Singapore Maths Tuition - University and JC

Individual and small group maths tuition in Singapore - University and Junior College

Should my child take additional tuition classes?

by

From the Editorial Team
11th October 2022

The overwhelming workload of the Singaporean education system could come as a shock to many parents, despite them having been through the very same system before. Many parents opt to send their children to tuition classes to lighten some of the burdens on themselves.

In Singapore, good grades and the necessary qualifications (usually a university degree or prior experience having taught in an MOE school) are the norm for tuition teachers. This allows parents to rest assured that the tutors themselves have had hands-on experience in the very subject and style of teaching which their children experience.

Tutors can help their students in attempting past year papers of the various exams they need to take. For example, secondary school students sitting for their O Levels usually practise using their “10-years Series”. This helps them spot the patterns in the way questions are asked and craft answers according to the model answers provided.

Tutors can also help in various other ways which may not be obvious at first. For example, if a student has problems managing his or her time and coping with the studying of the many topics needed to sit for their exams, a tutor could help in managing their workload and time so that their tasks are divided into more manageable pieces.

The traditional form of tutoring for exam preparation is not the only benefit of having tuition classes for students. With a tutor, students may feel as if there is a figure of authority who is capable of guiding them through the complex mass of subjects and topics required to be prepared before any examination.

Parents should decide which subjects their children require tuition for before signing up for tuition classes. Talking to their children to find out the areas of difficulty could be a good first step for parents to assess how much a tutor is required to better help their children with their workload.

70 Singapore schools will be getting a new principal next year

by

11th October 2022

70 Singapore schools will be getting a new principal next year as part of the annual Ministry of Education reshuffle exercise. Twenty-six schools will have first-time principals.

The Education Ministry has said that the process of appointing and rotating principals allows schools to benefit from new perspectives, and enables experienced principals to share best practices across schools.

Several popular schools, including National Junior College, Henry Park Primary, Nanyang Girls’ High and Nan Chiau High, will get new principals.

Four teachers have been presented the Caring Teacher Award and six other teachers have received the National Commendation Award

by

11th October 2022

Four teachers have been presented the Caring Teacher Award for showing kindness and going beyond their duties as a teacher. The award is given to teachers for their outstanding commitment to the holistic development of their students. Six other teachers received the National Commendation Award.

About 11,000 nominations from 239 schools were submitted for the 14th Caring Teacher Awards this year. The recipients, from primary and secondary schools, and junior colleges or pre-university institutes, were selected by an external panel of judges.

Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman, who was guest of honour at the award ceremony, told teachers in his key-note speech: “All of you have shown care and concern for the holistic development of your students. Checking on the well-being of your students, and ensuring that learning continues to take place in spite of the dynamic situation has left a deep, positive impact on your students and peers. This is truly inspirational.”

Six organisations sign agreement with Institute for Adult Learning to develop workplace education

by

11th October 2022

Workers in six organisations in the public and private sectors have signed an agreement with the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), an autonomous institute within the Singapore University of Social Sciences, to help them develop their workplace learning to improve productivity.

The agreements were announced by SUSS president Cheong Hee Kiat at the Learning Enterprise Alliance Award Ceremony. The ceremony recognised 21 new members of IAL’s Learning Enterprise Alliance.

IAL executive director Lee Wing On said that the set of agreements is an extension of the institute’s efforts to advocate for and create an environment that supports using workplace learning as a tool to drive business transformation.

Prof Cheong said adult education and training helps workers build resistance to a quickly changing global environment and also reshape work and the workforce.

29-member team to represent Singapore in the WorldSkills 2022 Special Edition contest

by

11th October 2022

The WorldSkills 2022 Special Edition will involve more than 1,000 competitors from 56 member countries. There will be 15 host countries and regions. Participants will be tested on 60 skill areas. The competition aims to get young participants to challenge themselves and shift their passion into a professional career.

A 29-member team from Singapore, comprising students from the five polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University, will compete in skill areas such as cyber security, fashion technology and cloud computing.

The last competition – the 45th edition – was held in Kazan, Russia, in 2019. Singapore won 22 medals, including two gold, one silver and two bronze.

How tuition can help students excel in the International Baccalaureate’s Math Exploration project

by

From the Editorial Team
12th September 2022

The International Baccalaureate allows students to take subjects at Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL). In particular, students choosing to undertake the IB curriculum need to decide whether to take the Mathematics subject at HL or SL. A major component of the IB curriculum for Mathematics is the written report titled the “Math Exploration”.

In both the HL and SL curriculum, there is a Math Exploration which students must write. The Math Exploration consists of an original report where students must choose a topic of interest, undertake research on the topic, solve the problem presented in the thesis statement and formulate a conclusion. The Math Exploration will contain workings in a demonstration of the solving of the problem in the thesis statement and is not purely theoretical.

Furthermore, a critical aspect of the Math Exploration is an explanation as to why the student has chosen the topic. This section requires creativity as the answer that “I chose this topic to finish my Math Exploration” is unacceptable. The student must reach further and explain the underlying implications of the Math Exploration in the real world.

An example of a Math Exploration topic is the exploration of how encryption keys are created and decrypted by the recipient using a formula. A student would need to explain his/her interest in encryption keys and the current situation where hacking into personal data is becoming increasingly common. As such, more complex encryption keys are required to keep people’s data safe. The student would need to demonstrate how encryption keys are created and then decoded upon reaching the intended recipient of the data, and conclude that as time passes and computers get more and more sophisticated, more complex formulas are needed to encrypt and decrypt pieces of data.

Turning to the subject of this article, tuition could assist in the choosing of a topic and the explanation in the Math Exploration as the tutor would have a macro view of Mathematics as a whole and would be able to recommend good ideas for the student to undertake. As tutors will have a university-level knowledge of the subject, they would be able to assist the student in where to look during the research process and tidy up the workings used in the proving of the thesis statement. A tutor could help the student craft the section on why the student is interested in a particular topic by teaching the student about the real-life implications and uses of a particular formula or area of Mathematics.

As the IB curriculum requires independent research, some may wonder about the effectiveness of tutors in crafting these written assignments as tutors are usually found to help students drill with exam questions. The role of a tutor as a guide in the field of Mathematics to undertake research is perhaps, less thought of. However, IB tutors must assist students in writing such independent research assignments if they require help, as often, such writing assignments are new to students who have not experienced the Integrated Programme (IP) which prepares students for the IB programme. Students who have undertaken O Levels are accustomed to preparing for a major exam using past questions and have a lot to learn about writing a report and conducting research.

As such, tuition centres preparing their students for the IB programme ought to make the necessary arrangements for their tutors to assist their students in crafting a well-researched and succinct Math Exploration.

Fortnightly HBL days give Singapore students an opportunity to pursue self-directed learning

by

12th September 2022

Singapore’s Ministry of Education introduced fortnightly HBL days, which are part of a blended learning approach of home-based and in-school activities, to secondary and junior college students a year ago.

During HBL days, students get to practise self-directed study by listening to pre-recorded lessons and catching up with their work.

While MOE provides guidelines on the frequency and structure of HBL days, it is up to the schools to customise their approach, for instance, by determining the subjects and topics to be covered. For many schools, HBL also includes a component called student-initiated learning, giving students time to pursue an interest or hobby.

MOE said it will study how students are faring before deciding whether to expand it to primary schools. For younger pupils, the concerns include whether they are ready to cope with self-learning, how much supervision they would need and whether parents would have to make special childcare arrangements on HBL days.

Singapore students perform well in top level international academic competitions

by

12th September 2022

Singapore students did well in top level international academic competitions this year.

Local students placed 10th at the 34th International Olympiad in Informatics in August. They were 24th at the 63rd International Mathematical Olympiad and fifth in the 33rd International Biology Olympiad, both held in July.

Singapore teams also clinched a joint sixth place at the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad and ninth at the 52nd International Physics Olympiad.

Additionally, a group of Singapore students have come in first at the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo). The iGeo team bagged a total of three gold medals and one silver medal at the 18th iGeo held virtually from Paris and emerged first out of 54 countries and territories and a total of 209 participants.

Email Address

ngejaysuss@gmail.com

Handphone Number

9724-0163 (Mr Ng)

Academic Qualifications

Ph.D. in Mathematics;
B.Sc. First Class Honours in Mathematics