The Spirit
of Pupil Development Programme By Background With the desire to develop in the pupils a spirit of initiative and dare to venture, as well as persuasive skills, the teachers from CHIJ
St Nicholas Girls’ School mooted the idea of a Cluster-based I&E,
R&D food competition. Innovation
& Enterprise The task was Problem-Based; pupils were commissioned
by a “company” to develop an innovative and healthy snack food that
is economical to produce in terms of time and money. The pupils had
to do R&D work and market their product to the judging panel. The
competition was a resounding success, with St Nicholas winning the Grand
Prize. Inspired by their success, the team of four pupils was
further challenged to mass produce and sell their product to raise funds
for a Reading Camp for the children of the Malay Youth Literary Association.
Pupils learnt that they needed to recruit more people
in their company as the project had become multi-faceted. They had to
look into areas of finance, production,
quality control, marketing and sales. With limited experience but
lots of motivation, pupils very quickly learnt the skills of managing
a company with limited capital. They wrote to organizations to seek
sponsorship for ingredients, and put their persuasive skills to test
in recruiting more members and in securing venues for the sale of Oat
Cube. Partnerships
with Community The mass production phase took on a new dimension when
help was enlisted from parents and senior citizens in the neighbourhood,
to work alongside the pupils -cottage industry style. Hygiene and quality
standards were closely monitored at all times during production, packing
and storage. The interaction between the senior citizens and the
teenagers was a valuable experience as personal stories were shared
and tips on how certain processes could be simplified or hastened were
exchanged. Friendships between the young and old were forged. Collaboration
with Industry Oat Cube was successfully marketed at a chain of Chocolate
Boutiques in town over a week, during the December holidays. The “sales” team learnt how to think on their
feet, face rejection graciously and most importantly, the spirit of
perseverance. Learning
& Reflection Closely guided by the teacher-in-charge, pupils were
led on a journey of reflection for each step they took and each obstacle
they faced. Important skills in teamwork, oral communication, time and
resource management, were honed. This project is true to our belief
that authentic learning tasks help pupils internalize the learning of
core life skills.
Contact
Person: Mrs Janis Kok |
