Perceptions of “school readiness”

Dr Chan Lin Ho was the first speaker to take to the stage. She is the Director of Regional Training and Resource Centre (RTRC) Asia and also the Executive Director of The Caterpillar’s Cove Child Development and Study Centre.

Speaking on “Effective School Transitions”, Dr Chan highlighted findings from an Australian study by Sue Dockett and Bob Perry that showed that there are differences in how parents, child and educators perceive “school readiness”. For instance, they found that most children were concerned with school rules, whereas parents and teachers were focused on social adjustment issues.

Dr Chan and Ms Preman answered questions from the audience during the Q&A session.

Dr Chan emphasised that “getting ready is a process and not a point in time” such as a one-day orientation. A process of transition can help children to be ready for school, and pre-schools and parents are instrumental in supporting children through this process.

What captivated the audience’s interest was the research Dr Chan conducted last year to look at how pre-schools can facilitate and support parents in helping their child develop numeracy skills, as well as the materials that would be useful to the parents in this process. Specifically, she looked at how well parent education workshops and school newsletters facilitated children’s math learning by improving parents’ self-efficacy and encouraging home involvement.

Dr Chan showed a video clip of a workshop where parents were given math kits and taught how to use them to teach their children math concepts. The workshop included a hands-on session where parents taught their children math concepts using the different materials provided in the kits. Equipped with new skills, the “correct math language” and better knowledge of the primary math curriculum, many of the parents reported greater confidence in teaching their children math.

The audience was so inspired by what they saw in the video that during the Q&A session, some of them even enquired about purchasing the math kit and attending the workshop. While both are not available to the public at present, the strong enthusiasm from the audience might just make that possible in future.

Preparing for school, the NTUC Childcare way

The second speaker at the seminar was Ms Preman Komala Devi, Principal Curriculum Specialist with NTUC Childcare. With 24 years of experience in pre-school education under her belt, she sprinkled her talk with many anecdotes that were both humorous and insightful - all to illustrate that “It’s A Big Step In Getting Children Ready For Success In School”.

Ms Preman echoed Dr Chan’s point that getting ready for school is a process and an interactive journey among all partners: school, child and family. She added that “it is important to look at the whole child”, as the social and emotional aspects are just as vital as health and cognitive factors.

Parent Mrs Charmaine Soh feels assured and encouraged after listening to the speakers.

Ms Preman demonstrated what some pre-schools do to help children get ready for primary school. At NTUC Childcare, for example, the children undergo a unit called “Getting Ready for School”. The highlight of the unit is a field trip to a primary school. The audience was shown a video clip of the trip, where the children toured a primary school and explored various places such the classrooms, library and canteen, where they also got a chance to buy food for themselves.

However, what was not shown was the process of gearing the children up for the one-day trip. For instance, children were taught how to count and use money. To meet the spatial challenge of navigating a primary school, which is one of the most stressful tasks for young children, mapping activities were incorporated into the unit to help children develop the necessary skills. Children also get to see what a school timetable looks like and even got a taste of homework!

The audience was pleased with the information and insights they gained at the seminar. “As concerned parents whose children are going to a primary school for the first time, there are many things we are not aware of, so the talks have been helpful,” said Mrs Charmaine Soh.

Her 5-year-old daughter was born in December, which will make her almost a year younger than her classmates when she enters Primary 1 next year. “I’m a bit worried because I’m not sure if she can catch up with others,” mentioned Mrs Soh. “But the speaker just now assured us that every child is unique and they have their different strengths.”

Look out for part 2 of Schoolbag’s round-up of the ““Transition to Pri 1” seminar later this week, to see what advice a parent and a primary school principal had to offer.