Home-based learning to be part of secondary, JC curriculum

Students to do this at least two days a month, starting from the third term of next year

Home-based learning for students is set to become part of the new normal, pandemic or not. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

All secondary and junior college students will undertake home-based learning (HBL) at least two days a month, starting from the third term of next year, with the practice set to become part of the new normal, pandemic or not.

By the fourth term of 2022, it would have been implemented at every level of all JCs and secondary schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday.

To push the initiative along, every secondary school student is set to receive a personal learning device (PLD) by the end of next year.

A more calibrated approach will be taken with primary school pupils, starting with a small-scale pilot involving five primary schools, to better understand how the use of learning devices might impact younger students.

Minister for Education Lawrence Wong, who made these announcements at the annual appointment and appreciation ceremony for principals yesterday, said the move to full HBL during the circuit breaker period had reinforced the need to develop students to be adaptable and nimble, and to be more self-directed and independent learners.

Teachers saw the benefits of HBL in instilling these attitudes and mindsets when their students took the initiative to organise themselves into teams and delegated tasks to one another to complete group-based assignments.

"The question now is how we can lock in these gains and mainstream these new practices," said Mr Wong.

The answer, he added, lay in regularly scheduled HBL days with time for some curriculum learning. But these would be less structured and also let students learn outside of the curriculum.

Anticipating concerns over the affordability of PLDs, which will take the form of a tablet or a laptop, Mr Wong said students can use their Edusave accounts to pay for them.

With the one-off $200 Edusave top-up in April, along with the regular annual Edusave contributions, most students will have enough money in their Edusave accounts to pay for the PLDs, said MOE.

Students from lower-income households will also receive more subsidies so that they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses when buying their devices.

While the HBL days will be mandatory and part of the new curriculum, Mr Wong said students who need to return to school during HBL days for a variety of reasons will be allowed to do so, in consultation with their schools and teachers.

These include students who require more supervision, those with special needs and those who lack a conducive home environment.

Mr Wong also addressed concerns over students misusing the devices.

A device management software will be installed on each device, which will allow teachers to control how it is being used, as well as track how students use the device. MOE will also be ramping up cyber-wellness education.

Students whom The Straits Times spoke to welcomed the move, with many citing more rest and family time as elements of HBL that helped reduce their stress.

Secondary 1 student Veron Chia, 13, was initially concerned about being able to focus at home.

However, the Bedok South Secondary student said HBL helped her identify her weaknesses and taught her to ask for help, instead of waiting for her teachers to notice she was having problems.

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"While I missed my friends and doing things like group projects, HBL made me do things like plan my own schedule and manage my own work," she added.

Mr Wong also emphasised the role that principals play in the evolution of the education system.

He was speaking to retiring, rotating and newly appointed principals and senior educators. He thanked 30 retiring senior educators, commending their leadership through several public health crises.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 30, 2020, with the headline Home-based learning to be part of secondary, JC curriculum. Subscribe