My Last Post - A short reflection on my 17-week Journey

Time flies. I will be completing the entire MLS course by the end of next week. This 17-week journey has been great. Not only have I gained much knowledge in the areas of curriculum, student management, educational research and management , I also made many friends, formed valuable networks and got to interact with some of the top minds here.The course has also allowed me to get involved in reaching out to the poor, the distressed and the disadvantaged.

          My great team mates (L-R) :Lim Suat Lay (HOD/Maths-West Grove Pri), Sharon Nah (HOD/Maths-St Joseph Institution(P), Evelyn Cheam (LH/Maths- Yew Tee Pri Sch)

So what's next for me when I return in 2 weeks' time ? I have 3 agendas that are top on my list

(1) To help the school level up the T & L through our existing structures ( Lesson Observation, 3 min walkthrough , Mentoring, Skillful Teachers framework and the eventual formulation of a T & L framework). I will also be looking at how we can make educational research a way of life in our school.

(2) To enhance our professional development processes and to really make every teacher a skillful teacher and a collaborative community

(3) To look into how we can enhance the existing CCE programmes in the school

As a school, we must continue to put aside our personal agendas and work together in the above three areas. If we do these areas well, I believe our children will be benefit tremendously at the end of their 6 years with us.

Why are we doing these ? For the children and their future. It is these two that must drive our work as Educators

Before I end , I would like to share an article which was written by Mr Chua three years ago when he was the Principal of Kuo Chuan. Whenever I am distressed, stressed and feel like throwing in the towel, I would be reminded again and again by this article on our mission as Educators and the sacred role that we hold as Guardians of our Children's future.

" My Primary motivation as a Principal has been to prepare our children to be world ready. The heart of my concerns has always been the cultivation of good character, the development of life-long skills and competencies and the building of good citizens. To these ends, the teachers and I have been working hard to build a vibrant school culture where character is paramount, learning is exciting and space and time are given to nurture children's talents / passions." (Mr Chua)

                               Principal's foreword (Mr Chua, 2012, Kuo Chuan School Magazine)
                                                      Click on the picture to enlarge it


Thank you for following me for the past 17 weeks. I look forward to coming back as a more reformed and enlightened man. See you in 2 weeks' time.

Industrial Visit : Institute of Mental Health (IMH)

I am currently working with my course mates in looking at how middle managers can effectively reach out to teachers who may be emotionally troubled.

As part of my assignment, my team members and I visited IMH as part of our case study preparation.

The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) is the only tertiary psychiatric care institution in Singapore. IMH treats patients who are severely ill and who require specialised psychiatric help. This is also the place where the Child Guidance Clinic is situated.

Mental health affects every aspect of our daily lives and the lives of those around us. It influences the way we think, behave and relate to others.

          Ms Ng Si Jia, Senior Executive, Corporate Communication Department, IMH giving a briefing to team members

We were given a tour of the facilities and a visit to Sayang Wellness Centre, a boutique centre offering outpatient and inpatient services for non-subsidised patients, The centre has a very conducive environment and offes programmes such as group therapy, relaxation sessions and personalised medication counselling.

This poster can be found throughout IMH. It was drawn by a girl who used to seek treatment at IMH. She has since recovered and is now living a fufilling life.

                             To know more about depression, visit http://www.depnet.com.sg

If you know of a friend who may need professional help, you can direct him / her to the following:

IMH
Buangkok Green Medical Park, 10 Buangkok View

General Enquiries : 6 389 2000
Appointment Line : 6 389 2200
Crisis Helpline : 6389 2222
Problem Gambling Helpline : 1800 6 668 668
All addictions Helpline : 6 7326837

Online resources

(1) Teacher depression can hurt students' learning
(2) Six must know signs of depression
(3) Generalised anxiety disorder
(4) Sign and symptoms of mental illness

MOE iCare Services 

iCARE offers counselling services and workshops for the individual’s social, emotional and psychological growth.The aim is to enhance staff well-being and build personal and professional capacity.   They have trained Officers who are able to offer counselling services for MOE staff who may need help. Respect, Personal Choice and Adherence to Strict Confidentiality are the principles that guide counselling practice at iCARE.

iCARE is located at Academy of Singapore of Teachers (AST), 2 Malan Road, Singapore 109433

Opening Hours : Monday to Friday:  8am – 5.30pm

iCARE counsellors are available for consultation through:

§ Face-to-Face sessions at Academy of Singapore Teachers. By appointments only

(last appointment is 4.30pm)

§  Telephone – 6664 1392 / 1393

§  Mobile – 96322648

§  Email – moe_icare@moe.gov.sg

School Visit - Nanyang Girls' High School

Last week, a fellow coursemate arranged for us to visit his school, Nanyang Girls' High School. (NGHS). We were there to look at their Prototype 21^st Century Class (P21C²⁾ . This is the 1-1 iPad programme that NGHS adopts .  P21C²  is a project aimed at developing the 3Rs (Reflective, Responsive & Responsible) through a 1-1 computing environment to develop students’ 21^st century competencies. Every student brings an ipad to class daily.

   Presentation by Mr Mark Shone, SH of Innovation. This gentleman uses the ipad to enthuse  his students in the learning of Physics.

I have recorded a short segment of his presentation. You can view the video below.

                                                     We got to observe a Maths lesson

                                                  Colleagues observing the lesson

                                    The teacher uses Edmodo , an online collaboration tool

        Notice how the worksheets are designed. Each question is accompanied by a teaching video. The video is created by their own teachers using the software Screen -O-Matic.

You can view the video below

                         

                                                             Another example

  A NYGH girl uses the ipad for self-directed learning

                                                         With NGHS & SJI(P) Staff

Conclusion:

The visit has given me some ideas on how to incorporate IOS apps into a lesson. Incidentally, I am working with my project team mates in coming out with a Maths lesson using ipad. My role is to design a training session for teachers at St Joseph Institution (Primary) in the incorporating of IOS apps.

Movie Review : LITTLE BIG MASTER (五個小孩的校長)

On 21st march, eight hours before I was due to return to Singapore , I went to catch a show -  LITTLE BIG MASTER (五個小孩的校長)

This show was shown in Singapore last month. I got to watch it in Cantonese in downtown Causeway Bay.

(Source : http://www.shaw.sg/sw_promodetails.aspxpromoCode=29%20179%2034%2093%208%200%2043%20140%20172%20204%20158%2094%20226%20189%20228%2033)

A ticket costs HK $90 roughly S$ 16

Watch the trailer below (in Cantonese)

If you have not watched it, I encourage you to buy the DVD when it is out . It is a very good movie.

Based on a real story , a real person called Lillian Lui.

Read more here and here.

                                                Source : South China Morning Post

There are many scenes in the movie that hold many important lessons for us as Educators.

Background

Hung (Miriam Yeung) is a Principal of an elite primary school. After a hectic stint at the school which includes dealing with wealthy and demanding parents, she decides to call it quit. Her husband, Tung , who works in the Museum also resigns at the same time. They plan to take a break from work and travel the world together.

However, their plan for a holidays comes to an abrupt stop when she learns that a kindergarten in Yuen Long faces an imminent closure . There are only 5 pupils in the school. All their families come from poor background. Driven by compassion, she decides to apply to be the Principal of the kindergarten, taking on the roles of headmistress, janitor and general body of a village school on a salary of just HK$4,500 a month (S$ 700).

Her mission - to give the 5 pupils a quality education so that they can progress to good primary schools.

I will attempt to highlight some moving scenes from the movie. Even though it is based on a true story, I am not too sure whether the movie over exaggerate certain scenes to make Hung look like a "super Principal". However, real or not, it does shows what a caring Educator is like.

Working with parents & winning their trust and their partnerships

Hung faces an uphill task as a new Principal. The first challenge is to win over the trust of the parents. Many of them are skeptical as they do not know whether this new Principal will forsake them half way through as many have done so.The parents in generally are not even sure whether the school will remain in operation the following year. One parent decides to pull her 2 children out from school because she is not able to afford the transport fares to school daily. Hung offers to drive the 2 children to school and send them back every day. She will do everything to keep the students in school.

There is another family in dire condition. The girl does not dare to go to school as she is afraid that her father would kill her mother if she is not around. The father is a violent man, an amputee who has lost his leg due to an industrial accident. To add to his woes, the family is constantly harassed by a wicked land agent who would force them to evict from their home. Hung visits the family, get to know the situation and get the authorities to step in to prevent further harassment of the family.

Hung also rallies the parents together to organise the school's open day. By then, all the parents love her , touched by her sincerity and her love for their children.
   

Giving the children a dream & overcoming their limitations

Throughout the show, Hung is always encouraging the students, telling them to dream big and realise their potential. To help children overcome their shyness and their low self esteem, she conducts drama classes and provide opportunities for them to showcase their singing and performing talents. At the end of the movie, the children performs a moving performance at the school's open house.

Throughout the movie, the Principal constantly exhibits love and care for the children.

Having a vision to keep the school open 

The first school open house is a flop. Not even a single parent attends the event. But Hing perseveres, she keeps on encouraging the students and the parents. Together as a school community, they print tracts and give them out in the streets. At the end of the movie, their efforts reap results. The school is able to recruit sufficient students for the following year to avoid a school closure.

Not swayed by monetary gains

There is a scene where Hung is invited by the boss of a large tuition centre for a meeting. Originally the boss of this centre has promised to donate some money to the kindergarten. However, the boss has a sinister motive behind. He wants to offer Hung a job as the spokeperson of his tuition centre (Hung, by then is well-known throughout Hong Kong as the Principal who champions the cause for the poor children) . He even promises Hung that she will receive a high salary for her role.

Hung walks out of the meeting . She cannot betray her own conscience ,leave the children for a better salary.

For a complete review of the movie. Click here.

Regional Visit (Overseas Schools)

This morning, the entire student centre at NIE was buzzling with activities.

The occasion ?

To showcase the various overseas schools visits that had been undertaken by the various groups last month. These places include New Zealand, Australia , China (Kunming, Beijing & Chengdu), India, Taiwan, Hong Kong / Macau and Vietnam.

Take a look at the posters . You will get to see what other schools are doing in the region.

                                                         Team Members with Dr Ng Pak Tee

                                                                    Manning the booth

                                                                       Hong Kong

China (Chengdu)

                                                               China (Kunming)

                                                                    China (Beijing)

Taiwan, ROC

Vietnam

                                                                      Australia

                                                                 New Zealand

                                                                                India