SCHOLARS’ CHOICE III
THE STRAITS TIMES FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013 PAGE 14
Instilling a love of learning
Ministry of Education scholar Low Guanming derives satisfaction from seeing his students mature as they learn new things
“They should have opportunities to
learn independently, to review current
knowledge and facts on their own and come
to their own conclusions and solutions.
“Our role as teachers is to help them
reflect on their judgments, decisions and
actions so that they learn from their own
experience.”
This process will help students to think
hard about purpose, commitment and resilience, Mr Low says, adding that they
will also acquire moral reasoning skills and
courage.
by ahmad osman
ALL through his years in school — from kindergarten to junior college — Mr Low Guanming had good teachers who made learning
enjoyable.
They inspired him to apply for a teaching
scholarship and become a teacher.
“My teachers helped me to enjoy the
learning process,” says the 28-year-old who
is currently teaching Geography at Tampines Junior College.
“I still have clear memories of learning
phonics, the stories read to me in Primary 1
and watching sugar blacken over a Bunsen
burner in Primary 6,” he adds. “I remember
playing percussion in secondary school and
investigating rock formations in Western
Australia when I was in a junior college.”
Just like his teachers, Mr Low is passionate about helping young people to learn.
This passion was developed abroad and
in the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the
National Institute of Education (NIE) here.
Mr Low read economics and geography
at the University College London on MOE’s
Overseas Merit Scholarship (Teaching),
graduating with first class honours. He also
went on to do a master’s degree in Geography at the University of British Columbia
in Canada. He returned to Singapore for
his Post-Graduate Diploma In Education
(PGDE) at NIE.
One of the rewards of
teaching is that teachers
also learn from their students.
I enjoy it when my students
surprise me with information
and ideas they developed on
their own. I think this is the most
satisfying form of teaching. A
true community of learners
enriches itself.”
— Mr Low Guanming (in blue shirt), Geography teacher,
Tampines Junior College
Mr Low is passionate about helping young people to learn. PHOTOS: CHONG JUN LIANG
During an internship in MOE’s curriculum planning and development division,
Mr Low gained insights into the education process here — from syllabus design
to classroom delivery. He learnt to look
beyond the discrete elements of the syllabus to its intent, which may be a better
teaching guide.
His perspective on education was
broadened further through a three-week
stint in Ghana’s Cape Coast and a visit to
Wellington High School in New Zealand.
In Ghana, Mr Low taught rudimentary
English and Mathematics using handwritten worksheets and a splintered chalkboard
under a fraying tarp hinged on wooden
poles. There was no shelter from the sun for
children in the last row of the ‘classroom’.
“We had to walk for 1km through cornfields to the library,” says Mr Low. “It was
inspiring to see the children putting in so
much effort to learn.”
By contrast, Wellington High School
has an impressive variety of courses and a
positive learning atmosphere created by its
teachers.
Such overseas experiences helped to
shape some of Mr Low’s teaching strategies
in Tampines Junior College where students
have formal lessons and independent learning opportunities.
Geography teaches students to understand the world around them and develop
their reasoning and leadership skills. Its
emphasis on social difference and understanding people and phenomena provide
essential knowledge required by leaders in
diverse societies.
“We need leaders who are versatile to
manage complex situations in a well-considered manner,” explains Mr Low.
“Without good reasoning skills, people
will make bad decisions,” he adds.
One of his students was shocked by the
reality of political ecology on a recent field
trip to Hong Kong where he saw landslides
endangering the lives of squatters living
precariously on steep slopes.
“In Geography, students have the chance
to learn reasoning skills and reflect critically
on their arguments,” Mr Low says.
“When they learn in teams, they learn to
collaborate and acquire the respect of others
which is a form of social responsibility.”
Students in Mr Low’s classes fill survey
forms stating their learning goals, motivations and attitudes.
He talks to them about whether their
expectations are realistic in the context of
university education and their careers in
future.
“My satisfaction comes mainly from
seeing students mature,” he says.
“One of the rewards of teaching is that
teachers also learn from their students. I
enjoy it when my students surprise me with
information and ideas they developed on
their own. I think this is the most satisfying form of teaching. A true community of
learners enriches itself.”