Adapting
to
We see this recess program as a huge success because it has kept our students safe, given us a way to allow students to have a break and leave their classrooms, and also play within their group throughout the day. We see so many more kids trying activities and games that they wouldn’t normally try at recess.
Change
Anne Wenstrom, elementary school physical education teacher
By DIDI HARI KRISHNAN Communications Writer To say that the 2020–21 school year is “unusual” would be quite the understatement. From precisely timed arrival and dismissal procedures to restructuring our athletics and co-curricular programs, there is change in nearly every aspect of our school community.
The common thread across campus has been the enduring spirit and resilience of students and educators as they rise to the challenges that this year brings. Students at Singapore American School continue to seek out learning opportunities, all while becoming more adept at deciphering social cues by the look in their peers’ eyes rather than their smiles. The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated the creative and innovative approaches taken by SAS educators. From world language to robotics classes, teachers have adapted well to the regulations, including safe distancing guidelines, grouping students in pods of five, and redesigning some lessons. Here are some great examples of how SAS teachers have recalibrated their teaching methods in various classroom settings. Elementary School In the elementary school, each teacher reconfigured their classroom—moving furniture and establishing systems to adhere to safety regulations.
One of the biggest challenges our teachers in the elementary school faced was the way morning meetings were being conducted. Before COVID-19, students in Mark Davidson’s fourth grade class started each morning meeting in a community circle on the rug, where they would greet each other with handshakes and play interactive games with their classmates. We still have greetings but instead of handshakes, we have table-group daily discussion topics. Our group activities are spaced out and we use the whole classroom. Mark Davidson, fourth grade teacher Recess time in the elementary school has also gone through some significant changes. Due to limited outdoor space and safe distancing regulations, the elementary school physical education department looked at maximizing
the use of indoor spaces that could be repurposed as recess zones. A total of 32 zones and 160 stations were created for kindergarten through fifth grade students. Over 20 SAS alumni were hired to help instructional aides with student supervision, assist with the setup of the stations, and ensure the continuous rotation around the recess stations. By the end of each week, each student would have had the chance to play at each recess station within their zone.
The result was the middle school’s first-ever Eagle Days, which featured multiple activities within the campus grounds—improv lessons with artist-inresidence Kamil Haque, Brazilian drumming, a marshmallow and spaghetti tower challenge, showtime games, break-out activities, frisbee golf, and more. These activities helped students develop a spirit of camaraderie and learn how to cooperate with their peers.
Elementary school physical education teachers redesigned their units for the first five lessons of the school year to demonstrate the use of various recess stations. Teachers helped model safe distancing measures, and they encouraged students to create and collaborate in their colorband groups. These extra layers were very helpful in guiding students into this new system of recess. Middle School Eagle Days Traditionally, at the start of the year, middle school students participate in Classroom Without Walls (CWW)—trips outside the four walls of the classroom that help forge meaningful relationships among peers and teachers. With no way to venture outside of the school due to the travel restrictions, CWW coordinators were tasked with redesigning and reinventing this signature middle school program.
One of the best parts of Eagle Day was building the tallest tower using marshmallows and spaghetti. The group that I was in eventually agreed on an idea that we thought would be the sturdiest. We each had a role to play on our team, and in the end, we got to a height of 103 cm. We felt really proud! Ethan H., seventh grade
19
JOURNEYS
W i n t e r
2 0 2 0
20