VP Mrs Mary Seah and her team of TLLM teachers practise the principle that "students are capable of being creators of knowledge, of developing their unique perspectives on issues."

Understanding by Design

MI distinguishes itself through a learning philosophy that recognises the need for students to learn in different ways and at their own pace. Vice Principal (Academic) Mrs Mary Seah shares that the school adopts “Understanding by Design”. which she says, “is founded on the belief that students are capable of being creators of knowledge and of developing their unique perspectives on issues.”

Teachers design lessons which enable students “to learn in authentic contexts” and acquire “enduring higher-order thinking skills in a variety of situations in and outside of classrooms”. Some students may be more comfortable with a rather passive way of learning, remarks Mrs Seah. “They need to get used to exercising greater responsibility over what and how they learn and to be inquisitive about their subjects.”

Lessons are carried out through questions that develop critical thinking skills and the ability to discover. ‘Essential Questions’ that point to the key inquiries and core ideas of a discipline are used, explains Mrs Seah. These questions bring to the student’s attention certain incongruities and dilemmas that can only be resolved in “a thorough discussion and assessment of arguments.”

VP Mrs Mary Seah at one of MI's Learning Labs, where students can hold discussions and role-play sessions.

To foster such active learning, MI has installed Learning Laboratories and Field Studies Centres. A Eureka Room with an elevated loft serves as a Humanities Lab for discussions and role-play sessions. Students can use Tablet PCs to wirelessly share data or construct a 3D urban model using Google SketchUp. MI also has Field Studies Centres for Hydrology, Slope and Weather, where students can gather, analyse and evaluate environmental data.

Learning about business in Bukit Batok

In one of last month’s field studies, Business Studies students undertook a survey of Bukit Batok to learn how neighbourhood shops cope with the business environment. Students observed and surveyed shopkeepers, encountering in the process the challenges of field research. “Some of the shop owners did not allow us to take photographs,” recounts PU1 student Durga, “and some shops were overflowing with customers, so it was difficult to establish conversation.”

For Durga, the experience has changed his perspective of the ways shops are managed, as his group learnt about sales tactics such as seasonal promotions and one-off discounts. “I learnt common strategies of managing a business and also the appropriate way to approach members of the public when conducting surveys or interviews.”

With Geography teacher Eric Ng, students learn about the climate using MI's weather field study centre.

Meanwhile, Geography students tested the ‘Bid Rent theory’ and found that as predicted, “the theory applies to any context regardless of the physical size of the location.” PU2 student Maria Humairah gathered data such as land use, building function and size, and the number of pedestrians and parking lots.

Her team also approached shopkeepers to ask about their rental rates. “I was quite nervous about approaching a member of the public and ask a rather personal question,” recalls Maria. “I was lucky not to get snubbed in the face but some of my peers were not so lucky!”

Her classmate Crystal Davina Dass adds that besides discovering how the ‘Bid Rent theory’ helps explain the way Bukit Batok is laid out, she thoroughly enjoyed the amount of freedom given to independently figure out what they have learnt. Now, she loves Geography more, “because by going out of the classroom, the subject becomes especially interesting and it helps us to see the whole picture.”

“We have been told many times by our teachers that the way to study is to understand and not to memorise,” she concludes. “This experiential lesson was indeed a good way to help us learn by understanding.”

For more information on TLLM Ignite!, read the MOE press release, “More Support for Schools’ ‘Teach Less, Learn More’ Initiatives”.