09 December 2016
Every year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gives 15-year-old students in every country a math and science test. Singapore’s teens consistently place tops.
In recognition of the outstanding academic achievements of Singapore students, Singapore’s teaching methods are being adopted everywhere from Canada and the US to Israel and the UK.
At the same time, Singapore is trying to move beyond just mastery of examinations, which do not always compel students to explore the frontiers of “deep learning” or creativity. Notably, examinations fall short of assessing inventiveness, communication, and collaboration.
Ways to overcome this deficit include more emphasis on continual assessment, inclusion of project work, and diversifying examination formats to include, say, open book examinations or oral examination components.