At St Joseph’s Institution International Elementary School, the belief is that if you start with inculcating the right values and virtues, academic growth will follow.

Every week, students at St Joseph's Institution International Elementary School (SJIIES) learn about a virtue which their teachers identify. They also get "wow cards" and "ops cards" for how they behave in school.

In Singapore, values education is increasingly in the spotlight, but at SJIIES it has always been at the heart of what it does, in line with its mission as a Catholic school. Its Principal, Mrs Louise Grant, strongly believes that once the foundations of a values education are in place — where children have been supported in their personal and social growth — academic growth will follow.

"It all starts with building character in children, and it wouldn't matter if we have an excellent Maths or Chinese curriculum if we don't have a happy, positive, respectful and co-operative environment. The best environment for children is one in which they feel safe, valued, challenged and are progressing in," Mrs Grant said.

The Virtues Project

The School does not just talk about inculcating values. Indeed, values education is strongly embedded in what the students see and hear every day through the Virtues Project, which is developed around speaking the language of virtues and setting clear boundaries.

"One of the ways we teach virtues is to have a Virtue of the Week," Mrs Grant said. "It goes into the newsletter for parents so that they can reinforce the virtue at home, and every morning at assembly we will talk about what the virtue means and how we can practise that virtue. This approach helps students to speak the language of virtues, to acknowledge each other for virtues shown during the weekly reflection time and to adopt the language also when solving conflicts. For the children, it is especially important for them to receive positive reinforcement when practising the virtues as effective praise and compliments bring out the best in everyone."

A total of 52 virtues, including obvious examples like kindness, perseverance and humility, fill up the year.

To further strengthen values education, SJIIES has four codes of behaviour: self-discipline, courtesy, responsibility and respect. With positive actions, the student is given a "wow card" with the particular virtue that was exhibited written on it. Cards given to students are placed in a box and during assembly on Fridays one card is picked at random. The class of the person whose card is chosen will then be given free time to celebrate the virtue that was shown.

When a student behaves in a manner which infringes one of the codes, he or she will be given an "Oops card", and asked to have a talk with a teacher on what virtue would help him or her in future. If something more serious occurs, the student will be asked to reflect and write about what virtue could be used when faced with a similar situation.

"It's also about conflict resolution. We have something called the talking corner, where students can go when they have a conflict with someone, and there's a protocol on how to talk through the problem. They first have to recognise the virtue in each other, then say how they felt during the conflict and finally they need to think about what they can do to solve the issue," Mrs Grant added.

Values Attraction

Mrs Grant thinks that the focus on values is a key attraction for parents and that those who choose to send their children to SJIIES are very much aware of the importance of a values-based education.

"we tend to attract three types of families. Firstly, people who are long-term Singapore residents who appreciate all that Singapore has to offer, and who are comfortable within the Singapore context and the culture of the School. Secondly, people who may have arrived a few years ago, and have since started making Singapore their home. Thirdly, we have people who may be new and are on the lookout for a school providing an international experience in the context of Singapore. These are those who have the opportunity to move with their work to Singapore, and are consequently keen to immerse themselves in the culture, rather than go to a school which follows their home system.

"we get a lot of long-term residents, thus we don't have that many children leaving each year. In fact, our turnover rate of less than ten per cent is very unusual for an international school. We also have students where one parent may be Singaporean and the other an expatriate, so it's kind of a nice place where they can experience both cultures," Mrs Grant said.

As a result of the growing interest received from the community, the School has recently hosted a symposium, Building Children of Character, which provided specific insights into the practices and benefits of a values-based education. Mrs Grant is hopeful that this will mark the first of many valuable opportunities to talk about the inclusion of a values-based education in the local schools system.

"It's a very inspiring programme, and we're interested in exploring how it may be relevant to the local schools, because recently there has been a lot of talk in the local system about paying more attention to a values-based education. And of course, we're learning as we go along too."

A Local-International School

The mix of cultures extends beyond the student demographic to the school curriculum. SJIIES strives to incorporate the best from the East and the West to make learning more meaningful for its students.

The School uses the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) so it has the freedom to introduce Singapore Math as well as Chinese as a compulsory second language.

"we use Singapore Math as it's the best syllabus for primary school learners, while Chinese is the only second language we offer. We're committed to every child being proficient in the Chinese language by the time they graduate, because it's agreed worldwide that a great benefit in setting children up for success in the future is for them to be fluent in Chinese," Mrs Grant said.

To tailor its Chinese language programme to the varying abilities of students, there are three courses on offer: Chinese as a Foreign Language (Foundation), Chinese as a Foreign Language (Intermediate), and Chinese Language.

The Foundation course is for students who are new to Asia and who have no prior experience with the Chinese language whilst the Intermediate course is for students who have already been learning it for a period of time. A number of the older children who have been at SJIIES for some years are studying at this level. The Chinese Language course is for students who come from a Chinese-speaking background or who have been exposed to Chinese as a foreign language from a very young age.

Students learn Chinese every day, and the School tries its best to include it in all aspects of school life. Chinese posters and phrases are displayed around the School, and Chinese songs are sung during assemblies. As the founding Principal, Mrs Grant has witnessed how students have become adept at speaking, reading and writing Chinese after spending some time at the School.

In the local context, the School is rooted in the Singapore culture. Students celebrate all the local festivals, and there is a balance between having fun and a strong work ethic. "Learning is fun at the School, it's enjoyable and it's engaging, because we know that's the way children learn best," Mrs Grant said.

A Fun School Environment

"we are a learning-focused school, and we have discussions with the children about what helps them learn best, how they learn best and what stops them from learning — that's a big part of the conversation we have with the children, to know themselves as learners," said Mrs Grant.

In Mrs Grant's opinion, there is little point in an over-emphasis on learning knowledge because it quickly becomes obsolete in a fast-changing world. The more important task is to help students become effective learners. At the start of every year, students experience a three-week unit called Learning about Learning. At a basic level, they learn how the brain functions and what they can do to help the brain work optimally. In the higher grades, students take surveys to find out their learning style and they are introduced to the theory of multiple intelligences. There are learning points for the teachers too, in that they discover the learning style of each of their students and how to best facilitate learning for them.

Learning is optimised when connections are made, and a great deal of attention is paid to this at SJIIES. Part of helping students to make connections is to help them understand how things are similar, or getting the "a-ha" moment when a connection is made between two previously different concepts.

Students experience six IPC units a year, and there are entry and exit points for each unit. About entry points, Mrs Grant explained, "A new unit starts with what we call an entry point — something that will really enthuse the children about what's to come. For example, the five-year-olds from Prep 1 had a treasure hunt recently as their entry point. They were out around the School looking for clues and as a continuation, for one month or so, whatever they learn in their different subjects will revolve around the theme of treasure."

Exit points, which mark the end of a unit, are equally important. "I was in Grade 3 and the nine-year-olds were having their exit point for a unit called Time and Place. This meant that they were working on an attention-grabbing, exciting focus that would sum up all they had learnt. They made travel brochures of places around the world for their writing assignment; then they brought props, dressed up, the parents came in and we had a travel fair. The children created the brochures for a real reason, and wherever possible, we make the learning authentic.

"It's child-centred here, and I'd like to think that rigour and high expectations are also part of the culture of the School," Mrs Grant concluded.
 

这“深具新加坡特色的国际学校”虽由圣若瑟国际学校创办，体制却和中学部不同，是不属于新加坡教育体系私人办学的国际学校，性质和美国学校、日本学校、加拿大学校一样，是属于外国教育系统的国际学校。

体制虽然把小学和中学区分开来，但是格兰特表示，全校来自40个国家的630名学生，和来自10个国家的50名教师， 是在以“新加坡文化”为共同文化的校园里学习。她说：“我们庆祝新加坡的节日，例如农历新年。我们上的是新加坡数学课，我们的第二语文也只提供华文一科。学校的目标是每个学生毕业时都能掌握华文。我们还非常重视品德教育，有一套特别设计的‘品德教育计划’，成果不错，深受家长欢迎。”

学校以新加坡文化为中心，吸引了不少长居新加坡，熟悉新加坡文化的外国家庭，也有一些家庭是初到新加坡却愿意让孩子学习和他们祖国不同的教育课程。

格兰特说：“一般上，美国家长会送孩子进美国学校，澳大利亚家长送孩子进澳大利亚学校，这是为了让孩子以后容易回国升学。不过，我们还是发现有不少家庭刚到新加坡，或只打算在这里住几年的家长，还是把孩子送到我们学校来。这些大胆的家长是希望孩子可以体验多元文化。他们认为既然来到新加坡，何必还跟自己国家的孩子在一起？应该让孩子浸濡在不同的文化，学习不同的教育课程。”

圣若瑟国际小学深受家长欢迎，学生的退学率只有10%，这在人来人往的国际学校实属罕见。格兰特畅谈让学生进来后不想离开的办校特色。

营造华文氛围，周会唱华文歌

在圣若瑟国际小学，华文是必修课，是学生惟一的第二语文。格兰特说，这是因为“全球趋势显示年轻人要有竞争力就必须掌握华文”。虽然学校大部分学生的母语并非华文，但校方很重视华文。学生每天都有华文课，校园内处处是华文，学校周会唱英语歌也唱华语歌。校园各个角落如壁报板、厕所门口等，处处可见学习华文的材料。有的是指示、标语，有的是中华文化的普通常识和成语故事，浓郁的学习华文氛围，让学生多管齐下把华文学好。

学校的华文课是根据学生语文水平和文化背景不同，所掌握程度的不一分级：给来自讲华语家庭、学了几年华文和完全不曾接触华文的三种学生。初级基础班给不曾学过华文，多是刚到新加坡的学生；中级班给学过几年华文的学生；家里讲华语，母语为华语的学生则进入华文班。格兰特说：“学校开办了五年，我们逐渐看到成绩。让人鼓舞的是，有些学生从当初完全不懂华文，不断进步，现在可以进入中级班了。”

采用新加坡数学课程

1993年格兰特抵达新加坡，出任新加坡澳大利亚国际学校小学部的创校校长。她在新加坡住了20年，非常融入新加坡的环境，并和新加坡建立了紧密的关系。这位对澳大利亚、英国，还有IB的PYP初级学段课程都熟悉的教育工作者，2009年创办圣若瑟国际小学之初，决定采用国际小学课程（International Primary Curriculum, IPC），而非一般国际小学采用的IB的PYP初级学段课程，就为的是IPC课程弹性大，灵活度高，给她使用新加坡数学和华文课程的自由。

她说：“IPC给了我们教学的框架，容许我们富创意式的教学，以新加坡的数学和华文，来让学生更有意义地学习。新加坡数学课程是最好的数学课程，这从全世界有不少国家采用新加坡数学课程可以印证。”

“寓教于乐才能提升学习效果。和其他新加坡学校比较严肃的教学方式做比较，我们的教学是国际学校式的，是以学生为中心。整体上我们对学习的要求很高，也很严格。”

重视品德教育

对学生要求高和严格不仅仅是指学术成绩，格兰特强调良好的品德教育才是办学的根本。她说：“若要介绍圣若瑟国际小学的教学特色，不得不谈到我们的品德教育。我认为不管学校的数学或华文课程多么好，教育应该是建立一个快乐、积极、尊敬和包容的环境。我们有一套特别设计的‘品德教育计划’，成果不错，获得很好的口碑。许多来访的嘉宾对我们这套计划很感兴趣。”

这套“品德教育计划”列出 了52个与品德及正面价值观有关的“核心美德”，例如关心、合作、诚实、礼貌、积极、不屈不挠等，每周推动一个。“这个星期我们的核心美德是‘礼貌’，我们就在周会和学生谈什么是礼貌，如何成为一个有礼貌的人，要让学生了解和实践这项美德。”推动价值观教育必须由学校和家庭一起配合，每双周发给家长的学校通讯也印有该周的“核心美德”，让家长了解并且也在家贯彻学校所倡导的品德价值观。

“这方式有很好的效果。学生会分享如何实践这项美德，他们也会具体引用这些美德。例如你会听到学生说 ‘请你更合作点，好吗？’。教师也会以‘你刚才的做法展现了什么叫友善，这很棒！’，而不只是说‘你很乖’之类比较笼统的话。假使遇到学生做错了事，教师不会吼叫或说负面的话，他们会说‘遇到这样的情况，你会如何合作呢？’。我们身为师长，会尽量在日常生活教育中紧扣着这些价值观，希望学生可以多听到正面积极的话，而不是让人泄气的负面话语。”

实施“品德教育计划”，学生明确知道学校规定的行为守则以及犯规的后果。格兰特说：“我们会列出值得鼓励的好行为，鼓励学生实践。行为表现好的学生，我们会发一张‘好啊！’的嘉许卡（Wow card），卡片上写着学生的名字以及让人嘉许的行为。收集到的卡片会放在一个箱子里，在每周五的周会抽出一张。幸运被抽中的学生，可以和他班上同学享有一些自由时间，举班欢庆同学的良好表现。”

反之，犯错就必须反省、受罚。犯规者会得到“哎呀！”(Oops card) 的犯规卡。

格兰特说：“收到犯规卡的学生必须到学校办公室，和教师一起讨论如何纠正错误行为，找出自己应该贯彻哪一项美德。假使重犯，就必须写自我反省的悔过书，说出下次再遇到类似情况，应该贯彻哪一项美德。发生争执，吵架的学生要坐在一个角落面壁思过，并按学校规定的程序解决问题。他们要说出对方的行为，彼此讨论要如何通过学校教导的美德来处理问题，以免再犯。”

为了与更多人分享圣若瑟国际小学在品德教育方面的经验，该校在今年4月举办了相关的工作坊给公众参加。格兰特说：“新加坡教育部近年来也很重视价值观教育，很多新加坡学校纷纷制定各自的品德教育计划。在工作坊上，我们和不少学校进行了热切的交流。”

访谈中，格兰特多次强调学生的身心发展是建立在良好的品德教育基础上，只要学生品德好，学术成绩也会好起来。她解释，“我的教育信念是从孩子的品格教育起步。我们要建立一个让孩子感觉安全、被尊重的环境，即便在学习过程中面对挑战，却能逐步成长，在教师和家长的引领下往前走。”

从小一开始“学习如何学习”

圣若瑟国际小学重视学生学习的效果，引导学生开发个人的学习潜能。从小一开始，每学年初会有一个为期三星期的特别课程叫“学习如何学习”，让学生认识大脑，并了解脑神经的功能，以便吃好，喝好，睡好，休息好，才能把事情做得最好。

格兰特说：“知识变化太快，没必要让孩子去学很快过时的资讯。我们要让孩子成为一个积极的学习者，要让他们学会怎样学习才是重点。

“低年级的学生先从如何帮助脑部运作开始，掌握该吃什么营养食物、睡眠必须充足等基本知识。高年级的学生会进行一些测试评估，了解自己是属于哪一类型的学习者：是听觉型、动觉型还是视觉型，以此制定自己的学习计划。这也让老师从中了解学生的个性和特长，帮助他们学习得更好。”

每一年级的课程有六大单元，每个单元都有主题，如历史、科学或地理，让学生把平日的阅读、写作、数学和这些主题联系起来。在进入新单元以前，教师会先说明学习的目标和预期成果，和学生一起研究如何才能达到最佳的学习效果。教学的基本模式是——进入每个单元时有说明学习目标的“入口处”，过了几周要结束该单元，就有一个“出口处”，学生以不同的专题作业方式呈现学习成果。

“学生喜欢准备学习成果的作业，都把焦点放在这里。我今天早上看到一班三年级的学生进入一个单元的尾声，正进行着出口处的作业。这个单元是谈时区和地区。他们要办一场旅游展，大家在制作旅游手册，多数是介绍自己祖国的景点，还准备了各种道具和衣服，有些家长也来参观。总之我们尽量让学生的学习贴近真实的生活，这样才是最有效的学习。

“ 今天一组上‘艺术家’单元的四年级学生去美术科学博物馆参观，还有一群五年级学生为了做‘媒体’单元课的作业，去了新加坡科学馆学习拍片。新加坡有很多让学生学习的好场馆，每天我们善加利用它们，让学生出去学习，以便丰富知识，增加真实感，快乐学习。”

圣若瑟国际小学的毕业生没有像新加坡小学毕业生必须参加的“小六离校考试”，但是在校六年，有不少的校内和校外评估。学校活泼生动的教学和重视学习方法的成效，可从每年参加的校外评估成绩看出学生的能力。

格兰特说：“每年我们的学生会参加由英国杜伦大学举办的网上评估，测试他们数学、阅读、写作和拼写能力，和英国及各地国际学校进行比较。我们用校内和校外的评估来了解学生的能力。”

和圣若瑟国际中学互动

圣若瑟国际小学学生毕业后多是直升进入就在隔邻的圣若瑟国际中学。两所学校之间没有围墙或篱笆，彼此共用教堂、体育馆和游泳池。格兰特说，中学部的学生经常前来协助小学部的学弟学妹，“他们有时提供学习辅导，有时一起进行大型活动或弥撒。不久前我们小五学生的一场体育比赛，中学部第9级的学生就来协助他们看管各个站点。”

叫得出每个学生的名字

今年是圣若瑟国际小学创办的第五个年头，学生人数已趋饱和，未来无可避免要考虑扩建，至于什么时候可以扩建还未知。格兰特说：“630人的学校在英国、澳大利亚算是一所大型学校，在新加坡则是小型学校。学生少，学校小是我们的特色，这让我可以记住每个学生的名字，认识每名学生的家长。这对学生来说很重要，他们感觉自己是在一个有‘明确身份’的环境里学习。如果在千多人的大学校，学生很容易就掉在茫茫大海。因此我觉得学校暂时维持现在的规模也不错，至少让我们有几年的时间去规划未来扩展后的方向。”

当格兰特带领《新学》记者参观校园时，她能得叫出学生的名字， 熟悉地介绍各个班级的特点和进展，让人感受到校长和学生之间的良好互动。这所学校虽小，却充满活力热情，在国际学校的基础架构上融入本地的特色，是新加坡国际学校的一道亮丽风景。

Louise Grant / 路易丝 • 格兰特

Mrs Louise Grant was born in Sydney, Australia, and holds a Master of Education from The University of Sydney. Mrs Grant commenced her teaching career in Sydney. Her first overseas posting was as the foundation Head of Primary at The Australian International School in Singapore in 1993. She joined the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur in 1996 and returned to Singapore in 2004, where she was the Senior Curriculum Coordinator for the Junior School at the United World College of South East Asia. In 2008, Mrs Grant joined SJI International as the Elementary School Principal.

格兰特在澳大利亚悉尼出生，在澳大利亚完成正规教育，拥有悉尼大学教育硕士学位。她的执教生涯始于悉尼。1993年移居新加坡，出任刚创办的新加坡澳大利亚学校的小学部主管。1997年在吉隆坡的爱丽丝史密夫国际学校任职。2004年回到新加坡，担任东南亚联合世界学院小学部的课程部高级协调员。2008年成为圣若瑟国际小学创校校长。