Collaborate, Contextualise, Apply : The Singapore Model of Educational Success

Singapore as a Hub of International Education

Singapore stands today as a major hub of international education in South East Asia. Education and training are fundamental elements in targeting economic growth in Singapore. The education system and education scene in Singapore have undergone a number of changes and innovations in the recent years. The innovations were motivated by a need to prepare the students to meet the challenges of the 21st century. For a number of countries in Asia, Singapore education system today stands as a model that they would like to follow.

Researchers and educators however wonder whether there is a singular model of Singapore educational success and, if there is, what the essential components of such a model would be.

Six Components of the SMES Model

In a flagship research project that was implemented in Singapore over a decade (during 2000–2012) we identified six components of the Singapore Model of Educational Success.

Component 1 — Collaboration

In Singapore, Student Group Collaboration forms the basis of most teaching and learning activities. Such collaboration may be face-to-face or online.

Collaboration is considered a crucial skill where problem solving and group work is involved. How can we encourage Collaboration among our students? The first aspect to note is that mere group work is not collaboration. Students might get into groups; they might even work together very well as group members. However, some of this work is mere co-operation, and not collaboration.

Collaboration is an attribute that is much higher that co-operation. It involves productive conflict; it involves diversity of opinion. Most importantly, it involves creativity and construction.

Our findings suggest that the following five dimensions are important when we consider collaboration as a learning style or as a learning strategy.

1. Method of decision-making: Is it democratic? Does it encourage members to speak out?

2. Voicing out disagreements: Collaboration encourages voicing out disagreements, however minor or insignificant they may be.

3. The role of a whistle blower: Group members are encouraged to speak out if the group is going away from its objectives.

4. Adherence to task deadlines: Deadlines are important.

5. Sense of belonging in a group: All group members are made to feel that they are listened to.

Component 2- Application

Teaching as well as learning activities are rooted in application. Traditionally, we believe that theory must precede practice; and application can follow only after learning of theories and concepts.

However, this does not need to be always the case.

In Singapore Model application can be at the forefront of teaching and learning. You can begin with application and then proceed towards conceptual learning. In fact, application exercises can be used for conceptual learning.

It is not always necessary that Theory should lead to Practice. Practice, with a little orientation, can, in fact, lead to better theory-building.

Secondly, Western models believe that repetition is not essential for learning. In fact traditionally, ‘Rote learning’ is considered the most ineffective method in western models of learning.

However, in Singapore repetitive and mindful practice is usually embedded in as many activities as possible.

Component 3- Integration of Technology

Multimedia and other interactive technologies are consciously built into teaching and learning. Focus is on integration of these technologies to achieve the teaching-learning objectives.

Technologies are used in many classrooms worldwide. However, in Singapore Model technologies are not used in isolation. They are integrated in the curriculum and are used for fulfillment of objectives. Secondly, technologies that are owned by leaners (such as smartphones) have a larger role to play rather than the classroom-based technologies. Thus the focus is on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) than on Computer-Assisted Teaching and Learning (CATL),

Component 4- Contextual learning

In Singapore classrooms, context of learning and context of applications of learning is considered much more significant. What students learn and why they learn can depend on their context and situation. We can envisage two kinds of contexts for learning:

1. Larger context: Educators need to take into account the larger context of education. They need to ask and answer questions such as: Where do the learners come from? Why are they studying? What are their short-term and long-term objectives?

2. Immediate context: The classroom or the immediate context in which learning takes place. This is framed by the learners’ assessments of their learning environment, as well as the strategies used by them to cope with the educational challenges,

Component 5 — Conceptual Understanding

Although practice is important for a transfer of learning to real-life situations, it is equally important that deep-rooted conceptual understanding is achieved in any educational task. Here are the five stages of the cycle through which we can achieve conceptual understanding:

• Inquiry and Discovery: Let the students inquire about what should be learnt.
• Exploration: Let the students explore the available resources and methods
• Consolidation of learning: Guide the students in their exploration and help them set a direction.
• Application of learnt principles: Let the students apply what they learnt.
• Debriefing: Ask the students to describe (either orally or in writing) their process of discovery.

Component 6- Meaningful Failure and Analysis of Errors

In the Singapore model, Considerable value is placed on learning though mistakes and failures. Errors are organized and classified so that a pattern can emerge for learning. Short-term failures may be seen as inevitable. Such ‘failures’ that aid the learning may even be systemically encouraged.

We always say that failure is the first step to success. However, not all kinds of failures lead to success or to learning.

Only some types of failures are meaningful and productive. If we wish our students to help from learning, we need to analyse which kinds of errors and failures should be introduced in the classroom.

Our complete research paper is available at http://bit.ly/SMESModel

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