Shih Wen's Reflections on Learning Journey

Walking through the streets of CBD countless times before, none of the experience I had was like that of our Learning Journey. It was not any other field trip for me. It was special because it was the first ever and also my last time having lessons out of the classroom in my four years at NIE.

I enjoyed two aspects of the entire Learning Journey.

One of it is the visit to the URA building. It was an unexpected experience. Seeing Singapore mapped out in moulds was delightful. While I cannot help thinking how true it was when people say a single bomb can kill the entire nation, I was also amazed at our infrastructure and its interconnectedness. It was interesting to find my exact location on the 3-D map, and compare distances with friends and other places. Then I thought, how did such a small country grow to become what it is today, in merely 40 years? It was hard to imagine, as anyone would say. But I think it was harder for me and anyone my age to imagine, given that we have never seen the past long enough for us to make comparisons. What we know about Singapore’s past were tales and stories from our parents. What it was like, what it was then, was mostly from our imagination, movies, and rare pieces of footages left behind. I could not imagine. Nonetheless, my queries were mostly answered as we approached the second level. The exhibits were mostly interactive, which is apt for a country which boasts its technology and modernity.

The other part of the Learning Journey which I enjoyed the most was when we sat by the river, working on our creative task. Mood sets our tone, and tone affects our writing. Sitting on the steps of the UOB building and looking at the landscape ahead was a luxury we don’t usually have or stop to experience when walking along Singapore River on our own (unless of course if we were dating but that is for an entirely different mood). I was able to reflect on my Learning Journey and the whole idea of retaining and embracing our heritage which seems to be slipping away. The idea about change and progress—is it really such a bad thing? I cannot comprehend. I am thankful for Singapore’s progress, because it means progress for all, or does it?

Yes, I do have old memories which I keep fondly in my heart, but that is it. I do not think about bringing them back, because I know change is inevitable. 40 years from now, today will be a yet another memory. It isn’t about keeping or restoring old houses. I learnt that it is about the memories that make you who you are today, and the memories of the future that will shape you into becoming who you will be.

After experiencing Learning Journey for myself, it is easier to think of the possibilities of conducting a Learning Journey for my students. Tied in closely with history and social studies, we can bring our students to places where they can reflect on their learning of these subjects (such as the Singapore River where we had our Creative Task). Getting students to look, feel and smell history through literature means that they do not learn these subjects as independent entities but rather as interrelated subject areas. This would make learning more meaningful for students as they see the connection between subjects. Nonetheless, it is important to note that if even as teachers, we feel a sense of estrangement from our history, then more needs to be done to help students understand Singapore’s past, if not it might become a fruitless endeavor if students still feel apathetic at the end.

Reflection #3: Three Perspectives of what we've gained and lost in Singapore's Development

Perspective 1: As a Literature undergraduate

Along with Punitha and Jeannette, I ventured into a shophouse along Ann Siang Hill and crept up its old wooden staircase, sitting on the dark lacquered steps to read the poem, "Old House at Ann Siang Hill" (by Arthur Yap) aloud. According to Hillock's 7 levels of comprehension, this Learning Journey allowed our class to reach the 5th level of "complex implied relationships" in our understanding of the poems in their distinctly situated contexts. We had the rare opportunity to physically interact with the spaces which Arthur Yap conveys in his poem. Often, due to time constraints, close-reading of poems limit the envisionment of a text to the reader's existing cultural schema and knowledge of the poem's subject matter. New Criticism (Brooks, 1979) rejects old historicism's attention to biographical and sociological matters, with a focus of pure close-reading of the text. I am grateful that through the Learning Journey, I was able to visit the actual location (Ann Siang Hill) that the poem is situated in. The trip was tremendously experiential and immersive, allowing us to touch, smell and interact intimately with elements of the poem in their authentic contexts. In my journey as a Literature student, this was my first ever Learning Journey, beyond the confines of a classroom. 

Perspective 2: As a facilitator during the Learning Journey 

As a facilitator for Station 3: Change Alley, the experience was enriching. Working with fellow facilitators and under Dr Loh's guidance, we were able to take ownership of each station and create meaningful tasks for our classmates. I never imagined that our class would do a chorale reading in the middle of Change Alley, as bemused faces whizzed by or paused with an affirmative nod at our class' antics. This is an experience I treasure because our class will be graduating soon and the Learning Journey was the final time we would travel as a cohort for a school activity. Huddling under the umbrella with Geraldine and navigating our way around unfamiliar territory, the experience of team dynamics as a Literature class reminded me of our 4 years together, navigating through pedagogical potholes and literary labyrinths in our time in NIE. (I'll miss you guys :')) This experience gave me the confidence of leading future classes (and even colleagues) for potential Learning Journeys. In addition, I am now equipped with a model of how to conduct a learning journey for Literature.

Perspective 3: As a trainee teacher  

I have gained both explicit and implicit lessons from this learning journey. Implicitly, I feel a greater sense of gratitude for the various engines of growth that drive our society into the 21st century. Despite the occasional complaints and grumbles among Singaporeans, I felt a debt of gratitude to the people who work tirelessly to keep Singapore globally competitive. Being cloistered in "Pulau NTU", divorced from the realities and hustle and bustle of urban Singapore, I was deeply affected when confronted with the various challenges highlighted in the URA exhibition. Before the trip, I was mildly ambivalent about the socio-political issues that Singapore has to tackle. However, watching a video of Jurong Fishery alive with activity at 2am and bus captains doggedly serving the masses through long shifts, I felt a sense of shame for being complacent and taking many of our essential services for granted. As much as we like to grumble, the trip to the URA exhibition was a startling wake up call that Singapore is indeed a small island with unique challenges that cannot be compared to other countries. As a trainee teacher, I hope to bring my students to the URA exhibition, Change Alley, Maxwell Market, Ann Siang Hill and the Singapore River for a similar trip. Such a trip will be primarily focused on experiencing the "setting and atmosphere" of a text that students will engage with.

Figure 1. Areas of Study (MOE, 2013)

Pedagogical lessons from the journey:

1. Personal Engagement 

I hope to replicate a similar learning journey for my students. Perhaps taking students to real-world contexts in which a text (play, poem, prose, etc.) was set in, for an enjoyable and valuable experiential lesson. 

2. Bloom's Taxonomy: "Creating" as the highest level of learning. 

Writing a poem by the Singapore River was a powerful experience of assimilating the collective bulk of knowledge and experiences from the day and distilling it into an actual product. I felt it was tremendously enriching, to be co-constructing experiences and memories with my classmates.

For your reading pleasure ~
Here's the poem I wrote :) 

"Steps"

I sit on steps of marble
A symbol of progress
These strong and sturdy
Rungs on which men and women
Ascend and descend
Climb and clamber
Fall and falter

We tumble on the rat race
While running in our heels
We pause when feet grow weary
And skin begins to peel

The harbingers of fortitude
A quiet irony
They whimper in their cubicles
And sigh, a silent symphony

Above me,
Swirls of paper
And shifting weights of power
Rise and fall
Curl and uncurl
Gripping and loosing
Chains which bind and free
At 5pm daily

I sit on these cool steps
And breathe

An old woman scuttles by with bags laden with
Beer cans of last night's dreams
Emptied into bellies
Of unquenchable thirst for "progress"

A curtain of glass rises tall above the sea of faces

An old man sneezes
And no one hears
The old woman coughs
And no one stirs

Written on the steps of UOB Building, Singapore.
19 Feb 2013.

Punitha's Reflections on the Learning Journey

Reflections about the Learning Journey

·         What did you enjoy about the learning journey and what did you learn from it?

I enjoyed the first stop of the Learning Journey immensely; as I never knew such an exhibit that details the extensive planning of land use ever existed. I believe that it set the right tone to the whole learning journey experience, where we are being exposed to the context and background information to the concept of land use and planning. We were also acutely made aware of whose perspective is being showcased in this exhibit and to question the given narrative where necessary.

The subsequent activities and designated poems were then driven by the central themes of place, identity, change and its consequences as it becomes apparent that our Singaporean identity and rootedness is very much affected due to the changing landscape and design of Singapore. All of the activities made us ponder about the progress that Singapore has made, which manifests itself in the changing landscape that we were able to witness before us in both China town and Raffles Place. However, our attention was also drawn to what was being omitted, transformed and has disappeared completely as a result of this change as well.

·         What interdisciplinary possibilities are there?

Through this literary learning journey, we were made to confront other disciplines such as history, social studies, geography as well. The first poem, Old House at Ang Siang Hill made us question the concept of heritage and how authentic is the restoration efforts by the URA to preserve these ethnic enclaves that has so much history. Though the functions of these old shop houses have been completely revitalised, it made us wonder if the heritage preservation is driven by its aesthetic value alone, and if it truly aims to capture the lost essence of the. The extensive urban city planning that we were revealed through the exhibit at the URA is resonant of aspects of Human Geography and will also aid in our understanding of social studies as we study the impact of the Government’s land use policies upon the environment and the psyche of Singaporeans. This only serves to reinforce that Literature besides being heralded as a linguistic based discipline it also belongs to the category of humanities as it serves as medium to reveal truths about the human condition.

·         How can you design and use learning journeys for effective learning in and out of classroom?  

As we move towards a 21^st century classroom in our schools, the idea that our learning has to go beyond the walls of our classroom is being embraced by educators. I strongly believe in the potential of learning journeys and field trips as it emphasises the idea of experiential learning, which allows students to embark on a process of evidence gathering, inference making and making new discoveries with what they come in contact with. With scaffolded instruction and engaging activities, teachers can truly bring alive the Literature Syllabus objectives to closely engage with texts whilst boosting their understanding of it as well. However, for such learning journeys to be a true success, the activities introduced must enable them to communicate their ideas and opinions so that it can be a true test of their understanding. Also, logistics with regards to the safety and movement of such field trips have to be taken into consideration during the planning.  Teachers should also be prepared for unexpected weather occurrences or obstacles that might crop up during the learning journey. Since we are dealing with adolescents, clear instructions have to be issued in the previous lesson regarding the learning journey. Hand held signs and appointing buddy systems will help with herding students along and to monitor the safety of students. Use of whistles can also help with grabbing attention of students and doing regular head counts can also ensure that everyone is accounted for during the trip.

Selected students also might be given additional responsibilities that allow them to exhibit their leadership skills and ability to address their peers confidently when they are roped in with the organisation or execution of the activity. A pre- learning journey activity could also serve as an appropriate build up to the learning journey that could leave them engaged.

 

Reflection 3- Shalini's LJ experience

To be honest, before this learning journey, I was never too keen on Singapore poetry. And the best thing about this learning journey is that I have developed a new appreciation for it. This is credited to the fact that the learning journey enabled me to really understand the themes of preservation and change. So, for this reason, I would definitely bring my students to enjoy this awakening experience.

The learning journey was really enjoyable. What I liked best was reading the poems on paper and simply looking up to see the places the poems were talking about. I felt a little more connected to poem, like I was either immersed in these places of the past as I looked at the old buildings on “Ang Siang Hill” or was witness to the changes talked about in the poems as I saw the “Singapore River” and looked up at the giant skyscrapers.

However, as I reflect, I feel that more background knowledge on certain places, example Ang Siang Hill, could have been given because although I knew where we were, I did not entirely know the significance of the place. Did people live there? If so, who? What kind of street was it? were just some questions that ran through my mind. Especially with students, I feel that they may simply take a particular place to be just that mentioned in the poem and a place to do the task. So when designing learning journeys,  it is important to give a brief historical background or significance  of the place to Singapore history to contextualise students understanding of the poem like what was done in the Singapore River task. This can be done en route to locations or as a pre-learning journey task in the classroom. This being said, I think the possibilities for cross disciplinary studies is possible, especially with history, as I feel that to deal with the poems and fully explore the different threads of themes running through the poems, a historical perspective would deepen students’ appreciation of the poems.   

I enjoyed all the activities, as in their own way, they brought light the issue of preservation, asking the fundamental question of what exactly it is we are preserving-buildings or memories? Is there actually a sense nostalgia or value in the buildings preserved? And questions about the changes we are making as a nation, and at what cost. The activities flowed nicely, starting at URA building where we learnt about Singapore’s progression, in historical and geographical terms, and ending at the heart of Singapore’s commerce trade, Raffles place.  

Albeit initial apprehension at having to “accost” strangers” in the River task, I actually found it enjoyable and feel that it can be adapted to use when bring our own students. After reading the poem as a group, I actually had to explain to the tourists about the poem and the significance of the Singapore River. Thus, students can both learn from what the tourists/ Singaporeans have to say and also learn when sharing knowledge on the poem/River.  The teacher can annotate poem with the class and talk about the themes and historical significance of the poem. Then in groups, students can craft questions to ask the tourist so that they will be more prepared and less apprehensive in approaching strangers. The teacher must also brief students on basic courtesy and politeness when talking to others as we do not want the students to offend any member of the public. This way, students will get many perspectives on river that may not be possible in the classroom (like the Complaining Singaporean Kheng May’s group spoke to).

Finally, the creative writing task was a great way to end the learning journey as it really made me think and reflect on all the issues and thoughts we’d shared the whole day. While writing poetry or builds creativity, it also allows students to express their own thoughts and opinions on some of the issues they’d dealt with in the day. I especially like the part where we got to share our poems with our classmates, almost as if we were poets in an exclusive literary circle. Such sharing, I feel, will give students pride in their own work and also the opportunity to appreciate each other’s poems. The visual-spatial learners can also upload pictures to form a class photo journal to document their learning.

Therefore, while I agree that there will definitely be a lot of work required to bring students on such a learning journey, I feel that it is an experience we must not deny them. I will definitely try to bring my students out if I have the opportunity to. 

Critical Reflection: Learning Journey

I often have my reservations of learning journeys.  Based on my past experiences, it appears that learning journeys are organized just for the sake of fulfilling an event in the school calendar. As a trainee teacher, I decided to observe what happens when students are left on their own for "independent learning" at an exhibition last year.

"Wee! Lets play catching! "

"Oh! you mean we need to fill up the worksheet? Let me copy your answers!"

"Aiya... the teachers are busy marking their scripts at the cafe...we won't get caught slacking at one corner."

"Eh eh eh... do you think the teacher will even go through the answers for the worksheet?"

"Not our school teacher... external vendor organize one... don't care"

The reality is that, teachers are often relegated to the role of an invisible ghost who would disappear the moment students are at their destinations. Very often, they are not even involved in the designing of the learning journey because the responsibility is handed over to external vendors. The irony is that teachers are the experts who can apply their pedagogical knowledge. On the other hand, profit oriented external vendors are likely to provide a general program that they provide for all customers, and this might not actually benefit the students. I believe that teachers can design a customized Learning Journey that can be truly beneficial to the students of their school. 

In this blog post, I would like to share on how learning journeys can be organized for English Literature lower secondary students. I will be drawing upon the experiences from the learning journey we just experienced.

1) Strategize on Locations

Firstly, it would be strategic that the various destinations are of close proximity from one another. This would be useful because it is ideal that students spend less time traveling from one place to another. In addition, in an event if students will be heading to the same area en masse, students can actually rotate between various destinations within the area. The rotation is crucial because not all destinations are designed for large crowds. This is important because some schools do designate learning journeys as a special day where the entire cohort goes to the same destination.

This implies that teachers must know their locations well. I am not suggesting that teachers undergo an intensive 'recce' of the location and memorize every nook and cranny. However, it would be useful that teachers utilize google maps to navigate their way. A more sustainable suggestion would be for teachers to choose a location that both students and teachers are familiar with. You might wonder, if students are  already familiar, what is the point of bringing them for a learning journey trip? The onus is hence, on the teacher to make old things new. This will be elaborated in my next point.

2) Make Lessons Truly Relevant

Next, the theme of "Nostalgia" is seems to a key feature of learning journey. However, the whole notion of nostalgia revolves around possessing poignant feelings that reminds you of the past. Personally, walking through a row of old preserved shop houses and reading poetry hardly evokes any nostalgic feelings in me. The sharing of personal photos with friends appears to be a poor effort to link one's personal nostalgia past to the wider realm of poetry and old Singapore.

Instead of bringing students on another 'heritage tour' of old shop houses, I would suggest using literature to allow them discover their own personal heritage. By personal heritage, I imply giving students the opportunity to explore their own unique, personal past, and how much they have changed over the years. 

One feasible way would be to organize a 'student-led' learning journey with a theme such as "my past, my neighborhood." Selected students can actually take the lead to become tour guides of places in the neighborhood that is significant to them. At the various locations, they can be given the opportunity to share their self-created creative writing pieces. Teachers may want to make use of the opportunity to introduce the works of poets with similar perspectives. 

Such a learning journey to me, is a smart and practical move. Firstly, there is less logistics required and there is no need to worry over issues such as transport and safety. Secondly, less time is spent on traveling. From a learner's perspective, Literature is transformed as a humanized subject that fully engages individuals on a personal level. This, in my biased opinion, makes literature unique and covering literature under the cloak of "National Education" just does not do the subject any justice. I am not against National Education (NE). But rather, I argue that Literature should become the important vehicle that provides the opportunity for NE to be interpreted through the student's perspectives. It is only then, that NE becomes truly meaningful. 

In conclusion, teachers often complain that learning journeys are troublesome to organize. It is true to a certain extent. However, I have briefly shared that schools need not simply conform to the trend of bringing students to places such as Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown and Kampung Glam. Perhaps, the best places are the very neighborhoods that the students live in themselves. This would be useful for neighborhood schools because the majority of the students do live in the same neighborhood. Teachers might also want to consider making learning journeys student led - let the students take ownership of their trip. It is only then, that students take responsibility for their own learning and not take learning journeys as another 'outing.'

Yati's Reflection 3 - Learning Journey

I enjoyed the Learning Journey immensely. I enjoyed the company - alas, it is our last few moments in NIE and this was a nice way to bring us together and have fun while doing meaningful tasks. I enjoyed the exploring and walking along unfamiliar lorongs and alleys within the city and also the various activities that were planned. My favourite moment has to be the discussion we had about 'Urban Jungle'. It was a rather simple activity but the emotions invested and thoughts that were shared from the reading  of the poem made it so much more enjoyable and insightful.
 
I have never been on a Literature Learning Journey and the experience has taught me how I can organize one for my students as well as the kind of activities I can plan for them. It was a clever way to read and appreciate the Singaporean poems. The whole experience of being able to read and be at the location mentioned in the poem brings depth to the understanding and appreciation of the poem.

During the Learning Journey I learnt various aspects about Singapore such as the proportion of reclaimed land in Singapore. I know that in figures it is a huge percentage but witnessing the layout of the exhibits and areas that are marked as reclaimed land really opened my eyes and help me visualize the extent of the land that Singapore has reclaimed. Also, the criterion for which buildings to conserve was a new discovery for me. I have seen and studied about conservation practices in Singapore for my Geography lessons and I have never come across this criteria. This together with the exhibit on the buildings that are conserved allowed me to think about the value of nostalgia and history in Singapore's landscape. Despite all the criteria, it appears as thought aesthetic value alone helps determine if a building is worthy to be conserved.

I think that the Learning Journey has managed to teach Literature in an interesting and extremely relevant way. I think that this Learning Journey is transferrable and can be used to teach other arts/humanities subject such as history, geography and social studies. Indeed, with a little change in the various activities, it can be adapted to suit different subjects. All that is required is to be able to fully decide the learning objectives and the issues that are important and that should be explored during the activities. Students are still able to learn something valuable about Singapore even if the Learning Journey needs to be shortened to fit with students' schedule. The teacher may decide to bring students to a few of the various locations in the Learning Journey so it is more manageable.

Also, the Learning Journey can be used to incorporate national education or citizenship education into Literature (since it is a requirement and the need to meet the needs of the 21st student competencies of being concerned citizens). It is different, fun and extremely practical and offers many opportunities for students to see how learning canexist beyond the classroom and also learn more (and also "sigh [with] cause" about their country.

Nisha's Reflection 3 - Learning Journey

What did you enjoy about it?

I liked the use of poems to get us to reflect on the specific places that we went to such as the Ang Siang Hill and the Singapore River. I think what makes this learning journey different from the history field trips that I have been too would be how feelings are evoked through the poems which has always been the reason why poems are very personal and a excellent form of expression for those who love them. I loved reading, reflecting and putting myself in the shoes of the personas and interpreting the meaning of the poems. I also like how all the places that we went to links back to our specific focus given to the learning journey which is to look at what we have gained and lost in the process modernization and development

What did you learn from it?

What I learnt can be summed up in the last stanza of the poem on the Singapore River which ends of by saying " We have become so health-conscious the heart can sometimes be troublesome". What I got out of the line is that we have become so fixed into being a clean and green city and sanitizing places such as the Singapore river that we have disregarded the sentimental values that our heart holds dear to which is why it becomes "troublesome". Thus although being "health- conscious" is good but at the expense of of the heart's attachments, emotions and feelings to the places it held meaning to not only erases the history of the place but the sentiments as well.

Thus I learned that

                              Sceneries,
                                             buildings,
                                                            activities(living heritage),
                                                                                                   places,
                             All of which are not the Same.
                            However looking back, We realize
                           that the yearning of the heart remains the Same.


What interdisciplinary possibilities are there?

When learning is taken out of the classroom students get to see how all the other subjects are interconnected and aids in the understanding of any place, Through this learning journey we can see how history is essential in understanding the present as we need to know the history of the place in order to reflect on how much of the place has changed today and what aspects remain the same. Thus the historical concept of change and continuity and historical evidence can be used to further learn about a place. Geography is also essential in learning about the landscaped and the urban and modern development of the places as can be seen through the URA exhibition and the other places that we went to as well. Science and technology also plays apart as can be seen from the high-tec used in showcasing Singapore's Urban development at the URA exhibition. Art is also useful in appreciating the design and structures of the places we went to and comparing it to the past. Literature comes in handy in appreciating, feeling and voicing out the sentiments through poems and writing. Thus we can see how all the subjects that we learn work together to develop and instill a deeper understanding and appreciation of the places we have been to.

How can you design and use learning journeys for effective learning in and out of classroom?  

We can design learning journeys effectively when there is a specific area or concept that the teacher wants to explore and to make sure that the chosen sites tie in to address the inquiry question for the learning journey. Also having a pre lesson to prepare students for the learning journey is essential in giving students the focus and to get them to think about what the learning journey is planning to achieve so that students have a clear objective and focus on the purpose of the leaning journey. Also learning journeys should be followed up with a post learning journey activity whereby students display what they learn through presentations or any other forms of assessments so as to check on their understanding and the success of the learning journey. Also fun scenarios and activities for the students  to explore and find out information at the chosen sites would aid in getting students interested in  inquiry based learning journeys whereby the students take ownership for their own learning.