SJI O level Testimonial of Joshua Tay's Parents

I am really elated today when Joshua told me

that he scored A1 for his O-Level Chinese today. The best part was he scored Distinction for his oral! A good teacher is hard to come by. I am writing this testimonial to thank Mr Vincent Kok for helping my son to achieve his potential.

I could still remember how desperate I was looking for a tutor to help Joshua when I noticed his Chinese language results deteriorating in mid of Sec 3. I noticed him disconnecting from the subject and I knew that he needed professional help. Liked what any other parents would do, I started to look around for a Chinese tutor online. Mr Kok's mission statement in his blog site captured my attention "I believe that every child can be taught. Only by nurturing the child's interest towards Chinese, can he/she maximize their potential". I knew then that he is not just an academic tutor but also an academic coach.

With his guidance, not only has Mr Vincent Kok imparted his academic knowledge to Joshua, he has also changed his perception of Chinese Language! Mr Kok uses technology like voice-recording and hand-held devices to increase students' engagement and motivation; and accelerate learning. A very tech savvy teacher! Joshua's oral skills was improved through the voice recording method. The method has proved to boost his confidence to speak up during school's discussions with his peers

and teachers.

Once again, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr Vincent Kok for his guidance to Joshua. For parents and students in search of help in Chinese language, I would highly recommend Mr Vincent Kok.

Jennifer Tay [Parent of Joshua Tay, SJI]一

SJI O level Testimonial of Joshua Tay

Prior to the tuition sessions with Mr Kok, Chinese and I weren't the best mix. I couldn't really grasp the language well, much less speak or write well during exams. In fact, I actually started to alienate the language.

However, when I started attending Mr Kok's lessons, one could say it totally changed my perception of Chinese. No longer did I view it as a foreign language that I couldn't master. I started seeing it as a friend, something I can better relate to with the help of Mr Kok. I started reading Chinese and subsequently, I could speak the language fluently.

I have improved my oral skills through the voice recording method that he takes to teach his students. It has surely boosted my confidence to speak up during discussions in class and with teachers. The skills that have been imparted to me have truly upgraded my speaking ability.

In this year of being guided through the languge, I found that I did not just learn new words or how to write well, but also the esential moral values that the laguage upholds. One can truly say that Mr Kok has done a wonderful job in inspiring his students to do well.

- Joshua Tay, Sec 4 from SJI '14一

SJI O level Testimonial Ryan Siah

Frankly I previously had an extreme animosity towards Chinese. I didn't like the subject and the exams, I didn't even like my school Chinese teacher. However, after this tuition, I can confidently say that my view of Chinese has taken a 180°turn thanks to my tuition teacher, Mr Vincent Kok .

Now that I have experienced this change I realize that doing well in Chinese is not something that can be achieved by hardwork alone, doing well in Chinese requires the user to have a certain liking for the subject. I realize achieving in this is not so simple however Mr Kok has shown me that Chinese isn't my enemy, it's a friend, and a subject that can be mastered when one has the right attitude when studying for it .

Mr Kok's lessons are extremely beneficial as they help me to gain a deep understanding and liking for the subject. Up to the point that I can now freely speak Chinese and enjoy it, something that I would not have thought possible a year ago. He obtained teaching skills that not many have who is an all rounded teacher who can teach in the many different aspects of the subject .

From these lessons, overall, my Chinese comprehension , composition , letter writing and especially my Chinese oral have increased in strength tenfold as Mr Kok has helped me to overcome what seemed like not one but many insurmountable obstacles .

In conclusion , I recommend that anyone who reads this will strongly consider taking Mr Kok's lessons as it is the catalyst that will definitely increase any student's fluency and strength in the area.

Ryan Siah , sec 4 from SJI , 2014

MGS(Blackmore Drive ) Sec 4 testimonial

My name is Claire, and I am from Methodist Girls’ School at Blackmore Drive. After a few lessons, I have been taught many new and effective techniques to answering the questions in the O level papers, as well as how to organize my thoughts and ideas to write a good newspaper review and expository paper. I have also been guided through my school’s holiday homework; with Mr Kok’s help, I was able to answer all the questions by myself. His tutoring has benefited me greatly and I feel much more confident going into Sec 4. I aim to improve from a C5 to a B3 in my O levels. With Mr Kok’s help, I am sure that this can be done.

- Clarie,12 Dec 2014

Testimonial from Michael, ASCI IB

Testimonial from a mother of a child who improved from D7 to B4 at Maris Stella High

My son Ryan Warwick has always been weak in his Chinese as we do not speak the language at home. About 3 months before his PSLE, the school teachers advised us to send Ryan for tuition as his Chinese was pulling down his overall aggregate. We tried several well-known tuition centres but most were not willing to help as they had already completed the curriculum and it was too near the PSLE examinations. 

I found Mr Vincent Kok on the internet. I was impressed with his sample notes that he had posted in his blog and decided to call him. I find Mr Kok to be a very experienced and caring teacher. He was very patient with my son and helped him wholeheartedly. Ryan's pronunciation improved and Mr Kok equipped him with valuable techniques to help him score points during the PSLE oral exams. From June to August, Ryan attended tuition classes regularly (at least twice a week) at Mr Kok's residence. 

Ryan scored a B4 for his Chinese during the school prelim exams. He scored an A for PSLE!

Fast forward 2 years, Ryan is now studying in Secondary 2, Maris Stella High School. He did not take tuition in Secondary 1 as he was overwhelmed by the new curriculum in school. His results in Chinese dropped again. This year, he failed his SA1 exams and scored an E8 overall. As this is the year whereby the students have to choose their subject combinations for "O" levels, we were again told by the teachers that if he does not improve in his Chinese, his overall percentage will be pulled down and he will not be able to select the subjects he prefers.

We immediately looked for Mr Kok as we knew that he would be able to produce results. True enough, after teaching my son from June, my son's grades have improved tremendously. We have just received his overall scores from the school and Ryan scored B4 for his Chinese! His overall percentage is now able to meet the criteria for his course selection. We owe this to Mr Kok's dedication and unique teaching methods. I am very pleased to see big improvements in my son's results within a short period of time.

I strongly recommend Mr Kok to anyone who is looking for a dedicated and experienced teacher. He is a wonderful father figure and has never raised his voice at my son. Instead, he has spent precious time to counsel and motivate my son. Thank you Mr Kok!

Holyrose Koo (Ryan's mummy)

Testimonial from Bertrand Teo,Sec 3, Hai Sing Catholic

Growing up in an English based environment meant that Chinese was foreign to me, this also meant that my Chinese grades weren't particularly fantastic. That was until I met Mr Kok, he helped me a lot in improving my second language. Most students would generally hate Chinese as it is a norm. Rarely would anyone say that they enjoy Chinese, however through Mr Kok interactive and unique lessons, I have finally found some love for this underrated subject. Sure his lessons cost a bit more of money, but his experience and skill is all the more worth it. He has over the years developed unique skills to be able to interact and gain the trust from me in a just 1 lesson. Through the use of modern technology such as tablet and smart devices to encourage the more quiet English speaking person to speak Chinese. At first I was quite skeptical of his teaching methods, however after 4 months I can safely say that his devices used are especially helpful to students to have some understanding or grasp of the Chinese syllabus. One evident improvement is my jump from D7 to B4. Moving to 2015 I am sure that Mr Kok will be there to assist and guide me to a A for my Chinese in my O-levels. (18/10/2014)

Testimonial from Bertrand Teo's Father (C6 to B4)

Dear Vincent,

  I'm writing to express my sincere appreciation and great effort to educate my Sec 3 son. He has improved by 2 points in approximately 3 months under your tuition. That's a vast improvement and I've full confident his grade will only continue to move up north. Your open and focus technique has certainly instilled confidence in my son to do better. It has not been easy for my son to work on his mandarin language, in the last 3 months, I have seen a significant attitude shift towards this language. Improvement starts from within and you have enabled my son to achieve that.  Thank you. 
  
 Yours truly,
 Peter Teo 
 Father of Bertrand Teo

Testimonial of a Sec 3 Higher Chinese student from SST

I used to view (Higher) Chinese as a chore, something I was forced to learn and master. However, after the tuition sessions with Mr Kok, I have found myself taking a genuine interest in the subject. Despite the fact that I joined rather late in the year, Mr Kok was able to sufficiently prepare me for the O Level Oral Examintations, and helped boost my confidence in spoken Chinese. He also taught me the methods of tackling the various components in the paper, which have been a great help to me during my End-Of-Year Examinations. 

He has inspired me, along with many others, to love and learn Chinese, not because we have to, but because we want to. Thank you! 

~Brandi Lai, S3'14, SST (22/10/14)j

AHS Sec3 Testimonial

Without a proper foundation, Chinese is a very difficult language to master especially if one is from an English speaking household as I am. Thus, while originally I was fairly proficient in chinese when I first started my primary education, by the time I reached secondary school my Chinese standard had deteriorated significantly. I found myself failing every single semester assessment, and admittedly began to lose hope that I would ever be able to speak Chinese fluently. Thankfully, I received help in the form of Mr Kok. When I began to slip in chinese standard I realized that I also started to lose interest in the subject. However, Mr Kok, through his unique use of technology and the internet as an effective teaching resource, allowed me to start learning and viewing chinese in a different light.

The ease of using the computer, for example, to do and hand up assignments makes it so much less of a drag to have to complete said assignment over the use of rudimentary pen and paper make it so that learning becomes a very fluent and smooth experience. Mr Kok is very well versed in his area of teaching, and his ability to be able to "spot" the questions that are likely to be tested is truly remarkable. It is evident that he is extremely experienced in teaching, and is capable of integrating different topics into the lesson to make the session much more interesting and meaningful. I started tuition with him when I was in secondary 1. At this point that I am writing this testimonial I am Secondary 2. While my chinese is still frankly quite terrible, my teachers have all noted great improvements in my recent work and in the final year exams. I would really like to thank Mr Kok for his hardwork and dedication in teaching me, and definitely would recommend him to all of my friends.
 -Thaddeus Koe 

St.Teresa's Convent Sec 2 Testimonial

Since the start of this year, I have had no interest in learning the Chinese language as I found it to be redundant and not necessary. Because of that, my grade dropped from a high A, to a low B in a short period of time. As the change from primary school to secondary school can be demanding, due to the extra classes and more subjects, it became very hard to keep up my command of the Chinese language. My parents, seeing that it was clear I needed help,sought Mr. Kok's help in saving my failing grade. After a terms of his lesson, it became clear that I was improving tremendously and my grade was thus saved in the nick of time. 

Now, my interest in the mother tongue has been spurred once again and I am doing better than before. So I am proud to say I was taught by Mr. Kok as his methods of teaching are not like I have encountered before with any other tuition teacher. 

With that, I highly recommend his services as they are truly an experience to behold.

-Ashley, St. Teresa's Convent, Sec 2

Why is the new Secondary school Oral exam syllabus more difficult?

The new oral format was recently just announced. One of the most drastic change is replacing the picture description segment with video description. Personally I was appalled by the bold changes as I feel that the ministry is raising the bar for Chinese which might in turn shun more students away from embracing the subject.

Why is video description more difficult that the former picture description?

1) The contents of the picture would change quickly and thus foundation-ally weak students may not be able to respond in time with a proper description. Normally the students would be given time to view the video beforehand to prepare. Yet many would forget specific details at the beginning after completing the video. This is unlike picture description where the picture is just stagnant for you to see and describe.

2) the dialogue in the videos may be misheard due to its speed. Careful listening must be observed.

3)videos without dialogue are harder to interpret. Especially the one on the topic of tourist attractions, students do not know how to say.

4) inaccurate use of vocabulary.

5)students' sentences are not coherent.

How to cope with the changes?

1)I  will normally use the recent, most talked about news broadcast and make them watch and answer questions, mastering their answering skills.

2) hand-picked omy.sg to practice. Their short news report videos can be "exam samples"

3)use audio or video recording, webcam for practice which is the most effective way to learn.

Is The Secondary New Oral Exam Syllabus (video) Difficult?

2014 November O level Exam Paper

 

IB Exam; Is Last Minute Dash still Useful?

Who needs me specifically in the IB context?

Students who studied and learnt a lot but to no improvement. Their learning proficiency may not be up to par due to a weak language foundation most often due to the student's ethnicity. For example, a Caucasian who did not live in Singapore all his/her life. They may have lost confidence towards doing well in Chinese, but they do not want to give up.

How much time left to IB exam and is it enough?

For IB exam candidates this year, they have slightly more time with 6 weeks to the big battle. An estimated 6-12 lessons with added 12/24 hours of preparation.

What do the IB students learn?

1) Analyse past year IB papers.

2) Practise writing 480-word essays on the hot topics of that period.

3) Learn written paper techniques to namely score in Comprehension and Cloze passages. 

4) Learn the common phrases, idioms and proverbs that the IB exams often test or use