(Newswire.net — October 2, 2014) Singapore, Singapore — Singapore American School (SAS- www.sas.edu.sg) is an innovative educational environment providing an American education with an international perspective. Their vision is to be a world leader in education, to cultivate exceptional thinkers, and to prepare their students for the future. In their latest video (http://bit.ly/1tMpBtB), instructors and students elaborate on how this looks in a variety of specializations.
The rules for twentieth century education have changed. Quiet classrooms and a single teaching method are no longer enough to properly prepare students for the world they will graduate into. Sir Ken Robinson says, “What we need is not evolution, but a revolution in education.” SAS’s aim is to graduate all students ready to solve the problems of this world creatively. They believe the world cares less about what you know, and more about what you can do with what you know.
The research and development team at SAS are taking trips around the world to visit schools that are trying to do something different and innovative. They are learning from these schools what is working, and are drawing upon these aspects when forming the structure for education at Singapore American School.
Superintendent Chip Kimball says, “We are trying to embark upon a vision whereby kids not only develop their core knowledge, but they develop what we call our desired student learning outcomes. These are 21st century skills. They include things like collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and also cultural competence and character. This package is what we think kids need to be successful in the future.”
SAS will give students an opportunity to explore their interests and pursue their passions in new and flexible ways. One student, Julia Abueva, talks about how SAS encouraged and supported her acting dream. She says her teachers completely understood that she loved what she did. “SAS gave me the confidence I needed to go out there. They all believed in me so much.”
During her senior year, Julia performed in two different shows in two different countries, and SAS was flexible enough to help her come up with a plan to document all of her performances and turn it into a documentary for her final project. Julia went on to play the leading role in Miss Saigon in London, UK.
SAS focuses on relationships. They work to be a big school that feels small, and make concerted efforts to know each of their students well. Known US leader of educational reform, Ted Sizer, once said, “I cannot teach a student well whom I do not know.” SAS aims to be a place where students feel known, loved, and supported. They believe in personalized learning, where the student’s learning plan is directed by their interests and passions, and then SAS becomes the support system to encourage excellence in that area.
Nanette Devins, the high school performing arts teacher, says that leaving students in charge of what they’re learning at SAS increases curiosity. SAS believes that putting more control in the students’ hands will always result in them rising beyond expectations.
Another student, Kevin Wang, was inspired by visiting third world orphanages to develop the Incuwarmer—a non-electric, low cost, reusable infant incubator, designed to reduce infant mortality worldwide. SAS was supportive in every aspect of the development of this project, and Kevin has now gone on to study at Stanford University.
Singapore American School’s goal is to revolutionize learning to change lives. They are committed to changing with the times and developing and personalizing their programs as they move forward. From the testimonials so far, they are seeing strong results from this innovative learning style.
Singapore American School
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