Research (Evidence based Design)

Description of how research is used to improve school programmes and processes

At Edgefield, we place a premium value upon research-informed practice. Research is crucial in helping us find out how to help students learn better, discover new approaches and validate them to better discover their values and acquire 21st century skills. Research informs us about things we are not aware of and changes our approach to learning to be more engaged, self-directed, and sustained lifelong.

We work closely with our network of research partners, from local Institutes of Higher Learning such as the National Institute of Education (NIE), National University of Singapore (NUS), to international institutions such as Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Queens College, City University of New York, on a range of student-focused research collaborations.

To hone compassionate leadership in our students, we seek insights through research studies and literature to provide us with important information. Such information forms the basis to help us further develop our programmes, so as to cater to our students’ learning needs. For example, our school seeks to understand the nature of peer networks within our school population as we develop effective peer-support programmes and class-bonding activities for our students. Since 2020, we have been collaborating with the research team from the National Institute of Education on the Peer Network Analysis Study. We learn from the findings to design interventions to support the full subject-based banding curriculum as well as to promote the forging of stronger bonds amongst students from different backgrounds within our mixed form classes.

As we nurture our students with the dispositions to learn for life, we empower students to be self-directed and motivated learners. We utilise validated tools from research studies to measure the 21st century competency skills and the acquired learning dispositions in our students, so as to determine the effectiveness of our developmental programmes. In addition, our school has been partnering the research team from the Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore since 2020. Our aim is to cultivate our students to think strategically through a series of metacognitive approaches. Through these research-informed interventions and learnt approaches, our students can grow to become self-directed learners as they develop future ready capabilities and apply these thinking skills when they are facing challenges in life.

In line with our school’s strategic outcome to develop future ready thinkers, we use research-based evidence to guide us in our curriculum design as we continue to grow the minds of our students. For example, research studies have shown that an interdisciplinary teaching and learning approach fosters deeper learning (Sawyer, 2006; Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012; Holmbukt & Larsen, 2016). Hence, within our school curriculum, we strive to facilitate the construction of connections between disciplines to develop new understanding, create products and address real-world issues. In another example, as Singapore progresses on the National Digital Literacy Programme, our school has also collaborated with researchers from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education to study how we can even more effectively leverage upon the use of one-to-one technology and personalised learning to achieve the outcomes of our total curriculum.

References

Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Educating for innovation. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 1(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2005.08.001

Pellegrino, J.W. and M. Hilton (eds.). (2012). Education For Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

Holmbukt, T. & Larsen, A. B. (2016). Interdisciplinary teaching as motivation: An initiative for change in post-16 vocational education. Nordic Journal of Modern Language Methodology, 4 (1), 67-82.

Future Ready Programme (FRP)

Our school’s total curriculum is designed with the intent to develop Edgefielders with future ready capabilities that are essential for them to adapt and thrive in a complex and changing world. The Future Ready Programme is a platform which provides learning experiences to develop Edgefield students with future ready capabilities. The programme builds on the external scans of future trends published by international and local organizations, such as the Global Risks Reports and the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, research projects from the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. We then adapted the scenario planning approach from the Centre for Strategic Futures, part of the new Strategy Group in the Prime Minister Office in our school-based design of scenario-based learning for our students.

Our school has distilled and identified the key set of skills, competencies and dispositions that match our student profile. The programme is framed by Howard Gardner's Five Minds for the Future. Hence, the learning experiences are designed for students to apply the thinking or actions that people will need to thrive in our future world. As a result, this will cultivate in students both academic skills and character required to thrive in the future (Gardner, 2006).

FRP project cycles are guided by our in-house problem solving framework. In developing this eclectic framework, our team has evaluated many problem solving frameworks such as Apple’s Challenge-based Learning Framework, the 6-step problem solving process and design thinking. This in-house framework incorporates the strengths of the other frameworks we have evaluated and it has been modified to suit our programme design.

To help our students unpack collaboration skills and have a better understanding of what it means to be collaborative for developmental purposes, our school works closely with researchers from NIE to utilize a digital formative assessment tool for collaboration skills development. The platform allows our students to learn about the four-dimensional teamwork competency that emphasizes the process of working with other team members. In addition, as part of the formative assessment, a peer-rated teamwork competency instrument was also developed for students to assess their peers in a recent collaborative inquiry experience. Peer assessment adds another level of knowledge, others-ratings, to help understand students’ behavior. Students will learn that teamwork competency consists of coordination (COD), mutual performance monitoring (MPM), constructive conflict (CCF), and team emotional support (TES).

Sketchnoting

Since 2017, Edgefield Secondary has embraced Sketchnoting as a powerful tool for learning, starting with our Secondary 1 Level Camp. During the camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of Sketchnoting—a method that combines visual elements with text to enhance comprehension and memory. Research shows that people retain information better and for longer periods when it is accompanied by visuals (Medina, 2008).

Drawing inspiration from The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde, we have designed a series of engaging lessons for our students. The workshops include rigorous practice sessions that focus on mastering the basics of Sketchnoting, which students then apply as a dynamic method of note-taking across their subjects.

By integrating Sketchnoting into their learning process, we aim to cultivate our students’ curiosity, foster their creativity, and empower them to take ownership of their learning journey.

Potential Development Programme

In Edgefield Secondary School, we believe that every student is a rough diamond, full of potential, curiosity, and an innate desire to explore the world around them. Much like rough diamonds, each Edgefielder requires the skilled craftsmanship of dedicated educators to help them realize their individual potential. We acknowledge that every student’s journey is different, and while not everyone will reach the same endpoint, we are committed to ensuring that every graduate leaves with a deeper understanding of their strengths and a readiness to contribute to society in their own unique way.

Our school takes a holistic and tiered approach to developing students across five key domains: Cognitive Development, Character and Leadership, Community and Citizenship, Arts and Aesthetics, and Sports and Health. This approach allows us to cater to the diverse interests, strengths, and passions of each Edgefielder.

This framework is adapted from Dr. Donald Treffinger’s Level of Service model (Treffinger, Young, Nassab, Selby, & Wittig, 2008), and each domain is structured into four levels, ranging from broad based to being interest and aptitude specific. We seek to identify and develop the potential in each child, as developing talent over an extended period of time is vital for success in the 21st Century.

Through this structured, tiered approach, we ensure that every Edgefielder takes ownership of their development, discovering new strengths and honing their unique talents. Ultimately, our goal is for every student to graduate with a well-rounded understanding of their capabilities, ready to contribute meaningfully to the community and the world around them.