Character and citizenship education's place in our landscape

The emotional, social and spiritual(relation with something greater than yourself) dimensions are often not as strongly emphasized in Singapore, even tough we have some very good programs. It is particularly critical in an environment where both parents are working, and there is little interaction time between parent (or other caregivers) and child. Their maturity in these areas are a little behind. What is pertinent for us to note that some studies in USA have shown that focus on SEL has a direct correlation with improvement in academic grades of between 11 to 17%, based on a study of more than 900 schools. This is significant. Often those with little guidance have a low adversity quotient and tend to manifest their coping mechanisms in very negative behavior. Three foundational principles that our teaching needs to get across are:
1. Everyone experiences adversity
2. Everyone experiences multiple influences
3. Humans have free will - the internal locus of behavior lies with us as we choose our behavior
4. Every choice has a consequence

I particularly like the behavior car metaphor with the analogy of all of us traveling on the road of life and that we are constantly faced with choices. Roads can be rough, there may be inclement weather, there may be engine trouble or flat tires - these situations are opportunities for us to exercise choice. There may also be external influences such as other drivers on the roadnthat impact our choice, back seat drivers that can be an irritation - Good drivers however, wil be able to control their vehicles despite rough conditions - external Influences to these drivers are not limitations, as they act and think in a manner that is in their best interest.

Total behavior concept involves 4 elements: Acting, thinking, feelings and physiology. Acting and thinking are akin to the front wheels of a car that determine the direction we take. We must regulate our emotions by thinking about our feelings so that we act in an appropriate way.

We need to infuse some ofnthese ideas in our CCAs but also weave these in to our academic lessons where possible to teach students' life lessons. In particular the humanities and languages along with ethical issues of science are ideal for several analogies to be shared and explored. We must see the process as just important as the product when teaching. Our school children do need a lot of guidance to manage their raging emotions to help build stability in their lives...we must not take these for granted and avoid labeling children as they come with different influences and will need a safe and nurturing environment to help guide them out of the turmoil they are in.

Teachers need time to plan and teach effectively. They are also being evaluated For several other competencies. Are we e expecting too much of teachers and how then do we reconcile the work to be done such teachers have enough time to think, rest, eat, reflect and enrich the lives of all the stakeholders of school...

Aziz

What do teachers really need in the 21st century to educate a child?

One thing that has struck a resonant chord with me is that teachers need in-depth knowledge of how to plan lessons. While NIE gives us templates and highlights the need for stirring activities and gives us a sense of progression in our lesson, teachers have never been trained to teach for understanding - the focus and structures shared are always with a content bias. This served us well in the past but will no longer hold credence in a world where we are inundated with information and the need to make sense and meaning of it has become critical - it is now about teaching for understanding. No amount of education in the different pedagogical approaches will sufficiently equip our teachers with the ability to teach for understanding.

One would think it natural for teachers to teach for understanding, but even our CRPP studies have highlighted the high focus on content dissemination. Wiggins and McTighe noted that there was a Worldwide trend among educators who struggled to come up with essential questions that would lead to students attaining enduring understanding. Often educators get caught up in the operations of things and focus on the minutae. We need to spend more time to think through what exactly we want students to learn and why, so that we can design approaches, questions and assessments that will help students achieve a depth of understanding and teachers are able to track their level of progress. Understanding by design is an ideal curriculum design framework that can be paired with all sorts of pedagogies to fulfill our goals for 21st century education! The planning and questions crafted will help teachers be more adept facilitators of information to bring students into a discussion on a variety of issues. In order for thought to be activated in the classroom Wiggins and McTighe advocate 5 ways to do this:
1. Posing problems
2. Share discrepancies and get students to reconcile them
3. Have puzzles for students to solve
4. Ask open ended questions from different perspectives
5. Provide a variety of challenges to students in the classroom such that they need to think of solutions

This would need planning in scaffolding, in ensuring wait time as teachers often are impatient for quick answers. It is noted by many of the speakers in the conference that teaching for understanding is almost the opposite of teaching for acquisition (content).

In the past, schools could focus on drilling and achieve results. This will slowly fade away as exam formats change. The predictability of the questions and the type of answers required will vary from year to year, so the emphasis of mastery of content will be reduced and a greater emphasis on teaching for understanding will be required. We need to take a quick leaflet from Marzano's research on how people learn, and note that while we are good with the stage 1 of acquisition, there is lots of room for improvement in the areas of making meaning and transfer of learning. All 3 elements will make for a comprehensive 21st century approach to T&L.

Therefore the questions we need to ask are:
1. What must NIE do to their present teachers' education programme to prepare us for the 21st century?
2. How can school's have structures that better incentivize desired teaching behavior?
3. What will the roles of the STS,MTS,HODS,SHS and even CPDD officers be in education such that there is an integrated approach, that removes "turf wars" and ensures that maximum learning and benefit is derived for anyone seeking help?

Aziz

My Reflections

How time flies! I could almost still smell the morning air of Singapore when the group reported at Changi Airport on the 21st March.  Now, I find myself typing away in the hotel room with mixed feelings.  The conference has come to an end and I will be homeward bound soon.

The Annual Conference has given me insights and new perspectives to what education is about and where it is heading.  With the congregation of educators from other parts of the world, it facilitated exchange of ideas and riched conversations.  Truly, the global education claimed its vision and direction of preparing the young generation for the future.  It is about equipping the next generation with the essential skills to deal with the unknown and dynamic future.  The ASCD President emphasized the importance of the 21st century skills and its a calling for all educators to recognise the paradigm shift in the way we teach our students. 

In light of modern technology, it has certainly made the 21st century skills indeniably profound.  Through the many presentations at the conference, the amount of webtools out there simply blew my mind away!  I learnt that 21st century skills is not just simply a set of 'survival skills' for the future.  It cannot be taught! It is a habit to acquire; it is a mindset to inculcate; it is an attitude to develop.  Hence, the acquisition of the 21st century skills must cut across curriculum and forms the basis of teaching methodology.  It is a culture!

It would be a challenge to challenge the teachers in school to embrace the 21st century skills and infuse teaching methods into their lesson delivery which would bring about deeper understanding and ownership of learning on the part of the students.  It would also be a challenge to infuse 21st century skills into the formal curriculum through pedagogies like Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Inquiry Based Learning by harnessing modern technology.  

Through some of the sessions I attended which discussed about uniting formative assessment with reflective practice, it gave me some insights to organise assessments and testing in the area of physical education.  In addition the Presidio Middle School visit also provided some sample and reference model of measuring student outcomes in physical education.  I believe I would be able to bring this information and learning back to my fellow PE teachers and start a discourse about formulating assessment criteria.   

Amidst the rich learning, the trip has been most smooth and enjoyable.  My fellow participants were most accommodating, fun loving and made the trip memorable and fruitful. I have also learnt a lot from the daily debriefs in the evenings.  The rich conversations that sparked during the discourse has been very enlightening as we related our experience in the day.  I enjoyed the sessions of debriefs.

I want to thank Ms Soh for being such a wonderful group leader in making this trip so rich in learning yet so enjoyable in experience.  Apart from handling the administrative and logistics matters of the trip, Ms Soh set clear directions for all and created a safe environment for sharing of ideas during the debrief.  Ms Soh has been very professional as the leader of the group and we have indeed benefited much from her leadership. 

It has been a wonderful trip of learning and I am very glad to be given the opportunity to see the beauty San Francisco as a city by the bay.

Written by: Aubury Ong



     

Differentiating Instruction and 21st Century Skills : Preparing All Learners for the World Ahead

Presenter : Carol Tomlinson, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Tomlinson highlighted that the power of 21st century learning is undeniable. While this is so, there are apparent gaps in the level of preparedness for crafting 21st century classrooms. Educators need to better understand the attributes of the 21st century skills, how to craft curriculum that authentically draws on those skills, methods of instruction that literally change students' mindset and how to support all students in becoming 21st centiry learners.

Tomlinson spelt out the attributes of 21st century educators as follows :

• One with a growth mindset. This is an educator who believes in the fact that success comes from effort. The educator with this mindset changes the profile of the students under her so that students are positive and not averse to chance and learning. The key role of such an educator is to make school work for students. This is different from an educator with a fixed mindset. Such an educator thinks that only smart students succeed, genetics and the environment determine what educators can do in the classrooms.
• One that provides rich content knowledge. This is an educator who allows earning to take place in a rich environment with ample opportunities for students to explore and make meaning out of a rich environment to learn.
• One who is flexible with instructions and management. Such an educator is not fixed on ways of dealing with students and sees various avenues and methods for educating students under her charge. This of course comes with good preparation which may include collaboration with other teachers. Tomlinson also highlighted the need for educators to know the students she is teaching, how to teach , lead students to contribute to the lesson's common vision and mission.

　
Tomlinson also emphasised that students need the following to learn :

• Acceptance
• Understanding
• Respect
• Belonging
• Contribution
• Challenge/Support
• Purpose
• A Balanced Success-to-Effort Ratio

Tomlinson suggested 3 Routes to Launching a Differentiated Classroom. They are :

Why Would We Do This?

• To grow
• Because we aren’t carbon copies of each other
• Because each of us has the need to develop our talents and shore up our weak points
• We like different things, learn in different ways and have different talents

What Will it Look Like? Teaching Up :

• Sometimes different books, activities, homework, projects
• Different individuals and groups doing different things
• Different spans of time
• Need to focus on my task
• Be a colleague
• Starting class/group work
• Stopping class/group work
• Anchor activities
• Getting help
• Keeping records
• Setting goals
• Learning routines (books, furniture)

Assessment? Varied routes to learn about students’ starting points

• Interest surveys
• Writing samples
• Mini observations
• Skills inventories
• Small group dialogues

Key Questions :

1. What are our perceptions of our students, especially so the weaker ones ?
2. What are the beliefs that propel highly effective teaching? Highly effective differentiation?
3. To what degree do our teachers see themselves as leaders vs. managers of students?
4. How clearly does our school describe & support a learning environment?

Khalid Kudabar

Physical Education and Recess Environments: Keys to Success

It is most timely that this session is available at the Annual Conference and has generated significant attention in the physical education fraternity around the world.  In line with the increasing emphasis of sports safety and providing a safe environment during formal and informal physical activities at home, it is the responsibility of the educator to create and ensure safety.

The speaker, Carrie Flint, shared that it is imperative to create a safe environment for students to engage in physical activities both in the physical playing area as well as the psychological realm.  Using the concept of  'Peaceful Playgrounds', Carrie Flint urged all physical educators to set basic ground rules in all playing areas.

She established that in order to set basic expectations that work in schools, they have to be well communicated to all members, maintain consistency and demand commitment from all.  It requires a common set of rules to be consistent. 

Safety rules have to be devised thoroughly and communicated through multiple channels to both the staff and all students.  The safety rules have to visible and clear even at the playing areas.  It is important to teach the students the value of respect while engaged in physical activities.  The need for respect for otheres as well as the equipment they use.

There are many ways in which the physical educator could adopt and reference from the website http://www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/

Aubury Ong

Engaged Student = Better-performed Student, PBL as a tool

It is believed that when students are engaged in their learning, they perform better. This workshop focused on how to engage student via Project-based Learning (PBL). A project involves the whole spectrum: doing research, selecting the suitable information, analysing the data collected, presenting the findings etc. It does not just refer to the final product. The 3 factors which promote student engagement are: autonomy, mastery and purpose. It is challenging to both to design a project-based assignment and to assess one. However, the BBK template (Build Background Knowledge) can help teachers design such an assignment. To assess, teachers may follow the 8 strategies of learning.

Meaningful project: sale proceeds to help the community



Another wonderful end-product



Engaging the 21st century child : relevance and curiosity

Questioning is an approach advocated at many sessions over the past week, so perhaps I would raise a few questions for us all to think about.  J

To engage children in learning, almost all presenters put RELEVANCE is a key tenet. Initially, I thought we all know what relevance means. But on second thoughts, I have 2 questions:

1.         Is relevance to the real world necessarily mean relevance to the child?  E.g., teaching Mathematics and Science through a problem on Soccer and World Cup would be considered relevant to the real world. However, there may be students in the class who have zero interest in soccer and do not care about why 23 men are running after 1 ball. So is relevance to the real world sufficient to engage our children?

2.         Children are naturally curious. But they may not be curious about everything under the sky … and beyond. While we make learning relevant to them, how do we nurture their curiosity in a wider scheme of things?

Lai Leng

Restorative Discipline: From Getting Even to Getting Well

In this session of restorative discipline, Judy Mullet described what a noncoercive discipline approach looks like.  She advocates that restorativee discipline is a differentiated approach that invites students to put things right and make good choices.  The essence of restorative discipline is to move away from punishment to reconciliation.

Using the assumption that one can't do bad when doing good, restorative practice aims to get well instead of get even.  It is about the art of bringing together where inclusivity is the key to nurture a community that is healthy and harmonious. 

It is also about the art of asking effective questions.  Restorative practice is a process for developing self discipline and channel all energies towards a just and compassionate living.  It seeks to create, nurture and amnd relationships.

I feel that the restorative practice must be assimilated into the current discipline structure in all schools.  The restorative practice would certainly serve to build a compassionate and inclusive community.  It injects a sense of ownership trust and respect in the community.  It repairs relationships and expects all individuals to be part of the culture giving life rather than taking away.  However, it must be build into the system as a whole because if a student refuses to participate in finding solutions for any situation, he/ she may still have to be referred to a disciplinary process, which is the last resort.

Written by: Aubury Ong

Student Achievement in the 21st Century: Literacy Skills for 21st Century Learners

This session certainly expounds the need for innovative change in learning and teaching to preapre our young generation to be competitive, creative and productive citizens of the 21st century.  The fluid and dynamic future demands it!

The speaker, Sue Beers (educational consultant), outlines and explores the definition of 21st century skills.  Besides the content of the core subjects, the 21st century skills comprise of the categories of Leaning & Innovation Skills; Information and Technology Skills; and Career & Life Skills.  It is imperative that the teacher plans the lesson to infuse the 21st century skills. 

Sue Beers also shared the framework for 21st century learning.  It represents a holistic view of teaching and learning that contains 21st century learning student outcomes as well as the essential support systems.

One of my main takeaways for the session is the main 4Cs of the 21st century skills which are namely, Creativity and Innovation; Communication; Critical Thinking & Problem Solving; and Collaboration.  Hence, it is empirical that the skillful teacher is able to weave the elements of the 4Cs into the lesson delivery so that the acqusition is as equally important as the acquisition of the core content knowledge.

Like many participants, I was awed by the vast amount of web tools for learning that is available.  The myriad of webtools shared by Sue Beers was quite overwhelming.  By harnessing technology, I am sure it will spark the interest of students and engage them in learning.  Being digital natives, the students would find learning interesting and fun by using the right technology.  However, there is a need to level up the technology literacy of the teachers in order to make use of the correct webtools appropriately and skilfully.    

Technology is but a tool in engaing the learners.  Technology when used skilfully allows learners to own their learning.  And it is through such ownership of learning and accountabililty in learning that the 21st century skills could be acquired.

This is a photo taken during the session with Sue Beers in the middle. 

Written by: Aubury Ong

Pre-conference: 101 Tools & Techniques to improve Teacher Quality

101 Tools and Techniques to improve Teacher Quality

Opening question 1:

Why do we need good teacher?

Reform happen 1 classroom at a time.  We have to start with having effective teacher in school.

Improve quality of teacher  =  Improve learning of students

On the other hand, research has shown that ineffective teacher has a deep impact on student academic gain, very often leading to regression.  One year impact on maths.  Student with 50 percentile, improve to 70 percentile under an effective teacher.  Same student will drop to 40 percentile under ineffective teacher.  Over a 3 year impact, student under an ineffective teacher will regress even further.

Question 2: What is an effective teacher?

The speaker suggested that effective teacher should be determined base on two main criteria. First, the background of the teacher which is further divided into prerequisites and the person.  Second, job responsibilities and practices which can be observe through classroom management and instruction, organizing for instruction, implementing instruction and monitoring student progress and potential.

The speaker went on to illustrate how each of the determinants can be observed or examined through use of interview and classroom observation through rubrics or questions that are specially designed for this purpose.

Personal takeaway

I have always deemed teaching to be a nurturing profession whereby you allow people to make the change at their own pace. After attending this session, I have understood the urgency of having effective teacher in the classroom.  In a way, we owe it to students to provide the best learning experience and opportunities if not we should not be drawing a salary as an educator.

This ties in with the notion of improving teacher’s competency so that effective teachers are in school to help with student learning and engaging them to realize their potential.

Lawrence

How can we prepare our learners for their future?

We all know that the world is changing very fast and are highly aware that we need to prepare our learners for the future but how to? Perhaps one of the questions to ask is what skills would the learners need to succeed in the future. The critical skills needed would be Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills, Communication & Collaboration skills.

From the few sessions that I have attended thus far, the key learning points that I have drawn are as follows:

·                    Independent learning comes only with ownership of the learning. How as teachers could help our learners to own the learning? Help the learners to see the relevance in what they are learning which will spark of their curiosity to want to find out more. These “Relevance” message has been repeated many times across the different lectures and also during our School Visits at Presidio Middle School and Napa New Tech High.

·                    Assessment drives the curriculum & instructions. Structure drives behaviour and assessment likewise will drive the teaching pedagogies. I have gleaned from the sessions that web2.0 promotes self-directed and collaboration learning. Currently, we are still at web1.0 and not many teachers are making use of the web 2.0 tools as assessment. Useful website to explore: http://www.curriculum21.com/home and hopefully, it will encourage more teachers to make use of web2.0 as a teaching tool.

·                    Teacher is the key to students’ achievement, hence the need to Promote Professional Interactions. What we want for our learners, would also mean what we want for our teachers. Eg, if we want our pupils to be critical thinkers and able to ask questions then we also need our teachers to model these questioning skills in their teaching. One of my key takeaways would be that teachers need to plan and prepare the questions ahead, it cannot be left by chance or incidental approach during teaching. Our Time-tabled Time is a good platform for teachers to come together to plan lesson and also to discuss on Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions to stimulate students’ thinking.

Group Photo at Seoul Transit on 21st Mar

Group photo at Seoul Transit

Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson & Marcia Imbeau

ASCD Professional Development Institute San Francisco, CA March 23-25, 2011
Pre Conference :

Day 1 : Goals for Class Management : Leading to Success.

1. Clarity about key elements of differentiation. Practice of differentiation is the  modification of four curricullum-related elements: content, process, product and affect. which are based on three categories of student needs and variance- readiness, interest and learning profile.
2. A framework for thinking about 'successful flexibility' in the classroom. T
   

   eaching "makes room" for student variance.
3. 
   
   Relationship between leadership and management in a differentiated  classroom.The teacher who lead  for differentiation have the opportinity to lead colleaques  including teachers and principals as well as students and parents,  opportunities for coplanning or coteaching, sharing pertinent insights.mute voices that say''not in this school' and correct misconceptions, 
4. The philosophy that guides teacher leadership in a differentiated classroom is when a student is known and valued as an individual  and where there is reliable support system  to build on the pupils's strengths, help shore up or circumvent weaknessses  and maximise academic growth for the time the student ia a member of the class.
5. Practical guidance related to managing a differentiated classroom. Contrary to common misconceptions, classroom management is not simply the process of arranging desks, rewarding good behaviour, and choosing consequences for misconduct. Classroom managmnent encompassess many practices  integral to teaching such as developing relationships;  structuring classroom communities where students can work productively; organising productive work around meaningful ciricullum ; teaching moral development and citizenship, making decisions about timings, and other aspets of instructional planning; successfully motivating students to learn  and encouraging parent. involvement
6. Classroom implementation of ideas and strategies. Learning occurs best in a positive enironment - one that contains positive interpersonal relationships and interactions that contains comfort and order, and in which the learner feels appreciated, acknowledged, respected and validated

Day 2:  Effectively Leading And Managing a Differentiated Classroom.

1. Growth mindset moves to student-teacher connections and the community. teachers with a growth mind-set work from the premise that virtually any student can learn anything if the student is willing to work hard and if he or she  has support in that effort. Teacher-student connections bridge the risk of learning.They regularly help students understand that they have control over their success, thus enabling students with fixed mind-sets begin to operate from a sense of personal agency
2. Building community in the classroom.
3. Creating a learning environment.
4. Getting to know students
5. Rules for DI Classrooms 

Day 3 : 3 routes to launching a Differentiated Classroom

1. Avoiding 'Hot Spots' in a flexibly Managed Classroom
2. Some practical considerations
3. Group work : Checklist for pre-assigned "standing" groups
4. Routines for handling paperwork and Time Management
5. Anchor Activities
6. Strength-based Assessments:

• Spelling Checklist
• Writing Assessment Rubrics
• Checklist for expressive skills
• Oral reading Assessment
• Role Cards

My Reflections

• I learnt that differentiation in the classroom is not just a set of instructional strategies, I need to adopt in my teaching practice but how I use a set of principles to guide me in the way I teach my students as I reflect on my teaching practices and make adjustments to pay attention to student variation and respond to it according to the students’ readiness, interest, and learning profile.
• I realize that to facilitate this, I need to create a positive learning environment where high-quality curriculum is taught through flexible classroom management skills and use ongoing assessment as a tool to enable me in my decision making how I need to progress as an effective teacher. Diagnostic assessments to determine individual students' entry points into a unit of study in terms of their readiness, interest, and learning profiles. Formative assessments to measure students' readiness, interest, and learning profiles. Summative assessments to offer varied modes of expression and scaffolding.

I asked myself why do I need to adopt differentiated instruction in my classroom when streaming and banding is already done in my school.

• Of course I know that as a teacher, I need to ensure that all of my students master important content. But what Carol Ann Tomlinson advocates is that I need to pay attention to the fact that students differ as learners because they have different background experience, culture, language, gender, interests, readiness to learn, modes of learning, speed of learning, support systems for learning, self-awareness as a learner, confidence as a learner and independence as a learner and they need help at various points in the learning process. She mentions that I need to continually ask, "What does this student need at this moment in order to be able to progress with this key content, and what do I need to do to make that happen?

•  What is mind boggling is that how am I going to adopt different methods such as independent reading, partner reading, text on tape, text with images, listening comprehension, online research, communication with experts, group demonstrations, small group instruction and also sometimes go back to prerequisite content in order to move some students while the advanced learners move ahead before their classmates.

What does Carol Ann Tomlinson say: 

•       Carol Ann Tomlinson mentions that the core of the classroom practice of differentiation is the modification of four curriculum-related elements—content, process, product, and affect—which are based on three categories of student need and variance—readiness, interest, and learning profile. She offers many solutions for  a teacher to be effective in a differentiated classroom.

1. Adapt the learning environment to cater for students' readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles and develop an instruction that maximizes each student's opportunity for academic growth. The appearance, organization, and structure of a classroom can invite learning with appealing colors, effective displays of student work, spaces for both solitary and collaborative work, easy access to materials and supplies, furniture arrangements that focus attention on peer input rather than largely or solely on the teacher, and visible cues to support quality work.
2. Cultivate the classroom's intangible emotional climate where students learn best when they feel safe, respected, involved, challenged, and supported. 
3. Design lessons with student differences in mind, including differences in learning, culture, language, and gender and be a metaphorical "bridge," to help students to connect the knowledge and skills to develop self-awareness, and independence. 
4.  Adopting flexiblity in terms of time, materials, support systems, student groupings, instructional modes, and teaching and learning strategies and  offer various routes to help students develop self-efficacy and independence as learners develop proficiency in collaborative learning.
5. Provide classroom routines that balance student needs for guidance and freedom.
6. Be aware how the classroom elements interact. If a student feels like an outsider in the classroom, he or she is unlikely to commit to class discussions, group work, or even individual tasks, and this unfavorable learning environment negatively impacts curriculum and instruction for that student. Likewise, if assigned work is beyond the abilities of certain students, they will feel unsafe in the classroom and regard the learning environment as negative. 

Carol Ann Tomlinson & Stella 

    Stella : Differentiating Instruction and 21st Century Skills : Preparing all learners for the WORLD AHEAD. 

By Stella Fernandez

21st Century Skills come alive at Napa New Technology High School!!!

Braving the new frontier at Napa New Tech.

Branded as the school of the future, it envisages a culture and vision that encapsulate the 3Rs, namely, Relationship, Relevance and Rigor which propels student success in the 21^st century.There is strong evidence of school-wide alignment of school vales (Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Professionalism) integrated into all aspect of school life.

The school demonstrated high levels of student engagement and strong performance in Reading and Science, college acceptance rates and behaviourial indicators.

This strong result could be attributed to the following success factors:

a)    Recognises that 21^st century skills are vital to students’ success in life. Evaluation of students not only on how proficient they are on traditional subject matter, but also on their mastering of critical skills like critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, technology fluency, creativity, media literacy and contextual learning.

b)   Engaging and rigorous instruction through the use of project-based learning. Students collaborate on projects that require critical thinking and presentation skills. By making learning relevant, student engagement is high and there is better educational outcomes.

Peer assessment of a Maths/Physics PBL Presentation

c)    Collaborative culture which empowers both students and teachers. Allows ownership of learning experience and school environment. Working in teams also allows students to be accountable to their peers and acquire a level of responsibility similar to a professional work environment.

 

Easy accessibility to school's resources 

 d)   Seamless use of technology to support innovative approach to instruction and culture. The use of 1-1 computing and vast resource network allow pupils to become self-directed learners. An interactive network system is put in place not only to help students, teachers, administration and parents connect, but also allow self and peer assessment based on clearly-defined rubrics and exemplars.

Collaboration in action!

21st Century Literacy Skills

Attended the above workshop by Sue Beers on 24 and 25 March.  She shared with the participants on the CLICK Framework to engage our students, the digital natives.  Digital natives are 'wired' differently and hence, learn differently.  CLICK - Connecting, Learning, Instruction, Content and Kids.

There was also a repertoire of tools that she shared with us on how we can make our lessons more engaging and meaningful so that students see relevance in what they learn.

In addition, we also learnt about the 21st Century Skills that are broadly categorized into Learning & Innovation Skills, Media and Use of ICT Skills, as well as Career & Life Skills.

Curriculum Mapping Planner

Dr Heidi Hayes Jacobs - Curriculum Mapping Planner



Curriculum Mapping is a procedure for collecting and maintaining a database of the operational curriculum in a school.

It connects all aspects of a system and provides the basis for:

·         Sharpening and focusing the curriculum to ensure a consistent core curriculum

·         Aligning all instructional components, including content, skills, assessments, activities  and resources

·         Aligning reporting tools and processes so they provide meaningful long term data

Different Types of Maps

·         Consensus Maps (essential qns/content/skills/assessmt/activities/resources) - Syllabus

·         Unit Maps (essential qns/big ideas/key terms/content/skills/assessmt) – Scheme of Work

·         Diary Maps - Lesson Plans

How do we adapt it in our school system?

·         Overview Plan across levels to address gaps or overlaps in content, skills and assessments

·         Mapping of Holistic Assessment

Website for Curriculum Mapping resources

http://customhub.yolasite.com/

Alcatraz - 23/03/2011

So cute!!!!

Visit to Presidio Middle School 22/03/2011

Group photo taken outside Presidio Middle School

The morning visit on Tuesday, 22 March 2011 was enlightening and memorable. These are the 3 big ideas that highlight the learning that transpired from the visit.

Leadership and Culture
The warmth extended by the Principal, Ms. Pamela L. Clisham, was evident from the moment we stepped into the school.She guided the 5-hour tour personally, gave us commentaries on the proceedings of the school, answered all our queries and engaged us in meaningful discussions about the education system in San Francisco. When we had the lesson walk-throughs, the teachers were inviting and approachable, friendly yet confident, and they exuded a nurturing disposition. This positive culture was also reflected in the well-behaved and well-mannered students who were engaged learners.  It was evident that Ms Clisham believes in building a strong culture of trust, respect and professionalism among her teachers and pupils.

Teaching and Learning
The curriculum features a daily timetable of 6 periods, which enables students to do 4 core-subjects (English, Maths, Science & Social Studies), PE and Electives daily. Teachers specialised in teaching 2 Subjects and 1 Elective which allows them to be masters in their own discipline. We were impressed by an Algebra lesson conducted by Ms Mitchel using the iPad, which replaced the textbook. Students were fully engaged and self-directed. Some of the wide-range of electives offered includes drama, band, basketball and yearbook. Students were very clear of the routines, expectations and consequences of the choices they make. Restorative Practice was a strategy employed to counsel students with behavioural challenges. 

(a)    (b)

(a) Every pupil is loaned an iPad for the year to be used for Algebra lessons

(b) Ms Mitchel showing us the online text and related Apps on the iPad

Partnerships

The Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) is very active and directly involved in many of the school programmes. They welcomed us with a spread of homemade pastries , which took us completely by surprise.

The parent volunteers are actively involved in fund-raising that help finance the running of the school programmes. For example, the school’s auditorium (stage and AV system) was upgraded which allowed the school to stage musicals or plays every year. The students are also involved as stakeholders in the PTSA to make decisions. The school and the community work together to pool their resources to enhance student learning.

After the visit, we understood  why Presidio Middle School was well-sought after in the community. The warmth, sincerity and professionalism exuded by the teachers and the administrators were deeply felt.

Written by Uma, Emlyn, Safidah and Khalid

Day 1, 21 March 2011



Our "Home" for the next 9 days!



Arrival at San Francisco Airport...still smiling

The team arrived at San Francisco with great excitement to see the sunny skies and feel the cool breeze.  A 20 minute ride took us to Hotel Whitcomb, checked in to rooms warm and cosy.
At 1.30 pm , lunch was at the quaint restaurants, which served crispy, juicy Louisana Fried Chicken and steaming hot Vietnamese beef noodles. Tucking in burritos nearby was Mr Aziz and company.
Our first detour was to the Apple store hoping to get iPad 2....very disappointed....people were queuing up overnight for the next day's consignment....should have booked online!
In the evening, the F-line street car to us to Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 to try out the famous clam chowder.  It was lipsmacking good!

Day 1, 21 March 2011

Checking in

Streets of San Francisco

The steep roads of San Francisco...Look behind the car.