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https://sg.style.yahoo.com/quit-teaching-because-chatgpt-173713528.html I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT This fall is the first in nearly 20 years that I am not returning to the classroom. For most of my career, I taught writing, literature, and language, primarily to university students. I quit, in large part, because of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Virtually all experienced scholars know that writing, as historian Lynn Hunt has argued, is “not the transcription of thoughts already consciously present in [the writer’s] mind.” Rather, writing is a process closely tied to thinking. In graduate school, I spent months trying to fit pieces of my dissertation together in my mind and eventually found I could solve the puzzle only through writing. Writing is hard work. It is sometimes frightening. With the easy temptation of AI, many—possibly most—of my students were no longer willing to push through discomfort. In my most recent job, I taught academic writing to doctoral students at a technical college. My graduate students, many of whom were computer scientists, understood the mechanisms of generative AI better than I do. They recognized LLMs as unreliable research tools that hallucinate and invent citations. They acknowledged the environmental impact and ethical problems of the technology. They knew that models are trained on existing data and therefore cannot produce novel research. However, that knowledge did not stop my students from relying heavily on generative AI. Several students admitted to drafting their research in note form and asking ChatGPT to write their articles. As an experienced teacher, I am familiar with pedagogical best practices. I scaffolded assignments. I researched ways to incorporate generative AI in my lesson plans, and I designed activities to draw attention to its limitations. I reminded students that ChatGPT may alter the meaning of a text when prompted to revise, that it can yield biased and inaccurate information, that it does not generate stylistically strong writing and, for those grade-oriented students, that it does not result in A-level work. It did not matter. The students still used it. In one activity, my students drafted a paragraph in class, fed their work to ChatGPT with a revision prompt, and then compared the output with their original writing. However, these types of comparative analyses failed because most of my students were not developed enough as writers to analyze the subtleties of meaning or evaluate style. “It makes my writing look fancy,” one PhD student protested when I pointed to weaknesses in AI-revised text. My students also relied heavily on AI-powered paraphrasing tools such as Quillbot. Paraphrasing well, like drafting original research, is a process of deepening understanding. Recent high-profile examples of “duplicative language” are a reminder that paraphrasing is hard work. It is not surprising, then, that many students are tempted by AI-powered paraphrasing tools. These technologies, however, often result in inconsistent writing style, do not always help students avoid plagiarism, and allow the writer to gloss over understanding. Online paraphrasing tools are useful only when students have already developed a deep knowledge of the craft of writing. Students who outsource their writing to AI lose an opportunity to think more deeply about their research. In a recent article on art and generative AI, author Ted Chiang put it this way: “Using ChatGPT to complete assignments is like bringing a forklift into the weight room; you will never improve your cognitive fitness that way.” Chiang also notes that the hundreds of small choices we make as writers are just as important as the initial conception. Chiang is a writer of fiction, but the logic applies equally to scholarly writing. Decisions regarding syntax, vocabulary, and other elements of style imbue a text with meaning nearly as much as the underlying research. Generative AI is, in some ways, a democratizing tool. Many of my students were non-native speakers of English. Their writing frequently contained grammatical errors. Generative AI is effective at correcting grammar. However, the technology often changes vocabulary and alters meaning even when the only prompt is “fix the grammar.” My students lacked the skills to identify and correct subtle shifts in meaning. I could not convince them of the need for stylistic consistency or the need to develop voices as research writers. The problem was not recognizing AI-generated or AI-revised text. At the start of every semester, I had students write in class. With that baseline sample as a point of comparison, it was easy for me to distinguish between my students’ writing and text generated by ChatGPT. I am also familiar with AI detectors, which purport to indicate whether something has been generated by AI. These detectors, however, are faulty. AI-assisted writing is easy to identify but hard to prove. As a result, I found myself spending many hours grading writing that I knew was generated by AI. I noted where arguments were unsound. I pointed to weaknesses such as stylistic quirks that I knew to be common to ChatGPT (I noticed a sudden surge of phrases such as “delves into”). That is, I found myself spending more time giving feedback to AI than to my students. So I quit. The best educators will adapt to AI. In some ways, the changes will be positive. Teachers must move away from mechanical activities or assigning simple summaries. They will find ways to encourage students to think critically and learn that writing is a way of generating ideas, revealing contradictions, and clarifying methodologies. However, those lessons require that students be willing to sit with the temporary discomfort of not knowing. Students must learn to move forward with faith in their own cognitive abilities as they write and revise their way into clarity. With few exceptions, my students were not willing to enter those uncomfortable spaces or remain there long enough to discover the revelatory power of writing.

respect the teachers.... this looks like Singapore: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=498888523559547

sometimes i wonder.... what is the purpose really? why when US EU etc dont do things this way, yet they are the FT talents here, they make the Nobel Prizes and make the inventions. hell.... even Uptron is considered better in the end. So.... why are we doing this to our children? Bragging rights?

Just received this text message from parents gateway. Those of you applicable pls take note. "Monthly Concession Pass Refund for Students During Phase 2 ( Heightened Alert)".

Received this msg with pictures from my daughter's school. Looks like innocent candy.......

Looks like we have not done enough to help the students who are entering the working industry if there is even a barrier to the job fair by ntu. I supposed need to be careful of how the economy and changing landscape will affect the employability of the next generation. Having say that, it a dual edged. Wouldn’t it be best to or even rightfully so that the students who are not invited knows the truth that they are not wanted by this industry and should not waste their time, hope and dreams as well as disappointment?.

IPOH: Two boys and two girls in Form One have claimed that they were assaulted by a teacher at their school in Sitiawan after he became angry over an incident involving a playful act by a group of students. In the incident, which occurred at 5.20pm at SMJK Nan Hwa on Wednesday, the teacher, who is in his 30s, was said to have become irritable at a group of students who were playing with water outside a classroom. When one of the girls accidentally poured water on the teacher’s clothes, he punched her in the face, causing bruises. The teacher then entered his classroom to start his class. But, when he learnt that three students, including a girl, had forgotten to bring their notebooks, he became enraged and allegedly punched them. One of the boys was left bleeding after the assault. The students were sent for treatment to a hospital while their parents lodged police reports against the teacher. Chairman of the school board of governors Ling Leong Peng said the affected students were traumatised and had been advised not to attend school until action is taken against the teacher. Ling claimed that this was not the first time the teacher had resorted to violence. Last month, he allegedly punched a student at the school. He was also said to have hit the principal of another school where he was teaching earlier. He said the teacher’s previous cases were reported to the Manjung education office, but he claimed that no action was taken. “We want the authorities to suspend him and do something about his behaviour. This cannot go on,” he added. Manjung OCPD Asst Comm Jaafar Baba confirmed the incident.

About 30 students in an all-boys school were caught having upskirt photos and videos of six of their female teachers on their smartphones, this month. Their principal told The New Paper (TNP) on Friday (Oct 28) that the school administered public caning to seven students who had taken these images of their teachers. TNP was informed about the incident by a member of the public. We are not naming the school to protect the teachers involved. The school's principal said they first received information about the photos and videos on Oct 5. He said he launched an investigation that day to round up the culprits. Most of the 30 students were in Sec 2 and 3, and a handful in Sec 1. Said the principal: "It's not acceptable behaviour for young men. "As men, they are supposed to protect the ladies, not take advantage of them. To do something like this is so very wrong." Read the full report in The New Paper on Saturday (Oct 29). wah which school is this!

With reference to this thread http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2701259-road-rage-unequal-treatment/page-5 Where @Darryn and @Ingenius talked about the number of teachers f**king students. So here is the official figure reported in the news. Please note that he figure given is "sexual misconduct", not necessary f**k. And the figure maybe higher as some cases are not conclusive or unreported. http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/14-cases-educator-sexual-misconduct-prosecuted-2011 Now the question is, is this figure higher than the number of ang mo beating up anyone since 2011? Which is more common in your perception?

According to Channel NewsAsia, ITE

He has been filming male students showering for the past 5 months, finally kena caught. http://news.omy.sg/News/Local-News/story20160514-426119

Reminds me of the old days! Good that they are bringing it back! Daily cleaning by students will be introduced in all schools The move is intended to inculcate in students a sense of responsibility and good life habits, says MOE. By Linette Lim Posted 25 Feb 2016 13:25 Updated 25 Feb 2016 13:42 Primary one students at Xingnan Primary School doing a classroom activity called the "Little Home Helper" programme. (Photo: Linette Lim) SINGAPORE: Annual spring cleaning for the classroom or being rostered for weekly cleaning duty might be familiar to some, but now, the Ministry of Education (MOE) wants to make classroom cleaning a daily affair for students. By the end of 2016, daily cleaning by students will be introduced in all schools, said Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng on Thursday (Feb 25). According to MOE, all schools from primary schools to junior colleges have autonomy in the implementation of daily cleaning. This covers common areas such as classrooms and corridors, and excludes toilets. This is being introduced with the aim of inculcating in students a sense of responsibility and good life habits. Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng (right) with students from Xingnan Primary School. (Photo: Linette Lim) MOE said that many schools have already incorporated five to 10 minutes of cleaning activities within their school hours each day. These schools include Xingnan Primary School, Park View Primary School, and New Town Secondary School. The ministry said they looked at similar practices in other education systems - such as Taiwan and Japan - in the planning process. - CNA/av i wun be surprised some will bring their maids to clean for them...hahhha

Saw a report in Wanbao last night that River Valley High make it compulsary for all students to get Ipad, as they will be teaching thru Ipad. Heard the principal very firm, even say if don't buy, go other school lor. Anyone got more news ?

Catholic High guys just won a lottery man. IP with CHIJ and SCGS chicks! http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/new-jc-named-eunoia-to-take-in-chij-st-nicholas-catholic-high-ip-students-in?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10 SINGAPORE - The new junior college taking in the Integrated Programme (IP) students graduating from three secondary schools has been named Eunoia Junior College. The new JC will start taking in its first batch of students in 2017 from Catholic High School, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School and Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS). Through the IP, these students can go on to JC without taking the O levels. Acting Minister for Education Ng Chee Meng revealed the name of the institution on Tuesday (Dec 29) at the yearly appointment and appreciation ceremony for principals at the Shangri-La Hotel. He said that the name "Eunoia" has Greek origins and that it means "beautiful thinking" and "goodwill towards others". "I'm confident that the college will work hard at nurturing students to have these qualities in addition to possessing innovative thinking and developing the Singapore heartbeat," he said. Related Story Students must be innovators for Singapore to succeed: Acting Education Minister Ng Chee Meng Madam Cheang Mei Heng is helming Eunoia Junior College which will be sited at an interim campus in the former Raffles Junior College campus in Mount Sinai. Its permanent campus, at the junction of Sin Ming Avenue and Marymount Road, will be ready only at the end of 2019. The new JC will also accept O-level students from other secondary schools. Its advisory committee has been appointed effective from Dec 22, 2015, to Dec 21, 2017. The six-member committee, led by Professor Su Guaning, president emeritus of the Nanyang Technological University, consists of parents and alumni, as well as professionals and grassroots leaders.

$550 (or RM1650) for secondary school still have to spend on daily transport and brave the morning jam

From My Paper: RGPS students made to stand at assembly for months By Samantha Boh My Paper Thursday, Oct 17, 2013 SINGAPORE - For being "too talkative", a class of Primary 2 pupils from Raffles Girls' Primary School (RGPS) were made to stand for 15 minutes during every assembly. This went on for three months, and raised the ire of a parent. The school's vice-principal has now admitted that the punishment was "excessive". Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday that the incident came to light when the father of one of the girls heard what was happening and visited the school to see for himself. "Three months is too long for any parent to accept. I believe the rest of the parents do not know about this," he was quoted as saying. The punishment reportedly began in July, when a teacher chided the class of 29 pupils for talking too much during assembly. They were then made to stand from 12.30pm to 12.45pm during every assembly, before being allowed to sit like the rest of their schoolmates. RGPS vice-principal Choong Pek Lan told My Paper that the punishment was "excessive", and was not commonly used by teachers at the school. Both the school and the Education Ministry are looking into the matter. MP Baey Yam Keng, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, described the punishment as "embarrassing for the students". But he added that schools should not shy away from disciplining pupils who misbehave. "There needs to be a balance," he said. [email protected] Get My Paper for more stories. - See more at: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/rgps-students-made-stand-assembly-months#sthash.KINBLzJt.dpuf (Source: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/rgps-students-made-stand-assembly-months )

Some of us might had reservation about the extensive use of computers and digital media in today's classrooms. A recent OECD report confirms this: Computers 'do not improve' pupil results - latest OECD report warned. The OECD's education director Andreas Schleicher says school technology had raised "too many false hopes.. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796 The report also mentioned: Students who use computers very frequently at school get worse resultsStudents who use computers moderately at school, such as once or twice a week, have "somewhat better learning outcomes" than students who use computers rarelyThe results show "no appreciable improvements" in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in information technology.High achieving school systems such as South Korea and Shanghai in China have lower levels of computer use in school.Singapore, with only a moderate use of technology in school, is top for digital skills

i dunno what you guys think about this but one day, a student came knocking at my door and asked to to buy something from them so as to help them help themselves with their education fees. They even had this "pass" or something. on hearing its for their education fees, did not think twice i said yes and i bought a rubber luggage tag for $10. (these tag could be bought from shops for maybe $1.50 to $2). a few days later, my wife was looking at the tag and she realized that the tag was actually broken ! it seems that the bottom half of the tag (about 2 cm was broken off). I dun mind helping students in need and dun really think much of the items that they sell ... but somehow i feel this is a rip-off as the students were selling rejects or damaged items (maybe sponsored?) I would have bought it with a peace of mind if the student had been truthful and told me it was damaged even. well, i guess i does not pay to be helpful. I am already telling myself not to "help" students or people selling things on the streets already ... but this door-to-door is a first and last for me also.

what the f*%& is this....... http://edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/schoops/...aminations.html Furious parent questions if this is how the school 'prepares' students for exams. A group of Primary Six students were left waiting in the rain just before their PSLE oral examinations on Aug 20, leaving at least one parent fuming. They were locked out of school and according to a contributor to STOMP, the security guard refused to let them in even though it was raining heavily. The contributor, Teow, described the incident in an email: "My daughter is a pupil of Boon Lay Garden Primary School, who is sitting for her PSLE oral examination this morning. "She was told to report to the school before 9.30am to sit for her exam. As my wife and I had to go to work, I arranged for my brother-in-law to send her to school this morning. "Since my daughter told us that they had to wait outside the gate until their allocated time, I thought the school will make alternative arrangements as it is was raining quite heavily. "But when my brother-in-law reached there around 9am with my daughter, he was surprised to see that there were a lot of PSLE pupils waiting outside the gate in the rain. "He spoke to the school's security officer to let the pupils into the school and wait at the covered link-way since it is was raining so heavily.

http://www.weixinyidu.com/n_1423537 How come not reading about it in ST or other MSM?

Hope for the best.... SINGAPORE: A group of students from Tanjong Katong Primary School were on an excursion at Mount Kinabalu when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday (Jun 5), Channel NewsAsia understands. At least eight of them are uncontactable, along with two teachers, Mr James Ho, a parent of one of the students, said. This was later confirmed by the Education Ministry. The 12-year-old students and their teachers were understood to have departed Mount Kinabalu on Wednesday for a leadership programme and were expected to return on Monday afternoon. Anxious parents were seen rushing into the school for a meeting with teachers on Friday afternoon. One woman said her daughter was injured and is "on the way to hospital". Mr Ho told Channel NewsAsia that his 12-year-old daughter Rachel is one of eight students stranded at the via ferrata route on Mount Kinabalu. He said he has received no news about their well-being. "This happened in the morning and it's been more than 12 hours. And the frustrating thing is we are not getting any updates on the rescue operations," he said. Another 19 students from the school have returned to safety, Mr Ho added, and five of them and one teacher suffered minor injuries. Mr Sadri Farick, whose child had leg injuries after the quake, also expressed frustration at the lack of information. "I sympathise with my friends whose children are missing. We got news from one of the boys that there are boulders dropping in front of them, and they have been cut off, so we are expecting the worst but still have hope." MOE WORKING TO CONTACT MISSING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS In a statement, MOE confirmed that 10 people from Tanjong Katong Primary have yet to be accounted for. "Three schools, Fuchun Secondary School, Greenridge Secondary School and Tanjong Katong Primary School, are in Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on overseas learning journey. All students and teachers from Fuchun and Greenridge have been accounted for and arrangements have been made for them to return to Singapore. Of the 29 students and eight teachers from Tanjong Katong Primary School, 21 students and six teachers have been accounted for. MFA and ISOS are rendering assistance for their safe return to Singapore. We are continuing efforts to contact the remaining eight students and two teachers. Parents have been informed and kept updated on the situation." COLD NIGHT FOR THOSE STRANDED: PARKS DIRECTOR Earlier, Sabah Parks director Jamili Nais told Channel NewsAsia over the phone that 38 Singaporeans had begun climbing Mount Kinabalu at about 2am to 3am on Friday morning before the earthquake hit. "Up there, it is getting colder. We are in touch with the staff and in touch with some of the stranded climbers. It's getting cold but the weather is slightly better now. Three helicopters are on the way to drop food and warm clothing," Dr Jamili said. "But Im really fearful because before long, its going to be very cold and tonight therell be hypothermia, so we are working very hard at least to drop the food and warm clothing as well as camping equipment," he added. Paramedics, doctors and ambulances are waiting at base for those rescued, he said. In a statement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said majority of the more than 100 Singaporeans in Sabah at the time of the quake are safe, and that it is still working to reach those who are uncontactable. It has also despatched a Crisis Response Team to Sabah to render consular assistance. - CNA/ly

http://mashable.com/2015/06/05/math-exam-gcse-question/

AROUND 2,000 degree and diploma students who sat a statistics exam at the Singapore Expo on May 7 will have to take it again because of a mistake. The two-hour paper - set by the University of London (UOL) - did not contain the statistical tables needed for answering the questions. The students from various tertiary institutes here, including the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), were expected to answer eight questions in all. But with the tables missing, some parts of the questions could not be completed. The UOL e-mailed the affected students last Friday to apologise and said it would "commence a detailed deliberation of the assessment" for the subject and the impact the missing tables caused before marking. However, students received another e-mail yesterday informing them of the retest. Signed off by Mr Timothy Wade, associate director of assessment and awards for the UOL's international programmes, it said the exam had been "declared null and void". He added that the university had reviewed the situation and found that the first paper was "flawed" and "does not provide a fair test of candidates' abilities and proficiency in this course". Students can take a retest on either May 28 or June 3 and will not have to pay a separate exam fee. Those unable to make the two dates will have to take the exam next May, the e-mail said. Mr Wade added the university is "sorry that the delivery of the examination service has failed on this occasion". He said it will also review its procedures surrounding the production of exam papers, to ensure the error does not recur. The UOL told The Straits Times yesterday that it was acting "in the best interest of both its students and the integrity of its academic award" in calling for a retest. SIM, where most of the affected students are from, will also render help, such as holding optional revision classes. The module is compulsory for a number of UOL courses, including banking and finance, and business and management. UOL programmes are also offered at institutes such as PSB Academy. Second-year business and management student Ellen Chan, 21, is upset at having to retake the test. "Now we have to study for the paper again and I've already made holiday plans," said Ms Chan, who will return before the May 28 test. "I don't understand how the tables got left out. Why didn't anyone check the papers?" But banking and finance student Aizat Guan, 24, said the retest "is another chance... to complete the paper". He added: "I wasn't satisfied after sitting the first exam, as I couldn't complete it without the tables." In 2007, the UOL erroneously set a sociology exam paper with only six questions instead of eight. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/education/story/2000-students-retake-exam-after-slip-20150515

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/two-students-who-found-and-removed-discarded-ballot-boxes-counsell Oh wow, somebody screwed up leaving important stuffs lying around and they blame the students.

Lui Tuck Yew so desperate? Now working with MOE to rope in secondary school kids to promote their new bus service?