Friday, October 31, 2008

AEM: Water Quality and Pollution for FMSS



My AEM on Water Quality and Pollution for Fairfield Methodist Secondary School is scheduled to run in Mar-Apr 2009.

It has indeed been hectic as teaching materials have to be developed, manpower and logistics have to be arranged and venues (incl. outdoor ones) have to be booked. There is still quite a bit more to be done and confirmed.

Nevertheless, it has been a fun experience especially the development of teaching materials. This module for secondary schools is quite different from our normal polytechnic modules since there is much room for experiential learning viz outdoor activities and indoor games. The pedagogy is quite different from the normal lecture, tutorial, practical arrangement. I am quite keen to find out how successful this kind of pedagogy will be.

In our fast paced and "efficient" society, outdoors learning has been forsaken for "mass production" methods in teaching - lectures and tutorials. Unfortunately, this produces a generation of youth with little connection to our natural heritage. It will indeed be difficult if they are tasked to protect the environment and Nature when they have no idea how the environment and Nature look like. In fact, they may even feel that we humans are disconnected from Nature, and thus see no need for its protection and conservation.

Some of us may even be surprised that Nature still exists in Singapore. Yes, it is still surviving but development, apathy and blatant disregard have always been threats to its existence. I hope that a hundred years from now, there is still natural greenery left in this tropical country.

Singapore Polytechnic's official webpage for my AEM: http://www.sp.edu.sg/SPweb/appmanager/home/default?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=SP_SSE_CS_AEM_WQP&_nfls=false


Figures: AEM students performing reflux in the lab




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