Education

I laughed at how close to the truth this quiz is.
My mother believes very strongly in her children getting a good education and that it is our ticket to our dreams. I was influenced by her belief and it also became my belief. I have advanced as far as I could in my education. :) I hope the same for my daughters, if it is their path. 

You Are Grad School

You are brilliant, studious, and even a little bit eccentric. You're willing to live life on your own terms. You believe in education, and you want as much of it as you can get. No one can take your education away from you. You are a geek at heart, and you love learning. You'd like to get paid to study and teach, even if those jobs are hard to come by. And even if you can't work in academia, you'll always be an academic at heart. You love the idea of required reading.

What School Era Are You?

Visiting Professor

It has been a while since I last met up with Professor Hannele Niemi whom I have known since 2009. She happened to be in Singapore for four days as a keynote speaker for a conference and we arranged to have a quick meet up today. :)
We talked about school improvements in Finland and about assessment. Prof Niemi always treats me as her colleague even though I am so much more junior than she is in terms of research and academic experience. I really appreciate Prof Niemi for sharing her experience and wisdom so generously with me!

Future's Education

Have you ever wondered what education will be like in the future? 

My 1st Sole-Authored Article!

My first sole-authored journal article has been published in an international education journal, Education 3-13! I am over the moon! :) The article, which is based on part of my PhD about students' self-assessment ability, has been published online on 24 November! The acceptance of my manuscript is also the best birthday present thus far as it was accepted for publication on 27 October. :) 

For those of you who are interested in assessment, here is the link to the abstract of my article: I can assess myself: Singaporean primary students' and teachers' perceptions of students' self-assessment ability

It is still pretty surreal to see my name on a journal article! Lol :P

Learning Journey to Assumption Pathway School

Our department organised yet another learning journey for us. :) This time we are off to Assumption Pathway School (APS). Mr Wee, the Principal, gave us an overview about the school and took time to answer our many questions. I think most of us are not familiar with APS and we definitely seized the opportunity to ask questions. :) After the presentation, we went on a tour to the different facilities in the school such as the Apple lab, the cake kitchen, the Student Wellness Centre, and The ART (Assumption Restaurant of Training). 

The old wing of APS (but with lots of character)

The new wing of APS (houses general office, canteen, etc). The logo and motto of APS painted on the road.

See the mural on the 2nd floor? It is the reproduction of an APS student's creation!

Students in the Apple lab, attending their Desktop Publishing and Design course

Students in the cake kitchen, working towards a Cert in Baking Practices. They are making chocolate chip cupcakes. Smelled really delicious!

The colourful and cheerful Student Wellness centre (counselling rooms). I don't mind working here lol.

After the tour ended, some of us remained to have lunch at The ART where the students took care of the waiting, and cooking. We ordered the 3-course set lunch ($12) which came with a soup (and garlic bread), a main course, a dessert with tea/coffee. I thought the soup and the main were really good. My colleagues and I also had a good time chatting over lunch. :)

The ART serves both Western and Asian cuisines. The food is really delicious and the prices are really reasonable. What more can you ask?! Drop by here for lunch if you are in the area. Open to the public 12-2pm weekdays.

Al fresco dining at The ART. The ambiance is really relaxing.

Al fresco dining (facing greenery)

Soup of the day - Cream of Broccoli. Home-made and really tasty!

My main course - baked fish with cheese crust. Perfect!

Despite being on a different pathway from the mainstream, the students are no less talented and no less unique. In fact, I think the APS students may, in many ways, be more resilient and courageous when faced with challenges in life as compared to the "strawberries" that we have in certain mainstream schools. I wish all APS students the Best.

Learning Journey to SOTA

This is my second learning journey since I joined the new department. This time we are off to SOTA. With one "stone" (visit), I managed to kill three "birds". As an educator/ researcher, I wanted to know more about the uniqueness of SOTA. As a mother, I wanted to know more about SOTA as a potential school for my daughter. As a counsellor, I wanted to know more about SOTA so as to give information to my counsellees who are interested in going to SOTA.
The presentation of SOTA started at 9am but ended late, close to 10.45am. Although the presentation ran overtime, it was really interactive and educational. We were also shown the pottery studio, the dance studio, the "field" on the 11th floor, the art gallery and the concert hall.

The rooftop "field"

Students' works currently on display at the Art Gallery. Wonderful works!

SOTA Concert hall

It was almost 12 noon when we ended our learning journey, an hour overtime lol. But I didn't mind because I really learnt a lot about SOTA.

Learning Jounrey to ITE College West

I used to bring students on learning journeys when I was teaching and I used to accompany my girls when they went on learning journeys during their pre-school years. I learnt during those journeys too but they were catered towards children, not adults. Now I finally attended a learning journey that is catered to my learning needs lol. 
My workplace organised a learning journey for us - research fellows and research scientists to ITE College West. I have never been to an Institute of Technical Education and it would be a perfect learning opportunity for me. Whatever I learn not only can help me, it would also be of use for my counsellees too. Killing two birds with one stone. :)
We were given a presentation by the Principal of ITE College West, Dr Yek. I now have a better picture about ITE. After the presentation, we went on a tour to the different schools and their facilities - School of Hospitality (which is the niche of College West), School of Engineering and School of Electronics and ICT (two of three common programmes across the three ITE colleges). 
We were shown how students were trained at Hotel@College West under School of Hospitality and we were all amazed and impressed by the hotel rooms lol.

The student in training and her supervisor at the deluxe room, Hotel@College West

The deluxe room bathroom

The living area of the suite, Hotel@College West with its own powder room

The bedroom of the suite, separated from the living area

The bathroom in the suite's bedroom

Standing shower and bathtub

Bathroom amenities using l'occitane products! :)

Next, we were shown the facilities used to train the students in Engineering and in ICT. Money has been invested to give the students as authentic a learning environment as possible.

The students' projects (and yes, they are operational)

We continued on to the kitchens where students are trained to cook and bake (under School of Hospitality). The kitchens are huge and reminds some of us of Masterchef lol.

Our last stop was Amber@West, the fine-dining restaurant where the students are the ones who prepare the dishes as well as manage the operations in the restaurant. Considering that the students are still learning and under training, the service was good. I loved my three course lunch (option 2). It was absolutely delicious! :)

Lunch Option 1 appetiser - salad

Lunch Option 1 main - prawn pasta

Lunch Option 1 dessert - passion fruit with white chocolate mousse

Lunch Option 2 appetiser - cream of cauliflower. Delicious!

Lunch Option 2 main - pasta with chicken meatballs in tomato sauce. I loved the meatballs, tender and juicy. :)

Lunch Option 2 dessert - mango mousse cake. Wonderful balance of sweet and sour! :)

I definitely learnt a lot on this learning journey. I wish all the ITE students all the best in their studies. 

The various views of the lovely and spacious campus of ITE College West

What Popular College Major Are You?

For me, this blogthings quiz result is right on the spot. Give it a try if you are mulling over what major to take after your As lol. You have to be absolutely honest and truthful when answering the quiz. :)

You Are Psychology

You are curious about people, and you'd especially like to know what makes them tick. Absolutely true. I have always been curious about people since I was young and that's what made me take up psychology to study human behaviour and thoughts. The human mind fascinates you, and you are always looking to learn more about your own psychological make up. Strike gold again with this analysis. :) You are a natural problem resolver. If someone is hurting, your instinct is to help any way you can. You are a good listener and advice giver. You like to analyze problems and provide solutions. Screams "counsellor", doesn't it? Lol.

What Popular College Major Are You?

Work Plan Seminar

I attended the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2009 at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I was interested to know what this year's strategic thrusts would be for the rest of the year and the following year to come.

There are two main thrusts: language instruction development and teacher professional development. Somehow I am not too surprised because there have been indications of things going this way. But I was a little disappointed too as I was expecting something more, something that would really make me sit upright and be inspired. I guess I can't have surprises every year.

Educational Outing at Science Centre

We - Marieann, Juliane and I had a girls' outing with Marieann's classmate, Jewel and her mother at the Science Centre. Jewel's mother picked us up from the Botanic garden at 9:30am. When we arrived at the Science Centre close to 10am, there were quite a number of cars in the car park. Everyone must have had the same idea as us, start early lol.

We browsed around the halls and at one of the halls, the girls saw a chick hatching which enthralled them completely. We went over to the Omni-theatre at 11am to catch "The Alps" followed by "Wild Ocean" at 12pm. Both movies were pretty interesting. But I think sitting in the omni theatre for 2 hours were too long for the girls hahaha.

We had lunch at McDonald's before going back into the Science Centre to explore the halls. We also saw the Magic Exhibition. The girls were fascinated by the truth about magic haha. Our last stop was the shop. Girls being girls, we have to shop hahaha. :P The girls each bought an item that was not more than $2 - an hour glass. :) Jewel's mother sent us home around 3pm.

We had a really interesting and educational outing and day. We all took back some new knowledge with us and I spent quality time with my girls. Not to mention, the girls had a fun time with their friend and I also got to know Jewel's mother better. :)