22 August -NUS High School, Singapore

With Shirley and Vicky, NUS High School

At NUS High School-Singapore

Raffles

Dallas and Leigh enjoying drinks at Raffles-before we knew what they cost!

Raffles

NUS High School- Students just disconnecting laptop they had been working on.

NUS High School

DNA Patterns on ceiling

Science laboratory

Common to see teachers working with small groups of students around the school

Library

Library

Library

Student's own recreation area-similar to common room space. Only place in the school they are allowed to play cards.


Green space, but also for science experiments

Canteen

NUS High School

Canteen

Computer study area-library

Library

With NUS High School Research Director and Acting Deputy Principal

NUS High School Pii Shield

Student accommodation

NUS High School

Observatory-NUS High school

22 August (NUS High School-National University of Singapore High School).

We were met at the school at 9.00am by GOH Hock Leong (Director of Research, Innovation and Enterprise) and acting Deputy Principal (nhsghl@nus.edu.sg) and Dr SEAH Wee Khee (Vicky) –Head of Research, Innovation and Enterprise.(nhsswk@nus.edu.sg) The Acting Principal, Suresh Balakrishnan also popped in to welcome us.

NUS High School was established as part of a government initiative to promote science and mathematics for top academic students in the country. Students are carefully selected from school results, achievement in competitions, interviews and portfolios. The college is directly linked to the NUS University which has a campus adjacent to the school with the college’s Board of Directors being mainly made up of university appointees.

Ths students attend the college for five years and complete a NUS Diploma which has received acknowledgement from the major universities in Singapore, the UK and the USA. Their motto is “Experiment, Explore, Excel”. The Mission is to have students who are :”Pioneers, Achievers, Thinkers, Humanitarians, Talking the PATH Less Travelled”.

The curriculum is flexible in that it will allow students to skip programmes if they are excelling and continue on to research programmes and to attend the university in years 4 and 5. They actively recruit top teachers from university, private providers and other colleges. The average teaching experience is 6 years, the average age of their teachers, 32.

While the main focus is on Mathematics and Science, they also encourage the Humanities, Arts and Sport to develop a well rounded student. All students will travel overseas with the school while they are at NUS. In the 5th year, all students must board at the school, to allow for greater interaction between students and teachers.

Curriculum features include a modular system that is flexible, has a research focus at all levels, is relationship centred and encourages risk taking.

The school was completed in 2007, and reflects a flexible space design with many areas for students to study, meet with their teachers and work together. The whole school is wireless for easy computer access and there are computer power points all over the place for students to plug in their laptops, even along the large covered platforms on each level of the building. The library is mainly computer orientated and all students have access to the NUS Library and resources.

The college has an area that is for the students to use for themselves, eg hands painted on the wall, only place students are allowed to play cards, posters re student activities etc. Bit like a senior common room, yet not enclosed, but more an open forum area that is covered with tables and chairs. Not a bad concept, especially for NZ schools when it is difficult to provide a large enough space for year 13 students.

After a very interesting discussion and introduction to the school, we were given a tour around the college. We were taken to the top of the student accommodation centre to look at the school’s high tech observatory and through classrooms, library and science rooms.

Probably what was of most interest was the design of the school, especially the many different types of gathering places around the school for students Having a select group of students puts this school outside the scope of NZ secondary schools. Moving away from an examination system to being recognized for their own Diploma is interesting, but then when one takes into account the careful selection of the best students from the country does not make it surprising that it has received recognition by leading Singapore, English and American universities. Its differentiated learning programme is also of interest, and the fact that students can work at their own pace (a pace well in advance of the average student!).

This afternoon we spent a bit of time meandering around Sun Tec, a large shopping mall and then met up with Maurie and Leigh at the Long Room in Raffles Hotel. While we expected the prices to be a bit higher than usual, we were somewhat shocked to find that the beers cost $17 each, the gin slings $22, and a total bill for $180 odd dollars. Most expensive pee that I have had for some time! Don’t go there to drink.