4 Tips to Cope with Math after MYE Removal in School

Written by
Timothy Gan

With Mid-Year Examinations (MYE) being part of Singapore’s educational curriculum for so many years, many parents might find the removal of MYE in schools uncomfortable and stressful. Parents might be uncertain about how their children can cope with subjects like Mathematics where consistent practice and assessment is required. We would like to assure parents that it is possible for your child to continue building mastery of Mathematics even without a major summative assessment like MYE. Without much further ado, here are 4 tips we would like to recommend for your child to cope with Math after the nationwide removal of MYE in schools!

1. Have a Structured Curriculum Schedule

As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. While this might sound cliche, there is much truth in the statement. To do well in anything, consistent effort is required – and this is where having a routine comes in handy!

In order to ensure that such efforts are sustainable in the long run, keep a schedule of what you are going to learn, and make sure that you revise what your teachers have gone through in class. Doing so will not only allow you to keep track of your learning, but also help to identify the topics you are weak in. 

Here, at Tim Gan Math Learning Centre, all our students are equipped with our structured lesson notes and our Student Learning Portal, which gives them access to past lesson recordings and video explanations to extra practices. This allows them to learn Mathematics at their own pace and review past material whenever necessary!

Plan a structured curriculum schedule to cope with MYE removal in school | Tim Gan Math Learning Centre

2. Learn the Right Math Concepts Before Practising

‘Practice makes perfect’ – While many people generally heed this good advice when practising Mathematics, some tend to overlook the significance of understanding the concepts right before doing so. Practising with the wrong foundation could lead to detrimental consequences in the future when topics start to become increasingly intertwined and the amount of content builds up. Some concepts, if learnt wrongly, would take months or even years to unlearn. As such, it is critical for educators to teach and emphasise the right concepts first, before allowing the students to practise, ensuring that they build a strong foundation.

At Tim Gan Math Learning Centre, our educators use a wide range of resources to ensure that our students understand Mathematical concepts right from the start. We adopt three-dimensional models and visualisation tools to make concepts clear for students to understand. Find out more about our tuition classes and experience learning with us today!

MYE 4 Tips to Cope with Math after MYE Removal in School

3. Have a Feedback Loop

Having a feedback loop set in place can help students check if concepts are learnt correctly. One way of assessing a student’s understanding is via timely assessments.

In the education sector, there are 2 main types of assessments: formative and summative assessments.  

To put it simply, formative assessments are day-to-day teaching and questioning techniques used by teachers to ensure that students are understanding the concepts taught during class. This can take the form of conducting frequent conceptual checkpoints, presentation of solutions on board, and asking appropriate questions during teaching. 

On the other hand, summative assessments are tests and quizzes conducted at a regular schedule, like the end of each chapter or term, to evaluate a student’s learning. Examples of summative assessments include term tests and graded assignments. 

Formative AssessmentSummative Assessment
Day-to-day teaching and questioning techniques used by teachers to ensure that students are understanding the concepts taught during class

Example: 
1. frequent conceptual checkpoints with feedback provided
2. presentation of solutions in class
3. asking appropriate questions during teaching
Tests and quizzes conducted at a regular schedule, like the end of each chapter or term, to evaluate a student’s learning

Example:
1. term tests
2. graded assignments

If you’re keen on joining a Math tuition centre to supplement your school’s teachings, it is critical that you choose one that has a structured learning curriculum and regular assessments in place to help you succeed. At Tim Gan Math Learning Centre, our educators ensure that regular tests are administered to ensure that our students receive necessary feedback and are aware of their progress.

4. Develop Intrinsic Motivation

Beyond having a structured curriculum being put in place, developing intrinsic motivation in the learner is also a crucial factor in doing well in Mathematics. To truly do well in anything, you have to want to put in the necessary work. As much as the school and teachers can provide you with support, relying solely on such external motivation is not sustainable in the long run. 

One of the most effective ways to do so, which has garnered much attention lately, is the adoption of a growth mindset. This can be encouraged by having educators and parents rethink how they reward and praise their students or children. A good start would be to praise their efforts and progress made, instead of their achievements only. Other ways to develop a growth mindset includes not using punishment as a motivator, giving accurate feedback etc.

At the end of the day, as educators and parents, there is a need to make a conscious effort to develop intrinsic motivation in our children, in order to make their learning process an enriching and fulfilling one. 

Conclusion

With that being said, as long as there is a structured curriculum set in place and that students are conscientiously revisiting learnt topics frequently, parents should not need to be overly anxious of the removal of Mid-Year Examinations in schools. 

If your child is in need of a guide to structure their learning of Mathematics, check out our Online Maths Course for O Level Elementary and Additional Mathematics! Also included in this online maths course is an online forum for students to ask questions whenever in doubt, and to receive feedback on their work. Other than that, we also provide on-site tuition classes for O Level E and A Maths, where our educators are dedicated to helping your child excel in Mathematics.

Beyond the school and tuition classes, parental figures can also play a part in their child’s learning by regularly encouraging their children, in order to develop their intrinsic motivation towards learning Mathematics. 

Published: 17th January 2024
Continue reading
Cadence

6 Best Study Apps for Students

In today’s digital age, students are often bombarded with a sea of apps that promise to help with school, but out of all these, there are some really great apps

Read More »
Timothy Gan

5 Types of Tuition Services in Singapore | The ins and outs of Singapore Tuition Industry

Singapore isn’t just known for its impressive skyline and delicious food; it’s also famous for having one of the strongest education systems in the world. But did you know that

Read More »