Teaching youngsters to think and get into top high schools

MANILA, Philippines - Students who grew up with the Internet often need to be taught to think. With all the information available online, many students have gotten into the habit of simply passing off what is on the Web as their own, according to Aljane Quintans, operations officer of Newton Study Center in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Other Metro Manila Newton Study Centers are located in West Avenue, Quezon City and Sucat, Parañaque. There are also Newton Study Centers in Dagupan and Urdaneta in Pangasinan.

Quintans observes, “As a result, they believe they no longer need to think critically. What for! They can always get good marks for Internet answers.”

Unfortunately, most parents discover this handicap only when their children are applying for slots in the more prominent high schools like the Philippine Science High Schools, Ateneo de Manila, Miriam College, and top universities and other institutions that have long lists of applicants. Many times, students fail entrance exams to top schools not because they don’t know anything but because they have not mastered critical thinking, an essential element of test-taking skills.

Quintans explains that the Newton Study Center’s training programs — particularly for high school applicants — focus on turning them into sharp thinkers and not information hoarders. Most entrance exams are standardized tests that subject the student to selecting the best answer from multiple choices. She says: “These do not require complete and structured solutions. We teach the kids then how to quickly rule out the obviously wrong answers, then focus on the more likely answers.”

Newton Study Center teachers use an arsenal of inferences, shortcuts, mnemonics, and other techniques to help students find the right answers fast. Moreover, drills that are timed have been built into the review process so students get used to pressure. More often than not, pupils adapt easily and learn the importance of speed along with mastery of the subject matter — the objectives of all Newton review programs.

The high number of Newton enrollees who make it to coveted schools like Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines, and De La Salle University is also attributable to the quality of the center’s instructors, according to founder John Lambino, currently pursuing a doctorate in regional economics at Kyoto University in Japan.

The quality of instruction is further complemented by Newton’s review materials which are continuously revised according to feedback from the instructors and pupils.