Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle

A ‘Strange’ Phenomenon:

I stood there witnessing something which is a rare sight these days — kids, on their own accord, excitedly walking to the bookshelves to pick out books for reading. As I waited, I peered in further. There, I saw the range of books ranging from classics, modern thrillers to general knowledge books. There is even a range of books catered for the GEP (Gifted Education Program) learners.

How It Began For Us:

Yes, our daughter has been part of The Learning Lab or ‘TLL’ for short, for close to 2 years now. As working parents who don’t have credible home support, we do not want her to idle her time away. So our initial intent was to find good enrichment programmes to occupy her when she’s back from school.

However, the experience and results of what our daughter has achieved have surpassed our expectations. She has become a learner, more so than just a student.

Tuition Centers?

Finding a center that properly nurtures young learners is not easy. Most are ‘tuition’ agencies that teach rote learning with the sole aim to help students ace their exams. Beyond academic success, we wanted our daughter to be a learner — someone with an insatiable curiosity to discover; someone can learn independently, overcome challenges and feel motivated to pursue growth.

So, I’ll be upfront about it — our daughter loves attending TLL lessons. So much so that at times when her school schedules clash with the TLL lessons, she feels disappointed having to miss them.

So how does TLL do it?

I believe TLL instills the love for learning through the following:

Cultivating Curiosity:

Children are naturally curious. Which means, they are natural learners. TLL builds on this intrinsic curiosity by curating relevant current world affair issues and incorporating interesting methodologies (such as games, discussions, videos, experiments) to stimulate kids’ curiosity and in so doing, help them learn, retain and apply knowledge. Lessons are never mundane as teachers use student-centric approaches: plenty of board work, group / pair work, peer evaluation, round-robin answers etc. More importantly, TLL teachers encourage children to ask questions and apply logical-rational thinking to solve problems.

Building Confidence:

As a learner at TLL, our daughter has access to:

• Fun, engaging, positive, safe classroom environment where she feels comfortable and happy to speak up, share ideas, receive feedback, make progress.
• Experienced and approachable teachers who track her development and provide regular updates to us through the TLL online parents’ portal.
• High-quality content based on well-researched, authentic sources from Singapore and international context, yet relevant to her daily experiences.
• MOE-approved curriculum that is designed and pitched to students’ learning needs.
• Interesting, out-of-classroom topics that broaden her general knowledge and stretch her academic ability.
• Books that are specially curated and listed by genres and reading levels. In fact, all TLL centers have well-stocked libraries that encourage children to browse and borrow freely (very very few enrichment centres have that!).

Developing Competencies:

TLL devotes time to equip students with essential skills which, when mastered from as young as Primary One, can set the good foundation for a happy and pain-free learning process.  For our daughter, she is taught:

• Good Study Habits: Learning how to take greater ownership of her own work, becoming a more responsible, independent and self-motivated learner.
• File Closure Skills: Teachers go through the worksheets every term with them and guide her doing in file closure.
• Time Management Skills: Managing time for multiple sets of homework (from school and from enrichment), for reading and for play. 
• Exam Skills: She learns how to pace herself in exams, which types of questions to answer first and how to check her work for errors.
• Communication Skills: TLL places heavy emphasis on developing the kids’ communication skills. Our daughter does so much oral presentations in class that she’s become very comfortable at it.  These opportunities help her learn from her peer’s strengths and provide platforms to receive feedback for improvement.

Upper Primary and Beyond

As our daughter starts her Upper Primary education this week, it is even more critical that her learning go beyond that of a student trying to master exam techniques, to that of someone who is genuinely passionate about the mastery of knowledge. With the support she receives from TLL and the evidence we have seen in how she is so stoked to learn, we think she is on the right track.

Someone said that a true test of a good school is where the kids not only skips home after school but also skips happily TO school. Our daughter has always skipped happily to her TLL lessons. While there are many enrichment centers, few truly enrich learning.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch

TLL’s Back to School Promotion

Give your child the best start to 2018. Take advantage of The Learning Lab‘s “Back to School” Enrolment Incentives!

*Enrol in a core programme and start by Tuesday, 16 January 2018 to receive a rebate of $200 into Term 2 – 2018 fees.
*Only applicable at Tampines Mall, Tampines Point, Choa Chu Kang Centre, Westgate and JEM

**Enrol in a core programme and start by Tuesday, 16 January 2018 to receive a waiver of the first lesson fees in Term 2 – 2018.
**Only applicable at Rochester Mall, United Square and Marine Parade Central.

Sign Up Here: http://tll.sg/2lGVGYf

For more details, visit The Learning Lab‘s official website: https://www.thelearninglab.com.sg/ or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLearningLabSingapore