22nd July 2023

Marsiling Secondary School public speaking seminar, TeenTalk, is modelled after the Ted Talk showcase for speakers presenting well-formed ideas succinctly.

Public speaking and presentation of ideas are important skills that students need, as higher education often requires that students present their project work or defend their thesis before an academic panel.

When it first started in 2016, TeenTalk was conducted only in the classrooms as part of English lessons for Secondary 3 students. Students were taught public speaking and presentation skills. They would then plan and give a presentation on their chosen topics to their classmates. In 2018, an assembly contest was added to the programme. Top speakers from each Secondary 3 class would give a presentation on their topic to the entire school and a panel of judges comprising key personnel from other departments.

The school’s principal, Mr Leonard Koh, is excited to see the TeenTalk programme evolve and grow. He sees it as a valuable addition to the educational experience of students in heartland schools like Marsiling Secondary School.

22nd July 2023

In 2022, Yusof Ishak Secondary School moved into its new campus in Punggol, and their efforts to redesign the campus creatively earned them the prestigious Minister’s Innovation Award.

Yusof Ishak Secondary School’s redevelopment shows how innovative design can support learning beyond the traditional classroom, and illustrates how schools and learning spaces will be designed in future.

Flexible modular types of furniture or equipment are used throughout the school, from its labs to the canteen and library, making them more conducive for students to gather and work together. The work benches in the biology and physics lab support learning at different stations, giving teachers the flexibility to facilitate lessons differently from frontal lecture-style teaching.

The new Minister’s Innovation Award, which was introduced by Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, recognises innovations with large-scale, system-level impact across MOE headquarters, schools and the ministry’s statutory boards.

27th June 2023

The United States surgeon general has warned that social media is harming teenagers’ mental health. Although many scientists share the concern, there is little research to prove that social media is harmful, or to indicate which sites, apps or features are problematic.

Most studies look at platforms with user-generated content, where people can interact. But that raises many questions. Does it matter if teenagers see posts from people they know or do not know? Does it make a difference if they post or just view?

Reviews of the existing studies on social media use and adolescents’ mental health have found the bulk of them to be “weak”, “inconsistent”, “inconclusive” and “a bag of mixed findings”, and to be “weighed down by a lack of quality” and “conflicting evidence”. Research has not yet shown which sites, apps or features of social media have which effects on mental health.

1st June 2023

A collaboration has been established between local non-profit organization United Women Singapore (UWS) and J.P. Morgan bank that gives young women from the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnics hands-on experience in jobs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The UWS-J.P. Morgan Programme aims to equip them with a range of Stem-related skills and knowledge through various activities such as job attachments and mentorships over a one-year period, with a focus on employability and career guidance.

Since its launch in March 2022, 99 female students have completed the programme, with 20 completing job attachments.

Stem-related industries are traditionally male-dominated fields. Singaporean women are under-represented in engineering and information technology. According to a study by UWS in 2021, only 41 per cent of young women here aged 16 to 25 had a good level of awareness of Stem careers, compared with 60 per cent of young men.