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Each tentacle of the starfish mascot personified a pedagogical
theme, and conjured up images of sun-drenched excitement at
the beach. No wonder teachers felt as if they had stepped into
a fun-filled theme park when they arrived at Tanglin Secondary
on 22 June 2005, for the inaugural Cluster W1 and W4 Learning
Festival.
Teachers from 21 schools in the two Clusters turned up in waves
to support the showcase of innovative pedagogies they, and their
colleagues, have adopted. The event accentuates as well the
spirit of Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) among teachers.
“With all the new ideas coming up, this Learning Festival provides
a good platform to showcase teachers’ strengths in teaching
and learning,” noted Mr Loh Weng Kheong, Superintendent of the
W4 Cluster.
Aptly titled as ZEAL (Zooming in on Authentic and Enthusiastic
Learning), this Learning Festival attracted 70 multi-faceted
presentations, replete with sessions where teachers could share
their pedagogical expertise and, as expressed in the words of
Mrs Ng Ai Lin, Superintendent of the W1 Cluster, “participate
in real-time knowledge re-construction”.
Here, we present to you five of such inspiring presentations
embodying these pedagogical themes related to fun at the beach
(click on each to read more).
Description: Sharing of experiential, experimental
and exploratory teaching practices |
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| Bukit
View Primary teachers use stuffed
toys to talk about the ecological
habitats of animals. |
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Creative Teaching @ BVPS
By Mdm Rahayu Bte Mohd
Ali, Ms Pamela Kiew, Mrs Selena Ang and Mrs
Brenda Siew of Bukit View Primary School
Presentation Synopsis:
Driven by the belief that students learn best
through first-hand experiences, Bukit View Primary
has structured learning journeys in the form
of EMS (English, Maths, Science) Trails. Pri
1 to 2 students went to the zoo, Pri 3 to 4
students explored the bird park and Pri 5 to
6 students spent the night at the Underwater
World where all of them applied concepts and
skills taught in a fun and meaningful way. Insights
into the animals’ ecological habitats, coupled
with post-trail activities such as art and crafts
and creative writing, helped to enhance students’
appreciation of the various subjects. |
Description: Revealing new tools and resources
for teachers to be more effective, skilful and
creative in their teaching |
Finally! My Personal
Webpage…
By Mr Leslie Lai, Ms
Amy Wong, Ms Ong Ai Leng and Mr Steven Pua,
Hong Kah Primary School
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| Teachers
of Hong Kah Primary use “PageBuilder”
to train their pupils in designing
webpages. |
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Presentation Synopsis:
As part of the IT Modular Course, all Pri 5
form teachers were trained to use a basic software
called “PageBuilder” to create webpages for
their classes. They would then teach their students
to design personalised webpages to be linked
to the class webpage. The class webpage serves
as a good communication platform for parents
who wish to be better informed about their children’s
activities in school. Value-added resources
on the class webpage include “Eduroom” where
all the free educational websites can be accessed
and “PupilsWork2” to showcase exemplary works
by students. All exhibits can be viewed at www.geocities.com/lesliehkps/PupilsWork. |
Description: Delivering fresh approaches to
holistic development through co-curricular and
extra-curricular activities |
Human Performance
Programme @ Lunchtime Workout
By Mr Mohamed Heikal
Bin Md Yusope and Mr Norazlan Bin Ibrahim, Millennia
Institute
Presentation Synopsis:
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| Pushing
for a sound mind in a sound body
at Millenia Institute. |
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Aspiring to leverage on the corporate trend
of Lunchtime Workout to enhance students’ alertness,
Millennia Institute has incorporated this exercise
regime into its Human Performance Programme
(HPP), a scheme that employs a comprehensive
approach to fitness and fosters the spirit of
keeping fit and healthy through life. Special
features of HPP include more objective and varied
fitness testing mechanisms, creative games,
nutrition lectures, a collaboration between
the Physical Education (PE) and Science departments
to explore exercise physiology, and a Special
Needs Programme that boosts the mobility and
morale of students who are exempt from PE lessons.
The ultimate goal: Mens Sana in Corpore
Sano or a sound mind in a sound body. |
Description: Making the classroom experience
interesting, challenging, exciting, interactive
and engaging for both teachers and students |
Incorporating Pop
Culture into Fashion Design
By Mrs Geneva Boh,
Clementi Town Secondary School
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| Art
and pop culture merge to channel
students' creative interest in fashion
design. |
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Presentation Synopsis:
In this inter-disciplinary art project where
pop culture is the theme and fashion design
is the medium, students’ interest in art is
aroused when they can relish their pop culture
fantasy and create costumes for characters in
the movie The Matrix. The appreciation of modern
Literature is brought into play too as Mrs Boh
guided her students to convert stimulus into
costume design, drawing on symbolism construed
from the movie. Students also gave free rein
to their imagination as they specialised in
portrait drawing, costume creation or background
design, channelling their interests and abilities
to suit the needs of the group. This project
has great flexibility and can be re-adapted
for other movies as well. |
Description: Showcasing the innovative reframing
of familiar systems and processes on a school-wide
basis to explore possibilities in education |
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| Innovation
and Enterprise activities at Princess
Elizabeth Primary simulate the real
world of business. |
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iSbM – Integrated Simulated Business
Model
By Mr Wang Loke Heng,
Mr Simon Diong, Ms Ng Wai Fun
and Mrs Audrey Yeoh, Princess Elizabeth Primary
School
Presentation Synopsis:
This integrated and interactive business model
simulates an actual business enterprise and
provides a platform to cultivate the spirit
of Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) among
teachers and students, since all of them were
placed into various companies created by the
school. With each company allocated just three
weeks to market their product, from conceptualisation
to sales, teachers and students could experience
a wide variety of simulated business processes
encapsulated in the RIPPLE effect, which stands
for Research and Development, Internet Advertising,
Product Marketing, Price Tag Design, Launching
of Prototype and Embarkation of Product. RIPPLE
enhances students’ aptitude in various disciplines
such as English (content writing for website)
and Maths (product pricing). |
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The learning journey ended on a fulfilling note as the top three
favourite presentations were conferred on Princess Elizabeth
Primary for “Use of Shadow Play in Teaching of the Malay Language”,
Bukit View Primary for “Creative Teaching @ BVPS” and Keming
Primary for “The Big Mathematics Board”.
Commenting on the profusion of inter-disciplinary approaches,
Mrs Karen Oei, Principal of Tanglin Secondary and Chairperson
of the Organising Committee for the Learning Festival, explained,
“In the new age, we can no longer claim expert knowledge in
any one field, neither can we use old ways of teaching for new
minds.”
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In
the new age, we can no longer claim expert knowledge in
any one field, neither can we use old ways of teaching
for new minds. |
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Mrs Karen Oei,
Principal of Tanglin Secondary |
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Besides the two Superintendents, the Learning Festival was also
graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Susan Chan, Deputy Director of
Schools West, and Keynote Speaker Professor Allan Luke, Dean
of the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice at the National
Institute of Education.
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| Mrs
Susan Chan, Deputy Director of Schools West, shares
her thoughts on authentic learning. |
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Teachers could learn about pedagogy as performance when Professor
Luke shared in his keynote conference, “Capitalisation on knowledge
and skills requires threshold knowledge in core fields, developmental
taxonomies of skills, competencies and knowledge, engagement
with student variability, assessment literacy and the capacity
to call upon the repertoire of practice to weave these pedagogical
motivations together.”
On her part, Mrs Chan also encouraged teachers to continually
learn new pedagogies and take the lead to be enthusiastic and
authentic learners. Providing her interpretation of ZEAL, she
said, “Authentic learning is learning that is meaningful and
of relevance to the learner. Only then can the learner be truly
enthusiastic in his/her learning. Authentic learning involves
construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry and value beyond
school.”
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