With so many books on the market, how do you choose?
Make sure you know your child's abilities before buying, say experts, and remember that quality matters rather than quantity .
By Yap Su Yin
NOT all assessment books are created equal, and as a parent you need to know not just how to sift the wheat from the chaff but also how to buy the right type for your child.
The key is to ask yourself why you are buying an assessment book in the first place, said 10 education specialists interviewed by The Straits Times.
Is it meant as a guide, as a way to revise, for practice in answering questions, or to assess the child's weak and strong areas?
The worst thing is for you to buy lots of assessment books and throw them at the child, says psychologist and counsellor Esther Tan, who has taught at the National Institute of Education for 30 years.
'All too often, parents mistake quantity for quality. They overbuy assessment books, hoping that more practice will solve their child's weakness in a certain subject. That is incorrect,' she says.
Dr Tan stresses that, well before spending their first dollar, parents should know the child's academic ability.
Science teacher Murali Krishnaswamy of Clementi Town Secondary agrees: 'If the child is in the Express stream, choose assessment books that not only give him practice but offer some challenging questions to stretch his ability.'
Normal stream children will gain from books with plenty of questions for practice so as to 'expose them more to the topic'.
'But the exercises mustn't be so difficult that they can't answer them,' he says.
Experts say a child who is struggling to answer the many questions in a book has clearly not fully understood the topic. They suggest parents do the following:
Have him revise the material from the textbook once more;
- Buy an assessment book which has summarised key information of the topic for easy understanding and recall; or
- Buy an assessment book with model solutions to show the child how to tackle a similar question in future.
- The many formats that assessment books come in can also be confusing. They can be organised
Once you know where your child's weaknesses lie, it will be easier to decide if you should pick books that are arranged by topic.
Naval Base Secondary English and history teacher Deric Low explains: 'A topical approach strengthens a student who is weak in a certain area.'
On the other hand, books set in the style of common tests gauge the child's ability to answer all questions within the time stated.
Books with sections arranged by question type - multiple choice versus structure questions, say
- will strengthen key skills needed during the exams.
Phrasing a succinct yet accurate answer to a structured question is different from the skill needed in the multiple choice section, notes Mr Low.
'But assessment books aren't meant to help the student catch up in class,' he cautions. 'The child still has to go through his school work, either on his own or with help, to strengthen his understanding of the topic.'
If in doubt about which books are suitable, Marymount Convent principal Angela Lim recommends that parents consult the child's teacher or tutor before making the purchase.
The experts also point out there is no such thing as a perfect assessment book. Mr Melvin Ng, a full-time mathematics tutor, explains: 'As the child is taught new topics over time, his knowledge and skill at responding to questions for each topic will vary.
'This means that the type of practice the child needs will keep changing.'
All the educators say that, before buying assessment books, parents should know the latest syllabus.
Says Clementi Town Secondary's Mr Krishnaswamy: 'Many aren't aware that the Education Ministry's website provides the subject syllabuses, as well as lists of approved textbooks and supplementary materials, for every level.'
The lists are a useful guide on which books the ministry has reviewed and found helpful, he says.
But don't rush to get all the titles featured on the website, says education psychologist Dr Tan.
Many books out there bear the ministry's stamp of approval, she says, but that doesn't mean you should buy three or four on the same subject, just in case one covers something the other doesn't.
The important thing is to be selective, she says. 'Pick one that best suits your child's needs. We want to help him improve, not kill his interest in the subject.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
The Straits Times: 26 July 2004
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