News and Announcements | Singapore Maths Tuition

Ministry of Education to continually upgrade students’ digital literacy skills

October 11, 2023 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

11th October 2023

The Ministry of Education and primary schools are exploring ways to better equip primary school pupils with digital literacy skills.

MOE said the teachers involved observed that Personal Learning Devices enhanced pupil engagement, collaboration and content mastery. But as the use of digital devices for learning should be developmentally appropriate, MOE said it will not be providing primary school pupils with PLDs for now.

PLDs have been issued to every secondary school student since 2021. Since then, there has been a sizeable shift towards digital learning in secondary schools. Digital assessment is likewise becoming more prevalent at the GCE O levels: 60 examination papers are now offered in electronic modes, such as e-oral, e-written, computer-based practical and e-coursework.

Full subject based banding in secondary schools will be introduced next year

October 6, 2023 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

6th October 2023

From next year, the traditional Normal and Express streams will be abolished. Instead, students entering Secondary 1 will take subjects at levels that suit their interests and abilities.

Full subject based banding was first piloted in 28 secondary schools in 2020 and has been progressively rolled out to more secondary schools. Students will be in mixed form classes in lower secondary, and schools have the autonomy to decide how to structure their form classes. Some schools group students by co-curricular activities (CCAs), while others assign students from all three streams – Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical, making sure to include a diverse range of students in each class.

Subject combinations, especially in upper secondary, differ across schools. In addition, schools may offer different modules under the non-examinable applied learning programme, ranging from health and food science to speech and drama to media literacy. The programme focuses on applying knowledge to authentic settings in society to help students appreciate the relevance of what they are learning. Some schools are identified to offer certain subjects not available in other schools.

More national examinations in Singapore are now being conducted electronically

July 23, 2023 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

23rd July 2023

In Singapore, more national examinations are now being conducted electronically, doing away with the need for physical writing of scripts and the usage of pen and paper. To date, 60 GCE examination papers are now in electronic mode.

Student competencies such as critical and inventive thinking are better assessed through e-exams with the use of multimedia, as compared with pen-and-paper examinations.

In 2021, the introduction of the Personalised Digital Learning Programme ensured that every secondary school student owned a school-prescribed personal learning device (PLD). This necessitated a shift in the way lessons are designed and enacted, so that students would make use of their PLDs in their classroom learning.

Each e-exam mode has innovative features that provide an engaging examination experience. For some examinations, it will also be easier for candidates to edit and organise their responses. They can make use of the editing features – cut, copy and paste functions – and not have to worry about untidy cancellations or illegible handwriting.

The use of multimedia allows questions to be set with authentic and real-life contexts, which test important disciplinary knowledge and skills. It would be difficult to set similar questions in a pen-and-paper format.

E-exams make assessments more accessible for students with disabilities. One example is candidates who require larger font sizes due to their visual impairment. This can be facilitated through the use of zoom and text-to-speech software in e-exams.

Such exams also boost efficiency, by removing certain administrative processes in paper-based examinations. These include printing question papers, transporting them to and from examination venues, and collecting and counting them at the end of an examination.

Technical issues, such as Internet connectivity problems or computer glitches, can disrupt the examination experience. To address this, there are resiliency features to safeguard examination candidates’ responses. One of these is an automatic save function at multiple locations, including candidates’ laptops and the government cloud, during the e-exams. If there is a disruption, candidates’ responses can be restored easily. Should there be a network or power failure, candidates can continue their examination on laptops with battery packs.

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

September 12, 2022 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

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.

The importance of soft skills in Singapore’s education system

September 2, 2022 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

From the Editorial Team
2nd September 2022

Although the Singaporean education system ranks highly among its counterparts all around the world, there are some things which are necessary in navigating the real world, but are difficult to be taught.

It is important for students to develop soft skills such as problem-solving, intellectual curiosity, and emotional intelligence. However, these aspects cannot necessarily be taught in school, in the traditional classroom setting.

The Singaporean education system has attempted to balance the need to develop soft skills by encouraging students to take up a host of Co-curricular Activities (CCA), ranging from creative arts, sports, and uniformed groups.

Furthermore, there are plenty of opportunities for students to develop their problem-solving skills and creativity in the myriad of competitions and external events schools in Singapore undoubtedly encourage their students to participate in.

By getting involved in activities outside studying, students will be able to build a diverse portfolio of experiences which bring out positive skills such as team management, coordinating their limited time and resources, and a curiosity to discover more about the world around them.

Students participating in such activities and opportunities should not merely view these events as a mandatory chore, necessary to boost their prospects for future universities or their resumes, but should strive to learn more from these experiences. The quality of curiosity is highly important in students being able to exercise their critical thinking skills, as only a curious student will have the motivation to find out why he or she is wrong or right, and how to better themselves.

In addition, parents should not view such activities as a hindrance to their schooling and development. They should encourage their children to pursue such activities as it is important for them to experience life outside academics and gain the necessary exposure to not only survive, but thrive.

Four new courses to be included under SkillsFuture Singapore’s Work-Study initiative

August 19, 2022 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

19th August 2022

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will be adding four new courses for inclusion under the Work-Study initiative next year. These include courses in the areas of customer experience management, agriculture and aquaculture technology, facilities management, and aerospace engineering.

Speaking at the launch of Work-Study Fair 2022 at Temasek Polytechnic, Mr Foo Piao Zhou, group director of training partners group at SSG, said the initiative gives graduates opportunities to learn industry-relevant skills and constantly reinvent themselves. The programme enables polytechnic and ITE graduates to gain industry-recognised qualifications with on-the-job training and classroom learning.

In addition, Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman highlighted the importance of upskilling as Singapore recovers economically.

Professor Tan Tai Yong to be new president of Singapore University of Social Sciences

July 21, 2022 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

21 July 2022

Professor Tan Tai Yong will be the new president of the Singapore University of Social Sciences from next year.

He will take over from the school’s current founding president, Professor Cheong Hee Kiat.

Prof Tan received his doctorate at Cambridge University. He was previously president and professor of humanities (history) at Yale-NUS College. He played an active role in shaping the college’s academic programme, including its common curriculum and integrating academic and residential life.

Prof Tan also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2015, and was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2020.

Help smaller companies communicate their skills training needs to enable educational institutions to respond rapidly

May 14, 2022 by Maths Statistics Science Tutor

14 May 2022

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing has said that Singapore must innovate to help smaller companies communicate their skills training needs so that training institutions can respond quickly.

Mr Chan said SkillsFuture Singapore has plans to partner these organisations to identify skills that are in demand and to develop skills-based career pathways.

Mr Chan noted that many companies want to train their workers but do not know how to articulate this need. He said the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (Nace), which is led by Nanyang Polytechnic, has done much to strengthen support structures for workplace learning.

Last year, Nace also launched the National Workplace Learning Certification scheme, he added. It recognises progressive organisations that have structures and processes in place for good training practices at the workplace.