Examinations have long been an ever-present part of school life as the primary way to assess student aptitude and performance at regular intervals. Parents have also grown to rely upon the familiar tempo of regular examinations in a school year to track the academic progress of their children.
There was thus some concern when the Ministry of Education decided to do away with mid-year exams for all levels this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, with parents keen to get an idea of how their children were faring after a period of home-based learning.
Much to the chagrin of many children, national exams will be a perennial mainstay in the Singapore education system as they provide a basis for ensuring students are ready to move upward to higher levels of education (such as secondary school or tertiary education) and a parameter in ascertaining students get posted to classes or schools that are equipped to handle their learning paces.
Standardised exams however, need not be the only way for you to understand where your child stands leading up to their end-of-year examinations and beyond.
Pandemic or not, the MOE has also started to move slowly away from exams as the only mode of assessment. Students in Primary 1, Primary 2 and Secondary 1 already do not have mid-year exams, while mid-year exams will be scrapped from next year for those in Primary 3, Primary 5 and Secondary 3.
With that in mind, here are some tips to gauge how your child is doing with their school work without formal assessments.
Without the impetus of mid-year exams and the studying that is required for them, a good way to ascertain if your child has a good grasp of what he or she is being taught is to get to grips with their regular homework.
This will help you understand not only what your child is expected to learn, but also whether he or she is facing any difficulties in absorbing the material. Children may not be able to identify their blind spots on their own, and will benefit from the support of their parents.
Chances are that you are much more familiar with what your child has to do on a day-to-day basis after having gone through home-based learning, so it is just a matter of continuing to do what you have already been doing!
Speaking of home-based learning, why not take a step further and come up with your own ways of assessment?
This requires some extra effort on your part but can be as simple as sitting down with your child and getting them to explain the concepts that they have learnt.
If you require a form of evaluation, you could even try to adapt your child’s notes or worksheets, especially at lower levels where the content is simpler, and conduct your own ad-hoc “exam”.
This could even be conducted in an enjoyable manner, like in the form of a rapid-fire trivia quiz which can be incentivised through the enticement of different “prizes” according to the number of points your child rack up.
You may also wish to consider less traditional or direct methods of assessment.
Most of what your child is learning will have some application or relevance in the real world. Taking your child through some of these situations is not only a good way of gauging and enhancing their understanding, but it also helps them draw connections and understand the purpose in learning the topics in school.
For example, a football match might be an opportunity to talk about human biology and the laws of thermodynamics through the various muscles the players use and how energy is converted from one form to another.
It can also serve as an apt demonstration of the physical law of how force equals mass times acceleration when the players collide. Or provide an opportunity for an engaging ethical debate about the moral dilemmas of a player notorious for taking dives to feign injuries (in turn marring his reputation).
However, as parents ourselves, we understand that both working and stay-at-home mums and dads alike have their own separate set of responsibilities and duties, and you may neither have the time nor the expertise to monitor your child’s homework or conduct a self-assessment at home.
Think of it this way: if what you are interested in is getting an idea of your child’s academic progress, then talking to the people responsible for your child’s progress day in day out could tell you far more than a grade or a test score.
If you haven’t already during home-based learning, this could be a good time to politely check in with your child’s teachers or tutors to get a clearer idea of what your child needs to work on, or ask for recommendations of activities your child can do while at home.
Open and respectful communication between parents and teachers is always helpful, but becomes even more important in times like these when there are a lot of changes and uncertainty to deal with. By working together with your child’s teachers, you can help minimise the impact of any disruptions.
Our TLL teachers welcome constant interaction from students and parents alike. Once in a while, our dedicated teachers will set some time aside, outside of work, to check in with their students, update concerned parents with their children’s progress, and offer suggestions on how each student can elevate certain skills from home.
You may also wish to take a step back from concerns over the absence of exams, and consider the role of exams in the larger scheme of your child’s education.
Exams are excellent at assessing how much knowledge your child has for a particular subject, but knowledge is not the only thing your child will need as he or she progresses up the education system and then into the working world.
As former Education Minister Ong Ye Kung — who moved to the Transport Ministry in July — said in 2018, Singaporeans will need both knowledge and skills to thrive, as the lines between cognition and skills have been blurred.
Rather than concentrate exclusively on formal assessments like exams, start thinking as well about the skills and values you want to equip your child with for their adult life.
These skills and values, such as critical thinking, speaking well and a spirit of inquiry, are also taught in schools today, and here at TLL. In the absence of exams, this could be a great time to check in on your child’s progress towards these skills!
In their earnest and ardent desire to see their children flourish and succeed, some parents tend to forget that the main tenet of education isn’t about scoring the highest marks possible on a report card.
The root of education lies in empowering students of all ages to find their purpose, creatively express themselves, learn problem-solving skills, question the world and reflect on hard truths.
While exams will likely always remain an important facet in education, Singapore’s education system is slowly easing its emphasis on exams as the predominant mode of assessment, and gradually eradicating problematic assumptions that a good test score indicates that a student is set to succeed in life.
Here at The Learning Lab, we recognise the growing importance of nurturing learners with well-rounded skill-sets who can adapt to new challenges and thrive.
Through a skills-based and experiential learning approach where independent thinking is fostered within our classrooms, we aim to shape intellectual and inquisitive minds who are confident, civic-minded and capable of thinking outside the box.
Click here to find out more about our programmes.
The Learning Lab is now at locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our range of programmes or class schedules, you may contact us at 6733 8711 or drop us an email at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg.
The Learning Lab is now at locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our programmes, please email us at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist you.