3 ways that your child may be shortchanged (and what you can do about it)
As a student, I didn’t like school. Learning was never fun for me and I just went through the motions because I knew that’s what my parents wanted me to do. However, I was blessed enough to score well enough for the PSLE to attend the top secondary girls’ school in Singapore. Most of my teachers […]
5 Ways the IB Trumps the O’ and A’ Levels
Dear Parents, I’m sure that some of you have considered enrolling your children in an IB (International Baccalaureate) school or at least wanted to find out more about the IB programme. Having taught in both systems, (the A’ Levels and the IB Diploma Programme), I would like to offer my humble perspective. The O’ and […]
Noun, Verb or Adjective?
Breathe vs breath At Artistic Strategies Academy (ASA), students learn to dissect and discuss the English language – from its rules, regulations and even, its weirdness! This week, we will be diving into distinguishing between a noun, verb and an adjective. What exactly is the difference? Well, when we take a breath of fresh air, […]
How to score in PSLE composition writing and beyond…
Our founder, Claudine Fernandez shares tips from PSLE markers below on how to ace the Continuous Writing Section of English Paper 1 coming up in end-September. Vary your use of vocabulary and sentence structure. Show, not tell. There is no need for overly complex vocabulary; what is more important is to use the appropriate word […]
The Importance of Visual Storytelling
The Importance of Visual Storytelling What exactly is visual storytelling? Technically, it is the incorporation of visuals (pictures, photographs, paintings, images) in a story. We’d like to think of it more as a marriage of words and visuals when telling a story. What makes visual storytelling so impactful? Here are three reasons: 1. Increase understanding […]
3 ways to deliver good feedback
3 Ways to Deliver Good Feedback Dear Parents and Educators, When we are giving feedback to our children about their written work, it is important that we carefully word our feedback so as to boost children’s confidence, but also to guide them in addressing their areas of improvement. Feedback has to be balanced and objective. […]
Success Stories of our Students, K and K
Two sisters ? ? were enrolled in our weekly classes in January 2018. We shall call them elder K (who is 9 years’ old) and younger K (who is 7 years’ old). When they first started attending our classes, they were both struggling with the English language. Elder K had already been diagnosed with dyslexia […]
Important tips on reading
Elaine Chiew is an author, researcher, educator and an arts and culture reviewer. She has written a number of short stories, several of which have won international writing awards. She also edited the anthology Cooked Up: Food Fiction From Around the World. Elaine is no stranger to Artistic Strategies Academy. She has mentored several batches of […]
Your Child May Just Be a Startup Founder
Recently, we came across a number of interesting infographics showing how startups were formed and how they developed into full-fledged companies. Here are two of them: Source: Best Friend Bible Source: Best Friend Bible In today’s world where the start-up culture is rife and continues to grow, how do we prepare our children adequately to […]
Developing an Innovator’s Mindset in our Children
Many of us are familiar with the Growth Mindset, discovered by Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology. Such a mindset is encouraged in both children and adults because it is the belief that the “most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work”. (Growth Mindset Definition). Yet, George Couros, an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and […]
Writing Can (and Should be) Planned
There’s a famous saying that goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” While this paints the worst case scenario, planning before writing can certainly improve the quality of the writing and also make the process easier. Here’s why planning should be done : 1) The beginning is almost always the hardest and […]
Common Mistakes in Writing
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Common Mistakes in Writing Based on our observations, many students (both upper primary and lower primary students) make these mistakes unknowingly and it is hard to reverse these mistakes when they become bad habits. However, with the right intervention, it is possible. Here are some common errors to look out for in your […]