I have read through the Raffles Programme, and I do believe that they have managed to intergrate critical thinking in their curriculum rather successfully. Below is an extract taken from their official website, http://www.raffles.sg/programme.html

The Raffles Programme – Built with you in mind.

The Raffles Programme (RP) is our unique 6-year Integrated Programme which begins in either Raffles Institution or Raffles Girls School, and leads you straight to Singapore’s top junior college, Raffles Junior College.

The RP offers a seamless curriculum from Secondary 1 to Junior College, culminating in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Levels Examinations. Since you no longer need to prepare for the ‘O’ Levels Examinations, much of your precious time will be freed up to hone the valuable skills and habits of mind you will need to surge far ahead in life.

The rigorous, yet stimulating, RP is differentiated to cater to the needs of our gifted and talented students. It prepares you for the demands of a fast-changing world where you will be expected to be responsible risk-takers when leading and serving the community and nation.

The RP is modeled on exemplary gifted education principles. The curriculum is based on the Integrated Curriculum Model (Joyce Van Tassel-Baska, 1986), developed for high-ability learners. The key elements of the curriculum are advanced content, higher order process-and-product work and overarching themes and concepts. Socio-economic learning is a key thrust of the RP curriculum.

What you can look forward to in the RP
The RP offers multiple options for research and independent learning. If conducting cutting-edge research is your cup of tea, you can look to dedicated faculty members from institutes of higher learning and industry partners for mentorship.

Character and Leadership Education is a cornerstone of the RP. The cultivation of national consciousness and the development of personal effectiveness and leadership competencies are undertaken in such a way that your experience is always authentic and of practical value.

The Raffles Philosophy course is also offered to all students and aims to nurture a community of inquirers with strong empathy and well-honed reasoning and dialoguing skills.

The Raffles Philosophy Course
The course helps you to understand the nature and construction of knowledge and how it reflects the values and ideologies within a society at a certain point in time. You will then be able to reflect about the very act of thinking, so that you can become conscious of who you are, why you act the way you do and what you believe in.

Key Understandings

• The discipline of philosophy helps us to organize and unify our view of the world and make sense of it.
• Philosophy characteristically raises questions about the basic assumptions of every form of human enquiry and critically examines one’s most fundamental beliefs about truth and reality, right and wrong.
• Philosophical enquiry leads to an informed understanding of oneself and the way one lives.

If you have read Chapter 20 of the Philosophical Reflections for Educators, you would realise that Philosophy has a place in the 21st Century classroom. To add, I think that Raffles’ options for research and independent learning is very much relevant in cultivating critical thinking.

So, how do we intergrate philosophy and research and independent learning in our classrooms? (As a primary school teacher, I shall focus on primary classrooms)

1. Integration of Philosophy – do not get me wrong. I do not intend to produce philosophers. In addition, discussing Plato’s Republic might be a little too much for primary school children. What I would like to integrate here is an enquiry-based learning which allows for dialogues, discussions (which philosphers very much like to do). In integrating such method of learning, critical thinking can be infused into the curriculum as children now need to not only provide evidence but use higher-order thinking skills to deliver them.

2. Research and Independent Learning – I am not talking about PBL or group work. If you have been to an IRS exhibition, you will be amazed by the works of young children barely the age of ten. I would carry out the independent learning in the following manner:

a. the child chooses his/her own topic or research interest
b. the child chooses his/her own mentor
c. the child creates an outline of his/her planned actions with a deadline he/she feels achieavable.

The independent and research learning therefore does not focus on the outcome but the process leading to the outcome. In allowing the child to decide for him/herself, it not only empowers them or teaches them certain values but also allows them to tap on their thinking skills when  making decisions.

Dayangku (Nuurul)

http://www.crescent.edu.sg/special_progs/ICT%20Lead/ICT%20Lead.htmIn 2006, Crescent Girls School embarked on two LEAD ICT Projects, namely ‘Tablet PC Mediated Instruction in History’ and ‘Motivation Orientation in a Nurturing Technologically Enhanced Environment’.

In the first project, 149 students from four Secondary 2 classes were selected to take part in a research project over a period of 10 weeks to ascertain the impact of technology on the teaching and learning of History in the achievement and affective domains. The technology aspects covered both the use of Tablet PCs in a wireless environment as well as the inclusion of technology-integrated Microlessons using the ‘Strategies for Active and Independent Learning’ (SAIL) framework.

The second project attempts to examine the relationship of students’ motivation orientation towards learning and their achievement in a nurturing technologically enhanced environment. The fundamental baseline of learning outcomes lies in the motivation orientation of the students – their perception of the reasons why they are engaging in a learning task. The students’ motivation orientation to learning includes their intrinsic and extrinsic orientation, task value, control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy for learning and performance, and test anxiety. Different dimensions on the motivation orientation of 1053 students from Secondary 1 to 3 were assessed and compared.

Benefits:

Although there was no significant difference in the achievement scores of the experimental and control groups in the ‘Tablet PC Mediated Instruction in History’ project, the students’ perception survey revealed significant differences amongst the two groups in the level of confidence the students had in handling the different types of skills required in the assessment of history, their engagement in collaborative learning and the motivation exhibited in learning the subject. The findings indicated that the students in the experimental group had shown a significant higher level of collaboration amongst themselves than the control group. This result is also consistent with the teacher’s observations of the students’ behaviour during the history lessons. The students from the experimental classes had discussed more about History and were more likely to share about learning materials with their friends as compared to the students from the control classes.

With the new systems put in place, it provides opportunities for all teachers to learn and share from one another during white space. It also encourages IT directors and IT eCoaches who are more IT savvy to handhold and level up other teachers. Last, but not least, level co-ordinators and teachers are able to integrate IT more effectively and pervasively into lessons using the departmental IT strategies.

• Student centred learning in the form of Problem based learning will allow students to exchange knowledge and hopefully learn from one another
• By using I.T, students not only improve on their I.T skills but will actually be more interested to learn.
• Students will learn more when they are having fun such as through the use of computers to teach
• Students can improve through scaffolding, teachers to only probe them when needed.
• Allow students to choose which topic from that particular subject they want to learn first. This will hopefully keep them interested and allow them to do better for tests.
• Students will feel more motivated to learn if they learn things within their own groups. Collaborative learning means they will find out more things to share with their groupmates. They will want to contribute more and this will hopefully increase their sense of self efficacy.

yong teng

Y

Y

CEDAR GIRLS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL

http://app.sis.moe.gov.sg/schinfo/SIS_SearchDtls.asp

(Due to maintenance reason, the school website is down currently. Please check back later.)

·         Identified student leaders are trained by existing student leaders to run the annual Secondary 3 school camp, which allow students to develop character and team building, leadership grooming and enhancing better self-confidence in students.

·         Teachers and students participate in annual Think Quest competition which allows learning to take place beyond textbook knowledge led by a series of brain-storming sessions. This enhances broad-based and independent learning in conjunction with teamwork.

·         Reflective learning mode of education is intensively practiced on Wednesdays mornings where students as well as teachers, vice-principal and principal share their thoughts on moral and character building issues. This form of presentation and public speaking skills helps to build up individual student’s confidence.

·         Concept of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has been introduced for the past two years, where students are given daily-life problems to solve whereby the have to apply the knowledge in language, humanities, sciences, mathematics as well as aesthetics that was learn and this allow students to “think out of the box”.

·         Students who have certain talents, other than academic aspects – such as athletics and musical skills; are allowed to be used to Direct School Admission (DSA), so as to allow diverse facet of talents to grow, so as to enhance a well-balanced education, not just solely based on academia.

·         Even foreign students – such as from China, Vietnam and other parts of South-East Asia were recruited and this allows local students to know, exchange, learn and celebrate different countries cultural background so as to realize the importance of racial harmony locally and globally.

·         Creating of E-learning “web-blogs” and “pedagogical blogs” to allow freedom of ideas to be contributed and exchanged by students and continuously monitoring by teachers as facilitators of learning.

- Lydia Song

In my honest opinion, i think that most of us behave in such a way because we have been told to do so. There was civic education, our parents, teachers and many many more who insist we do something a certain way. I remember my CME lessons. The book states that i should help an old woman cross the road. And i remember my parents telling me to respect my older siblings despite having them pull my hair all the time. Oh, and lets not forget our involuntary voluntary work. Let’s face it, half of the kids at the old folks home doing ‘voluntary work’ are just there to gain CIP hours. I couldn’t really recall the moral factor of it all. I’m just doing all these because they want me to. So maybe that’s why I am moral (or at least i try to be.) This anecdotal report however, doesn’t seem to answer the question posted to us though. Why SHOULD we be moral?

Well, i can come up with a few reasons. Firstly, most if not all of us have heard about Karma. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  We should treat others the way we want to be treated. But this is rather selfish don’t you think? We are only doing good to others, because we have our own agenda. Our good deed didn’t come sincerely from the bottom of our black hearts.

But thankfully for us, we aren’t born with selfish monstrous egocentric desires. In fact, we humans are blessed with the complete opposite. Compassion, empathy, love. We are all hippies in disguise. So with all these virtues embedded in all of us, how can we not be moral? It is who we are. Being moral is what separates us from the animals.

Plus, Kohl berg believes that one would eventually reach a certain stage of a maturity, and at this stage we all tend to conduct ourselves in a particular way. According to him, we somehow realize we have a social obligation to live up to.

So, it is not a matter of whether we should or should not be moral. I think we just are (moral beings). Morality is part of being human.

-N

My reaction was negative because as a student in our education system, I have been introduced to structure, structure and more structure. Practise, practise and practise. Memorise, memorise and memorise. It does affect the way I teach. Though I do not advocate memorisation and drill and practise in class (at home is a different matter altogether), I still like structure.

Can we have best of both worlds then? Maybe we could include Montessori’s methods of teaching in our structured environment. Slowly then, as the child progress, we could take away structure little by little. I think of it as scaffolding (Vygotsky). Once the child (and teachers too) have adapted, independence can be instilled.

Dayangku (Nuurul)

Well, if you read the comments on the blog, there was some who disagreed with the writer. They quoted the Bible, culture, etc. Surprisingly, no one quoted Socrates, Aristotle, Confucius, or any other philosophers. Hence, the question that our tutor posed is very controversial indeed and it seems that morality could be something natural or brought about through influence (society, family, etc). As we feel that morality should be something natural or innate, no one questions morality or what it means to them. Perhaps, we have taken morality for granted?

Do read the blog. I still think it’s fascinating that no one gave a definition of morality from Wikipedia or any of the philosophers.

Dayangku (Nuurul)

As a teacher, I feel that education should be about developing a child into the person that he or she can be. In saying this, I am implying that a child should be developed according to his or her abilities and potential. I am assuming (and I am of the opinion) that every child is different in his or her own ways.

Education should also be about transferring knowledge which is relevant for a child’s future. As Alfred North Whitehead says, “It is not what they are at eighteen, it is what they become afterwards that matters.”

I think that different individuals would define what education should be in different ways. The most important thing is for us, as teachers, to identify with the definition that we strongly believe in and apply it to our teaching. In that way, it makes teaching not only noble, but worthwhile.

On a separate note…

The mind is never passive; it is a perpetual activity, delicate, receptive responsive to stimulus. You cannot postpone its life until you have sharpened it. Whatever interest attaches to your subject-matter must be evoked here and now; whatever powers you are strengthening in the pupil, must be exercised here and now; whatever possibilities of mental life your teaching should impart, must be exhibited here and now. That is the golden rule of education, and a very difficult rule to follow.

- Alfred North Whitehead

The quote above reminds me of H A Simon where he talked about Vertical Dimensions and the intransitive benefits.

Dayangku (Nuurul)

Our focus is on promoting a loving environment that does not discriminate any child regardless of their ability. We believe that no child should be left behind in our quest to provide a holistic education.

Our school curriculum includes Physical and Health Education, Spiritual and Life Skills Exercises, Cultural Studies and Language, Mathematical and Science studies. In line with our curriculum, we provide subjects such as Sports Elective where students are to choose one or more favourite sport, Food and Nutrition and Eating Right. Other subjects include Personal Grooming, Spiritual Studies, Life Skills, Sexual Education and technical subjects – English, Mathematics, Science and students’ preferred second language.

It is our aim that all students in our care are given the opportunity to develop to their full potential with a healthy mind and body. We hope to produce students who grow into adulthood with their own personality, self-worth and full of confidence of their ability. Finally, we want our students to be persons who are accepting of others.

Dayangku (Nuurul), on behalf of Yong Teng, Lydia, Vivian and N.

Note: I really strongly believe in the importance of a healthy body. Though I am not a PE teacher, I try to advocate my belief in other ways. For example, always getting my class ready 5 minutes before the PE teacher comes. This way, they have more time for exercise. Little things go a long way!

Speaking on the societal level, it is important to cultivate moral values. Rules are only as binding as people who follow them – what good is Civil Law when no one complys? However, when we all practise a similar level of moral standards, we will treat one another graciously and indeed it will be a better place to live in. On the other hand, where immorality prevails, there will be chaos.

- Lydia Song