Inspiring the Next Generation

Inspiration sometimes hits when you least expect it. For School of Engineering Lecturer Udayakumar, his many interactions with WorldSkills Competition participants, as a chair for the Technical Working Group of the Mechatronics Skills category first sparked his interest in teaching!

Intrigued by RP’s unique Problem-Based Learning approach, Udaya joined SEG where he has been sharing his wealth of knowledge and experiences with his students. It wasn’t easy learning how to teach at first, but he honed his skills over time and today finds fulfilment in seeing his students graduate and chase their dreams. He even attended the wedding of one of his former students!

As an RP lecturer, Udaya has many proud moments with his students and he fondly shared one of them:

“It was really heartening to hear from an alumni that the guidance he received during the WorldSkills competition has helped him to perform his job as a Licensed Aircraft Engineer more effectively.”

After a day of teaching, Udaya unwinds by spending valuable time with his family. They enjoy watching Indian Classical performances; something which his daughter enjoys so much that she was inspired to pick up the Veena, a classical Indian musical instrument.

Learning Never Stops

School of Applied Science lecturer Kaelyn Tan embodies the spirit of lifelong learning. From trying her hand at pottery and painting, to learning to play the cello and honing photography and videography skills, this Pharmaceutical Science lecturer believes that learning never stops. Learning to do these things has allowed her to step into the shoes of a student again.

Kaelyn also leveraged the use of social media to connect and interact with students in some of her lessons. She made a sleek introduction video of herself for her classes and even created an Instagram account for this purpose. Kaelyn shared:

“I still believe there is potential to enhance learning and make it more accessible for our students in areas where they are at which is currently social media. But that requires us to gain awareness of where these often undiscovered opportunities lie.”

For Kaelyn, teaching is a two-way street. While her students learn more about pharmaceutical science from her, she learns to better understand what makes her Gen Z students tick! This helps her feel a better connection to them and understand their needs to become better students.

Going Beyond The Classroom

SWhat started with fiddling with a home hi-fi system turned into a successful career in audio engineering for School of Technology for the Arts, Republic Polytechnic Senior Lecturer, Lavanath Shanmugam. Lavanath has worked at many gigs, both locally and internationally. In one of these gigs, he was even the live audio mix engineer for one of his favourite artists, multiple Grammy Award winner and Canadian musician David Foster!

Lavanath’s industry experience has taught him to be a meticulous and resilient educator. In his 14 years as an RP lecturer, Lavanath advocates the use of authentic learning, where students get first-hand experience working in the industry. He works to give plenty of such opportunities to his students from the Diploma in Sonic Arts, allowing them to learn from industry experts and professional events. Thanks to Lavanath, five of them had the chance to work as audio and backline crew in MediaCorp’s Vasantham Live 2019 Concert.

Sharing about his approach to teaching, Lavanath said:

“Beyond the classroom, I seek opportunities for students to develop their potential, by involving them in most of the professional events I get to service or know of through my networks. My networks allow me to feel the pulse of the industry first hand, so I can use this as one of the ways to ensure that our training and education is industry-relevant. This way, our students get to experience first-hand, the expectations of the industry and enjoy opportunities to reinforce their skills.”

A Different Teaching Approach

School of Infocomm senior lecturer Sharon Tan used to see the world in ones and zeros (ie binary code). With her IT background, Sharon was trained to solve any problem with precision and logic; there were only yes and no answers. However, she began to feel like something was missing and turned to a more abstract way of looking at the world through art.

Getting into art has taught the Diploma in Financial Technology lecturer that not everything is black or white, but that there are different shades, which makes life more interesting. Art has taught Sharon that there can be multiple solutions to a single problem and that she may have to adopt different teaching approaches for different students. “It’s just like abstract art, the same piece but it speaks differently to different individuals, depending on their character and even mood at that moment,” explains Sharon.

She shares how it was a challenge when she first picked up the paintbrush during an Abstract Art course. When confronted with the blank canvas, she had no idea how to begin. Sharon said, “My teacher had to come over and take the brush from my hand and drop it on the canvas with paint, then I could start!”

"Food for Thought"

School of Management and Communication lecturer Benjamin Tan gives new meaning to the phrase giving his students “food for thought”. On top of preparing them for their future careers, Benjamin, who is an avid photographer shares that his photos of food have sparked many a discussion with his students. “They will ask where did you buy this?, is it nice?, and so on. This gives me the chance to chat more with them and to get to know them better,” shares Benjamin.

Benjamin believes that on top of allowing him to relax and unwind, photography has allowed him to see the world from different perspectives, which he can then share with his students. He also believes that both his love for photography and music helps to keep his creative juices flowing, which is an important aspect of being an educator. “As teachers or lecturers, we constantly need to ensure that our students are engaged in their lessons,” explains Benjamin.

Benjamin also shares that one of the things he likes the most about RP students is their willingness to learn. “They’re eager to learn and willing to put in their best effort despite the challenges they have faced in life” he adds.

The Importance of Character Building

Before joining RP, School of Sports, Health and Leisure Senior Lecturer Allan Lee helped create two first-of-their-kind, adventure facilities for children at Outward Bound Singapore (OBS). He helped transform the East Coast campsite into an exciting adventure centre with an artificial tunnel and maze to simulate caving activity, and a continuous belay system for children to safely move from one obstacle to another!

Inspired by his father, a former teacher and discipline master, and hoping to nurture future trainers, Allan decided to become a lecturer for our Diploma in Outdoor Adventure Learning. In this role, Allan gives his all to shape his students into knowledgeable and reliable trainers, fit to teach Adventure Learning participants. He even got certified as a Cycling Trainer so that he could take his students on cycling expeditions as part of their module!

Allan shares:

“Knowledge and skills are easy to develop. I hope my students become aware that challenges are what builds the character of a successful person. Everyone can do well in the things that they like; it is those who have the perseverance and discipline to do well in things that they don’t like have a higher chance of success in life.”