100 schools to get $15,000 each to continue MOE's innovative teaching scheme
Lin Yanqin yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg
FROM using cartoons to teach the concept of a storyline in composition writing to getting students to formulate their own hypotheses in a science lesson — the possibilities are endless when it comes to devising new ways to engage students in learning.
.
To do so, however, Tampines Primary School had to first come up with an organised framework for its teachers so that they could effectively implement the various programmes.
.
The result: Poetel, a "protocol" to guide teachers in designing a more engaging curriculum and lesson plans, as well as provide a framework to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiatives.
.
"The idea is not to tell the students what they are going to learn today and what the facts are — we want to get them more involved in the process of enquiry and let them discover for themselves what the answer is," said Tampines Primary principal Wong Bin Eng. "We had to find a way to guide our teachers to do that."
.
All this was possible thanks to the support schools like Tampines Primary received from the Ministry of Education (MOE) to "Teach Less, Learn More" (TLLM).
.
With the success of these first 29 schools selected to benefit from its support, the MOE will be awarding its "TLLM Ignite!" package to about 100 schools each year for the next three years to further promote such curriculum innovation.
.
Like before, schools will get help in the form of advice on curriculum design and assessment, with partners from the MOE helping to link the schools up with overseas and local consultants, and training workshops for teachers.
.
These newly-picked schools will also be mentored by the schools that have already carried out their TLLM innovations since the initiative was announced in 2005.
.
Each school will get $15,000 in funding for each innovation they apply.
.
At Greenwood Primary School — one of the 100 schools selected this year — the "TLLM Ignite!" package will be used to incorporate visual arts into the teaching of various subjects. The school will spend the next month working with the MOE facilitators and consultants to come up with an effective lesson plan.
.
"We have ideas, which we will need to fine tune before we implement," said principal Foo Mui Chuw. Without the MOE's support, it would be "much harder" to carry out innovations.
.
"We have had our own smaller projects, but now, we can carry them out on a bigger scale and have more impact."
