KEY TO LEARNING (KTL)

Moulding the thinking child
EXTENDED PROGRAM FOR K1 & K2

Key to Learning creates the right conditions for minds to open, for learning to become a pleasure and for creativity to flourish. The theoretical framework that forms the basis of ‘Key to Learning’ Curriculum is Lev Vygotsky’s social-cultural theory of cognition and learning. It is a unique educational developmental cognitive curriculum, specially designed to provide optimal learning experiences.

It focuses on developing learning abilities and using cultural tools (the how), rather than just educational content (the what). Based on theory Vygotsky proposed that mental tools are to the mind as mechanical tools are to the body.

Curriculum modules covered:

Construction

This programme develops children’s ability to plan; to articulate what they have planned; to analyse the structure of objects (e.g. buildings, bridges, fences etc); and to analyse the relationships between their different parts. To do this they learn to use an important mental tool. This is a scheme (a drawn plan or a structure) which acts as a visual model of a structure that the children will build for themselves using a set of modular building blocks. Through the use of a range of schemes in a variety of tasks, children learn to look at objects from different perspectives and to think carefully about what they need to do to build a given structure before they start building.

Developmental Games

The Developmental Games programme helps children to develop the ability to imagine and solve problems creatively, looking for their own novel solutions and learning to check that these solutions are plausible.  They learn to look at a single simple feature and visualise an entire structure.  It emphasises language

and communication skills, as well as helping children

learn to concentrate, to recognise symbols, and to develop the social and emotional skills they require to work co-operatively in both small groups and in larger ones.

Story Grammar in Mandarin

Conducted in Mandarin, Story Grammar follows a specific set of procedures (Visual-Spatial Modelling) to help young children develop ownership of story language and a profound understanding of story structure.  Your child will be further immersed in a fun learning environment for Chinese learning through character recognition, Chinese vocabulary and sentence construction. 

S.T.E.A.M @ AK and Art Appreciation

Immerse in the world of STEAM; develop a strong foundation for future learning by exploring STEAM skills and concepts through play. We nurture children’s curiosity, investigation, and problem solving skills through experimentation and exploration.

Here is a glimpse of our children’s most recent project on Sink and Float:

In Art Appreciation, children glean from master artists’ styles and create their own interpretations of famous works. They get to explore different art mediums and create art  variations in 2D and 3D.

Chinese Immersion Programme

Children will be fully immersed in Chinese learning through active engagement. They will enjoy activities that cultivate an interest and love for the Chinese language and culture. Besides learning about vocabulary, story creation and creative art, the programme also cultivates positive moral values in children through stories and rhymes.

N1 BILINGUAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (BCE)

Nurturing the confident learner
EXTENDED PROGRAM FOR N1 (1ST SESSION)

Introducing our new program for N1, Bilingual Creative Expression – Nurturing the confident speaker

Gear your child up to articulate with confidence in Mandarin and English through Stories, Rhymes and Speech and Drama activities. Conducted by our very own Ascension Kindergarten Teachers, this program aims to provide learning experiences where your child will be engaged in the language arts experiences to nurture their visual reasoning skills that leads to confidence in their ability to articulate their ideas.

Curriculum modules covered include:

You Me World (Eng)

Using symbols and visual models, children learn about themselves as physical, emotional and social beings, and about the natural and material world – about living things and inanimate objects.

Expressive Movement (Eng)

Develops emotional intelligence, non-verbal communication skills, creativity and productive imagination through body movement, gestures, facial expressions and music.

Storybook Approach (Eng)

Develops the child’s love for story, ownership of story language and widens their vocabulary as they engage in a wide variety of activities related to the story.

Mandarin ALIVE!

Conducted daily in Mandarin, we aim to bring Mandarin to life by playful learning as we engage our children in

Active Storytelling
Lively Rhymes & Songs
Imaginative craft work
Vivid drama technique and games
Engaging stage performances

Role play is a wonderful medium to nurture children’s confidence in Mandarin. Many opportunities will be created for children to perform in smaller groups with self made costumes and props. Children will also gain greater understanding & appreciation of the Chinese Culture through hands-on experiences. These modes of engagement will provide our children a platform to develop positive & effective learning habits in the language and stand the child in good stead for his/her future learning.

N2 BILINGUAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (BCE)

Nurturing the confident speaker
Extended Programme for N2 (1st session)

BCE 1

Gear your child to embrace English and Mandarin with BCE!

The modules include:

Creative Reuse for Education (English)

We believe that children innately have a curiosity and ability to transform, experiment and create with a functional purpose in mind.

This programme allows children

  1. To explore texture through the manipulation of materials in their environment,
  2. Appreciate structure through the attachment and detachment of the materials and make connections with the world around them.

Through their active exploration, children become active participants in their environment as they collect, sort, and repurpose everyday materials. 

They are engaged in sustainable practices as they reuse materials for the purpose of educational toys and classroom resources leading them to become sustainable citizens. 

This process helps them develop Executive Function Skills, specifically in the areas of inventive problem-solving and sustainable thinking.

Mandarin ALIVE! (Mandarin)

Conducted fully in Mandarin, we aim to bring Mandarin to life by engaging our children in

  • Active Storytelling
  • Lively Rhymes & Songs
  • Imaginative craft work
  • Vivid drama technique and games
  • Engaging stage performances

Collaborating with the publication by The Theatre Practice entitled “The Nursery Rhymes Project: Paint Our Songs”, children will also be exposed to live drama performances to enhance their appreciation of Chinese Children’s Drama.

Mandarin Immersion Enrichment (MIE) - Le Xue

The Mandarin Immersion Enrichment (MIE) programme is specially designed to nurture, inspire young children and to build a strong Mandarin foundation by: 

  • Listening – music and movement
  • Speaking – communication during activities
  • Reading – recognition/pronunciation of word characters(汉字）
  • Writing – practice of word character strokes (描红)
  • Gain greater understanding and appreciation of the Chinese Culture

BCE 2

For those continuing the session, the children will engage themselves in

Artographics (Mandarin)

It cultivates the essential skills required both for writing and creative artistic expression. It develops ‘art vision’ and introduces different symbolic tools, composition, rhythm and colour.

Sensory Mathematics (Mandarin)

This develops the ability to analyse the external, visual qualities of objects using sensory standards such as colour, shape and size. It also builds the foundation for the development of mental abilities.