Maths has actually been in the news. This PSLE maths problem caused a stir:
The primary school education system has been the talk of the town lately. A father writing to the letter pages of a newspaper complaining about how the system has become too difficult for children has received a reply from the Ministry of Education.
In a letter to the Today newspaper on 2 May, Ian Tan – a father of two in lower primary – said the education system is now irrelevant and has set unrealistic standards.
Using primary school mathematics to make his point, Mr Tan asked: “Why are pupils being asked to solve questions of higher level logic at such a young age? Does it make them more creative in problem solving?”
In its response, MOE said in a story in the newspaper that the level of difficulty of the mathematics subject for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) “has not increased over the years”.
The Ministry said that they also revise the syllabus frequently according to “widespread consultation with teachers and experts" and that the mathematics syllabus was actually lowered 11 years ago.
"Care will be taken to ensure that these changes do not increase the level of difficulty of the (PSLE) paper," MOE told Today.
Mr Tan then wrote another letter to the newspaper forum (9 May). “The Ministry of Education's responses ranged from (I paraphrase) ‘Primary School Leaving Examination mathematics has not gotten more difficult’ to ‘subject syllabi (are) regularly based on widespread consultation’. This drives home the point that the MOE may not have grasped our grievances and is quick to dismiss public feedback,” he wrote.
The marketing manager from Microsoft mentioned that he has been noticing “a gradual destabilisation of the education system as it shifts responsibility for learning from schools to tuition centres, opening up a divide between those who can afford tuition and those who cannot.”
He also added that he remembers being drilled with a strong foundation of the basics during his primary school days but the difference now is that the education system is focusing more on teaching children how to answer “tough” questions. This forces other basic skills like arithmetic, grammar and second language to be neglected.
Many netizens shared their views too. Facebook user Jonathan Ng said: “There is a difference between building a foundation and raising education standards. The latter would result in a never ending education race and pursuit for academic excellence. There is no doubt that we have to maintain our standards of first class education but we would also need to consider the intense pressure that we would possibly put on the child.”
Another netizen, Lim Chee Wei Joel, wrote: “Dear MOE, what's the hurry? Why is there a need to push our children so hard? Will learning kinetic energy and potential energy in upper primary make our children global competitors by the time they reach 14? Let them study age appropriate curriculum.”
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Gee, when did I first learn about kinetic energy and potential energy? Probably in Sec 3, and I must have been thinking if I had enough kinetic energy left during that midday lesson to maintain my potential (gravitational) energy that was keeping my posture upright.
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Some maths jokes...
An infinite crowd of mathematicians enters a bar.
The first one orders a pint, the second one a half pint, the third one a quarter pint...
"I get it!", says the bartender, and pours two pints.
Teacher: What is 2k + k?
Student: 3,000 dollars!
Teacher: "Who can tell me what 7 times 6 is?"
A+ student: "It's 42!"
Teacher: "Very good! -- And who can tell me what 6 times 7 is?"
F-grade student: "It's 24!"
Theorem. A cat has nine tails.
Proof. No cat has eight tails. Since one cat has one more tail than no cat, it must have nine tails.
QED!
In a letter to the Today newspaper on 2 May, Ian Tan – a father of two in lower primary – said the education system is now irrelevant and has set unrealistic standards.
Using primary school mathematics to make his point, Mr Tan asked: “Why are pupils being asked to solve questions of higher level logic at such a young age? Does it make them more creative in problem solving?”
In its response, MOE said in a story in the newspaper that the level of difficulty of the mathematics subject for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) “has not increased over the years”.
The Ministry said that they also revise the syllabus frequently according to “widespread consultation with teachers and experts" and that the mathematics syllabus was actually lowered 11 years ago.
"Care will be taken to ensure that these changes do not increase the level of difficulty of the (PSLE) paper," MOE told Today.
Mr Tan then wrote another letter to the newspaper forum (9 May). “The Ministry of Education's responses ranged from (I paraphrase) ‘Primary School Leaving Examination mathematics has not gotten more difficult’ to ‘subject syllabi (are) regularly based on widespread consultation’. This drives home the point that the MOE may not have grasped our grievances and is quick to dismiss public feedback,” he wrote.
The marketing manager from Microsoft mentioned that he has been noticing “a gradual destabilisation of the education system as it shifts responsibility for learning from schools to tuition centres, opening up a divide between those who can afford tuition and those who cannot.”
He also added that he remembers being drilled with a strong foundation of the basics during his primary school days but the difference now is that the education system is focusing more on teaching children how to answer “tough” questions. This forces other basic skills like arithmetic, grammar and second language to be neglected.
Many netizens shared their views too. Facebook user Jonathan Ng said: “There is a difference between building a foundation and raising education standards. The latter would result in a never ending education race and pursuit for academic excellence. There is no doubt that we have to maintain our standards of first class education but we would also need to consider the intense pressure that we would possibly put on the child.”
Another netizen, Lim Chee Wei Joel, wrote: “Dear MOE, what's the hurry? Why is there a need to push our children so hard? Will learning kinetic energy and potential energy in upper primary make our children global competitors by the time they reach 14? Let them study age appropriate curriculum.”
----------------------------------------------------
Gee, when did I first learn about kinetic energy and potential energy? Probably in Sec 3, and I must have been thinking if I had enough kinetic energy left during that midday lesson to maintain my potential (gravitational) energy that was keeping my posture upright.
------------------------------------------------------
Some maths jokes...
An infinite crowd of mathematicians enters a bar.
The first one orders a pint, the second one a half pint, the third one a quarter pint...
"I get it!", says the bartender, and pours two pints.
Teacher: What is 2k + k?
Student: 3,000 dollars!
Teacher: "Who can tell me what 7 times 6 is?"
A+ student: "It's 42!"
Teacher: "Very good! -- And who can tell me what 6 times 7 is?"
F-grade student: "It's 24!"
Theorem. A cat has nine tails.
Proof. No cat has eight tails. Since one cat has one more tail than no cat, it must have nine tails.
QED!
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