May 2008 Archives

“Seeing” What Students Think

May 30, 2008

River Valley High School Visible Thinking

Students using “See Think Wonder” to document what the series of images makes them think about.

When a teacher poses a question in class and two students give very different answers, the teacher may wonder: How did the students arrive at those answers? What were they thinking of? And for the student who might have come to the wrong conclusion, what “went wrong” during the thinking process? For teachers at River Valley High School, they can now gain insight into their students’ thinking through the Visible Thinking approach. Developed at Harvard University’s Project Zero, it uses a set of thinking routines to make thinking more explicit. More importantly, these thinking routines, each with its own specific set of questions, promote critical thinking and nurture a thinking culture in the classroom. For example, Mrs Christine Teo, who teaches Year 1 (Sec 1-equivalent) students, applies the Visible Thinking approach in her English Language Arts classes (the subject is a merger of English and English Literature).

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Solving Real-world Problems with Students’ Mathematical Models

May 29, 2008

Singapore International Mathematics Challenge 2008

The Singapore International Mathematics Challenge 2008 drew talented mathematics students from around the world.

Here’s the situation: You’re a port operator who has to get ships unloaded of their container cargo as speedily and efficiently as possible. You’ve got over 60 ships passing through your port in the next five days, and you need to move them into berths, unload them and move them out again, with as few delays as possible. You have to figure out how to do this, using mathematical modelling based on a data set of information about the ship movements. And you have to do all this within 24 hours. Sound like a challenge for port engineers? Maybe - but they weren’t the ones who had the 24-hour deadline looming over them - it was a group of secondary school and JC students who did.

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Parenteers in Action

May 26, 2008

North View Pri parenteers

Some parenteers offer free haircuts for financially needy pupils.

Don’t call them a Parent Support Group. At North View Primary School, they’re the parenteers - parents and volunteers, all rolled into one, who work together in their Parenteers Schoolhouse in the school and have come up with all sorts of ways to chip in with what the school needs. They may not be superheroes with superpowers, but these parenteers have energy, ideas and a heart for the school’s pupils. “It aims to be a true grouping by parents for parents,” says Principal Mr Ng Yeow Ling. More than just a supporting role, the parenteers want to organise and spearhead their own projects, while offering networking platform for parents to come together to learn, share and serve.

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Getting into the Olympic Spirit

May 16, 2008

Bukit View Pri Olympism

Bukit View Primary pupils get into the Olympic spirit through the Olympism@W4 programme.

Who’s the true Olympian: a multiple gold-medallist who races far ahead of her competitors, or a runner who while representing his country at the Olympic Games, won no medals? And what if you knew that the former had turned to drugs to boost her performance, while the latter had achieved his 100-metre personal best of 10.3 seconds during the Games and, decades later, continues to be honoured as his nation’s greatest sprinter? Questions like these and more are some of the hot topics raised in the West 4 Cluster’s Olympism@W4 programme at Bukit View Primary School, which aims to infuse an Olympic Education into the curriculum, particularly in PE and character development.

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Bringing Parents into the Picture

May 14, 2008

St Nicholas Girls' School workshop

The Managing Change for Sec 1s workshop is faciltated by parents.

From facilitating workshops to career guidance, from counselling to being a "praying mom" - these are some of the ways in which the parents at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School are involved in the school's counselling and guidance programmes. Programmes such as Managing Change for Sec 1s, ParentsInSync, Emergence and the Job Attachment scheme would not be as rich without the contributions of these parents. "It's a whole-school approach," says the school's Full-time School Counsellor (FTSC) Ms Low Li Eng. "As the saying goes, 'it takes a village to raise a child'. At St Nicholas, we hope that through the school family (village) of staff and parents, we can make the school environment one where every student is able to find motivation, challenge, comfort, joy, encouragement, consolation and strength."

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Registering Your Child for Pri 1

May 12, 2008

Choosing the right primary school

Coming soon - MOE's annual Primary 1 Registration Exercise.

It’s coming up to that time of the year again - July and August, when parents with children who are old enough to start primary school have to register them in MOE’s annual Pri 1 Registration Exercise To help guide parents through this process, MOE has published a booklet, Primary 1 Registration Exercise. Parents whose children are eligible for registration will receive the booklet from their children’s pre-schools from May. Here’s a quick guide to the different registration phases.

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Making Music of Their Own

May 9, 2008

Nanyang Primary songbook

Music and choir teacher Ms Mavis Tan, with the young singers in the recording studio.

“My island home knows the sea and the foam And our Merlion standing on the shore A tropical breeze stirs the coconut trees And happy am I beneath the blue sky …” Sharing his delight in Singapore’s island scenery and landmarks, Pri 6 pupil, Ho Yung Cher, is the proud songwriter of “My Island Home”, a song he penned last year. What’s more, Yung Cher’s composition is one of 24 musical scores featured in a songbook published by Nanyang Primary School. 童声稚曲 (Collection of Original Song Compositions) is the school’s first ever compilation of original songs by its pupils. It comes packaged together with a CD recording of the songs, sung by pupils from the school choir. The book contains lively tunes set to themes close to the composers’ hearts, from their love for the nation and the school, to their favourite hobbies and appreciating nature around them.

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A Mentor and an Inspiration

May 7, 2008

Hougang Primary adjunct teachers

Mr Yeo engages his rapt students with his wealth of experience during Science lessons.

Ask any teacher at Hougang Primary School, and they’ll give the thumbs up for the adjunct teachers scheme. Announced by MOE in September 2004, this initiative aims to attract former trained teachers to rejoin the teaching profession in a part-time or temporary capacity. “It’s a win-win situation,” says Vice-Principal Mdm Cindy Lim. “While the school benefits from the wealth of experience these teachers bring, the retired teachers too are doing something they enjoy, with fewer responsibilities.”

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Apathetic? Not us!

May 5, 2008

Raffles Community Leaders Forum

International and local students engaged with one another, developed ideas and formulated proposals at the Raffles Community Leaders Forum.

Are young Singaporeans apathetic? Put this question to Adeline Chong, a student member of the organising committee of the Raffles Community Leaders Forum, and she’ll say a resolute no. “The past week’s active discussions during the Forum have certainly proven that a misconception,” she notes. Held from 7 to 11 March, the Raffles Community Leaders Forum at Raffles Junior College (RJC) aimed to provide a platform for young community leaders from ASEAN and beyond to share their experiences and best practices, and to collaborate on proposals for actions. Forum participants engaged one another in discussions on diverse social issues, and put their heads and hearts together to propose solutions to a better world.

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She's got rhythm: Dance moves get Cheryl into her school of choice

May 2, 2008

St Margaret's Secondary dance

Cheryl's talent in dance and rhythmic gymnastics helped her secure a place in St Margaret's Secondary School.

There are leaps and swings, rolls and runs, spirals and circles. With rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon, Cheryl Ng performs with fluid ease a range of sequences that blend precise control and rhythmic grace. A dancer at heart, the Sec 2 student can thank her art for the opportunity, through the Direct School Admission - Secondary Exercise (DSA-Sec), to take to the stage as well as pursue her studies at St Margaret's Secondary School.

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