I had read something about a preschool called PMI (www.pmi.com.sg) and so last Saturday I had set an appointment with Dr.Khoo Kim Choo who is the founder of the "Preschool for Multiple Intelligences" and a consultant in Early Childhood Education. Faisal & the kids were also with me & when we entered the school, the kids were made to sit in the play area while we were welcomed inside Dr.Khoo's office.Dr.Khoo told us that she would explain to us the school's curriculum in details.
Dr.Khoo said that the curriculum is based upon concept of the nine intelligences as introduced by Dr.Howard Gardner.Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences says that though the traditional method of education concentrates heavily on verbal & logical skills, there are other types of intelligences. The intelligences are:
Dr.Khoo said that the curriculum is based upon concept of the nine intelligences as introduced by Dr.Howard Gardner.Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences says that though the traditional method of education concentrates heavily on verbal & logical skills, there are other types of intelligences. The intelligences are:
verbal-linguistic ("word" smart like authors,teachers)
mathematical-logical ( "logic" smart like mathematicians & scientists)
visual-spatial (architects,sculptor)
bodily-kinaesthetic (dancers, athletes)
musical-rhythmic (composers,singers_
interpersonal (salespeople,counselors)
intrapersonal (researcher,entrepreneurs)
naturalistic (environmentalists,botanists)
existentialist (philosphers;In children this is manifested in terms of the types of questions they ask such as "Why do we die?")
Since the curriculum is based upon the nine intelligences,PMI's approach towards education is very "holistic". There are provisions for sand & water play and there is even a small garden to get children interested in and learn from nature. I feel that young children learn a lot from nature and so the idea of children having a garden of their own really appealed to me.
The school identifies & nurtures the child's unique multiple intelligences & works with parents to bring these intelligences into fruition.
After the discussion with Dr.Khoo we toured the school with her & I really liked what I saw.I felt that the school was a physical manifestation of my vision of a perfect preschool.The classrooms & the activity rooms were cheerful & bright with lots of interesting displays. There was an area for "pretend play" complete with props such as the firefighters hat etc. & also nice & cosy reading corners.
Overall,we really liked the school but the only issue is transportation.The school is far away from our place & there is no provision of a school bus. Also I felt that the full day program was too long (7.5 hours) whereas the half day program was too short (3 hrs) for my older kid.
3 comments:
Malina, we were impressed with the school too!! And you put it rightly when you said that it was a visual manifestation of your vision of the perfect school. I suggest you talk to the principal again and ask for referrals of parents so you can ask them all your questions. Another option is to Google the school and hopefully you should find some reviews or some parents with kids in that pre-school.
This is near Novena MRT right? Maybe once the circle line starts you can board at Marymount and hop off at Novena, that way it will be faster and safer and less expensive.
Yes,Neelum now I remember that you & Amol had told me about this preschool. But surprisingly there is not much information in the internet about this school (probably because it is new).Yes,but your suggestion of asking for referrals of parents is a good idea.I think I'll do that.
Nice blog ..will visit again to read all the posts :)
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