Innovative Staff
Reflective Practitioners develop
Self-Directed Learners
The Happy Learning Place Where We Learn to Love and Love to Learn.
Contribution by
Miss Rachel Chua Su-AnnUsing Restorative Practice to create supportive environment and promote Passionate Contributors
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Last year, I faced a significant challenge in terms of classroom management. I took on the role of form teacher halfway through the year I was unable to establish my own set of classroom rules and routines with the class. The experience motivated me to improve my classroom management skills as I embarked on taking a new Primary 1 class this year. To kickstart this process, I took the opportunity to attend a classroom management workshop for beginning teachers to enhance my knowledge and hone my skills in this area.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
At the beginning of the year, I made it a priority to establish clear and consistent rules and routines for my new Primary 1 class. The rules were simple to follow, and I spelt out the consequences for not following the rules clearly for my students. I was insistent on these rules for the first few weeks of the term, and I took a very firm, strict, and disciplinary approach to enforce the rules. This approach was effective in helping my Primary 1 students to adjust to their new school smoothly.
However, drawing from the insights gained from the workshop, I discovered that the strict nature of this classroom management style may not be the best way to build a positive classroom culture and a good teacher-student relationship. While it is important to be strict and firm in disciplining my students, I also need to strike a balance where students know that I am not just a figure who disciplines them, but also a trusted adult whom they can turn to in school. I learnt many good practices to ensure that my classroom management is not just about discipline, but about building a safe, enjoyable, and engaging environment for students to grow and learn in.
Incentivising the class to stay on-task/avoid being disruptive
I learnt to use creative methods to incentivise students to remain on-task during lessons and address minor classroom disruptions. Prior to the workshop, I got students to stay on-task through very traditional and boring ways – I would raise my voice at them to remind them to remain at volume 0 and stay focused. From the workshop, I discovered that if I keep raising my voice, the students will get used to it and it will no longer be effective when I really need to address a serious misbehaviour.
I learnt about some good practices that I can use to manage minor disruptions better. For instance, as opposed to raising my voice, I now say “1 Majestic, rain is falling”. The class
makes a “shhh” sound mimicking the rain, and they quieten down after doing this. I also use more non-verbal cues instead of constantly raising my voice. I tell students “volume 0 in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”, and I show it to them by counting down using my fingers. Within the 5 seconds, students are able to quieten down and have their attention back on me.
Additionally, I learnt that allowing students to have preferred activity time motivates them to remain on-task. For instance, if a student does his work well, he has the chance to do his own reading, drawing, word search later. Moreover, allowing students to have movement breaks instead of forcing them sit quietly all day helps with their focus and engagement levels. When students know that there is a time to focus and there is a time to rest, they are likely to remain more focused when they need to be.
Addressing individual disruptive behaviour
I learnt that the traditional ways of managing individual disruptive students may not always the best strategy. Instead of verbal confrontation in front of the whole class or punishing them in the usual ways (e.g. staying with me during recess, removal from a fun activity), I could take some time to speak to the student privately, at their eye-level, to have a proper conversation with them about what went wrong. I could also use I-messages to help students understand the effect of their behaviour on the class (e.g. when you wander around during seat work, it is very distracting to me and to others). In this way, the student is better able to understand why their behaviour is wrong and is more likely to be motivated to improve. This helps students develop inner discipline and empower them to be accountable for their actions.
Explicit teaching of expected behaviour
I learnt that it is extremely important to explicitly teach expected behaviour especially for Primary 1 students. For example, when I ask my students to line up in a straight line, it may not be immediately clear to them what it means due to their young age. I need to explicitly tell them that a straight line means that they are looking to the front with their hands by their side, and they can only see one head in front of them.
Use a variety of teaching approaches
I learnt that it is important to plan engaging activities and deliver lessons using a variety of approaches. As teachers, we cannot expect students to be completely silent, listening to us and doing written work all the time. I should allow opportunities for students to make constructive noise in the form of discussions.
Help students take ownership of their actions
Finally, fostering a classroom identity where the class has a sense of collective responsibility to behave well motivates good behaviour. When the class feels that they are all working together towards good behaviour, students are empowered to take ownership of their actions. They are also encouraged to remind their friends to behave well to reach their shared goal.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Looking ahead, I would be happy to share these strategies with my colleagues, especially those accustomed to more traditional approaches to classroom management. I also intend to be more aware of the theories surrounding logical consequences and inner discipline. This would ensure that when there is a need to punish a child for a misbehaviour, the punishment that I mete out is not only reasonable and logical, but also effective in helping the child take ownership of his actions and be motivated to change.
Contribution by Miss Atalya Foo Jing Yee
Applying appropriate Differentiation Instructions to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn Reflection – IN – Action
In my first few weeks as a beginning teacher, one thing I found challenging to do is differentiation. With limited teaching experience, I find myself grappling with the challenge of effectively tailoring my lessons to meet the diverse needs (and progress levels) of my students.
Taking a new class compounded the difficulty as I was not familiar with my students’ abilities and learning profiles. Ensuring that my lesson can engage the different learners was daunting, especially with my limited repertoire of lesson ideas/differentiation strategies.
However, the recent opportunity to participate in a differentiation and assessment module at NIE was eye-opening. Through this experience, I gained insights into the practical application of differentiation theories, particularly in adapting content, process and product in English, to cater to the diverse learner. The module also equipped me with tangible examples and techniques to implement differentiation in my teaching practice.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
Reflecting on my past experiences, I feel that more can be done to better meet the diverse needs of my students. To address this, I am collaborating with my mentor, Mdm Jessie Tan, to deepen my understanding of differentiation, particularly in the context of Mathematics. Together, we are exploring various components of differentiation.
We are currently collecting data through pre-assessment to identify area where students may need addition support in the understanding of picture graphs. With the data. We can then find out how to bridge the gap through differentiated instruction.
I look forward to implementing these differentiated strategies based on the information gathered.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Through the data we have gathered, Mdm Tan and I would be able to analyse the gaps in knowledge of the current Primary 3 cohort. We could then share the data we have collected and prepare the differentiated instruction materials for future batches.
Contribution by Miss Chelsea Lim Yee Chin
Applying e-Pedagogy appropriately to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
I recall the P2 MT Learning Journey to the Singapore Zoo was a firsthand authentic learning experience for our children, which aroused their interest in learning about characteristics and features of animals (i.e. diet, habitat, physical appearance), while communicating in their Mother Tongue. Students were encouraged to ask intriguing questions about the animals and learnt to share their personal experiences in Chinese language, making learning more meaningful and relatable to their daily lives. Thereafter, students share their learning through learning activity sheets and show-and-tell artefacts where they tap on knowledge learnt and share them with their peers. According to the 24 teaching actions, such tasks assigned were meaningful and students were encouraged to practice self-directed learning to research and understand more about the various animals as they venture into the topic, thereby deepening their knowledge beyond textbook and curriculum.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
Prior to the learning journey, I took note of the various learning stations and animals which our children would be focusing on, and had to do additional research to better understand the animals so that our students can engage in meaningful interaction and discussion as we present to them the characteristics and traits of the animals during the journey. Our P2 children were quick to grasp the knowledge and it was particularly an eye-opening experience for the LP-MP children to learn the information in their Mother Tongue and conversing them with their peers. One area of improvement would be for students to have the opportunity to have learning sheets with them while they engage in the Learning Journey so that they can pen down their thoughts and think through the knowledge gleaned during the process, making learning more engaging and meaningful for them. Interesting activities and stories on animals learnt would be useful for our children to think critically and pique their interest Through applying their knowledge in the show-and-tell experience, students also learnt to become confident thinkers who are passionate to share their knowledge with their peers, fostering the “learning through joyful experience” notion.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Following the lesson, I reflected on how this learning journey can also be infused with ICT KAT principles we learnt during staff professional development, such that students can deepen their learning experience and make use of technological platforms to share their learning via various mediums such as video, audio, and artefacts. Through scaffolding and providing visual cues, LP students can learn better to communicate and converse their ideas to their peers, further making learning more meaningful and authentic. By getting peers to pose questions to their peers who presented their learning through show-and-tell, I feel that students are motivated to understand more and learn from competent peers and engage in collaborative learning, which is a good opportunity to create meaningful social interactions to deepen learning experience.
Contribution
by
Ms Stephanie Tan XianhuiUsing Differentiated Instructions to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
During the lesson observation, I have tried to conduct lesson that was planned according to the different abilities of students in class. Students of different abilities were considered, hence the worksheets were designed for different abilities, (e.g. to draw for LP, MP and HP students, to write sentences for HP students) Passage was included on the worksheet to allow extra reading for the HP students. This is crucial for carrying out task in class, so that students of different learning abilities are catered to.
During the lesson, students were to work in pairs to use Nearpod to learn vocabulary from the textbook. According to the worksheets handed in, I could see that all students were able to draw out the meaning and HP students were able to write the extra sentences. This is essential to making sure that no LP students were left out and HP students could be stretched and challenged, with the whole class achieving the same lesson objectives.
In additional, students used Nearpod to complete mini quiz in pairs, students got to learn to help one another, and teacher could get immediate feedback using Nearpod. Based on the results, all students were able to do the pair work, “Mix and match” quiz, at the end of the lesson. The using of Nearpod in this case was helpful for the teacher to assess the teaching and learning so far, before moving on to the next section.
Using ICT tool, such as Nearpod and iPad, is also needed to get students to view their classmates’ work, this allowed Peer Evaluation and provide a chance for teacher to give immediate feedback.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes Reflection- ON – Action
During the lesson, I should have paced myself, instead of rushing through the slides, I could slow down and get the students to give feedback on their classmates’ work shown.
Apart from the LP students who usually has slower learning pace, the MP and HP students could be given more writing tasks as the current task given might be too easy for them to complete, most students were able to fill up the blanks in the worksheets. Other than writing sentences, MP and HP students could be given more blanks to fill in from the slides as they tend to write faster. I would include incentives/ rewards system for students who completed on more challenging tasks.
In additional, I will also encourage more students’ participation, e.g. to include students who are less vocal. In future, I would provide platform for students to provide their inputs.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
The DI methods which I have used during my lesson observation may be included in the students’ regular unit worksheets. Providing extra reading with an incentive program can also be used to promote DI.
I believe that workshop on Differentiated Instructions will be helpful for me to fine tune my current lesson plan, especially on ideas which help teachers to plan DI under appropriate time and resources we can have.
Contributionby
Miss Myra Khoo Xin HuiUsing appropriate classroom management strategies and e-Pedagogy to create a supportive environment and promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Teaching an ICAN class for the first time, I was both excited and nervous, wondering what challenges I would face for the year. I knew that the students in my new class might have already developed a fear for Math, or worse, a hatred for Math and that would be the hardest hurdle to cross. Moreover, they would come from different classes so there definitely would not be any sort of class bonding present. I had to create that bond and I had to create it fast. Keeping all these in mind, I decided to plan my lessons in a way that can reach out and connect to them on their level. I knew that they had to have a very safe learning environment in order to thrive and I also had to know their prior knowledge quickly as they were under performing. I felt that the fastest way to help me understand their academic foundation was through the use of ICT.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes Reflection- ON – Action
To help students get to know each other and trust one another, I got them to change their seats every 5 weeks. Students sat with someone new for 5 weeks and they were buddies in class. They had to look out for each other and discuss Math questions together. Over time, students enjoyed the idea of changing seats and partners and they soon warmed up with others quickly. Students were also very supportive of each other and often clapped their hands to encourage one another whenever someone explained a math question.
To understand their prior knowledge quickly, I used Koobits and got students to complete diagnostic tests. With the results generated from Koobits, the time I saved from marking diagnostic worksheets was used to analyze the data instead. By analyzing the results of the diagnostic tests, I was able to quickly pick out their common misconceptions for each topic. In this way, instead of jumping right into the P6 topics where students already felt very lost, I addressed the parts which they had not grasped previously. That helped to build their confidence and they felt better equipped to tackle the P6 concepts.
Using these techniques for the past 1 term, I found that my students have become more confident and were even willing to share their solutions in front of the class with their classmates. I was pleasantly surprised that Megan, who is generally quiet in class, asked me if her method worked when someone else presented another method. Megan’s solution was more graceful and I asked her if she was willing to share hers. To my surprise, she willingly went up to the board to present her solution.
Confidence build in a child can bring that child great distances in life and I feel that that is part of my duty to instill in these students. By building a safe and positive classroom culture, they also start to ask questions to clarify their doubts and they are willing to do so as they are assured that they would not be judged – by the teacher or by their peers.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration Reflection- FOR – Action
Looking back at the past term, I am glad that I was given the opportunity to help this group of students. I feel very happy that I am able to connect with them at the same level and slowly guide them to success. The use of technology has also greatly helped me to hasten certain processes such as marking and consolidation of data – translating to more time for planning a curated lesson for my students.
Contribution by Miss Wong Man Ping
Using Restorative Practice to create a supportive environment and promote Passionate Contributors
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
This term, I will be focusing on restorative practice as it is important to manage and repair teacher-student relationships after a conflict. I do not want the student to be negatively impacted by this conflict and end up hating the subject because of me.
It was my art lesson where the 1 Respect students were working with clay. The students were tasked to use their fingers only to pinch they clay to create shapes. One of the students, Aryan was not following instructions and using his ruler to cut up the clay. During this time, I gave him at least 3 warnings about not using his own ruler to cut up the clay but he kept ignoring the warning. I ended up taking the clay away from him as it was a logical outcome that was agreed upon by the whole class at the start of the lesson.
Aryan was visibly upset and started to glare at me. His classmates after witnessing the incident started pointing out what Aryan did wrongly, and he was so upset by it that he flipped his table in anger. At that point, the class was quite frightened by his excessive display of anger.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
I had to quickly step in and to calm the situation. I first started addressing the situation where his classmates kept pointing out his mistakes. I chose to address it first as I wanted the students to understand that they were also in the wrong for harping on mistakes done by others. I reiterated that everyone makes mistakes, and no one likes it when others keep pointing out their mistakes even though the person knows that they are in the wrong.
After that I addressed the class and set them back to the art task, I addressed Aryan privately and asked him to place his chair back. He didn’t want it at first but relented after being given a count down. After that I reprimanded him for his actions.
To repair the relationship after conflict, I asked him to help me to collect some of my art supplies for me at the end of my lesson and when he was done, I praised him for being a good helper. He seemed a little happier after that.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
After my lesson, I approached the form teacher to update her on what happened during my lesson. I found out the Aryan is suspected to have some kind of special needs. Due to that, there is a chance that he might not actually understand what is being said. I felt terrible for scolding him but I still had to do it as what he did was not right and I am not sending the right message to the rest of the class who was watching.
One takeaway I have from this is that I need to remember to be more understanding and empathetic towards the students as they might have special needs that I am not aware of or come from a difficult family situation. Moving forward, I think I will be asking Aryan to help me to do small favours such as carry some materials or giving out the sketchbooks. After that I will be able to thank and praise him for helping. Hopefully, I will be able to build a better TSR with him and improve his attitude towards art.
Contribution by Mdm Kasimah Binte Kassim
Using Cooperative Learning Strategies to engage and promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Majority of the P6 students in my class are quite shy and have low self-esteem. They were mainly the lower-progressing students and prefer to speak in English Language during lesson. Thus, their Malay Lang vocabulary is very limited. This hamper them to speak up during class discussion and most times, only a handful of them will volunteer to answer the questions posed to them or to articulate their views.
As such, I highlighted to them on the importance of them to speak up and give their views during class discussion. I conducted discussion on class rules to ensure safe classroom environment for the students by focusing on the school & CCE values, i.e. Everyone is Special, Teamwork is Our Culture, Caring & etc.
During the discussion on class rules too, I use the Popcorn CL strategy to ensure every students give their views emphasizing to them too that their views are needed in setting the class rules. As students are more aware that everyone will be required to speak up, students are more proactive as they know that they will not be spared for keeping quiet.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
I further use the Popcorn CL Strategy in daily lesson especially at the beginning of the lesson, where students were required to recall on the topic/lessons that they learnt the day before. I noticed students are more proactive in answering or responding and they were eager to be among the first few to stand up. It was indeed more enlightening that some students shared their answers with their peers so as to ensure that everyone had spoken during the discussion.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Moving forward, I would like to try other CL strategies with my class as it will build positive relationship among students in the classroom learning. I would like to put the CL strategies poster in the classroom so that students will be more familiar on how it would be conducted in class
Contribution by Miss Junity Tay May May
Applying e-Pedagogy appropriately to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn Reflection – IN – Action
In this lesson, I focused on the STELLAR book "Ants in a Hurry," vocabulary where students embark on a structured journey to enhance their literacy skills using a blend of reading, interactive technology, and differentiated instruction.
1. Communal Reading:
The lesson begins with a collective reading session where all students read "Ants in a Hurry" together. This not only helps in building a community of readers but also ensures that all students are on the same page, enhancing their comprehension and listening skills.
2. Vocabulary Learning on Classpoint:
After the initial reading, students transition to learning vocabulary through Classpoint. This interactive platform allows them to engage directly with new words from the book. They answer questions that test and reinforce their understanding of these words, providing a dynamic way to integrate new vocabulary.
3. Application and Differentiation on Thinglink:
Following the vocabulary session, the class moves to Thinglink, where differentiated instruction begins:
Group A focuses on matching vocabulary words to their definitions and then rearranging sentences to practice word order.
Group B uses Quizlet to spell vocabulary words. After mastering the spellings, they construct sentences using these words on Classkick, with sentence stems provided to guide their writing.
Group C also spells vocabulary words on Quizlet but advances to writing sentences on Classkick without the aid of sentence stems, fostering greater independence in language use.
4. Consolidation with the STELLAR Worksheet:
To culminate the lesson, students attempt a worksheet that challenges them to apply all they have learned. This worksheet serves as both a reinforcement of the vocabulary and concepts discussed, and as an assessment tool to gauge student understanding.
5. Technology Integration for Enhanced Learning:
Throughout the lesson, the use of technology plays a pivotal role. Tools like Classpoint, Thinglink, Quizlet, and Classkick not only make the lesson more engaging but also allow for immediate feedback and adjustments based on student responses. This ensures that each student remains engaged and receives support tailored to their individual learning needs.
Reading the Book Together: During the communal reading of "Ants in a Hurry," I noticed some students struggling with specific words. In response, I adjusted my pace and repeated difficult passages, ensuring I emphasized troublesome words. This immediate adjustment helped maintain student engagement and supported their understanding in real-time.
Learning Vocabulary on Classpoint: When using Classpoint, I observed that the pace was too fast for some students. To address this on the spot, I slowed down the transitions between slides and frequently paused to ask questions, ensuring students kept up with the class.Slowing down for more challenging parts allowed students to fully grasp the new vocabulary, fostering a supportive learning environment.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
Differentiated Instruction on Thinglink: Reflecting on the use of Thinglink, I realize that while the multimedia elements were beneficial, the level of independence each task offered varied significantly among the groups. Some students thrived, while others needed more guidance. This reflection helps me see the importance of balancing student independence with adequate support.
Utilizing Quizlet and Classkick: After reviewing the activities on Quizlet and Classkick, I recognized that my instructions for these tools needed to be clearer. Some students struggled more than expected, which highlights the need for me to provide more detailed explanations and possibly more example-driven instruction before starting the tasks.
General Reflection on Technology Integration: The positive outcomes from integrating technology in this lesson have encouraged me to continue exploring and utilizing various educational technologies. The use of these platforms not only kept the students highly engaged but also catered effectively to their individual learning styles. I am looking forward to enhancing my teaching practices further with innovative digital tools.
Completing the STELLAR Worksheet: The completion of the STELLAR worksheet effectively consolidated the day's learning and provided valuable insights into the students' comprehension.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
My preparation and learning from this lesson can greatly benefit my peers and colleagues in several ways. Firstly, the successful integration of technology like Classpoint, Thinglink, Quizlet, and Classkick showcased effective strategies to enhance student engagement and provide differentiated learning experiences. Sharing these outcomes in a professional development workshop or a teaching team meeting could inspire other educators to explore and adopt similar tools in their classrooms. Additionally, demonstrating the real-time adjustments made during the Classpoint session could serve as a practical example of adapting teaching methods to meet students' immediate needs, which is a valuable skill in
any educational setting. By discussing these experiences, I can help colleagues refine their own practices and perhaps encourage a more dynamic and responsive teaching approach within our school.
To deepen my understanding of the situations or issues faced during the lesson, such as pacing challenges or the need for clearer instructions, I can delve into educational theories related to cognitive load and information processing. Understanding these theories could help me better gauge how much information students can handle at once and how to structure information for optimal learning. Additionally, exploring research on differentiated instruction and formative assessment strategies could provide more insights into effectively tailoring lessons to diverse student needs and continuously assessing their understanding without waiting for formal assessments. Engaging with this research not only enhances my teaching practice but also prepares me to offer more informed, evidence-based advice to my colleagues facing similar challenges.
Contribution by
Miss Kho Kai SiewUsing Inquiry Based approach to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Some students tend to have issues with retaining information after the lesson is being taught. This puts them at a disadvantage as they will not be able to recall important information to help them tackle problems they see in their worksheets. Some students may also be disengaged during the lesson as they have tuition and may have already learnt about the topic before it was taught in the classroom. To help improve engagement in class and to increase retention of information, Inquiry Based learning was applied in the teaching of volume. Through the use of inquiry-based learning, it also helps to enhance the learning experience for students as they get to explore the topic on their own and they get to learn through discovery. They also get to ask questions and form their own connections about the topic.
Idea #2
: Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
The lesson was to introduce the formula of volume to students (Length x Breadth x Height). Instead of telling the formula, students were asked to make connections between the previous lesson (finding volume by counting unit cubes) and this lesson to discover the formula of volume on their own. They were given interlocking cubes to make this discovery in their pairs. From the previous lesson, students were able to build solid cubes/cuboids by counting the number of interlocking cubes used. They were then tasked to find out the length, breadth and height of the cubes/cuboids. After repeating this for a few cubes/cuboids, students were then tasked to find out if they could discover any relationship between the volume of the cube/cuboid (found by counting the interlocking cubes) and the length, breadth and height of the cubes/cuboids. Students are observed to be able to understand and apply the formula without mistakes.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
The use of inquiry method for this lesson seemed to be effective and interesting as students were engaged in the investigation to discover the relationship between the volume and its length, breadth and height. Even students who have already learnt about the formula through their tuition classes also actively participated in the investigation. This also helped them to remember the formula of the volume better as students participated in the hands-on activity as compared to getting told of the formula. Moving forward, I will want to try to apply such methods where possible in other topics as well to engage students to make discovery on their own so that they can better understand the topic.
Contribution by
Mdm Yeo Siok KoonUsing different analogies to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Some students tend to have issues with retaining information after the lesson is being I think the most challenging aspect in teaching this topic (Electrical System) is the 3 anchor ideas of electricity (current, potential difference and resistance) may be too abstract for the students to grasp. Without a fundamental understanding of the anchor ideas, I think it is difficult for the students to achieve conceptual understanding of the topic.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
I used to share with my secondary science students to see current as flow of charges (or movement if they cannot understand flow), potential difference is a measure of energy and resistance is like the obstacles that hinder the movement of the charges. So, after introducing the idea of electric charges, I would do a role play with the students to illustrate current as a flow of charges and the story continued to the charges need energy to move (potential difference) and would meet with obstacles (resistance).
I do not think I can use such explanation because students at primary level may not be able to understand the idea of charges and the primary school teachers told me that the students cannot explain why bulbs connected in series are dimmer using the idea of energy, i.e., when bulbs are connected in series, the energy from the battery is shared between the 2 bulbs, hence each bulb receives less energy. They told me that they must use the idea of current to explain, i.e. more bulbs in series, less current flow to each bulb. I feel that the students do not fully understand the idea of current but need to use it to explain. This sounds like route learning.
I remember I had a similar discussion with some colleagues. They referred to the explanation used in one of the SLS lessons on electricity. In the lesson, why bulbs connected in series are dimmer is explained using an analogy to water flow. However, one of my groupmates mentioned that students may think that electricity flows like water through a pipe and all parts of a circuit receive the same amount of electricity. So, the analogy using water may also cause the students to have alternative conceptions!
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
I remember something that the Primary Math master teachers shared, i.e. to let the students experience the same concept through different activities so that they can conjecture and generalize and see the pattern. I think this is what I will try with my students.
Contribution by Mdm Liu WeijieUsing Experiential Learning to inculcate values to promote Passionate Contributors
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn Reflection
– IN – Action
It was a challenge to take over a P5 class which was frequently changing teacher last year. Also, after teaching P6 for several years, I was a bit nervous to take over P5 class again. Initially in the first two weeks, I was anxiously to instill the discipline and introducing all the rules, meanwhile, I was rushing to finish syllabus because I want to reserve time for revision. Hence, I was strict on students and would even check one by one in class on their note taking, answering techniques, handwriting etc.
After a while, I feel the class was not very active and students are not happy. Usually for P6, if you advise on areas to improve, they will feel happy and grateful, but P5 students are not, and they don’t care so much about scores. Then I questioned myself, am I too strict? They are not P6 and not facing PSLE soon, why I put on so much stress on myself and students? I need to recall how I taught lower level of students again and make the lesson more fun and interesting. P5 students need motivation to learn, and unlike P6, the motivation might not come from scoring in exams but from interests. Hence, I should pick up my fun elements and make students enjoy learning.
Just nice, Lesson 3 of 5A is about making healthy breakfast with bread and cucumber etc., and I decided to integrate the CL lesson with CCE lesson Unit 6 on Gratitude. Before this lesson, I have gone through all the necessary learning points/vocabularies with students in CL Textbook 5A lesson 3 to make sure students understand the instructions.
I brought 2 big packets of bread and 5 cucumbers(which are enough for my 37 students) as required by the lesson, and messaged parents to ask about any medical conditions or obligations. With approval of parents, I proceeded with lesson by asking students to use sausage, eggs, bread, and cucumber to form bear-like healthy breakfast on 26th Jan first 3 periods. Meanwhile, they are taught that this breakfast they are going to make is like our life, the ingredients are like people around us. Everyone works together to provide us good life and help us grow. We cannot live like today if lack of other people’s help.
After they finish making the healthy breakfast, I asked several students to share their opinions on the following questions:
1. Why you make in this shape and how does it taste like?
2. What if we do not have certain ingredient such as bread, cucumber, ham, or seaweed?
3. How do ingredients help in this meal?
4. How can you relate this meal to your life?
5. Who have helped you and how your life will become without them?
6.
After sharing, the entire class need to draw out their breakfast and write down the following,
1. Whom you want to show gratitude towards and why?
2. Whom you want to make breakfast for? And why?
Then several students have shared their work with the class.
After these, we proceed with CCE unit 6 page 26&27 on Gratitude. Students need to talk about help provided by people around them and why they need to feel grateful. After this, students also need to talk about what they can do to show gratitude and how they can help others. In the end, students need to finish page 28 of CCE P5 textbook.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
I can integrate the lesson with e-Pedagogy. Instead of giving them paper to draw, or ask students to share, I could have asked students to record down their answers in iPad so that we can know more about every student and provide chances for everyone to share. Also, with iPad, they can take photos and upload to share their products with the class.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
1. The lesson helps teachers to know students more. One student said she wanted to make breakfast for her father because she rarely saw him. She shared that her father lives in China and only mum stays in Singapore with her because her father needs to work in China and she really misses him.
2. The lesson taught students about healthy lifestyle(Wellbeing). Not only all the ingredients are healthy and students are briefed what kinds of food are healthy, they also understood the importance of having breakfast.
3. The lesson taught students to be grateful. They now understand that people in our life are like the ingredients, without their help, our life will be different and not so good.
4. The lesson provided students chance to show gratitude. They are told to make breakfast to show gratitude towards their families.
5. The lesson motivated students to do self-directed learning as many students went back to revise lesson in order to know how they can make the breakfast in class.
6. The lesson also promotes Design Thinking. The students need to design their own breakfast and bring extra ingredients needed and design their worksheets.
After the lesson all the students give positive feedback and show interests in Chinese and CCE lessons.
Contribution by Mdm Hanisah Binte SaripUsing Talk Moves techniques to promote Effective Communicators & Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
I carried out the 9 Talk Moves that has been introduced to the department. Talk Move strategy is a way of communicating that seeks to include everyone in a discussion and ensure that all students in a classroom environment are actively participating in the discussion. This unique approach to learning and participation helps students all feel equally valued and thus removes some of the barriers to having all students in the learning community take part in the discussions. To make things better, I have grouped the students so that they were able to discuss with their group members before sharing it with the rest of the class.
I have used an article from the newspaper as a point of discussion. After the pupils have read and understand the article, I asked them a set of questions to trigger their mind.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
One of the problems with instruction is the fact that many students have learned how to hide in the shadows when an open discussion is taking place so that they do not have to participate. This can be due to several reasons, including being a poor reader or feeling that they do not have the skills to be an active learner.
I can improve this situation by using talking chips or round robin instead of making it to an open discussion in the group.
From the 9 Talk Moves, I have only used 6 as this is an LP class, pupils did not have enough skills and ability to stretch their thoughts to elaborate more details. Even with the 6 moves gives, some pupils were not able to express their thoughts or given their reasonings.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Without participation from all members of the group it is impossible to achieve the educational goals that are required. Additionally, talk moves provide a more comfortable environment in which to help students to thrive in ways that promote growth in learning and respect for their peers and themselves.
One of the biggest values we get from using the strategy of Talk Moves is that it improves thinking and reasoning skills. By allowing both teachers and students to actively use this technique whenever they see fit, they will be open to more opportunities for learning and thinking skills. Hence, when there is a deeper discussion about the details of the topic given, more learning will occur across the spectrum.
Contribution by Miss Rene Ong Xin Hong
Using Differentiated Instructions to promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
"Differentiated instruction is a teacher’s planned and adaptive response to meet the diverse learning needs of all students in order to maximise their progress in learning.” (MOE, SkillsFuture for Educators DI, 2020).
This was the introductory statement to a course I have attended on Differentiated Instructions (DI) in the Art Classroom Primary Art. Prior to the course, I understand that I could use DI to design lessons that can cater to a diversity of student with varying levels of readiness, motivation, and learning needs. However, in the classroom, I still had one or two students in my class who could not achieve the learning goals even with the implementation of DI. For example, in an art lesson with a clear learning goal to draw a self-portrait, one of my Primary three students would turn in a blank paper for his self-portrait drawing when he could draw marvelously during Art Club. I could not comprehend why a student who is engaged in my Art Club sessions does not have the same level of motivation in my Art lesson. I believe that every student should be given an opportunity to showcase their strengths, and Art curriculum could be taught in a responsive way to do that. I perceive that DI is a solution to my problem.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
I asked the student why he would not draw his self-portrait when he could draw well during my Art Club sessions. He responded that he did not want to draw himself because he fear that his classmates would laugh at him. In response, I told him that he could draw his friends’ face instead, to which he agreed to. However, he returns an untouched paper in the subsequent lesson.
During the course, I asked how I could achieve clear learning goals (second principle of DI), when one of my students does not even want to draw a self-portrait. The response I got was DI is not Individualized Instruction. I realize I had misunderstood ‘Clear Learning Goals’ for an individual. While DI is not for whole class teaching, it is also not for individualized teaching. It is important for me to note that the principles of DI are meant for group teaching and not individual teaching. I feel that I have been too invested in achieving a principle of DI, which made me upset when offering options to the student based on one principle did not work out the way I intended. I realized that implementing DI in teaching and learning is not about achieving one or more of the six principles of DI, but about adopting one or more principles of DI to find the ‘best’ fit for every child.
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
Refocusing my gaze on the child, I realized that my student has a low self-esteem. I intend to try out flexible grouping in DI, in hopes to motivate him to practice drawing his self-portrait through collaborative learning.
I would recommend this course to my colleagues who are teaching Art. The course helped me have more clarity on the intention behind the pedagogical knowledge of differentiated instruction in teaching which we have already been using and leverage on the strategies, activities, and resources to make teaching and learning more effective and engaging. With better clarity on the use of DI, I want to share my misconceptions and new learnings as we work on our organizational goal towards achieving our school mission of Nuturing Hearts, Enriching Minds, and Inspiring Growth.
I believe that the 6 principles of differentiated instruction, when harnessed with clarity, would provide teachers with a common definition to engage in professional conversations that can be understood across departments, and appropriately challenge our students to attain their personal best and realize their strengths.
Contribution by Mdm Siti Rafeah Bte KasbiUsing gamification to revise math concepts and promote Self-Directed Learners
Idea #1 : Ensuring Students Learn
Reflection – IN – Action
Revision lessons have always been about doing practice papers with me going through the questions religiously and students checking their answers and copying corrections. This method does help, but I realised that my students have a shorter attention span and they do not have the stamina and motivation to sit through the lessons. I decided to add a variation to the usual revision lessons by creating a virtual escape room using google form. To start off, I had to google for YouTube videos to help me plan this lesson, as this is relatively something very new to me. I believe that incorporating an element of games into the lessons will help engage my students better. While navigating the different missions, I hope they can also learn to work together to achieve a common goal, which is to escape from the “room.” I also decide to differentiate the tasks to allow all students feel a sense of success.
https://forms.gle/22Sa8R1LTfK9Lai67 (LP/MP)
https://forms.gle/GE9vBoYmFupUhHeM6 (HP)
I decided to use google forms to create the virtual room and get students to solve the revision questions in hard copy. This is so that I can still look at the group work and guide them as they work together in pairs. Honestly, I am afraid that the ICT portion might “fail” me, so the hard copies can be my backup plan in the class.
Idea #2 : Focusing on Student Outcomes
Reflection- ON – Action
At the end of the lesson, at least a pair from each progress group managed to complete all the given tasks successfully and escape from the virtual room. The other pairs managed to complete all the given tasks when given more time. I felt that the differentiated tasks were manageable by all students. The students were very engaged, the pairs were working together to get the clues to unlock the different doors. Some students said that they wanted Math lessons to be like this every day
Idea #3 : Building a culture of collaboration
Reflection- FOR – Action
I could have better managed the pairing of students for the LP group. I should have paired the better LP student with the weaker one, so that the former can guide the latter. This would prevent them from confusing each other with the mistakes that they did. However, I was able to rectify it on the spot during my rounds. I could also have introduced a special card that can be used by any pair to use it to get extra help during the last ten minutes of the activity. This could lead to more students escaping from the virtual “room”.