School Educators from Philippines visit Singapore

Marshall Cavendish Online (MC Online), the leading e-Learning solution and service provider in the Philippines with an established presence in over 150 schools, together with our business partner, Diwa Learning Systems Inc, recently hosted groups of over 100 educators from the Philippines. The participating educators consisted of Superintendents, Directors, Principals, Teachers and Administrators of Catholic Schools in the Philippines. These educators were brought to visit Horizon Primary School, Nanyang Girls’ High School and Rulang Primary School over a period spanning 15 - 24 May 2012.

Through the various school visits, the educators were able to gain a deeper insight into Singapore’s teaching and learning environment and better comprehend the importance of Infocomm Technology (ICT) in enriching and enhancing Singapore’s academic curriculum and education system. In addition, the delegates were able to interact with the teachers and students and in doing so, learnt more about each school’s history and culture.

Delegates were able to interact with the students to understand how they learn using ICT

After the school visits, the delegates were invited to visit Marshall Cavendish Online’s office where they participated in a series of professional development workshops organized by representatives from Marshall Cavendish Online and Diwa Learning Systems Inc. The workshops encompassed a comprehensive overview of Singapore’s education system and imparted the modus operandi of implementing ICT effectively in the Philippines to the delegates.

The event was overwhelmed with positive feedback from the participants, many of whom were extremely pleased and satisfied with the whole trip. A prominent school leader enthused, “The e-Learning tour was very informative and inspiring. We are motivated to exert our best effort to improve the quality and effectiveness of catholic education in the Philippines.”

A presentation by Marshall Cavendish Online’s Assistant General Manager on Singapore's Education System

Next up, a presentation by Diwa's representative

   

The delegates engaging in a stimulating sharing session

Marshall Cavendish Online is grateful to these schools for their assistance in the event and would like to thank them for their gracious hospitality.

Thank You Diwa and Rulang Primary School

Thank You Diwa and Nanyang Girls' High School

Thank You Diwa and Horizon Primary School

Marshall Cavendish hosts 50 international delegates in 2nd Marshall Cavendish Singapore Mathematics Global Forum

Marshall Cavendish organised the 2nd Marshall Cavendish Singapore Mathematics Global Forum from 22 September to 24 September 2011 at the Grand Copthorne Hotel, Singapore. It was a great opportunity to showcase Math Buddies to educators from around the globe, an online digital curriculum designed to support learning Math using the Singapore Math Approach. It adopts the same pedagogical principles from our Singapore Math textbooks and combines multimedia technology with instructional strategies to offer an engaging teaching and learning experience.

 

The forum focused on building global competence in schools, particularly in the area of Mathematics. Mr Sam Tan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Mayor, Central Singapore District was the guest-of-honour at the global forum.



There were 150 attendees this year, with 50 foreign delegates, comprising of educational policymakers, curriculum specialists, teachers and education ministry representatives from countries such as the United States, Chile, Panama, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Brunei. Some key delegates include Dr. Alan Burke, Deputy Superintendent, Washington State Department of Education, Lucy Molinar, Minister of Education, Panama and Tim Gopeesingh, Minister of Education for Trinidad and Tobago.

Ms Lee Fei Chen, Head of Publishing, Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group, said “Marshall Cavendish first initiated the Singapore Global Maths Forum to provide a platform for dialogue on the strategies and best practices of the Singapore Maths pedagogy. As the leading publisher of all of Singapore’s mathematics textbooks, it is an honour for us to assist in building greater competence in Mathematics in schools globally through new insights and to develop educational solutions that meet the needs of teachers and learners in the 21st century.”



This year, the delegates will be taken on a tour of the National Institute of Education, Singapore as many are curious as to how our teachers are trained.. They will also visit Holy Innocents, Rivervale and Pioneer Primary Schools to witness first hand, theory and policy in action on how Singapore Maths is being taught.

The Ministry of Education, Singapore also conducted a sharing session about the Singapore Maths curriculum. They expound further on the Singapore Maths curriculum framework, and touch on the salient features and the processes involved in implementing it nation wide.
Professor S. Gopinathan, Professorial Fellow at the National Institute of Education shared with the audience on Singapore’s Educational Development, with special reference to Mathematics, Science and Technology Polices.





Dr. Richard Bisk, Chair and Professor of Mathematics from Worcester State University was on the topic, Improving Math Performance: Learning from Singapore. During the session, he shared how Singapore Maths curriculum is used in the United States to improve the mathematical content knowledge of students and teachers. He also expound further Singapore Maths curriculum’s influence on the new Common Core Curriculum for the United Sates.

Mrs Ariellah Rosenberg from South Africa touched on South Africa’s education system, and  how South Africa will incorporate the Singapore Maths curriculum into their educational curriculum.





The Singapore Maths curriculum was launched in 1982 and has undergone several revisions since. The latest revision in 2007 continues to emphasize on conceptual understanding with a focal point in problem-solving. The curriculum was created by the Ministry of Education in a bid to address the problems Singaporean students were having in understanding Maths concepts. The programme has since evolved into one of the best and most effective pedagogies in the world with Singapore consistently ranked among top nations in international comparative studies since 1995. Schools in over 35 countries around the world have adopted the Singapore Math textbooks, published by Marshall Cavendish, with several adaptations to local curriculum requirements and languages.

 

NCTM 2011 / Math Buddy by MC Online

Marshall Cavendish Online was part of the NCTM 2011 Annual Meeting and Exposition held at Indianapolis from 13 - 16 April 2011. Attended by classroom teachers, administrators, mathematical coaches and curriculum planners from the US and all over the world, the NCTM Conference is the platform and meeting place for anyone who is seeking professional development opportunities, learn new techniques, experience the latest teaching products and services and many more.

Marshall Cavendish Online introduced Math Buddy, an interactive multimedia activities that encompasses effective strategies in teaching and learning mathematics. From the team that brought you Primary Mathematics and Math In Focus, Math Buddy aims to help students develop Strong Mathematical Understanding with Singapore Math Digital Curriculum.

For more information on Math Buddy: www.mconline.us

Oman Delegation Visits Marshall Cavendish

The Oman delegation which consists of members from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Times Centre on 19 January 2011, to understand how Marshall Cavendish Education has contributed to the success of the education system in Singapore.

Through a wide spectrum of products and services including textbooks, supplementary materials, training services and online publishing, Marshall Cavendish offers a holistic solution to all our users.

Visitors from Philippines

More than 40 visitors from 20 different institution from Philippines visited Marshall Cavendish Online for an exchange of ideas and initiatives on technology for education during November 2010.

During the delegates' stay in Singapore, they also visited Rivervale Primary School to learn more about the educational system in Singapore and how Marshall Cavendish Online and Rivervale Primary School works together to provide a sound technology and and digital curriculum platform to facilitates teachers' and students' teaching and learning.

The school visit ended off with a sharing session with the senior teaching staff on how both countries' educators can learn from each other to nurture the future generations.

Marshall Cavendish Online, One of 7 Firms Involved in Singapore-Israel Tech R&D Projects

Marshall Cavendish Online, the premier e-learning service provider in Singapore, is working on the project with an Israeli firm to develop a software to teach the English Language. An automated text correction and learning assistance program have been implemented as features of this program, and they allow the child to experience learning with an element of fun and in the true spirit of seeking knowledge. This further goes on to ensure that learners who are not well-versed with the language are able to comprehend the program and at the same time their proficiency levels in areas of spelling and grammar are increased.

This venture has been possible with the Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, who has handed out $5 million to local technology start-ups to conduct R&D with Israeli companies. A collaboration between Singapore's Economic Development Board and Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist, it is done to promote, facilitate and support joint ventures between the two nations.

Stay tuned for more updates in the near future!

LuV Chinese Product Launch

Teachers are faced with a common issue of teaching Mandarin with the help of technology. Marshall Cavendish Online, along with Mediacorp, is pleased to be hosting a sharing session cum LuV Chinese product launch to share on the different ways of using IT to facilitate on the teaching of the language in schools. Mdm. Chow Fong Yee, Master Teacher from MOE will be conducting this sharing session. All Primary School Chinese language teachers are encouraged to attend this event.

身为华文教师，您是否在运用资讯科技辅助华文 教学时面对许多挑战？我们诚意邀请您出席这个 分享会，让华文特级教师周凤儿女士，与您分享 如何有效地把资讯科技运用在华文教学上。

分享会的内容包括: 
- 理论与实践
- 资讯科技辅助华文教学的一些尝试
- 资讯科技应用在华文教学的一些思考
- 资讯科技辅助华文教学的一些建议 

The details of the events are as follows;

Venue: Chicago Booth University - The House of Tan Yeok Nee Conference Centre

View Larger Map

Date: 24 September 2010

Time: 1400-1630

Kindly RSVP for the event here



Marshall Cavendish holds the First Singapore Maths Global Forum

Delegates from 15 countries gather at Singapore’s first international forum for exchange of experiences and strategies on the Singapore Maths pedagogy

Marshall Cavendish, a member of the Times Publishing Group, is holding the first Singapore Maths Global Forum from 2 September 2010 to 4 September 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Singapore. The international forum, a first in the history of Singapore Maths, serves as a platform for local and foreign education professionals to exchange strategies and experiences in the teaching and learning of the Singapore Maths curriculum. It aims to facilitate the betterment of Maths education and raise the level of proficiency of students in Maths around the world.


Attendees of the forum comprise curriculum specialists, teachers, education ministry representatives and international organisation representatives from 15 countries, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, South Africa, the United States and Chile. In addition, local representatives from the National Institute of Education, Ministry of Education, schools and textbook authors are also present at the forum.


According to Lee Fei Chen, Deputy Head of Publishing, Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group, “Our goal is to facilitate dialogue on the strategies and best practices of the Singapore Maths pedagogy.  It is timely, if not critical, to create and maintain a platform for  the policy makers, adopters, users  and industry watchers to come together to ensure the relevance and advancement of the pedagogy now accepted and practised in some 35 countries. We are extremely proud to be part of the ongoing collaborative process where our stakeholders tell us how to make Singapore Maths material even better for learners around the world.”


The Singapore Maths curriculum was launched in 1982 and revised in 1992 with a new focal point in problem-solving. The curriculum was created by the Ministry of Education in a bid to address the problems Singaporean students were having in comprehending Maths concepts. The programme has since evolved into one of the best and most effective pedagogies in the world with Singapore students consistently ranked among top nations in international comparative studies since 1995. Schools in over 35 countries around the world have adopted the Singapore Maths textbooks, published by Marshall Cavendish, with several adaptations to local curriculum requirements and languages. 

Forum Highlights
 
Country Case Studies and Global Perspectives
The forum offers a rare window into the school classrooms of the world through country presentations. Several discussion panels of delegates from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa and the United States, will offer insights into the implementation of Singapore Maths and preparation of school teachers in their countries. Dr. Marito Garcia, Lead Human Development Economist of the World Bank, will present the global perspectives on Singapore Maths and Science at the forum.


International Survey Findings
A highlight of the conference is the sharing of the key findings of international surveys that measure the success of the Singapore Maths curriculum in the adopting countries. Presentations include the Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS), The Gabriella and Paul Rosenbaum Foundation Survey in America and The ORT Survey in South Africa.
The Gabriella and Paul Rosenbaum Foundation Survey is a six-year longitudinal statistical study on the effect of Singapore Maths on student proficiency in the North Middlesex Regional School District (NMRSD) in Massachusetts. The survey is the first and only statistical study on the effectiveness of Singapore Maths. The NMRSD schools used Singapore maths textbook series which includes the Marshall Cavendish-published Primary Maths textbooks differing from the other Massachusetts school districts.


The results from analyses show that:
i) Participation in Singapore Maths classes has a positive impact on student Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test scores,
ii) The duration of student participation in Singapore Maths classes has a greater positive impact on test score gains than Singapore Maths participation at any particular grade level and
iii) Beginning Singapore Maths in early grades improves the curriculum’s effectiveness.
“As the publisher of Singapore Maths textbooks, Marshall Cavendish is very proud to know that the use of textbooks books published by Marshall Cavendish has a positive impact on the students’ Maths grades. The survey is one of the many global examples demonstrating the efficacy of Singapore Maths.” said Lee Fei Chen, Deputy Head of Publishing, Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group.


Professional Teaching Trends
The forum also looks at the professional development trends and teaching strategies for teachers to improve their overall teaching efficiency. A recent trend that will be covered in the forum is the pervasive use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools. A Singapore case study to be presented will look at how ICT is used in education including the teaching of Maths for an added interactive and enjoyable experience.


“The Singapore Maths curriculum has been carried out in Scarsdale Public Schools for two years and it has definitely proven to be a cutting-edge curriculum for our school and students. The programme has instilled a strong foundation in mathematical concepts among our students, increasing their overall mathematical competency. I am looking forward to learning more about mathematics teaching in Singapore and networking with educators from other countries that are using Singapore Maths in order to continually improve maths teaching and learning in Scarsdale,” said delegate Mr. Bill Jackson, Math Helping Teacher, Scarsdale Public Schools, New York, the United States.


To learn more about Marshall Cavendish, please visit www.marshallcavendish.com.

Improve On Essay Writing with Writing Buddy

About Writing Buddy:

Writing Buddy is an essential tool specially designed to help Primary 3 to 6 students become proficient writers. Developed in accordance to the latest Primary English Syllabus issued by MOE, it is a series of self-directed multimedia tutorials, activities and interactive practices. This tool aims to equip our budding writers with effective skills and strategies for story writing. The modular system also allows teachers easy access to any of the five modules in the programme to help facilitate differentiated lesson planning and cater to students’ diverse needs.

Key Features

• student saving work on the portal

• student retrieving saved work for further editing

• teacher marking assignment

- can view/ print individual assignment to be marked by hand

- can enter a score and type comments for individual student

• student viewing results and comments 

To find out more about Writing Buddy:
sales@mconline.sg

Marshall Cavendish Online learning portal is now SCORM compliant

We are proud to announce Marshall Cavendish Online's learning portal is now SCORM 2004 certified.



SCORM is a set of of technical standards which specify how e-learning software should be built. It is the de facto industry standard for e-learning interoperability. Our users will now enjoy greater flexibility while maintaining the same standards of security and stability on our portal.

To learn more about SCORM, please visit http://www.adlnet.gov/Documents/SCORM%20FAQ.aspx

Launch in Hong Kong

Marshall Cavendish Online recently held a launch event in Hong Kong. Teachers had the opportunity to learn more on what Marshall Cavendish Online's learning portal features and even a hands-on session for them to experience the digital curriculum in our platform.

Users from Hong Kong can now visit www.mconline.hk to find out more about us or contact us for more information.

La Consolacion College Visits East Spring Primary School

Delegates from La Consolacion College, Manila, Philippines visited East Spring Primary School on 20 May 2010 for an exchange and sharing session with the Principal and teachers.

Marshall Cavendish Online along with Diwa Genyo, partner from Philippines, organised this session to foster relationships between the schools from the two nations. Both schools are users of the Marshall Cavendish Online's learning portal and were delighted to understand more on the differences in teaching cultures and gained invaluable tips from each other.

La Consolacion College is grateful for East Spring Primary School's hospitality and would like to thank the school once again for being a great host during their visit.

NCTM 2010 and Singapore Math

Marshall Cavendish Online participated in the annual NCTM Meeting and Exposition at San Diego, California on 21 - 24 April 2010. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase our Singapore Math digital curriculum to the educators from all over the world.

From the team that brought to you the successful Primary Mathematics Series, Primary Mathematics Online is a supplementary digital courseware that contains and maintains the original content and methods that have been used and proven effective in Singapore.

The Primary Mathematics series is based on sound research principles of effective approaches to teaching mathematics. Studies on the instructional approach have also been tested successfully in classrooms both in Singapore and the United States.

Users from United States can learn more about this offering at http://www.mconline.us

Marshall Cavendish Online Resources Extends To Indonesia

Students from the Singapore National Academy in Indonesia are now able to integrate LEAD resources as a part of their learning curriculum in class.

The Singapore National Academy is an International School situated in East Java of Indonesia that focuses on using Singapore curriculum as the preferred mode of teaching and learning. The use of LEAD content resources was naturally the next step forward for the pupils are Singapore National Academy as it was a perfect match for curricula structure and pedagogy involved. The multimedia digital learning content facilitates the pupils to better understand the subjects that are being taught and practice self-directed learning.

Four Years In A Row

For four consecutive years (2006 – 2009), the LEAD Portal, www.lead.com.sg, maintained at the top of the hits list of visits to ‘Education – Reference’ websites in Singapore. Hitwise, an online competitive intelligence organisation that measures visit counts to websites all over the world, revealed this outcome.

This amazing feat would not have been possible without your support and believe in our portal and resources for teaching and learning. Marshall Cavendish Online’s continual efforts to partner with established textbook publishers including Marshall Cavendish Education and Panpac will create even wider possibilities for our users of the portal.

The Hitwise award is a motivation for us to extend to our schools an even better portal for your educational needs and a testament of our reliability and achievements over the years.

Adopters from Brisbane, Australia

The Marshall Cavendish Online team paid a visit to Forest Lake College, the first school in Australia to adopt the LEAD portal as an e-learning platform for all students Grade 1 to 6.

 






The school integrated the use LEAD into the Learning-Centred Approach for students. The Learning-Centred Approach focus on the needs of the students rather than educational process such as teachers being administrators. With the LEAD portal, students are able to conduct self-directed learning paying added attention on subjects and topics they have difficulties in.

Testimonial from Jordan

Marshall Cavendish Online participated in the inaugural event “Jordan International Education Exhibition” where hundreds of educators gather for workshops and seminars co-organised by The Jordan Educational Initiative (JEI).

The Rosary College-Shmeisani, which adopted the use of the LEAD portal, had two of the teachers to share with other schools on how the students have benefited from the LEAD platform.

“Most of our students are visual learners, so LEAD help them to learn more and easier. LEAD presents what the students see in their lives using the same technology, which makes the students more interested in learning.” Mentioned Ms T. Tamara Ghattas, a teacher from the Rosary College-Shmeisani. “It makes science FUN! LEAD was instrumental to students to continue learning from home during winter storm where all Jordanian schools are shut down for about four days.”

Budding Writers Project 2009

In its 10th year now, the Budding Writers Project was first initiated to encourage young children to develop their creative writing and artistic skills. The winning entries of the project will have their works printed to a book and sold to the public.

Marshall Cavendish Online is proud to support Marshall Cavendish in this project by converting the winning entries to a digital format available via the web. As we move into the digital age, it is essential for audience to be given a choice of either the traditional physical book or an electronic one for reading at anytime, anywhere with internet connectivity.

Besides just having the winning entries printed onto a book, the authors were also given the opportunity to be attached to Marshall Cavendish and Marshall Cavendish Online to understand the process involved to have their books edited, adding digital illustrations, digitising their books to the final process of printing. The authors visited Marshall Cavendish Online on November 18 to learn how their books were digitised and were later brought to a professional recording studio to have their voices recorded for their narration of the digital books.

The official launch of the winning books was held at Chamber, The Arts House on December 4, 2009. The winners of this year’s Budding Writers Project, The Crying Dream by Anya Lee and Ricky Learns To Fly by Yuli Steffina were both thrilled being the ‘star’ of the evening. Mr. S Iswaran, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Education was the guest of honour for the event. His presence certainly played great importance in motivating the winners to continue showcasing their flair in creative writing. Marshall Cavendish Online, supporting the Budding Writers Project for the first time, was on site that evening to showcase and assist guests in navigating the digital books.

With the success of this year’s participation, Marshall Cavendish Online will be looking forward to working with Marshall Cavendish Education again for next year’s Budding Writers Project. All young writers out there, get your pens ready.

• For more information about Budding Writers Project, please visit www.marshallcavendish.com/education/buddingwriters