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101: ubin - a classroom
for better living School is out! Outdoors that is... Pulau Ubin has quietly been an outdoor classroom for all aspects of life at all levels. School groups from kindergarten to tertiary level conduct all manner of projects at Ubin. These cover subjects from maths, ecology, sociology, history, geography to a better understanding of complex real-world situations. Creativity, realism and other elements that are difficult to teach in a classroom setting, comes more naturally in an outdoor classroom like Ubin. There are few other places in Singapore where our young people can come into direct contact with such a diverse range of environments and issues on one small place. Wild start for future leaders More importantly, Ubin has been a special place where our future leaders develop themselves through character-changing experiences in the outdoors. Strategic organisations such as Outward Bound Singapore and the National Police Cadet Corp (Ubin Camp) are located at Ubin precisely because the island uniquely provides the environment for development of leaders. Taken from the Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) website: the OBS Mission Statement is "to develop character, leadership skills and team spirit through direct and purposeful experience in the outdoors. For the Outward Bound method of education, wilderness is a must. Around the world, Outward Bound schools are situated in special, carefully chosen places with access to mountains, rivers and wide open spaces. In the wilderness, a person is taken out of his/her comfort zone and placed in an environment that frequently demands a change in thinking and behaviour. Life and everything else Organisations such as SDU conduct activities at Ubin precisely because it helps to bring Singaporeans in touch with each other. Other organisations conduct confidence-building activities that help disadvantaged people. Some families visit so parents can share with their children the kind of childhood they had, and expose them to experiences difficult to duplicate on the mainland. Here's more links to these activities... kindergarten K2 Graduation Camp on the Creative O Preschoolers' Bay website. Held in Aug 01, the camp aimed to strengthen the social skills in preparation for primary school. With full details on learning aspects, programme, methods, lesson summary and photos. primary school Conservation in Pulau Ubin website by a team of Pri 5 students from North View Primary School: covers conservation groups and their efforts, pulau ubin, a photo gallery a fun quiz, fun activities (poems, pictures for colouring, a leaf collage) and the project learning process which lists the many skills they developed and information they learnt doing the project. Camp at Pulau Ubin by Pri 5 students from Zheng Hua Primary School: photos and captions. My SPARKc experience, a journal entry by Goh Wei Zhong (Pri 5) from Fenshang Primary School on her outdoor camping experience which included a stint on Ubin. Using digital videos in the learning of Primary Mathematics (WinWord doc) a paper outlining how planning a trip to Pulau Ubin and the use of digital video helped primary school kids better understand the application of maths in real life. secondary school Overnight Round Island Fieldtrip by Sec 3 students from Coral Secondary School for a project which focused on population dynamics of the island which included interviewing Ubin residents Pulau Ubin in Cyberspace: conflict in transition by Sec 2 students from the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Gifted Education Department for a project which focused included conducting a survey. Full lesson plan on "Use of IT in Teaching of an Interdisciplinary Unit based on the Redevelopment of Pulau Ubin" by Phuan Siew Khoon, Anglo-Chinese School (PDF file) Ecology and Conservation Management for Sec 2 at the Chinese High School: a lesson plan which includes a field trip to Pulau Ubin. teenagers In Touch with Nature@Pulau Ubin on the T-Net Club website: Dec 03, a Beach Cleanup activity which encourages teens to leave modern mainland Singapore behind in their minds and immerse themselves in the heart of nature: photos with captions. polytechnic Pulau Ubin Beach Clean up on the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Mechanical Engineering Dept website: they did a beach cleanup activity in 2001 and 2004, photos with captions university Littorinid Snail Ecology on the Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education website: a study of the ecology of these snails at Pulau Ubin. Interesting photos and some details of the project. love and life experiences Camping at Pulau Ubin on Lovebytes a website of the SDU: a weekend outdoors, cooking simple meals and participating in interaction games. Feedback from a participant in the Children-At-Risk Enpowerment Association (CARE) programme about how her Ubin experience taught her about teamwork, sharing and caring. references to ubin as a natural classroom by senior government officials Speech by RADM Teo Chee Hean at the Forum on "Creativity in the Arts, Science and Technology", Nov 2001: "Inter-disciplinary learning develops critical thinking and life-long learning skills. One example is Bowen Secondary School's Project GEMS, which successfully integrated Geography, English, Maths and Science. Field trips to Pulau Ubin were conducted for pupils to give them the opportunity to creatively and innovatively apply their skills and knowledge of the different subjects in testing for the quality of water." full text of speech Speech by RADM Teo Chee Hean at the 43rd NPCC Day Parade Apr 02: "The NPCC also aims to develop leadership in our youth. The ability to think for oneself and others, the qualities of confidence and initiative, are crucial to our nation's success...With the completion of the new NPCC campsite on Pulau Ubin at the end of 2002, cadets will have even greater opportunities to participate in leadership, team-building and confidence-building activities in improved facilities for adventure training." full text of speech |