THE three teachers would each come to class with various tools – be it mind mapping, videos and debates. They wanted to inspire students and develop a love for the English language.
On Oct 14, Madam Shagun, Ms Yogeswari Elangovan and Ms Ilavarasi Sekaran were rewarded for their efforts. They were among 10 primary, secondary and junior college teachers who received Inspiring Teacher of English Awards in a ceremony held at the National Museum of Singapore.
The awards, which began in 2008, were given to outstanding teachers of the English language, English literature and the General Paper this year. They are presented jointly by the Speak Good English Movement and The Straits Times, and are supported by the Ministry of Education.
The teachers each received a trophy, certificate and $2,000 from the guest of honour, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Madam Shagun, 43, who has been teaching for the past five years at Mayflower Secondary, believes in using mind mapping in her classes as it is fun and gives the students a chance to doodle while thinking and sorting their thoughts. Her students were able to then develop ideas and opinions while enlarging their vocabulary.
She also uses the newspaper to teach English. She said: Every week a student was selected from my class who had to pick a news article of his or her choice and had to frame two questions related to it. The condition was it had to be thought-provoking so that the other students would have to think out of the box for the answer. The students had to write the answer in their journal. I would then read each answer and comment.
Ms Yogeswari, 29, who teaches English to Secondary 3 students at Tanjong Katong Girls School, uses another approach called videotelling in which the audio of a film is played to students, who are later asked to imagine what the characters look like or predict the events that follow.
She said: Students are not allowed to be passive viewers but are required to actively create and recreate the storyline along with the teacher. Such activities can then be extended into a speaking, writing or reading activity.
Ms Ilavarasi, 29, who is the English language subject head at Cantonment Primary, believes that children learn best when they are having fun so she enjoys using debates to provide students with opportunities to speak and present their arguments, and to train them to be eloquent speakers.
I remember a student of mine who was very quiet and shy in class. To help build his confidence, I created many opportunities for him to present his ideas to the class and take on the role of a leader during group discussions, so he could voice his opinions and thoughts during discussions. It was amazing to see his transformation into a more confident learner and an effective communicator.
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