ISF vs VSA, which one is better? - 國際學校

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教育王國 › 討論區 › 國際學校 › ISF vs VSA, which one is better?

樓主: avaya	go ISF vs VSA, which one is better? [複製鏈接]

elmostoney

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發表於 12-12-6 09:29 |只看該作者

I am also keen to learn more about VSA.  A friend of mine has a child there at lower primary, so i hear a lot from her.  I think VSA has changed a bit since wenwen's time.  1 hour of hw is minimum for year 1, and a bit more time is required for year 2, etc.  Parents are asked to attend reading and math workshops on a regular basis so they can assist the child at home.  According to my friend, they have hired a math specialist from the UK to develop these math games and coordinate the curriculum.  Gifted kids are hand-picked.  E.g. gifted kids in math can do after school classes (free) with 4 teachers to 9 kids.

Expect the parent to be quite involved at lower primary.  Since the school runs IB, much work is research-based.  E.g. lately for a transportation theme, the child is asked to come up with a list of transports, why do people use them, and why some of them are no longer in use, etc.  Let's just say it's not completely within a 7-yo's ability to handle it alone.

For Chinese, as they already master 拼音 at year 1, they are expected to type out a Chinese composition using pinyin by Year 2.  I am sure their Chinese curriculum is harder than CIS, if not ISF. They are now learning multiplication at Year 2 (first term).  According to my friend, that is ahead of most average LS.

All in all, VSA has augmented their academic standard again beginning from lower primary during the last 2 years.  Even the school publicly declared that to be so.  So it's not quite the same for Year 1 students 3 or 4 years ago.

Since VSA kids are mostly from local HK families and Cantonese is not prohibited on school grounds, English ability of VSA children will not be as good as CIS.  But again, CIS' Chinese is not as good as VSA.  So take your pick.

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poonseelai

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發表於 12-12-6 09:56 |只看該作者

elmostoney 發表於 12-12-6 09:29
I am also keen to learn more about VSA. A friend of mine has a child there at lower primary, so i h ...

Don't worry, those workshops are not mandatory. In fact, working parents would find it hard to attend all of them as most workshops are held at 8:30 am. Parents would know more about what students are doing at school and how parents can help.

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HKTHK

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發表於 12-12-6 11:33 |只看該作者

本帖最後由 HKTHK 於 12-12-6 12:16 編輯

回復 elmostoney 的帖子

Very good to hear. Sounds like VSA has made great strides compared to some of the other comments before. I wish ISF has the same type of after school math classes for those who are interested.

On Chinese, it sounds like VSA is about the same or slightly behind ISF. Pinyin are taught in Foundation Year which is the equivalent of K3. Grade 1 students are typing in pinyin already.

今日佳句: 我以往也以為國際板的家長也有質素，但現在才知deal with 一些麻煩家長也不易！

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poonseelai

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發表於 12-12-6 12:04 |只看該作者

I believe universities' requirement on Chinese would get higher as more students in HK are taking IB Chinese. Schools with more emphasis on Chinese (CIS, ISF and VSA) may have some advantange.

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wenwan

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發表於 12-12-6 14:22 |只看該作者

引用：Wenwan,+thanks+again.+Your+comment+is+ne

原帖由 亞Boo 於 12-12-06 發表
Wenwan, thanks again. Your comment is neutral and it seems VSA did improve a lot. Based on your obs ...

亞Boo,

I have to say VSA is a very good school especially their PYP program and you have made a good choice, so go for it!

Most VSA kids are tri-lingual, fluent in three languages. They usually converse in English and Cantonese in the playground, Putonghua during Chinese lesson. Their written ability is not bad either but might varies among students.  That's why teachers will divide the students into groups according to their level and teach accordingly.  Twice a year, parents are required to attend "learning journey" ( some kind of exhibition) showing the students project and their work.  The students will be presenting their projects and parents need to give them comments.  Through these exhibition, you will know what your child has learned at school, not only Chinese, English and Math, but also their research skills, presentation skills.

I would like to elaborate more on homework.  Homework are given out every Monday and due the next Monday.  After two years of time management training, he knows how to prioritize tasks. To be honest, since year 1, I have stopped nagging him and he is in auto pilot mode.  He will only ask for help when needed.

As for the learning attitude, the teachers do care about their learning attitude, they will email or call the parents when something is not right.  All the kids I know are very positive and eager to learn, not lay back or "hea" at all. VSA report card even grade the student's learning attitude.

Why I switched school?  VSA does have a better Chinese and Math curriculum than CIS, however, CIS have a better MYP and DP programs.  Their 2012 IB scores are one of the best in HK.  Their universities placement are so promising.  And I know from friends that the learning atmosphere in CIS is so positive and strong.  CIS also encourages kids to do sports and my boy loves sports. And I hope my boy can not only excel academically but also in sports.

Hope I have made a right decision for my boys!