Be mindful if bootcamps add to stress

Coaching is a key component in some PSLE bootcamps.

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Some PSLE bootcamps, like this Champion Mindset for PSLE workshop by education group MindChamps, incorporate soft skills like learning how teamwork can help a person face challenges.

(PHOTO: MINDCHAMPS)

Education group MindChamps' programmes include its flagship Champion Mindset Workshop, a $980, 21/2-day programme. It aims to help students tackle challenges with resilience and confidence, and not just prepare for PSLE, says MindChamps' founder, CEO and executive chairman, Mr David Chiem.

He says: "Traditional prep classes that reteach school content may or may not be necessary, depending on the gaps in each student's learning. But our approach addresses a different, often more critical need: transforming how students think about themselves and their capabilities."

MindChamps' programmes aim to address students' "limiting beliefs" ("I'm bad at Chinese" or "my sibling is smarter than me", for example), and help them shift from external motivation, such as parental pressure, to having a sense of internal purpose, he says.

It is not only Primary 6 pupils who are suited to PSLE pro grammes, he says.

"The last term of Primary 5 is the ideal time to begin our PSLE Success Programme and consider our Champion Mindset Workshop," says Mr Chiem, adding that it is good to cultivate strong study habits before the high-pressure PSLE year begins.