to explore! One day [during a long weekend break] my older boy actually told me that he can't wait to go back school to see how his bacteria culture was doing. Understanding science well goes a long way to help children to see how everything is connected to each other. This helps to remind them to be more responsible, and that what goes around comes around. We often hear that we reap is what we sow, but in science, we also reap what others sow, so it's not good enough for us to be responsible - we have to also inspire and encourage others to do likewise.
Thank you.
Eg. In the question "The number of pupils who travel to school by car is 5 times as many as
those who walk to school." This means that if 5 pupils walked to school then 25 went by car.
Do you have a specific question you are trying to resolve? If so, you can post it in the forum and I am sure one of the many members and/or tutors will be more than will too help.
May I know if Megan was being banded for Maths & Science to PSLE foundation at P4, will she be able to hv a 2nd chance to choose for PSLE Standard exam if these 2 Maths & Science subjects she can passed and scored good result in P5 next year? Or is up to the school to decide? Please advise and reply to my e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Thanks
