ORID elements Focus Guiding Questions

Facts, Data  What were the key points you noted about the lessons?
 What did the students actually do during . . . ?
O What?  What did you observe during the . . . ?
Objective  What were the student behaviors you observed?
Reflective questions, Reactions  As you look at the students’ works, what concerns/pleases
you?
R  How did you feel as you were . . . ?
What about the “What”?  As you reflect on the lessons, what was exciting, surprising, or
Reflective frustrating about . . . ?
 Which activities/actions do you think fostered high
engagement?
Interpretive questions, critical thinking:  What could you have done/could you do to increase . . .?
 What could you have done/could you do to minimize the
I undesirable . . . .?
So What?  What other ways could you check for students understanding?
Interpretive  What did you learn about yourself through this experience?
Decision questions:  What things will you do differently?
 What things will you do the same in future . . . ?
D  Which of your skills will you further develop? And what will you
Now what? do to develop them?
Decisional  What are your next steps? What actions/ideas has this
triggered for you?
My Reflections

And so our FSBB journey begins… Some preliminary thoughts from a new Sec 1 FT 

These past few weeks marked the beginning of a new chapter in my teaching career. With a tinge of
nervous energy and some anticipation and excitement, I gamely walked into the school hall on the first
day of school to meet and greet my new FSBB secondary 1 form class. They were, in essence,
vibrant, vivacious and very diverse in terms of personalities and learning needs.
One highlight of these past weeks would be the 1 day - orientation booster where I took the entire
class for a time of bonding, reflection and getting to know one another even better. It was daunting as
my co-form teacher Yvon Chew was on hospitalisation leave, but in some roundabout way, it allowed
me to have much more direct contact time with my students in 1 Diligence. I really wanted to create
strong bonds in class and I wanted to intentionally incorporate meaningful activities which would be
packed with values and learning experiences as well. The snapshot below illustrates how meticulous
(albeit obsessive!) I was in ensuring that each activity made sense pedagogically, and also imbued
students with fun and memorable experiences.
What really made me smile was how students gamely took to the various challenges and threw all
cares to the wind. Seeing them integrate and speak to one another and contend with the best methods
to achieve various objectives was indeed, fulfilling and entertaining to watch at the same time. Many
people have asked me if this ‘FSBB’ system would work and some have even raised concerns or
expressed scepticism pertaining to the efficacy of this new initiative. I have but one simple response
with regard to social integration and mixing – it is, so far, a rousing success.

Removing labels and shifting mental schemas away from traditional notions of ‘streams’ would
certainly take time. However, for a start, what I saw on the booster day really made me very glad and
brought a smile to my face. Though still split rather along gender lines, I observed groups of girls
chatting happily, and boys helping each other carry things etc. I sneaked a peek at the ‘streams class
list’ and realised that each of these cliques comprised students from all three streams. Of course, its
rather early to tell, but the dynamics in 1 Diligence has sparked off on a good note and I am excited to
see how these precious friendships deepen in the coming weeks. FSBB, you are off to a roaring start!

My Form Class, 1 Diligence 