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/ Friday, July 22, 2011 @ 8:28 PM
I feel that Janalle Lee's view on Singapore's education system is indeed very true. Singapore's education system indeed only wants students to fully memorise the facts, or just the model answer. Teachers like to give out notes and asking their students to read them, analyse them and then memorise the important facts. History teachers love to do this as there are too much to learn for history and usually teachers won't have time to go through everything in class. This makes the students even harder to understand the topic as they are loaded with much homework, yet still have to go through the notes themselves and annotate what they need when they are still so unfamiliar with the topic. I agree with Janalle Lee partially that teacher does not like their students to ask them why. Teachers like their students to ask them why, it is just that their answer still does not allow you to understand why. For example in a science lesson, when you ask why did the reaction occur, the teacher will just throw a theory at you without explaining to you. Even worse, sometimes teachers may not even be knowledgeable to give you the correct answer to your question. And when you post such questions to them, they either avoid it by pretending not to hear it in the midst of the noisy class, or they will say ' This is for you to find out yourself '. As a teacher, they should be able to teach the students in a way which they can understand them, and also should be ready for any questions from the students. This way, it allows the students to learn more effectively in class. It is certainly true that teachers like us to learn through memorising, history and science are common topics where teachers like their students to memorise the model answer. Teachers also love to give spelling for english in primary school without teaching us the usage of it. Also, in primary school, teachers like to 'eat up' our social studies or health education to teach their own subjects as they are unable to catch up with the syllabus in time. Students mourn when their subject teachers are their PE teachers and they will lose their precious one hour a week PE lesson. Such acts by the teachers are sending a message to the students to tell them that ' schools are just for academic purposes and nothing else, no moral education, no physical education '. The education system in Singapore is also the factor causing the one of the most crucial problem is facing now, decline in birth rate. The education system focuses so much on academic and students are still way more after they graduate from university, causing them to marry later and have shorter active reproduction period. Therefore, I believe that Singapore should review on their own education system and maybe modify it a little.
I feel that Janalle Lee's view on Singapore's education system is indeed very true. Singapore's education system indeed only wants students to fully memorise the facts, or just the model answer. Teachers like to give out notes and asking their students to read them, analyse them and then memorise the important facts. History teachers love to do this as there are too much to learn for history and usually teachers won't have time to go through everything in class. This makes the students even harder to understand the topic as they are loaded with much homework, yet still have to go through the notes themselves and annotate what they need when they are still so unfamiliar with the topic. I agree with Janalle Lee partially that teacher does not like their students to ask them why. Teachers like their students to ask them why, it is just that their answer still does not allow you to understand why. For example in a science lesson, when you ask why did the reaction occur, the teacher will just throw a theory at you without explaining to you. Even worse, sometimes teachers may not even be knowledgeable to give you the correct answer to your question. And when you post such questions to them, they either avoid it by pretending not to hear it in the midst of the noisy class, or they will say ' This is for you to find out yourself '. As a teacher, they should be able to teach the students in a way which they can understand them, and also should be ready for any questions from the students. This way, it allows the students to learn more effectively in class. It is certainly true that teachers like us to learn through memorising, history and science are common topics where teachers like their students to memorise the model answer. Teachers also love to give spelling for english in primary school without teaching us the usage of it. Also, in primary school, teachers like to 'eat up' our social studies or health education to teach their own subjects as they are unable to catch up with the syllabus in time. Students mourn when their subject teachers are their PE teachers and they will lose their precious one hour a week PE lesson. Such acts by the teachers are sending a message to the students to tell them that ' schools are just for academic purposes and nothing else, no moral education, no physical education '. The education system in Singapore is also the factor causing the one of the most crucial problem is facing now, decline in birth rate. The education system focuses so much on academic and students are still way more after they graduate from university, causing them to marry later and have shorter active reproduction period. Therefore, I believe that Singapore should review on their own education system and maybe modify it a little.
An ideal education system is not possible as the education system should be constantly changing to the country's needs, the student's needs and abilities, and also the resources given. However, it is certainly important that every school should focus much on holistic development and not just on academic itself. Many schools might say they are developing their students holistically, but in fact they are actually not. There can never be an ideal education, teachers, bad students in class, the competitiveness are factors which will affect the education greatly.
