MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 50

observations and interacted with the staff of the schools, I noticed that the
teachers are very passionate in their work. Not only that they know each
and every of the child at their fingertips, they would have to handle the
tantrums of the children every single day which can be draining and tiring.
Despite that, they handle the children with care and love. I was especially
inspired by the fact that the teachers in Fernvale Gardens School will have
to customise their materials based on the learning needs of the children
under their care, even if it is for just one student in the class. In addition,
the school uses smartboard as the main tool for teaching and learning to
take place. As I looked back to our mainstream schools, while we talk and
advocate differentiated instruction in class, we will have to handle 30-40
students as compared to the SPED school when they have about 8 – 14
students in class. The idea of differentiated instruction may not even pull
through many at times. With our teachers involved in many programmes
and roles unlike the SPED school teachers where they focus only the
children, this makes it even more difficult for our mainstream teachers to
have the time to customise materials for each and every child in the class to
make learning more meaningful. While the SPED school is so advanced in
the use of smartboard in their teaching, some mainstream schools are still
struggling to even move away from the use of normal whiteboard or rather
the usual teacher-centred teaching.
As a subject head in my department, I constantly reflect on how I can
drive a change in curriculum that benefits my students without over taxing
my passionate teachers with the same 24 hours given to each and every of
us. When I was talking to the various therapists in the SPED school, I
realised that, everyone of us is here for a reason, we all have a specific role
to play in our students’ life. Perhaps, collaboration while not losing focus on
our core role can be one way to drive changes.
49