Personal reflections (Proposal to suggest improvements to the Singapore’s education) — Liang Shi Wen (09)

Introduction

During our trip to Taipei, we visited two schools there, including Taipei Municipal Jianguo high School, and Wulai Elementary School, a local school for aborigines. Through this experience, we gained more knowledge regarding the differences and similarities between school life in Taipei and in Singapore. Furthermore, we got to know a little about their school syllabus and extracurricular activities through the various lessons and performances they presented. It was also a brilliant opportunity to make new friends and it was truly an enriching and enjoyable experience.

 

Observations of Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School

 

Although Jianguo is one of the top schools in Taiwan, which has the top 1% of the nation’s cohort in their school, surprisingly they emphasised a lot on freedom. This idea of ‘freedom’ is also unique, and many of the RV students were surprised by this as it is almost impossible to find such a system in the schools of Singapore. Their freedom allows students to do whatever they want during school hours, such as engaging in sports and leaving the school to buy food during lunch breaks as well as creating their own clubs. Although it was optional for the students to join clubs, hardly anyone wasn’t in a club and their school alone had more than 80 clubs! However, the most surprising thing was that students were allowed to sleep and eat in class, (although this might depend on the teacher) and they were also not punished for not bringing their textbooks to class. When I questioned this system, my guide answered saying that this was part of their culture, and the school trusted the students to take charge of their own learning.

 

Observations of Wulai Elementary School

 

Wulai is also a rather unique school, as it was a school for aborigines, although they welcomed students from any part of the world. They even had a Caucasian in their midst, although she wasn’t an aborigine. Their school life is also more relaxed compared to the students of Jianguo and RV. They do not have as many subjects, and some of their teaching methods were also hands-on based, and we were lucky to be able to experience their Mother Tongue (Atayal), Art, and PE lessons. During lunchtime, the students were alsoexpected to clear their cutlery and even wash them, and this was common practice for them and a great way of instilling responsibility within those students.

 

Observations of Singapore Schools

 

The students in Singapore experience much more stress, and have stricter school rules and greater demands from both teachers and parents. It is also more difficult to gain approval to set up new CCA's and the choices are also limited when it comes to picking our CCA's. Furthermore, some students do not enjoy their CCA and dread attending their sessions, and this in turn becomes an obligation, unlike the students in Jianguo who attend club activities out of their own willingness. The teachers in Singapore are also very strict when it comes tothe class rules, and the students would never be allowed behave in an unruly way in Singapore schools, especially if there are visitors, as they care greatly about their school reputation. We also have shorter meal breaks that only last for 30 minutes, and most of us have very long school hours due compulsory CCA after school hours and Supplementary/Consultation classes that are required for some students.

 

Improvements to Singapore’s Education

 

In my opinion, a little more freedom and cutting down on the workload would be ideal for Singaporean students in Singapore to truly utilize their talents. Many students in Singapore are experiencing immense amount of stress, due to huge workloads and high expectations.I myself have seen friends who refuse to sleep at night to study in order to fufill expectations and not disappoint the people around him/her, and in turn neglected her health. While such actions might improve their grades, is it worth is to sacrifice your health for this?

 

I feel that extended lunch breaks would be a good thing to learn from these Taiwanese schools, as longer breaks would give student more opportunities to engage in sports, visit the library and revise study materials for the next lesson. Allowing an hour of free time would be extremely beneficial for students to refresh themselves after studying for a long period of time, or even ten minute breaks between each lesson would be great. However, excessive freedom wouldn’t be good as students with less sense of responsibility mightslack more than study, which can also impact their studies and futures negatively.

 

 -Tegan Liang Shi Wen (09)

Reflection By Laetitia Keok Yu Qi (2H)

Proposal to suggest improvements to the Singapore education

Introduction

On our trip to Taipei, Taiwan we were involved in an immersion program with two schools we visited, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School for 2 days, and Wulai, a local school for half a day. Throughout this entire experience, we gained much knowledge about the many differences and similarities between school life in Taipei, and in Singapore. On top of that, we managed to catch a glimpse of the extra curricular activities they engaged in, and their school syllabus. Furthermore, we made many new friends, and it was truly an enjoyable and enriching program. 

Comparison

Whilst there are a few similarities between both the schools, and schools in Singapore, there are significantly many more differences.

 Firstly, taking Jianguo High School as an example, the atmosphere of the school was significantly more relaxed and less stressful as compared to what we were used to. The students there are given a lot more freedom as compared to the students in Singapore schools; for example, the students are allowed to go outside of school to purchase their lunch, and are even allowed to eat in the classroom whilst students in Singapore are required to consume all food in canteens. On top of that, they have a huge variety of up to 80 clubs which the students join or set up, out of willingness and not out of obligation; they take a lot of responsibility in setting up these clubs and it is very apparent that they enjoy every part of it, unlike in Singapore, where it is harder to gain approval in setting up CCA's and they are given very limited choices in picking their CCA's, in addition, a small group of people in Singapore schools do not enjoy their CCA's and dread going to it. Lastly, the students are trusted to take responsibility for their learning and to develop a good learning attitude. This is clearly displayed when we had a chance to be in their classes, I noticed that a few of the students came in late to the class, some were using their cellphones, and even a few were sleeping. The teacher, however, did not reprimand them and instead ignored such behavious and continued with the lesson, this showed that the students in Jianguo were expected to take charge of their learning as afterall, what they would have learnt would benefit them, and not the teacher. This style of teaching would hone a sense of responsibility in them. In contrast to schools in Singapore, where the teachers are very strict about the class rules, and the students would not have been allowed to behave this way in Singapore schools.  

Next, we have the local school, Wulai. In Wulai, we were exposed to many different classes, ranging from educating the students on their local dialect, to arts and crafts lessons, and even physical education. There, I observed that the atmosphere of the classes were very lively, and the students were all full of zest and energy. Furthermore, they were all very hospitable and welcoming. The students had great rapport with the teachers, and i found that they were able to crack jokes with the teachers, something that would have been very less seen in Singapore schools, where students maintained their distance with the teacher. The sense of initiative and responsibility was also something not to be missed in Wulai. During lunchtime, the students were all expected to clear their cutlery and even wash them, very much unlike the students in Singapore schools, who only were expected to return their cutlery to the respective stalls. Not to mention seeing every single one of them finish all the food on their plates, before taking a second serving, whilst in Singapore, many of us choose to take more than what we can finish, and end up wasting food; this showed that the students were taught, from young, to treasure what they had and to take only what they can finish. Lastly, we took part in their physical education lessons, where we were challenged to a friendly relay race of basketball, of course, we lost but what awed us were the skills of the students there. It was also raining but the students continued playing till they finished the race, I admired their perseverance as a few of us gave up and went under the shelter as it started to rain.

Lastly, both the school had lessons in their curriculum which allowed them to learn different languages/dialect, for example, Jianguo had lessons on Japanese, German etc. while Wulai had lessons for the students to learn the dialect of the aborogines. Singapore schools, however, only allow certain students to be able to learn other languages.

Improvements

Extended Lunch Breaks: Schools in Taiwan give the students an hour to have their lunch, whilst Singapore schools only give students half an hour, or less. I feel that with more time for lunch, students not only have more time to eat, but they may also browse through books in the library, or do some sports, this would also allow them to prepare themselves for the next lesson, and to revise for previous lessons.

2. Opportunities to Learn Different Languages/Dialects: I feel that this would make lessons less dull and would also provide the students with more exposure to different languages. On top of that, the students may also be able to pick up a language that would benefit them in the future.

3. More Ownership in Our Choices: This would allow the students to take charge of our learning and to do what we feel is right, instead of the teacher constantly reminding us. We will understand the importance of learning, and take responsibility in our studies.

4. Balancing Studies and Non Academic Areas: School life in Singapore is often very stressful, and we are given less opportunities to take part in non academic areas such as music lessons, art lessons etc. and more focus is put on academically based subjects. A balance between both aspects would make school life a little less dull, less stressful, and more enjoyable. Afterall, we have to work hard and play hard. As the saying goes “all work and no play made Jack a dull boy”.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS

Chu Fei:
I really enjoyed our trip to Taipei for OELP. Firstly, it was fascinating to get up close to their peoples' culture and learn about Formosa's aboriginal way of life by be it interacting with students Wulai aboriginal school or visiting museums. Secondly, I also learned a lot about modern Taiwan, and their advanced technology which boosted their ever-growing economy. Despite having a fast-paced society like Singapore, Taiwan stays in tact with their traditional ways and beliefs. For example, Taipei 101 building has a total of 8 segments which was believed to be lucky number in Chinese culture. Also, Taiwan has a lot of bustling night markets kept alive unlike Singapore, in which our "Pasar Malam" heritage is slowly fading into obscurity. Thirdly, I got to spend more time with my classmates and bond with them throughout our 7 days together. We also got to make many new friends that we met at both Jian Guo High School and Wulai Aboriginal School during the very enriching student exchange programmes. All in all, I find this OELP trip to be utterly life-fulfilling and has definitely broadened my horizons.

Shi Wen:
In my opinion, the OELP trip to Taiwan has been extremely meaningful and fulfilling. It gave us an opportunity to step out and experience something different from our everyday lives. It was a pity that some of our classmates were unable to come along on this trip, but it was still a wonderful chance we made full use of for our class to bond. For instance, practicing for our various performances such as the skit and dance items for the schools in Taiwan certainly helped us to make new memories and trained our teamwork. This is important as teamwork plays a humongous role in our lives, for many activities can only be carried out successfully with good teamwork and collaboration between people. Several life skills such as independence were also inculcated in us, for during the trip, our parents were no longer there to do everything for us, and we had to take care of ourselves. This would be vital in our lives in the future as we have to be able to do so without depending on others when our parents grow old, and when we go into the working world. This trip also helped us understand new things as well. For example, it was a brand new experience interacting with the students at Wulai Elementary School, as they are aborigines. They all have very rich traditional cultures, but I realized that even they are becoming more modernized, and they are just like you and me. Although we should respect and admire their culture, we must not stereotype them to be less developed or as people who still hunted for food, for it is simply no longer the truth. Furthermore, I realised that there are many different educational systems, and being extremely strict and stiff when it comes to rules may not be the only way to achieve academic excellence, but instead the opposite, freedom might also achieve the same result, as we have witnessed in Jianguo High. In conclusion, I am grateful for being given this opportunity for this OELP trip was very meaningful, filled with many fresh and exciting experiences that taught me many new things.


Laetitia:
Our 7 day OELP Trip to Taiwan was an entirely new experience for me, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Learning about Taiwan's rich history and deep rooted culture was my main takeaway for the entire trip. It was extremely interesting to learn about their customs, ways of life, traditional practices, and the contributions of their historical figures, through visiting museums, watching the change of guards and visiting schools. At the end of our 7 days at Taiwan, I also walked away with a newfound sense of responsibility and independence, given that this was the first time I have spent away from my family for such a long time period, I slowly learnt to do things for myself, without the help of my parents. To add on, I got to know more about my class, as we bonded through various activities, we grew closer by day, cultivating teamwork between ourselves. One of the more fun parts of the trip were the school immersions at both Jianguo High School and Wulai Local school, we learnt about the vast differences between Taiwan's and Singapore education system, and made numerous new friends. To say the least, the Taiwanese's hospitality and kindness really touched my heart, and made my visit to Taiwan so much more enjoyable. Be it the busting streets of the night markets, of the polished tiled floors of the museums, I loved every bit of the trip. This trip has been so memorable and fulfilling, and I am more than grateful to be given this opportunity to visit Taiwan.

Shi Rong:
I think that the OELP trip to Taiwan was very fun and interesting. This was because I got to know more about Taiwan's culture and was also able to bond with my classmates through the many different activities held. Taiwan's culture has a very rich history and an extremely interesting culture, which I had a lot of fun learning about. One obvious contrast from Singapore are the many tribes found in Taiwan, this was truly a new experience because we had never known about tribes before. However, I feel that my favourite part of this entire trip was Taiwan's changing of guards, another aspect Singapore does not have. Taiwan's changing of guards is a sign respect towards the many influential figures in their history. In Singapore, the guards use malay to shout commands. However, in Taiwan, the guards use chinese instead. This is very special as I had never seen and experienced this before. It is an extreme test of discipline as the guards had to stand still on a platform and are not allowed to move for over an hour. Having achieved this difficult feat, I really admire their determination and strong will, as not everyone would be able to stand, unmoving, for such a long period of time. As the days passed, I to got know more about my friends and got closer with them. Even though going to the museums were pretty dry and dull, this trip was a whole new learning experience for me. Hence, I think that the OELP trip to Taiwan is truly a memorable one.

Owen:
For me, I feel that the whole OELP has been very meaningful. Even though some of our classmates were unable to go, the activities we did during the trip bonded us as an entire class. We went through lots of fun together, and took care of the people who fell sick. This trip has taught us many things too, for example, we managed to understand the culture of Taiwanese aborigines better. Understanding the culture of other races and religions, allowed us to learn the importance of respecting different cultures, since Singapore is a multi-racial country, we must learn to respect everyone's culture, so that we can be united and stand together as One Singapore. We also learnt to better manage ourselves, without our parents being around to help us to do things. In other words, we learnt to be more independent. This is one of the life skills that will be crucial for us in the future. When we grow old next time, we have to be independent, so that we are able to take care of our parents and manage our own family, and not depend and rely on others. We also learnt the importance of teamwork. We demonstrated teamwork when we performed the dances and acted out the little skit we had to showcase to the students from Jianguo High School and Wulai Elementary School. Teamwork is important, as without teamwork, the dance and skit we performed would fail terribly, because dancing and performing a skit are mainly group activities which requires the collaboration of different people. In the future, we will find teamwork very important during work, as teamwork usually leads to the success of companies. In conclusion, I think that this OELP trip to Taiwan, Taipei has been very fun and enriching, as it had taught us many things we did not know of before we went for the trip.