MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 13

More importantly, the teachers’ belief that their pupils can benefit from
a wider repertoire of pedagogy strategies and more structured
assessment tools to track the pupils’ performance. Teachers at MINDS
schools had never believed that they were professionals and had fixed
mindsets. Professional development and courses were introduced to
enhance the competencies and capacities of the teachers.
The culture of Care is always present. From the School leaders, to the
teachers allied professionals (social workers, speech therapist,
occupational therapist and psychologist) to the volunteers.
Teacher care is manifested through their tenacious belief in doing what
they can to help their students live, learn and work. During a lesson
observation, we witnessed how a teacher deployed different strategies
to encourage her passive students to participate and how she had to
concurrently `disciplined’ students who were disengaged. It was a class
of only 5 students but the teachers’ prior understanding of these
students’ extreme cognitive and emotional needs have made learning
possible.
Through a dialogue session with a speech therapist, she shared her joy
when her student was able to mumble a 2-word compound noun. To
her, it was a success worth celebrating. It was an environment where
celebration is not anchored on academic excellence but personal
success.
Therapist helping student develop
motor skills
Room designed for motor skills
development
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