Help your child score A* for PSLE!

Click on image for larger view

The Straits Times: Heuristics: A Thinking Tool for Your Child's PSLE Success

Click on image for larger view

Question posted by Parent

Click on each image for larger view

Parents Workshop March 2012

Click on the picture for bigger image view

Question from Parent

From: Mr Peter Cheng

Hi Sunny, tried applying UTM but can't solve this. Can you advise, tks

J and P had a sum of money. J gave P 0.4 of her money. P then gave J 1/2 of her money. In the end, J had three times the amt of money that P had. If J gave P $125 more than what P gave J , how much money did J have at first?

Ans: $1250.

Thank you

From desk of Sunny Tan……..

Heuristics: Effective Approach to A* in PSLE Maths & Science

Primary 4 – Unit Transfer Method Publication, Chaper 2/ Q8 - From Madam Ser, Parent

From: Madam Ser, Parent

Dear Sir

We refer to the UNIT TRANSFER METHOD Primary 4 book, Chap 2, Q8

Mrs Gan is changing the water in her fish tank.

If she uses a 4-litre pail to fill the tank, 4 litres of water will overflow.

If she uses a 2-litre pail to fill the tank, she will need another 3 more pails of water.

How many litres of water are needed to fill the fish tank.

The answer provided by the book indicates that the fish tank’s capacity is “16 litres”

However, when we work backwards :

Case 1:            If fish tank’s capacity is 16 litres, that means that Mrs Gan used 4 pails of 4 litres each to fill the tank. The amount of water available to Mrs Gan was 20 litres, so, 4 litres would overflow.

Case 2:            If fish tank’s capacity is 16 litres, that means that Mrs Gan used 8 pails of 2 litres each to fill the tank. If the amount of water available to Mrs Gan was 20 litres, so, there would still be an excess of 4 litres

Please clarify.

From desk of Sunny Tan……..

Case 1:            If fish tank’s capacity is 16 litres, that means that Mrs Gan used 4 pails of

4 litres each to fill the tank. The amount of water available to Mrs Gan was 20 litres, so, 4 litres would overflow.

Comment:       Therefore the number of pails used is 5 pails.

Case 2:            If fish tank’s capacity is 16 litres, that means that Mrs Gan used 8 pails of 2 litres each to fill the tank. If the amount of water available to Mrs Gan was 20 litres, so, there would still be an excess of 4 litres

Comment 1:   If she use 8 pails of 2-litre each, she will fill up the tank completely, she

will not need another 3 pails, this assumption is invalid as it contradicts the question.

Comment 2:   If the amount of water available to Mrs Gan was 20 litres, so, there

would still be an excess of 4 litres

This assumption is invalid. Case 1 and Case 2 scenarios are if..and if…, the two events never took place. Therefore we cannot assume that 20 litres of water, that is available in Case 1 is equal to that in Case 2.

                       

 Comment 3:  Number of pails = 5 pails.

                        Total volume = 5x2 =10 litres

                        The capacity is 16 litres

                        Therefore she need extra 6 litres, which is 3 additional pails.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Madam Ser, Parent

Dear Sir

Thank you for your explanation.

The model that we created as below:

 U : No. of 4-litre pails

P : No. of 2-litre pails

Capacity of tank = 4U

4 litres that overflowed = 1 pail = 1U

Therefore, 4U = 16 litres

Check :

2P + 6 litres = 4U = 16 litres

Therefore, P = 5 pails of 2-litre each, resulting in shortage of 6 litres (3 pails of 2-litre each)

Please advise if the above interpretation is correct. Else, please help provide working.

Thank you.

From desk of Sunny Tan……..

I noticed from your model, the U and P is the same.

In fact, this fact can be established in the beginning, that is the number of pails used in both scenarios Case 1 and Case 2 are the same.

Thus, it is unnecessary to introduce P, too many unknown variables may confuse the child.

Let define: 1u = represents the number of pails

2 u = 10

1u = 5 (5 pails)

Either use

case 1: 4u – 4 = 4x5 – 4 =16

case 2: 2u + 6 = 2x5 + 6 =16

Hope this helps.

 

Question from Raymond

Hi Mr Tan

Please help me with the following problem using UTM and model.


45 pupils in a class. 1/4 of boys and 2/3 of girls wear spectacles. 25 pupils wear spectacles. How many girls wear spectacles/ (answer 22)


Thanks
Raymond

From the Desk of Sunny Tan........

PSLE 2011 Question

Click on each image for bigger view

Parents’ Seminar: Cracking the code to PSLE Maths and Science

Many primary school students struggle with Maths and Science despite attending tuition classes and spending many hours practicing tons of worksheets. Help your child to achieve breakthroughs in PSLE Maths and Science with the Heuristics approach.

In this Parents’ workshop organized by Home Team NS, the author of Mastering Heuristics Series, Mr Sunny Tan and Mr Cedric Chai will share with parents:

▪ the missing link that keeps your child underperforming.
• the latest trend in PSLE Maths and Science questions
• how Unit Transfer Method (UTM) took a CHIJ girl from 52% to 99% within 20 weeks
• how to apply heuristics approach in recent PSLE maths and top school maths exam questions
• common misconceptions on preparing for PSLE exams
• how thinking frameworks help with exam performance

For Parents
Date: 22 Oct 2011(Sat)
Time: 10am-1pm
Venue: HomeTeamNS@Bukit Batok Cell Room (Level 2)
Fees: Member ($3) / Guest ($5)
For registration, please contact Jianhong at 6665-4608 or e-mail jianhong@hometeamns.sg

Singapore's Child: Tips to getting the 'hard' Math / May 2011

 

Sg Child

Today's Parent: Training Your Child's Mind / Apr-May 2011

 

Today's Parent

Home Team NS: Excel Method / March-April 2011

 

Home Team

Singapore's Child: See it clearly, Solve it fast! / March 2011

 

March Singapore's Child

Singapore's Child: Gear up for PSLE/Feb 2011

 

Feb 2011 Singapore's Child

mathsHeuristics Centre Holiday Break

The centre will be closed from 13th Dec 2010 to 3rd Jan 2011 for our annual short break. Do email us at enquiry@mathsheuristics.com and we will get back to you a.s.a.p. Thank you for the wonderful 2010 and have a great holiday!

ST Forum: Why all that drilling may not count for much

Why all that drilling may not count for much

I REFER to the letter by Mr Wong Tuck Yin on Tuesday ("Express stream entry rate"). He said that despite the extensive exam preparations, the 63.5 per cent rate for Express stream entry was low and therefore it must be because the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) was too difficult.
He failed to consider the possibility that the preparation method was flawed. Intensive worksheet practice only helps students to be exposed to different types of exam questions, but it does not teach them how to tackle a question that they have never encountered before.
Based on our study of exam performance of Primary 6 pupils for science and maths, study skills, conceptual understanding and question practice are heavily emphasised in the preparation for exams. Yet one very essential skill set is usually left out - a thinking framework for answering exam questions. Pupils need a thinking framework to approach questions in a systematic manner that will lead them to the right answer expressed correctly on paper. Without such a framework, practice does not necessarily make perfect.
When pupils are explicitly taught a thinking framework to tackle maths and science questions, they experience a marked improvement in their ability to answer different types of questions without the need for drilling. It's no surprise that their grades also improve dramatically.
It is time for parents to stop and think of a different way to prepare their children for PSLE.
Sunny Tan
Principle Trainer, Author
Maths Heuristics Pte Ltd

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_610167.html 

Sunny Tan's Interview by 93.8 LIVE!

The better way to study for exams

Exams are important, but according to expert educator, Sunny Tan, parents have it wrong when it comes to helping their children prepare.

There's just too much worksheet drilling, especially in tuition centres when it comes to exams such as PSLE.

He has devised a novel approach known as the Unit Transfer Method that simplifies the learning of math.

Learn more here

Listen to [ 1 ] | [ 2 ]

The Straits Times - Heuristics: The ladder to A*/A in PSLE Maths and Science

Heuristics

Parents Preview @ SMU

Click on the image for a larger version