All Schools are GOOD Schools
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PiggyLalala:
[I feel the same too. Please stop asking principals to go out and keep parents informed of NEW and INTERESTING things that the schools have done. All these showcasing and exhibitions took up too much time. It is all for show and it is not necessary at all. I would rather let the teachers to have more time to prepare their lesson and do their markings. Also the use of IT or ipad etc, does not necessarily mean that the students will be more engaged or understand the lesson better. Sometimes, good textbooks/guidebooks and the old fashion way of teaching 'talk and chalk' can be equally effective too.
A didactic lecture, delivered by skilled orators, can be very powerful and inspiring. Gadgets and gizmos are sometimes more distracting than anything else else, if the oral delivery is good. IT/ipad should never replace the role of a teacher, and I hope teachers do not outsource teaching and learning to certain software!
Some teachers are bringing P1/P2 kids to computer labs, and find that it takes up half to a full period to ensure that everyone is successfully able to log in on the PC and a certain software. -
doodbug:
I hope it's just to allow students exposure to IT as a working tool, and not to replace teachers. It's good to be exposed to IT from young, since we are living in an IT world. No choice.PiggyLalala:
[I feel the same too. Please stop asking principals to go out and keep parents informed of NEW and INTERESTING things that the schools have done. All these showcasing and exhibitions took up too much time. It is all for show and it is not necessary at all. I would rather let the teachers to have more time to prepare their lesson and do their markings. Also the use of IT or ipad etc, does not necessarily mean that the students will be more engaged or understand the lesson better. Sometimes, good textbooks/guidebooks and the old fashion way of teaching 'talk and chalk' can be equally effective too.
A didactic lecture, delivered by skilled orators, can be very powerful and inspiring. Gadgets and gizmos are sometimes more distracting than anything else else, if the oral delivery is good. IT/ipad should never replace the role of a teacher, and I hope teachers do not outsource teaching and learning to certain software!
Some teachers are bringing P1/P2 kids to computer labs, and find that it takes up half to a full period to ensure that everyone is successfully able to log in on the PC and a certain software. -
concern2:
I just want to point out a few things after reading this article:Has anyone read this article from Today?
Skills imbalance due to Education System
Letter from Gerrard Ball 04:46 AM Mar 03, 2012
THE commentary \"China should take a lesson in US creativity\" (Feb 15) applies to the Singapore education system, too.
First and foremost, international companies based in Singapore want managers who can communicate effectively in English, solve problems and initiate creative ideas.
These are prerequisites for every international business.
Regrettably, the education system here does not provide these three skills to the degree that international employers require.
That is why expatriates make up the lion's share of senior management positions at multi-national companies and will do so until the local education system is changed.
The influx of overseas talent to fill the skills gap left by an education system that is churning out the wrong type of employee has driven up the cost of living, and senior overseas managers earn three to five times more than locals in junior positions.
It does not appear that this skills imbalance is being addressed.
(source: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120303-0000029/Skills-imbalance-due-to-education-system)
1) After all these years of having an English-based Education System, isn't it amazing that Singaporeans are perceived as unable to 'communicate effectively in English'? What about mother-tongue? It can't be better, can it? So is the a case of 两头不到岸？（Good in neither)
2) Has the over emphasis on tests and exams taken time from effective learning? I.e. able to go home each day having learnt something new rather than with a whole load of homework. And also time taken away from classroom interaction and giving each child opportunities to answer questions (with encouragement on efforts rather than being able to answer correctly)
3) The other 2 skills mentioned were problem solving and the initiation of creative ideas. These are thinking skills which requires the child to put together the things they have learnt to come up with possibilities, like putting together loose pieces of all the puzzle to form a picture. Perhaps all our kids are doing are forming some fixed puzzles, and do not have the flexibility of mind to use the same pieces to form other possible pictures, sort of like giving the child a box of legos, and telling him he could use it to make one structure, but not giving him the opportunity or time to figure out how the same pieces could be used to form different structures. -
I have to grudgingly agree that the english standard of the masses is very terok one, even for those who have gone through the uni ....
am now dealing with a professional engineer on a personal project - he just does not know how to communicate or put his thot / idea in a coherent sentence, no head no tail, jump here jump there in what he wants to say, really frustrating ..... only reason why I continue to deal with him is because of a verbal commitment that I will engage him for this project ..... getting myself a test in reading his mind to express his thoughts ....... pay money to test my patience ...... :moneyflies: :siao: -
concern2:
:goodpost:
I just want to point out a few things after reading this article:concern2:
Has anyone read this article from Today?
Skills imbalance due to Education System
Letter from Gerrard Ball 04:46 AM Mar 03, 2012
THE commentary \"China should take a lesson in US creativity\" (Feb 15) applies to the Singapore education system, too.
First and foremost, international companies based in Singapore want managers who can communicate effectively in English, solve problems and initiate creative ideas.
These are prerequisites for every international business.
Regrettably, the education system here does not provide these three skills to the degree that international employers require.
That is why expatriates make up the lion's share of senior management positions at multi-national companies and will do so until the local education system is changed.
The influx of overseas talent to fill the skills gap left by an education system that is churning out the wrong type of employee has driven up the cost of living, and senior overseas managers earn three to five times more than locals in junior positions.
It does not appear that this skills imbalance is being addressed.
(source: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120303-0000029/Skills-imbalance-due-to-education-system)
1) After all these years of having an English-based Education System, isn't it amazing that Singaporeans are perceived as unable to 'communicate effectively in English'? What about mother-tongue? It can't be better, can it? So is the a case of 两头不到岸？（Good in neither)
2) Has the over emphasis on tests and exams taken time from effective learning? I.e. able to go home each day having learnt something new rather than with a whole load of homework. And also time taken away from classroom interaction and giving each child opportunities to answer questions (with encouragement on efforts rather than being able to answer correctly)
3) The other 2 skills mentioned were problem solving and the initiation of creative ideas. These are thinking skills which requires the child to put together the things they have learnt to come up with possibilities, like putting together loose pieces of all the puzzle to form a picture. Perhaps all our kids are doing are forming some fixed puzzles, and do not have the flexibility of mind to use the same pieces to form other possible pictures, sort of like giving the child a box of legos, and telling him he could use it to make one structure, but not giving him the opportunity or time to figure out how the same pieces could be used to form different structures. -
I just want to point out a few things after reading this article:
1) After all these years of having an English-based Education System, isn’t it amazing that Singaporeans are perceived as unable to ‘communicate effectively in English’? What about mother-tongue? It can’t be better, can it? So is the a case of 两头不到岸？（Good in neither)
"Communicating effectively" is not referring to use of proper English, grammar or sentence structure. It is about putting your points across in a way that the other party can grasp and accept your points. In short, to sell your ideas. And this has to do with creativity, because how you put your ideas across effectively involves thinking laterally.
2) Has the over emphasis on tests and exams taken time from effective learning? I.e. able to go home each day having learnt something new rather than with a whole load of homework. And also time taken away from classroom interaction and giving each child opportunities to answer questions (with encouragement on efforts rather than being able to answer correctly)
I guess no choice because up to now, the only way of measuring whether a person has indeed learned something is to test him/her using some tools (e.g. assessment materials, homework etc). I do agree that kids should be given more time to enjoy and learn other things outside the classrooms, but how to ensure they don’t use the time to play computer games, watch TV etc…?
3) The other 2 skills mentioned were problem solving and the initiation of creative ideas. These are thinking skills which requires the child to put together the things they have learnt to come up with possibilities, like putting together loose pieces of all the puzzle to form a picture. Perhaps all our kids are doing are forming some fixed puzzles, and do not have the flexibility of mind to use the same pieces to form other possible pictures, sort of like giving the child a box of legos, and telling him he could use it to make one structure, but not giving him the opportunity or time to figure out how the same pieces could be used to form different structures.[/quote]
This is what I think too. But in our society too much emphasis on logical thinking, that’s our environment. Logical thinking is am important skill too, but people tend to put less attention on creative thinking. -
If schools content themselves with testing hard and dun teach sufficiently, then necessarily, there will be many people who are barely literate. The old social compact with the people has been re-interpreted in such a way that self-reliance actually now means that people have to find their own learning… so that they can cope with exams in school.
If people have to find their own learning… why is education still compulsory?
If people have to find their own learning… it is not surprising that many Singaporeans are barely literate whilst the few with access to learning are highly literate. The country cannot cope when only a few at the top are VERY GOOD. There needs to be a critical mass who are GOOD to support the economy.
It makes sense to do things the Finnish way… to reduce variance between top and bottom, but to level up the whole population to a high average. What I am lobbying for is not just our children’s well-being today… but the survival of this country. -
verykiasu2010:
Engineering course got this tech comm module.. suppose to equip the engineers with comm skills....I have to grudgingly agree that the english standard of the masses is very terok one, even for those who have gone through the uni ....
am now dealing with a professional engineer on a personal project - he just does not know how to communicate or put his thot / idea in a coherent sentence, no head no tail, jump here jump there in what he wants to say, really frustrating ..... only reason why I continue to deal with him is because of a verbal commitment that I will engage him for this project ..... getting myself a test in reading his mind to express his thoughts ....... pay money to test my patience ...... :moneyflies: :siao: -
limlim:
Engineering course got this tech comm module.. suppose to equip the engineers with comm skills....
But u can only do that much after being 'hardened' by the system for 12 whole yrs. And it doesn't help much after spending 2.5 yrs (now 2 yr) in NS acquiring a different set of vocab!!
Seriously, many found this module a chore!! -
Chenonceau:
I cannot help but get the feeling that the authorities have somewhat given up on developing the masses. Maybe that's too extreme a view, and we cannot deny that much is pumped in to ITEs and Polytechnics. But it does seem like the authorities have decided it is just quicker, easier and more productive to bring in the foreign talent, rather than to painstakingly develop every one of our own.If schools content themselves with testing hard and dun teach sufficiently, then necessarily, there will be many people who are barely literate. The old social compact with the people has been re-interpreted in such a way that self-reliance actually now means that people have to find their own learning... so that they can cope with exams in school.
If people have to find their own learning... why is education still compulsory?
If people have to find their own learning... it is not surprising that many Singaporeans are barely literate whilst the few with access to learning are highly literate. The country cannot cope when only a few at the top are VERY GOOD. There needs to be a critical mass who are GOOD to support the economy.
It makes sense to do things the Finnish way... to reduce variance between top and bottom, but to level up the whole population to a high average. What I am lobbying for is not just our children's well-being today... but the survival of this country.
The gulf in the literacy skills of the elite and even the middle of the cohort is stark. And educational stratification exacerbates the gulf.
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