It has the world’s best schools, but Singapore wants better

The government wants pupils not just to ace exams, but also to be creative

Aug 30th 2018 | SINGAPORE

THE library at Woodgrove Primary School has been turned into a “MakerSpace”. After regular lessons end at around 2pm, pupils sign up for sessions like 3D design, stop-motion film-making and coding for robots. Instructors leave the children to it once they have explained how things work. The overall message is that it’s OK to fail, says a teacher. On a Thursday afternoon just after the summer break, one young boy stops to explain that these sessions make a nice change: if he wasn’t here, he would only be studying at home.

伍德格羅夫小學的圖書館已經(jīng)變成了一個“制造空間”,。下午2點左右，常規(guī)課程結束后,，學生們報名參加3D設計,、定格電影制作和機器人編程等課程,。老師給孩子們講明工作原理后，就會讓孩子們自己動手去做,。一位老師說,，給孩子的信息總的來說就是失敗了沒關系。在暑假結束后的一個周四下午,，一個小男孩停下來說道,，這些課程有一個不錯的改變:如果他不在這里，他就只能在家學習了,。

Singapore’s schools have long held a reputation for didactic teaching, rote learning and academic brilliance. Their pupils lead the rankings in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial test of 15-year-olds around the world, and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which measures ten- and 14-year-olds.

長期以來,，新加坡的學校一直以說教教學、死記硬背和唯成績至上而聞名,。他們的學生在經(jīng)合組織(OECD)的國際學生評估項目(PISA)中名列前茅,，國際學生評估項目是對全球15歲學生進行的三年一次的測試，并且在對10-14歲孩子測試的國際數(shù)學和科學研究的趨勢中也遙遙領先,。

But decades of economic growth have changed priorities. Andreas Schleicher of the OECD reckons Singaporean education is going through “a silent revolution almost entirely unnoticed in the West”. Politicians now hope to marry good exam results with the promotion of skills that will help pupils work in the city’s growing service sector, and even to lead contented lives. “It’s not just about teaching how to be smart, but how to be a better human being,” enthuses Heng Swee Keat, the country’s finance minister, who was in charge of education in 2011-15.

但幾十年的經(jīng)濟增長改變了事情的優(yōu)先排序,。經(jīng)濟合作與發(fā)展組織的Andreas Schleicher認為新加坡的教育正在經(jīng)歷一場“無聲的革命，在西方幾乎沒有人注意到”?，F(xiàn)在,，政客們希望將考試成績與技能提升結合起來，從而幫助學生在城市不斷增長的服務業(yè)工作,，甚至過上滿意的生活,。“這不僅關乎如何變得聰明,，還關乎如何成為一個更好的人,，”曾在2011年至2015年負責教育事務的新加坡財政部長亨斯威基特興奮地說。

Unlike most revolutions, this one is a gradual, long-term project. The most noticeable changes so far have been to reduce pressure on children taking exams. In 2012 the government abolished league tables for secondary schools, which it felt skewed teachers’ priorities. It also stopped publishing the names of top scorers and widened the criteria used for entry to the best secondary schools. From 2021 primary-school leavers will no longer receive a precise score, instead getting a broad grade.

與大多數(shù)革命不同,，這次革命是一個漸進的,、長期的工程。到目前為止最顯著的變化是減輕了孩子們考試的壓力,。2012年,，政府取消了中學排行榜，認為這扭曲了教師的工作重點,。它還停止公布優(yōu)等生的名單，并擴大了進入最好中學的標準,。從2021年開始,，小學畢業(yè)生將不再實行具體分數(shù)，而是給一個分數(shù)范圍,。

More significant changes lurk beneath the surface. The education ministry has published a fuzzy-sounding list of “21st Century Competencies” (including “self-awareness” and “responsible decision-making”) that it wants every pupil to acquire. Wong Siew Hoong, director-general of the ministry of education, says they inform almost everything his department does. Exam questions, for instance, have been reframed to be more open-ended, to encourage critical thinking as well as knowledge of a subject. Teacher appraisals measure not just academic performance but also the social development of pupils.

表面之下,，潛伏著更重要的變化,。教育部發(fā)布了一份聽起來很模糊的“21世紀技能”清單(包括“自我意識”和“負責任的決策”)，希望每個學生都能獲得這些能力,。教育部部長黃肖虹表示,，這份清單幾乎囊括了他所在部門的所有工作，例如,，考試題目已經(jīng)被重新定義為要更加開放,，以鼓勵批判性思維和學科知識。教師評價不僅要衡量學生的學習成績,，而且衡量學生的社會發(fā)展,。

Teaching methods are changing, too. All teachers get 100 hours of training a year. They learn new pedagogical techniques, which encourage group work and discussion between teacher and pupils. As Yan Song, a pupil at Deyi Secondary School who moved from China mid-way through his education, puts it, in Singapore they focus “on how you behave as a human being.” In China, in contrast, “you just study from day to night.”

教學方法也在改變。所有教師每年接受100小時的培訓,。他們學習新的教學技巧,，鼓勵老師和學生之間的小組合作和討論。正如半途從中國轉學過來的德宜中學的學生閻松所說,，在新加坡,，他們關注的是“作為一個人的行為方式”。相比之下,，在中國,，“你只是從早到晚學習?！?/span>

The final change has been to align the classroom with the workplace. By 2023 almost all schools will have “applied learning” programmes in subjects like computing, robotics and electronics, but also drama and sports. The emphasis in all of them is on practising in “real-world” environments; there are no exams. At Deyi Secondary School, broadcast journalism is used as a way to improve communication skills, for instance. The ministry of education has also hired 100 career-guidance officials. Many previously worked in industry. They keep tabs on labour shortages and work with schools to inform children about their options, often trying to push them beyond “iron rice bowl” careers like banking, the civil service and medicine.

最后的改變是讓教室與工作保持一致,。到2023年，幾乎所有的學校都將在計算機,、機器人和電子等學科上開設“應用學習”課程,，還有戲劇和體育。它們都強調在“現(xiàn)實世界”環(huán)境中實踐;沒有考試,。例如,，在德宜中學，廣播新聞被用來提高交流技巧,。教育部還聘請了100名職業(yè)指導官員,。許多人以前在工廠工作。他們密切關注勞動力短缺問題,，并與學校合作,，讓孩子們了解他們的選擇，往往試圖讓他們擺脫銀行,、公務員和醫(yī)藥等“鐵飯碗”職業(yè),。

Persuading parents that there is more to life than exam results and a job in a high-status industry is hard. The ministry of education works with parent-support groups and online influencers, organises seminars and is active on social media to get the message out. Tay Geok Lian, a career-guidance official, says some parents, particularly richer ones, are indeed beginning to look beyond the usual professions.

要說服家長相信生活中除了考試成績和找一份好工作外，還有其他的東西是很困難的,。教育部與家長支持團體和網(wǎng)絡大V合作,，組織研討會,，并在社交媒體上積極傳播這類信息。職業(yè)指導官員戴格麗安表示,，一些家長,，尤其是較富裕的家長，確實開始將目光投向一般職業(yè)之外,。

But some habits are hard to change. Many children receive after-school tutoring. Jacqueline Chua, who runs Paideia Learning Academy, a tutoring centre in a leafy part of town, says parents are no less keen on her services. “The system drives behaviour,” she explains. “Kids are stressed because their parents are stressed… And that’s because they understand what’s before them.” The primary-school leaving exam, taken at 11 or 12, is a critical pressure point. Pupils who excel end up in the best, most selective schools, and can expect a future of foreign study and top government jobs. Those who do badly go into vocational streams. The government has no plans to end selection.

但是有些習慣很難改變,。許多孩子接受課后輔導。蔡美兒經(jīng)營著Paideia學習學院,，這是一家位于城市繁華地區(qū)的輔導中心,，她說家長對她的輔導服務的熱情并未消減?！绑w系驅動行為,，”她解釋道?！昂⒆觽兏械綁毫κ且驗樗麄兊母改父械綁毫Α鞘且驗樗麄兠靼讛[在他們面前的是什么,。”小學畢業(yè)考試在11或12歲時舉行,，這是壓力的關鍵來源,。成績優(yōu)異的學生最終會進入最好的、最難進的學校,，并有望在國外學習和擔任政府要職,。那些表現(xiàn)不好的人進入職業(yè)培訓，政府沒有計劃結束這樣的挑選,。

The direction of travel is nonetheless clear. Officials say they see no reason why results should slip in the quest to foster more well-rounded pupils. Educationalists from around the world have long sought to replicate Singapore’s success. Many are in awe of the quality of teacher training, the tightly-focused lessons and the government’s long-term planning. With such strong fundamentals, the Singaporean system is in a good position to reform. As Mr Heng, the finance minister, notes, “If you want to connect the dots, you have to have the dots in the first place.”

盡管如此,，前進的方向是明確的。有關官員說,，他們認為在培養(yǎng)更全面的學生的同時,，沒有理由讓成績下滑。長期以來,，世界各地的教育學家都試圖復制新加坡的成功,。許多人對教師培訓的質量、集中授課的課程以及政府的長期規(guī)劃表示贊同,。有了這樣強勁的基礎,，新加坡體制改革處于有利地位。正如新加坡財政部長衡先生所指出的那樣:“如果你想把這些點串連起來,，你就必須把這些點放在首位,。”

英文部分選自《經(jīng)濟學人》雜志