7 Ways these Flashcards make learning PSLE Science fun & effective...& improved Ale's Science score!

Advertorial

Flash cards are one of the classic study tools, and that's because they promote learning through active recall which is one of the practices through which our brains learn most effectively.

When a child looks at the front side of a flashcard and think of the answer, the child is attempting to remember the concept from scratch rather than simply staring at the passage in the textbook. Active recall has been proven to create stronger neuron connections for that memory trace. And because flashcards can easily facilitate repetition, they are the best way to create multiple memory-enhancing recall events.

Which is why word flash cards are hugely popular with parents with toddlers, who are just learning to read. But what if I told you that flash cards also exist in the form of PSLE science concepts and they have been largely effective for my Primary 3-level daughter even though she has only been using them for less than a month???

Learnintt is a company founded in Singapore which develops teaching materials and interactive learning so that students can learn better, faster and easier. Their mission is simple - to promote a positive learning attitude and bring the “Learn through Play” concept to all students.

And that is what the PSLE Science Flash Cards is all about.

Made for Primary school students, the PSLE Science flashcards are based on the latest MOE syllabus and come in two sets: Lower Primary (P3 & P4) and Upper Primary (P5 & P6). Edited by ex-MOE Teachers to adhere to PSLE Marking System, the flashcards consist of all Science chapters from Primary 3 & 4 in the Lower Primary set and Primary 5 &6 in the Upper Primary Set. These include commonly-tested questions that are often found in tests and exams.

And after using the Lower Primary set to help Ale to revise for her P3 year-end Science exam, I have seen the tremendous benefits that come with it:

Easy Referencing System

Let's face it, kids nowadays are a tough bunch to impress... especially when it comes to studying. Throwing them textbook after textbook and assessment book after assessment book won't cut it with them. In fact, it may turn them off even more and de-motivate them from revising.

But that is not the case with the Science Flash Cards!

Inspired by the rainbow cake, the stack of flash cards come colour-coded, with the content page sequencing out the various science chapters in different colours for easy reference.

This makes it extremely convenient and easy for kids to just take out the particular chapter they want simply by looking for its colour code.

Eye-catching Design

Even though flash cards are effective, they also have a reputation as being one of the most boring ways to study. Not so with the Science Flash Cards.

Every single flash card is in full colour, with pictures and words with the intention to capture the kids' attention so that they will continue to be engaged even after going through many Science chapters.

Embrace Learning

More importantly for kids - and this is what parents will love - the cards are designed to allow them to embrace and enjoy revising for Science.

To prevent information overload, one card only has one question. The question is found on one side of the card, with the answer at the back.

Kids can first go through the flash cards on their own, reading the questions on the front and then looking at the answers at the back. This process is clear and user-friendly on the brain and for one, it is definitely far more interesting than just memorizing from a study guide!

This allows the breakdown of complex concepts into multiple simple questions - a divide and conquer strategy that will enhance the active recall ability in kids.

Know the Keywords to Answer

If you have a child taking the Science exam, you will know that the answering system is pretty rigid. If you miss out certain keywords in the answer, you will not be accorded the full marks or worse, fail to score any. Personally, I have my own robust view about that but that is a story for another day. For now though, the task at hand is to equip our kids with the right answering skills to tackle the Science exam and the flash cards are a huge lifesaver in that aspect.

Each card also comes with tips with essential keywords that the child must use in the answer. This is extremely important especially for Booklet B which the open-ended questions are found. And by revising these keywords, the child is also revising Science core concepts for Booklet A (MCQ) at the same time.

See the number at the top corner of the card? This shows the number of points the question carry. Not only does it tell the child how many points to include in the answer so as to score the full mark, it also helps to track of the progress, much like a report book.

Using Mnemonic Devices to Create Mental Connections

A mnemonic device is anything that helps you build an association between two pieces of information in your mind. Like the classic mnemonic, ROYGBIV – the 'Roger Of York Gained Battle In Vain' acronym that helps you remember the order of the colors in the rainbow. 

So the trick is the weirder and wackier your associations are, the more easily you’ll remember them. Because that is how our brain is adapted to remember things that are out of the ordinary.

And this is what set the Science Flash Card apart from other learning tools.

There is nothing quite like capturing the attention of a primary school child with names like Ed She-ran. 😂 Well, obviously the real name cannot be used for copyright reasons but you get the idea, no?

The entire stack of flash cards are filled with both FUN and LOCAL names (like Ms Kaya Toast, Milo Dinosaur and Laksa Aunty) to help the child in content retention because that is precisely what mnemonic devices do.

 And yes, there is even the popular DAB in one ofthe question.

The brain definitely remembers fun and interesting content for a longer time and I had a first-hand experience when I saw Ale going through the flash cards on her own... all because she wanted to suss out all the interesting names in the questions! 😆

Portable & Convenient

Forget about lugging the Science textbook and assessment books everywhere you go. The Science Flash Cards come in a handy A5-size which means they are be taken almost anywhere and everywhere!

For our recent trip to Tainan which came before Ale's Science paper, I brought the flash cards along with us and we even did a quick revision on the plane! 😁

Even Ayd couldn't resist joining in too! LOL.

Latest MOE Syllabus

Are the flash cards in tune with the MOE syllabus? I think this question should weigh heavily on parents' minds.

Yes, they are. In fact, the cards are edited by ex-MOE Teachers so as to adhere to PSLE Marking System. Besides the Lower Primary set, the Science Flash Cards also come in an Upper Primary Set for Primary 5 and 6 students.

And you know it is proven to be effective when 11 primary schools in Singapore have already ordered the Science Flashcards to be used in the classrooms!

SO... what is the cost?

Extremely affordable, in my opinion.

The Lower Primary set costs $31.50 while the Upper Primary set costs $36.50, which is probably the cost of 2 or 3 assessment books or study guides. Plus there is a FREEBIE too - all parents who purchase the Science Flashcards will also recieve a soft copy of a Science Spelling List, which will be extremely useful so that the child will not lose marks by mis-spelling words!

And from what I observed from Ale after using the flash cards for about one month, THERE IS A HIGE DIFFERENCE.

Ale was certainly more motivated to do her Science revision before her exam paper. Before I had the flash cards, getting her to memorize science concepts and keywords from the guidebook was a chore. Not to mention it was threatening my sanity.

With the flash cards, she volunteers (yes, VOLUNTEERS) to go through one chapter of flash cards daily so that the wifey or I can test her in the evening when we return from work.

Of course, the most tangible outcome of using the Science Flashcards for a month is her year-end Science paper result. And even though the wifey and I focus primarily on effort rather than grades, I am happy to report that she bettered her mid-year exam score by more than 6%! That's pretty impressive, considering she was struggling to remember core Science concepts before that. I guess Ed She-ran and Mr. Bojio had a hand in that then. 😂

And if that's not effective, I don't know what is.


To order the Science Flashcards, visit HERE.



GIVEAWAY CLOSED

The 5 lucky winners have been picked!

1. Jeslyn Lee
2. Shini Lin
3. Hanna Shiw-Seah
4. Jaz Jaz
5. Kelly See Toh 

You have each won a set of Primary Science Flashcards. Each set consists of the Lower and Upper Primary Science Flashcards.

Please email me at kelvin@cheekiemonkie.net for prize collection details! Thanks!


Thanks to Learnintt, I have 5 sets of Primary Science Flashcards to give away! Each set consists of the Lower and Upper Primary Science Flashcards. 

To participate, all you have to do is the following:

1. LIKE Learning in Transit's Facebook page HERE.
2. Tell me why you wish to win the flashcards. Leave your comment either in the corresponding Facebook post HERE or in this blog post.


BONUS CHANCE: INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING!

SHARE this blog post of the giveaway on Facebook for a BONUS chance! Remember to set your profile to public so that I can see the shared post.

Giveaway ends on 19 November 2019, 2359 hours.

GOOD LUCK! 😊