Teacher makes innovative use of toy bricks for home-based learning

A Singapore teacher has been praised for rising to the challenge of teaching from home following the temporary closure of schools under circuit breaker measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The teacher’s rather innovative method was highlighted by Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung on Facebook on Tuesday (April 14). He said that he had been getting more and more reports of teachers innovating as they got the hang of instructing pupils using online methods.

“It may not be ideal to teach from home, but teachers are rising to the challenge,” he wrote. “Everyday, I am hearing more stories of teachers coming up with new ways to teach remotely, collaborating with each other, and overcoming their unfamiliarity with IT tools.”

As teaching virtual classes is starkly different from teaching students face-to-face, the effort of the education workforce to adapt to a sudden change in work environment has been commendable.

Mr Ong cited the joint effort among teachers, parents and students to adjust to something so new to them. “Students and parents too are making a tremendous effort to adjust and making the best out of HBL (Home-Based Learning).”

In an effort to add helpful tips to the cause, Mr Ong said he would continue sharing information that would be of use. “In the coming weeks I will try to share these stories, good practices and useful tips,” he wrote.

His feature for the day was a primary school teacher who found a creative way to address a challenge to teaching her students online. “Today, I will feature teacher Low Xiaoxuan of Casuarina Primary School,” said Mr Ong. “She wanted to teach with the textbook, but found it impossible to hold her camera phone and teach at the same time. Her solution is this DIY overhead phone stand made of toy bricks.”

Mr Ong attached photos of a makeshift phone camera-holder made of children’s blocks. The photos showed that the phone camera successfully captured a textbook which Ms Low could point at given that the creatively constructed recording device was hands-free.