08Feb 2024 by Principal
Is Tuition only about doing Worksheets? Or is there more to Tuition?

Is Tuition only about doing Worksheets? Or is there more to Tuition?

Cognitive skills, News, Opinion, Tuition
By Mr Kwok Recently, we have received many queries from parents about our teaching methods. Do we just give out worksheets to our students to complete, mark and return to them? How are our lessons structured? Do we give homework - how often and how much? Do we give our students a break in our lessons? Understandably, these are reasonable questions in the minds of parents before they sign their children up in any tuition centre. I will attempt to answer them in this post and in the process, provide a clearer picture to the reader of how we teach. (You may also check out Our Teaching Philosophy here.) Using Worksheets as a Complementary Tool in our Tuition Lessons We do not simply throw out worksheets to our students to…
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20Sep 2022 by Principal
Why do students perform poorly in their studies: Getting to the heart of the matter

Why do students perform poorly in their studies: Getting to the heart of the matter

News, Non-cognitive skills, Opinion, Tuition
By Mr Kwok This is a continuation of our earlier post, A Checklist of Reasons Why Students Perform Poorly – Are you looking at the right ones?. In it, we discussed the various reasons that could have led to a student's poor performance. They are all important reasons no doubt but the more we reflect upon them through the lens of our teaching experiences, the more convinced we are that a recurring reason stands out. As in Lord of the Rings, it is the one ring that controls the other Rings of Power. It is also our belief that when this single most important factor is rectified, all other issues will fall into place like a chain of dominoes. What is this all-important factor then? The heart of the matter…
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31May 2022 by Principal
Live Webinar: Myopia – What You Need To Know (4 Jun 2022, Sat, 1000-1200)

Live Webinar: Myopia – What You Need To Know (4 Jun 2022, Sat, 1000-1200)

News
By Mr Kwok After talking to optometrists and parents in the past 2 years, anecdotal evidence points to a rising trend of myopia (shortsightedness) in our school going children. Perhaps this should not be so surprising given the wide use of home based learning during the various covid-19 episodes in the same period. The use of computers and mobile devices have been linked to myopia due to focusing the eyes for close work which is further exacerbated by the long duration of such work. In addition, both the circuit breaker and well meaning parents discourage children from unnecessary forays out of the house to avoid the dreaded infection. Unfortunately, this also limits their outdoor activities which are supposed to delay or even negate the onset of myopia. Is there still…
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25Mar 2021 by Principal
Training RGS Teachers for their School’s Learning Journey

Training RGS Teachers for their School’s Learning Journey

Biology, Chemistry, Enrichment, Humanities, News, Opinion, Science
It has always been our stand that education should involve out-of-classroom activities. They expose the student to hands-on work and real life observations not possible to replicate in the classroom. The obvious choice to apply this principle is Science, with its branches of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. However, it can certainly apply to other subjects such as History, Geography, Social Studies and more. Raffles Girls' School (RGS) has brought this principle into practice by organising a series of Learning Journeys to MacRitchie Reservoir for its students. The Learning Journey is loosely based on the ABC Waters Learning Trail @ MacRitchie published by PUB (Public Utilities Board). It involves getting to know Singapore's Water Story, history of the reservoir, the story behind World War II hero, Lim Bo Seng, geography of…
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18Feb 2020 by Principal
A Small Class Size in the midst of the COVID-19 Situation

A Small Class Size in the midst of the COVID-19 Situation

News, Tuition
With the current outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Singapore and the world, we are grateful that our classes are kept small (no more than 6 students per class) since we first opened our doors. In addition to other measures practised in our Tuition Centre - regular sanitisation of premises, monitoring of body temperature for all staff, students & visitors, use of hand sanitiser and declaration of travel history etc., a small class significantly reduces the chances of catching an infection. This applies not just to COVID-19 but also includes the common cold and influenza Though the intention of having small classes is to enhance learning in our students, it is fortuitous that such an arrangement becomes an added advantage in the current COVID-19 situation. We take the health and…
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08Nov 2019 by Principal
Join our Enrichment Programmes in Nov/Dec School Holidays!

Join our Enrichment Programmes in Nov/Dec School Holidays!

Cognitive skills, English, Enrichment, Math, News, Non-cognitive skills, Revision, Science
Our Enrichment Programmes are designed for students to be away from their studies and learn new knowledge and skills, both academic and non-academic. They are open to both our centre’s regular students and any other students of the right academic level. The following programmes are scheduled to run on the given dates. Click on each of them for fees and further information. Call or WhatsApp us at 8768 6497 or Email us at info@imatter.com.sg to register. English Creative Writing for Upper Primary Students (23-24 Nov)Secrets of Studying Smart for Secondary Students(11 Dec)Design Thinking for Solving Problems in Real Life for Secondary Students (2 Dec)Water Quality Monitoring Field Trip for Secondary Students (12 Dec)Biodiversity Survey Field Trip for Upper Primary Students (11 Dec) Primary 6 PSLE Math Preparatory Course (17-19 Dec)…
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23Sep 2018 by Principal
Education Minister: Going for more fun and passion but also critical thinking and soft skills

Education Minister: Going for more fun and passion but also critical thinking and soft skills

Cognitive skills, Enrichment, News, Non-cognitive skills
Education Minister: Going for more fun and passion but also critical thinking and soft skills Bloomberg: … “A transformation towards an economy that is more innovation-driven, that is more productivity-driven.” Ong’s chief responsibility -- the local education system -- is a key to Singapore’s labor needs and economic transformation. “We need to use an inquiry-based approach to teach students how to exercise critical thinking,” he said. “It used to be ‘knowledge is power.’ Now, power is knowing what knowledge to ignore, and what to take in, and decide for yourself.” Updated on 28/9/18: I still believe that content should be trimmed down in MOE curricula to allow time and space for critical thinking and other higher order skills e.g. dreaming. At the end of the day, how much content do…
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12Aug 2018 by Kate
Education Minister: PSLE and class sizes stay status quo

Education Minister: PSLE and class sizes stay status quo

News
Education Minister: PSLE and class sizes stay status quo. Please refer to the transcript of Minister Ong Ye Kung's  speech in Parliament. Without rehashing the contents in his speech, the two most relevant points are: PSLE will not be scrapped! He went on to provide several real life alternatives in other countries. Nevertheless, PSLE still "happens to be the most meritocratic, and probably the most fair of all imperfect systems."In a nutshell, our primary school students in SG still have to struggle with their preparations for PSLE in the foreseeable future. And that is what iMatter Learning Centre is about. We are here to help our students make their way through their PSLE journey as painless as possible. Class size will remain status quo for most schools. In his words, "Let…
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