While many of the kids who are in their final year of their primary school years countdown to their last milestone (read PSLE), there are many others who are gearing up for it. In fact to cut to the chase, the primary school syllabus is designed for this exactly with the exception of Primary 1 and 2. (more about this here) So, why if this is the case, there are still children who are struggling to make a pass?
Aren’t 4 years of training enough to face this major exam? Apparently, not!
And yes, I used the word train. If you don’t realize it yet, to train is not the same as to teach.
“Teaching” in the higher levels of P3-P6 usually sees the teacher scurrying to complete the massive syllabus in a given year. Tragically, most of the times it is at the expense of the children’s understanding of the topics. So with a class of 40 pupils and a ______ syllabus to complete, what is a poor teacher to do? He or she will skim through the syllabus. If your child at that level is not exposed to age appropriate experience to relate what the teacher is saying, he falls behind. And you multiply that by 4 years of being lost in a sea of information and formulae, you get your child right where he is right now.