SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM,MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE MOE WORK PLAN SEMINAR 2006, 29 SEPTEMBER 2006, 1.00 AM AT THE NGEE ANN POLYTECHNIC CONVENTION CENTRE
Mr Gan Kim Yong,
Minister of State
Rear-Admiral Lui Tuck Yew,
Minister of State
Mr Masagos Zulkifli
Senior Parliamentary Secretary
General Lim Chuan Poh,
Permanent Secretary
Mrs Tan Ching Yee,
Second Permanent Secretary,
Miss Seah Jiak Choo,
Director-General of Education
Principals,
Colleagues,
Ladies & Gentlemen,
OPENING
1. Let�s start off with a short video, produced by the students of
2. Greenridge Secondary is one of the 29 schools (�prototype schools�) that MOE is partnering under the Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM) initiative, in order to bring about school-based Curriculum Innovations.
3. Cedar Primary is another. Its teachers have put in place what they call a �School-Within-School� programme, where students in 3 classes - one each of Primary 1, Primary 2 and Primary 3 - are given the opportunity to customise their own learning using individual learning plans. If a student completes his learning targets ahead of time, he can move on to another task. For instance, a P1 student who has finished his tasks can choose to either move on to the next topic, or to deepen his understanding of the same topic at the P2 level. In other words, differentiated teaching and learning takes place continuously, throughout curriculum time. Further, the 3 classes are given a common open space for lessons. The students do Project Work together in mixed age groups, with older students often helping the younger ones. Let�s see what the learning space for the 3 classes in Cedar�s school-within-a-school looks like.
4. Cedar Primary�s innovation is allowing students to learn at their own pace, but also making them feel that they are responsible for their learning. The school has received good feedback from the parents involved. The parents say that their children are more confident, self-motivated and more organised in their work.
5. These are the ground up initiatives that are blooming in our schools - not just in the 29 prototype schools but all over the island. Schools have been rethinking why they teach, what they teach, and how they teach, so as to engage their students better and provide them with richer learning experiences.
MORE SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL-BASED INITIATIVES
Ground-up Initiatives, Top-Down Support
6. This is also how we are going forward, how we are moving to a quality-focused education system. The quality improvements are not coming in top-down, but from initiatives taken by teachers on the ground � whether it�s a change in the school curriculum, or a new way of teaching the existing curriculum, or a new way of organising students for learning. Cedar Primary�s teachers are doing all three.
7. Teachers and schools are the drivers, with MOE offering close support and journeying along with them. �Top-down support for ground-up initiative�, which I spoke about last year, is coming along well. The initiatives are bubbling up. And as we notice an initiative working out well in one school, we will see if other schools can benefit from adapting it to their own needs. That�s the way we will see quality rippling across the system.
8. How do we make �top-down support for ground-up initiative� work? We are putting three key ingredients in place. One � cuts in curriculum content to give teachers more space. Two � increase in the number of teachers and other professionals in schools; and Three � bringing about a two-way flow of expertise between MOE and schools.
9. First, cuts in curriculum. We will do this progressively over the next few years. It is a judicious exercise, because we want to make sure that any new curriculum continues to prepare our students adequately for a tertiary education. We also want to make sure that a curriculum with reduced content is not one with less intellectual challenge. So our curriculum specialists will make the cuts carefully. We use scalpels, not axes.
10. This year, we introduced significant cuts in the humanities curriculum - starting with the lower primary and lower secondary levels and working upward in the next few years. We introduced cuts of 14% to 20% in Social Studies (primary and secondary levels), History and Geography. Next year, we will make cuts of 10% in the English Language and lower secondary Mathematics syllabi. By 2010, we will have put in place content cuts ranging from 10% to 20%, in all content-based subjects at all levels.
11. Cutting curriculum content frees up white space for teachers. They can use the space to enrich their lessons with additional material or exercises. Or they can spend more time preparing for their lessons, and finding new ways to deepen their students� understanding of a subject. Or they can get together, pull together the white space across subjects, and do something quite different through their own school-based programmes.
12. On top of the content cuts which MOE is putting in place, schools are also free to initiate their own content reductions where they think appropriate for their students. We have a few examples of this already.
Giving school more teachers and para-education professionals
13. The second ingredient is putting more teachers and para-education professionals into schools.
14. We are on track to reach our target of 30 000 teachers in the Education Service by 2010. We are recruiting Adjunct Teachers - we have attracted 1400 adjunct teachers since the scheme began last year.
15. We also want to help teachers reduce their administrative workload so that they can channel more of their time and energy to improving their teaching and interacting with their students. So we are recruiting and training para-educators - such as Full-Time School Counsellors and Special Needs Officers, and new types of administrative staff such as Co-curricular Programme Executives (CCPEs).
16. Every school will therefore get more teachers and para-education professionals over the next few years. Together with the curriculum cuts, this is how we will provide more time and space for teachers - time and space that will allow them to inject more quality into education. But I have to emphasise that the schools that benefit most from the additional resources they get are those which deploy the resources effectively to reduce the load of teachers. They use the additional resources to create time for teachers to engage in professional planning, reflection and sharing.
17. To give an example - with additional teachers, Canberra Primary has been able to reduce each teacher�s teaching load by one and a half hours a week. The teachers use this freed up time to engage in professional reflection and sharing, and engage in action research.
18. Deyi Secondary is a example of a school which has already received its full-time school counsellor, CCPE and a special needs officer. They have all helped, in one way or another, to free up more time for the teachers. The school counsellor, Mrs Kwok Min Hui, who was posted into the school this year, has set up a framework for counselling and referrals, conducted home visits and provided support to students facing social and emotional issues. The teachers in the school are happy that they have a trained professional in their midst to help them address students� socio-emotional needs, and especially the critical cases which they may feel they are not fully equipped to handle. Jerry Tan, the CCPE in Deyi, has also been a boon. Deyi�s school band is well known for its accomplishments at the SYF and in this year�s NDP. But it is a lot of work, and besides the visible work of band instructors, there is a great deal of administrative work behind the scenes. This is where someone like Jerry comes in - booking the buses, and helping the teacher in many other regards. Deyi�s Special Needs Officer too has already proved helpful - by providing supplementary EL lessons to dyslexic students in the school.
Two-Way Flow of Expertise between MOE and Schools
19. Top-down support for ground-up initiative will also mean a new relationship between MOE HQ officers and schools. We no longer have a situation where specialists operate in MOE HQ, and teachers wait in schools for directions. There is now an active two-way flow of specialist expertise between MOE and schools � MOE extending HQ specialist support for school-based initiatives; and schools sending teachers to MOE to develop and share their own expertise.
20. MOE�s new partnership with the 29 TLLM prototype schools illustrates this. MOE HQ has about 100 officers drawn from different divisions and NIE working as partners with the prototype schools and conducting workshops in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
21. For example, in working with Pasir Ris Primary School, a multi-divisional team from the NIE, Curriculum Planning and Development Division, and Gifted Education Branch was set up to collaborate with the school in designing and implementing the school�s portfolio-based approach towards learning and assessment. The idea of a portfolio-based approach came from the teachers. And to help them to realise their idea, we have provided them specialist advice and support on the use of performance tasks and rubrics.
22. Officers from the Finance and Development Division (FDD) have similarly been reaching out to schools, to help them make use of the FlexSI Infrastructure scheme, to support new teaching ideas and arrangements.
23. In
24. The second limb of flow of expertise between MOE HQ and schools is where schools send teachers to MOE to undertake research, build up their expertise and share their findings with each other. We call them Research Activists, or RAs.
25. The 29 prototype schools have each appointed a Research Activist each. The RAs are given fewer teaching periods, and spend time doing research on the teaching or curricula innovations they have in mind at MOE. To get a peek into the life of a research activist, we now watch an RA movie.
(Start of video clip)
The Video: �An RA Movie� shows 2 RAs from Admiralty Primary and Bedok South Secondary, who will tell their story of the excitement, challenges and professional learning as RAs. Clips show RAs researching, collecting data, discussing with colleagues and other RAs, observing lessons, and consulting HQ partners.
Michael Devakishen
HOD/Aesthetics
Bedok South Secondary School
Mdm Julie Tan
Assistant Director
Curriculum Policy and Pedagogy
Curriculum Planning and Development Division
Ms Diana Goh
HOD/Pupil Development
Admiralty Primary School
Vadiveloo Anandaratnam
Curriculum Planning Officer/English Language
Languages and Literature Branch
Curriculum Planning and Development Division
Michael: This RA thingy � what�s it about? � Can I cope? � Can I manage? �What about my class?
Mdm Heng: Michael, don�t worry � You�re not alone on this journey. I have a teacher, Shirley, on the scheme as well. She shares your concern. We constantly encourage and motivate Shirley on her journey as a Research Activist. Additionally, Shirley�s teaching workload was halved to enable her to do her research work.
Michael: Thanks, Mdm Heng, for your assurance.
Julie: That�s right Michael. The prototype schools are doing excellent work in trying out new pedagogies and creative approaches in teaching and learning. And it�s a good thing that you�re studying and researching the prototypes so that other schools can also learn from your experience. And that�s the reason why we created the Research Activist program so that you can spend two days a week with us, working with us and researching together with us. Now I think this is an excellent program and you�re pioneers and you ought to be very proud of yourself.
Diana: Being an RA allows me to have the opportunities to find out how and why my teaching method works. And if it doesn�t work, I can find out why and improve on it. I can explore effective and innovative ways to teach my students. It is wonderful to have my fellow RAs to embark on this new journey together. We share similar concerns like in the area of research and coping with the many readings that we have to do. But, we help each other and encourage each other as we go along. And so, we�re never really alone. Together, we attend workshops and discussions. We have our stressful times but we do have fun and laughter as well. We have the opportunities to observe each other�s lessons and see our students in action. And all these experiences help us grow professionally. In time to come, teachers� capacity will be raised. Most importantly, I am proud that my pupils have gained from what I am researching on.
Of course, we have our own quiet times when we do reading and research. On top of that, we collect data through interviews and surveys. We share resources with other RAs because we are bonded in this Community of Researchers.
Anand: Hi, Diana!
Diana: Hi, Anand!
Anand: Here�re some reading materials that�ll be useful for your research.
Diana: Thanks! This will be helpful. It�s good to have you around. You�ve been a great help.
Michael: It�s all worth it� Coming this far, we have a deeper understanding of theories and principles of action research and we�ve learnt lots from the customised courses pertaining to our school-based innovation. All the efforts put in, surely worth it. We, teachers, benefit from all these and we�ve grown a lot along the way. Not only that, there�s a much stronger bond between teachers and students now.
The main motivation, the greatest satisfaction, comes from seeing our students grow. They are motivated to learn, and they�ve become more independent learners. It�s all for them.
(End of video clip)
26. Besides the 29 TLLM prototype schools, other schools have also taken their own initiatives to deepen teachers� expertise through practice-oriented research. Compassvale Secondary adopted a school-wide approach to this, with teams of teachers carrying out research in many different areas. For example, one team engaged in a English project where students edited each another�s essays. They found that students who went through the experience also sharpened their abilities to polish their own essays and compositions. Another team customised and repackaged the lower secondary History curriculum, and found a range of techniques to raise students� interest in a subject they had found boring and tedious - such as cooperative learning, play-writing and learning journeys to local historical sites. Compassvale has since published its teachers� research - �Action Research across the Curriculum� (edited by Chew Lee Chin).
27. To recap, we are creating more time and space for teachers, by making judicious cuts in curriculum content and supporting schools� own curriculum adjustments and innovations; and by deploying more teachers and para-educational professionals to schools. We are also initiating a two-way flow of expertise between MOE and schools, to share specialist knowledge and put new ideas into practice. This is how we will keep the momentum, keep the quality flowing across the system.
28. That�s how we best make the move from focus on quantity to quality in education � teachers carrying their own convictions on what they should be teaching, schools taking ownership of their own initiatives, and MOE stepping in to provide whatever support it can and to help share lessons across schools.
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE IN ABILITY-DRIVEN EDUCATION
29. We are moving towards greater diversity and choice in education. Step by step, but the direction is clear for all to see. More paths, more bridges, more electives and more varied methods of learning to nurture students with different abilities and interests. It�s how we help every talent flourish, and how we will achieve the mountain range of excellence that PM has spoken about.
30. An important part of this shift has been the flexibility we are injecting into our system of ability-driven education.
31. The fundamentals of the system are sound. We recognise different abilities, set curricula that students can realistically master, and help each student to proceed at a pace that he can manage. When we introduced streaming in schools over 25 years ago, it brought dropout rates down sharply. Many more students have been able to stay engaged in learning, and the vast majority now progress on to a tertiary education. Today, only 3% or less of our students drop out before completing secondary school. We are not happy with 3%, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Masagos is looking into ways we can reduce it further.
32. But we have avoided the large attrition rates that we see in many other countries, where undifferentiated schooling leads to a large number of students being disengaged from learning. In the
33. However, nothing that we do in ability-driven education is an article of faith. All our approaches - our different streams and differentiated teaching methods � are simply practical ways to help students grow and develop as best they can. We judge our approaches only by their effectiveness. And where we can improve them, we will do so.
34. Neither is ability-driven education about setting students on a fixed path for all time. It is about responding to students� abilities at each point in time, helping them to prepare for the next step in their learning, and encouraging them to aspire to go higher, at every step of the way. The stream or course you go to in school does not define you for life.
35. We are refining our ability-driven education, so that we keep and strengthen this open-endedness. We are introducing more flexibility in the system - more opportunities to move up at each step of the way, more fluidity between the different streams in schools. There are three good reasons why we are doing so.
36. First, we have to allow for the fact that some children develop late, or develop the motivation to do well later than others. Some students start off slow, but can catch up later. We should keep the system open for them. And we must always expect surprises � expect students to develop in surprising ways and surpass early expectations.
37. We have made it easier for schools to promote or transfer N(A) and N(T) students who do well, to the Express or N(A) courses respectively. Every year now, about 400 N(A) students are promoted and transferred to the Express course. A similar number of N(T) students are promoted or transferred to the N(A) course. Despite catching up late, most of these students did well. 87% of the N(A) students who transferred to the Express course qualified for the polytechnics � this is in fact higher than the 83% for the bottom half of our Express students. 33% of the N(T) students who transferred to the N(A) course qualified for the polytechnics.
38. One student who has been crossing bridges is Chua Kim Wee, now a JC2 student studying in
39. We must keep allowing students to cross bridges, and keep an eye out for the surprises like Kim Wee.
40. We have not wanted to rush the way we have implemented these flexibilities. But we can gain confidence from the results to date. I would therefore encourage secondary schools to actively exercise the discretion that they have to identify students who can cross bridges between the streams, and help them do so.
41. The second reason why we are evolving towards a more flexible system, is to cater to students with uneven strengths and abilities. Few students are exceptional in every area, and few students are weak in every subject. Most have some strengths and some weaknesses in their learning, and some areas of study that excite them more than others. We therefore need an approach that encourages every child to find his strengths, regardless of where he stands overall, and which provides him the opportunity to take his interests seriously.
42. We have moved progressively towards recognising students with uneven abilities. We have allowed N(A) students to offer up to 2 �O� level subjects at Secondary 4, in the areas that they show greatest promise. And they have done well. N(T) students too have, from this year, been allowed to take up to two subjects at the N(A) level.
43. To help students discover their interests and strengths in practice-oriented subjects, we have also introduced Elective Modules and Advanced Elective Modules in schools. Some schools will be going further in time to come, to offer Applied Graded Subjects that are the full equivalent of an �O� level subject.
44. We are moving in the same direction in primary schools - helping students to find distinct strengths and take them at a higher level. We started by liberalising the rules for Higher Mother Tongue. We will now be moving to a system of subject-based banding for the weaker students, which will replace the EM3 stream. I will say more about this later.
45. We are also recognising strengths outside of academic performance. That�s why we have widened the scope for discretionary admissions into secondary schools and post-secondary educational institutes - so that students can be admitted not just on their performance in examinations, but on their talents in other areas. and be encouraged to further develop those talents.
46. Although some schools can now admit up to 50% of their students through discretionary selection, the overall numbers are still low. About 3% of all students are now admitted to secondary schools and junior colleges through the Direct Schools Admission (DSA) exercise. We will gradually expand this, in small steps. MOE will also take a more flexible approach in recognising more schools with strong programmes as Niche Programme Schools, so as to encourage them to develop areas of excellence.
47. The third reason for introducing greater fluidity in our system of ability-driven education � and this is not any less important � is to encourage greater interaction among our students.
48. We already place students from different streams in the same schools. It gives students with different abilities the opportunities to interact with each other, work with each other, and build up friendships. That�s a strength of the
49. But there is more that we can do. We must do more through our CCAs and informal school programmes, to encourage every student to mix with a wider group, people different from him. We have to go beyond the occasional activities, to the regular. We will also keep exploring what more we can do to allow for integration of students within the formal curriculum time.
50. This is why we will be making further refinements to our Gifted Education Programme. We must recognise the abilities of our intellectually gifted children and give them a learning environment that allows them to thrive. But we must also find ways to give them the rounded education that comes from regular opportunities to interact with the rest of their peers, and which will fit them out for life.
51. We should not shrink from providing the best chance for every talent to surface and grow. We should be willing to differentiate our teaching and curriculum where useful, and not ask every student to conform to the average. We should never fall into a culture of discouraging students from being exceptional - or �cutting tall poppies down to size�, as the Australians put it. We must never feel that we are doing wrong by giving budding talents the best chance of shooting up. We need all the tall poppies we can get, whether in the sports and arts, or in Maths and Literature.
52. But we also know that the tallest poppies often grow in the open. Many leaders in business and the professions, or in government and community, will tell of how they had the benefit when they were young of growing up with friends of quite different abilities and backgrounds. Like MM, for example, who has repeatedly said that it did him good to have started his school career in a modest rural school, as Telok Kurau Primary was then.
53. We should never underestimate the benefits of interacting, day-in and day-out, with people who may be different from you, but whom you live with, play with, work on projects with, and who will share the same world as you.
54. We should therefore keep a careful balance in education - between providing the differentiated teaching that we need to nurture different abilities and talents, and allowing sufficient opportunity for interaction and for the habit of looking after each other to be formed. And we should encourage all our students, including those with academic difficulties, to find their strengths, aspire to go further, and to learn something they did not previously think they could.
55. The fluidity that we are injecting into our ability-driven system is not just a matter of educational philosophy. It mirrors the way the workplace is moving, in the innovation-driven industries that we must insert ourselves in. The organisational structures that were well suited to the old economy, with strict hierarchies and distinctions between employees with different skills, are being replaced by more flexible, flatter and more agile organisations. Up and down the line, every worker has to deal with some complexity, learn to multi-task, and be willing to learn new skills quickly. That�s how the innovation economy works. Stay agile, and work in teams, or you�re out of the game.
56. I will illustrate this with a few examples.
57. At Shell, chemical process technicians must now multi-task, and think on their feet. Their technicians are expected to go beyond handling just the process controls, to also handle equipment maintenance and troubleshooting. They must also have a good understanding of management issues like how to maximise plant output. And Shell also trains its technicians to be effective communicators and active members of their work teams.
58. Next example, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. Lucasfilm looks for creative individuals with a hefty dose of raw talent. But they also need to be highly versatile, to switch between different types of creative tasks - from digital modelling to texturing and painting, and to rendering shots and sequences. Lucasfilm looks for artists with the enthusiasm to solve problems - people who not only try to figure out the solution to a problem but also improve the process while they are at it.
59. My third example may strike some as �old economy�. At Singapore Customs, officers are constantly learning new skills and re-engineering the scope of work. The environment they work in is radically different from before. Not long ago, the job of a Customs officer was to prevent the entry of undesirable goods into the country. So Customs officers were trained in physical inspection and examination of cargoes. However, Singapore Customs is now the key regulatory agency for trade. Officers who were previously schooled in physical cargo inspection have picked up new skills in trade documentation, so that they can approve trade permits, audit companies, and investigate trade-related offences. More recently, Customs officers have again had to pick up new skills, to audit companies on their security policies and the measures they are putting into place to ensure that their supply chains are well-protected against potential disruptions.
60. This is why diversity and flexibility has become the leitmotif of the education system. It is not a passing theme. The changes that we are making in education, step by step, are the way we are preparing young Singaporeans for the innovation-driven workplace. It is how we will make our living in the world.
61. We have to keep the system fluid, and avoid pigeon-holing students. We must give them the responsibility to shape their own education - to find their own strengths, to ask themselves where their interests lie, and to make their own choices in a more flexible system. And we should keep the geometry of an ability-driven education system open, keep refining it with experience, and never fix things for all time.
62. Let me now elaborate on three specific initiatives in ability-driven education that we will be embarking upon in the next few years.
Subject-Based Banding in Primary Schools
64. Schools were also given the flexibility to integrate merged stream and EM3 students in the teaching of non-academic subjects like Music, Art, Civics and Moral Education, and PE. These changes have brought about positive results. Virtually all of our primary schools (95%) have integrated the merged stream and EM3 students for non-academic subjects. Many schools have also come up with their own distinctive innovations to better customise teaching for their students.
65. For instance, at
66. A few schools with very small numbers of EM3 students have in fact gone further, and integrated their EM3 students with their weaker merged stream students for most subjects - for example, St Anthony�s
67. As a next step, we will allow schools greater flexibility in teaching their students based on their abilities in specific subject areas. Currently, students who are in the merged stream or the EM3 stream take a fixed package of subjects at the Standard or Foundation level. In practice, however, there is a continuous spectrum of abilities across the two streams. Many students also have varying abilities in different subject areas. In particular, about 40% of our EM3 students pass at least one subject at the Primary 4 examination, and could be capable of taking these subjects at Standard level. They can benefit from being given this flexibility.
68. There are also some merged stream students who face considerable difficulties in a few subjects at the Standard level. Many of these students continue to do poorly in their Primary 5 examinations in those subjects. Some are consequently posted to the EM3 stream in Primary 6. Here again, there is merit in having a more customised approach, to allow the weaker students the flexibility of taking one or more subjects at the Foundation level.
69. Let�s hear now from a few students and teachers. One of them, Christopher Ho, is a student whom I met earlier this year when visiting
70. We will first listen to Christopher and Shiek Daud, another EM3 kid with a spark, from
(Start of video clip)
Christopher Ho Ye Hui duration: 1�50�
Primary 6 student
Shiek Daud Bin Salahudeen
Primary 6 student
Mdm Maznah Bte Yusak
HOD/Mathematics
Chongzheng Primary School
Mrs Suraj Nair
HOD/English
Shuqun Primary School
Christopher: Hello! I�m Christopher from 6 Faith. I enjoy learning with my friends from the other classes.
Shiek Daud: I like being in my class because whenever I have problems in maths, they will help me. When they have problems in projects, I will help them too. .
Catherine: In such a class, there is diversity of ideas and there�s opportunity for them to interact meaningfully. The students are much better behaved and esteem is high.
Masnah: From my experience teaching the EM3 students, I�ve noticed that there are quite a number of them who are particularly strong in subjects like English and Mathematics.
Christopher: I can share my ideas with them and can make more friends.
Masnah: And it is these children whom I feel will benefit tremendously by being given the opportunity to do such core subjects at the standard level.
Suraj: In my experience as a teacher, I have come across pupils who have made it to the EM2 stream because they have passed 1 or 2 subjects. If we have the flexibility to offer certain subjects at the foundational level, I think it will be a great benefit in terms of their motivation and helping them to enjoy the subject. I believe parents will really appreciate this, especially those who are at a loss as to how to help their children.
(End of video clip)
71. With the two years of experience that schools have had in integrating merged stream and EM3 students for non-academic subjects, we are now ready to move towards a more customised, school-based approach to cater to students with uneven academic abilities.
72. We will therefore put in place subject-based banding in our primary schools, starting from the 2008 Primary 5 cohort, replacing the current EM3 stream. Under subject-based banding, students will be able to choose a mixture of Standard and Foundation subjects, depending on their proficiency and aptitude in those subjects.
73. Many of the students who would have been in the EM3 stream under the current system can therefore be expected to spend about half of their curriculum time with the rest of the students in their regular classes.
74. MOE HQ will give schools greater flexibility to adjust their curriculum time for teaching various subjects at the Foundation level. This will allow schools to put in place timetabling arrangements to cater to the different needs of students in their school. Schools which already have innovative timetabling and subject-banding practices can also share their experiences with other schools.
Greater Integration of Students in the Gifted Education Programme
75. We are also evolving our approach towards ability-driven education for another group of students � those with very high intellectual potential.
76. We will spread the experience gained through the Gifted Education Programme, to a wider group of students. We will also give the GEP students themselves the opportunities to maximise their interactions with other students.
77. The GEP is a successful innovation in the
78. At the primary level, as gifted students are distributed across the island when they enter primary schools, we will continue to designate 9 primary schools as Gifted Education Centres. The current primary Gifted Education Programme is working well. We will continue to evolve it, and make it more relevant to the all-round needs of the students.
79. At the secondary level, we have devolved the Gifted Education Programme to the Integrated Programme schools, which in practice admit the majority of gifted students. We are not doing away with the philosophy or practice of providing distinct programmes for gifted students. What we aim to achieve is a diversity of such programmes at the secondary level. We are seeing this happen. The IP schools have each come up with their own talent development programmes for gifted and other high ability students, in addition to their programmes for other IP students.
80. At Raffles Institution, the school adopts an enriched curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment approach for all of their students, irrespective of whether they were originally from the primary GEP. At the lower secondary level, students are mainly grouped according to whether they did the primary GEP, to allow the teachers to provide more effective bridging for the non-GEP students. At the upper secondary levels, RI offers talent development programmes to further stretch and enhance the learning of students who are exceptionally talented in key domain areas, without distinguishing students based on their primary backgrounds.
81. In Dunman High School, students carry out class projects in mixed groups comprising both GEP and non-GEP students. The students come together, help each other out, and complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses. During group work for oral presentation or script writing for Chinese Language, I am told the non-GEP students will help check and vet the work of the GEP students, as the non-GEP students are generally more proficient in the language.
82. Through the IP schools, we are therefore seeing different types of models for developing exceptional talents, as well as greater integration between GEP and non-GEP students.
83. We will find ways for bringing about greater integration at the primary level. In the primary GEP centres, the schools have been promoting greater interaction and intermingling between the students, through CCAs, field trips and other activities. They will go further in doing so. There are two areas in which greater integration will take place.
84. First, in the non-academic area. Henceforth, GEP and non-GEP students will participate together in joint Community Involvement Programmes. Schools will also encourage all of their GEP students to take part in at least one CCA, especially those that promote physical activity and teamwork, such as Sports and Uniformed Groups. We have to try every way to help them build up the ruggedness of mind and body that will hold them well as they grow up.
85. We are not alone in recognising the need to give gifted students a rounded education. Many top schools overseas place strong emphasis on this. For example, the Beijing No. 8 Middle School, a secondary school which takes in highly gifted students at age 10, two years ahead of their age, pays special attention to the holistic development of their students. Apart from their 2 PE lessons each week, the students spend half a day every week on outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing, diving, and trekking. When I met the 10 year old students during a visit a few years ago, they had just returned from a practice for a cycling expedition that they were making, all the way to the
86. Apart from CCAs and joint CIPs, a few of our primary GEP centres are also coming up with their own ways of promoting greater interaction between students.
87. In the next video, we will hear from 2 GE teachers on what they�ve done in their schools. Dan Ang, from St Hilda�s Primary, will tell us about his students� experiences in working in mixed project teams over a period of 7 months, to design and build the tallest tower using drinking straws. William Grosse, from Rosyth Primary will also share with us how EM3 and GEP students work together on projects in his school. Let�s take a look.
(Start of video clip)
Dan Ang Kah Eng duration: 1�17�
St.
William Grosse
Subject Head I&
Rosyth
Dan: For me, innovation and creativity itself is borderless. So when these 2 groups of pupils meet together, they really benefited from each other. Especially when they will be working on their project for about 7 months and they meet every week. Through the sharing they learn how to be humble, how to be tactful and how to be receptive to each other�s point of view. We also hope that they understand each other better through this deep and meaningful interaction.
William: We trial a programme where we had our EM3 children work with our gifted kids on this thing called the IVP � the Innovation Programme. And what the kids did was actually come together to work on drafting sessions. They have to work on real life problems and come up with inventions. And what we found was that they interact very well, learning from one another. That�s very important because it�s not only the gifted children who have very good ideas but the EM3 children as well. This is where we look at redefining what excellence is in school. We look at not giftedness but gifted behaviours.
(End of video clip)
88. We also want to explore what more we can do to encourage integration in the academic curriculum. Nan Hua Primary and
89. From 2007, Nan Hua will put in place a class twinning approach, and form four integrated classes each having a mix of around 30 GEP and non-GEP students. The GEP students will continue to take separate classes in English, Maths and Science. They will otherwise share the same classes with other, high ability non-GEP students, and will spend about 50% of curriculum time together. (Nan Hua has decided that the GEP classes for Maths, English, and Science will each comprise 20 students, which is smaller than the current GEP class size of 25. The integrated classes will comprise about 30 pupils.)
90. Tao Nan has also decided to start 2 integrated Bicultural Chinese Elective Programme (BiCEP) classes, each comprising 25 students, for their 2007 P4 students. GEP students who choose to join other high ability non-GEP students in the two integrated classes will attend lessons together for about 50% of their curriculum. For English, Math and Science lessons, the GEP students will continue to have separate classes.
91. These new models will allow the GEP students to interact with a other students on a more sustained and intensive basis � they will see each other every day, take many of the same classes, do many of the same homework assignments. They will also do CIP and CCAs with a broader circle of school-mates. Through the greater interactions, the students will I am sure learn to build on each others� strengths, and develop habits from young of working in diverse teams.
92. I am glad that both Nan Hua and Tao Nan have decided to initiate their own new models of bringing about greater integration. These were initiatives mooted and developed by teachers themselves. MOE will help along and support the schools, and see how the lessons from their experience can be spread.
Developing non-GEP Students with High Ability in Specific Areas
93. Apart from the GEP students, there are some mainstream students who are highly talented in specific subject areas � maybe they have a special aptitude in Maths, or they have a way with words, able to write beautiful essays, poetry and so on.
94. Brendan, Jonathan and Liang Pu, from Nan Hua Primary, are mainstream students who are highly talented in Maths. They were among a group of twelve students selected for the Talent Development Programme to prepare for the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad. We asked the three boys to talk to us about their experience.
(Start of video clip)
Jonathan Han duration: 0�47�
Brendan Dean
Liang Pu
Primary 5 students
Brendan:
We made good friends with the GEP students and they�ve helped us out a lot in questions. We actually exchanged phone numbers.
Liang Pu:
And we also exchanged email addresses for further contacts in the future.
Liang Pu:
The information taught in the lesson in the master class was quite challenging and different from the school syllabus.
Jonathan:
It�s more complex compared to normal school work.
Brendan:
Much more complex.
Brendan:
Now instead of wondering how the question is done, I wonder why the method to do the question is so.
Jonathan:
My greatest benefit is that I befriended the GEP pupils. They see things from a different perspective. So I benefit when I interact with them.
(End of video clip)
95. We should further stretch and challenge students like Brendan, Jonathan, and Liang Pu � who have very high ability in specific subject areas like Maths and English Language, and allow them to maximise their special talents in these areas.
96. We will therefore put in place more opportunities for students who have high ability in specific subject areas, to benefit from enriched learning in these areas.
97. Schools already have their own ways of identifying high ability students, for example, through their performance in school-based assessments, school and cluster competitions. Building on these existing efforts, MOE will provide further assistance to schools and teachers to identify high ability students. We estimate that approximately 1,500 more primary school students with high ability in specific subject areas will be identified through these various school-based processes.
98. As the profile of students will vary from school to school, schools will have the flexibility to decide how best to cater for these students. For instance, some schools may arrange for some students to take the same subject classes as the GEP students. Other schools may organise special enrichment programmes or classes for their students. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in national competitions, special workshops, and language and mathematics carnivals.
99. MOE will work with the National Institute of Education (NIE) to train new and existing teachers on developing innovative teaching strategies and various ways to develop students� potential and talents. We will also support trained teachers with consultancy services and teaching materials.
DEVELOPING MORE NICHES OF EXCELLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS
100. Let me turn now to our efforts to develop niches of excellence in our education landscape. This is an important aspect of our strategy to ensure that every talent, be it in an academic area or non-academic area, can be identified, nurtured and developed.
101. As PM mentioned at the Teachers� Day Rally last month, we want a more diverse landscape with many different schools having their own strengths, and being good in their own way. We will move towards having one-third of our schools having their own niches of excellence, over the next five years.
102. At the secondary level, we currently have 12 Niche Programme Schools, specialising in diverse areas such as Sports, Performing Arts, Uniformed Groups, and Robotics. The Niche Programme Schools also enjoy flexibility in admitting students under the Direct School Admissions Exercise (DSA). The schools are granted 5% discretionary places to admit talented students to their niche programmes, and further build up their niche areas. Currently, only secondary schools which have very strong potential and have a proven track record, can qualify to become Niche Programme Schools.
103. However, apart from the already recognised Niche Programme Schools, there are many other schools which are in the process of building up and developing areas of excellence. While these schools may have very good programmes and committed teachers and students, they may not have yet established a strong track record of achievements. Under the current approach, these schools cannot qualify to take part in the DSA, and take in student talents who can contribute to building up their areas of excellence.
104. We need to adopt a more nurturing and risk-taking approach towards identifying Niche Programme Schools. This includes schools that have not yet built up a strong track record but have strong potential in developing a niche area of excellence. This will encourage greater experimentation and innovation, and lead to more diversity and richness in our education landscape.
105. In the next video, Ms Kong Sook Ming from Siglap Secondary, which has an emerging niche in Art, will tell us more about the school�s programme. We will also hear from one of her students, Daniel Ong, on how the programme has given him the opportunity to develop his talent further.
(Start of video clip)
Ms Kong Sook Ming duration: 1�15�
HOD/ART
Siglap Secondary School
Daniel Ong Enci
Secondary 4 student
Sook Ming: We have a special focus in art. We offer a variety of programs here in
Daniel: With collaboration with local artists and exciting projects at the Esplanade, I�ve learnt more and benefited more as well as in nurturing my artistic talents.
Sook Ming: Our students are passionate about the program and I can see the spark in their eyes when they do their art work, for example, fashion design and painting, even 3D Studio Max. They are very enthusiastic and joyful about their experiences. And along the way, they have built up self-confidence and they enjoy coming to school.
Daniel: Personally, I�ve learnt more about perseverance, planning ahead as well as working towards my aspirations. It has been a great program.
(End of video clip)
106. We have therefore decided to recognise more secondary schools which show strong promise in building up niches of excellence, as Niche Programme Schools, including those that have yet to build up a strong track record. We will extend funding support to these �emerging� Niche Programme Schools, to help them further develop their niches. Each
107. Similar to the existing approach, we will also allow the �emerging� Niche Programme Schools to have more flexibility in student admission. They will be allowed to admit up to 5% of their students through the DSA. This will allow schools to recognise a more diverse range of student achievements and talents, beyond just looking at academic results. It will allow them to attract and admit student talents who can contribute to building up the schools� niche areas.
108. I am confident that with this change, we will see many more new
CONCLUSION � EXCELLENCE FOR ALL, TOGETHER OUR FUTURE
109. We should never lose sight of what we are trying to achieve in education. At the heart of it all, education is about bringing out the best in each student. Each student has a talent that has to be discovered, nurtured, and cultivated. We must find many ways of identifying and grooming talent. As Professor Lee Yuan-Tseh, the first Taiwanese-born Nobel Prize laureate, recently said,
�Written exams can only assess certain aspects of a person�s talent.� �We have a responsibility to help young people discover themselves � what they are good at and how they can contribute.�
110. We have to maintain a sense of balance as we go forward, and focus on what we cannot measure, as much as what we can measure. While we want to develop students� minds, there is nothing more important than developing their character.
111. By holding up high aspirations for every child, and urging them each to do something meaningful with their lives, we bring about a brighter future for