Music Education Starts Early With Parents as Key Partners

A parent is a teacher, a friend, a guide and a partner who escorts the child through various challenges of life. However, in the course of providing a better childhood, some parents fail to recognize the importance of music education in the early phase of life.

Music education in Singapore or elsewhere is one essential element of human learning that contributes (indirectly) to success and skills of an individual. As significant as basic schooling of a young child, music education must begin at an early age. Emphasizing on the fact, parents too have an important role to play in this early phase of child’s upbringing. Music classes alone aren't going to do the trick.

Besides sending a child to music schools or tutors in Singapore, parents must mold themselves as companions who appreciate and nurture learning skills of their young lad. A parent as a partner in education becomes the support and encouragement for the child; encouragement received at a tender age will guide him for rest of the life.

A supportive response from parents can help develop positive approach to life and also help kids exhibit their skills in a superior manner.

Finance Music Education: Shell out Some Money to Buy an Instrument

For your young lad, musical instrument is similar to a new book or a toy that he will use, explore and learn with the time.

When you don’t buy outdated clothes, books or toys for your child, why prefer an old-fashioned musical instrument. Get something new. Get something that excites your kid.

Buy a good instrument that encourages your child to practice every day.

Schedule Appropriate Timings for Practice

As it is the case with studies, you need to spare good amount of time for the child to practice music. If possible, try dedicating a specific practice place in your house and encourage the child to sit and practice there every day. If possible, make sure to spend some time with him at that very place every day.  

Create and Support Opportunities

To develop the musical talent in your child as his lifelong skills, create right opportunities for him. For instance, let the child perform at a public gathering and revel his musical works in case he has been attending musicclasses in Singapore for some time. If possible, send your child to musical camps or live performances to experience the thrill of musical culture.

Never discourage the young lad for his performance; be encouraging, just as a real friend would do.

Motivate and Engage Yourself in His Learning Skills

A parent should often participate as mentor to his child’s musical education. Be suggestive and researching for his works so that he learns what’s good for his musical growth. Engage him in musical conversation and try discovering his perspectives.        

Top 5 Ways to Enhance Learning

Kids are not capable of deciphering ways to enhance learning and get good grades all by themselves. They always look up to their teachers and parents for guidance. 

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If you’re also worried about the academic efficiency of your kids, here’s a list of ways that will help them gain better grip on learning concepts and improve concentration. Take a look:

1.    Implement Mnemonic Strategies

Mnemonic strategies are systematic procedures used for enhancing memory. Mnemonic is nothing, but a way of converting difficult and unfamiliar concepts into simpler or manageable versions.

To develop effective mnemonic strategies, tutors offering private tuition's in Singapore need to find innovative ways to relate new information to the information students already have locked in their memory. This will help in establishing firm connection, which the brain will retain for a lifetime.

2.    Designing Interesting Games  For Classroom Use

To provide enhanced learning experience to students, teachers can adapt a variety of interesting games. Such games can be inspired from popular brain tickling television shows such as Family Feud, Jeopardy, etc.

For instance, social studies teacher can use the game of Jeopardy by designing questions under various categories such as Culture, Current Events, Rights & Responsibilities and Geography. They may increase the level of difficulty with each category and offer lucrative awards for every correct answer to each student.   

3.    Encourage Creativity and Curiosity

Curiosity is a very crucial aspect of overall learning process. Children with high curiosity levels are often encouraged to learn from the questions that gain their attention and arouse an interest. Such students tend to be self-motivated and perform exceptionally well in school.

Creativity is closely related to curiosity and should be nurtured well. To accomplish this, private tuitions in Singapore should provide free time to students to help them learn and study subjects that interest them. 

4.    Integrate Technology

We are living in a tech-centric world, where most kids are already accustomed with the use of computers and numerous other gadgets. They are the early adopters, who are prepared in advance to use technology in schools as a part of their curriculum.

Purchasing a tablet PC or laptop for your child for educational purposes and fostering them to become proficient in its use can positively affect their current and future grades. 

5.    Keep Learning New Things

One sure shot way to become a more efficient learner is to simply keep learning new things. According to a research, children who learn how to juggle were seen with higher levels of grey matter in the occipital lobes. This part of the brain is associated with visual memory. However, when the kids stopped practicing newly acquired skills, their grey matter gradually vanished.

Suppose the kids are learning a new language at school, it becomes very important for parents and teachers to ensure the child starts to frequently use the language. If not practiced regularly, the child will soon lose grip on the language.

This concept is based on a simple yet effective “use it or lose it” formula. 

6 Ways to Keep Your Kids Learning All Summer

As the schools close down for summer vacations, many parents worry how much their children will blissfully forget during those weeks spent away from school. But even if the regular school routine comes to a halt, you can still encourage learning all summer long.

Read along to find out how!

1. Target a Summer Reading Goal

Summer is a great time to encourage kids to read whatever interests them. This will help them build their reading skills through constant practice and enjoyment.

Several libraries and bookstores offer summer reading programs, where the participants can earn prizes while learning.

2. Time To Learn Outdoor Science

Summer also brings in a great time to practice all those experiments which seemed too messy for the dining room.

Take your kids outdoors. How about a visit to a local facility, nonprofit or a laboratory?  

3. Historical Field Trip Would Be Perfect

Education in Singapore can be made quite interesting by keeping the books away and getting out exploring the places where history actually scripts itself, one event at a time.

Chances are there would be historical sites and museums not far from the place you live. Go check some of these sites out with kids.

4. Educational Camps And Workshops

Give your kids the chance to learn working as a part of a group without any pressure of exams and results. Educational camps and workshops will offer young minds the experience of learning in a more formal environment.

5. Make Math And Engineering Fun With A Building Project 

Practicing new skills helps tender minds to retain new information; let your kids plan and build new and creative projects this summer.

If there are enough trees around, kids can enjoy building tree houses too!

In the absence of trees, however, children can enjoy the same thrill by assembling a temporary shelter using PVC fittings. Engineering a sand castle along a beach is another great way of learning the best use of materials and effect of water on sand structures.

6.  Encourage Outdoor Activities

Some kids definitely require a nudge when they’re asked to turn off the Xbox and head outdoors. However, scheduling outdoor games day at any playground, park or beach will help your kids get plenty of exercising time.  

Begin Teaching Maths and Science Early

At a recent event, the Education Minister of Singapore, Mr. Heng Swee Keat, highlighted the importance of transforming the overall education system to keep up with the changing economy. Mr. Heng particularly emphasized on the need to help students build problem solving and knowledge application skills.

Recently, the Education Minister of Singapore, Mr. Heng Swee Keat, highlighted the need of providing strong foundation in numeracy and literacy to children by the schools. Mr. Heng also laid stress on providing the students a good ground in STEM, i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. He said one of the many ways to promote affinity for the subjects is to begin early and incorporate math and science into the curriculum of the early childhood.

Need For Intellectual Learning

According to the NSB (National Science Board) USA, exposing children to scientific concepts at a young age, makes them comfortable with those idea at an older age.

Also, adapting to the concepts of mathematics is a great predictor of not only developing a good aptitude for the subject later in school life, but also for enhancing the reading abilities of children. Based on this concept, NSB has whole-heartily  encouraged the introduction of STEM into pre-school education.

Focus on Teachers

The importance of good teaching skills can certainly not be overemphasized. We need to remember that children are not natural scientists. Despite their tendency of exploring the world they need appropriate guidance to mold their activities into what we might consider as doing science. This is where teachers play an important role as they help in providing them that direction.

However, it seems that the biggest block encumbering the implementation of STEM in early childhood classrooms is the reticence displayed by many teachers. Studies of other countries reveal that teachers lack the required knowledge, understanding and awareness of engineering and technology. This develops a fear to implement these principles in their classrooms.

For pre-schools, teachers can actually take cues from the many questions asked by the students and then guide their learning in ways that develop scientific thinking for successful implementation of STEM. 

5 Ways to Change up Homework Plan

There are times when the very thought of asking your kids to complete their homework after a long day in school is frustrating. However, to convert this difficult task into a pleasant experience, here’s presenting 5 excellent ways to change up their homework plan.

1.    Motivation is the key

Tutors should make use of interesting incentives to get children wind up their homework without indulging into unnecessary fights.

Incentives such as small snacks, toys and amusing stickers work extremely well for young children.

Experienced tuition coordinators in Singapore always try to match up kids with tutors they can gel easily with. This allows for a better chemistry, ultimately helping a tutor keep a child motivated most of the times.

2.    Allow them to Dictate

This certainly does not mean that you do the work for them. Having a mixed routine where the children dictate the answers to you, might help them to think in a strategically different manner.

This is apt for younger kids where they would be allowed to think more about the subject matter other than simply writing it down.

3.    Use an App

There are hundreds of apps available today which are geared towards all types of subjects. Simply find the app that reinforces what the student actually needs and get them started with its use.

4.    Team Work Pays

Getting students working together is a great way to make the learning process much more interesting, fun and efficient.

The students will not only learn but they can also help each other  in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

5.    Stress Is Their Biggest Enemy

Tuition coordinators, tutors or parents should not put too much pressure on students to perform. Stressing them out will only make the learning process more difficult. 

Novel Initiatives to Advance University Education

National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – two of Singapore’s oldest universities announced various initiatives for improving learning and education at the university level. Both universities endeavor to bring about stress free education whilst staying updated with the on-going technological advancements.

Highlight of the Announcements

Among many other initiatives announced by NUS, a grade-free first semester for freshmen, along with compulsory industry attachment for engineering and computing students was the highlight.

Meanwhile, NTU announced establishment of Center for Research and Development to lead research based learning practices specifically designed for the tertiary education sector.

Benefits for Students in NUS

As the cohort matriculation begins in August, the grade free semester by NUS will be initiated for undergraduates who are on a modular system. This will benefit about 6,000 students undertaking education in the field of Arts and Social Sciences, Computing, design and Environment, Business, Engineering, Science, Music and Nursing.

Though not on a modular system, the Faculty of Law will also be implementing an analogous grade free system for a batch of 230 freshmen. There will no longer be compulsory modules assigned grades in the first semester.

Reason for Introducing a Grade Free System

According to the Deputy President of academic affairs and provost at National University of Singapore, Tan Eng Chye, the grade free system has been introduced in order to reduce educational stress experienced by the students.

He also said that as the first semester is the adjustment and transition period for the students, introducing a grade free system will enable them to transit smoothly into independent learning mode with greater ease.

This initiative will soon be extended to other schools and educational facilities within NUS. Many private tutors in Singapore have also welcomed this style of stress free learning.

Implementing Research in Tertiary Learning Practices at NTU

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has already invested about $30 million to set up a centre for advanced tertiary learning as an attempt to inculcate body of research into the tertiary learning practices that are specific to Singapore’s higher education system which it has been lacking currently.

Known as Center for Research and Development in Learning, NTU’s initiative will attempt to look for better ways to impart 21^st Century skills and expertise in the techno savvy world of today. This will also open way for many tutoring jobs across Singapore.

Details of Center for Research and Development in Learning

The cradle will start with around 10 projects. The key among st them will include, research on students understanding of e-learning.

According to provost of NTU, Freddy Boey, the cradle is going to raise their understanding of various learning pedagogues and make them understand how the university’s curriculum can be delivered in a much better way such that they remain up-dated with all recent technological advancements. 

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.   

When 15 Year Olds from Singapore Excelled at Global Problem Solving Skill Test Program

Singapore is already globally popular as the hub of technical advancement in almost all areas of work. The Republic keeps proving it time and again through extraordinary achievements, which are highly useful not only within the domestic settings, but help the entire world in begetting something new and worthwhile.

Living up to its standing of a highly enterprising nation with an aspiring young generation, Singapore has, many a time, proven its mettle in the field of education and academics too. One of the best instances is the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test of 2012.

When 15 Year Olds from Singapore Excelled the PISA Test

In the year 2012, Singapore topped the list of several countries that took the problem-solving test, a significant part of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. The achievement was huge and encouraging as the entire student body from the age group of 15 from across the country had exhibited exceptional skills, that too regardless of which background of school education they belonged to!

In the PISA test that is conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) once every three years, Singapore was one of the top performers in various other areas also, including science, reading literacy skills and mathematics. All these areas were conducted and evaluated under the same program, and the results were released in the end of the year.

What Made the Success So Remarkable?

Singapore got the biggest score of 562 points and was one of a handful of countries to excel in most of the assortments. It defeated South Korea (561) with a negligible difference of just one point. It had the biggest proportion of best-performing participants, that is, three times higher than the average number of OECD!

Another aspect that made the success special was Singapore’s intelligent and timely answer to critics claiming that the education system of the country promoted nothing but rote learning.

Mr. Andreas Schleicher, Adviser to the OECD Secretary-General, had said that this outstanding performance had helped the country debunk such criticism, and defy claims that its education system was based on cramming that was encouraged at the cost of growing creative skills.

Expressing his joy at the Principals’ Forum later, Mr. Schleicher had called this performance suggestive of the fact that 15-year-olds in the country were quick and inquisitive learners, fully capable of solving unstructured crisis in any type of situation.

Heng Swee Keat, Education Minister, has also written on his Facebook page about the event and mentioned that the problem-solving skill test was not for book smarts. And that the youth of Singapore was thinking, daring and acting openly and smartly, and could take any responsibility, everything from significant roles of educationalists and analysts to a tuition coordinator job. He had also called such extraordinary tests and skills very important for the competitive world of education. 

What to Look for in a Tutor

Many parents in Singapore are now hiring private tutors. While some parents want their kids to excel in areas such as music, others want the latter to do well in academics. In any case, the outcome would depend on the tutor and more importantly tutor-student chemistry.

Here’re a few important pointers, prepared after having consulted some experienced privatetutors in Singapore; these should come handy when you screen some tutors for your kids:

1. The tutor should of course be more qualified than a student’s grade level. While some students learn well from senior tutors with a Bachelor’s degree (or higher), others tend to have a better chemistry with tutors who’re just 2-3 years older.
2. When looking for a private tutor in Singapore, make it a point to ask if s/he has relevant experience. The tutor should have hands-on experience in teaching a particular subject to a select age group.
3. Consider the learning style of your kid. Does he learn better through an informal style of teaching or a structured, school-style approach? Not all tutors can switch between these two styles.
4. Will the tutor teach online or at your premises? Is the tutor working independently or you’re hiring him/her through a private tuition agency in Singapore? The latter is a better option as you need not be worried about punctuality and other such issues. The agency will do it for you.
5. Is the tutor patient enough to walk through long learning curves with your child? If your child is having trouble learning mathematics, for example, look for a tutor who will take out time to teach the most basic of concepts without getting frustrated.  
6. Your child should ‘like’ the tutor. He can't learn until there’s some sort of amicable chemistry between him and the tutor. 

Parenting – Helping Your Kids Learn Faster

A parent feels most helpless when he sees his child struggling at studies. With a little patience and the right approach a feasible solution can be found to this commonly found problem. 

Encouraging your child to read regularly is one of the simplest ways to improve his learning capacity. Reading will over a period of time increase his vocabulary, improve his control over the language and also make him more confident. Parents can play a vital role in setting up a sound learning system for their children. However, they need to remember that losing patience or getting irritated will only confuse the child and not help him in any way.

Let’s take a look at tips parents can follow to help their children learn faster.

1. Listening and Writing skills

The child stands to benefit by listening to audio and video cassettes borrowed from a library or from the school. The child can be supported to improve his speaking skills by giving him topics from real life that he is comfortable talking on. Writing skills take a long time to develop and the easiest way is to ask your child to maintain a daily journal. They can be asked to write short stories on their favorite topics.

2. Grammar and Vocabulary

These skills will naturally improve when reading, writing and listening will fall into place. In the market today, there are many practice books available that the child can attempt to do. Spending even an hour a week on them are good enough.

3. Make it simple don’t be too pushy

All the tips given above will help in the overall growth of the child and in the long term improve his performance at school too. Always try to communicate with the child in the language he is most comfortable. Be ready to clarify any doubts he has about his reading material. Try and simplify it for him for better understanding.

4. Don’t be too pushy

The most important advise on this matter is to not to push your child for extra practice or extra assignments if he is not willing. Respect his decision and cut him that slack. H emight be working hard already and may want to do something more interesting in his spare time. Relaxation of his mind is very essential.

’Play’ an Important Aspect of Early Childhood: Heng Swee Keat

Play is a very important aspect of early childhood development. It is helpful is stimulating curiosity and nurturing creativity, says Heng Swee Keat, the Education Minister of Singapore.  

Recently, the Education Minister of Singapore was spotted at “Back to Play! — A Tampines Learning Initiative”, which is a family festival. The festival is mainly targeted at parents to encourage them to provide children with more amorphous playtime. This will allow children to engage in creative activities in the absence of adult guidance.

Importance of Play

Addressing reporters Heng Swee Keat stated that playtime is of extreme importance for children and should never be regarded as wastage of time. Play actually helps in bringing out the core values required for developing self-confidence along with enhancing social skills of children. Play brings out curiosity within children to explore the world around them, which further helps in nurturing their creativity.

He also stated that all their MOE kindergartens and lower primary education systems are based on this very approach.

Talking about the budget, he further added that the lower and middle income families can now expect a fairly substantial increase in bursaries for their children.

The budget of 2014 has opened up significant opportunities for tutor jobs in Singapore, as more parents will now be able to afford home tutors in Singapore with the money they save on the education, the provisions of which have already been made clear in the latest budget.