Better Ways of Teaching and Testing our Students

Singapore is once again making headlines for its outstanding educational performance. The recent results released by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey – a test that is given to high school students in about 60 countries – revealed that Singapore ranked second globally in Mathematics.

Undoubtedly a commendable accomplishment, but how can we assure now that the students not only retain but are also capable enough to apply the knowledge they have acquired over the time? School teachers, parents or tuition coordinators alone cannot do the needful. Everyone has to contribute a little to the cause!

Image Credit: rossieronline.usc.edu

This is a critical issue not only within Singapore but also in other advanced economies including Hong Kong.

Tweaking the Teaching Ways

Tweaking the way we teach and prepare students for undertaking examinations can actually lead to fruitful results. According to an educational research – when a small amount of complexity and difficulty is introduced in a learning process, not only does the student stand to learn better but it also helps ensure higher retention.

Ways to Increase Difficulty Levels in Education  

1.        Spacing of Time: One of the methods to increase difficulty is to space the time between learning sessions. Accordingly, the greater is the time interval between repeating lessons, the greater will be the retention. This space effect can act vigorously in improving learning. Tuition coordinators should practice spacing of time with their students for better retention.

2.       Intersperse Different Subjects: Another highly effective strategy to enhance learning is interspersing various subjects. This method is significantly effective in sports. For instance, a tennis coach will be alternatively serving with volleying and backhand with forehand, etc.

3.       Learning Many Subjects : Additionally, tutors in Singapore can adopt this highly efficient strategy for improved learning – mixing up of subjects. Allow the students to study some science, followed by history and then mathematics and eventually return to science. This learning technique works particularly well for mathematics.

4.       Cueing: Another method of retrieving information stored deep in our memory is by cueing. Things that we have not even talked about for long can be instantly recalled only on a hint of a single clue.

Permanent and flexible Knowledge

We majorly want students to acquire knowledge and skills in ways that are permanent and also flexible. Precisely, we want the students to acquire long-term capability of generalizing and applying their learning. 

One of the key insights that come from the body of research on learning is that making it more difficult to acquire knowledge means that students will be able to retain more and even generalize better. 

Though this type of learning is slower and complications would inhibit rapid learning process – causing more errors, but the re-learning that this will cause will ultimately lead to long term retention.

Tuition in Singapore may have to tailor lessons, study strategies and assignments for emphasizing long-term learning and also manage short term performance needs which the education system today requires.