Key Programmes
Key Programmes
Chinese Language
Voice of a Fairsian Mother Tongue Programme
- With the new Video Conversation Oral examination format being implemented from 2016 and to align to our aim of developing Fairsian’s Personal Voice, our department has designed task-based assignments to scaffold students’ learning. Through this oracy programme, we hope to give students greater confidence in speaking in Mandarin, developing them to be an effective communicator in their daily interactions.
Secondary 1 Project
- “The Unsung Hero” oracy project is closely linked to the Fairsian outcome of Personhood. Secondary one students are required to present a short video about a person around them who works hard and dedicates to their job. The project aims to develop the students’ oracy skills in storytelling and expressing their views. Students would also learn to appreciate the people in their lives who are usually not recognised for their contributions.
Secondary 2 Project
- Fairsians will be assigned the task to film a 3-minute video based on the theme “Dear 30-Year-Old Me”. They are required to act as their 30-year-old self and share advice they would give to their 14-year-old self, including how to be happy, living life to the fullest and never taking up bad habits. Through the planning process, students are able to apply their different orders of thinking and sharpen their communication skills. Students would also gain a deeper understanding of themselves and discover their dreams.
Secondary 3 Project
- Fairsians are to create an informative and entertaining News or Talk Show video based on local social issues and topics. In this process, they develop their research, inquiry, interviews, news reporting and video editing skills. Besides raising their awareness of social issues in a local context, students are also given a chance to present their opinion with regards to the social topics. This is based on the department theme of “Controversies in Life” and also aligned to the Fairsian Outcome of Personhood. Students also gain firsthand experience in journalism which often translates into better writing on current affairs.
Language and Cultural Immersion Programme (Internationalisation Trip)
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Secondary 3 Fairsians embark on a week of overseas experiential learning. For the past few years, students have visited schools in China and Taiwan, also playing host to their Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts when they visit Singapore.
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The trip aims to enrich Fairsians’ global and cultural awareness, and at the same time sharpen their command of the Chinese language through interaction with the locals. Fairsians immerse themselves in Chinese culture not only through classroom experiences, but also through close interaction with the buddies that they are paired up with for the programme, thus fostering international friendships and broadening the students’ global perspectives.
Mother Tongue Fortnight Activities
- During the yearly Multi-Ethnic Celebration, a wide range of activities such as fan painting, clay sculpting, traditional food appreciation and wayang kulit making are organised for the students to gain a deeper understanding of their Mother Tongue culture. Activities are also lined up during the school term for different levels to ignite their joy of learning Mother Tongue and enhance their Mother Tongue language learning experience.
√ Secondary One- Chinese Paper Cutting
√ Secondary Two- Learning Journey at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
√ Secondary Three- Chinese Pop Songs Appreciation & Lunchtime Busking B
√ Secondary Four- Language Quiz
√ Secondary One to Five - Malay Language Cultural Trail
√ Secondary Three and Four Higher Chinese- Learning Journey at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Malay Language
Promoting Connect, Nurture and Inspire Framework in T & L
- Building positive relationships with students is the foundation for Connect, Nurture and Inspire. Activities are challenged to inspire students to learn Malay Language beyond the classroom and examination. Setting rules, respect and routines are done to lay the foundation of teaching and learning. Thinking routine, peer evaluation and Thinking Culture are applied to strengthen collaborative learning among students. Research, Real-world task, Student Initiated learning project and Experiential Learning as well as Inquiry-Based Learning are exploited to highlight students’ strength and abilities. The application of the framework is to inculcate a sense of ownership and self-directed learning.
Real World Task and Experiential Learning
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Students are constantly challenged to explore beyond the textbooks through self-directed or collaborative class research. This allows students to direct their focus in the given topic towards their interest. Students were guided through their research with Inquiry-Based Learning to create questions to concepts unknown to them and working towards finding answers to their questions.
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The Lower Secondary students explore the concept of adab (mannerism) in the Malay culture by the appropriate use of pronouns in different contexts and differing persons. Students also explore the change in food trend that involves traditional food being fused with Western food which ends with a mini debate on the notion that traditional food should be transformed to continue being in relevance.
E- Pedagogy
- The Upper Secondary students use Digital Affordances to increase student to student collaboration. These approaches make students’ thinking visible and allow for collaborative learning through peer feedback. Students use digital affordances to create questions for their peers, which become their learning resources. They provide feedback to one another, thereby refining their own understanding. In the process, students also learn about good netiquette as well as self-directed learning is inculcated amongst students.
Oracy Project for Basic Malay Language
- The Oracy Project aims to promote self-directed learning through research and build confidence in presenting ideas. Students are exposed to various topics which includes traditional wear, iconic places in Singapore as well as preparation of food. Students present their ideas through different platforms such as audio recording, video recording as well as including audio recording in Keynote slides.
Assessment for Learning (AfL) in Narrative Writing for Lower Secondary
- Application of AfL strategies are applied to value-add Lower Subject-Based Banding for Normal (Technical) students in narrative writing. The purpose of the task is to provide feedback to both teachers and learners regarding the learner’s progress towards achieving the learning objectives. This feedback is used to revise and develop further learning instructions for students. Students do self and peer evaluation using a checklist, storyboarding and gallery walk to enhance their learning through a student-directed approach.
Differentiated Instruction in Expository Writing for Upper Secondary
- Differentiated Instruction routines and approaches are adopted in the Secondary Three lessons. Differentiated Instructions that match students’ developmental level and skills in learning process enable the students to write a quality expository writing based on the SEAB marking scheme. By differentiating the learning process, it allows the students with varied abilities to work at their own pace, to take their learning more in-depth by analysing, evaluating or synthesising information. The information is then used to solve a real world application problem.