9th July 2012 12:40
By Blue Tutors
Singapore goes from Tiger Teaching Methods to the Great Outdoors
BBC news reporter, Rebecca Lim writes that Singapore, the model of exceptional teaching that outperforms every European country (apart from Finland), is becoming aware of the value of ‘creative’ teaching methods.
Having become internationally renowned for their outstanding results, Singapore now feels that students must be prepared differently for the demands of the next 20 years. So, instead of seeing rows of students with their heads stuck in their books, now we can see students out in the countryside, learning by active involvement and research.
Minister for Education, Heng Swee Keat, said this is ''less about content knowledge'' but ''more about how to process information".
He describes this challenge to innovate as being able to "discern truths from untruths, connect seemingly disparate dots, and create knowledge even as the context changes''.
Learning in Singapore is now being described as ‘holistic’ education. It’s less about cramming for tests and more about the process of learning.
Putting this into practice, on a sunny April morning, 80 students from one of Singapore's top schools were trekking outdoors.The nine to 10 years olds from Rosyth School were on a ''learning journey'' in a park, incorporating science topics and values such as caring for the environment.
''We are conducting a biopsy to find out why a bee, a fish, a bird and a plant mysteriously died,'' said student Darren Ong. ''Is it because of human actions?''
They photographed ''evidence'' on smartphones and digital cameras, soaking up facts on plant and animal species on their iPads.
''In one activity, I can cover three topics,'' said science teacher Lin Lixun, clad in a white laboratory coat for his role as chief investigator.
''They can really learn through hands-on experience and putting things into action,'' said civics and moral education teacher, Joslyn Huang.