Makers Advisory Council
MAKERS ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Maker Advisory Council guides and assists the school in developing the Maker Culture in Montfort Junior. The members of the Advisory Council, comprising highly respected scientists, academia and industry experts, are :
- Professor Quek Tong Boon
- Professor Quek Ser Tong
- Associate Professor Tony Yeo
- Mr Rajesh Sreenivasan
- Mr Clement Goh
Maker Culture emphasizes the philosophy of learning through doing in a social environment. Building things makes the pupils excited about what they are learning in the classroom, and this helps them to be engaged and experience the joy of learning.
We have embarked on a whole school Computational Thinking programme since 2015. Pupils are exposed to coding from P1 to P6. Beyond being taught how to code, the key competencies of problem definition, solution design, analytical thinking and iterative thinking are emphasized and reiterated in the various subject areas such as Mathematics and Science. Building on our Computational Thinking programme, we have widened the exposure for our pupils by bringing in the Maker Culture and providing opportunities for our pupils to be involved in playful but rich design activities that help prepare them for the future.
Our MJS Tinkershop is opened every afternoon to give pupils the opportunities to work in the room after curriculum time. Pupils have a choice to come to the Tinkershop and create something of interest to them or to take part in challenges. Our pupils have been showcasing their works in the annual Maker Faire. The Hackathon, a signature programme for each graduating P6 cohort, is conducted for the P6 level so that they can apply their coding skills and work with the Micro:bits.
We offer a dual track curriculum: Formal and Enrichment. Within the formal curriculum track, we are working to infuse the Maker Culture into the different subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, Mother Tongue, PE and Aesthetics) so as to further enhance the learning experience for pupils. Currently, we have started infusing Maker Culture and coding into our Mathematics, Science and Art syllabus in various levels. In the enrichment track, pupils who show a deeper interest or aptitude in making, building and coding can sign up for workshops, competitions, electives and projects.