Disheartened? Read On..

Mission:

I believe that every child can be taught.

Only by nurturing the child's interest towards Chinese, can he/she maximise their potential.


"I hate Chinese"

"...not anymore"


Home/Group Tuition

1 YEAR GUARANTEED IMPROVEMENT

- Tailor-made lessons by local ex-school teacher

(40 years experience)


- Change negative attitude & enjoy learning


- Learn oral, comprehension,writing skills, cloze passage, summary, proverbs via exam papers, internet, newspaper, webcam, skype


-PSLE/O/A level/IB CHINESE /Oral Exam Preparation


-Learn to do projects: presentations/book reviews/newspaper articles


- Analyse top-school/PSLE/chineseB/"O"/"A" level/

IB CHINESE past year series


- 2 pax per group, 1-2 pax for home tuition


- Pri 5-CHINESE B/ Sec 4/

A level/IB Chinese

- Sec 1 - 3 Higher Chinese


*Results Guaranteed*

Since 1980

Mr. Kok 97641616


Please bring along your IPAD and MOBILE TABLET DEVICES for subsequent lessons


15%> 35% >50% >65%>80%>95%


Scroll down for 2019 Schedule!



11.12.10

O level sudents' profile

Shi En who is a student at MGS and Jeannes who comes from Orchid Park Secondary came to enrol in my lessons during the june holidays.They were getting mediocre marks for Chinese ranging from C5-C6.They decided that they needed help in order to get at least a merit which is B for the O levels.Although they have already sat for the written papers, which form bulk of the marks, they feel they are not prepared for the last component which is the Oral examination.
   They came forward separately,and enrol in the small group tuition with emphasis put on Oral definitely.They were taught the techniques to score well and overcome anxiety on the actual day,at the same time with the help of multimedia,(videos,webcam,skype) overcome the fear of speaking out,even if you feel incompetent in your Chinese.These proves reliable as these students who are "putting their last gamble" in the oral component, will of course feel nervous prior to the exam. I did manage to spot questions relating to the hottest news reports during that period.For example, i did discuss the problem of eating and drinking in MRT carriages during one of the lessons and very fortunate for Jeannes the day she was assign to take, the exact question came out.Though Shi En got a different question, she also did well enough to pull her overall marks to  a B3. She was worried that she had problems just to pass the Language. But nevertheless both of them "pulled through" and got a B4.Quite a remarkable performance, within such a short time span. If they had come to me earlier, they got a high possibility of attaining a higher grade,perhaps, an A2 or B3.So parents prepare your child early for the O levels,best is a year before the major examination.Sec 3 is the cut-off time you can not afford to prepare after. Do well and have no regrets. Best of luck for your children's acedemic performance and I look forward to the year 2011.

"If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail."- Benjamin Franklin

12.11.10

Hey yet another two testimonials about my students!
Name: Caleb Chan
Academic Level:Sec 1
Sch: ACS(I)
   For this student, he has done exceptionally well in the end of year examinationt ,achieving a whooping improvement from 23 to 53 marks.When I first started with him,he failed the language in the mid-year exam with 23 marks. But with the correct techniques he has learnt from me to help cope with his Oral Exam which start earlier than most other secondary schools,he scored well in that segment thus pulling his overall up so that he could pass Chinese. Normally it would take about a year to get a student who has been failing Chinese to breakthrough the "failing barrier" but Caleb was exceptionally fast in his learning.He has a very determined and steadfast character which make him sometimes difficult to teach but with constant encouragement despite his poor language foundation,he is able to change his negative attitude towards Chinese.With the willingness to put in effort in his learning,he is able to make such a vast improvement .







 Name: Jilian Shea
Academic Level: Sec 2
Sch: Jurong West-> next yr transferring to ACS(International) IB program

She's quite a gentle-minded,dilligient student which has high expectations for her results. She takes pride in her work,always very attentive during lessons. Besides that, she has talents in singing and dancing never failing to sooth people with her melodious voice. Likewise,the self-motivated learner dislikes Chinese and she would always leave to the last minute to prepare for the Chinese tests and exams.I had to also sacrifice some time and give her extra lessons so that i could help her optimumly to cope with the End of year exam. If weren't for that she might not be able to do as well in the subject.She improved from 35 marks to 52 marks, also a pass from fail.

From these two students, we can see that with just a little more encouragement,students who were once "against" Chinese could have their attitude changed. No matter how bad their chinese could be,whether they decide to give up or to press on,depends on what you think they are capable of achieving.

3.9.10

Yearning for distinction in Chinese?

15% >35% >50% > 75%>95%
1 YEAR G'TEED IMPROVEMENT
Home/Group TUITION
Designed by Local Ex-school teacher
(30 yrs of experience)
*8/20 Tailor-made, intensive
lessons to build up Confidence
*IMPART EXAM TECHNIQUES AND
ANALYSE TOP SCH/PAST YEAR PAPERS
*Learn Chinese in interesting ways thru CD-Roms,
MOE website,internet
*Learn Oral/Reading/Writing
skills via videos & Webcam  
*O level/PSLE Preparation
*S3 Higher Chinese (preparing
for “O” level Nov)
*Sec 3-2011 “O” level May exam
*P5 -2011 PSLE
*P4-6/S1-3 Higher Chinese
*1/4 pax per group
Mon-Sun: 8am-3.30pm at MY place 
Weekdays: 4.30-9.30pm at your place
BLK 15 MARINE TERRACE 
+Results G’teed+
Mr Kok 97641616 (Since 1980)
chinesetuitionsg.blogspot.com


Location:Blk 15 Marine Terrace,near Tao Nan Sch

2.9.10

Overwelmed By Chinese?

Home/Group Chinese tuition with IT and Multimedia(4/8/20 lessons)
IT and Multimedia?(Starting this Nov and Dec Holidays)
Every student would be encouraged to bring their laptops to lessons for innovative learning during group tuition.For home tuition, a home desktop is needed. With the liveliness and animation PC can bring, students can concentrate better especially those with a weak concentration span.
Who needs it?

There are 4 types of students.
a). There are students who do not have confidence,resulting in stutters ,nodding and shaking of heads or yes and no answers.They also do not elaborate,tend to give one-sentence answer that is being asked only.If the students are going to take their PSLE and O level,how are they going to do well?
I specialise in these type of problems.Firstly, i seek to raise their confidence by opening their hearts so that they could express their feelings.After that,find their strengths and talents to build their self-esteem.
With my 30 yrs experience of teaching,i can correct the students' mistakes using webcam,video and voice recording. During their self-study, they could even adjust their mistakes by themselves. If they are able to overcome the fear of facing the camera,their confidence are better than most people their age.
But all these can only be done by having 10-20 intensive lessons. After the holidays,who knows your child will change to become a totally new person with high self-esteem.
b). For students who are hyperactive with a short concentration span and hate Chinese, they might have attended numerous tuition centres and classes in the past, but they are still not showing any improvement.Recommended:(8 lessons)
c). Gifted students and fast-learners who ace in other subjects except Chinese.They are not able to breakthrough their average results .Their standard could not reach the school demands.This can be seen from students who have difficulty comprehending higher order comprehension passages.
This goes the same with Chinese articles 《少年文摘》or 《读者》.Hwa chong Sec 1 students and students from other SAP schools have do a project based on those articles which will be counted in the CA.
Another example would be gifted students from schools like RGS might not have the depth of Chinese literacy to comprehend the above mentioned passages.Thus other ordinary group tuition would not help as they do not have the resources to cater this need to them.He or she would need a personal tutor to help them with this need.Recommended:(4-8 lessons)
d) Then for those students who scores A1 for all subjects except for Chinese.Is Chinese important for them?
Of course!Firstly,the overall score would be pulled down by the borderline pass or even fail in Chinese. The student would not be able to go to the top class or desirable stream or even school in the case of students opting for IP/IB transfer.Applications or scholarships also take into consideration the overall result.Among my students,there's a lot who are from the third category.They belong to premier schools like ACS(I),MGS,Crescent Girls',RGS,RI and Hwa Chong.These students show the most improvement after tuition,usually about half a year later.recommended:(8-12 lessons)
Other than IT, how do you cover exam syllabus for PSLE and O level?

To prepare for O levels oral, I have a collection of past year papers and top school prelim exam papers for students to practice and analyse.
To prepare for PSLE,oral is one of the most important components of the exam.Its an easy way to pull the overall score up.I have passages and pictures from top sch notes and CD-Roms.Web cam and video recording would effectively increase the confidence of students to face the examination. They would also know their weakness in tonation,pronunciation and speech after each recording so that they could adjust to the correct one.
PSLE Revision:
Composition techniques are imparted.For example,students would learn how to start and end their compositions with style and creativity so as to stand out from the rest to add value to content.Theme should be included to enhance the meaning of the essay.Good phrases,idioms and proverbs will be given to students for memorising so as to strengthen the language component of the essay.(not only beneficial to essay writing but also to comprehension and Oral)
Sec 3 Higher Chinese(How to improve Oral in Exam?)
One type of students have problems using the useful notes the teacher give them.They do not know how to "digest" them. The contents must be used in a flexible manner,according to situations and not in a rigid manner.If they come for lessons with their notes i am able to use it to their advantage, in a variety of purposes.
Next type of students have a misconception that reading a passage fast equals to fluency but it is completely opposite.Most likely the student have no rhythm and expression when reading.Nervousness cause repetitions in phrases,or stuttering.
A lot of top schools especially SAP schools do not carry out preparation on oral exams during the holidays. At most the teachers would just give them some notes to study. The schools feel that there is not a need for students to be adequately prepared as oral is easy.But there are some who have a weak foundation in Chinese and others who can write beautifully but could not express their thoughts in speech.They are not fluent enough and have inappropriate pauses in their conversations.A strong knowledge of current affairs is also needed for a distinction in Oral.
Written paper
Writing skills and summary techniques will be taught.Many SAP schools have their exam papers set to an extremely high standard higher than that of O level, raising concern over students who failed Higher Chinese in SA1.Holidays is a good time to strengthen the language pillar so as to raise confidence in the students to empower them to face the tests and exams when school reopens.

PSLE Oral Examination(how to improve?)
Conversation:Sec 4/P6 who are very shy and not expressible,do not know how to elaborate their points.

Reading: there would be some people who are weak in articulation and tonation of characters and there is some who have a limited vocabulary resulting in them skipping a lot of words during reading,thus reducing fluency
.Some other students are caused by fear of opening their mouths to articulate the words properly,havin the "Jay chou" accent.Here during lessons i can correct them using webcam and voice recording.
Home or Group tuition? How many are there in a group?
Both of them. With just one or two students,tuition at my place can start.But if there is a heavier demand,maximum no. of students would only be 4.
Where do you cover?
Bukit Timah, Orchard,Holland Road,Mount Sinai Rise, Dover,Sunset Way,Marine Parade,East Coast,Serangoon Garden,

How many years of experience do you have?
38 yrs of experience.I had been a teacher in schools like Maris Stella and Montfort Sec,Kong Hwa and CHIJ Pri
Which schools do your students come from?
SEC:ACS(I),ACS(BR),MGS(Holland rd),VS,Maris Stella,Tanjong Katong Girls Sec,Hwa Chong,Nanyang girls high,Cresent Girls,Anglican High,Duman High,Chung Cheng,SJI,Catholic High,RGS and RI
PRI:ACS,MGS(holland rd),Tao Nan, Kong Hwa,CHIJ,Maha bodhi,Catholic High,Maris Stella,SJI(junior),Nanyang,RGS
What do u cover(4-8 intensive lessons)
-- Sec 3 Higher Chinese preparing for "O" level Express Chinese Exam written paper(Nov)
-- P6 Written paper (October)-Compo/ and Comprehension
Note: Intensive would mean Mon-Fri

- FUN way for Enrichment(4/8 lessons)
-- P 2-5 will be exposed to multimedia to spark their interest in learning Chinese
-- Sec 1-3 Express/Higher Chinese will learn how to apply the knowledge of current affairs through websites and e-books.
-- Guidance with Holiday assignment,Book and newspaper article review ,
- What are the methods u use?

--Websites and methods like computer typing or phone typing to improve the reading and writing ability,
--analyse past year exam papers,top sch papers, to pick up exam techniques and time management


--Using Webcam,video recording and voice recording,oral CD-ROM,i aim to raise the confidence of the students especially those who are very shy and do not talk much.
--spot possible topics that might come out,and if they didn't come out,special methods to counter tough questions
Written paper/ComprehensionP2-P6/Sec1-3 who are not competent in the language, might fail the main paper and lose marks greatly at the comprehension section. Thus we teach them analytical skills to help them in answering questions.

What levels do you teach?
,P2-5,Sec1-3 express or higher Chinese,
PSLE preparation from P5 and "o" level preparation from Sec 3
Oral Programme during June holidays
When?
Mon-Sat 8am - 3.00pm,at MY place ,Weekdays 4pm-10pm at YR place

Where?Marine terrace near ECP
What is the long-term aim of this programme?

Language more than a subject,a medium to appreciate entertainment like songs,movies and literature,read newspapers,vital social skills like public speaking,understand Chinese philosophy and culture

31.8.10

Importance of individual or small grp tuition


In the coming Sept holidays, i will offer 4/8 tailor-made intensive lessons with the objective of meeting targets in the SA2 Exam. The highlight would be a 9-10 intensive lessons for those students preparing for major exams(PSLE,"O" level).Therefore, it is important for lessons to be effective so as to meet the academic demands of the student.(homework,assignments like newspaper reviews,common tests and finally the exams)
For students with short concentration span or who needs individual attention in the language it is best to go for group size of 1-2.And very few tuition centres or tutors provide that kind of lessons.But i firmly believe if you,parents are paying for tuition,you should maximise the worth of every lesson down to each minute.Just by topping up on the fees you are able to allow your child to get maximum attention and care and even a more conducive environment for learning.So why not go for a top up for quality and get a small class size?




For P6 students,minimum requirement would be at least an A for the prelims Chinese.With 4 weeks to go to PSLE,time is very packed and lessons will be focused on exam techniques and polishing the confidence level rof that student to achieve high A or A* in PSLE.For Sec 4 students taking O level,the minimum requirement would be at least B4-C5.Like that of the PSLE, lessons conducted is to raise the confidence level of the students and on effective exam techniques.

24.8.10

PSLE Chinese Oral 2010 Topics!!!

Yup we had it.Here are the topics 2 of my students had illustrated from the PSLE oral examination.Everything in the powerpoint document are translated from Chinese to English.

1st day http://www.scribd.com/doc/36409154

2nd day http://www.scribd.com/doc/36409431

Note:As on effect from now,my teaching place will be moved from Park Court near Eunos to Blk 15 Marine Terrace.The new place is near the Marine Parade Community Club and Tao Nan Sch.(With the firepost at the void deck of the block.)

30.6.10

When is the O level Chinese Oral Exam?

Novel Test
Holidays are over and school reopen again! What must be beating on students' mind should be adjusting the mindset to the "working mode".And especially those from schools who have assigned students with a Chinese book or novel to read during the holidays.They would need to take a book test within the first week of school.

With few days to the test,have you started on the book yet? Lacking confidence in scoring high for the book test?
Let me impart you students the efficient techniques to study the book in a short time. and will help you to summarise the story to a level for easier digestion. We will also spot the likely questions that will come out and fin answers from the book.Come join the lessons to emerge victorious against book tests!

"O" Level Chinese Oral Exam 2010(1-14 July 2010)
Yes it has finally come. Held during 1-14July , you will be scheduled to take the exam on one of those days.I am sure that a lot of students still do not know about this.Parents,your children might not have informed you of his confirmed Oral date.
Alot of Chinese teachers especially those teaching higher Chinese do not find a need in teaching students Oral. They feel that the students of high ability in language will cope well in the Oral and that is so easy to score distinction without preparing for it. In actual fact,they need the necessary preparation to boost their confidence.Oral could be the easiest component to score for "O" level but it can also be the one with a high chance of mishap when you get nervous or tongue tied. Distinction is only achieveable as long as you had practiced before the exam, and no nervousness occurs during that short 5-10 minutes of testing.Remember Wayne?He is the singaporean bred in American who speaks perfect english with slang.It took him 2yrs to learn how to speak mandarin and that is from scratch.And in just a short time he is able to attain distinction in the exam. He is speaking to the people with an unstable Chinese foundation.It doesn't matter what family background you are from,whether you are a Caucasion, or a indonesian, you can still speak fluently and impress your examiners.As long as you have the determination to learn and co-operate with me well,you can attain your desirable goal

From the many testimonials you see, we have many innovative ways of preparing your child for the oral exam like webcam and voice recording.With 1-4 lessons, your child would be able to raise his or her level of confidence in speaking,increase the vocabulay to express their opinions and learn the correct tone,pronunciation and articulation in speaking.And with the proven techniques,your child will be on his way to your desirable mark for oral.

29.6.10

Testimonial from Wayne (Yuying Sec) *O-Level Student OMG!!!*

Hi guys. Yeah, I know...it's me again. Just wanted to give props to Mr. Kok for teaching me all these years. (3 years or so) Now that I've improved so much in Chinese, I figured that it'd be good to write something about it. (Yes, I was allowed to create a post haha) Anyway, I've been failing Mandarin since Primary 3. I could remember it clearly cuz that day was probably one of the most *upsetting* ones in my life. I've seen better days. From there, I've been 'maintaining' this consistency to have a flair for failing the subject. I almost gave up on it. When Mr. Kok came to tutor me though, it was a different feel. It's not like the school's usual take-this-and-start-writing style of learning but instead, I was exposed to some really interesting (and fun) methods. Television, CDs that contain audio clips from chapters in the textbook and such. Ah yes...multimedia is the word I've been looking for. So anyway, I've just made it through the Chinese 'O' Level Oral Exam as well as the written paper recently. Surprisingly, I've got a 'Distinction' for the oral exam, and I thought I would get a 'Pass' or 'Merit' at most. Unfortunately, my written paper wasn't that good, so I've gotten a C6 overall. I mean...that's a good thing for me because I've been failing my Chinese all the while. From an F9 to C6! That's a 3-grade improvement! I'll be re-sitting for the written paper though, so I'm confident that I would get better results this time round due to that fact that the 'Distinction' from the oral exam had just pulled me up to the "non-failure zone." So that's about it, I've pretty much summarized everything into one looong paragraph. Thank you for reading.

- Wayne

24.3.10

11.3.10

Secondary 1-3 SA2 exam information

SA2 Sec sch oral: sept

SA2 Sec sch Compo:sept

SA2 Sec sch Paper 2:Oct

*the date of the exams varies with different schools
All the exams should end by 16 Oct,before "O" level


SO time's running out.There are only 4-6 weeks left.Those who are still weak in Chinese and not prepared for the exam should enrol in 12-17 intensive lessons from September Holidays to SA2(October).There's proven techniques for students to develop for exam preparation in a short time.

Struggling with Chinese?


GROUP/HOME CHINESE TUITION!!!


6-7 weeks for SA1 preparation

Q&As
Q: When is your child's SA1 examination?

A: -Estimated for primary school students Oral exam will be in 5-6 weeks time but for some schools like MGS as early as the fourth week the students have until,sixth week would be Compo exam,Paper 2 will be in May.
-For secondary school students,exams will be within 2-5 weeks,for e.g. Gan Eng Seng Sch will have Oral exams on the first week of April!Victoria School will have their written on the sixth week.
-"O" Level Prelims,ACS sec 4 students will take their Prelims on 24/03/10.

Q: Are you worried that your child is giving up Chinese?

A: Yes,

Q: where can i get help?

A: Join Home/group Chinese tuition to prepare for the SA1

Q: How about Sec 3 Higher Chinese students?

A: There are classes that suited especially for students taking Higher or Express Chinese on Saturdays.They are the students who are aiming distinction for GCE "O" levels.

Q: Besides group tuition lessons,1-to-1 tuition program is targeted at which type of students?

A: "hopeless" students who every teacher wants to avoid taking responsibility.They are the ones who have been to many tuition centres and home tutors,but couldn't seem to get the result.even with direct guidiance from a patient parent,it doesn't seem to get an effect.But opposite to us, we would gladly take students as low as Pri sch: below 10/100 ,Sec sch:below 20/100. They are not hopeless at all instead they have the potential to excel is just a lack of interest or language foundation. With the right motivation, i believe i can raise their self-esteem. As long as they follow our methods of teaching and are willing to attend intensive no. of lessons, we will be able to gear him for improvement.

Q: Which level do you teach?

A: P3-P6, and Sec1-3(P6 and Sec 4 students this year have to obtain a pass first)It is best that Students who failed Chinese have to come 1 and a half year before your PSLE or "O" Level.Parents have to understand that language need time to be built up.So many neglected this point and in order to save money, they waited till 3 months before Exam to sign up.By that point of time due to a very short duration,students will not do as expected and the tutor will get blamed.

Q: What is the usual group size for group tuition?

A: Small group of 1-2 students.I group students according to their school level and language standard.Unlike other tutors or tuition centres, I am aware that each child have different areas of weakness and thus needs to be put in the correct group of students during lesson.i am even willing to go the extra mile to teach 1-to-1 if you feel that the learning environment best suit your child. At the end of the day we are concerned of maximising the effectiveness in every lesson,and to open up their hearts so that they can pour out their feelings to me whenever they are troubled.For I am not just a tutor teaching Chinese but friend that wants to get involved especially in the lives of the youth .


Q: How long do I expect my child to improve after attending lessons?

A: At least one year.A common misconception would be 3-6 months.But we need a period of 1 year for the change of attitude in the student to take effect in his/her results. But the time could be quickened if the child is hardworking and show the equal desire to get results

Q: What are the timings and locations for lessons?

A: Weekdays:8am -10am(1.5h) at your place(P1-5 afternoon session students), 2.30pm- 9.30pm at your place or to my place depending on the slots
Sat and Sun:8am-4 pm(1.5h) at my place
my place:Private apart. opposite Joo Chiat Complex

Q: Usually where do your students come from?

A: Primary
Tao Nan,Ngee Ann Pri,St.Stephen,CHIJ,Tanjong Katong, Kong Hwa, Maris Stella,Cathlolic high,MGS ACS, RGS,SCGS,Nanyang

Secondary
Anglican high,Victoria,Chung Cheng, Tanjong Katong Sec,Catholic High,Dunman high,CHIJ,
ACS,MGS,Hwa Chong Institution,RGS,SCGS,Nanyang girls'

A: Some testimonials include:
http://chinesetuitionsg.blogspot.com/2009/07/bilingual-students-testimonial-on-mr.html
http://chinesetuitionsg.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_30.html

10.3.10

Exam tips from Ex-Dunaman High Student to score A1 for English and Chinese

She did a feat not many people can do, scoring A1 in both English and Chinese in her "O" levels.

1.3.10

ACS Marcus' Testimonial

2008 P6 Marcus from ACS(Pri), 2009 S1 Marcus frm ACS(I)


=>Marcus from ACS joined my lessons in March last year. Although he did not

show much improvement in his Chinese SA1 results, he got an A for chinese in his

prelim exams. He went on and scored an A for chinese in his PSLE. This pulled his

overall aggregate score to 238 which he can enter ACS(I), the school he is

currently studying right now. This shows that Chinese can be a subject which can

help you to pull up your PSLE aggregate score rather.It need not always be what

many people think, Chinese being one of the most difficult subjects to score in

the PSLE.Have an edge over the others who are pinning their hopes on Maths, Science and English to pull up

their aggregate!Enrol in our tuition course today!

7.2.10

PSLE "A" Students



=>Marcus which was from Kong Hwa School enrolled in 8 lessons per month




(twice a week) in the beginning of last year. Even though he was quite stable in his




chinese,he found it hard to cope with the different syllabus of Chinese and Higher




Chinese. He has certainly improved over the months of tuition where he put in the




heart to memorise phrases essential for Oral exam . He got an A for




Chinese in his SA1 and Prelim.For Higher Chinese, he achieved Distinction which




was a shock to him as he normally get a Pass for his Higher Chinese His




improvement was also noticeable in school.He was invited to the stage at his school




prestentation ceremony to recive an award for the student with the biggest improvement in his Higher




Chinese results. He too also scored an A for his PSLE chinese which pulled his aggregate to 235 which he can




enter Maris Stella High, the school which he is currently studying right now.This shows that even when your




chinese results are on par, you still need to be consistent and seek help in languages in order to keep up your score.

=>Ryan from ACS joined my tuition with recommendation from his classmate

Marcus.He started in June last year with 20 intensive lessons (5 times a week)

during the holidays. His grandpa had to wake up early and take the time to bring

him to take a bus from Bukit Timah all the way to Eunos

for his lessons which starts at 8 am.His time and effort paid off when he scored an A

for Chinese in his PSLE pulling his aggregate up to 234.It came to a shock for him

as he had never expected to get such a grade for his weakest subject. Because he was willing to put in the

time and effort to come for intensive tuition no matter how far the place was, he naturally achieved the

results in a very short time span.(You reap what you sow)This applies especially to those weak

students who will be taking their PSLE this October. With more lessons, there will be more chances of getting the desired results.

16.1.10

2009 "O" level students

The "O" Level results are out and besides the Sec 4 of 2009.The Sec 3 of 2010 also have gotten their "O" Level Chinese results back.Our students have done exceptionally well in the exams and were mentioned earlier in previous posts at June.

Firstly, Jeremy Ma,from Anglican High Higher Chinese student,this year Sec 4 have gotten an A2 for chinese,outpassing the expectations of many.He has also achieved a Distinction in the Oral.He joined 8 tuition lessons during the June Holidays where he learned primarily the skills of Oral Exam.As he is busy of with CCA and school work,he is unable to continue with the CCA and he might get A1.

Shawn Chiang from NUS High School of Mathematics and Sciences(NUSHS) last year Sec 4,scored C5 for the "O" Level Chinese.A big improvement from his expected results.
From a person who normally fail his paper with D7 or E8 and with little confidence of the language, to someone who is more confident now and even able to relate a news incident in fluent mandarin to the oral examiner.He joined the tuition when he was Sec 2 and carried on for 2 and a half years once per week till Sec 4.He came from an english speaking background thus he lacks the foundation of the language which needs time for him to build.Before the tuition when he was asked to write newspaper article reviews,he had to look up the dictionary for practically most of the words but now he is able to communicate his thoughts.
I know that using a traditional and inflexible way of teaching him Chinese he will be bored and thus will not put in the effort.I try to use interactive tools,the internet,news websites like omy.com to give him contact with hot news topics that might come out in exam.He also learnt how to use the computer to type out his compo,allowing the process to be faster so as to overcome the fear of writing long essays. (400-500 words)They turn out to be more effective than the old way of teaching textbook.We also give him pen-and-paper assignments like top school paper to prepare him properly for the "O" Level.
For example there was once his school was sent to Community Involvement Programme(CIP) work,to send rations to the elderly living in the one-room flat.He was later asked to write a composition on that.Not sharp in his language he is unable to express his thoughts.During tuition both of us looked up the websites to view videos and pictures to aid him in expressing his thoughts to me so that i can help him.It was a success and the teacher commended him on his work.
Su Jintian last year Sec 4 from CHIIJ Katong Convent Sec has gotten B3 for Chinese.IN 2007,she joined my tuition when she was in Sec 2.At that time she was getting around 50 plus in her exams.Her mom expected more and found me by recommendation.
Her school does give a lot of assignments like book reviews,newspaper article reviews,textbook practices.Especially book reviews as the book that the school assigned to Jintian was too difficult for her to understand.She had to consult me everyday in one week of the holidays.Especially during the school holidays she will have a heavy load comprising of internet work which she will always bring to tuition to ask me. She is a fast learner.She has a lot of activities and CCAs resulting in her not being able to do my tuition work.IF not with her intelligence she will be able to get A1 easily for Chinese.When she reach a Sec 4, she stopped tuition allowing more time with her other subjects.If she had continue i will guarantee she will have a higher chance of getting A1.She is a bit of a pity.She scored 8 points,preparing to enter Temasek JC.

13.1.10

Sec 1 Chinese Difficult?

Are you finding hard to adapt to rapid changes in Chinese?The school year has started for many and there are a lot of things you need to adapt to.Especially from primary school to secondary school,you are in a total new environment and the increased number of subjects is shocking.My son who is in sec1 this year fortunately is able to cope well with his studies.
For students going towards secondary school chinese what you can find the most different is that the textbooks are much difficult and the style of writing is slightly different.You will also learn applied Chinese like writing formal letters, if you are in higher chinese,formal writing and summary will be routine for you.Of course the word limit will increase.
It's actually quite normal for students to take some time to adapt to the this new "Chinese" environment.But for those with weak foundation in Chinese,it is a challenging feat for them.With little exposure to Chinese at home during the holidays,they might struggle with school work in the term.
For express Chinese students some schools require them to do newspaper articles and compositons are no longer picture based instead on situational.
For Higher Chinese they have the pressure of remaining in higher chinese stream.Most schools wil set a banchmark whereby higher chinese students have to pass in the overall results in order to stay in higher chinese.I have seen many people drop to express chinese at the end of sec1 and 2.Most often is that they cant cope with the high standard.A high standard includes increasing the length of the compo(800-1000 words at least) Lengthy and difficult passages resulting in people not being able to finish the paper.And of course applied Chinese like newspaper articles,book reviews and letter writing.
The method to scoring well in Chinese is totally different with that of primary school.During primary school,as long as you work hard,do those exam papers and assessment books you are able to score well.If your child is in a elite school where academic competition is stiff,Chinese might be the subject that separates the First in level to the tenth in level.Chinese is one subject sometimes even top students cant cope with.It can be your "friend" which will pull you up and your "enemy" that pull you down.Therefore Chinese might be crucial if you want your son to do outstandingly well.
But in secondary school the principle of "language cant be learnt overnight" will start to surface.Therefore we need time to build up the language ability.
Xpress students
I will place emphasis on news.They are the source for questions likely to come out in the "o" level.Newspaper article reviews can come out in compo paper,Oral exam conversation can be on a news topic even in the main paper comprehension passages can be tool to test your knowledge of news.I will also use news portal websites like omy.com and xin.sg to enhance interactive learning following MM Lee's message.

Higher Chinese
I will also do the same for the higher Chinese students on the news segment.TO enhance every individual's writing skill,I would give them more opportunities to practice writing.With frequent practices,the mind will be able to flow with the hand when writing.For during the compo exam,time constraint will push you to " write while you think". I will also pass some high standard reading materials (maybe from China or taiwan) to the students for reading.Sompe examples include《 少年文摘》,<四方八面>和《直通车》。This will bring up the standard of chinese through frequent reading.

10.1.10






file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/User/Desktop/%E7%9B%AE%E6%A0%87.pptx()Her sample interactive assingnment(click on the hyperlink)


RGS P6 Yicheng was asked what did she learn during the sch holiday program.