Weekly Updates
Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update
Growth Mindset
For some time now the Eagles have been finding work time challenging and complaining about work being difficult. This week, we explored 5 video chapters on growth mindset.
In Chapter 1, we talk about the brain being like a muscle. We grow the brain by exercising it.
Chapter 2 discussed the magic of mistakes. We learnt that mistakes happen and how we respond to them is important. The question is whether to give up or keep trying.
Chapter 3 explored the power of ‘yet’. We recognized that no one know everything and there is a lot more for us to learn out there.
Neurons were the main topic in Chapter 4. We saw that our brains are made up of tiny neurons and whenever we learn something new, these neurons make connections. To keep these neurons fit and healthy, we have to keep challenging ourselves.
Chapter 5 is where we learned to love challenges, reflect on mistakes, learn from them and try again. We also realised that we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.
The Eagles related to the videos and shared how they felt about each topic. They realised that challenging work was necessary to exercise their brains to make it stronger.
Keep on keeping on, Eagles!
Myra’s Birthday Celebration
Happy 5th birthday Myra! Keep that sweet smile and amazing spirit going strong forever!
Elementary Studio (ES) Update
Writer’s Workshop
The next step of the research paper writing process – researching. The week’s focus was on how to use the parts of a book and how to use Google. The ES Eagles learnt about a book’s copyright page, how to use a table of contents, how to use keywords for searching on Google and how to use exact search, among other research skills.
It was a learning experience for most of the ES Eagles and some found it more challenging than others. They learnt to be very precise when typing in search words: ” ‘a’ and ‘the’ matter so much. I’m getting different results every time.” They also picked up fun tricks on Google: “Look at my screen doing a barrel roll!”
SMART and Balanced Goals
The ES Eagles spent some time realigning themselves with the SMART Goal setting process when setting their Core Skills goals. They asked themselves if their goals were:
Specific – are the goals too vague? Are they detailed enough that you know what you need to do?
Measurable – can you put some sort of number on your goals to track your progress more accurately?
Attainable – are your goals too ambitious so that you can’t realistically complete them in the set amount of time?
Relevant – are your goals applicable to your growth in a particular area?
Timely – have you set a due date so that you will stay on track more effectively?
The Eagles initially struggled with hitting all these targets, but, as they practised, they began to internalise them into habits. Most of the Eagles saw that they had doubled their Core Skill results in their Journey Trackers, and they felt proud that they made that happen with good planning: “I CAN set balanced SMART Goals!” Some were literally amazed: “I never knew that I could achieve so much!”
Quest – Crime
Chelsea and Sufyan led the quest in Week 3 … and it was all about crime! They set up a crime to solve and showed their fellow Eagles how to use detective skills to solve it.
The Eagles really enjoyed the challenge of searching for clues in the crime scene. They had to determine what was, in fact, related to the crime. “Is this a clue? Is that a clue?”
Suspicions ran wild as they tried to piece the clues together to discover what really happened. “Wait … I think I figured it out!” At the end of the investigation, they applied their interrogation skills to examine the suspects – Mr. Dog and Mr. Cat – to reveal … the murderer!
Fun Friday – Popcorn and a Movie
The Eagles who qualified for Fun Friday by completing their Fun Friday requirements were treated to popcorn and a movie. Throughout the week, motivation was kept high by the Eagles’ excited discussions about which movie would be screened and, come Friday, the excitement peaked when the popcorn was popped and the movie started playing. The qualified Eagles hoped that their fellow Eagles who didn’t quite hit their targets will do so next week so that they can all enjoy the fun together.
Middle Studio (MS) Update
Hero Sharing with Dr. Adrian Ng
Every Sprint, the MS Studio will receive a visit from a Hero who will share his or her life journey with the Eagles. For Sprint 2, Medical Biology, we received a visit from Dr. Adrian Ng who is a practicing doctor in New Zealand, back on holiday. A packed 30 minute sharing ended with a Q&A session, but there still wasn’t enough time for the whole of Dr. Ong’s Medical Hero’s Journey and all of the interested Eagles’ questions. The MS Eagles were so engaged that they negotiated to extend the Q&A session so that they could cover all of the challenging questions that they had prepared the day before.
Some of the questions asked were: “How much are you paid?”, “Have patients ever refused treatment?”, and, a very difficult one: “How many patients die in your hospital?”
Dr. Adrian is such a cheerful person who delighted in sharing his journey while he was a doctor-in-training. He patiently detailed what he had to do to get to where he is and what he would like to do in the next 10 years.
Occam’s Razor – Sharpening Diagnosis Skills
Being a doctor-in-training is never easy. There are so many disease names to remember, their telltale symptoms, the tests required to confirm diagnoses … the list is endless!
With Occam’s Razor simplifying the process of diagnosing diseases among 14 illnesses (with overlapping symptoms and tests), it becomes fun! The MS Eagles felt almost like detectives solving a case.
While the ‘Spoons’ version of Occam’s Razor has become the studio favourite, the MS Eagles are also starting to challenge themselves with the ‘Diagnosing Disease’ version of the game (played like Cluedo). In this version, everyone has a chance to use the process of elimination to diagnose the illness on the Illness Card that the host is holding. The doctors-in-training sharpened their diagnoses skills and progressed from random guesses to educated deductions.
The Eagles’ questions included: “Do you have a murmur?”, “If you have a fever, are you fatigued as well?” and deductions became more and more specific: “It is definitely heart-related, so I am guessing Bacterial Endocarditis.”, “I know this one – is it C. difficle Colitis?”
The whole Academy is gearing up for an extra-meaningful Exhibition … the last Exhibition to be held in our current Taman Paramount location. There will be many fond memories shared and … perhaps … tears shed, but moving on to bigger and better things is what life is all about. Stay tuned for the Eagle’s Exhibition preparations!