A Very Expensive Phonics School

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wanyin

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Has any one tried PHONICSLAND in Causeway Bay? I heard really good feedback from parents and colleages, so decided to check it out, only to be told that one private Phonics class (for 45 minutes!) cost $1000!!!
The I asked about their group lessons, and was told that to be taught by their teacher, i need to self-form a group with at 4 children, then they can arrange for a class time for me. I have never had this experience where I had to form my son's own learning group. Any one with similar experiences?
It was amazing how packed it was when I went there. Wondering if it is really worth paying that much for a phonics lesson, even if it is THAT good. Please advise!!!!
 
Hi, yes, my child learned his phonics there 2 years back. He is now K3 and he can read the highest level in the Oxford reading tree series. It took him a mere 2 years to learn all he has to learn in spelling. His reading level, as assessed by a language therapist has teacher the same level as of a 9 year old. He is still at phonics land, now learning about grammar and writing simple stories. I highly recommend this place. But you are right, it's a little expensive. However, if you do the calculations, what you learn here in a session would probably be equivalent to 3 hours elsewhere, so I would say it is worthwhile :) good luck
 
Ridiciously expensive?!

I would never spend money on those type of classes unless my child had some (serious) problems with phonics. My children are doing well in school, my little ones (5 1/2) above average in reading and writing after a year in Y1 and they couldn't read a word before starting. Not sure what the reason is for considering these classes though. If your child is generally weak in phonics I can understand you may want him / her to be at least at an average level, help him / her with a push in the right direction, but if this is not the case, why would you want to push them well ahead of their peers? I know this is Hong Kong where a lot of people have a slightly different approach, but I read this article once about those children having an "early start", those are not necessarily the ones "finishing first". We personally spend our money on classes that my kids like (or makes them well rounded, like art class, sports) or they need (my oldest needs help with Mandarin in order to keep up with her Pathway).

Besides reading is way more than just learning phonics and knowing how to spell. That's only a small part of reading. One my kids has an excellent memory, spells really well for his age, and even though overall, he's an above average reader, you can't forget about comprehension, fluency, speed, vocabulary, imagination (how do you think the story ends, what else could have happened, etc.). Our school (an ESF school) evaluates reading as a whole (as they should). Every year I hear from teachers in the lower primary that they have children in Y1 who can read at a Y2 or Y3 level, but there is no understanding of what they're reading, no imagination, no expression in reading.

Again, by all means, classes are nice, especially if your child needs to have a small push in a certain area, but it may be just me, I don't see the need for my 5 year olds to read like their 8 year old sister already ... If they do, they do, but are not going to push them by spending lots of $$$$ on classes.
 
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A music lesson or sports training from a top teacher will be between 700-1200 per hour. Why should top-notch lessons in literacy be any less?
 
I wouldn't spend that money on phonics for a 4/5 year old. My 4 year old, the only native English speaker in her class was singled out by her teacher to be weak in reading & phonics (for a native speaker) compared to her local counterparts who supplement their schooling with extra classes. I tried not to cave in to pressure but I was more worried about my daughter losing confidence. Instead of paying for lessons, I taught her myself. I made flash cards out of sight words, printed worksheets from the internet, played phonics songs & rhymes from YouTube. I bought a few Word World DVDs. At the end of year assessment, the teacher said she was able to catch up & even excelled in some bits. Like the others, I find spending that much money for extra lessons for 3-5 year old too much. But if you have the dosh, go for it.
 
That does sound very expensive.....my kids went to a place called SmartChamps Childhood Institute for phonics which is also located in Causeway Bay right opposite SOGO in fact which provides similar services, but for around $600 per hour for a private lessons. For a small group of no more than 3, it's cheaper. The results were great and my daughter who is in P1 can read and write to a very high level, comparable to when I was 10 years old!

Highly recommended for a head start for kids.
 
Mejulie, I have found a classmate to form a group lesson. They are having a summer promotion so I am paying a lot less than what I had anticipated :) I actually sat in the free trial lesson and was equally amazed by the teacher and their method . Joined right after the trial . Think they are running summer phonics program for only 250 an hour. Maybe you could try enrolling in those if the time fits your schedule. My son was taught all the letter sounds in 2 classes!!! Good luck to you too.
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wanyin said:
Mejulie, I have found a classmate to form a group lesson. They are having a summer promotion so I am paying a lot less than what I had anticipated :) I actually sat in the free trial lesson and was equally amazed by the teacher and their method . Joined right after the trial . Think they are running summer phonics program for only 250 an hour. Maybe you could try enrolling in those if the time fits your schedule. My son was taught all the letter sounds in 2 classes!!! Good luck to you too.
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Hi wanyin, called up to ask about the classes, but the lady told me there are no summer classes for phonics, only writing, which is not suitable for my 3 year old. Very strange!
Spoke w a teacher called Diana on fri, she told me to take my child for assessment. When I tried to make appt for the assessment, the lady on the line, Jane, told me to gather a few other 3 yr olds to form a group before contacting her for the assessment. She said unless I wanted private classes, I cant have a personal assessment for my child. She also told me Diana is not there any more and that perhaps, when Diana was there, she could do the one-on-one assessment.
When asked how much private classes would cost, she told me hkd14,000 for 20 hrs, which would work out to hkd700 per hr. But I read from your earlier thread that you were quoted hkd1000 for 45 mins.
It does seem like they are providing very different information and it's very confusing!
 
Let me check on the summer courses for you. I am pretty sure I saw some phonics courses in their summer pamphlets laid out on the reception desk?! There are 2 or 3 pricing for phonics classes, all depending on which teacher you choose. ( I think)
Hmm, strange that you were given such confusing information, I did not have the same experience. Going there tomorrow , let me spy around and see what I can find out re their free assessment .
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Trttrt. Scooped some info for you. Phonicsland does give a free trial but if we were to ask a specific teacher to do the trial - we would need to self form a group of 3. If we are indifferent as to which teacher does the assessment, then it is available. As for the summer classes, the phonics classes are all full already. Maybe the person you had talked was new ?? I don't have the same experiences there. If you want, you can pm and I will email you a free one hour private class voucher . These were handed out to us last week. They are doing their 10 th year anniversary promotion.
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mejulie, my child is 2 and a half and would love to pair up with yours to attend phonics classes at PhonicsLand. I have heard very good things about their Phonics classes. My nephew attended classes at Alison's Phonics for over a year and still could not read nor spell. ( he could only read books he has memorized) Then, he attened PhonicsLand and in less than 3 months, he could do dictations and sight read books by himself. I really want mine to try but I cannot afford paying 1000 for a class. Please pm if you are interested forming a group together
 
Phonics is expensive, but $1,000 per class is very expensive. My 5 year old went to SmartChamps at Causeway Bay for around half that price for one to one and the results were very good!
 
Hi, I would be interested in knowing what phonics system they are using. Is it synthetic like Jolly Phonics and Letterland? Is it analytic where they look at word patterns? What phonics training have the teachers got the teachers got? Are they accredited/trained to teach that particular style of phonics? What curriculums do they use? Is it properly structured? What is the expected learning outcome in 6 months time.

For that price, I would make sure these questions are satisfactorily answered and more.

Cliff
 
are we discussing the same venue???

hi there,
i called phonics land after reading your thread and was quoted 3000 for 8 1hr lessons with a class of 3 children, which comes to around hkd375 an hr which is soo much cheaper than stated on this thread. Are we talking about the same place???

in addition the receptionist called Jane (i think) said i could get a hkd1000 coupon discount if i joined a further 8 sessions if i could give the name of a friend who is currently attending their classes - this friend could also then get a hkd1000 discount coupon for the referral!!! Pls email or sms me on 97477009 with your details!
 
hey wanyin,
i am thinking of taking my 2yr 9month daughter to phonicsland and would be grateful for the free one hr trial voucher if you have any left!
 
Just curious, what's the rush in making children learn to read? Why not just let them be children instead of sticking them in a classroom? Many studies have shown it doesn't matter what age they learn to read, there's a point where they all level out anyway.
 
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