Cognitus Academy (Goldhill)
"At Cognitus Academy, we apply a critical reading and writing approach to help students improve by up to two grades for English and Maths exams.
Dr Daniel Chua, Founder and Head of Curriculum, is not just an NIE-trained teacher. He was also a teacher trainer in NIE. He leads a team of former MOE teachers, PSLE markers and experienced tutors who are experts in their craft.
Our curriculums are refined from years of teaching and curriculum leadership experience in top schools in Singapore. Each lesson is specially designed to sink deep roots into the learning of English and Maths that is engaging and fun. Most importantly, they produce results.
Visit our website or leave us a message on 83218252 to jump-start your child’s improvement today!"
Extra Info
Title: Strategy to Teach English and Mathematics with our GEP Approach Designed by ex-MOE HOD and PSLE Markers With a Proven Track Record of Achieving Distinction
URL Source: http://www.cognitus.edu.sg/
Markdown Content:
Find out more below!
What are some challenges that PSLE students face?
For English, the addition of new elements like Situational Writing and Comprehension Cloze Passage, as well as the more demanding sections like Synthesis and Transformation and Comprehension Open-ended, can understandably create some stress for students and parents.
For Mathematics, while the topics themselves may not be too difficult to grasp, the problem-solving aspects in exams call for various problem-solving strategies and techniques. It takes time to get the hang of these approaches.
Here’s why parents trust Cognitus Academy to help their children overcome these challenges
Following methods used in the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), Cognitus Academy has designed a system that develops critical thinking while integrating practical English Language and Mathematical skills that are relevant for school exams.
Our teachers will assess your child's strengths and areas needing improvement in English or Mathematics through regular class tests and termly Mock Exams. We'll provide a detailed and precise diagnosis.
During regular class tests and termly Mock Exams, our teachers will identify areas of weakness and propose a plan of action for helping our students improve.
Message from our Founder
Dr Daniel Chua
Founder and Director
Greetings, parents! I’m Dr. Daniel Chua, a former Head of Department in the Ministry of Education (MOE), an experienced PSLE exam marker, and a former lecturer at the National Institute of Education (NIE).
During my tenure as an MOE teacher, I had the privilege of instructing highly talented students from the Primary Gifted Education Programme (GEP). However, I also recognised that many of my non-GEP students possessed remarkable but untapped potential.
To address this, I decided to impart some of the critical thinking skills typically taught in the GEP to all my students. To my great satisfaction, these skills enabled them to significantly enhance their English and Mathematics grades.
This forms the foundation of our Critical Reading & Writing (CRW) strategy and DEPTH Framework. My team and I employ a ‘gifted’ approach in teaching students of all proficiency levels, ensuring that they too can excel in the respective subjects.
Our Teaching Team
We take pride in helping our students achieve breakthroughs in their results.
We are able to do that because of the strong team that we have built to teach, organise and administer our robust programmes.
At Cognitus Academy, our teachers are the heart and soul of our English and Mathematics programmes. We take great care in selecting our educators, and they go through an intensive 3-month training programme to build their teaching skills.
Our curriculum and teaching methods are always evolving to keep up with changes in the education system. This transformation is led by our curriculum team, which includes ex-MOE teachers, Heads of Department, Senior Teachers, PSLE markers, and our experienced Cognitus instructors.
Introducing our Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) Strategy for English
Our 2 main Primary English Programmes are developed based on the CRW Strategy.
The Primary Regular English Programme focuses on Paper 2 components.
The Primary Regular Writing Programme focuses on Paper 1 composition writing.
Let's dive into more details below!
Primary Regular English Programme
We incorporate the Critical Reading approach by breaking it down into 4 steps of text analysis required for Paper 2.
Level 1: Paraphrasing
Students are to understand the given text and be able to express the context in their own words (such as in Comprehension Open-ended)
Level 2: Identifying the Main Idea
Students identify and determine essential ideas and consolidate important details (such as in Comprehension Cloze, Visual Text Comprehension, Oral: Stimulus-based Conversation)
Level 3: Analysing Text Logic
Students examine the elements of the story to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons behind events (such as in Comprehension Open-ended and Cloze Passage)
Level 4: Evaluating the Text Logic
Students assess and interpret the author's emotions and intentions, and draw conclusions from the text source (such as in Comprehension Open-ended: Evaluative question)
Primary Regular Writing Programme
We incorporate the Critical Writing approach by breaking it down into 2 forms of writing.
Substantive Writing
Students will learn to be clearer, more purposeful and more aware when putting their ideas and experiences into written form.
Reflective Writing
Students gain self-knowledge and develop the ability to question and evaluate their own writing.
Taking everything into consideration, we have refined and crafted our Writing Programme to help guide your child in applying these techniques in their Composition.
We bring students through 3 drafts of writing for each Composition topic, where our teachers will comment on the different aspects. As the students incorporate these feedback into their 2nd and 3rd draft, they will see the improvements made by earning more marks than the subsequent draft.
Introducing our DEPTH Framework for Mathematics
Our DEPTH Framework provides 5 key elements to help students learn Math effectively.
This framework evaluates students’ current ability, helps to clear doubts, and exposes students to exam-based questions.
Deepened Curriculum, Heightened Learning
Apart from what is learnt from the school syllabus, students will develop a deeper insight into the curriculum. Understanding the core concepts deeply will also enhance students’ ability to apply heuristics to handle higher-order thinking questions.
Eliminated Errors and Misconceptions
Drills and practices develop fluency and heighten students’ awareness of their carelessness when solving Mathematics questions. Training students to understand their own tendencies greatly improves the accuracy of their calculations.
Practical and Authentic (Real World) Mathematics Teasers
Learning out of real-world context requires abstract thinking. This requirement stumps some students who need to see concrete examples. Students will learn to link Mathematics to authentic real-world problems, enhancing their number sense and conceptual development.
Think Critically and Mathematically
Thinking critically requires habits of mind and problem-solving skills. Merging critical and mathematical thinking makes the learning of Mathematics exciting and engaging. Learning Mathematics in this way unlocks the fun and challenging aspects of the subject.
Honed Precision
With carefully selected tasks for each lesson, students will learn how to be quick and accurate in their computations. Beyond procedural accuracy, students will also develop structural thinking that provides repeatable steps for analysing non-routine questions.
Hear What Satisfied Parents Have To Say
Here are a few of our students who have made remarkable strides in their examinations
Cognitus 360 to Super-charge your Child's Academic Journey
At Cognitus Academy, we provide your child with comprehension learning through Cognitus 360. This framework accompanies your child at every stage of their learning journey with us, ensuring that all their learning requirements are catered to.
The Cognitus 360 includes a carefully crafted process that addresses your child's diverse needs in conjunction with their weekly lessons!
Schedule a Call
Once you indicate your interest in our programme, our teachers will give you a call. Be prepared to answer their questions about your child's strengths and weaknesses in the relevant subject. This will enable our teachers to further elaborate on addressing your child's weaknesses with our curriculum.
Attend Our Weekly Lessons
Weekly lessons provide guidance and teaching of crucial skills and concepts that will enhance your child’s learning of English.
Through weekly practices and homework assignments, your child will develop mastery and fluency in all important areas of learning.
Attempt Our Mock Exam Papers
We offer our exclusive Cognitus Academy Mock Exam Papers on a termly basis, deliberately crafted to be slightly more challenging than standard school exam papers.
What distinguishes our Mock Exams Programme from others is the detailed scorecard we furnish you with. This scorecard meticulously highlights your child's strengths and areas where they may have missed a mark or two. It serves as a strategic guide to PSLE success.
Students are expected to progress steadily with each termly Mock Exam.
Past Year Exam Papers for Deeper Diagnosis
We maintain a comprehensive library of past year papers with answer sheets as supplementary resources for students to practice.
Students should identify their areas of weakness from their Mock Exam scorecard and independently work on these areas using the past year papers provided.
Access Lesson Recordings
Our online lesson recordings are shared with students who are unable to attend the lesson live and opted for our Live Online Lessons, providing opportunities for students to engage in self-paced learning before attending the next lesson. Your child will never fall behind!
Holiday Workshops for the Extra Boost
We have a range of additional programmes designed to supplement weekly lessons in order to maximise learning time during school holidays.
Introducing Cognitus 360 Plus
Cognitus YouTube
Uncover instructional films pertinent to your child's needs and encourage them to engage in self-directed learning.
WhatsApp Support
Parents will be able to keep in touch with our teachers should there be any enquiries anytime.
Additional Materials
We also feature our Students' Works, publish Blog Articles and have a Centre Library for students to browse through our collection of books for reading.
How we prepare our students for exams
While the programmess listed below aren't a standard part of our weekly lessons, we highly recommend them for both our existing students and those who are new to us!
AL1 Strategies Sessions
Getting ready for those upcoming exams and need some extra practice? Our AL1 Strategy Programme offers students the opportunity to engage with past-year MOE papers under authentic exam conditions.
Following this, we conduct a comprehensive review, providing valuable insights into critical areas for improvement and strategies for achieving higher scores. 
Mock Exam Programme
Want to know if your child is PSLE-ready? We've got our own set of Cognitus Academy Mock Exam Papers that are intentionally a bit more difficult than the regular school exam papers.
What sets our Mock Exams Programme apart from the others is the comprehensive scorecard that we will provide to you. It shows exactly where your child aced it and where they might've lost a mark or two. It's like a roadmap to PSLE success! 
Media Features
You might have seen us here!
Our efforts to always do better for our students have not gone unnoticed!
Hear What Some of our Parents and Students Say
Don't just take it from us!
“Would like to thank you for your guidance towards Marcus over the past months. He did very well for his Maths (87%), apparently top for his class. This achievement certainly boost his confidence. I hope he remains humble and not get too complacent. Once again, thank you so much! 
”
Parent of Marcus
“A heartfelt thanks to you for your 100% dedication and genuine interest in helping the kids achieve the best they can in Maths. You are a great teacher and Kyra is very lucky to have joined your class. Thank you!“
Parent of Kyra
“I liked how I learnt new and different methods and techniques to improve different areas of my writing such as characterisation and setting the scene. I also found that the comments given were helpful and constructive.”
Student Sophie Chua
“Emily enjoys going for class every week. Dr Chua makes the learning process so fun and interesting that Emily enjoys being taught by him, and she always shares her positive experiences.
Emily enjoys the company of the classmates in Cognitus and she is self-motivated to complete her assignment with quality so as to win a thumbs-up from her tutor.”
Parent of Emily Hiu Primary 6
“My daughter has built up so much love and confidence for the subject ever since she has joined Cognitus. She always looks forward to her classes and does her English revision without much supervision.
Strongly recommend Cognitus to parents looking for a fun and effective English programme.”
Parent of Eritha Tan Primary 6
“We decided to enrol him in Cognitus when he was disappointed with his P4 English test results. He scored around 85% out of 100%.
Cognitus helped him improve and prepare well for all his English test, including oral, situational writing, composition and comprehension. Thanks to Cognitus, he scored AL1 for English in his recent P5 exam.
I highly recommend Cognitus to my friends and relatives. This is an English enrichment centre that has caring teachers who will go into the details of which are your child’s areas of development and take constructive steps to help him/her improve.”
Parent of Benjamin Khoo Primary 5
“Fabrienne thoroughly enjoys the lessons and always looks forward to learning new words and reading articles.”
Parent of Fabrienne Loh Primary 6
“Cheryl has been weak in English and improvement was shown since joining the centre for about 2 years.
The approachable teachers and engaging lessons cultivated Cheryl to write and express better in English.
Most happy to see that she is motivated to learn and attend tuition classes weekly. Good effort!”
Parent of Cheryl Tan Secondary 1
“Useful notes, good practices and the skills are very easy to learn. The teacher’s explanation is super clear and he gave sufficient homework.”
Student Jayven Phua Primary 6 going Secondary 1
"Ms Nawirah is very passionate and nuturing. My son enjoys attending Ms Nawirah's lessons. Under her guidance, he is able to write and do well in his composition test, how amazing is that!”
Parent of Aidan Primary 3
"Thanks to Cognitus, I see the progress of my child. He has got his confidence on composition."
Parent of Takuya Primary 6
"Approachable. This is core as the child needs to feel confident to speak up when in doubt. And feel free to ask even the most "silly" question. Knowledgeable. He is able to clear the doubts Ryan has with his work."
Parent of Ryan Secondary 1
"Selene is more confident in writing and able to write much more than 120 words now! After this course, I'm convinced that what they went through in school is inadequate and we made the right decision to send her to a creative writing course."
Parent of Selene Primary 4
"Gaby may have joined your class rather late but I can see she has benefitted from it. She seems more confident in her Math abilities in general and especially in tackling difficult problem sums. Regardless of how she does at the exams, I just wanted to say, thank you. You've been a great help."
Parent of Gaby
"My Math is 95 and my Amath is 93! Also really really wanna thank you for all the help you've given me in these close to 8 years, I've really grown so much in my confidence towards Math since P3 and I'l super thankful for everything you've done to help mein ym understanding of Math and make it a lot easier for me to cope!"
Student Angelica
“Would like to thank you for your guidance towards Marcus over the past months. He did very well for his Maths (87%), apparently top for his class. This achievement certainly boost his confidence. I hope he remains humble and not get too complacent. Once again, thank you so much! ”
Parent of Marcus
“A heartfelt thanks to you for your 100% dedication and genuine interest in helping the kids achieve the best they can in Maths. You are a great teacher and Kyra is very lucky to have joined your class. Thank you!“
Parent of Kyra
“I liked how I learnt new and different methods and techniques to improve different areas of my writing such as characterisation and setting the scene. I also found that the comments given were helpful and constructive.”
Student Sophie Chua
“Emily enjoys going for class every week. Dr Chua makes the learning process so fun and interesting that Emily enjoys being taught by him, and she always shares her positive experiences.
Emily enjoys the company of the classmates in Cognitus and she is self-motivated to complete her assignment with quality so as to win a thumbs-up from her tutor.”
Parent of Emily Hiu Primary 6
“My daughter has built up so much love and confidence for the subject ever since she has joined Cognitus. She always looks forward to her classes and does her English revision without much supervision.
Strongly recommend Cognitus to parents looking for a fun and effective English programme.”
Parent of Eritha Tan Primary 6
“We decided to enrol him in Cognitus when he was disappointed with his P4 English test results. He scored around 85% out of 100%.
Cognitus helped him improve and prepare well for all his English test, including oral, situational writing, composition and comprehension. Thanks to Cognitus, he scored AL1 for English in his recent P5 exam.
I highly recommend Cognitus to my friends and relatives. This is an English enrichment centre that has caring teachers who will go into the details of which are your child’s areas of development and take constructive steps to help him/her improve.”
Parent of Benjamin Khoo Primary 5
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Discover our Weekly Programmes
*We offer the option of online lessons for our Weekly Programmes
Discover our Holiday Boosters!
PRIMARY HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS
PSLE English Intensive
Primary Writing Jump Start
Primary Mathematics Intensive
English and Mathematics Mock Exams
SECONDARY HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS
Secondary English Intensive
Secondary Mathematics Intensive
Secondary 1 Jump Start
*We offer the option of online lessons for our Holiday Boosters
Frequently Asked Questions
How does your programme benefit my child?
How qualified are teachers at Cognitus Academy? Are they NIE-trained?
Do you offer a trial lesson for new students before they commit to termly lessons?
Do you offer replacement lessons if my child misses a lesson?
How many students are there in a class?
Why are Primary English lessons 90 minutes long? Is it enough for my child to make improvements?
How is a typical Primary Mathematics lesson like?
If my child has questions from school that he/she is unable to solve, can they consult the centre’s teachers?
What else is Cognitus Academy doing to enhance my child’s learning?