During the June holidays, 34 students took part in the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad Competition under the Junior section. Our students won a total of 1 Silver, 3 Bronze and 3 Honourable Mention awards.
4 teams have participated in this year Amazing Science X-Challenge 2010 which requires them to create a stand-alone, self-explanatory exhibit that demonstrates a particular scientific concept unique to the physical sciences. One of our teams has emerged as the winners for the Special Mention Prizes of $150 and a medal.
Congratulations to Arthur Lee and Millie Thng from S1-04 for achieving Merit Awards for the Singapore HeritageFest 2010, "Artefactually Speaking" Storywriting Competition!
Singapore VEX Robotics Championship 2010 Our Robotics Club participated in the Singapore VEX Robotics Championship 2010 (3 - 4 June 2010).
The club has obtained Silver for 2 out of 3 categories of the competition, for "Team Alliance" and "Best Programming Skills". The team was also awarded the "Judges Award" trophy for Best Newcomer.
1. At the end of four years, students should be able to
Attain adequate language proficiency in their MTL so that they can relate and exchange ideas clearly with others and communicate with ease
Obtain the language skills that are complementary with knowledge gained in other subjects and applicable in the workforce
Experience a integrated curriculum that inculcates ethical behaviour
Appreciate the rich culture and wisdom that comes along with the learning of the languages
Heart of the Discipline
2. MTL is a useful communication tool that can be applied in many aspects in life, from social bonding, cultural appreciation, to doing business with people from foreign countries. Singapore is located in a region surrounded by countries with people speaking Malay, Indian Languages and Mandarin; being bilingual has provided our people a unique edge in this globalised world. The rise of major powers such as China, India and Dubai, is also a strong signal for our young learners to be more prepared so that they can better engage these strategic partners in future, through understanding each others’ language and appreciation of the culture.
3. The MTL curriculum will follow the new national curriculum that will be introduced in Year 2011. The new curriculum emphasises on developing the literary skills systematically. Students will be exposed to more learning tasks to practise and apply what they have learnt. The new curriculum will also tap on the use of information technology to encourage self-directed learning in students. Complementing the national curriculum, SST will create a school based curriculum which will introduce the appreciation of history and cultures related to the language, so that it will make greater sense to the students and ensure that they will gain a more holistic experience through their MTL.
Assessment
4. Both Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment of Learning (AoL) will be made use of.
AfL is formative, which can include presentations, projects and public speaking, where the level of competency for the usage of MTL will be assessed. Assessment will be based on four main categories, namely: speaking, writing, listening and reading comprehension. Grading will focus on communicative competency rather than concentrate on the accuracy of grammatical structures. Hence, assessments should take place as far as possible during regular class sessions, based on tasks and activities that have real-life relevance and application.
AoL is summative, which would refer to the End-of-Year examination. There will be no Mid-year examination.
Pedagogical Approaches
5. Applied Learning Approach
To engage and enthuse the students to be interested in their MTL, an applied learning approach will be adopted in and out of the classrooms, through a wide variety of activities with close relevance to the real world which allows students to realise the practical applications of MTL.
To allow students to be more aware of the practical uses of the target language, experiential learning can also be carried out outside curriculum time, through implementation of enrichment programmes (such as immersion and overseas exchange) and industrial attachments where students will discover and experience for themselves the benefits of being proficient in MTL.
6. Task-based Approach
Tied closely with the idea of applied learning, students are encouraged to learn the language through interaction and frequent use when working on a specific assigned task. This approach links classroom language learning with language use outside the classroom and focuses on the functional uses of language rather than its structure.
7. Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Pedagogy
ICT is the distinguishing feature of the SST. To relate the teaching and learning of MTL more closely to this key feature, ICT will be made use of to engage students during lessons and in most homework and assignments given. The intent is to develop in students the abilities and habits to be able to make use of technology to learn and improve their learning of MTL.
ICT is an important and powerful teaching tool that can be used to arouse the interests of students in MTL, as the passion of these students in the SST are likely to lie more in technology-related areas. However, while ICT should be used to complement and even improve on how content of a lesson can be carried out, a teacher’s role as a facilitator and guide in the classroom is not and should not be regarded as replaceable by ICT.
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