General Philosophy in Learning

Teaching Philosophy of Spectra

Here in Spectra, we have two key beliefs that guide our teaching and learning.

Every student wants to learn

Every student wants to learn though they may vary in reasons for learning and in levels of motivation. We believe that if the school can give students purpose and relevance in their learning, make them feel competent and give them meaningful choice and autonomy, all students will learn.

We seek to create purpose in learning by making knowledge relevant to students. Through curriculum integration, we allow students to see how the knowledge they are acquiring is relevant to their future workplace, as well as create an immediate usage for it whenever possible.

We want our students to experience small successes which will motivate them to keep trying till they feel competent in whatever they do. We believe that this sense of competency will spur them to achieve the next level in their work.

We want to give students real choices that shape their learning as well as give them the freedom to manage their own learning. By allowing students to apply their knowledge in the context of their choice, we believe that it creates a sense of ownership in them, increasing interest and motivation levels as a result.

Every student learns at a different pace

Our students come from diverse background and have different academic readiness to acquire the next level of knowledge. We do not expect nor think it is necessary to try and teach the same knowledge to the every student at any one time. Instead, we focus on allowing students to exercise self-help in the absence of their teacher using technology and at the same time ensuring that differentiated instruction is taking place.

We believe that making it possible for students to self-help is critical. The teacher’s attention is perhaps the most precious commodity in class and has to be shared according to the urgency of students’ needs. Alternatives to the teacher’s attention have to be made available so that every student can still move on with their learning to a large extent with minimal teacher attention. This helps reduce the amount of attention required in total and allows the teacher to give attention to those that need it the most.

We believe that the key to creating alternatives to the teacher’s attention lies in technology. In addition, technology also allows teachers to track the progress of every student, making it possible for them to intervene and implement differentiated instruction in class.

Joy of learning

When students are motivated to learn and allowed to learn at a pace suitable for them, they will enjoy learning and will develop a desire to learn more (intrinsic motivation). With this newfound motivation, we believe they will develop many of the desired outcomes of education such as curiosity, self-directedness and the desire for conceptual understanding. All these will prepare them for a world where the ability to learn and apply new knowledge will be critical.