Top PSLE Scorer’s Steady Route to Success
November 28, 2008
Yen Jean (far right) having fun with classmates on a school trip in Perth to learn about Future Problem Solving.
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November 2008 Archives
Pupils and Parents Share A Robotics Challenge
November 25, 2008
The NJRC is an opportunity for pupils to learn teamwork, entrepreneurship and creativity through robotics.
Many kids would spend the mid-term break in September relaxing at home or hanging out in the malls. But not this bunch at Yew Tee Primary School.
Instead, their holiday was a week of teamwork and dedication to train and prepare for the National Junior Robotics Competition (NJRC). Their sacrifice paid off when two out of six participating teams from Yew Tee Primary School made it all the way through the qualifying rounds to compete in the grand finals of the NJRC at the Singapore Science Centre.
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Outstanding Youth In Education Award - Nominations are now open!
November 19, 2008
If you know of exceptional young teachers who have demonstrated great efforts in motivating and inspiring our youth, The National Youth Council and The Ministry of Education invites you to honour their achievement by sending in nominations for the Outstanding Youth In Education Award.
The Award gives national recognition to young teachers who are actively involved in youth development and the role they play in moulding the future of our nation. These role models are educators who personify youthful idealism, energy, enthusiasm and play a critical role in developing our youths beyond the formal curriculum.
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Teachers Who Make Mother Tongue Learning Come Alive
November 18, 2008
Besides Tamil vocabulary and science, Mrs Janaki uses stories to teach values such as respect and love for animals.
“Drill, baby, drill!”
Is that how you remember Mother Tongue learning in the past, when pupils had to memorise realms of idioms and long vocabulary lists? Perish the thought of arduous rote learning - today, there’s never been a better time to be learning your Mother Tongue. Be it Chinese, Malay or Tamil, teachers today are delving into their creative wells to make language lessons come alive and kicking.
From reading stories about our furry friends at the zoo or discovering the healing power of Chinese herbs, Mother Tongue language classes are now adventures that connect language with life. And three teachers who played key roles in bringing about such changes were honoured recently at the 2008 Teachers Network (TN) awards.
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Teachers Who Touch Lives Through Technology
November 14, 2008
Mr Yin Jian is one of three winners of the 2008 TN awards who use technology to teach.
You have heard of Linux, but what about Cinux? One is a popular software system, while Cinux is a portal filled with teaching resources for Chinese language. But like Linux, Cinux was born from a passion to make things better.
Meanwhile, a veteran teacher hosts a website that is a treasure trove of Malay language and culture for both pupils and the public. And instead of barring mobile phones from classes, one Tamil language teacher actively encourages her pupils to text message each other - during lesson time!
In their unique ways, three teachers have harnessed the power of information technology to transform the learning experience. In doing so, their efforts have earned the recognition of their peers at the 2008 Teachers Network (TN) awards.
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Bits and Bytes - An Education Portal Built with Passion
November 12, 2008
It took teacher Leonard Kua - who has no prior IT training - three years of persistent hard work to build up Brainbits.
Parents at Maha Bodhi School needn’t rack their brains to stay abreast of their children’s homework or keep tabs on their behaviour in school. With a click of a mouse button, they can find out the latest buzz on their kids’ performance, conduct and attitudes in class.
What’s more, pupils can download worksheets, take quizzes to test their understanding of class lessons and revise vital concepts through a system called Online Practice. All this is possible thanks to Brainbits, an interactive website created by a teacher on his own.
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Learning Chinese - Teaching Through Online Games
November 6, 2008
A teacher displays DIR instructional materials on a screen projection.
This is the eighth article in Schoolbag's series of 10 features on the new primary school Chinese Language curriculum. Read the previous ones here.
An earlier version of this article was published in Lianhe Zaobao on 8 May 2007. For a Chinese version of this article, click here.
Using mobile phones and computers, and surfing the Internet are second nature for children today. They grow up playing and communicating with friends and family using all sorts of digital devices.
So it's no surprise that when these same children enter the classroom, they readily learn through information technology (ICT). Leveraging on this interest, MOE has developed a comprehensive set of Digital Instructional Resources (DIR) to help teachers use IT in Chinese Language teaching. Designed to make learning more interesting for pupils, these wide-ranging interactive multimedia materials cover various aspects of the curriculum and complement the content of existing textbooks and activity books.
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Learning Chinese - Writing It Right through Pictures and Phrases
November 4, 2008
Pupils hold up beautifully decorated written work.
This is the seventh article in Schoolbag's series of 10 features on the new primary school Chinese Language curriculum. Read the previous ones here.
An earlier version of this article was published in Lianhe Zaobao on 1 May 2007. For a Chinese version of this article, click here.
How can you write if you know neither the words nor what to write about?
The ability to pen your thoughts is vital to mastering any language, including Chinese. But before a child can do so, he or she must be able to recognise the characters that make up the language, as well as understand how to use them in speech and writing.
That is why the new Chinese Language curriculum seeks an appropriate balance in its emphases on reading, writing, listening and speaking. Far from neglecting written composition, the curriculum provides a firm grounding in the skills needed to write in Chinese, be it letters to loved ones or sharing personal stories in essays.
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