SSDB 2021 - "Shake it up!"
Parental Involvement> Collaboration across K1 and K2 students> Involvement across N1 and N2 students> Our final outcome!
Computer Based Learning (CBL) program
CBL lessons are conducted once a week, and lessons are planned according to the theme of the term. This serves as a form of reinforcement for the ordinary lesson content, to help students remember what is taught better. During CBL lessons, a variety of resources are used, such as YouTube videos and games related to the themes. In every learning corner, there are laptops for the students to play with and use to explore and to learn the functions of. Students practice typing skills, and learn basic computer skills such as word, learning to surf the Internet and other things.
Other than computers, students also get to explore and play with other forms of media and technology. Students get to play with cameras and bring them out to the neighborhood gardens and parks to take photos of and document their natural surroundings.
Curriculum
The center follows the guided curriculum that follows closely to the guidelines stipulated by MOE. As a PLC Chinese Group member (for which they were given an Innovation Grant), they also co-operate with the Confucius Institute to conduct activities for the students, such as Cookery classes. Also, the center has Music in Education in Chinese and English for all students, where music is implemented into the curriculum to help incite interest in learning Mandarin, and also to help students understand the subjects better. Students learn Chinese words and characters from songs and occasionally instruments. “Our center tries to focus on music,” says Miss Tay, Principal, and they also try to include music in many other lessons aside from their languages.
For Moral Education lessons, the center collaborates with Singapore Children’s Society (SCS) for the “Choo Choo Train” program, that is taught in English and aims to teach values through story-telling and puppets, making stories about the various values come alive and become more personal for the students. For this program, teachers from the SCS come down to the center to teach the program specially.
Assisting weaker students
The center has the FLAiR program to help K2 students weaker in English to catch up with their peers in time for primary school. The FLAiR program aims to provide specialized help for weak students so FLAiR classes are kept small (less than five students per teacher) and teachers can provide specialized and adequate help for students in need.
The center also co-operates with the Dyslexic Association of Singapore (DAS) with their remediation program that is kept separate from the FLAiR program. In this program, weaker students are sent to Fengshan primary school for English tuition and so far “feedback has been very good,” says Miss Tay.
Blk 545 Pre-nursery program
For the pre-nursery program, less emphasis is placed on actual worksheets and coursework, but more emphasis is placed on hands-on activities and training the motor skills. Through a series of activities daily, such as coloring, drawing, singing and every day actions such as feeding themselves and toileting, students here learn to share with other students and take instructions from teachers, as well as learning to be independent. Pre-nursery students also learn to interact with one another and build social and communication skills from a young age. Overall, the pre-nursery schedule is kept very simple and relaxed so that students can get the maximum learning experience possible without unnecessary pressure and more interaction with peers and teachers.
