April 2008 Archives

Making Their Mark in Foreign Lands

April 30, 2008

Play time - after the competition, the VJC dance ensemble toured Barcelona and the surrounding region, such as the city of Girona.

What was it like participating in a competition in a foreign country where none of the organisers and production crew could speak English? Or how did it feel to perform in the world-renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City? Students from Victoria Junior College’s dance ensemble and band can answer all these questions and more.

Continue reading “Making Their Mark in Foreign Lands”»

SMART Robots, Student-Made

April 28, 2008

During their trip to the US, the SMART team from Temasek Secondary School also visited Devry University.

Clambering over fences, moving items across the playing field and scoring goals - sounds very much like an obstacle-filled telematch, doesn’t it? It sort of is, except that the “players” were robots competing to edge out the competition by accumulating the highest number of points. The venue was the FIRST Tech Challenge in the United States, and two of the robots hailed from Singapore, escorted by two SMART teams.

Continue reading “SMART Robots, Student-Made”»

Adding a Foreign Flavour to Singapore Schools (part 2)

April 25, 2008

Hailing from India, Mdm Sarojini has devoted the past 14 years of her career to teaching Maths at Riverside Secondary School.

“I came because I wanted to experience teaching in another country,” says Mdm Gnanam Sarojini, “and at that time, the remuneration here was attractive.” She thought she would go back to Chennai, India after a two-year contract. But today, 14 years on, she is still teaching Mathematics at Riverside Secondary School and she is happy to keep working here for as long as she can.

Continue reading “Adding a Foreign Flavour to Singapore Schools (part 2)”»

Adding a Foreign Flavour to Singapore Schools (part 1)

April 23, 2008

Mr Du has adapted to a new way of relating to students in Singapore, treating them as friends instead of always asserting his authority.

“I came here with my wife almost immediately after I graduated from my Masters programme. We had no idea we would stay so long,” admits Mr Du Xin. Eight years on, he is still teaching in Singapore, as is his wife, and they’re raising their two children here. Originally from Changchun in China, Mr Du is a Chinese teacher at Riverside Secondary School. His main motivation for coming to Singapore was to experience working in a new city. MOE accepted his wife and him as Chinese teachers at the same time, and they arrived in Singapore in 2000.

Continue reading “Adding a Foreign Flavour to Singapore Schools (part 1)”»

Taking Pride in Their E-portfolios

April 21, 2008

Pri 2 pupils hard at work on their online English assignments during curriculum time.

At Ai Tong School, pupils are taught to go online in Pri 1 - they learn to type, access their inboxes, send messages, upload posts, and attach their homework, audio recordings and photographs. In a pilot project that involved all 11 Pri 1 classes last year and continues into Pri 2 this year, the school is using an e-portfolio portal to encourage self-regulated learning, as well as to track pupils’ progress. “Previously, when our pupils went on outings or had show-and-tell sessions, the models they created or used were put aside after the presentation,” explains Mrs Frances Yeo, Head of Department, IT. “We wanted a way to capture their experiences, as well as a medium for them to share their reflections, knowledge and photographs.”

Continue reading “Taking Pride in Their E-portfolios”»

Character Development Camp Forges Leaders with a Global Vision

April 17, 2008

Getting wet at camp in the name of teamwork and character development.

Defending forces gather to fight off an intense assault. Suddenly, the invaders realise their mistake! Focusing on attack, they had neglected to defend their own forts. A rear guard had gotten through and smashed the structure to claim a point. But still, this was not the end of the battle It sounds brutal, but the arena was a rugby pitch at Jurong Junior College (JJC) and the bombs were water-filled balloons that left the warriors soaked but safe. Dubbed Kinetic Warfare, this was one of several team-building games at a recent camp that unexpectedly combined character development with the fine art of Chinese riddles.

Continue reading “Character Development Camp Forges Leaders with a Global Vision”»

Bridging the Gap to a New Life in Singapore

April 14, 2008

Htoo from Myanmar (extreme left) and Hwayeon from South Korea (second from right) with their buddies.

For Htoo Pyae Aung from Myanmar and Lee Hwayeon from South Korea, adapting to student life in Singapore hasn’t been that difficult. At Northland Secondary School, these two Sec 2 students can always turn to their Singaporean buddies for help, whether it is to clarify something the teacher said or to find out about an aspect of Singapore culture.

Continue reading “Bridging the Gap to a New Life in Singapore”»

Setting up a Successful Parent Support Group

April 11, 2008

Mrs Jane Koe (4th from left) with members of Ngee Ann Primary's PSG.

Mrs Jane Koe was instrumental in forming Ngee Ann Primary School’s Parent Support Group (PSG), which was featured on Schoolbag in January. Currently the PSG chairperson, she shares some lessons on setting up and running a PSG.

Continue reading “Setting up a Successful Parent Support Group”»

The Direct Track to Polytechnics

April 9, 2008

Chan Ya Yi secured a place in Ngee Ann Polytechnic through the DPA, after displaying a passion and aptitude for her chosen field, Mass Communications.

For many young and passionate people, it’s never too soon to work towards your dreams. Take Chan Ya Yi for example. Even as the 17-year-old sat for her GCE “O” Levels at Nan Hua High School last October, she was already looking forward to a new year of learning and activities at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where she had secured a place to pursue a diploma in Mass Communications through the Direct Polytechnic Admission (DPA) exercise.

Continue reading “The Direct Track to Polytechnics”»

Raising the Quality of Pre-school Education

April 7, 2008

New teaching methods can make pre-school learning more effective.

“We believe that better educated teachers will be able to perform their roles better, primarily because of the acquisition of a strong knowledge base from which to work their practical application,” notes Ms Magdalene Teow, Principal, Kinderland Serangoon. “As diversification in the pre-school sector intensifies, teaching in a pre-school requires an increasingly complex skill set that demands more of our teachers.”

Continue reading “Raising the Quality of Pre-school Education”»

Using Sports to Say Y.E.S. to Staying in School

April 4, 2008

Juying Primary School uses sport as a tool to reach out to students, and to help them work on issues of motivation and self-esteem.

“Goal! - and that’s another goal for Juying Primary School!” With the referee’s final whistle marking the end of the game, the on-court players and their team members at the sidelines erupt into loud cheers and high-fives. Team Juying has emerged second runner-up at the Inter-Primary Floorball (5-A-Side) Invitational at the 2007 Sports Carnival organised by Jurong West Secondary School. The victory was all the more sweeter as the players had picked up the sport less than six months ago. The team comprised of pupils from Juying Primary School’s pastoral care and counselling support programme - Y.E.S. (Young Eagles Sports Club) Club; a school programme which aimed to work closely with at-risk pupils to support and guide them.

Continue reading “Using Sports to Say Y.E.S. to Staying in School”»

Words, Sounds and Books Give a Boost to Literacy

April 3, 2008

Fun words games keep the LSP students at Yangzheng Primary School engaged in learning.

The word “television” is taped on the TV set, and around the living room, you see identification labels with “sofa”, “book shelf”, “window” and “curtains”. Step into the kitchen and there are more labels for “dining table”, “refrigerator”, “larder” and so on. This is Tim’s home and today he’s able to rattle off each name easily. But the situation was very different when he first entered Pri 1 a year ago. Then, he could barely read, and would stare in silence when a flash card was shown to him. How did Tim improve his reading skills so quickly?

Continue reading “Words, Sounds and Books Give a Boost to Literacy”»

A Helping Hand for a Child with ADHD

April 2, 2008

Miss Tan Lay Leng worked collaboratively with the parents and teachers of a child with ADHD to help him improve his behaviour.

My journey with a child with ADHD has taught me valuable lessons. His parents, teachers and I walked through helplessness at first. The child’s impulsivity, manifested in behaviour that exhibited a lack of self-control, had escalated in intensity and frequency during the first month in school. He was getting hurt, his peers were getting hurt, and he was losing friendships quickly. He damaged his classmates’ property and took things that did not belong to him. No one wanted to be his friend. As he was attracted to gadgets, he was caught switching on the computers in several classrooms in the mornings. Once, he even cut an internet cable in the classroom because “the computer was not working”. His teachers were challenged. His parents were challenged. As his counsellor, I was challenged.

Continue reading “A Helping Hand for a Child with ADHD”»