Life
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
long time no Life post. I always seem to start my posts in this way. blame my lack of creativity and time la.
after I finished writing the section about holistic education, I realised it is kind of pensieve. it is one of those thoughts that I always had but never quite got it materialised into words. it is also a potential time bomb. lets see how it goes.
==
Term 3 began a bit over a week by now. the elements of "real" graduating student's life, as many seniors once told us, are finally kicking in.
it is when you realise just how little time you have left. at this moment, there are about 8 more weeks to prelims. if this doesnt make one give the sparkling textbook purchased last year a glance, I dont know what will.
even if you are not encouraged, the school administration tries really hard to make you so. the much talked-about night study began yesterday. one and a half hour mock exams covering many previously-taught topics run on mondays and thursdays. mathematics and chemistry remedials incorporate a mock test of their own as well.
in case you did not realise, that leaves just wednesday without a fixed test, which teachers will simply throw in a random class test in anyway.
this uniquely singapore "pressure cooker" method does work to a certain extent, when you see much more people hitting the books than in the past. its effectiveness remains debatable.
however, I am surprisingly fine about this entire cycle. teachers are now ever-ready to help me with my doubts. graduating classes basically have no non-academic activities from now on. remedials and practises occupy most of our time.
to put it simply, the school decided to just cut all the "holistic" crap aside and shoving the cold hard truth right into your face: your O-Level score is still the thing ultimately deciding your fate.
==
sometimes I really wonder why does the Ministry try so hard to make things "holistic". yes, ECAs became CCAs to increase its prominence. and now you are graded in how well you are doing in an activity that you are supposed to enjoy. how do you still enjoy it?
you can now enter junior colleges by DSA. no doubt, it shows that we try to find talents in other areas. but it seems everyone forgot about the <20 point L1R5 requirement for JCs applies even with DSA? and that only up to 5% of the enrolment can be recruited through it?
teach less learn more. all secondary students would know that it simply meant more projects and self study and less whiteboard teaching from the teacher. sure, it is very much like in the working world, but for schools, it only seems to make learning something even slower, with the time set aside for group discussions and presentations.
we all know O-Level is still the most important stepping stone to the next stage of education (post-sec and tertiary), as it had always been traditionally. it is such a known fact that perhaps we should just look at the entire holistic thing all over again ?
I am in no way criticising our currently world-renowned education system. I nevertheless applaud the changes to give those less academically-inclined a path of their own, but I am just giving some comments from what I observed. hope no one has been offended in the progress.
==
whew, that is a long one. hope I dont get into any legal troubles because of it. haha.
anyway, I just had my Chinese O-Level (haha) Oral exams yesterday. two seemingly rather friendly ladies are my invigilators. I greeted them good morning when it is afternoon and one of them had to correct me. hmm.
things generally went well I guess. most of us agreed the passage was nowhere near difficult, something about graphical and textual directional signs and some people's inability to follow them, even the simple, graphical ones.
the conversation is on disabled-friendly facilities. I think I may have heard the question wrongly and focused totally on the public transport side. confirmed a big penalty. the only saving grace might be the fluidness of how the entire thing went.
LC is on 16th July. and with that my Chinese O-Level will be over, till August at least, when I will receive the results and decide whether I should retake. I really hope it will be an A1 for Chinese. so I have to make up for my orals blunder in listening.
==
Be Yourself Day is today.
perhaps it is the graduating year, many of my batch's people did not come in uniforms, me included.
hmm, I did not really go around observing everybody. but I noticed most guys simply came more casually, like how they would be if they went out, me included again, while girls look like they are going to attend a banquet in an upmarket hotel.
some guys did pay more attention to the attire though. look at zhepeng today. just a casual suggestion by a girl made him dress so differently. hmm
those who chose to came in pyjamas, the supposed "theme" for this year, got a chance to be interviewed by The New Paper, like shaocong. haha.
the youth day celebration concert was not bad. I especially like the modern dance. it is well choreographed, the music is well-remixed, and they did not forget about humouring the audience.
but no one can deny the fact the most precious gem of the entire event was Rafeek's mugshot when he was 2 years old. haha.
==
nothing much else happened other than this. and I am getting kind of sleepy. and the combined humanities mock exam is tomorrow. includes the entire venice chapter. better go take another look at it before sleeping.
after I finished writing the section about holistic education, I realised it is kind of pensieve. it is one of those thoughts that I always had but never quite got it materialised into words. it is also a potential time bomb. lets see how it goes.
==
Term 3 began a bit over a week by now. the elements of "real" graduating student's life, as many seniors once told us, are finally kicking in.
it is when you realise just how little time you have left. at this moment, there are about 8 more weeks to prelims. if this doesnt make one give the sparkling textbook purchased last year a glance, I dont know what will.
even if you are not encouraged, the school administration tries really hard to make you so. the much talked-about night study began yesterday. one and a half hour mock exams covering many previously-taught topics run on mondays and thursdays. mathematics and chemistry remedials incorporate a mock test of their own as well.
in case you did not realise, that leaves just wednesday without a fixed test, which teachers will simply throw in a random class test in anyway.
this uniquely singapore "pressure cooker" method does work to a certain extent, when you see much more people hitting the books than in the past. its effectiveness remains debatable.
however, I am surprisingly fine about this entire cycle. teachers are now ever-ready to help me with my doubts. graduating classes basically have no non-academic activities from now on. remedials and practises occupy most of our time.
to put it simply, the school decided to just cut all the "holistic" crap aside and shoving the cold hard truth right into your face: your O-Level score is still the thing ultimately deciding your fate.
==
sometimes I really wonder why does the Ministry try so hard to make things "holistic". yes, ECAs became CCAs to increase its prominence. and now you are graded in how well you are doing in an activity that you are supposed to enjoy. how do you still enjoy it?
you can now enter junior colleges by DSA. no doubt, it shows that we try to find talents in other areas. but it seems everyone forgot about the <20 point L1R5 requirement for JCs applies even with DSA? and that only up to 5% of the enrolment can be recruited through it?
teach less learn more. all secondary students would know that it simply meant more projects and self study and less whiteboard teaching from the teacher. sure, it is very much like in the working world, but for schools, it only seems to make learning something even slower, with the time set aside for group discussions and presentations.
we all know O-Level is still the most important stepping stone to the next stage of education (post-sec and tertiary), as it had always been traditionally. it is such a known fact that perhaps we should just look at the entire holistic thing all over again ?
I am in no way criticising our currently world-renowned education system. I nevertheless applaud the changes to give those less academically-inclined a path of their own, but I am just giving some comments from what I observed. hope no one has been offended in the progress.
==
whew, that is a long one. hope I dont get into any legal troubles because of it. haha.
anyway, I just had my Chinese O-Level (haha) Oral exams yesterday. two seemingly rather friendly ladies are my invigilators. I greeted them good morning when it is afternoon and one of them had to correct me. hmm.
things generally went well I guess. most of us agreed the passage was nowhere near difficult, something about graphical and textual directional signs and some people's inability to follow them, even the simple, graphical ones.
the conversation is on disabled-friendly facilities. I think I may have heard the question wrongly and focused totally on the public transport side. confirmed a big penalty. the only saving grace might be the fluidness of how the entire thing went.
LC is on 16th July. and with that my Chinese O-Level will be over, till August at least, when I will receive the results and decide whether I should retake. I really hope it will be an A1 for Chinese. so I have to make up for my orals blunder in listening.
==
Be Yourself Day is today.
perhaps it is the graduating year, many of my batch's people did not come in uniforms, me included.
hmm, I did not really go around observing everybody. but I noticed most guys simply came more casually, like how they would be if they went out, me included again, while girls look like they are going to attend a banquet in an upmarket hotel.
some guys did pay more attention to the attire though. look at zhepeng today. just a casual suggestion by a girl made him dress so differently. hmm
those who chose to came in pyjamas, the supposed "theme" for this year, got a chance to be interviewed by The New Paper, like shaocong. haha.
the youth day celebration concert was not bad. I especially like the modern dance. it is well choreographed, the music is well-remixed, and they did not forget about humouring the audience.
but no one can deny the fact the most precious gem of the entire event was Rafeek's mugshot when he was 2 years old. haha.
==
nothing much else happened other than this. and I am getting kind of sleepy. and the combined humanities mock exam is tomorrow. includes the entire venice chapter. better go take another look at it before sleeping.
