Singapore Maths Tuition - University and JC

Individual and small group maths tuition in Singapore - University and Junior College

Nurture in students the complex skills required to thrive in a new world dominated by technology

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23 March 2020

The digital world has become a sizeable part of the real world for students. While improved access to new technologies provides unprecedented opportunities, there is also a need to nurture in students the complex skills required to thrive in a new world dominated by technology.

Singapore’s Ministry of Education has introduced curriculum changes to nurture digital literacy skills, in addition to updating and reinforcing Character and Citizenship Education to help students withstand online pressures.

But digital literacy also requires educators to take stock of how even a basic skill such as reading and comprehension has changed and how it needs to be taught differently.

The sheer speed and volume of information flow have created perfect conditions for fake news to thrive. This requires youth to learn how to read better, with more discernment. Youth must be taught to differentiate fact from opinion, both in reading texts and in listening to speech, and in forming their own views.

Education must help young people navigate an ambiguous online world. Schools need to help students think for themselves, develop a strong sense of right and wrong, and be open to considering different views and perspectives.

Both traditional tools as well as new technology have their role in education

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21 March 2020

Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung recently announced that all secondary school students will have personal learning devices by 2028 and schools will devote more time to digital literacy education.

Both traditional tools as well as new technology have their role in education, as different forms of technology serves different purposes. For examples, students benefit equally from both print media as well as electronically supplied information. Indeed, there is still a need to nurture students’ reading skills and habits with regards to print media.

Although technology allows for massive information to be stored online, much of this information is lost in the cloud. The capacity to print their own resources can allow students easier access to certain kinds of information.

Schools should also consider the kinds of software that can support students’ independent learning. It is highly unlikely that most students can afford expensive hardware (high-speed, high-power computers, large monitors) as well as software (for example, Photoshop or Adobe Premiere Pro) for certain kinds of learning. Even open-sourced software may require a large bandwidth to run optimally.

Last year’s GCE A and O level batches had a record number of passes

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20 March 2020

Last year’s GCE A level batch in Singapore received the highest pass rate since the new curriculum devised by the Ministry of Education was implemented a decade ago.

Around 93.4 percent of students who sat the exams as school candidates obtained at least three H2 passes and a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.

A new record was also set by students who sat last year’s O-level examinations, with 85.2 per cent of the Singapore cohort attaining five or more passes.

A new policy has also been implemented that allows A-level graduates who join the polytechnics to benefit from module exemptions in a wide variety of courses. This will potentially reduce the time needed for them to obtain a polytechnic diploma by up to one year.

Online learning implemented for large majority of students at the Singapore campus of James Cook University

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20 March 2020

The Singapore campus of James Cook University has implemented online learning via a platform called LearnJCU for the large majority of its 4,000 students at the start of the new trimester.

Ms Esther Fink, a learning technologies specialist at JCU, says students returning to school are used to accessing learning materials as well as submitting assessments online, because JCU already has a blended learning approach in place and they have already been using online learning tools for their modules.

JCU’s blended learning approach includes a combination of face-to-face and online activities.

Other than being a teaching method that creates an engaging learning journey, blended learning equips students with digital literacy so that they can apply the skills in the workplace.

Singapore Management University receives $1 million endowed contribution

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18 March 2020

The Singapore Management University has received an endowed contribution of $1 million from its alumnus, Mr Jeff Tung, to enhance its P.A.K. Entrepreneurship Fund. Mr Tung and another SMU alumnus, Mr Benjamin Twoon, had jointly established the P.A.K. Entrepreneurship Fund in 2015 with a joint donation of $1 million.

The P.A.K Entrepreneurship Fund aims to support entrepreneurship activities undertaken by the university’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE), such as providing advice and guidance to student entrepreneurship club Eagles Inc, as well as the P.A.K. Challenge, an annual business plan competition for aspiring student entrepreneurs.

With the new gift, the P.A.K. Challenge will serve as the Singapore Round for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition, IIE’s flagship start-up competition.

SMU participants in the P.A.K. Challenge will be coached on skillsets such as developing concept plans and pitching strategies. Cash prizes for the winning teams will be increased, with the top prize of $50,000.

Singapore Management University signs agreement with graduate medical school Duke-NUS

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14 March 2020

The Singapore Management University has signed an agreement with graduate medical school Duke-NUS to allow medical students to pursue a four-year undergraduate bachelor’s degree at SMU and gain conditional admission to Duke-NUS’ Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme, which will run over another four years.

While undertaking their undergraduate studies at SMU, students will be mentored at Duke-NUS to prepare them for the MD programme. They will also attend a pre-medical course which will provide foundation knowledge, as well as develop both skills and attitudes.

Some requirements for the final acceptance of conditionally admitted students include successfully graduating from SMU with a strong cumulative grade point average and doing well in the Medical College Admissions Test examination prior to entry into the Duke-NUS medicine programme.

To attract students, a summer programme has been designed by Duke-NUS to provide insights into graduate entry medicine and the roles of medical professionals and medical practice in Singapore.

Singapore’s Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach to learning mathematics

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13 March 2020

Singapore students consistently outperform their peers in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) studies. The Pisa assessment is conducted by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and ranks students in terms of mathematical and scientific knowledge, as well as reading.

One reason for this success is Singapore’s mathematics curriculum. The Ministry of Education has developed a mathematics curriculum that aims to move away from simple rote learning and focus instead on teaching students how to solve problems. Students should learn in three stages: by using real objects, then pictures, and then through symbols.

Based on this Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach to learning, MOE developed a “spiral curriculum”, where each topic is revisited in intervals at a more sophisticated level. A concept is represented initially by “concrete” materials, later by models (pictures) and then finally by abstract notation (such as plus or equals signs). There is also a strong emphasis on modelling mathematical problems with visual aids — using coloured blocks to represent fractions or ratios, for example.

The approach does have its critics, who say Singapore maths is not so easy to transplant. Teachers have to be well trained to gain an in-depth understanding of the novel methods. Despite this, a growing number of schools around the world are investing in the textbooks and training their teachers in Singapore maths.

This year’s Budget speech features work done by Nanyang Polytechnic students

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12 March 2020

Two Nanyang Polytechnic students have had their work featured as part of this year’s Budget speech, which was delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat last month.

The polytechnic students had been given the task of coming up with four cover illustrations relating to Singapore’s economy and jobs, sustainability, strong partnerships in society, and taking care of people.

Second-year animation student Feliza Ng and her schoolmate, second-year visual communication student Quek Chew Hong, received the brief in the middle of January and, by early last month, produced their final drafts.

They came up with watercolour sketches using Photoshop, weaving in drawings of Singapore’s landscapes like the Central Business District, Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay.

Mr Heng commended their work in a Facebook post last Wednesday. He wrote: “The hand-drawn illustrations were a nice touch, depicting regular Singaporeans and familiar icons. They were scenes that any Singaporean would recognise and could relate to, and helped to bring across the message that the Budget was for Singaporeans of all ages and backgrounds.”

Email Address

ngejaysuss@gmail.com

Handphone Number

9724-0163 (Mr Ng)

Academic Qualifications

Ph.D. in Mathematics;
B.Sc. First Class Honours in Mathematics