Personalized Learning At Singapore American School Singapore

If you’re looking to help your child find the right path for their needs, the team at Singapore American School can make sure you’re heading in the right direction. Inquiry, the ability to ask the right questions, and find the correct answers, is at the core of SAS’s student learning process from their youngest learners in preschool up to graduating seniors preparing for college. This guide will help parents to work with their children on finding the best route for them to follow, whether they’re 3 years old or 18.

Preschool

They have adopted the Reggio Emilia program, an inquiry based learning approach that encourages students to ask questions, investigate, and learn about things that genuinely matter to them.

Elementary

Here students build on this foundation as they ask questions and analyze data across subject areas while learning to express themselves in writing, presentations, and discussions.

Middle school

Students use tri-time to take their understanding of the inquiry process and apply it to their own interests, laying the foundation for a lifetime of engaged, personalized learning.

High school

Students participate in semester and year long projects that push them to ask difficult questions and pursue answers. Their mandatory catalyst project tasks juniors and seniors with identifying a topic that interests them and requires building a project around that interest. These projects demonstrate the student’s’ ability to ask hard questions, investigate solutions, and publicize and present their findings.

Four Key Questions

For parents interested in helping their children find their own personalized learning opportunities here are four things you can do today to help your child set out on their own personalized learning journey.

1. Ask. Ask. Ask.

Do you remember when your 3-year-old always asked, “why?” At some point the questions begin to slowly decline and this should not be the case! If you are interested in your child developing critical thinking skills and finding their own learning path they need to continue to embrace their curiosity.

2. Give a Little Nudge

Sometimes we all need a little nudge to try something new. You might be scared to try-out for the school play but inside you is a budding actor. Maybe your child is nervous about learning something new or trying different activities. Sometimes we make the mistake as parents of wanting our child to be comfortable. Let’s choose growth over comfort and give our children a nudge when we see they might be interested in something but are a little too nervous to take the plunge.

3. Connect Them

Your child might be interested in nuclear thermal dynamics. For most of us, that topic lies a bit outside our skillset. Your child might be interested in something you know nothing about and may even have no interest in. That’s ok! We live in world filled with people who know plenty about a host of topics. Reach out and help your child begin to make connections with professionals who do understand those topics. These connections offer kids a truly personalized learning path.

4. Expose Them

The joke used to be that if you wanted to slack off in high school or college you would take a course like “underwater basket weaving.” But the truth is, there is a larger variety of careers available than ever before because with a little creativity you can find ways to monetize almost anything, even underwater basket weaving. While you may not want to start there, you should certainly look for opportunities to expose your children to a wide variety of options. In the process they might find something that truly captures and holds their interest.