LEARNING | LUMEN 9
“
I didn ’ t know much about the Peranakan
Culture . This trip has been a great learning journey for me ...
“
Amidst their experiential learning the boys were introduced to articles on Peranakan culture , as well as snippets from our local production Little Nonya displaying tok panjang scenes which were quite similar to their kueh feast in the canteen . They then used their observations made while reading relevant articles and their visit to the Peranakan Museum and applied them to their writing whether it was crafting a narrative or responding to a situational stimulus . Prior to that , in groups they also researched on a specific culture they were unfamiliar with such as Egyptian burial rites or tribal initiation rites and then presented their observations and opinions regarding that culture to their peers . They did so employing power point or Prezi . The more adventurous tried to convey their learning through a dramatic portrayal which never failed to entertain their classmates . This is just a glimpse of the English Department ’ s approach to create interest among students and to stimulate , to provoke and to set students thinking about a range of contemporary issues ; in this instance about heritage and cultural roots . It is not only aligned to the English Department ’ s goal of extending a rich culture experience for the boys but also to that of internationalism - a focus of the International Baccalaureate , which SJI will be officially offering in 2013 beginning with our inaugural batch of Year 5s .
Facing page ( inset ): Unravelling the mysteries of Peranakan culture
Facing page ( background ): Listening attentively to the docent at the Peranakan Museum
This page ( top ): Having a kueh feast
This page ( right ): Kevin Yong and Edgar Wang ( 421 ) enjoying their cultural experience