"It is no secret that Singaporeans are often seen as a reticent people.
Back in 1997, a writer to The Straits Times asked: “When the simple human act of speaking up or asking questions is such a herculean hurdle for most Singaporeans, would it not be wishful thinking to nurture a nation of thinking adults and students to cope with the many challenges ahead?”
Today, the challenges that require people to “speak up” and “ask questions” are far greater. Our workplaces are increasingly more globalised. There is a growing emphasis on innovation, collaboration and human engagement at work. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly.
Nearly three decades have passed. Has the situation improved?
A 2025 writer to The Straits Times did not think so. Drawing on more than two decades of experience as an educator, he observed “trends of increasing student reticence in classrooms”. He suggested that Singapore could benefit from making drama lessons compulsory in schools.
Getting Students To Speak
My own experiences point in the same direction. About 20 years ago, I was invited by the English Department of a local university to give a talk on communication skills to about 150 third-year students. To encourage participation, I brought chocolates and toffees. That didn’t work well. After much cajoling, finally came three questions. Two were from foreign students.
Years later, as a university professor, I observed the same tendency among my own students. Many required nudging and encouragement before they were willing to share comments they might have.
Despite my suggestions on how they could overcome inhibition - such as preparing a question or comment in advance and reading these out in class — I even had students who had not uttered a word by the final lecture before the exam. They would rather forgo the 15 per cent of the final grade allocated to class participation.
On one occasion, I resorted to using the Padlet app, which allowed students to respond to questions through their mobile phones. While this helped increase class participation, missing was the spontaneous exchange of views in real time through the human voice.
More at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/05/singapore-education-news-updates.html
Back in 1997, a writer to The Straits Times asked: “When the simple human act of speaking up or asking questions is such a herculean hurdle for most Singaporeans, would it not be wishful thinking to nurture a nation of thinking adults and students to cope with the many challenges ahead?”
Today, the challenges that require people to “speak up” and “ask questions” are far greater. Our workplaces are increasingly more globalised. There is a growing emphasis on innovation, collaboration and human engagement at work. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly.
Nearly three decades have passed. Has the situation improved?
A 2025 writer to The Straits Times did not think so. Drawing on more than two decades of experience as an educator, he observed “trends of increasing student reticence in classrooms”. He suggested that Singapore could benefit from making drama lessons compulsory in schools.
Getting Students To Speak
My own experiences point in the same direction. About 20 years ago, I was invited by the English Department of a local university to give a talk on communication skills to about 150 third-year students. To encourage participation, I brought chocolates and toffees. That didn’t work well. After much cajoling, finally came three questions. Two were from foreign students.
Years later, as a university professor, I observed the same tendency among my own students. Many required nudging and encouragement before they were willing to share comments they might have.
Despite my suggestions on how they could overcome inhibition - such as preparing a question or comment in advance and reading these out in class — I even had students who had not uttered a word by the final lecture before the exam. They would rather forgo the 15 per cent of the final grade allocated to class participation.
On one occasion, I resorted to using the Padlet app, which allowed students to respond to questions through their mobile phones. While this helped increase class participation, missing was the spontaneous exchange of views in real time through the human voice.
More at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/05/singapore-education-news-updates.html
