Big Ideaz English Composition Writing e-Course (Giveaway & Review)

Are you tired of sending your child for writing class?

Is your child still not improving on his/her writing despite going for English classes?

Is your child using a lot of prescribed jargons but not flourishing in creative writing?

I dreaded all the above and refused to send my boy for such writing classes despite his dire need for help. Three years ago, I saw potential in Big Ideaz English Composition Writing ecourse. Read my review here. A was only pri Two.

As we had gone through Big Ideaz’s ecourse, I was contemplating if I should enrol this ecourse for him as he is now Pri 5 and still weak in his written expression. As I now discovered, the lower Primary ecourse was very useful in building up his content bank of vocabulary. Much more input was given to the younger ones P2-3. Regrettably, we did not maintain this writing endeavours after the ecourse 3yrs ago. Therefore, upon completion of the course, in spite of the enriching experience, we did not flourish from there.

Learning Points

1. In order for one to flourish, a regular and long term commitment is necessary

2. Good home learning environment and routine is important

3. Regular feedback and precise corrections from the teacher is the key for improvement

However, that said, I found that A, having that previous experience of the guided ecourse, he is able to respond better and grasp the concepts faster due to his prior knowledge as well as maturity for this year.

We also made use of the productive sets of guide sheets cum worksheets from his P2 stash to help him in his descriptive writing process.

My main priority was to help him learn how to express his ideas in the form of writing. Afterall, PSLE or not, English writing skill is an essential lifeskill for everyone. I was willing to make that commitment for all the reasons known. However, you do need to discern if this ecourse is beneficial and necessary for your child. Big Ideaz had made this offer to any of my child and I still chose No.1 for this course. My 2 younger children are more expressive and has stronger writing skills, while my eldest thrives on Maths but struggles with this.

Why Big Ideaz English Composition ecourse?

1. This ecourse caters to the New PSLE English Composition Format.
2. Good quality of video lessons are provided for each week to kick-off the assignment. Step by step instructions and varied examples acompany the lesson for that session so that your child can do the work independently. Videos can be replayed or stopped at any portion at your child’s own pace.
3. Convenient learning in the comfort of your home. You save time, energy and money chauffering to and fro classes.
4. Your child is fairly independent in going through the videos on his own and is able to commit to weekly or bi-weekly submission of writing assignments. If your child has tons of homework and tied down with CCAs or requires Hercules effort to get ‘another’ assignment in, this may not be suitable for your family. On the other side, this may be a great learning platform for homeschoolers who wish to get in tune with the PSLE format.
5. The parent is able to provide a conducive environment and monitor your child’s regular assignments. It means having a laptop and a headset/loudspeaker for a clear viewing of videos, and a printer to print out the worksheets. You also need to know how to convert your photo as a PDF file for submission.
6. Parents who wish to learn together with the child and gain a better understanding of the assignments provided. I learnt invaluable tips which I could use to support my child in his school work.
7. Child gains an experienced professional to mark the assignments. Hui Ing was an ex-MOE educator and her experienced team is the crux of this ecourse success. The regular feedback and sharp corrections ensure your child learns from one’s weaknesses through the corrections of 2nd drafts.

Examples of the writing processes

1) Draft 1 of writing

2) Corrected draft is returned

3) Final corrections done to the word document for a polished work
As the course unfolds, I have gained invaluable insights to an effective piece of writing. Big Ideaz’ e-course highlights the core skills of a good writing, and trains the writer in thoroughness of expression. What I appreciate most about this course is the meticulous break down of writing a composition in parts.

For example, the teacher will introduce the component of writing in her video before giving the assignment. In my example, she zoomed in on ‘a great conclusion’. The acronyms (RED) used are helpful for the child to remember the important aspects to include in this portion for the character involved.

As simple as it may seem, Big Ideaz video explains in great details on each aspect. She gave precise examples and underlined the examples for each aspect, thus scaffolding the child to identify what each aspect looks like. By the end of the video, my child would be equipped with the content knowledge and reflect on how he could apply the RED using his own words.

Here, the teacher corrected his language and highlighted what was missing. i.e. emotions. She also gave him specific examples on how he could insert those feelings in.

The below is Draft 2 of his work. I am always encouraged to view his 2nd drafts as it forces him to reflect on his writing and produce a more thoughtful work. The bonus for my boy was the flexibility to type out his 2nd draft! He always does this with delight as he dislikes writing.

It is equally gratifying for both my son and I to see the many ticks in his work indicating the effort of including the essential points in his 2nd draft! You can also see that the teacher’s comments are filled with positivity that encourages the writer.

The below is a sample of A’s 2nd draft on ‘Writing a conflict’ titled ‘An Injury’. The teacher always provides exact examples for usage of verbs to express more vivid actions.

Monthly Complimentary Class

For every subscription of this e-Course, Big Ideaz kindly offers a complimentary workshop once a month. It is on a first come first served basis and up to 6 students per session.

My boy was neutral about it, so I signed him up for it. After the lesson, his feedback was “Very Good!” If you know him, he is a boy of few candid words. He settled with “Very useful, teacher gave a lot of good examples.”

Upon the teacher’s email of his work, I saw evidences of why her session was beneficial! She gave a Composition planning (PSLE format) for brainstorming of the topic which provided a crucial scaffold for the composition.

Types of Introduction exercise trains the writer to begin with captivating statements and questions.

Lastly, you can find the relevant information for the course here and also view a Free video clip sample. I will be doing another review at the end of the course to share more insights on our journey with the writing academy course.

For more information on the Writing Academy:

Web| Facebook | Instagram | YouTube channel

Good news! Thanks to Big Ideaz, readers get a 10% discount if you subscribe to the Writing Academy by 30 June 2019

Use the discount code GROWINGHEARTS123 upon checkout

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FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY (6th May 2019)

(One reader for facebook’s giveaway and One reader for Instagram’s giveaway )

Each Winner will get TWO MONTHS of WRITING ACADEMY P3-P6 LESSONS FREE (Worth $188)

FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY:

Steps to join giveaway

(Only for Singapore Residents)

1. Follow GrowingHearts123 and Big Ideaz Education Facebook Pages
2. Leave a comment on this facebook post on why you would like to have this Giveaway and leave your email address, child’s gender and Primary level 4/5/6 (e.g. email/boy/P5) this is for authentication.
3. SHARE and TAG 3 friends or more to share this giveaway at our Facebook Giveaway post. Do set the shared post to public mode.
4. Giveaway ENDS 2359 15th MAY 2019
5. This giveaway is not endorsed or in any way affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.
6. To increase your chances of winning, do join Growinghearts123 Instagram Giveaway. (Optional)

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GIVEAWAY RESULTS

Congratulations to Facebook Winner : Jacqueline Yee

Terms and Conditions:

• Readers will be selected at random.
• The company will contact the readers directly via e-mail.
• Results will be announced within 2 days of giveaway closure.
• Participants have to be 18years and above.
• Participants must follow all the steps in giveaway to qualify.
• Winners have to respond within 24hours upon announcement made or forfeit the prize to another winner.
• Winners will have access to Lessons 1 to 8 of Module 1 Only.
• Winners will submit Lessons 1 to 8 for marking within the 2 months period stipulated by the organiser. You can find the relevant information for the course HERE.

Disclaimer: Big Ideaz Education offered 11 months of complimentary Lessons for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received. All reviews and opinions are 100% genuine from the blogger. This is also in support of our local efforts.

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