“Too often, I was caught not paying attention in class, scribbling notes to fellow students, or mimicking some teacher’s strange mannerisms.” The Singapore Story by MM Lee

“My seat in class was in the first row. The GP teacher could see me doing non-GP work under her nose. I am grateful she pretended not to notice my disobedience.” - 'A' for Uncle Earnest by Dr. Lee Wei Ling, The Straits Times June 13, 2010

Integrated Programme (I.P. / Through-Train)

Fortunately today, with the implementation of the I.P. and skipping of the G.C.E. 'O' levels, talented students no longer have to feel bored.

Many I.P. students interested in learning beyond their syllabus and having a head start over their peers have enrolled for accelerated physics tuition classes conducted by Mr. Phang.

Initially, Mr. Phang was concerned whether these younger students could cope with advanced level knowledge. However, such concerns proved unfounded as these child prodigies regularly finished solving physics problems ahead of the class.

Age, or rather the lack of it, does not seem to be an impediment in the understanding of physics.

Child Progidies

While most I.P. Sec 3 and 4 students still attend Mr. Phang's Sec 3 and 4 physics tuition classes respectively, more are now attending JC1 and 2 tuition classes.

There are also Sec 1 and 2 students in Mr. Phang's Sec 3 and 4 tuition classes.

As an educator, Mr. Phang feels that it is important a student be allowed to learn at a level he/she is comfortable with.

It will be inhumane to force an average Sec 4 student to study 'A' level physics; but it will be equally inhumane to force a prodigious Sec 4 student, who could already handle quantum mechanics, to study ad nauseum 'F = ma', 'F = ma', 'F = ma' ...

What types of students are able to handle 'accelerated' higher level physics classes? After doing a survey amongst his students of their PSLE scores , Mr. Phang observed that these students fall into two categories:

1. All students with PSLE score above 270.

2. Students with PSLE score between 250 and 270 (with A* in Maths and Science).

This could be seen from the examples below.

A Family with Four Children

Mr. Phang has a valued client with four very brilliant children. The two eldest daughters were from NUS High while the two youngest sons RI.

The eldest daughter was in Sec 3 when she attended Mr. Phang's JC1 tuition class in 2005. Despite being two years younger, she could solve physics problems ahead of other students in the tuition class except her classmate from NUS High. Anyway this classmate of hers could solve physics problems ahead of all same-aged students in Singapore (see the 'Chainsaw' below).

The second eldest daughter was also in Sec 3 when she attended Mr. Phang's JC1 tuition class in 2006, together with some of her school mates. She was also able to solve physics problems ahead of her class, despite being two years younger.

The second youngest son was in Sec 2 when he attended Mr. Phang's Sec 3 class in 2006 and completed the 'A' levels with Mr. Phang by the end of his JC1 in 2009 (Photo). Despite being one year younger, he could solve physics problems ahead of all other students in the tuition class except his junior from RI (see the 'Hot Knife' below).

The youngest son was in Sec 2 when he started with Mr. Phang's Sec 3 class. He is in JC1 now and attends Mr. Phang's JC2 class. Despite being one year younger, he could solve physics problems ahead of all other students in the tuition class except the younger brother of Hongjie.

It is Genetic

The younger brother of Hongjie is a JC1 student at NJC attending Mr. Phang's JC2 class. During a lesson on the JC2 topic X-Rays, Mr. Phang posed a complex explanation-style question to the class.

After asking several students who could not give the correct answer, Mr. Phang remembered that Hongjie used to be very good at explaining this type of convoluted concept questions, and so asked Hongjie's younger brother to explain. He did not disappoint.

'Acceleration 1.5'

'Acceleration 1.5' refers to a Sec 4 student from HCI who found Mr. Phang's JC1 tuition class easy to follow but the JC2 tuition class a little too tough to manage, after trying out classes at both levels. His calibre was somewhere between JC1 and JC2.

In the end, he decided to stick with the JC1 tuition class and, despite being one year younger, finished physics problems ahead of the rest of the class.

The wonderful thing about the I.P. is that students do not need to take the 'O' levels so they can choose to learn at any pace they are comfortable with.

The 'Hot Knife'

Mr. Phang has another valued client who sent her two very brilliant children to his physics tuition classes. The elder daughter studied at RGS and the younger son at RI.

The elder daughter attended Mr. Phang's Sec 4 tuition class in 2004. She was in the last batch of RGS students who took their G.C.E. 'O' levels, and graduated amongst the top of her cohort, appearing in the front page of the Straits Times. So did her younger brother for being one of the top PSLE students in 2005.

Coincidentally, Mr. Phang was reading the front page of the Straits Times and thinking that the surname and name of this boy looked familiar, when the phone rang.

He was entering RI in 2006 and his mother called to enquire about Mr. Phang's physics tuition class. Knowing the calibre of his elder sister, Mr. Phang suggested that he attend the Sec 3 physics tuition class.

Initially, both his mother and Mr. Phang were concerned whether a Sec 1 student who had just completed PSLE could cope with Sec 3 level knowledge. However, such concerns quickly proved unfounded as he regularly finished solving physics problems well ahead of the rest of the class, despite being two years younger.

When he was in Sec 4, he could cut through, like a hot knife through butter, top junior college questions, 'A' level special paper and even H3 level (equivalent to university first year) questions (MOE Press Release).

The 'Chainsaw'

Mr. Phang had a Sec 4 student from NUS High who attended his JC2 tuition class in 2006.

Whenever Mr. Phang asked the class a question which the JC students could not answer, she would readily provide the answer. She also had a photographic memory and could remember verbatim everything Mr. Phang had said.

Despite being only in Sec 4, she cut through 'A' level special paper and top junior college questions like a chainsaw through butter.

This student later went on to make history in Singapore's traditionally male-dominated physics competition landscape (News).

The 'Walking Encyclopedia'

This was a Sec 4 student from RI who attended Mr. Phang's JC2 tuition class in 2006 and completed the 'A' level physics syllabus with Mr. Phang before entering RJC (as it was known at that time) in 2007.

In one instance when Mr. Phang was solving a physics problem and told the class that Mount Everest was 8,850 m high, he informed Mr. Phang that a more precise value would be 8,848 m, increasing at a rate of two inches per year.

Mr. Phang and his class of JC students became more knowledgeable thanks to this 'Walking Encyclopedia'.

Double Acceleration and Triple Jump

Recently some students are even attending two of Mr. Phang's classes concurrently and some even at levels three years above their age group!

One Sec 3 HCI student is in both Mr. Phang's Sec 4 and JC1 tuition classes, where in the JC1 class he is reunited with his friend from RI who was in both Mr. Phang's Sec 3 and Sec 4 tuition classes when he was in Sec 2 last year.

One Sec 1 NUS High is attending both Mr. Phang's Sec 3 and Sec 4 tuition classes; while a Sec 2 from RI is attending both Mr. Phang's Sec 4 and JC1 tuition classes and a Sec 3 from RGS is attending both Mr. Phang's JC1 and JC2 tuition classes, three years above their respective age groups!

Despite this, they are ahead of the H2 class and on par with other very strong students in the H3 class!

Physics 'Enrichment'

There are many other examples of such child prodigies, like Mr. Phang's former colleague's Sec 4 son from RI who also finished the 'A' levels with Mr. Phang before going to RI(JC) in 2009; four HCI Sec 3/4 students in Sec4/JC1 tuition classes; four Sec 1/2 NUS High in Sec 3/4 tuition classes; three Sec 1 friends from NYGS/RGS/MGS in Sec 3 tuition class; a Sec 1 ACS(I) in Sec 3 tuition class while his RGS Sec 2 sister in Sec 4 tuition class; a Sec 2 NYGS in Sec 3 tuition class while her RI Sec 4 brother in JC2 tuition class; two Sec 3 RGS friends in JC1 tuition class; two Sec 3 RI students in JC1 tuition class who happen to know the Sec 3 HCI students there because they were primary school classmates ...

For such students, their thirst for knowledge seems unquenchable and the term 'enrichment' would perhaps be more appropriate than 'tuition'.

The implementation of the I.P. and skipping of the 'O' levels for top-tier students have opened up a new landscape in learning for these students.