Promoting shared ownership of the school's VMV by all staff to achieve the school's strategic goals
Widen teaching staff's repertoire of 21st century pedagogies and assessment tools in delivering a future-oriented curriculum with authentic and engaging learning experiences
Strengthen teaching staff competencies in developing students to be principled leaders
Develop non-teaching staff service excellence in providing customer-centric support
Promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement through collaboration
ST3 Framework
Starting from the centre
PD (Professional Development) Committee strive to develop students who are principled and future-ready, demonstrating school values of responsibility, respect, resilience, integrity and compassion.
Emerging from the centre
Leveraging the ZSS ST3 Vision of “Aligned, Competent and Engaged Staff”, we recognised the synergy and teamwork of all personnel in the school to bring about such outcome, cascading from School Leaders, to Teachers and to all Non-Teaching Staff. The multi-faceted roles of the teachers are also captured: the Leader in leading the Classroom, the Educator in nurturing the whole child and the Staff in ensuring other areas of the school operations running
The Triangle
By putting in place structures of “Rewards and Recognition”, “Staff Well-being” and “Positive Work Environment”, this will lead to staff to “SAY” good things about the school and strive to “STAY” in the school.
Staff PD – Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) Initiative
The Singapore Curriculum Philosophy presents our teaching fraternity’s core beliefs about teaching and learning. These beliefs, which place every student at the heart of our educational decisions, guide the design and implementation of our curriculum.
We believe in holistic education.
We believe that every child wants to and can learn. We focus on children’s learning needs when designing learning experiences.
We believe that learning flourishes in caring and safe learning environments, when children construct knowledge actively, through the development of thinking skills and dispositions, and when assessment is used to address children’s learning gaps.
The Singapore Teaching Practice is a model that makes explicit how effective teaching and learning is achieved in Singapore schools. The STP is represented in the form of an orchid to reflect the Singapore context within which we practise our craft.
With MOE’s implementation of STP, our STs are regularly engaging our teachers in the sharing of various teaching areas of STP. Riding on the developmental model of peer observations of Area For Growth (AfG), the STs have been actively using STP Teaching areas to develop our teachers in their classroom practice professionally.
In channelling staff’s efforts to “STAY” and “STRIVE” for the school and developing “Aligned, Competent and Engaged Staff”, regular and periodic platforms of “Professional Learning & Development” and “Collaboration & Innovation” are put in place.
Underpinning the framework is the culture of care, reflective practice and continuous improvement culminating to staff “SAY” good things about the school and “STRIVE” for the school
Department Information
Vice Principal 2
Mr Phor Hoay Guan
Adviser to Staff Professional Development Committee
School Staff Developer
Mdm Chua Chiew Ping
Oversees Staff Professional Development and Staff Well-Being at School Level
Senior Teachers
Mr Cha Boon Hon Danny
Mdm Yeo Yen Hua
Mdm Yeo Siok Koon
Mdm Agnes Tan
Mdm Serene Howe
Mdm Tan Fong Yee
Mr Loy Suan Doong, Dennis
Mdm Tan Li-Er, Natalie
Implements STEM Mentoring and New Teachers Induction, champions staff competency development in subject mastery
Teachers
Mdm Tamilarasi
Assists in driving school-wide initiatives in promoting staff competencies in growth mindset, learning from others’ innovative practices and through visits of external organizations through various channels, notably staff learning journeys.
SWBC
Advisors
Mdm Yeo Yen Hua
Chairperson
Mdm Sharifah Nazihah
Members
Mr Andrew Kan
Mdm Sia Shangjie Jasmine
Mdm Sri Diana Subari
Mdm Serene Howe Joo-li
Programmes Highlights / Enrichment Activities
Staff Bonding Activity 2019
The staff participated in one of the 4 activities organized for them. For those who are more inclined physical activities, Muay Thai was the choice. Many of them had green fingers and understandably, with their nurturing disposition, were enjoying the Terrarium hands-on workshop.
Teachers learning some strokes in Muay Thai
Through making of their own individual terrarium, new bonds were forged
Our non-teaching staff, Susila, happy on her finished product. The simle on her face tells it all!
For those who preferred a moderate amount of physical activity in a different setting. We have Giant Uno game and a Biodiversity Guided Walk to bring them through the new Jurong Lake Gardens
The professional NPark guide bringing a group of teachers through the greenery of the new Jurong Lake Gardens
ZSS CSI Day 2019 Student Engagement with the Learning Process - What, Why and How?Keynote Address by Dr Chua Bee Leng, Senior LecturerAssociate Dean, Professional PracticeNational Institute of Education
Research has shown that student engagement plays a pivotal role in the development of positive student’s outcomes such as academic achievement and well-being.
This talk will provide an overview on student engagement and its different dimensions; discuss its important role in teaching and learning as well as developing students holistically; and share some strategies to nurture engagement in the classroom.
Sharing by Cluster School, Chua Chu Kang Secondary on “Promoting active transfer of knowledge afforded by Student Learning Space and other ICT tools in Chemistry”
Guided by the SLS Pedagogical Scaffold, the team designed various learning experiences that hope to bridge the gap between factual knowledge acquired on SLS or other ICT tools and the application of knowledge. This lesson package was developed for both Qualitative Analysis as well as Organic Chemistry.
In both lesson packages, acquisition of factual knowledge was achieved through Flipped Learning through SLS and other ICT tools. In the Qualitative Analysis lesson package, transfer of knowledge was reinforced through hands-on activities in the laboratory. The use of ICT allowed us to augment the way Qualitative Analysis and Practical Skills were taught by infusing Thinking Routines and Collaborative Learning in the process. In the Organic Chemistry lesson package, hands-on activities with models allow students to visualise molecules better while developing their spatial intelligence. Students would then use a card sort-mindmapping activity to consolidate their learning.
Teachers enjoying the hands on activity in one of the concurrent session – “Choose Your Own Adventure!”
Sharing by Chua Chu Kang Secondary on how they use models to help students understand the structures of polymers better
Concurrent Sessions
At least one project from most of the academic departments was represented for the concurrent sessions.
One of the concurrent session sharing was “Choose Your Own Adventure!” from the Physics PLC Team. The main focus of this project is to plan and create a lesson gamified using the idea of “Choose Your Own Adventure”. The team will also test the effectiveness of this lesson in increasing the knowledge of students in Physics using pretest and posttest.
We have set up a first class-based PLC team this year. The class 2T1 was identified and the team decided to work on restoring positive relations through peer mediation. It was reported that conflicts among the students were very common last year when the students were in secondary 1. Hence, there was a need to restore good relationships for the class to move forward and work well together. This will aid in improving their school experience and motivate them to look forward to coming to school. The project was a success as many subject teachers reported the positive transformation of the class when they were from Secondary One to Secondary Two.
We have another concurrent session by CCE PLC Team who explored how Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons centred on contemporary issues can develop students’ citizenship dispositions, operationalized as a sense of belonging, a sense of hope, and a sense of reality, culminating in the will to act.
Two CCE lesson packages that focused on inclusiveness for people with disabilities using the Secondary 2 Values In Action programme and the recent enactment of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) using the Secondary 3 Cyber Wellness programme were developed.
CCE PLC Team sharing on he Secondary 3 lesson package which was designed to familiarize students with POFMA through using relevant articles, independent research, role-play, and the circle of viewpoints facilitation strategy.
Our first class-based PLC project on using Restorative Practices in resolving conflicts amicably through peer mediation by using Restorative Practices (RP).
Gallery Walk
The teachers enjoying one of the app the Chem PLC Team used in the classroom to promote learning of writing chemical formulae. The process increases inquiring and problem solving skills, promotes critical, creative and higher-order thinking, encourage communication and collaboration and causes the students to be active learners, rather than passive recipients.
Gallery Walk
Edwin and Ming Hui sharing on how they use ICT in engaging students to program a weather station capable of capturing weather data suitable for testing a hypothesis during their Extended Curriculum lessons. This is in line with the Sec 3 Elective Geography curriculum and will give students practical experience with data collection using their Geographical Investigations training.
Staff Appreciation Lunch at Hotel Jen
On 5 Sep 2019, the Staff Well-being Committee organized a Staff Appreciation Lunch at Hotel Jen Tanglin with the theme ‘Pajamas’. The staff dressed up in different nightwear (presentable ones of course!), some came with soft toys and pillows!
There were various table games and performances by the new teachers and departments. Teachers were entertained amidst the sumptuous buffet spread.
Laughter and applause filled the place. The best dressed department went to Mathematics Department.
Zss Mentoring Programme
Mentoring is an enduring partnership in creative collaboration, professional growth and personal development.
One teacher in describing her mentor said, “No matter how much my little ship is tossed about, I know that there is a good strong anchor.”
Vallani, 1999
Besides the anchor, the mentor is like a lighthouse – guiding and showing the way.
The ZSS mentoring programme aims to help establish and navigate a mutually beneficial relationship between mentors and mentees that results in mentors building a community of learners and mentees becoming professionally competent as a teacher. This gives rise to a systematic approach to induct all teachers, especially beginning teachers, experienced teachers and key personnel, who are new to the school.
The beginning teachers will be assigned trained mentors who will guide them in job expectations and day-to-day operations, and coach them in developing skills and knowledge related to teaching and student management through activities such as observations of classroom lessons and reflective practice. The experienced teachers and key personnel will be assigned buddies who will help them to be familiarise with the school and how it operates.
Staff Bonding Activity - Kinball
One of the staff bonding activities that we have conducted in September 2016 was the Kinball session. Kinball is a game about teamwork, respect and inclusion. It is also an easy game to learn. Many of us played kinball for the first time and we enjoyed the game. Most importantly, we got to work out and interact and work with people from other departments. Some of them we hardly have time to interact in a causal and fun setting due to the day to day work commitment in school. Staff PD - Area For Development (AfD) Initiative
The above initiative was shared with the staff on 14 January 2016 to help teachers hone their teaching skills and improve on their craft through informal classroom observations. The staff were encouraged to zoom into several key focus areas based on their comfort level and to move towards aspects on how to make thinking visible and the use of appropriate questioning techniques in the classrooms. An AfD document detailing the focus areas meant for development of the beginning teachers and experienced teachers captures this spirit of learning with and through others’ critical lens. The senior teachers showed a video that they recorded to demonstrate how the process can be carried out namely the rich discussion with a critical friend post-lesson and the insights provided by this peer. This initiative is reviewed once every 6 months and has since run its course till late.
CSI Day Sharing by STs: Use of Effective Feedback to enhance Self-Directed Learning
This project was carried out by the senior teachers’ PLC over three terms in 2016. It was shared by the Senior Teachers team as one of the keynote presentation during the CSI day in November 2016.The project aims to find out about students’ perspective of the feedback given by their teachers on their written assignment. It also provides some bite-size suggestions that are workable in the class for teachers to consider. Using a questionnaire survey, students gave feedback about how they felt about the feedback given by the teachers. With the data collected, we worked on areas of improvement for the feedback given by teachers. We focused on four subject areas: English Language, Mathematics, Geography and Physic SPA. Our findings show that it is crucial to learn about how students view feedback given by teachers on their written assignment and how teachers can improve on the feedback giving process in a bid to bridge the teaching-learning gap.
At the end of the session, teachers were each given a printed postcard with reminders on how to make feedback effective and actionable.
CSI Nov 2016
The annual CSI (Create, Share, Innovate) Day is an important platform to showcase the professional development efforts of our staff in school. Through the PLC (Professional Learning Communities) projects, staff members work in teams with a sense of shared purpose and collegiality to seek continual improvement in closing teaching and learning gap. It also helps to build a culture of innovation and collaboration amongst our staff.
One of the learning teams sharing their project ideas with other staff members.
Our non-teaching staff sharing ideas and practices that promote organisational effectiveness in school.
Staff Bonding at Changi Civil Service Club
Zhenghua Secondary School Staff had a cohesion session at Changi Civil Service Club in 18 Nov 2016. In the early morning we arrived at the newly renovated Changi Civil Service and was given a guided tour. The event was fully sponsored by the Changi Civil Service Club to promote their new facilities. The personnel showed us the various new chalets available there and the swimming pool was next to the sea! What a beautiful sight….
The newly renovated chalets were so mesmerising to be in it, the surrounding ambience is unbeatable, feels like we are in overseas hotels on vacation!
We had a non-competitive bowling session at the newly renovated bowling alley, by courtesy of Changi Civil Service Club. The place was spacious and posh, feel like going into a wonderland.
Our staff enjoyed the session very much, they also got to know each other better through the sporting activity and the interactions.
Year-end Staff Appreciation Lunch at Crown Plaza Changi
On 18 Nov 2016, the Staff Well-being Committee held a Staff Appreciation Lunch at Crown Plaza Hotel with the theme ‘The Kampung Days’. The teachers and staff members took the effort to dress creatively to reminiscent the theme of the day. Many of the male staff came in ‘singlet and shorts’ while the female staff dressed in Sarong Kabayas and other traditional costumes. Some of the staff members went to the elaborate extent of dressing up as villagers, labourers and school students completed with a wide range of accessories and props.
The most entertaining part of the lunch was the performance put up by the teachers and staff members that left many in stitches and happy tears. Wonderful renditions of familiar and much-loved songs from long ago and meticulously planned skits offered the audience a thoroughly humorous and delightful afternoon. Indeed, the Appreciation Lunch was another successful event that the staff and teachers of ZSS will treasure in their memories.
Chinese New Year (CNY) Lo Hei 2017
The Staff Well-Being Committee organised a CNY staff Lo Hei session on Feb 7 to welcome the Year of Rooster. We hope the Lunar New Year can bring about greater happiness and advancement for all students and staff of ZSS. “Huat Ah!” It was indeed a joyous and spontaneous bonding activity for all teachers and staff members.
Training by the STs: Integrating Talk with Writing in Subject Classrooms 2017
The Senior Teachers conducted the workshop on 7 February 2017 for teachers to gain a deeper understanding of how talk and writing can be integrated in various subjects to promote students engagement and enhance learning in the classrooms. The 3 hour long workshop provided participants hands-on strategies to scaffold student’s writing based on subject specific concepts and skills through the 5 focus and 8 talk moves such as using talk to clarify or analyse and interpret information.
