SAIL – Strategies for Active and Independent Learning

Hmmm… what is SAIL?? What does it mean by active learning? Frankly speaking, I’ve never seen this acronym before…and to tell the truth, I might not have the urge to find out what this acronym means if I were still teaching in a Junior College. Somehow, being in HQ gave me the push and motivation to find out more to broaden my knowledge of the education landscape…

I did searches on the Internet. It yielded many sites. it turns out, this is an acronym used in primary school level. There’s also “SEED”. Woah, primary schools had so many school initiatives. JC don’t seem to have any such initiatives leh.. haha…I was so lucky or rather unlucky.

As our minister put it, “We must engage in thoughtful experimentation and innovation in teaching”. SAIL is one such fine example where we engaged in thoughtful experimentation and innovation in teaching.

I won’t dwell on explaining what SAIL is. I suppose it’ll bore everyone to death..Well, can just search on the Internet or Intranet to find out more…I thought SAIL is a good approach. At least, I like it for it encourages divergent thinking and alternative approaches. I wonder how many times, I have refrained myself from giving opinions for fear of being wrong. I have lost count. How I wished SAIL was already implemented when I was a young student. Perhaps, I would have been an even more confident person. With a framework put in place, I’m sure our students will become confident people, capable of independent learning.

Before I end, I got some questions. What does it mean by active learning? How do I engage students using IT, integrating SAIL in it as well?
Active learning sounds like a very broad term. Anyway, I’ll try to find out what it really means. Hopefully, my seniors will enlighten me in these aspects.