The learning
journey was a lot of fun. I have been waiting to go on a field trip for so long
and finally it happened. I enjoyed the choral reading at Change Alley and the
debate. I wish we could spend more time on it because the motion is interesting
and is a topic that should be thought and talked about. I also enjoyed the
Singapore River activity because it was funny the way we were trying to catch
people for the activity. I was also happy it rained because it made things
more fun since we had to rough it out. Learning about urban poetry while
we were in the heart of an urban landscape is more fun and conducive and I wish
we could do it for more modules.
What I learnt
Learning journeys give students a lot of freedom to roam and learn. When facilitating learning journeys, I think scale and manageability of students is very important. A good idea would be to split a class of 40 into 2 groups with a teacher and a group of student facilitators for each group, similar to what we experienced. Besides the information about Singapore history, geography and urban architecture which I loved, I also learnt about preparing logistics for a learning journey, for example what to ask students to bring, the kind of worksheets I should use and what to include in them. I also learnt about how to conduct a debrief session during learning journeys and how to give instructions for activities since students can get distracted by their surroundings.
Learning journeys give students a lot of freedom to roam and learn. When facilitating learning journeys, I think scale and manageability of students is very important. A good idea would be to split a class of 40 into 2 groups with a teacher and a group of student facilitators for each group, similar to what we experienced. Besides the information about Singapore history, geography and urban architecture which I loved, I also learnt about preparing logistics for a learning journey, for example what to ask students to bring, the kind of worksheets I should use and what to include in them. I also learnt about how to conduct a debrief session during learning journeys and how to give instructions for activities since students can get distracted by their surroundings.
Interdisciplinary possibilities
Depending on the poems and activities used, whether it is creative writing or a treasure-hunt concept that requires a lot of physical movement, Literature can be integrated with many other disciplines, including PE, Art and Mathematics. For English, as a follow-up activity to reading poems at Ang Siang Hill, students can write a short narrative with Ang Siang Hill as the setting. For example, they can write a ghost story since Ang Siang Hill is quite a lonely, quiet place and combined with the nostalgia it carries in the poem by Arthur Yap, it can be quite eerie. They could also take the perspective of the occupants in the poem and write a narrative about the Old House. For Mathematics, students can design mathematical equations or questions about trigo/geometry and their classmates can find clues from the environment in City Hall area to solve the mathematical questions. Questions can be about the angle of architectural structures. I also think the City Museum is a good site to teach students about real-life application of theories about parallel and perpendicular lines. For example, walkways in Marina Bay are always built parallel to waterways to create a good first impression on passer-bys on Singapore's architectural beauty, infrastructural development and investment potential.
Depending on the poems and activities used, whether it is creative writing or a treasure-hunt concept that requires a lot of physical movement, Literature can be integrated with many other disciplines, including PE, Art and Mathematics. For English, as a follow-up activity to reading poems at Ang Siang Hill, students can write a short narrative with Ang Siang Hill as the setting. For example, they can write a ghost story since Ang Siang Hill is quite a lonely, quiet place and combined with the nostalgia it carries in the poem by Arthur Yap, it can be quite eerie. They could also take the perspective of the occupants in the poem and write a narrative about the Old House. For Mathematics, students can design mathematical equations or questions about trigo/geometry and their classmates can find clues from the environment in City Hall area to solve the mathematical questions. Questions can be about the angle of architectural structures. I also think the City Museum is a good site to teach students about real-life application of theories about parallel and perpendicular lines. For example, walkways in Marina Bay are always built parallel to waterways to create a good first impression on passer-bys on Singapore's architectural beauty, infrastructural development and investment potential.
Designing learning journeys in and out of the classroom
I think a learning journey that incorporates transmediation, plenty of sharing opportunities and looking to the environment for inspiration or clues is ideal for Literature. Personally, there's a lot of potential in learning from interacting with the environment so any outdoor activity that successfully marries the environment with writer's craft, themes and setting works. Activities such as writing a poem based on the sights and sounds in a chosen venue, and then sharing their poems to the group would be fun to do. They also activate schema about urban themes. Poetry slams at selected venues (like the one we did at Raffles Place) would also be attractive in the school's newsletter and a great memory for students.
I think a learning journey that incorporates transmediation, plenty of sharing opportunities and looking to the environment for inspiration or clues is ideal for Literature. Personally, there's a lot of potential in learning from interacting with the environment so any outdoor activity that successfully marries the environment with writer's craft, themes and setting works. Activities such as writing a poem based on the sights and sounds in a chosen venue, and then sharing their poems to the group would be fun to do. They also activate schema about urban themes. Poetry slams at selected venues (like the one we did at Raffles Place) would also be attractive in the school's newsletter and a great memory for students.
To incorporate IT, students could take a photo of one feature in the environment
that represents Singapore to them, be it an architectural piece, an expat or
passer-by (with their permission) or an advertisement, and give a short
description and explanation for it. This could be written or blogged about.
They could also take many photos and make a scrapbook of what they think
represents Singapore. If I could, I would like to expand the learning
journey into a 1 or 2-day camp. I think students are more comfortable with
sharing and interacting during camps, and incorporating Literature into it
hones their skill in expressing ideas about Literature, using the environment
as a scaffold. It should strategically be an inter-disciplinary camp to appease
parents, Literature cynics and so students are engaged through a variety of
subjects.
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