Debz101 Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 We arrived in August, so that my boys could finish their year out in the UK......... I was so expecting my 5 and 1/2yr old (June Birthday) to be ahead of his year group here as they are 3 months behind in the year, but it was not the case, in fact we have had to do some catching up in the Literacy department. I've found the methods of teaching here are very different, not in a bad way, just different. And you can definitely see the emotional difference in the kids who are already 6 and 1/2 compared to my little boy, so would not be happy if he had been exceptionally gifted and moved into a YR1 class with 6/7 yr olds. My 9 yr old had finished yr4 when we came over, ready for yr5. He was put into a yr 3/4 class, I was a little worried he would be bored or the work too easy, but that is not the case, the work he is given is appropriate for him and his skill level.. Talking to him it seems the work given to students in his class can be very different from kid to kid. And he appears to assessed on a more regular basis to appropriate the level of work given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf1977 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I move to Brisbane in Feb with 9 year old twins who are in year 5 here and a 5 year old who is in year 1 here and I found this post while searching for more information after discovering my 5 year old will be in the prep year in Australia having already been at school for a year and a half by the time we get there. I was a little concerned but have come to the conclusion that either way he will progress at roughly the same pace as the other children so by the time he is 16 they will all be at the same level and as I hope he will want to stay in Australia it won't matter in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I move to Brisbane in Feb with 9 year old twins who are in year 5 here and a 5 year old who is in year 1 here and I found this post while searching for more information after discovering my 5 year old will be in the prep year in Australia having already been at school for a year and a half by the time we get there.I was a little concerned but have come to the conclusion that either way he will progress at roughly the same pace as the other children so by the time he is 16 they will all be at the same level and as I hope he will want to stay in Australia it won't matter in the end. You are correct. My daughter is 6 and she is retaking prep this year as she was far too young last year at 5yr and 1 month to start school. We were advised to keep her in Kinder for another year, but at $133 a day, with no tax relief (on 457 at time) we weren't prepared to fork out $24K when there was a free alternative. Turned out to be a big mistake. That made us think how wrong things are back in the UK. Kids are not ready for school at the age of 5. In Finland (my wife is Finnish), children start at 7, yet they are streets ahead of the rest of the world in all academic measures. They also get really long holidays there and have very short days. They also don't have homework (which I totally agree with). The idea being that you start when you are capable of quickly learning things like reading and writing, then you focus on quality not quantity. Your twins will not be held back at all by having a prep year. All it means it by the time they get to grade 1, their learning will accelerate very quickly. It will turn out to be miles better for them than they would have been in the UK - i.e. pushed too hard, too young, with too many tests, too much homework, too much emphasis on school league tables and so on. To go back to our story, my daughter has now come on leaps and bounds in her second prep year. She's reading, writing and much more balanced than a year ago. Basically, a normal happy six year old and at the same level as everyone else her age. Best decision we made in her education was to keep her back for the extra year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf1977 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thank you for the reply it is very reassuring to hear. The twins are in year 5 here, their birthday is in April so I think they will just continue in year 5. Rocco is my 5 year old and his birthdate is 5th July 2009. He started school when he was 4 and was one of the youngest in his class. Reception (prep) was focused a lot on play but now he is in year 1 he is already complaining that he no longer likes school as it is too much work and he gets tired. I feel the system has lost touch a bit here anyway, like you say too much emphasis on league tables and tests. All three get regular homework and there is always at least one spelling error or typing mistake on the sheet the school provide so if the teachers can't get it right how on earth do they expect the children to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf1977 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I wish my kids school focused on quality over quantity too. I already have my kids sitting out of religious studies and reading instead and would prefer to do the same for history too. I don't think children should be introduced to religion at all. As for history unless someone has a particular interest and wants to study history at higher education we should not waste time teaching it. Just incorporate the lessons we have learnt from major historical events into other subjects and focus on subjects that would benefit more pupils in everyday life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I wish my kids school focused on quality over quantity too.I already have my kids sitting out of religious studies and reading instead and would prefer to do the same for history too. I don't think children should be introduced to religion at all. As for history unless someone has a particular interest and wants to study history at higher education we should not waste time teaching it. Just incorporate the lessons we have learnt from major historical events into other subjects and focus on subjects that would benefit more pupils in everyday life. Totally agree about RE at an early age. Basically a form of brainwashing as a child isn't mature enough to for his or her own opinion. I think children need to learn about all religions later in their education, but from a social and anthropological perspective. History is important though. I take your point that it has no practical application, but it's important for kids to learn about events that shaped modern society. A good example would be learning about the causes of World War 1, how this affected Australia and why. Also important to understand how Australia was colonised and what things were like before the arrival of European settlers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmf1977 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 History is important though. I take your point that it has no practical application, but it's important for kids to learn about events that shaped modern society. A good example would be learning about the causes of World War 1, how this affected Australia and why. Also important to understand how Australia was colonised and what things were like before the arrival of European settlers. That's what I meant by what we have learnt from major historical events but I don't think children need to learn about the battle of Hastings in 1066 or every major battle in the world wars or details about what life was like during the reign of Queen Victoria or the Egyptians (especially as much of what we think we know about the pyramids is still being debated). Do they teach languages in Australian schools and if so, what languages and from what age? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 That's what I meant by what we have learnt from major historical events but I don't think children need to learn about the battle of Hastings in 1066 or every major battle in the world wars or details about what life was like during the reign of Queen Victoria or the Egyptians (especially as much of what we think we know about the pyramids is still being debated). Do they teach languages in Australian schools and if so, what languages and from what age? Thanks Some state schools teach a second language and normally from the upper grades like Gr 5 or 6 though there is a push to see a second language introduced to all state schools. Many Private schools and even some private Kindy teach a second language from prep (our grandchild learnt Japanese in Kindy and this was a big help as her schools does japanese from prep). What language varies, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Italian , or German seem to be popular. Plenty of state high schools offer a second language. Some schools both state and private who offer a second language do trips oversees to those countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozen Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 As for history unless someone has a particular interest and wants to study history at higher education we should not waste time teaching it. Just incorporate the lessons we have learnt from major historical events into other subjects and focus on subjects that would benefit more pupils in everyday life. And people wonder why humanity grow more stupid by the minute... Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 "Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 History never repeats, I tell myself before I go to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 A 24 year old member of my OH's family back in the UK recently asked " What exactly did the Jews do? I know they fought the Hitlers but what else? " :swoon::swoon: So you could argue it's already not being taught in the UK anyway. She left school with fairly good qualifications too. It's dangerous to forget the atrocities that have gone before and continue to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiKaye Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 (edited) That's what I meant by what we have learnt from major historical events but I don't think children need to learn about the battle of Hastings in 1066 or every major battle in the world wars or details about what life was like during the reign of Queen Victoria or the Egyptians (especially as much of what we think we know about the pyramids is still being debated). Do they teach languages in Australian schools and if so, what languages and from what age? Thanks The local state primary that our children attends teaches a second language, Japanese, from Prep. Edited November 2, 2014 by KiwiKaye Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 The local state primary that our children attends teaches a second language, Japanese, from Prep. Same here. In true Australian fashion they can't call it something simple like "foreign languages" so they call it "LOTE" (Language Other Than English). My daughter does Japanese in prep. Great for kids to start learning languages as early as possible, although unfortunately it's always harder and little less critical if your mother tongue is English and everyone wants to practice their English on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 I don't think children need to learn about the battle of Hastings in 1066 or every major battle in the world wars or details about what life was like during the reign of Queen Victoria or the Egyptians (especially as much of what we think we know about the pyramids is still being debated). They're the bit I enjoyed most at primary school. We had a class project on 1066 in my third year in Junior school (so age 10) and I still remember everything 30 odd years later. In fact it gave me a life long love of history. Having a good teacher is the key to loving something. I love history because my favourite teacher did. Sometime it's good just to learn for the joy of learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Just curious, what state are you in Petkula and Kiwi Kaye ? That is brilliant your children are being taught a second language at such a young ag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Just curious, what state are you in Petkula and Kiwi Kaye ? That is brilliant your children are being taught a second language at such a young ag. We're in Victoria (Brighton). Local state primary school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 We're in Victoria (Brighton). Local state primary school. You are very fortunate Brighton is a great suburb with really good schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petkula73 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 You are very fortunate Brighton is a great suburb with really good schools. Yes, it's a wonderful place. Really love living here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiKaye Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Just curious, what state are you in Petkula and Kiwi Kaye ? That is brilliant your children are being taught a second language at such a young ag. We're also in Victoria. Mount Waverley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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