Recently, the Singapore Mass Rapid and Transit (SMRT), that is responsible for the MRT in Singapore, began airing in its stations and trains, a well-known local TV character as the teacher of basic courteous behavior for its MRT commuters. In a rap-like “musical” video, the TV character, Phua Chu Kang exhorts MRT commuters to stand away from the opening doors of the trains, give up their seats for elderly and pregnant and so on. It may seem strange to a foreigner to do this but the “exhortation-style of teaching” is fairly common in Singapore schools too.

Recently, and example of this teach by exhortation was revealed in Facebook. A teacher friend of mine was lamenting how difficult it was to teach her students to think deeply. This was a perfectly legitimate lament. However, soon there were others who chipped to say that it is not difficult as all my friend had to do was to tell her students that they will fail if they cannot answer the question which require deeper thinking and added that it always worked! And this is supposed to be many years after the teaching of thinking skills has been introduced to Singapore schools by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

I am frankly ashamed and indeed appalled by such a response form someone who is a teacher in a school in Singapore. I guess I felt appalled because I know that this is not an isolated instant of the kind of teaching practices that goes on in Singapore schools. To say that students can think better by just threatening them with failure, is tantamount to telling a drowning man that he better swim harder or he will drown. Absurd isn’t it?

Yet such an approach is used everyday in schools in Singapore. Students are told to behave well but not taught how to. For example, they are told must not fight with one another but are not taught skills to manage their anger. Students are told to write better but little time is given to serious teaching of good writing skills. They are even told to work harder to get better results but are not taught proper study techniques and skills. And as in the example above, students are expected to learn to think through some invisible osmotic process.

Obviously all the above seldom, if ever, work. But teaching by exhortation will continue to be one of the accepted ways fo teaching in Singapore. After all, the government in Singapore always exhorts Singaporeans to work harder. It is believed this is how learning takes place. Do you or your teachers teach like this?