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Why is STEM a crucial component of learning for all children?

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM is about providing interdisciplinary integration of subjects to solve real-world problems. This means students need to access knowledge and skills from two or more disciplines to complete a task. For example, Grade 5 students use Sphero robots to complete a golf-course challenge. Students utilise their mathematical skills by counting shots on each hole and working out averages for their game. They use ICT skills to connect and control the robots and present their work. Their mathematical skills are required again to present data in tables and graphs. All the while, they are further developing their IB Learner Profile attributes, such as being an inquirer, communicator and through reflection. This type of learning is more relevant to real life.

Rarely outside of schools do we simply calculate averages from a random set of numbers; why would we? However, by using a STEM approach to learning, it provides purpose and context and is more likely to reinforce a concept. It also helps when students say “Why do we need to learn this?”. At GWA (Singapore) these learning experiences are built into all grade levels in the Primary Years curriculum. The Secondary Years classes use STEM as an approach to planning interdisciplinary units, as well as to build upon specific skills in different subject areas.

STEM itself should not be viewed as a new subject in an already crowded curriculum, or purely for those students who need to be extended. It is for ALL students. “To be a good STEM school you must be a good school first and provide opportunities in all subject areas for students to explore and find answers to questions they have about the world around them. Part of the formula for this is having skilled, knowledgeable teachers who address the needs of all students in a supportive, resource-rich environment.” (Mervis, 2011)

At GWA (Singapore), the manner in which we provide the STEM experience to our students in the defining factor. Teachers build upon the learning taking place in classrooms. STEM at GWA (Singapore) is about giving student opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned in different contexts, enhanced with a STEM focus.

So why is STEM so important for student learning? It allows students to apply skills and knowledge to solve problems in relevant contexts to them.

References
1. Mervis, Jeffrey. “Is There a Special Formula for Successful STEM Schools?” American Association for the Advancement of Science., 12 May 2011. Web. 4 June 2015.
2. “The Very Model of a Modern Major STEM School.” Smithsonian. Smithsonian, 14 Apr. 2013. Web. 4 June 2015.
3. Vasquez, Jo Anne. “STEM beyond the Acronym.” Educational Leadership 72.4 (2014): 10-15. Print.

Appreciating Values with Children

Living in such a wonderful place as Singapore, we can often take things for granted and raising children in this environment can make them unexposed to lives that people in other parts of the world lead.

It can be easy to forget about how lucky our little ones are. White Lodge Kindergarten have recognized that this is an important aspect to encourage children to think about and they include appreciating values as part of their curriculum. While academic learning is important for children, it is also necessary to learn about the world around us and encourage thinking and exploration to develop personal skills. White Lodge’s key values are:
We celebrate differences
We keep it real
We love learning
We encouraging imagination.
We respect our world

Values are difficult to discuss, especially with children, but teaching values consciously starts with considering what our values are and finding ways in daily life to discuss and share them with our children.

Children need to think about the world they are from and to be more thoughtful of others so that they are prepared for the next step in their educational journey. White Lodge like to celebrate differences and consider what is that special thing that each person brings to make the class community complete. Being confident, respectful of each other, understanding that we are all the same inside and how we have similar feelings and reactions to different situations help us celebrate diversity.

Learning is a lifetime pursuit. Teachers at White Lodge love to see the huge impact that sharing the love for learning has on the children. It is important to show our respect and compassion for the world we live in, cherish what we have been given and nurture our resources effectively.

White Lodge offer a truly unique preschool experience and are advocates for learning and exploration. The children are well prepared for the next school placement and have an excellent balance in their personal and academic success.

www.whitelodge.com.sg

Who’s that Blue Man?

Intrigued by The Blue Man that’s been spotted on taxis and posters around Singapore? Those who have caught it in the States have been raving about this show and promising that it is just as much for adults as for children.

The show features three Blue Men beating on drums and generating a kaleidoscopic spray of airborne paint, catching flying gumballs with their mouths and spewing the paint onto canvases, or chomping out a Cap’n Crunch symphony. The characters merge hero and trickster, clown and scientist, innocent and super hero. And the audience responds with unadulterated, uncomplicated, grin-inducing joy; with howls of laughter; with childlike wonder and delight.

Phil Stanton who founded the Group with Chris Wink and Matt Goldman says, “A lot of people think that being bald and blue is putting on a mask of sorts. We consider it the opposite — that we’re taking off the mask. Once you strip away the hair, the skin tone, the gender, the ears, and have no particular style of clothing, what’s left? It’s really the rawest, purest form of what’s essentially human. We’ve found that for the first half of the show, audiences think they’re looking at these very strange, unusual beings. But somewhere in there – and I see this over and over – it suddenly dawns on them that they’re actually watching themselves. And then the question becomes – and I go back and forth on this myself – are we watching three different beings with three different personalities, or are we watching one being that’s been split into three? I like to live in the ambiguity of it.”

The Blue Man uses every facet of his being to engage the audience in situations and ideas and behavior and sights and sounds that intrigue him. And he does so without ever speaking.

“Talking is so limiting,” says Wink. “But we don’t think of the Blue Man as a mute. We think of him as someone whose chosen not to say anything, he chooses to express himself differently.” At first glance, a mess – but looking closer, it’s far from one. It might be child’s play but it’s certainly not childish. Connecting to the audience and creating a community within the walls of the theater is what matters most to Blue Man Group.

“The relationship with the audience is everything,” says Stanton. “Because at the end of the day, the Blue Man is really just trying to connect. He knows, whether intellectually or on a gut level, that in order to get to that ecstatic, heightened moment, he’s got to connect with these strangers. That’s why the Blue Man is so respectful of the audience. That’s why he wants to gain their trust. It’s all about the connection.”

“Yes. It’s all about the connection,” emphasizes Wink. “And we also want to make a statement about how important it is to have that connection live, in person. Though technology has made it so that we don’t have to have be physically together, there’s something about our humanity that will always need to be among other people, among our tribe.”

Catch the Blue Man Group at Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands from 29 March to 17 April 2016. Tickets are available from sistic.

10 Minutes with…Justin Hammond, Head Chef of Neon Pigeon

 

What made you first come over to work in Singapore?
When I was working in Melbourne at Gingerboy, a few people we’d worked with had moved over to Singapore and have had good careers. Chris Donnellan, the head chef at Gingerboy, and his girlfriend moved over here, and they needed a chef last-minute after someone pulled out of a project. Chris’s girlfriend said ‘I know someone, I think he’s worked in Japan.’

I was going on an eating holiday around Auckland when I got the message, then came here to do a cooking session at their house, and they said “Sweet, you’ve got the job”. I’ve been here ever since.

What nudged you away from your hometown to travel?
I’m from a small country town in Victoria, Australia – only about 5,000 people. It’s a big farming community, working on the land and dairy farms. So to start working there, then in the city, then being put on a path to work in Japan and Vancouver… when I was growing up I was quite happy to stay in one place and not travel. Then I got the travelling bug.

What was it that gave you the nudge to go for it?
I think it was my career I wanted to further. I could have done something local and made it better, but I had one of my regular customers when I was Head Chef of a place say to me: ‘My son is Ben Cooper, who now runs Chin Chin in Melbourne. I can get you a trial.’

It was nerve-wracking, because these guys were the elite of the elite. But I was like ‘why not?’ and went for an interview. I unexpectedly got a job at their new concept space…but I never thought it was going to happen.

I’m so glad I did because it’s exposed me to so many new experiences. It would’ve pigeon-holed me a little bit if I had stayed.

When was your first foray outside of Australia?
I got the chance to go to Japan – and to be honest when I first got there I didn’t really like Japanese food – then fell in love with it. I worked there for two years, and really understood the Japanese culture, and how they will take one thing and work at it to perfection.

I worked in a Japanese ramen place in Vancouver as well, which was all about perfecting the broth, the noodles, the egg and so on.

Was there anything in Japan that you took with you knowledge wise with cooking?
Where I hung out in Japan during my time there was Hokkaido, which is very much farmland and felt a little like home. I really love going out and using nature in dishes, which is a little more difficult here in Singapore.

I do have a lot of Japanese chefs that I admire over there. What broadened my eyes was how people can make amazing food in the smallest kitchen environments. They didn’t need to have massive kitchens to pump out this sort of stuff, and didn’t need to have 40 things on the menu. Their concentration to get everything right is pretty astounding.

I think the first moment when I realised I could learn a lot from my time there was when we were at a local barbeque place – it was just one chef and the twenty of us sitting around the bar. One of my very good friends ordered fish. The chef cooked it, and my friend would eat the cheeks, then eat the eyes. He said: ‘This fish died for our nutritional benefit. We need to eat all of it to respect it.’

He would take the bones and ask the chef to grill the bones, then eat them like chips, which I’d never had before, which was amazing to me. And the flavour was amazing. It’s such a beautiful way of using food and nature, and having respect towards what they’re eating.

The Genius in all of us

One of the most disheartening facts of life is that few of us truly get to know our full potential. As late as the 1960s, the view was that schools make almost no difference to student achievement. Today we know that educators and family members can make a significant difference to student success because talent is not a rare gift bestowed upon a lucky few.

Yesterday’s thinking was that genes influence everything, but they actually determine very little. Individual differences in talent and intelligence are not genetically pre-determined, but are developed over time.

The question is: If we are not determined by our genes, our genome, then what are we?

Regarding the myth of talent, my belief that we are creatives of development does not refute the existence of talent. Rather, it stresses that talent and intelligence have to be earned over time through effort and deliberate practice. I believe that every child is full of potential to shape their lives. Talent is, in essence, an ongoing and dynamic developmental process. We have to teach our students that no one is genetically doomed to being average and that students are in charge of their intellectual growth.

Over the last century, our social expectations, work requirements and our schools have raised the measurable intelligence of almost everyone. There has been an eighteen point increase in intelligence (IQ) over only two generations, which is an average 3 point increase every decade!

What does this mean for us? Speaking to children early and often is a great start, as is reading early and often. Children in the best situations receive over twenty million words annually from engaged parents. But nurturing intellectual growth is not just about volume; a supportive tone, the consistency and quality of interactions are also crucial. Children need to be recognised for their effort and know that success is a product of hard work, whereas failure is a learning event.

It is imperative to accept that there are no shortcuts to excellence –it requires a long period of deliberate practice. Real challenge will put any learner at risk of falling, and ultimately to earn any success you must be ready to fail. The key is in your response, we need to embrace any failure, learn from it and not to repeat any known errors.

Rob Stokoe, Principal – Avondale Grammar School and author, ‘Leaders of Learning’

Cafe by Plain Vanilla

In ION’s many levels of luxury sits In Good Company, a Singaporean fashion label’s first pop-up store housing Singaporean designers and offering a mixture of fashion shop and café – a collaboration with the cupcake-whipping folks at Plain Vanilla. The three wide-open floor-to-roof glass doors are hard to miss, leading you into a minimalistic white-walled shop with clothing, jewellery and magazines all carefully selected.

Only seating 20, the café kept at the back of the store is a big highlight for those seeking that wish for a cool, hidden café that ION Orchard’s many floors hasn’t fulfilled.

The hazelnut cupcake ($3.90) was a soft treat, with the cheeks numbing with a sweetness from the icing on top. Just like the Plain Vanilla in Tiong Bahru, the salted caramel tart ($8) is a heavy treat with a crumbly base. The surprise came in the form of a prosciutto and truffle grilled sandwich ($18), which was the first time in a while that I felt fancy eating a toastie.

Cafe by Plain Vanilla
2 Orchard Turn #B1-06
Tel 6509 4783
ingoodcompany.asia

The Coffee Academics

 

A ‘Sensory Playground’ sign hangs at the entrance of Hong Kong’s gourmet coffee chain’s first shop in Singapore. In a city that has hundreds of cafes opening and closing every year, Scotts Square is trying to revitalise its space with a brand that Hong Kong has shown its love for in a space shoppers haven’t.

It’s hard to avoid seeing some of the brewing methods as science experiments, like the ice drip contraptions that look like an oversized lightbulb with ice cubes in it.

The menu feels more like a modern designer’s magazine, with the descriptions of coffee beans feel like you’re deciding between a French or Chilean wine.

The Japanese take-your-shoes-off Hand Brew Bar, where a coffee barista literally sits down with you across the bar with a coffee of your choosing – all brewed using different methods – and explains how each method of brewing creates a different result with your coffee.

At the time of visiting there wasn’t enough staff to try this out, but I chose to try the JWF Blend ($12), a house blend of Kenyan caracole beans with a supposed fruity, gentle flavour. Coffee is served in a science beaker and a small glass on a tray – there’s no milk or sugar to be seen. This place encourages the aficionado within, taking on the comment card given with the drink to read and see what tasting notes to consider as you sip.

For those wanting their comfort, the Okinawa ($7.50) is a latte with Okinawa dark brown sugar in the coffee. Using a particular sugar isn’t worth the hike in price however, as it did taste like your run-of-the-mill velvety latte you’d find at a café, it wasn’t $2.50 better. Served on a silver tray with a gold spoon and a small glass of water on the side, there’s still the dress-up that makes your espresso-and milk drink a bit fancier than usual.

For taste, the serving of crispy fish fillet tacos ($21) –  small hard-shelled tacos with sea bream fillet – has a chipotle mayonnaise, topped with a fresh mango salsa and a side of curly fries. The shell was crisp, and wasn’t overcooked enough to turn them into shattered corn chip pieces after one bite. The fish fillets are lightly fried, and the mango salsa chopped into fine pieces instead of a puree you’d expect from a salsa.

With the care taken to brew your favourite caffeine dose, you’ll make more of an effort to appreciate what you’re sipping on – even if the bill is making you reconsider your coffee allowance.

The Coffee Academics
Scotts Square Level 2
6 Scotts Road
Tel 6538 1940
the-coffeeacademics.com

10 Minutes with…Russell Darnley, ANZA Writers Group Coordinator and Author of the upcoming book Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from Asia

 

What story from the book came to you first?
‘The Pig and the Cockfight’ – it’s a quirky tale about buying a pig for my housekeeper back in Bali. She was a cook, child minder, guide and interpreter. Her pig was an investment. Cockfights precede major temple ceremonies in Bali, and just how the pig became involved is the story.

How did the stories change as you begin to write them?
I wanted to write about seeing and not seeing aspects of other cultures – that was my theme. Starting with a vague storyline, I jotted down a loose structure, just headings, chunks of information and links to websites. Next, I started to think about context and the setting – how, when, where and why. At times I did this while walking or paddling my kayak. My first efforts were in a diarised format. There was also a lot of repetition, so I used [word cloud generator] Wordle to help assess and remedy that. In the end, my style wasn’t very engaging. Though people were polite about my stories, eventually one friend said ‘I don’t want you to tell me, I want to find out’. This made me think, but I didn’t resolve the problem until I found a publisher.

What was the process like to get this book from manuscript into the publishing machine?
At first it was challenging. I posted some stories on my blog and formally pitched my concept to publishers, with a sample chapter and book outline. Two rejected it but finally a third, Interactive Publications (IP), took an interest. They found my stories compelling and authentic, but said plainly that readers want stories to emerge from the interactions between characters. My confidence was buoyed with a contract in sight. Writing dialogue was the task. I spent nine months transforming 29 stories. IP liked them but the manuscript was 30,000 words too long and the dialogue didn’t always flow. So they mentored me through a structural edit and tightening up the dialogue. This is when I really started to consolidate my skills as a writer of short stories.

What is it about writing that resonates with you most?
Using my skills in observation and interpretation, filtered through my imagination, to create something new and distinctive for others to read.

How do you personally deal with writers block?
I accept that it’s a reality and there’s no shame in having it. It can feel intractable in the face of the burdens of work and raising families. It always passes and I can help it along its way by staying healthy, having enough sleep and physical activity. Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting for the right time while continuing to think and plan.

How has the ANZA writers group been going so far since you took it on board?
I feel we’ve developed a very warm and supportive atmosphere, even though numbers have waxed and waned through the year. We’ve had some fine open and stimulating discussions and our diverse backgrounds and experiences bring a lot of insight. I sense that people enjoy the group.

How can people join?
Contact me at writers@anza.org.sg.

Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from Asia and the Pacific will launch early next year.

United Nations Day Celebrations

White Lodge kindergartens are among the most inspirational and nurturing educational establishments in Singapore. Our talented teachers share their educational skills not only with our students, but with the wider community, most recently through our collaboration with the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA). SINDA is a group that works hard to build a strong and vibrant Indian Community within Singapore. Key areas that they concentrate on are education, family services and active collaboration.

On Thursday 3rd December 2015, 60 students aged 7-9 years old from SINDA were invited by White Lodge for an afternoon of United Nations Day celebrations held at Melbourne Specialist International School. This theme was chosen as it would give an exciting opportunity for the students to learn about and explore all the cultures that make up our community.

The event was creatively planned to enable the children to be taken on a flight around the world. At each continent themed room, the teachers from White Lodge shared information through hands-on learning activities enabling each child to gain an insight into this world themed experience.

Music was used to enable the children to learn about Africa. They participated by using musical instruments to play along to African tribal music. For Asia, the children were able to dress in costumes to represent some of the countries within the continent. There was an art and craft activity focusing on America. Staff at The Pantry became involved in providing a cooking activity for the European continent. The children were able to make pizzas and chocolate fondue with fruits and enjoy these delicious treats. With different learning activities, the children were kept interested in a variety of ways.

At the end of the day, students and principals took a group photo and made a big postcard for SINDA as a memory of their ‘travel around the world’. The children thoroughly enjoyed their day and staff at White Lodge enjoyed sharing this learning experience with them. The children left the day happy and with a special gift from the afternoon.

White Lodge Education Group Services are responsible for eight kindergartens throughout Singapore as well as Melbourne Specialist International School and The Pantry, both at Loewen Gardens.

www.whitelodge.com.sg

The Populus Coffee & Food Co

 

There’s good reason to be cautious when trying out a new place during this phase Neil Road is having – well-dressed casual eateries selling overpriced plates. Patterned walls, jagged copper pipes for lights and a mixture of wood and white colours match the modern-day cafe look.

Taking into account the neighbourhood’s price range ascent, there’s range in the food available – delhi chicken sandwiches and chicken rice donburi to beef ragu pappardelle. The pulled pork grain bowl ($18) – with quinoa, bulgar wheat and pearl barley – came with furikake baby corn, red cabbage and apple slaw, grilled zucchini slices, roasted butternut squash cubes, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. The pulled pork grain bowl is tender, and the meat falls apart like a relaxed fabric. The quinoa was cooked right, the grilled eggplant and cherry tomatoes grilled just enough to not be dry and rubbery. The cubed butternut squash was soft and sweet, and there’s a very light dressing on the red cabbage and apple slaw.

My Ethiopia Kochere Dumerso filter coffee ($6.50), supplied by 2° North Coffee Co here in Singapore, is mild enough to comfortably drink with no additives like milk and sugar. If you’re not one to drink a coffee straight, there’s a lot to discover going au natural.

The dark chocolate sundae ($14), is a bit expensive for a dessert, but serves enough flavour to savour. Served in a small enough bowl to not feel like you’ve ordered a tall American sundae, is the sinful side after such a fresh lunch. The dark chocolate ice cream is soft-serve smooth, enough to fool you into thinking you’re eating a heavier mousse.The drizzled passionfruit curd is a nice, sour kick that tastes better than it looks. There’s a sprinkle of popping candy on top that occasionally pops between bites. Hazelnut crumbs and honeycomb pieces bring a crunch, with flowery meringue bites and whipped cream softening the blow. The raspberry purée keeps mostly to itself at the bottom for a sweet finish.

The Populus Coffee & Food Co
146 Neil Rd
Tel 6635 8420
thepopuluscafe.com
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