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.
16.1.10
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.
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
RGS P6 Yicheng was asked what did she learn during the sch holiday program.
6.12.09
Congratulation to our students for their remarkable performance in the PSLE
River Valley Pri Don Ho Pinhao (how long he joined->11 months A in chinese
Henry Park Pri Keith Chan (how long he joined->13 months A in chinese
North Spring Jing Xiang (how long he joined->4 months A in chinese
Townsville Pri Charlene Pang(How long he joined->1 month(8 intensive lesson) A in chinese
Nanyang Pri Danielle(how long he joined->3 months A in Chinese
St.Hilda's Kai Ren (4 months) C
St Josephs Junior Theodore Wee(1 month) C
Ngee Ann Pri Anthony->6 months A in Chinese
SCGS Tasha A in Chinese
Kong Hwa Pri Sch Ziwei->6 months A in Chinese
Example 1:Nanyang Pri Danielle(how long he joined->3 months A in Chinese
St.Hilda's Kai Ren (4 months) C
St Josephs Junior Theodore Wee(1 month) C
Ngee Ann Pri Anthony->6 months A in Chinese
SCGS Tasha A in Chinese
Kong Hwa Pri Sch Ziwei->6 months A in Chinese
Don disliked Chinese when he first came to my tuition.After some time, he has developed interest in it through multimedia and news articles.He is a smart and quick-witted student with a good memory.This helped him in the oral when the picture for 2009PSLE was something very different like a farewell party.During his Prelim exam he gotten A with his main paper scoring77/90 but his other components pulled him a little.He is able to elaborate well for the scenario.Overall, he is the top 3 in his class with a high expectation from teacher.His teacher wrote on his paper"希望你再接再厉！到了小六会考，可以考到更好的成绩！加油！”But unfortunately,he didnt perform as many expected him to be in the top 10%.We hope next year he will be able to excel beyond his limits in secondary sch."加油 Don,We know you can do better in secondary school with your intelligence and good memory.With your likability you will be able to enlarge your social circle like never before.
Comments:HE is a very bilingual child.very likable.When he gotten back his Prelim results he was complacent and thought his standard was there. What can we learn from this?We should not be relaxed when we see our child's good results in the prelims because some schs have their prelim exams set too easy resulting in students relaxing themselves and think that they can perform the same result in the PSLE.We must get top-sch paper and let the tutor analyse it so that we can gage ourselves with people from the other schools to prepare for the PSLE.
Example 2:JIng Xiang
When his mom called me in June.For SA1 he scored 50 plus.His mum asked me if he can improve from his borderline pass.I wanted to see him first.He is a very quiet and attentive boy.He don't really talk only nod and shake his head.He will suffer in the oral exam if he continue like this.So I used some lessons to teach him on the techniques,how to speak up with videos and voice-recording.After some lessons he's able to have the courage to speak up.A good thing about him is he is very committed in coming for lessons.He will always be punctual and never skip lessons even if he has another tuition which clashes.He will rush to another tuition one after another.JIng Xiang you must not stop your tuition and positive attitude.Because a lot of people stopped their tuition and think that they can manage but it is a whole new different syllabus with book reviews,news article reviews.They will wait till S3 to work on their language but its too late especially those with weak foundation cannot get expected marks.In the end overall will get pulled down,cant get into a good class.Because language is not a thing you can improve overnight,it takes time to improve.Even if you do not have tuition with me, you can ask me any questions regarding homework in SEC Sch through msn.Wish you a happy 4 yrs of Secondary school life.
Comments:Not many students can jump from 50plus to an A.He or She must possess positive attitudes very attentive and co-operative.Parents must also be co-operative and allow their child to go for extra lessons able to suit my time.Even though this group tuition is 3-4,but still he is able to achieve results beyond his ability.Because these students are obedient towards my instructions.
28.11.09
How To Choose Your Child's Secondary School?
It was the moment of truth we all have been waiting for:the Release of your child's PSLE results.
That results which will determine the next 4-6 years of your child's life.The night before 26/11 was tough one for you to sleep well. How much will he/she get?What if he/she didn't do well?Which secondary school is the most suitable for your child?Hundreds of question clouded your mind while you are trying to get some rest.
The next day when you entered the sch hall,tension came upon every single person.The principal started of with her speech.Followed by the recognition of the top 10 students in the PSLE. While calling the names,you were hoping that your child would be up there.To your dismay, your child wasn't among the top 10. Next your upon receiving his/her results,he/she showed it to you with face down not daring to look at you.Your child scored below 230.Which sch can he/she go?Soon, your phone begin to ring and relatives call to ask about your child's results.You did not know how to answer to them and rejected their calls.You are disappointed,worried,heart broken,embarrassed. You do not know what to do.
The next few days calls still keep coming in with tuition teachers,relatives,friends asking about your child's result.You have "no face" to speak to them. Even your child stays at home and don't dare to be out,to avoid people asking them about their results.
You do not have any mood to carry out your activities,let alone work.You keep worrying about choosing the right school for your child.Being a parent of three kids, i have been through this experience twice when my two older sons are in P6.I could understand exactly how you feel.
How to choose a secondary school?
1.If you do not have a school in mind that is suitable with your score ,start with choosing the school with a decent avg L1B5 "o" level banding.It is equivalent to the average score the the sch students have at the end of their 4 yrs education.This will give you a good gage at what the school can offer for your child's secondary sch academics.
2.Next you might want to consider looking into the discipline of the school. So that you will not end up letting your child enter a sch with bad company.
3.Thirdly take into consideration your child's interest and talents.Aft that see if there's any enrichment programs and CCAs that will develop their potential.This would allow your child to enjoy the next 4 yrs of education with meaningful and educational programs.
4.Fourly distance play a factor.
Most importantly, discuss with your child the choices of the schools for it is them who will be entering secondary school.Give them more freedom in having important choices in life.
I wish your children an enjoyable and meaningful secondary school life .
2.
That results which will determine the next 4-6 years of your child's life.The night before 26/11 was tough one for you to sleep well. How much will he/she get?What if he/she didn't do well?Which secondary school is the most suitable for your child?Hundreds of question clouded your mind while you are trying to get some rest.
The next day when you entered the sch hall,tension came upon every single person.The principal started of with her speech.Followed by the recognition of the top 10 students in the PSLE. While calling the names,you were hoping that your child would be up there.To your dismay, your child wasn't among the top 10. Next your upon receiving his/her results,he/she showed it to you with face down not daring to look at you.Your child scored below 230.Which sch can he/she go?Soon, your phone begin to ring and relatives call to ask about your child's results.You did not know how to answer to them and rejected their calls.You are disappointed,worried,heart broken,embarrassed. You do not know what to do.
The next few days calls still keep coming in with tuition teachers,relatives,friends asking about your child's result.You have "no face" to speak to them. Even your child stays at home and don't dare to be out,to avoid people asking them about their results.
You do not have any mood to carry out your activities,let alone work.You keep worrying about choosing the right school for your child.Being a parent of three kids, i have been through this experience twice when my two older sons are in P6.I could understand exactly how you feel.
How to choose a secondary school?
1.If you do not have a school in mind that is suitable with your score ,start with choosing the school with a decent avg L1B5 "o" level banding.It is equivalent to the average score the the sch students have at the end of their 4 yrs education.This will give you a good gage at what the school can offer for your child's secondary sch academics.
2.Next you might want to consider looking into the discipline of the school. So that you will not end up letting your child enter a sch with bad company.
3.Thirdly take into consideration your child's interest and talents.Aft that see if there's any enrichment programs and CCAs that will develop their potential.This would allow your child to enjoy the next 4 yrs of education with meaningful and educational programs.
4.Fourly distance play a factor.
Most importantly, discuss with your child the choices of the schools for it is them who will be entering secondary school.Give them more freedom in having important choices in life.
I wish your children an enjoyable and meaningful secondary school life .
2.
23.11.09
COULD THE TRUE STORY HAPPEN TO U?
P3 Alex from St.Gabriel Pri is a very cute boy.When I first hear about his result,i was shocked. As SA2 is only 3 months away, how can i pull his overall from 28 to a pass? But when i saw him, i saw a bond between us where i find him very special.He was actually a very emotional boy and quite a hyperactive boy.
But when i had my first lesson with him,I found him quite different. He follows everything i say, and when i told him some stuff,he will laugh cheerfully.This shows that the boy is very imaginative in relating what i had said to funny incidents.He has also enjoyed the lesson. I practiced with him Chinese Spelling by asking him to write with his finger on my hand,with just two times he was able to get full marks for his spelling. When i teach him he will pay 100% attention to me.This can be shown in his mock test results which he had passed. All the comprehension answers were all accurate and correct and he had really used what he had learnt from the tuition.One month prior to his exam i gave him extra lessons. I really pinned my hopes on him that he can pass.
But during the SA2 itself,not only did he scored 46 marks but had scored only 16 marks in the main paper. His mom was very disappointed in him and with me. She felt that all the time spent on attending the extra lessons was a waste.I was very shocked with the outcome and thus called his teacher up to find out his class performance and the reason behind his marks. She told me Alexandra is a very cheerful and shy boy,just sometimes very emotional maybe because of the scoldings from his parents. He pays attention in class and takes pride in his work. A sudden drop in his marks was caused by the comprehension in the main paper segment. The comprehension was set to be very tricky and have no direct answers.They involve inference. But the marks of all the other components had improved. He is a very intelligent boy and has a very good memory. He could only rely on the sentences and phrases he had memorised for the exams.His comprehending and application skills are not very good. We cannot say he had not improved because the teacher told me that he had shown improvement in his attitude and work.
We should handle children with care and patience when they did not do as we expected. Even though Alex dropped by 12 marks for only the main paper,his sch teacher and i agreed he had really tried his best and had put in effort where he had improved in his oral,listening comprehension and composition components.If this carries on, he will give up on Chinese as he had put in hard work and not only did not reap the results but also got pressured.. I only guarantee for 1 year and only when the student has the right attitude and adequate lessons.
But when i had my first lesson with him,I found him quite different. He follows everything i say, and when i told him some stuff,he will laugh cheerfully.This shows that the boy is very imaginative in relating what i had said to funny incidents.He has also enjoyed the lesson. I practiced with him Chinese Spelling by asking him to write with his finger on my hand,with just two times he was able to get full marks for his spelling. When i teach him he will pay 100% attention to me.This can be shown in his mock test results which he had passed. All the comprehension answers were all accurate and correct and he had really used what he had learnt from the tuition.One month prior to his exam i gave him extra lessons. I really pinned my hopes on him that he can pass.
But during the SA2 itself,not only did he scored 46 marks but had scored only 16 marks in the main paper. His mom was very disappointed in him and with me. She felt that all the time spent on attending the extra lessons was a waste.I was very shocked with the outcome and thus called his teacher up to find out his class performance and the reason behind his marks. She told me Alexandra is a very cheerful and shy boy,just sometimes very emotional maybe because of the scoldings from his parents. He pays attention in class and takes pride in his work. A sudden drop in his marks was caused by the comprehension in the main paper segment. The comprehension was set to be very tricky and have no direct answers.They involve inference. But the marks of all the other components had improved. He is a very intelligent boy and has a very good memory. He could only rely on the sentences and phrases he had memorised for the exams.His comprehending and application skills are not very good. We cannot say he had not improved because the teacher told me that he had shown improvement in his attitude and work.
We should handle children with care and patience when they did not do as we expected. Even though Alex dropped by 12 marks for only the main paper,his sch teacher and i agreed he had really tried his best and had put in effort where he had improved in his oral,listening comprehension and composition components.If this carries on, he will give up on Chinese as he had put in hard work and not only did not reap the results but also got pressured.. I only guarantee for 1 year and only when the student has the right attitude and adequate lessons.
16.11.09
To all P6 next year watch this video!
P6 Shiling who has taken 8 intensive lessons is ready for her PSLE!
15.11.09
P4 ACS student's breakthrough results!
Jian Chen's results has definitely shown a shocking improvement in his results.From 66 marks for Chinese in SA1 to 74.5 in SA2.All his language components have improved greatly,with Compo 16/20,Compre 35.5/50,listening Compre 7/10, Oral 16/20.
With just 4 months attending my tuition he has improved greatly. But before 4 months ago, it was a different story. My first impression of him was that he was a very active person who could not sit still(not necessarily bad but a difficulty).He does not like written work and during lessons he will not pay attention. Originally in a group tuition with another P4, he tends to get distracted during lessons and talk with him.It was quite a headache because i was quite worried about his exams which will be coming in 3-4 months time.How can I improve in such a short time? He is a intelligent kid with a high potential,just a bit lazy and easily distracted. I talked to his mom and we decided to withdraw him out of the group tuition into 1-to-1 tuition so that he will not get distracted.
1 month before his exam, i keep giving him extra lessons as I feel time is running short.He will come to my house during the weekends from 8am-12pm,lasting 4 hours. It was still quite a task getting him to do his work. Sometimes i will need to be flexible and Go through with him the exam papers and include many short breaks in between lessons. I also need to be patient and talk to him nicely.
His committment play a huge part. During the PSLE marking days, where primary sch students need not attend sch, he is the only one who went for intensive lessons. Consecutively for 4 days he keeps coming from 8am to 12pm for tuition. Even though, he lives at Bukit Timah,His noble mom takes time to drive him to my place despite a busy schedule.
As a result of his hard work,he has shown improvement....
P3 ACS student
Indo-chinese student,Marthen is a intelligient and smart but only has a weak subject Chinese.With a score of 51 in the SA1,he improved by 10 marks and scored 60 for SA2. He started home tuition three months ago so theres a lot of intensive lessons. With his standard, he should at least score an 75 for Chinese. It is just his short concentration span and illegible handwriting.I have spoken to his Chinese teacher about his situation in class. He is quite a well-behaved boy just very easily distracted.His teacher praised him for his 10 mark improvement within 3 months which is considered remarkable.Thus sometimes I need to speak with the language teacher in school to find out his problems. I hope to see him improve to 75-80 marks after solving his main problems in his character.
12.11.09
Letter to the WORRIED Parents
Dear Parents,
Hi!It's the most important time of the year we all have been waiting for where most of the students get their results back. Being a parent and a tutor myself i understand many of you will be worried. You want your child to reach their highest potential especially in the area of academics but he or she isn't performing. When you look at the report book, it beats you that your child's weakest subject is Chinese. When you are called to the Meet-the-Parent session, the teacher complained about your child's negative attitude towards Chinese.He or she did not hand in homework even if he or she hand in the work is sloppy, don't pay attention during lessons and even tried all means to avoid Chinese. You were fuming with rage and those things are the last thing you would like to hear. You have been asked to consider your child's options to stay in Higher Chinese or drop to Express Chinese,stay in Express Chinese or drop to normal Chinese,or in Primary School's case stay in Chinese or drop to foundation Chinese.You do not know what to do whether to give up or to stay.If he or she stay in that subject level, He or she might continue to drop in her results. If he or she drop to another level, would it be a waste?It's not like he or she didn't prepared for the examination. You signed your child up for tuition classes or home tuition, gave them assessments or exam papers and he or she also went for remedial or supplementary lessons. Does it mean that the time and money invested to help your child isn't helpful at all? You feel disappointed and helpless at what you can do for your child. If i were you i would also feel that since my child has lost interest in Chinese.What should I do? Without tuition, his results will drop
further.With tuition, he or she would not like it. You are caught in a total dilemma!
Even though i myself is a Chinese language tutor, I don't place my profit as my priority. I am more committed in helping these types of student regenerate their interest towards their Mother tongue. Nothing is more satisfying than to see my students motivated to learn Chinese in an enjoyable manner which I feel is my greatest accomplishment.Sometimes your child does not fit with traditional methods of teaching. Not that reading and memorising the textbook or just drilling into assessment book are not helpful at all but they only do so to the hardworking ones. If students are taught continuously with these methods, they will continue to dread Chinese until they reach a state of a complete abandonment of the language. They just need innovative methods using IT which give sight,sound and light so as to make learning animated. Youths and kids nowadays are in touch with technology. Is your child always smsing their friends, going on facebook,msn,twitter and updates his or her blog everyday. Or does he or she plug in to music which annoys you. Don't despise these gadgets as they can be the bridge to your child interest to Chinese. Using technology which they would prefer, they would recognise that Chinese is not as worthless as they thought it was, instead they could be applied in daily lives especially in technology. Unfortunately many parents have the misconception that typing Chinese will not allow exposure to Chinese handwriting. When your child learn how to type Chinese characters they are indirectly checking dictionary increasing their vocabulary. These are the ways i teach and the ways my program can be tailor-made.
The next thing to look out for is the chemistry between the teacher and the student. If the student hates the teacher, of course he or she will detest the subject. But if the teacher becomes sombody the student look upon and find comfortable learning under, there would be a high chance of your child excelling in Chinese. The most important thing would be to open the hearts of students and to treat them like a good friend, and young adult. They would then feel somebody cared for their feelings and thus respect what the teacher said. There would be no stress in sending your child for tuition. Under this atmosphere, your child could learn enjoyably and effectively.
I welcome you to discuss with me your child's situation if you can't send your child to tuition to my i will share 30 yrs experience teaching Chinese.You can or email me at kokhs@hotmail.com or vincentkokhs@yahoo.com.
Below are the specific details of some common situations that might be affecting your child:
Below are the main problems that might deter your child from achieving their deserved result:
- Loss of interest in Chinese
- Loss of confidence towards Chinese
- Hyperactiveness
- Difficulty in recalling what he has learnt
- Exam Fear
- Ineligible Handwriting
- Find that Chinese is useless
The types of students not able to perform as expected:
Students with short concentration span
Their concentration usually varies between 20 to 60 min. They might not be hyperactive just active and belong to the more sporty group of people. Thus they will only concentrate on the things that catch their interest. Teachers might complained that they will always be leaving their seats and be excused to the restrooms in between Chinese lessons whether in school or tuition. Signs of tiredness like yawning are shown but they are transited into students being energised and refreshed as their dreaded lessons are "finally over". They will always be late for lessons but leave early.
Students who are willing to work hard but not able to get result
They are the hardworking ones, those determined to do well in Chinese. Even if it's not much interest, they still care about their marks.They put in effort in their work but don't reap the expected results.It's understandable as the Chinese is a difficult language to embrace. And language, unlike Science or Maths which are study subjects, needs time to master from the basic foundations Soon, they start to get demoralised by the repeated failures and lose the confidence. From then on the worst thing could happen that is they might give up Chinese.
Below are the profiles of my students who have benefited from my tuition......
Hi!It's the most important time of the year we all have been waiting for where most of the students get their results back. Being a parent and a tutor myself i understand many of you will be worried. You want your child to reach their highest potential especially in the area of academics but he or she isn't performing. When you look at the report book, it beats you that your child's weakest subject is Chinese. When you are called to the Meet-the-Parent session, the teacher complained about your child's negative attitude towards Chinese.He or she did not hand in homework even if he or she hand in the work is sloppy, don't pay attention during lessons and even tried all means to avoid Chinese. You were fuming with rage and those things are the last thing you would like to hear. You have been asked to consider your child's options to stay in Higher Chinese or drop to Express Chinese,stay in Express Chinese or drop to normal Chinese,or in Primary School's case stay in Chinese or drop to foundation Chinese.You do not know what to do whether to give up or to stay.If he or she stay in that subject level, He or she might continue to drop in her results. If he or she drop to another level, would it be a waste?It's not like he or she didn't prepared for the examination. You signed your child up for tuition classes or home tuition, gave them assessments or exam papers and he or she also went for remedial or supplementary lessons. Does it mean that the time and money invested to help your child isn't helpful at all? You feel disappointed and helpless at what you can do for your child. If i were you i would also feel that since my child has lost interest in Chinese.What should I do? Without tuition, his results will drop
further.With tuition, he or she would not like it. You are caught in a total dilemma!
Even though i myself is a Chinese language tutor, I don't place my profit as my priority. I am more committed in helping these types of student regenerate their interest towards their Mother tongue. Nothing is more satisfying than to see my students motivated to learn Chinese in an enjoyable manner which I feel is my greatest accomplishment.Sometimes your child does not fit with traditional methods of teaching. Not that reading and memorising the textbook or just drilling into assessment book are not helpful at all but they only do so to the hardworking ones. If students are taught continuously with these methods, they will continue to dread Chinese until they reach a state of a complete abandonment of the language. They just need innovative methods using IT which give sight,sound and light so as to make learning animated. Youths and kids nowadays are in touch with technology. Is your child always smsing their friends, going on facebook,msn,twitter and updates his or her blog everyday. Or does he or she plug in to music which annoys you. Don't despise these gadgets as they can be the bridge to your child interest to Chinese. Using technology which they would prefer, they would recognise that Chinese is not as worthless as they thought it was, instead they could be applied in daily lives especially in technology. Unfortunately many parents have the misconception that typing Chinese will not allow exposure to Chinese handwriting. When your child learn how to type Chinese characters they are indirectly checking dictionary increasing their vocabulary. These are the ways i teach and the ways my program can be tailor-made.
The next thing to look out for is the chemistry between the teacher and the student. If the student hates the teacher, of course he or she will detest the subject. But if the teacher becomes sombody the student look upon and find comfortable learning under, there would be a high chance of your child excelling in Chinese. The most important thing would be to open the hearts of students and to treat them like a good friend, and young adult. They would then feel somebody cared for their feelings and thus respect what the teacher said. There would be no stress in sending your child for tuition. Under this atmosphere, your child could learn enjoyably and effectively.
I welcome you to discuss with me your child's situation if you can't send your child to tuition to my i will share 30 yrs experience teaching Chinese.You can or email me at kokhs@hotmail.com or vincentkokhs@yahoo.com.
Below are the specific details of some common situations that might be affecting your child:
Below are the main problems that might deter your child from achieving their deserved result:
- Loss of interest in Chinese
- Loss of confidence towards Chinese
- Hyperactiveness
- Difficulty in recalling what he has learnt
- Exam Fear
- Ineligible Handwriting
- Find that Chinese is useless
The types of students not able to perform as expected:
Students with short concentration span
Their concentration usually varies between 20 to 60 min. They might not be hyperactive just active and belong to the more sporty group of people. Thus they will only concentrate on the things that catch their interest. Teachers might complained that they will always be leaving their seats and be excused to the restrooms in between Chinese lessons whether in school or tuition. Signs of tiredness like yawning are shown but they are transited into students being energised and refreshed as their dreaded lessons are "finally over". They will always be late for lessons but leave early.
Students who are willing to work hard but not able to get result
They are the hardworking ones, those determined to do well in Chinese. Even if it's not much interest, they still care about their marks.They put in effort in their work but don't reap the expected results.It's understandable as the Chinese is a difficult language to embrace. And language, unlike Science or Maths which are study subjects, needs time to master from the basic foundations Soon, they start to get demoralised by the repeated failures and lose the confidence. From then on the worst thing could happen that is they might give up Chinese.
Below are the profiles of my students who have benefited from my tuition......
29.10.09
Holidays Chinese Enrichment Program(Home/Group tuition)
Learn to tackle common language problems such as:
*Poor Character Recognition
*Confusion in meaning between words
*Lack of concentration & interest
*Wrong tone in pronouncing Chinese words(Pinyin)
*Bad handwriting
*Limited vocabulary
Learn to read/write/speak better!
Results G'teed!
Call Mr Kok 97641616
*Poor Character Recognition
*Confusion in meaning between words
*Lack of concentration & interest
*Wrong tone in pronouncing Chinese words(Pinyin)
*Bad handwriting
*Limited vocabulary
Learn to read/write/speak better!
Results G'teed!
Call Mr Kok 97641616
16.10.09
Disheartened By Chinese?
DISHEARTENED BY CHINESE RESULTS?
- CRASH PREPARATION FOR p3-5
*Spot questions for these three papers. Even if questions did not come out as expected, there will be special techniques taught to students on how to answer them.
** Students will be given “Hot topics” to emphasize on.
***Exam Hints for all the papers. Students will be aware of common mistakes during exams.
****Analyse top school exam papers.
For Oral Exam(Paper 3)
- There's a "Formula" to help students answer oral questions effectively which require little time for preparation.
- Voice recording is done so as to allow students to be aware of their intonations and pronunciation during their speech. This will encourage them to reflect on their speeches so they'll know what areas they can improve in with each practice.
For Composition Paper(Paper 1)
- There will be a wide range of topics for discussion so as to equip students with knowledge for any topic in the exam.
For Paper 2 (language usage component)
- Answering skills will be taught to aid students in their MCQ and comprehension.
- Adopt proven techniques to allow students to excel in this language component
Tuition classes of 1 or 2 pax@your place/my place:
1.Weekend classes(Sat and Sun)
2.PSLE marking days Intensive tuition(19 Oct-23 Oct)
*-1 1/2 hour timeslots within 8am-2pm at my place
- CRASH PREPARATION FOR p3-5
*Spot questions for these three papers. Even if questions did not come out as expected, there will be special techniques taught to students on how to answer them.
** Students will be given “Hot topics” to emphasize on.
***Exam Hints for all the papers. Students will be aware of common mistakes during exams.
****Analyse top school exam papers.
For Oral Exam(Paper 3)
- There's a "Formula" to help students answer oral questions effectively which require little time for preparation.
- Voice recording is done so as to allow students to be aware of their intonations and pronunciation during their speech. This will encourage them to reflect on their speeches so they'll know what areas they can improve in with each practice.
For Composition Paper(Paper 1)
- There will be a wide range of topics for discussion so as to equip students with knowledge for any topic in the exam.
For Paper 2 (language usage component)
- Answering skills will be taught to aid students in their MCQ and comprehension.
- Adopt proven techniques to allow students to excel in this language component
Tuition classes of 1 or 2 pax@your place/my place:
1.Weekend classes(Sat and Sun)
2.PSLE marking days Intensive tuition(19 Oct-23 Oct)
*-1 1/2 hour timeslots within 8am-2pm at my place
*6-7.30pm,8-9.30 at yr place
*19-23 Oct - students need not attend school. This will be the best time for revision before SA2 exams
30.9.09
P3-5 Oral from MOE lead.com
P5 Oral picture description from Lead.com.sg
P4 Oral audio
P4 Oral audio
P3 Oral audio marverlouslly recorded by Phoebe Kee
2.9.09
S1-3 Oral/Compo Hot topics from Top-Schs
In our tuition classes,we offer up-to-date materials such as this.
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