Take a peek into any school event at Chatsworth International School and you will see a sea of green, yellow and red. Adorned by students – and sometimes teachers and other staff, this myriad of colours signify the school house system. Established across primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels, this arrangement is a unique and invaluable aspect of student life at Chatsworth.

Historically, the school house system was implemented in British schools, particularly full boarding schools in England. This practice is now common in many international schools in Singapore and around the world. A school house system comes with many intrinsic benefits for both the students and the school, including fostering a sense of belonging and providing more opportunities outside of academic work. 

How does this system enrich the lives of our students? Let us dive deeper into the school house system at Chatsworth International School.

Our School House System

All students and teaching staff of Chatsworth are assigned to one of the three Houses: Changi, Sentosa and Raffles. Each House comprises students from all levels, ensuring diversity and inclusivity at every turn. Our house system is deeply rooted in every aspect of school life, inspiring House members to strive towards a common goal and at the same time working for their personal ones. The point system also allows the school to award participants who demonstrate good work, sportsmanship, commendable citizenship, among other attributes.

Siblings are also administered into the same House, which allows for better orientation and familiarity. For example, a secondary school student can help a younger sibling in primary school get acquainted with the school functions in a more effective and positive manner.

Benefits of being in a Chatsworth House

Apart from forging a greater sense of identity, our school house system offers several benefits for our students.

Fostering stronger identity 

Through adopting its own theme and identity, the Houses within our house system serve to create a sense of belonging and identity among members. Students will be made to feel right at home by participating in a series of team building activities such as helping out in school events. In doing so, they develop a sense of belonging and quickly overcome their fear of being left out – a feeling which is common when students join a new school.

Building new ties

The sense of camaraderie and friendship is what our school is trying to develop. From the annual Sports Day to service learning outside of campus, the house system allows Houses to intermingle and team up together – albeit sometimes with a little friendly competition. These newly formed ties can be crucial to any student, especially those who are new to the school. Other opportunities include engagement activities such as field trips and community building programmes.

Cultivating leadership

Within a House, students can undertake several roles – including leadership ones – to help them contribute and make a difference. The House Captains work with teacher mentors to develop their leadership and organising House events and programmes. Being a House representative can help to drive stewardship and encourage participation.

Be Part of This Enriching Experience

There is no doubt that each of these aspects have created high performing individuals and developed leaders of tomorrow. Our school house system is an ode to the school spirit and ethos, infused within the lives of all our students. With a long standing history and tradition ingrained within each House, this system has been effective in fostering closer ties amongst students, enhancing learning and building a greater sense of belonging and school culture here at Chatsworth. 

As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, our students are treated to an enlightening journey that is both rewarding and innovative. Through our programmes, they will inevitably be part of a community apart from themselves and carve a path to become bright global citizens.

Whether primary or middle school, being a part of Chatsworth International School will be an exciting experience for every student. Book a campus tour to see our Houses in action today.

Education is not always limited to studying from textbooks. Outside of school, the world is a classroom which holds an expanse of valuable lessons and life experiences. For students, a wholesome curriculum can help them become responsible and respectful individuals – and one of the best ways is through service learning.

In essence, service learning is deeply rooted in community building. For example, activities are centred around encouraging civic-centric engagement such as community outreach theatre and recycling programmes. 

Benefits of Service Learning

Service learning supports the theory-based curriculum the students learn in school. Through hands-on projects guided by professional teachers, students will be able to apply what they have learned in the classroom to practical settings outside of it. There are several benefits of service learning, including:

Enhancing academic outcomes

According to research, service learning has a positive impact on the academic outcomes of students in areas such as critical thinking, problem solving and other cognitive development. This is because students are often exposed to economic, social, environmental and other real-world problems which they must try to solve. This helps them develop critical thinking skills – by analysing the information they have gathered to make evaluations and judgements.

Additionally, service learning engages different knowledge and skill sets. For example, students can train their diction by reading out loud to the elderly in a care home, or be part of an ocean cleanup while learning more about oceans and marine life in general. Because service learning requires students to think outside of the traditional boundaries of academic studies, they become more adept at interpreting and applying what they have learned.

Developing important life skills

Away from academic achievements, service learning also develops students both on a personal and professional level. Often, students must communicate effectively with other team members or learn to collaborate with people from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicity, strengths and abilities. In fact, service learning can have a profound effect on the student’s school life as it forges new relationships between the school and the community at large.

Everyone from students to teachers to community members form part of this memorable process of learning. As a result, they each develop a sense of belonging and meaning in their role in society.

Examples of Service Learning Activities

At Chatsworth International School, our students are exposed to a wide range of activities to give them a chance to give back to their community. Some of these activities are:

-  Art based activities such as designing posters

-  Community interactions such as helping other students at school and beyond

-  Social driven campaigns such as food and clothing donation drives

-  School based programmes such as offering recycling support

As an institution which focuses on bettering the space our students live in, we frequently encourage acts of kindness and other community service to give back to the community. We have also partnered with several adopted charities such as Blue Dragon, Caring for Cambodia and Food Bank Singapore to give the students a chance to contribute to those in Singapore and beyond. 

A Holistic Education For All

Service learning plays an important role in our academic structure. It is an amazing tool for students to gain valuable experiences and learn fundamental concepts such as sharing and helping others. By giving them practical insights into the community and community needs, students would be able to problem solve and apply what they have learned in school, a critical life skill to take away even after they leave the school.

Students at Chatsworth International School are given rich opportunities at every turn. In the Middle Years Programme (MYP), service learning becomes part of their core curriculum where they can choose from a list of service groups at the start of the school year. At the Diploma level, students must also meet the core requirements of Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) before they are able to graduate.

Through our enriching programmes, students will inevitably get to experience a world outside of themselves and foster a mindset which will bring them to becoming enlightened and responsible global citizens. Contact us to find out more about our holistic educational approach, or book a campus tour to see some of them in action.

Not long ago, art education was considered as a leisure activity – something to be enjoyed as a hobby or to while away time. Today, art has become an important part of our everyday lives. We see it in the clothes we wear, the dishes we tuck into, and the technology we use.

In the classroom and beyond, art education allows students to express themselves creatively and teaches them to become confident individuals. In fact, participating in art helps cultivate positive civil and social behaviours.

Art education is important in any form of holistic education. Art is fun, but there is no doubt that it also helps children grow on many fundamental levels. But why is art education so important in schools?

It enhances development

One of the most important skills that are developed through art is fine motor development. Arts and crafts such as painting, cutting, and drawing helps to improve hand-eye coordination, especially in young children. Apart from increasing physical dexterity, it also aids in language development.

Art is not limited to simply painting or drawing, and activities in the art room can include group projects or show-and-tell sessions. For students, this can help them develop effective communication skills.

It improves intelligence

According to research, art does make one smarter. In the two-year long study, it was found that students who learn art showcased stronger critical thinking skills than those who did not.

The secret lies in how art is taught and practised. Every artwork is unique to its creator, and students who learn art are taught how to make their own choices and problem-solve if a method fails. Knowing and appreciating art in different forms also helps them interpret, process, and analyse abstract information better.

It builds social awareness

In school, art is largely a collaborative process – with the teachers’ guidance and students learning to work in groups. Even something as simple as sharing a palette of paint encourages everyone to be helpful and cooperating. Participating in art education from a young age helps children learn about teamwork, empathy, and how to regulate their emotions. In one of the projects at Chatsworth where students worked collaboratively, the Year 10 students drew a portrait, inspired by the work of illustrator Mica Angela Hendricks, that was then passed to the Year 1 students. After the Year 1 students added bodies and other subject matter, the work was returned to the Year 10's to unify and complete with water colours.

Art education is also a great way to introduce the unique cultures and traditions around the world. This helps to grow cultural awareness which can be beneficial in situations where people from different backgrounds get together.

It creates confidence

Art education allows students to express their thoughts and feelings in a healthy manner. Being able to share opinions and ideas in a classroom setting and display their works via external platforms also helps to boost their self-esteem and confidence. Art education can engage all five senses, and this also makes understanding complex concepts much easier. Every year, Chatsworth student artworks are selected for display at the International Schools Arts Exhibition (IN Art) where hundreds of students in international schools in Singapore exhibited their paintings, sculptures, drawings, collages, video art and more. Our student art pieces are also showcased at the Visual Arts exhibition held on campus where our community can visit and celebrate the achievements of our talented arts students.

Reap the Benefits of Art Education With Chatsworth

At Chatsworth International School, we value the importance of art education. Through integrating art with other disciplines, our students are able to better understand the curriculum and fall in love with learning along the way. At the primary school level, we offer ample opportunities for self-expression to develop confident young learners. Even through the middle school years and higher, our students will be equipped with skills gained through such artistic exposure.

As a private International Baccalaureate (IB) school, our programmes in Singapore will give our students a holistic learning experience. Chatsworth is honoured to be the winner of the Best Art Program award in the HoneyKids Education Awards 2021 and the Highly Commended Best School for the Arts award in the WhichSchoolAdvisor (Singapore) Best School Awards 2022. The awards are testaments to the emphasis and value of art education we place here at Chatsworth. From visual arts to drama to the many arts-related events and programmes, every Chatsworth student will be able to reap the benefits of art education in more ways than one. Our campus is also designed to inspire and enhance the educational journey.

Find out more about the arts at Chatsworth and how we inspire, educate, and enlighten our students, or book a tour of our campus today.

Over the course of my career teaching the visual arts I have come to be more judicious about telling students to “draw with your eyes, not with your hand”. One must be mindful of direct translation, especially in a non-native English speaking environment.  What I am trying to convey to students is to draw what they see, not what they think they see. In other words, to ‘draw’ with their eyes, not with their minds.

It’s very easy to draw what our intellect tells us something looks like, as opposed to what our eyes are actually seeing. The majority of students subconsciously draw what they know, not what they see. This is most obvious when working with young children.

It did not matter if it was a classroom in the United States, Vietnam, Argentina, or one of the world’s most vertical cities (Hong Kong), when I asked children to draw their house they all presented almost identical structures. You know the house already. You can envision it, because you are drawing from your mind, like they did - a triangle atop a square, with a door, a few windows, and usually a chimney. Either many of these works depicted a house in a cold climate, or I have had a fair share of child arsonists, because nearly all of the aforementioned chimneys emanated smoke. I never spotted a chimney in Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc., or so many identical houses with the omnipresent vertical and horizontal support structures in each window. Nonetheless, what students presented was their house.

(Example of a child’s house drawing, Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures)

You might think this would differ if the students draw directly from observation, but it does not, because they still draw what they know instead of what they see. They have not yet developed the skill of acute visual analysis. Give a 4-year-old a mirror and set them up to draw a self-portrait.  Before you finish passing out materials, others will have finished. What will this masterpiece be? Two dots for eyes, a curved line for a mouth, and four appendages (limbs) radiating from a circle that serves as, both, the head and entire torso. Most will have hair, some will have noses, few will have ears. This is when I begin probing for more careful visual analysis. After we address the missing neck and so on, to elicit a reaction and more keen anatomisation, I tell the children that they all have hair on their face! After some objections, and student-made comments about my own facial hair, they agree with the more discerning analysis of their face, and all add eyebrows to their portraits.

(Example of a child's self-portrait, Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures)

At the secondary level, this propensity to draw from the mind is also assessed formatively by watching students' eyes predominantly affix on their drawing surfaces instead of the subject matter they are illustrating. I interrupt and encourage students to critically analyse the subject so as to circumvent their eyes from being deceived by their perception and acumen. As said by Andy Warhol, "Perception precedes reality".  When using critical observation, students' eyes share time looking at the subject matter and their drawing surface. Their eyes dash back and forth, guiding their hand.

Interested in this phenomenon and eager to show students the results of this practice, I conducted a ‘study’ where students were first simply asked to draw a binder clip from observation. Their approach and methodology was completely unguided and independent. Some students decided to suggest areas of light and dark (value) in their work, while others ended with contour line drawings.

(Student work - Alex, Braylon, Lincoln, Tate, unguided binder clip drawings, Year 7)

The following lesson students were led by teacher instruction, much of which consistently emphasised the importance of visual analysis while remaining cognisant of our deceptive minds.  A binder clip was placed directly in front of each student and not allowed to be moved. This helps to eliminate the distance the eye has to travel between the drawing surface and the subject matter. It also provides a consistent viewing angle. Drawing subject matter that moves is exponentially more difficult than their inanimate counterparts, however, many students cause their object to shift by constantly observing from slightly different angles (i.e. moving themselves).  Sometimes students sit upright, while other times they crouch over. This inconsistency invites adversity. It changes perspective, proportion, light, and much more.

Students' mark-making was constantly challenged and questioned in order to continuously evaluate if marks made were based on what they see, or assume. At times, areas of the binder clip were not visible to the student, but evident in their drawing. This obviously causes the work to look inaccurate. When drawing from observation, if you cannot see it, do not draw it. It sounds obvious, but the mind can be deceitful when it comes to perception.

Values were broken down into three: light, mid, and dark. To simplify and reduce the visual information present, the classroom lights were turned off so that the window served as the single source of light. The analysis of value progressed from identifying highlights to ultimately looking at a variety of shadows and reflected light. Observing these minute details and ‘seeing like an artist’ is what allows one to achieve accuracy and likeness in their work. When it comes to portraits, this is the difference between recognising and capturing the different shape, size, and proportion of one person's eye versus others.
 

(Student work - Alex, Braylon, Lincoln, Tate,, guided drawing of a binder clip, Year 7)

In the end there is not a consensus in the art community surrounding the idea of simply drawing what you see. Many are quick to acknowledge the importance of basing what you see on the knowledge of what you know, within the structure of your subject matter. For example, having knowledge and understanding of human anatomy facilitates more accurate figure drawings, and should not be ignored.

Ultimately, ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’ work in conjunction, hence the importance of the transfer of learning. In any case, the next time you have an opportunity, try to analyse your field of vision with greater critical analysis. Observe, and experience the world like an artist.

Find out more about the arts at Chatsworth and how we inspire, educate, and enlighten our students, or book a tour of our campus today.

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Sources cited

Ltd, B. (n.d.). Children’s Person Drawing Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures. Copyright (c) 2007 - 2022 by Bobek Ltd. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=37873&picture=childrens-person-drawing

Ltd, B. (n.d.-a). Children In Yard Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures. Copyright (c) 2007 - 2022 by Bobek Ltd. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=56144&picture=children-in-yard

Nicolaïdes Kimon. (2021). The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study. Souvenir Press.

Edwards, Betty. (2016). Drawing on the right side of The brain: The definitive, 4th edition. Souvenir Press Ltd.

Andy Warhol quote. (n.d.). QuoteNova.Net; www.quotenova.net. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.quotenova.net/authors/andy-warhol/q6k3ag

Because literature is a reflection of humanity, one of the questions teachers always ask themselves is, what lifelong learning do we want students to gain from the study of one text?

As part of studying the work Kitchen by Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto, the first year School-Supported Self-Taught students at Chatsworth International School interviewed three Japanese women from different generations to gather a better understanding of social and cultural contexts in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s. Then students wrote a news article in their mother tongue language to discuss the prompt Perspectives on global issues in Japan during the 1990s through Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen. The global issues present in Yoshimoto’s work and discussed in class are the generational gap between traditional and modern Japan, gender conventions and the unconventional family in Japan.  

News article in French by Lilo

News article in Japanese by Minami

News article in Spanish by Bruno

Students feel that interviewing Japanese women who were a teenager, a young woman and a mother during the early 1990s enabled them to “better relate to the main character while gaining knowledge of the social context in a way that is motivating” (Ryan), “gain a more personal insight on the realities of the lifestyles and social norms in the late 20th century Japan” (Lilo), “to better understand perspectives on political, cultural and social contexts in the early 90s in Japan (Justin), and to “understand the value of literature in capturing and conveying past events and the human experience of them” (Bruno). 

Through this task, students explored the triadic reciprocality presented in Kitchen, the ways in which we both are influenced by and influence our environments. They developed their critical thinking skills in their mother tongue language and enhanced their metacognitive skills and experience. Such tasks increase students' motivation because they feel they own their learning, they feel they are in control of their knowledge and of the process of acquiring knowledge. 

When we consider that learning is also interpreting and understanding the realities of our world through different ways and perspectives, studying literature is then exploring the uniqueness of human beings and paradoxically understanding and appreciating the diversities of humanity. 

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 ¹Diploma Programme students studying literature in their mother tongue languages. The IB Diploma requires that students in the School-Supported Self-Taught course study three works in translation; books are studied in their mother tongue but written in a different language. In the Self-Taught course, students mostly work independently, they receive support on a weekly basis from a DP Literature teacher and from a Mother Tongue tutor. 

Bibliography

Carré, P. (2004). Bandura : une psychologie pour le XXIe siècle ?. Savoirs (vol. , no. 5), (pp.) 9-50. Paris: Cairn International. 

Churchill, R. (2013). Teaching : making a difference (2nd ed. ed.). Milton, Qld.: Milton, Qld. : John Wiley and Sons.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. In C. Ebooks (Ed.), (pp. 22-38). London ; New York: London ; New York : Routledge.

Marsh, C. J., Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). How students develop and learn. In C. J. Marsh & S.  Pittaway (Eds.), Marsh's Becoming a Teacher. (Edition 6. ed., pp. 31-54): Frenchs Forest, NSW : Pearson Australia.

Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, K. (2016b). Motivation in learning and teaching. In K. a. Margetts (Ed.), Educational psychology. (4th edition. ed., pp. 351-391): Melbourne, VIC : Pearson Australia.

What does the future hold for us all? People who asked this question in the early 1900s certainly did not do too well with their predictions. Answers such as moving sidewalks, living in floating airships and tomatoes becoming square fell very wide of the mark. When we are asked to give our predictions of what the future holds for our children/students we are also likely to be as incorrect as the people of the early 1900s. What we can make accurate predictions about though are the life skills that our students need to be equipped with for success in this unknown future. 

Type ‘what are life skills’ into a search engine and you will be met with an array of numbers saying how many life skills there are, 5, 8, 10? 48 was the largest number I found, 3 the smallest.  For the sake of this blog I will focus on 2 life skills we teach in our pastoral programme at Chatsworth International School, why they are important and how we teach them. 

Organisation 

I once had a friend who was a truly brilliant musician, give him any instrument and he could play it, ask him to write a song on the spot and he would produce a great composition, put him on a stage and he had a magnetism that was undeniable, set him a deadline ans......he would miss it. We both got the chance to audition at the same university where competition for places was fierce, people asked if I was worried about auditioning against him, I was not as I knew he wouldn't make the audition. To get to the audition involved setting an alarm for 5am to get on a train that you had to pre book a ticket for whilst bringing along the right equipment for the audition. My friend's lack of organisation skills meant that achieving all three of these things was unlikely, he actually fell at the first hurdle by not setting his alarm and missing the train he didn’t have a ticket for. 

As this story shows, all the talent in the world will not save you from poor organisation skills and one of the first organisation skills we teach our students at Chatsworth is how to structure their day. Step one of this is to know where you need to be then be there on time with the right equipment. When our new Year 7 cohort moves up to secondary school we walk them round the school showing them where their classrooms are, we go through the timings of the school day so they understand when things happen and then we talk them through what they need for each lesson. From this basic foundation we build getting students to look at how to organise their workload by using their planners, how to plan in advance by looking at and understanding a calendar and how to organise and run events as part of the school’s Service programme. For our students who go into the Square Tomato industry or any other industry the organisation skills we work on with them at Chatsworth will prove vital. 

Interpersonal skills  

Eric Cantona was one of the finest footballers to ever grace the Premier League and wore the famous number 7 shirt for Manchester United, part genius, part madman, part footballer, part artist. Anyone of a certain age who saw him play in his prime will tell you just how good he was. However one of the most interesting parts of Cantona’s story isn’t his success at Manchester United but the failures that littered his career before and during his time at United. 

In the 10 years before his move to Manchester, Cantona played for 7 different clubs, all of his spells at these clubs involved controversy, disaster and him leaving under a dark cloud. When he joined Manchester United he had initial success then another disaster, his infamous Kung Fu kick on a spectator. 

(Challies, 2021)

After the Kung Fu kick the common assumption was his United career, if not his football career, was over. No one could see a way back for him and nothing could save him.

Only that wasn’t the case, he did come back for United, Captaining the side and helping them to win two back to back titles. So how was his fall into the abyss halted, how was his career not just saved but resurrected to new heights? 

The answer is simple, interpersonal skills: his manager Alex Ferguson stuck by Cantona throughout the Kung Fu kick controversy and subsequent six month ban from football. He knew just what Cantona needed for support alongside how far he could admonish the player so he would reflect and change his ways rather than become resentful and bitter. 

As the Cantona story shows, great interpersonal skills are a vital skill for success in life. The ability to bring the best out of others and help them when they are in need will always be valued and highly sought after. According to Victoria University Research Fellows Esther Doecke and Quentin Maire, the development of 21st century skills in schools is most likely to be nurtured by deliberate approaches to teaching and learning, where students are given rich and varied opportunities and contexts within which to improve them. Through our pastoral programme at Chatsworth International School we strive to offer students multiple opportunities to work on their interpersonal skills. Examples of this included giving students structured free time where they are encouraged to disconnect from technology and spend time making connections with their peers. We also run team building challenges where students learn to work together and compromise alongside developing students communication skills through discussion and debate. 

All students at Chatsworth International School will be given the opportunity to develop the two life skills focused on here alongside many other life skills such as decision making, creative thinking and problem solving. By helping our students develop these skills we are helping to future proof them and prepare them for success later in life. 

Sources 

Challies, J. (2021, April 27). Manchester United Great Cantona shares regret from infamous Kung-Fu Kick. Manchester Evening News. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-eric-cantona-kick-20466384   

ACER (2019, June 4). Developing and assessing interpersonal skills. Retrieved 27 May 2022, fromhttps://www.acer.org/au/discover/article/developing-and-assessing-interpersonal-skills.