29.8
Went to the centre without beryl.
Initially have no one to teach.
Later Farah introduce me to one
tutee.
So i took
JW for the day.
I guess he's a problem kid, cause two teachers scolded him severely that day.
Firstly due to him not paying attention
and
Secondly, because he used the excuse of : "my glasses spoilt so i can't see the words clearly thus unable to do"
On the second one, i thought he just say it for fun but didn't expect the volunteer to take it so seriously.
From this i felt that the volunteer scolded him for the sake of scolding and would look anywhere in order to find a topic to scold him.
Still, it can be seen that he is quite naughty as he couldn't bother to answer the volunteer's question correctly and looked very angry with his eyes turned white elsewhere while the volunteer scolded him.
He said he hated maths and felt science was much easier.
So i tell him that science will depend a lot on maths when he goes to secondary school. If he couldn't do the simple math question now, he will not be able to well in science in the future secondly school as he did so now.
Can see that he is quite worried though, but he do not really believe me.
Really, his maths work that day is actually on multiplication, the steps to take when multiplying 2 numbers.
He's a primary 4 but i remember that C already know how to multiply before i taught her division on the first session to the centre. and C is only
pri 3.
So, in conclusion his maths is not that good.
Thus we spent like years for him to finish his 2 page maths assignment cause he always don't want to do and talk to his friends.
Later after he finished his homework, i went off and saw a
pri 4 student teaching An maths.
He drew models to teach him! i was impressed that he is able to help An even though his level of education is only 1 years higher than An.
And An listened to him =)
That day is also the time to conduct survey.
It is not very successful as we only got about 5 responses from the students there and the volunteers couldn't do it for us as they want to sit beside us as we teach our
tutee in order for them to grade us.
Then it was too late, so the in-charge agreed to help us do it the next session.
But after missing 2 weeks the deadline for the finished report would have been out already.
K that's basically all.
Labels: 7.30.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Friday, August 1, 2008
16.7.08 reflections
Reached the centre early again at 3.45
pmC most probably tell the volunteers there that she don't like me, so i never go find her again.
Therefore, i was sitting by myself, without a
tutee and doing my homework.
After a while, i was introduced a
pri 3 by the name of JH whom i have never seen before to be taught.
It was maths problem sums corrections.
He said he knows how to draw models but is lazy.
So i drew using my marker pen for him and explained the way to go about solving the question.
He was a pretty good
tutee, cause unlike others, he asked me to explain again when he don't understand a part. Most
tutees that i taught before only wants the answer and couldn't be bothered about not understanding.
He also learnt very fast, being able to apply what he has learnt in the first question to other questions.
This is what he learnt:
1) How to use models to see the question more clearly, such as counting how many units there are.
2) what does 1 unit stands for. How to find 1 unit given 6 units = a number.
3) Other units must be of the same size for that unit to be equal.
I guess it is pretty successful even though he only did 4 corrections in all, due to the percussion session which lasted for >1 hr.
He was distracted some times. But at least, he is willing to do workings such as addition and multiplication by himself even though he sees my calculator right in front.
This is what I learnt from him:
1)some lame jokes such as :
Q What are you doing yesterday at 10 am?
A Breathing. (its quite lame cause studying can also be an answer)
2)His science is not bad cause he scored 80/100 according to him.
3)He had me on Wednesdays,
MGS tutor on Thursdays and
ACS(I) tutor on Friday.
4)He said that his maths is "good but not good." (?????)
This is what i found out:
1) He likes to use markers to do work, perhaps it is the markers which enabled him to listen to me and write every steps and workings by himself.
2) He (and a lot of
pri 3) has too much exposure to things that he should not know at his age.
3) His model drawing needs to be improved.
At the end of the day, he passed me a small note to be opened only when i reached home.
It written "tank you Sarah" with a picture of a sun flower (exactly like what i drew when i was
pri 3). So sweet of him =))) even though he spelt "thank" wrongly =P.
Labels: 7.16.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Thursday, July 17, 2008
9 .7.o8 reflections
Never teach C that day. She did come, i just feel that she would finish her work faster without my help. So i just left told her that she can find me if she need any help. Though right after that the adult volunteer told me she can take care of her. I guess C has told her that she doesn't want to be taught by me, so i just went to do my own work. I guess it's better like that. Before i came, she usually sat down there doing her own work until i came then she reluctantly left her place and her pace slowed down. Since i can see that she look for the adult
volunteer for help whenever she faced problems, so it's alright. However,
I'm worried she would not be able to understand what the adult teaches since she
usually just wants the
answer and could not be bothered understanding.
So i did my own work for quite while, hoping that some
Pru 3 would ask me to help them in their work.
Sooo...
JL came along. I thought him
English. His
English is actually not bad even though one of the volunteer said his standard is very
lousy. But, he kept on pronouncing usually as unusually. His sentence structure is also incomplete or not "smooth" when doing comprehension.
Still, his character is much better and
I'm able to communicate better with him. I left some notes for him to bring home and learn. Hope that he will really make an effort to remember. Even though it is obvious that Primary 3 kids are too
Young and may not have realised the importance of studying.
Labels: 7.09.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Monday, July 14, 2008
lousy day, 2.7.08 reflections
Today is a damn lousy day. Actually i didn't feel like going to the centre as i am worried about the problems I and C will face again due to our lack of interaction and also due to me missing some tutoring session due to school.
Things turn out worse than what i expected.
Firstly, as usual, she doesn't want me to teach her as she wants to be with her friends. Thus from her expression, i can see that she was very unwilling to be taught by me.
I asked her what homework she has, she told me its 4 problem sums question. Okay, i thought, it is going to be quite fast.
However, since i first asked her to read the first problem sums, she got turned off and couldn't be bothered.
Seeing her like that, i asked her, " You don't want me to teach you is it, do you want to sit there? You don't know how to do? You tired is it? Why you don't want to do?" No response, and these goes on for like hours. She simply turn away, and look at her friends, draw circles...
Then I feel really piss and helpless not knowing what to do.
After some time, i showed her my scrap book for doing rough workings, give her the eraser that i bought for her, hoping that she could at least talk to me. But to no avail. I felt really sad and grew more and more frustrated.
Next, seeing that the time has past and other
tutees doing the same thing has started on the third problem already, i am worried. So guessing that C is most probably tired to do those problem sums, i drew diagrams and boxes just wanting her to fill in the blanks with numbers. I even did the addition for her! Finally, the question was finished, but i also not sure whether she is able to do the question again by herself. However i feel that she is able to write the statement for the problem sums quite well knowing when to and not to write past tense.
On to the second question, i asked her to read the question. She did not even read and turned away. The whole thing repeats itself again. I was really helpless, luckily beryl came to my rescue and attract C's attention for a while. After that she turned away again. Don't know after how much prompting and waiting, she would write some numbers in my box. Some time the numbers are random, as she did not even read the question and i have to correct her. Then more waiting... before she finally finished the 2
nd question.
After that, i gave her 5 min break hoping that she would come back not looking so glum. 5 minutes over, i called her back and she once again sat on her chair staring at her friends, laughing but not wanting to talk to me nor finish her task. I looked at the problem sums, it only requires 2 steps and it is done. However, i did not remember how long i waited before her friends asked her to play with them and she
chionged the 2 steps by herself.
Then on to the last question. It is not easy and requires model drawing. "do you know how to draw models?"
"No," she replied. By then her friends were all around her telling her to faster finish it.
"she knows. She just don't want to do," she friends were telling me
"i don't know," C replied
"Is C maths good?" I asked
"Not bad. She can do want but she lazy only"
However, i guess the last question is really hard as she is unable to
chiong like the 3rd question. She asked me how to do. Then i drew the models out for her. Preparing to teach her, she was busy talking to her friends treating me as invisible. Then i was showing the piss face, her friends noticed it but she doesn't.
" Faster do! She angry already" her friends tell her, but she could not seem to bother.
So i got really angry and said, "next time i make you sit beside the aunties"
Her reply was really shocking," sit
lor,
bagus ( Malay word for "Good")!"
Then her friends helped her finished the problem sums and she happily handed it to one of the volunteers there then went off to play.
How will she be able to learn if her attitude remains unwilling. And when she's not doing anything, how i can know of her weak areas? Then, i thought it may help if i buy her something, but it is not of any help as seen today. Now i really don't know what to do and how to help her. Any suggestion guys? =((((((
Labels: 7.02.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Friday, July 4, 2008
11.6.08
We were much useful during the 2nd trip to the museum.
As the p3s were indeed quite hard to handle.
The journey to the museum on the bus was very noisy.
Then the tour guide didn't say much at all, we just went to look at the gallery by ourselves,
watch the show and then played at the adventure park.
So sad that most of them are too short to use the rifle thus we couldn't play the rifle game=(
During the whole time, the jiejie kept on asking the children to settle down and keep quiet.
Then they have to queue up in twos then seat down and stand up all the time.
I guess this method is quite a good way to get the kids organised, and settled.
The kids had quite a fun time at the adventure park, however some fight started, and soon most of them got bored.
I feel that the two adult vounteers were a little bit too strict. For once, one tell xy to walk properly when he is just trying to have some fun.
In conclusion, compared to the previous trip, this trip was alot noisier. They alot missed out on quite a few stuff as the lazy guide didn't went through all the exibition there. However it would also be very hard to handle if they were to go to all the exibition. They may not even listen to the guide. Lastly they also wasted quite some time waiting.
Labels: 6.11.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Sunday, June 15, 2008
5.6 .08 reflections
Outing to army museum =)
It was pretty fun.
We walked about the galleries.
Watched a show with real life effects such as strong wind and smoke.
And tried to shoot with a rifle it was very heavy.
Then we went to the adventure park, it was quite fun and scary. Some obstacles were very hard but there are boys from the centre who are able to finish the whole course very quickly.
The students were pretty good and did not create much trouble.
Except that they are sometimes too noisy so the 2 jie jie have to tell them to keep quiet.
In the end, i guess the kids have alot of fun in the adverture park.
Things did not go with what we had planned cause we reach there late. But overall it still went on quite smoothly.
Did not learn much about the army from the trip but i realise that the discovery centre is not the science centre =O.
Will be going there again. This time with the primary 3 i guess.
Labels: 6.05.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Friday, June 6, 2008
4.6.08 Reflections
General supervision again from 9:30 to 11
Was given a bunch of girls who are able to cope with their task by themselves. So i did not help them much.
One was very good at maths, so she helped her friend with all the maths question.
One had to do 10 chinese book reviews OMG so she was busy reading books.
One kept on laughing non-stop, the rest of the girls doesn't really like her cause they say she very fake.
After 11, it is play time for them so I slack until around12 then went home
Labels: 6.04.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @
5.28 reflections
Today,we went there early in the morning from 9:30 -- 12:30
C is not around, so i was assigned a few
pri 4 students.
Just to guide them with their homework.
One was doing Chinese, it was quite alright.
The other was doing science. It was a problem as the topic is about plants.
They were told to classify
angsana, water lily, rain tree, fern and a lot more plants which i do not know about into flowering and non flowering, water and land plants. they learnt a lot more about plants then compared to my past, so i couldn't really help him with it.
The
pri 4 were a lot more disciplined than compared to
pri 3. After the aunt scolded them once, they didn't dare to make noise the second time.
Their maths were also quite good. I tested them my maths 5 mark question and they got it! Also about 1x2x3x4x0x9, they know the answer straight away that it is 0.
Though they are smarter than the
pri 3, they are still we cute! The
pri 4 doing Chinese was burping with the one beside him from A to Z. Their facial features really makes me laugh non-stop.
After that, most of the
pri 4 finished their assignment. So we ask each other riddles. Then we realise that at their age, they already know of those "censored" jokes taught by their older siblings.
A boy was asking us science questions like how many bones we have in our body, how many heartbeats are there in a day. Not sure whether if they have to learn so in dept. After all, 6 years has past since i was
pri 4, so the syllabus may be harder now.
After that, the
pri 4s have to have their lunch before they go swimming. So i and Beryl went to distribute the prize for the last game session.
Not all prizes are distributed as some never come.
That's about all.
We had to do for maths supplementary lesson after that =(
Labels: 5.28.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Saturday, May 31, 2008
reflections 21/5/08
Hello Sarah jelly here again.
We had station games and tutoring.
Let's start with tutoring...- Talk more to C today, she at least answers most of my questions and know that i'm sarah instead of ali baba.
-Also learnt that her CCA is handbell and chimes, same as mine in primary school =)))))
-She told me she failed her maths last lesson. I did not really believed it then, now i guess it's true. she told me she had alot of problem sums question which she didn't know how to solve.
Its my fault as i have not even touch problem sums with her at all. So i was intending to teach her a little bit of problem sums. Teaching her a simple question similar to last time XY and J corrections.
I see that most of the students there did their maths assement until 60+ pages already but C still stuck at 43, which consist of division and multiplication questions not problem sums yet.
Up till now, i guess i had only taught her 4-5 times. Thats why she is lagging behind. So i have to work harder.
- However, she had some problem focusing. When she was trying to do multiplication question, she would stare into blank space, then colour some pictures, until i called her back.
So i tried Farah's method, competing with her to see who finished faster. At first, it worked, she did a question within 2 min. But after that, she gave up and do not want to compete anymore.
- Seeing her not able to focus, i taught her problem sums instead. I came up with question asking her to do. She later pushed it away, then told me that she don't want to do. Then it was after i asked her then she admit that she did not know how to do. So i came up with a similar but simplier question and taught her. Showing her another example, i asked her to do the next question i set. She is able to follow my first few steps, but after that she gave up again. So i taught her how to do and gave her another question. She felt bored most probably because she doesn't understand and does not know how to do, so she gave up again.
- i had to revise my steps so that it is clear for C to understand and apply it.
- i also had to come up with ways to make C listen to me instead of giving up. Such as acting sad and pitiful...
GamesIt was, noisy and exhausting when we conduct the station games.
The group is bigger. Like what Beryl had mention, it's hard to control the groups as some groups started fighting.
I guess i am not
forward looking thats why i 手忙脚乱。Don't know how i manage to hold on to the answer key, help them write marks, hand them question for them to choose, lend them my markers and paper and answer all their questions at the same time.
-From this, i learnt several things.
1) I had too high expectation for them.
I had a total of 14 questions when an average group could only do 3-4 in 5 minutes.
2) My questions was too tough.
Most of them could answer 2 marks question correctly with some of them able to answer 3 marks one. I had questions ranging from 1 to 5 marks.
3) There were a handful of students who are really weak in maths. We really need to do something about it. However there were also some who are quite good at it.
4) Their model drawings were quite weak. For example, there were 3 times more girls than boys. Girls must have 3 units while boys have 1 unit. most of them were able to draw it. However, 1 unit of boys
must be the same size as one unit of 1 unit of girls. 5) For number sequence, most of them only thought of addition. For example 3, 7, 11, 15, ?
they know that it is 19 as it is +4 to the next number. However, when i asked 1,4,9,16,?
they came up with
1, 1+3, 1+3+5,1+3+5+7,1+3+5+7+9=25
And it is right! even though what i'm thinking was 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5.
Thats basically all, i've learnt to talk to C . And will come up with ways to teach C model drawing and problem sums during the june holidays.
Labels: 5.21.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Thursday, May 22, 2008
14.5.08 reflections
After a long break for examinations, we finally got back to the centre. This time, rather than tutoring them 1 to 1, we decided to do station games for the students there as they also need a break after their exams. We tested them with questions ranging from maths to languages and logic. It was really fun as i find the students there bursting with energy as they compete with one another to win the prizes. After that, we announced the top 3 pairs which eventually got their prizes.
After that it was back to teaching the students, i see that C has just finished her maths homework, so she just went to play. Through this weeks at the centre, i realised that my bondage with C is not that good. So i have to start doing something about it, perhaps to buy some things for her in the next trip.
continuing, i had nothing to do. So i walked about and together with jean, taught a boy how to do 11 times table. it is a really good method to teach the students as they only memorised up to the 10 times table. This method is applicable even up to 3, 4,1000++ digits! for example:
11 x 11= 121 11x72=792 notice the trend?
11x 72 = 700 + 10(7+2) + 2 =792
11x 7234 = 70000 + 1000(7+2) +100(2+3) + 10(3+4) + 4 =79574
Its quite hard to understand it this way. (let the number to be multiplied by 11 be N) Basically the first and the last digit of N is the first and last digit of the answer. Then the numbers
in between the first and last digit of the answer is the sum of two consecutive numbers in N from the first 2 digits to the last2.
I feel that this is a fun way to engage a student in maths. Even when we had nothing to do, we can anyhow find a student to teach him something that interest them and is beneficial.
After the boy has gone home, i started playing games with Tu
Yan and some of the students there. It was pretty fun. I find it easier to make friends there as they are so innocent, as long as you play with them, they will be your friend. =) (They still remembered that i'm a scientist!)
Lastly, C said that she failed her subjects. And then i started to regret not teaching her for so long. up till now, 4 trips there, i had only really taught her once. This is mainly due to a lack of communication and bondage to one another.
Also, i can truly see that Beryl is very focused on her work. Going through A exam papers, he is able to pass most subject. I should be more attentive towards Cheryl, and use my best ability to teach her. Without regrets the next time.
Labels: 5.14.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Wednesday, May 14, 2008
23.4.08 reflections
Tird trip to lakeside family centre
C had percussion program until 5
So i took
XY first
Taught him maths corrections
Had the same corrections as J e from last trip i went there.
"John had 3 times as many frogs as Susie"
After explaining to him that John is 3 units and Susie is 1 unit, i gave him another similar question:
"John had 2 times as many frogs as Susie, how many units does John has?" He didn't know the answer. 3? 3+2?
After explaining to him that the answer should be 2, I asked him another question again. Still he couldn't do.
I guess his not focused, so i started playing with my
calculator and he wanted to play.
So i told him to answer my question correctly, then i will let him play for 1 minute.
He listened to my
explanation attentively, and finally got the answer right! =)
So i let him play.
Continuing on with the first question, "John had 30 more Frogs than Susie, how many Frogs does Susie has?"
So i began explaining how he should go about doing it. (3-1) units=30, 1 unit=30/(3-1).
He could not understand how come 1 unit is 30/2. So i draw models and explain to him.
He still could not understand, and start being uninterested.
Still explaining, C finished her program, so i teach him how to do the corrections and went to teach C.
She's totally different from the first time i saw her. she was very quiet then, but now she has many friends and went about talking to them.
She began doing long division assignment and in 20 minutes she finished it!
Her long division has improved tremendously!
After that she left to play.
So i went back and teach
XY.
He told me his maths not good. So i asked him what is 10 x 3 x 8 x 0.
After thinking, he said 0. Then i said wow, this is harder than your corrections! Your maths is good! it's just that corrections to easy for you so you don't want to do.
Then he got very interested, and set some question for me to answer.
After that, we went back to his corrections.
He finished the one i taught him, and asked me to teach him the next one.
It's something similar, and he could not do it. So i start all over again. Then he had to go home.
Yea he only did 1.5 corrections. Just hoped that he will remember what i taught him.
While XY was still around, i
flipped through my file hoping to do some homework. Then some kids there saw a photo i taken at
IMCB, we were wearing lab coat. Then they asked me how come i was wearing a lab coat. so i said, "i am a scientist." they really believed it.
After asking
XY what is 10x8x3x0, i asked C. Then C friend all gather around her wanting to answer. Non got it right. I told them it is 0, they didn't believed it, so i press the
calculator for them.
So after
XY left, i set maths questions for C and her friends to compete among each other. After the first question which no body got it right, they do not want to compete anymore, so they began to test me. I answer some of their questions correctly. Then talked among themselves.
I
eavesdrop :
" Wow her maths so good!"
" She scientist mah."
LOL
after that, i ask them what's their best subject
ALL say Maths and Science.
C best subject is also maths. So i guess i don't have to worry about her maths test next week already.
Yeah, the maths and science generation. Hope they will become scientist like me in the future!
Labels: 4.23.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Sunday, April 27, 2008
reflections for 19/3 & 9/4
19/3 went to lakeside family centre for the first time, pretty excited.
I was assigned C as my tutee, and taught her maths. She had to do long division that day, initially i thought it would be very easy...
However, it didn't occur to me that she did not know anything about long division, so i take her to the first example in her assement book.
It was something like 279 divide by 3, so i began going through the steps with her.
After that i asked her to do it by herself, and she couldn't do it.
so i teach her again, and ask her to do the next question.
Still, she couldn't do it.
Then i realised how i assumed her to be my age, being able to learn things very fast.
Luckily, beryl came to my rescue! She lent me her coloured markers and taught me to write the question very big on a full scap paper.
I tried to follow and began teaching her 9/3
After that asked her to do 4 divide by 2 by herself.
Fortunately, her multiplication was superb. She knew that the answer and written 2 straight away, without any workings.
So i tested her with harder questions and she was unable to do it.
I began to feel very demoralised that i was unable to make her understand what am i doing.
So beryl helped me once again, and she began teaching her step by step, increasing the difficulty level slowly. She understood what beryl taught and was able to do the assement questions by herself! I was pretty impressed!
From this, i learnt not to assume that she understands everything. I also have to be more patient and clear in what i'm teaching. Beryl was very energetic and praised C often, she also used simple words that C understands.
9/4 is my second trip to the centre.
C had something on so i went through corrections with J.
She couldn't draw models quite well, so i taught her and it helped her with her corrections
There's also a question about the number of boys being 3 times more than girls, which Jwas unable to understand.
Therefore i told her that there are 3 units for boys and 1 unit for girls.
She understood and was able to apply to other types of questions.
From what i learnt in the first trip, i gave Jsome easier questions first before asking her to tackle the difficult corrections. It helped! she was able to do corrections by herself although she may draw wrong model sometimes and i feel glad.
Hoped that i will enable C to understand what i am teaching on the next trip there.
Labels: 3.19.08, 4.09.08, sarah
Jelly! wobbled @ Saturday, April 19, 2008
