Monthly Archives

February 2014

Becks Kao Ben Kao Enrichment Invites & Tryouts Learning fun! Reviews The Kao Kids

Learning the Eye Level way: Math Programme Review

February 3, 2014

Ben is enrolled in Eye Level‘s Math Programme and has been attending their once-a-week Math lesson for two months now. At each lesson he attends, he’s basically exposed to two things: Basic Thinking Math and Critical Thinking Math.

For about an hour or so, he would complete the two tasks (two booklets for each lesson that his teacher would give him) under the close supervision of his teacher. Teacher Emily reads him the instructions in the booklet, guides him when he needs help and teaches him the key concepts for each lesson. However, unlike in a private tuition setting, she doesn’t hover over him for the entire time he’s there. She also attends to other students in the class who may or may not be at the same level and standard as Ben, and together with other kids, everyone present engages in self-directed – but heavily scaffolded – learning.

Ben in class with his teacher and another older student

The classroom setting: Ben in class with his teacher and another student

I was told the ratio of teacher to student for the Math Programme is 1:8, but at Ben’s timeslot, Teacher Emily usually handles 2 to 3 students (including Ben) at one time. Which is great, I think. Not too many to distract him (he can get very distracted, alright), but enough to spur him on to sit down and concentrate, just like them. It’s also good that the kids are also older, and he learns from their example.

This setting, which he’s exposed to once a week, is proving to be extremely beneficial for me at home. At home, Ben is now able to sit down on his own to complete his work (he gets homework to revise the concepts he’s learned at Eye Level). He doesn’t need me to accompany him anymore (*finally*) and is able to cancel out distractions from his siblings all by himself to complete his work.

Ben completing his work at home

Ben completing his work at home

Hurrah for self directed, independent learning, I say.

Eye Level Learning Center’s Math Programme is designed to help students improve their mathematical thinking and problem solving skills by enabling them to master concepts each step of the way as students progress through the curriculum. For now, Ben has got his numbers 1 to 110 all settled in terms of counting (in order and in tens), writing, ascending and descending orders and simple problem solving (involving counting). He’s moving on to addition and subtraction this month – something which he is already acquainted with – and I can’t wait for the programme to extend this learning for him, simply because I am really bad with teaching anything beyond simple math. Hurhurhur. 

He also tells me he enjoys Critical Thinking Math more, because it’s “more fun and interesting”. For critical thinking, he gets his spatial sense, depth perception and problem-solving and reasoning skills developed with puzzles, blocks and shapes and math games that are very well designed to engage young minds.

Basic Thinking Math at Level 10 (counting from 1 -20): Ben did these in December

Basic Thinking Math at Level 2 (counting from 1 -20): Ben did these in December

A glimpse from the pages of one of the Critical Thinking Math booklets: Ben learned patterns here

A glimpse from the pages of one of the Critical Thinking Math booklets: Ben learned patterns here

Like I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, the kids really look forward to going for Math enrichment every week – Becks is at Play Math (and I shared my review of the programme here) and Ben at the Math Programme (SGD$120 for a once-a-week lesson, and SGD$150 for twice a week). I’m just really glad they’ve been offered this opportunity because it has gotten them interested in Math, all thanks to the fact that the programmes at Eye Level are so thoughtfully designed to engage the little ones. I don’t remember being so happy learning Math at preschool – what with all the forced memorisation of multiplication tables and assessment books – and I am heartened to have my preschoolers like numbers and even finding it fun to count.

AND JUST FOR MOTHERKAO READERS:

Eye Level is extending a promotional offer to all Motherkao readers! For $10 (usual price $60), your child can take the diagnostic test, attend a trial lesson (30-45 min) and get a complimentary study skill analysis.

Eye Level $10 voucher

Simply quote [Motherkao] to enjoy this offer via walk-in to any of the Eye Level Learning Centres island-wide. You can also leave a Facebook message on Eye Level’s Facebook Page or make a telephone enquiry to any of the Eye Level centres.

Disclosure: Ben and Becks have been invited to attend Eye Level’s Math and Play Math for a term of three months. Motherkao has accepted sponsorship for her reviews of their programmes and endorsement of the centre. All opinions here are Motherkao’s own (with input from Ben).

Homelearning fun Learning fun! Milestones and growing up

Teaching the Kao Kids: Routines I

February 2, 2014

I went to the warehouse sale at The Learning Store last year and returned with quite a few great finds.

These posters are two of them:

Letter formation poster

Numbers poster

I’ve placed them on the walls of our learning corners and incorporated a daily routine for the kids: they literally go face the wall everyday, hurhurhur.

For three-year-old Becks, she “faces” the Letter Formation poster and traces each Uppercase and Lowercase letter of the alphabet with her finger. It helps that this poster has arrow directions and my instructions for her is that she follows the numbers and the directions of the arrows. She’s currently still learning letters and letter sounds (she’s not moved on to words yet except simple ones like ‘I’, ‘You’,’He’,’She’, ‘Yes’, ‘No’) and this is supposed to help her trace in pencil with more ease.

Becks tracing letters with finger

I didn’t have this poster when Ben was learning his letters so he went straight to pencil and tracer. He still gets his directions wrong sometimes when he writes his words and finds shortcuts to skip certain strokes (like he’d argue how the lowercase letter ‘m’ should be written like the MacDonald’s sign just because it looks more cool) but with Becks she’s accurate to the tee when it comes to writing her letters on paper. I credit this daily routine of finger-tracing for that.

I also find the Numbers 1-99 poster extremely helpful in helping the kids count and recognise numbers. Ben is learning numbers 1 to 100 and he often has difficulties moving on after the 9s. He would go, “41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49… er… then what?” when he reaches the next tenth and I find that making him “face” this poster helps. Sometimes I just make him read out the last row on the right (10, 20, 30, 40…) to get him to think in tenths, and this bolsters his confidence when he does his math homework.

Posters can have a positive effect on the process of learning, especially in the visual sense. I find that when used appropriately and sparingly, they can help more learning to take place for my preschoolers. With good, age-appropriate posters, I get to create a little literacy corner for the kids at home that can foster independent learning.

TTKK Logo

Also in this series: For the love of reading | Choosing engaging titles | Graded readers

Read the 2nd post I wrote about routines involving wall charts here.

Family life as we know it Homelearning fun Milestones and growing up

Letters, I wrote

February 1, 2014

Ben turns 5 this month and I am wrecking my brains to find ways to get him to read. He loves to be read to, and still wants to imagine stories with picture books, most of time ignoring the words on the pages. When I plonk him next to his Scholastic readers, he’ll read them – yes, he would – but I highly suspect he does them from memory because when he’s asked how to read each word without the readers, he gives me a clueless look.

So I have started doing this:

Letter to Ben

Writing him letters and putting them in the mail.

He gets very excited to receive something from the mail box that’s addressed to him, and tries his best to make sense of every word in the letter to decode the message.

He’s gotten two letters so far, and he’s looking forward to more, I know. Let’s hope this trick would get him interested!