Failing Forward
- How to make tough but
right decisions?
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Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Education as Our Core Business
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
What Guides Us?
Our Mission
Our Vision
Our Values
Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Conception of NorthLight School (NLS)
NLS was established in March 2006 to
better cater to students who could benefit
from a more customised and vocational
education. This was part of a broader
effort to identify and assist students who
were at risk of leaving the education
system prematurely.
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Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Mission, Vision, Values of NLS
Mission
To provide an engaging
career-oriented and
values-focused education
for youth in preparing them
for lifelong learning and
employability.
Vision
Values (S.H.I.N.E)
A choice school of youth
prepared for life and living.
Sincerity, Honesty, Innovation,
Network, Excellence
.
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Success to Significance
- Definition of failure and success
- Success is not only about what we
have but also about who we are
- Significant others – critical line in
sight
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If you always do what you have
always done then you will
always get what you’ve always
gotten
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Passion and Perseverance
- Getting the right people up the bus
and slowly move them to the right
seats. (Jim Collins)
- 1000 miles start with the first
step ..……
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Staff guided by the mission adopts
unconventional thinking in decisions
making eg
• Selection of students for
admission
• Class allocation
• Teacher recruitment
• Discipline and reward system
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Curriculum Framework of NLS
Curriculum
Domain
Key Programmes
(Each Module is 25 Hours)
•NorthLight Programme
•Character
Education
•Sport & Wellness Programme
•Art Appreciation Programme
•CCAs
•Language and Literacy
Programme
Foundation
Instructional
•Math work for Us! Programme
Education
•ICT Literacy Programme
•Vocational Training Programme
Vocational
Education
•Pre-employments Skills Training
Programme
•Industrial Attachment
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Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
NorthLight School (NLS)
 NLS took in 1st
batch of students
who failed PSLE
twice in 2007 and
students who
failed PSLE once
in 2008
Students
graduate with an
ITE Skills
Certificate (ISC)
after 3-4 years in
NLS.
Progress to
NITEC studies at
ITE colleges if the
students meet the
GPA of 2.5. To
date 3 are n the
polytechnics
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When children experience
poverty , what do they need
most that will sustain them and
help them to jump out of the
poverty trap ?
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Open to problems
- Creative tension
- Sweet spot
- Believe that feedback is a gift
- Lead a school vs lead
nationally
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Success Stories
Former NorthLight student
scores place in polytechnic
Mr Paul Tan, a student in NLS pioneer
batch who went on to the Institute of
Technical Education (ITE) to study
electrical engineering, has achieved a
perfect grade point average of 4. That has
won the 22-year-old a place in Republic
Polytechnic
to
study
aerospace
engineering.
'For the first time in my life, I began
to feel that I was capable and I
could achieve something
worthwhile.'
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• Every major difficulty we face in life is a
fork in the road. We choose which track
we will head down, towards breakdown
or breakthrough.
• If we do not take the first step,
everything will be at status quo
• What if the social innovation did not
work?
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There are many ways to be a
winner but there is only one way
to be a loser and this is to fail
and not look beyond the failure.
Kyle Rote Jr
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Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Look beyond the failure
-
Embrace adversity and let our
failing moves us forward
External validation being a gift
Documentation of processes and
let others learn from mistakes
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Specialised School for Normal (Technical)
Rationale of Starting of SSNT
 25.7% of our N(T) students drop out, or do not progress to ITE
 20.7% do not complete ITE successfully
 Successes of NLS and APS:
• NLS systemic drop out rate is only 1.2% , more than 70%
graduated with an ITE Skills Certificate (ISC)
 A similar whole-school approach
Every student to have at least a post secondary
education.
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Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Enhanced Nitec Foundation Programme (e-NFP)
•To better prepare academically weaker
Normal (Technical) students for successful
completion of NITEC courses, MOE will
pilot the e-NFP in 2014.
e-NFP
(2 year)
TARGET STUDENTS
For
the
2014
pilot
implementation, ITE will
admit N(T) students with 0
or 1 N-Level pass into the
e-NFP.
Successful Completion
NITEC
Enriched curriculum targeting
Literacy Skills
Numeracy Skills
Socio-Emotional Learning
Existing
Foundation
course
(1 year)
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- Risk must be evaluated not by
the fear it generates in us or the
probability of our success but by
the value of the goal.
- Our attitude towards failure
determines our altitude after
failure
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The goal shapes the plan
The plan shapes the action
The action achieves the results
The results bring success
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Making a Difference
You can make a difference
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Summary
Success to Significance
Passion and Perseverance
Open to problems
Look beyond the failure
You can make a difference
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