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Humanities, English and the Arts Programme |
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Rationale |
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In today’s dynamic and fast-changing world, students need to learn how to engage in issues and process information that are presented in a manner that is less structured, not subject-specific and more open-ended and wide-ranging. Students need to learn to work together on tasks that require a repertoire of skills to apply what they have learned to complete a project in a group. Since 2005, Boon Lay Secondary School has developed a school-based curriculum adopting an integrated-approach to learning. This innovative programme called HEArts links subjects like English, History, Geography, Literature, Art and Music through themes.
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Aims |
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Pupils should be given a learning experience which aims to provide them with the opportunity to synthesise knowledge from various areas of learning, and critically and creatively apply it to real life situations. This process enhances students' knowledge and enables them to acquire skills like collaboration, communication and independent learning, and prepares them for lifelong learning and the challenges ahead. |
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Objectives |
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1. Provide pupils with opportunities to explore the relationships and interconnectedness of subject specific knowledge and to
apply this to present everyday life.
2. Encourage pupils to break away from compartmentalising the different disciplines
3. Enable pupils to apply creative and critical thinking skills
4. Improve oral and written communication skills
5. Foster collaborative learning skills
6. Develop self directed inquiry and lifelong learning skills |
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Teaching & Learning |
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The curriculum will incorporate educational initiatives by the Ministry of Education such as the teaching of thinking skills, project work and national education. HEArts will offer pupils different opportunities of learning through different strategies incorporating multiple intelligences and habits of mind. These opportunities include group work, IT, research, hands-on experience, reflection and independent learning. The emphasis of pedagogy will be on teaching less and learning more. There will also be opportunities for pupils to go on local and overseas fieldtrips as part of their learning experience, to integrate what they have learned in theory and to see it in reality. |
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Curriculum Framework |
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HEArts will be organized in themes so that the content and skills for the different subjects could still be covered without compromise to the learning objectives of each subject. |
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Assessment |
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Although there will still be the pen and paper tests, there will be more emphasis on alternative forms of assessment including formative assessment. Pupils will be assessed in a variety of ways ranging from portfolios, oral presentations, project work, creative graphic displays as well as other IT-based media. In place of the traditional mid year exams for these subjects, pupils will have to complete a project based on the themes they have learned in the first semester. Feedback will be provided regularly and this includes both qualitative as well as quantitative forms. |
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