Had the chance to hear from Prof Pam Grossman on 27 Sep, Thursday.

Are we (teachers, students, classrooms) future-ready?

Joi Ito's 9 principles is a helpful compass.


Problem-based collaboration where people around the world coming together to solve real problems is expected.

Education is system-centered. Learning is student-centered, with focus on,

Deeper learning
Not all the science of it is in yet.Project-based learning
The challenges of it being resource intensive remains.
A new form of assessment should work towards assessing for collaboration, creativity, problem solving skills, resilience, your usual cocktail for SEL related.Personalised learning
Students having their own iPads with personalised instructions. Technology shall be a platform for learning.
One area that has eluded the initial education would be entrepreneurship related. Glad to hear something on it. Some schools are getting students to identify a real problem out there, then develop a solution and to formulate a biz p…

Really funny.



VS

O Level Physics

Physics is tough enough when all we see are numbers, formulas and a few static diagrams. And tuition, mentoring or apprenticeship is not always aligned to our schedule or budget.

They say help comes to those who attempt to help themselves. So here are some simulations from Open Source Physics @ Singapore and PhET Interactive Simulation by University of Colorado Boulder and YouTube to help them deepen their understanding and application of the various topics even without their teachers or tutors. Hope it helps.

Physical Quantities, Units And Measurement
1. Pendulum

2. Vernier Calipers










3. Micrometer Screw Gauge










Kinematics
1. Graph Of Motion

Click to Run 2. Graph Of Projectile

3. Ramp


Dynamics
1. Forces And Motion (Basic)

2. Forces (1 Dimension)

3. Forces And Motion

Click to Run 4. Forces And Motion (Ramp)

Click to Run 5. Friction

6. Lunar Lander


Mass, Weight, Density
1. Density

2. Buoyancy In Water

3. Buoyancy In Air

Click to Run
Turning Effect Of Force
1. Balancing Act


Work, Energy, Power
1. Ska…

Being in the education field does not mean we are ignorant about what's happening out there in the bigger, resource-scarce playground. In fact, my interest is in physics applied to defense technology and arts. These interests led me to conceive more possibilities with what I already have in terms of knowledge.

And why is it important to know what's happening in the business realm?

Businesses are usually very lean entities that needs to be extremely sensitive to supply and demand, and optimised in its daily operations. Any businesses that are not fast in catching on to changes will not survive for long. To know what businesses are concerned about keep us informed of areas that may soon have a huge impact on us.

Looking at how MOE is evolving, they are likely to have consulted external firms to incorporate modern management style over time.

This term VUCA you hear about in the education field came from a larger food chain out there which you will see in this article.

So, don'…

As learners, we want to have the ability to learn continuously and learn on the go as we adapt to the new routines needed in our home, work and community. Generally, VACU comes to mind.

As educators though, we peg some end points to learning dubbed as learning outcomes. We have picked up and tried various teaching pedagogies based on different school of thoughts. There is no one best fixed formula for a class or an individual. However, based on data analytics, having a higher ratio of direct methods to inquiry methods gave the best results.

So yes, whether you are a super tutor or just a concerned parent, some fanciful stuffs are always good, but continue to focus on technologies that work.

Who is a better student when everyone is finally getting A1s?

I would tend to vote for the student who has gotten into a growth mindset advocated by Prof Carol Dweck.

As you can see with the flowchart above, a student with a growth mindset is likely to have greater ambitions and achievements so you can save a lot of breath nagging at them too about their life or manners or what they should be or what passion they should look into.

It is very easy to check if your child has evolved into a growth mindset. Just give him or her a scenario A and B. Scenario A is easy while B presents more challenges and complications. If your child happily choose B after some thought, he or she is quite likely to have shifted into the growth mindset.

What about you?

The growth mindset was logically sound and allows an individual to develop and unlock a higher potential. But, it sure took me a while to get into the growth mindset even though I saw its immensity in the beginning.

As for my fellow teachers in…