-NiE ,
ADVANCED
A successful teenager
3 MAY 2017
11
Pressure to perform
IT has been said that academic success is important for someone to further achieve success in his personal and professional lives. Do you agree with this statement? What if someone is not academically inclined? Does that mean that he is doomed for failure? As a class, discuss the questions raised here.
Activity Critical thinking ● Identify
● Measure
Problem solving ● Question
● Present
Creative thinking ● Imagine
● Connect
Communicating ● Oral ● Written
● Aural
Positive pressure
There are two kinds of pressure: one that is positive and drives you towards your goals; the other one is negative and has a bad impact on your life. Reflect on those times pressure has worked for and against you. Then, complete the table below. Share your personal experiences in class.
Negative pressure
The source of the pressure How you felt Actions taken as a result of the pressure Achievement/Loss Conclusion
NiE Activity Critical thinking
Creative thinking
● Identify ● Reason ● Measure ● Organise
● Imagine ● Connect
Communicating ● Oral ● Written ● Aural
Read the following passage, which has been adapted from an article published in StarEducate on Sept 4, 2016.
Do you agree with the writer’s view that school-based assessment should be incorporated with centralised assessment to bring out the true potential of a child? In 350 words, write a letter to Samuel Yesuiah, stating your stand on the issue. Provide at least three points to support your stand. Do this activity in your exercise book. Note to teacher: get three students to read out their letters in class and ask other students to comment on the points provided.
Too much stress for 12-year-olds OVER 450,000 Year Six children are sitting for the UPSR examination, which ends on Thursday. The 12-year-olds will be getting the first taste of a public examination. The respective schools would have prepared the children for the examinations from last year. This is the first year that the 12-year-olds will be sitting for six papers in national schools and eight papers in national type schools for the UPSR. The word “examination” conjures fear, anxiety and pressure. Examinations rob the joy of being at school and learning. They are even more stressful when it is a 100% centralised assessment. The UPSR is the first public examination experience for Year Six primary schoolchildren, which I think is grossly unfair to them. I am of the view that there should be school-based assessments to evaluate the pupils. The examination is primarily used to gauge how the 12-year-olds have progressed from Year One to Year Six. In short, it is to measure their performance and competency in the primary school years. The main objective of a primary school education is to master the 3Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic. Year Six children who sit for the UPSR are 12-year-olds who will still get to Form One irrespective of their grades. So, why the need to grade them? Some children who get top scores in the UPSR examination can apply for residential and premier secondary schools. Most
Why my teacher deserves a break in Resorts World Genting Attention all students! Now is the time to show your appreciation for your teachers. All you have to do is tell us why your teacher deserves a two-day, one-night holiday in Resorts World Genting. The length of the essay is 150 words for primary school pupils and 300 words for secondary school students. Twenty teachers from the entries will be picked
to enjoy the holiday treat. Not just that, the top 10 students get a two-day, one-night holiday in Resorts World Genting, too, in conjunction with its celebration of International Children’s Day. Title your entry “Teacher’s Day Contest” and e-mail it to starnie@thestar.com.my by May 22! Remember to provide your full name, age, school name and contact number.
children are placed in national secondary schools. And again, why the emphasis and pressure for a 100% centralised assessment? A centralised examination places unnecessary pressure on children that may even drive them to contemplate suicide. Though the figures on children who commit suicide because of poor examination results in the country are not high, it is still a cause for concern. Hopefully, the Education Ministry will change the UPSR examination structure and instead implement the 40% school-based and 60% centralised assessment. Many experts have said that centralised examinations “put pressure on children”. They have also said that formal assessment of a child’s abilities and achievements at a young age may have a negative effect. The centralised examination has placed unnecessary tension on children. What we need is documentation of student work and their performance in class. Their learning tasks should then be evaluated by teachers. In fact, there are nations who do well using these techniques instead of large-scale standardised examinations. I believe that school-based assessment must be incorporated with the centralised assessment to bring out the true potential of a child. SAMUEL YESUIAH Seremban, Negri Sembilan