week 3 assignemnt

Country: Singapore
1. Values given to education and IT:
“Education is about opening doors for our children, and giving them hope and opportunities. It is more than filling a vessel with knowledge - it is to light a fire in our young people.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 12 August 2004
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/edu_info_booklet/pdf/edu-booklet-english.pdf )
“An educated person is one responsible to himself, his family, and his friends.” /“An educated person is also someone who is responsible to his community and country.”
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/desired_outcomes.htm )
Under the Masterplans for IT in Education, schools are empowered to experiment, contextualise and integrate the use of IT to enhance school processes. IT planning helps to leverage on IT as a tool to enhance teaching and learning processes to meet the needs and abilities of pupils. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/edumall/tpm/doc/Technology_Planning_Guide.pdf )

2. Roles of teachers:
The role of the teacher is crucial in our efforts to develop an innovative and creative mindset in our young. As teachers, you hold the important responsibility of encouraging your pupils to be more innovative. As teachers, you must question accepted techniques, and see if there is a better way of achieving your objectives. As teachers you could also exercise initiative in customising the curriculum and method of instruction to fit the unique profile and learning styles of your pupils, so long as you work towards MOE's broad policy goals.
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/speeches/2001/sp29092001.htm )
The teachers are able to design and conduct engaging lessons and stimulating activities for their pupils.
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/parliamentary_replies/2007/pq20070124.htm#Pre-school%20Education )

3. Roles of students:
We want to nurture young Singaporeans who ask questions and look for answers, and who are willing to think in new ways, solve new problems and create new opportunities for the future. And, equally important, we want to help our young to build up a set of sound values so that they have the strength of character and resilience to deal with life’s inevitable setbacks without being unduly discouraged, and so that they have the willingness to work hard to achieve their dreams.
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/corporate/edu_info_booklet/pdf/edu-booklet-english.pdf )

4. Roles of language and language learning:
There should be a balance between EL and MTL. Our fundamental premise as we go forward is that we need varied approaches to implementing bilingualism. We must look, first and foremost, at the needs of our students, assess what it is that would benefit them, and give them choices.
We have to keep our EL capability because it is, together with our MTLs, a source of real advantage to us as a global city in Asia. We have to keep nurturing enough Singaporeans in each generation with a flair for the language, and give the majority of students a good, working competence in the English language.
( http://www.moe.gov.sg/speeches/2004/sp20041126.htm )

By Dong Hongliang, Han Wei, Yang Xiaobin