CRPP - Conference Papers

The aim of this research is to study the different methods used by mature adults, age 50 and above in Singapore, to learn informal singing with Karaoke in the Chinese community. Through interviews and observations of the participants, the researcher studied the methods employed by the participants in learning to sing Mandarin Karaoke songs. Knowing when, where, what and how the participants learn and practise the songs provided necessary direction in understanding the processes of informal music making. Also important to know are the motivations of the participants and their concerns when learning Karaoke singing. The observations indicated that the methods employed to learn music are a function of the motivation for joining the class. In addition, karaoke and recording devices are indispensable learning tools in the participants’ learning of songs which are built on various forms of aural and oral repetition. Music educators can draw on the findings to develop informal music making programmes outside the classroom. The results indicate that Karaoke singing has the potential to attract and nurture a community of lifelong music learners.

As mathematical modelling is gaining prominence in the field of mathematics education, there is little to inform what it is like in the Singapore primary mathematics classroom due to the lack of research on mathematical modelling carried out locally. Without this knowledge of what it looks like or entail, mathematics classroom pedagogies tend to border on the traditional. This paper is part of a larger study investigating Primary 6 pupils' mathematical modelling process where mathematical modelling takes on a problem-solving perspective. This paper focuses on a group of four pupils’ mathematical modelling endeavour towards capturing their conceptual representations and the related mathematical translations which are seen as models. A protocol analysis method was used to code pupils' problem-solving behaviours for interpreting their modelling actions. A macro-level analysis of the pupils' modelling endeavour was carried out to construct and trace the pupils’ model development with respect to their conceptual representations and mathematical translations. The results suggest that the pupils underwent different modelling stages that were characteristic of certain modelling actions and developed a range of models. The pupils were found to develop alternative models, and they tested and revised their models towards better or newer models with the aim of attaining the best solution model. The mathematical translations for model development were based on recognizing the structure between the quantities and variables in relation to the context. Having pupils to engage in mathematical modelling is a promising platform towards realizing the important components of the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum Framework.

Whenever Bloom’s Taxonomy is taught in pre-service teacher training courses, trainee teachers are introduced to a comprehensive spread of learning objectives. They are encouraged to deliver these objectives to their future students. If we, as experienced teachers, are to pause and think about how much time and effort we have put into meeting these objectives in our teaching career, it will come as no surprise that objectives in the affective domain are often overlooked or considered poor, distant cousins of those in the cognitive and psychomotor domains. Although the focus now is still on academic excellence, voices supporting a more balanced approach to educating our future generations are growing louder. It is time to seriously think about lifting the profile of the affective domain. This paper introduces a research-practice initiative on infusing affective education in Singapore science classrooms. It proposes to work on translating recommendations from research and practices in affective education into science lessons in both primary and secondary schools while keeping the focus on the cognitive and psychomotor objectives intact. This three-year long initiative aims (1) to produce curricular materials and engaged learning pedagogy for developing positive learning attitudes, values and skills (including soft skills) among students while meeting learning objectives in the cognitive and psychomotor domains; and, (2) to explore the impact of affective education in preparing students for a career in science and technology. The approach is to co-ordinate and document short term classroom-based research projects and practice experiences by teachers in schools (hence the term “Projects” in the title). Findings and recommendations from these projects could then be used to build a case for a more structured programme to develop science students into competent Science and Technology professionals who are also compassionate, responsible and resilient citizens of the world.

“I do, I understand” is a quote used to support the “hands-on” approach to teaching science. However, learners do not always “understand” the science ideas the same way as scientist do just by doing science. Both hands-on activities and minds-on approaches are essential for student-centred learning. Numerous studies have highlighted the insidious effect of teachers’ and students’ alternative conceptions in science. Teachers’ alternative conceptions are commonly seen in the science test papers that teachers’ construct and the terms & analogies used during science lessons. These teachers are actually “victims” having been exposed to such faulty ideas themselves when they were students. The conceptual change approach shines a light to one way of breaking this vicious cycle of misconceptions. This is a qualitative case study, conducted with primary science pre-service teachers, addressing common misconceptions cited in previous literature on topics related to energy. There are many topics in the 2008, Singapore primary science syllabus, that are related to energy. This paper has 2 purposes: (1) To highlight the common alternative conceptions of student teachers in primary science on topics related to energy (2) To devise a strategy to develop pre-service teachers “critical eye” in detecting misconceptions in both their students and lessons. This study highlights how the conceptual change approach can enrich both the student teachers’ subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

This paper utilises the ‘knight’s move’ in chess as an analogy for broadening our repertoire of research epistemologies, methodologies and relationships. It explores the imperatives for moving on from a simple reliance on ‘straight line’ thinking in educational inquiry and pedagogical practice in order to utilize and enhance our epistemological agility and thereby mobilize a more nuanced ‘second generation’ of educational research. It is argued that the strategic deployment of ‘knight’s move’ methodologies is more in keeping with contemporary forms of cultural production but will better serve inquiry into the very complex problems that need successful resolution in this century, and the sorts of relationships we will need to develop with other non‐traditional players.