“...if we could take it a step further, to think about how we can make learning by creating, learning by caring more widespread, because it's one thing to raise the bar for yourself, constantly improve your own standards, but it's an entirely different thing to... make sure that, you know, that makes a difference to those around you.”
Educator, storyteller and innovator Matthew Ong (Ed.M.’13) takes us on a trip to Singapore, to see the world of learning from his perspective. We gain insights on why social responsibility and innovation matter to him, what learning in Singapore is like from past to present, how he draws inspiration from the classical Chinese military treatise The Art of War and the Japanese concept of ikigai… and how it all leads him to his latest role: the co-founder of a business that centers on experiential learning.
Interviewers: Jasmine Chin, Shu Cao Mo
Click here for the transcript.
Related links:
01:22 - Learning Playground , the experiential learning business that Matt co-founded with his father
04:54 - Student Learning Space - a student-centric digital learning platform in Singapore
08:53 - old folks home - a common term for retirement/elderly homes in Singapore
10:24 - Character and Citizenship - The Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) framework was first introduced in 2011 in Singapore, which marked a shift in Singapore’s educational development at the time from focusing on the nation to focusing on the individual:
“The goal of CCE is to inculcate values and build competencies in our students to develop them to be good individuals and useful citizens.”
23:34 - The Art of Education- a book written by Matt, containing “stories and inspiration for educators’
23:40 - The Art of War, the famous ancient military treatise from approximately 5th century China, which continues to bear global influence on strategic thinking across various fields such as warfare, business, law, lifestyle, etc. It is most commonly attributed to Sun Tzi (“Master Sun”), whose historical background and even existence continue to be an unsolved mystery amongst historians.
33:37 - Ikigai - a Japanese concept, which has no direct English translation, that embodies the notion of happiness in living. This article clarifies what ikigai truly is, away from the Westernised interpretation commonly depicted with the venn diagram of four overlapping characteristics.
