SEC 1 MATHEMATICS JUMP START PROGRAMME
As parents, we heave a sigh of relief after our children clear PSLE and get posted to Secondary school.
However, this relief can be short-lived as it gives way to anxiety for students who find Secondary 1 work different, difficult and disconcerting.
Common questions our Sec 1 students and their parents grapple with
How is the Mathematics exam format different in Sec 1?
If I did well in PSLE Mathematics, will I be able to do the same for Sec 1?
Or worse, if I did poorly in PSLE Mathematics, will I struggle even more in Sec 1?
Should I wait till Sec 2 or 3 to start Mathematics tuition?
The truth is
Whether your child has done well for PSLE or not, getting the hang of Secondary O Level Mathematics is going to be challenging. The methods that Primary students are so well-trained in, like Model Drawing, Guess-and-Check, Assumption…etc, are no longer accepted in Secondary Mathematics.
Some parents feel that Sec 1 is a suitable time to give students a year to relax.
However, these parents soon regret their decision. Unfortunately, we discovered that Sec 1 is not time to relax yet. Students who manage Sec 1 and 2 Mathematics well will be more successful in handling the rigour of Sec 3 and Sec 4 workload, which will involve more complex topics in other subjects. We believe that it is critical to make the transition to O Levels steady and stress-free, and our methods definitely help.
With years of experience in bridging the P6-to-S1 gap
Cognitus Academy has designed an intensive and effective course to help your child jump start Sec 1 Mathematics.
Here is a breakdown of what will be covered:
✅ Lesson 1: Introduce Number System
✅ Lesson 2: Prime Factorisation, with square root and cube root; find min possible value n to make number perfect sq/cube
✅ Lesson 3: HCF LCM, work forward and backward
✅ Lesson 4: HCF LCM and real life application word problems
✅ Lesson 5: Negative numbers and 4 operations
✅ Lesson 6: Negative numbers, 4 operations with fractions/decimals
✅ Lesson 7: Approximation and rounding with significant figures
✅ Lesson 8: Approximation and Estimation with real life word problems, work forward and backward
✅ Lesson 9: Final quiz
Our Strategy
Our curriculum methodology provides 5 key elements to help students learn effectively during our Mathematics lessons.
This framework evaluates students’ current ability, helps to clear doubts, and expose students to exam-based questions.
Deepened Curriculum, Heightened Learning
Apart from what is learnt from the school syllabus, students will develop a deeper insight into the curriculum. Understanding the core concepts deeply will also enhance students’ ability to apply heuristics to handle higher-order thinking questions.
Eliminated Errors and Misconceptions
Drills and practices develop fluency and heighten students’ awareness of their carelessness when solving Mathematics questions. Training students to understand their own tendencies greatly improves the accuracy of their calculations.
Practical and Authentic (Real World) Mathematics Teasers
Learning out of real-world context requires abstract thinking. This requirement stumps some students who need to see concrete examples. Students will learn to link Mathematics to authentic real-world problems, enhancing their number sense and conceptual development.
Think Critically and Mathematically
Thinking critically requires habits of mind and problem-solving skills. Merging critical and mathematical thinking makes the learning of Mathematics exciting and engaging. Learning Mathematics in this way unlocks the fun and challenging aspects of the subject.
Honed Precision
With carefully selected tasks for each lesson, students will learn how to be quick and accurate in their computations. Beyond procedural accuracy, students will also develop structural thinking that provides repeatable steps for analysing non-routine questions.
Our Teaching Team
Cognitus Academy takes pride in helping our students achieve breakthroughs in their results.
We are able to do that because of the strong team that we have built to teach, organise and administer our robust English programmes.
Having been a teacher trainer at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Dr Daniel Chua has not only crafted a solid curriculum for our students, but also an effective training programme for our teachers.
At Cognitus Academy, teachers form the foundation of our English programmes. Prospective teachers are screened meticulously and undergo a rigorous 3-month training programme to develop core competencies of a teacher. Teaching interns also develop academic and philosophical roots in their pedagogy by studying the relevant materials in-depth and observing senior teachers in action before they enter the classrooms to teach.
After the completion of formal training, new teachers will continue to go through robust training and meet regularly to sharpen their problem-solving skills, explore innovative and effective curriculum for students, and refine teaching methods to enhance the students' mastery of the subject.
Our curriculum and pedagogy are continuously refined and updated in accordance with the changes in the education system by our curriculum team comprising of ex-MOE teachers, Heads of Department, Senior Teachers, PSLE markers and experienced Cognitus teachers. All the teachers hired by Cognitus Academy must minimally obtain a Bachelor's Degree in English Language, English Literature or other related subjects.
Lesson Schedule
| Run | Date & Time |
|---|---|
|
1 |
9 Weeks From 10 Oct - 11 Dec 2022 📍 Venue: Goldhill Plaza #02-39 ➡️ Wed, 4:45pm – 6:45pm ➡️ Fri, 4:45pm – 6:45pm |
We would like to share some comments from our students who have successfully promoted from P6 to Sec 1 in the past
Hear what some our students have to say about our programme!
Techniques for Solving Difficult Questions
“Very nice as a parent that my boys are learning techniques from your class which are very helpful while doing Math papers.”
Parent of Kunal and Kushal, Primary 6 going Secondary 1
Practice Makes Perfect
“I know how to deal with questions because I have practised them in the programme.”
Quentin Heng, Primary 6 going Secondary 1
New Found Enjoyment and Passion in Math
“Despite the short time under you, he has developed interest and new found confidence in Math.”
Aidan, Primary 6 going Secondary 1
C to A for PSLE Maths in 6 months
“She may have joined your class rather late but I see she has benefitted greatly from it.”
Gabrielle, Primary 6 going Secondary 1
Prepared for Secondary 1
“This programme has prepared me to face the challenges of Secondary 1 so that I will not be so unfamiliar with my work when I go to my new secondary school.”
Student of Cognitus, Primary 6 going Secondary 1
Clear and Sufficient
“Useful notes, good practices and the skills are very easy to learn. The teacher’s explanation is super clear and he gave sufficient homework.”
Ethan Woon Primary 6 going Secondary 1
Still can’t decide?
We understand that choosing the right English programme is an important decision because we have worked with hundreds of parents who are just as concerned as you about their child's English results. If you would like to discuss your needs with one of our English specialists, fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you.