FEATURE | LUMEN
7 during Teacher Talk , we experience the joy of learning .
• Learning from Guest Speakers The school regularly invites professionals and industry leaders to share their ideas and perspectives on societal trends , challenges and opportunities . This year , SJI was honoured to have Mr Ho Kwon Ping , Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and Chairman Board of Trustees Singapore Management University for our Teachers ’ Dialogue . It was an opportunity for teachers to hear from a person whose experiences and accomplishments traverse both industry and education .
Mr Ho shared a personal experience of his own younger son who struggled through much of his school life . The turning point came when he went to a school that recognised and rewarded both effort and accomplishment . This built up the confidence that was to see him progress both academically and personally . This personal story set the tone for the dialogue as teachers could readily identify with the struggles that some students have in their education journey . The importance of building confidence was a timely reminder for us as educators .
Mr Ho shared his belief that it is time for our good education system to move away from focusing on the top academic performers but to broaden and deepen the emphasis on ‘ special needs ’ individuals – ranging from those with special talents to those with special learning needs . He credits the younger officers in education for recognising and wanting to improve the system to make education in Singapore more holistic and suited for the changing world . The challenge , he believes , lie in convincing the established and successful parents who benefited from the old system .
Replying to a question on what values he would advocate as essential in educating the young , Mr Ho opined that most organisations and society in general agreed on similar key values to instil in the young . The issue is where the leaders and members of the organisation are able to build a culture based on these values and if they ‘ walk the talk ’.
In closing , Mr Ho reinforced the importance of the role of teachers who are guiding the young at this stage in their lives . As a mission school , the educators can make a huge difference in building up their confidence , resilience and a sense of purpose and meaning .
Many of the teachers were very appreciative of the session . Mr Chong Jun Hien felt that Mr Ho ’ s views on education resonated with his own , while Ms Christina Leong appreciated the fresh perspectives through his sharing .
We Collaborate to Learn Deeply
• Learning Education Approaches and Strategies
The Foundation Programme Academy conducted two sessions on the use of Make Thinking Visible ( MTV ) Routines . These Thinking routines aimed to promote Engagement , Understanding and Independence for all learners .
The ‘ O ’ level Programme Academy teachers were involved in workshops on Concept Based Curriculum Instruction and 7 Strategies of Assessments for Learning . To stretch the ‘ O ’ Level students further , a team of teachers have been planning and preparing for Project Work for Year 3 students in place of the Mid-Year exam in 2019 .
The ATL Explorers are a group of 7 IP-IB teachers who came together to learn how to implement Approaches to Teaching & Learning ( ATL ) in their classrooms . They started with a topic of inquiry and an issue to tackle . They then discussed intervention measures and possible data to collect to deepen their inquiry .
Facing page ( bottom left ): PD Growth Framework 2018 conceptualized by SJI PD Team , adapted from Bransford ’ s Perspectives of Learning Environments
Facing page ( bottom right ): Who says Gaming is not Learning ?? Everyone loves a good game !
This page ( top left ): Teachers dancing their way to learning how to achieve balance between mind and body !
This page ( top right ): Teachers in deep learning - sharing of data collected by ATL Explorers
This page ( right , 2nd from top ): Critical Friend Mr Christopher Ngoh observing Mr Paolo Macario teach EE research skills to his students at Orchard Road
This page ( bottom left ): Teachers Alan Johnson and Paolo Macario engage Mr Ho