Recent years have seen a paradigm shift in the education system. Contrary to popular belief, we were moving towards a hybrid model of virtual and physical learning; something the pandemic and the resultant lockdown only accelerated over the past year and a half.
It's been a dramatic shift as opposed to a seamless one, but you'll agree that this change has been inevitable. And the new education system in Singapore is a part of this change.
It is transforming and will continue to do so as per economic needs. The expectations of a workforce of the future are different than those of today, especially as we move towards becoming a smart nation. We also have an education system that now pays attention to the holistic development of the child and not just their final results.
New Education System In Singapore: At The Cusp Of Change
Even experts agree that we are at the crux of a paradigm shift when it comes to our education system.
"The education landscape has evolved tremendously in the past few decades," says Gene Gan, Deputy COO & Marketing Head at Mavis Tutorial Centre. The 35-year-old institution is one of the oldest in Singapore and educates over 12,000 students every year with 120 teachers onboard.
Gan further adds, "There are fewer examinations and graded assessments at primary school levels as the education system focuses on more holistic development of students. Tuition has become more prevalent in many students’ lives, as parents seek external support to help their children learn better.
Expectations for students evolve as well as the greater focus has been placed on inculcating and instilling in students the joy of learning, to encourage independent and lifelong learning."
The new education system Singapore has to offer also promotes more application-based learning that's applicable in real-world situations and problems. This has been a giant leap over rote learning and memorisation that dominated classrooms over the years.
The lessons today are more interactive in nature and technology is an integral part of the learning experience.
"We believe that learning needs to be engaging," says Gan. "There are auditory learners who thrive in most learning platforms but there are those who are tactile and visual inclined learners. We infuse real-life scenarios into the lessons."
New Education System Singapore: Achievement Levels (AL)
In today's day and age of learning, preparation remains the key to scoring big in PSLE results. With the new Achievement Levels (AL) system kicking in, mastery of all subjects is essential.
Gan says, "It's not only important to practice - but having the right type of practice is paramount. We advise students to know where their weak areas in a subject area and put in the effort to improve their skills in it."
Learning In The Time Of The Pandemic
The past year and a half has been largely challenging for children and educators at large. Not only did kids have a steep learning curve when it came to adapting to home-based learning (HBL), but it was also a challenging task for educators as well.
Gan says that covid-19 changed the world’s view on the concept of online learning.
"Although online learning has been taking shape in recent years, Covid-19 has accelerated the acceptance rate.
We have evolved with the times. Before the pandemic occurred, we already started to adopt hybrid lessons with our physical classes."
He adds, "We have also adopted webinars as a way of communicating with the parents and various stakeholders. We share important information and strategies in guiding parents in regards to the academic progress of their child or children. Masterclasses are another form of organising extra classes for students in preparation for their key exams and tests."
Gan also stresses on HBL having its own set of advantages. For instance, students who seldom ask questions in class are more willing to ask questions via the online chat functions.
On the other hand, students who are tactile learners may not find HBL as the most optimal form of teaching method.
Edu-Tech Is The Future Of Learning
Be it online or offline, children are born curious. And it's this nature that makes them great learners, especially when they are younger. Students are of different levels of learning ability and take to different styles of teaching as well.
At Mavis, the centre is ready for this change.
As Gan puts it, "We have invested heavily in a digital learning platform where students are able to submit their homework online for teachers to mark. At the end of the semester, students will be able to review their assignments with their personal digital files logged on the platform. We also have plans to increase the number of webinars to cater to the needs of students and stakeholders."
The future of education and learning is headed towards a more digitised manner and via digital platforms. Hybrid learning and home-based learning will also become more commonplace.
The future curriculum will continue to evolve to ensure students receive a holistic education. Expect it to improvise and adapt different types of skills, whichever turn out to be more relevant.
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