On November 28th, 2024, our department heads of English, Maths, and Science had the opportunity to attend the "Good to Great: What Makes a World-Class School" global conference organized by Marshall Cavendish Education. We gained valuable insights into educational excellence. The event began with a plenary session by Dr. Turner Lam, who discussed the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and its implications for 21st-century education.

Following the plenary session, we split into subject-specific breakout sessions. In the science session led by Dr. Turner Lam, we gained valuable insights into implementing the 5E instructional approach and inquiry-based learning. A hands-on STEM activity on building a solar-powered robot demonstrated how these strategies can be effectively integrated into our classrooms.

The "Math: Problem Solving and Heuristics" session, led by Dr. Norhuda Musa, highlighted the importance of moving beyond traditional methods to promote deeper understanding through problem-solving strategies. Participants discussed fostering a growth mindset in students, emphasizing resilience and a positive attitude toward challenges. These insights will be instrumental in enhancing our math teaching approach and encouraging students to engage more meaningfully with the subject.

Lastly, the English breakout session did a deep dive into teaching strategies to improve our classrooms. We discussed practical ways to incorporate the competencies we learned about through Pisa’s research, and we got to see what the Cambridge International book offers us as teachers.

This training was highly beneficial, as Marshall Cavendish focuses on top-quality education in East Asia and provides great tools for becoming a World-class school.