8 LUMEN | LEARNING
Enriching
the Students ’ Cultural
Experience
by Krison Tan
How to make language learning engaging ? A constant challenge that faces the English
Department leaves the English teachers undaunted but to attempt various strategies .
Since Rites was the theme in the English Language Programme for the Secondary Four students in term one , the graduating cohort visited the Peranakan Museum . This fulfilled the objective of the department to enrich the students ' learning beyond the classroom , to discover more about this colourful and unique community in Singapore by being exposed to its origin , marriage , religious and funeral rites as well as cuisine .
From 27 January to 10 February 2012 , thirteen Secondary Four classes were accompanied by their English Language tutors and parent volunteers to the museum . Due to the considerable number of students visiting the museum , engaging the help of the parent volunteers was crucial . On different days , Mr Kenneth Tan , Ms Chan Wah Tiong , Ms Lam Kah Ling , Ms Chee Lee Fun , Madam Raihan and Madam Zhou Meng Yue offered their time and effort to help make this segment of the learning possible and successful . They ensured the students were engaged in their learning as they explored the various galleries in the museum .
“ I didn ’ t know much about the Peranakan Culture . This trip has been a great learning
journey for me ,” reflected Aymeric Seah ( 434 ). For some other students , they made an interesting discovery of their own roots and some even found out for the first time they were actually Peranakans through the visit of the museum and happily informed their parents of their discovery .
In addition to the visits to the museum , the unsuspecting Secondary Four students ’ learning took a culinary turn when a wide assortment of Nonya cakes tiled the tops of four long canteen tables in green , red , brown and white . Like sentries , Mrs Sandra Lee , the Head of the English Department , together with the other English Language teachers Ms Daisy Chia , Ms Deborah Goh , Mr Mok Hsu Pan , and Mr Krison Tan , stood beside the aromatic bejewelled tables armed with fork and knife battling the onslaught of the Secondary Four students during their recess break . In an act of surrendering , the boys extended their plate to be served by the teachers . Sweet gula melaka , steamed glutinous rice , coconut and pandan fragrance filled the air and they succumbed to it , taking huge bites out of the neatly cut pieces of the kueh koswee , talam hijau , kueh bingka , kueh seri muka and kueh lapis sagu .