PSLE is changing! How should my child’s learning of Chinese change?
This is a follow up article to one of our earlier posts, Chinese Paper Under the New PSLE Scoring System: Tougher or Easier?
The PSLE changes made by MOE are in response to the developments of the nation’s educational needs. The new scoring system was introduced with the aim to help children discover and develop their strengths and interests, creating genuine interest in learning while moving away from too much emphasis on academic results.
In short, real learning needs to happen. Learning that’s not about the school of choice or the grades on the result sheet. Instead, one that truly propels our children towards a level of confidence in communication that will empower them not only to survive in the global arena but to enjoy the sense of fulfilment and joy that comes with being able to communicate in Chinese at native-level.
Is your child receiving the support they need to cope with the shifts in the education curriculum?
How Should My Child Adapt to the new PSLE system?
You will want to make sure that real acquisition of the language takes place in your child’s learning experience. This means that the learning process should equip your child with a foundational grasp of the language. It should aim to enable them to listen, speak and write in Chinese in a spontaneous manner. This requires a re-think of how you approach the subject of helping your child learn Chinese:
Plan Forward Tip #1 - Go Deep in Learning
Deep learning increases children’s potential to ‘level-up’. In this day and age, skills-based modules are the way forward. Children not just need to know how to read and write, more importantly, they should be equipped with the ability to put the language into practice in real-life circumstances.
Pro-Tip: With the increased emphasis on comprehension and oracy skills in PSLE, do find a learning centre that encourages learners to gain understanding for what they are learning, rather than rote-learning and regurgitating memorised answers.
Useful note:
After the changes to the new PSLE format, it’s important to pick educators who have the dedicated resources to equip students with advanced Chinese proficiency. Through personalised component-based improvement, they can empower learners to deepen their learning and enrich the experience. When students are encouraged to apply the skills and techniques they learn during lessons and teachers helping with learning gaps, needed skills can be reinforced.
Plan Forward Tip #2 - Each Child is different. Cater to Your Child’s Specific Needs
In a world so full of changes and where things are going to evolve even more rapidly, your child should feel like they can learn at their own pace and receive the joy of true learning. This foundation will build their self-confidence and self-sufficiency required to navigate the complexity that they will face in life after school.
Pro-tip: Send your child to a learning centre that helps learners feel that they are in control of their own pace of learning and builds a real curiosity towards what they are learning of the language. Pick a learning centre that grows and adapts to your child’s needs — one that adapts lessons using AI, updates in the education system and lesson feedback.
Useful note:
The new PSLE scoring system aims to put more emphasis on how the students have done relative to learning objectives of the curriculum rather than to their peers. That alleviates the unhealthy (yet subconscious) comparison among students (and their parents). Seek educators who keep up to date with and have revamped their syllabus to align with the changes by MOE. With intentional effort comes effective outcomes. In your search for an educator you won’t want just any teaching system. You need one that’s culturally aware and swift to adopt new practices while keeping to their tried and tested established modes of learning (pedagogy). A good Chinese curriculum in today’s modern age must prepare your child for the future. The burden of equipping your child for the future of learning online can be partially shouldered by your selected Chinese learning centre.
Plan Forward Tip #3 - Be Bold To Cut What Doesn’t Work
We have to stop cramming our kids’ schedules full of classes! Having shorter bursts of classes which can be planned around the family’s schedule will be a perfect balance for the growth and development of your child.
Find a curriculum that truly supports your child’s learning, especially with the new PSLE scoring system.
The goal is learning is to build skillsets. As parents, we need to help our kids by providing them with the environment they need to build competency in weaker subjects, while focusing on the actual learning and understanding – the development of their minds as opposed to cramming subjects.
As our children gradually gain a sense of fulfilment from their mini-milestones and learning achievements, they will begin to enjoy and be more self-motivated in the learning experience.
Pro-tip: Pick a learning centre that keeps classes to an optimal length, one that is just right for your child’s attention span. There is no point to make a lesson longer than it should be when your child is unable to absorb what is being taught.
New PSLE system, New Possibilities
As a mum or dad, how do we ensure that our children are receiving the support needed to cope with the effects of the new PSLE scoring system? With many obligations to juggle as parent, it can be very challenging to be an effective personal teacher to our children.
Let a professional educator help support you and make the learning journey an enjoyable one for you and your child.
The Right Learning Partner For Your Child
- The new PSLE scoring system places more emphasis on how students have done, relative to learning objectives of the curriculum, rather than how they have done comparing to their peers. That alleviates the unhealthy (yet subconscious) comparison among students (and their parents). Seek educators who keep up to date with and have revamped their syllabus to align with the changes by MOE.
- It will take time for mindsets to change and patterns of learning to evolve. In the middle of uncertain times, let us seek to make our children’s learning more enjoyable, not more stressful.
- Pick educators who have dedicated resources to equip students through personalised component-based improvement. The right educator empowers learners through application during learning. Students will find it easier to pick up language skills when they apply what they learn during lessons.
