The Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise is a national school programme which allows students admission to their desired secondary school or Junior College (JC) based on their various talents and interests. If offered a place of admission, students will be able to develop these talents and skills in their respective secondary schools and Junior Colleges. The following talents are eligible for DSA: (1) sports and games, (2) visual, literary, and performing arts, (3) debate and public speaking, (4) STEM, (5) languages and humanities, (6) uniformed groups, and (7) leadership (like if the student is a prefect in primary school).
Public speaking is one of people’s biggest fears. There is something about getting up in front of a stage, with only your words to captivate and persuade people – no background music, no fancy costumes, no elaborate dance moves – that terrifies many people, both young and old. Even adults dread public speaking – when it is time to give interviews, make presentations, or give a speech, many shy away from the limelight. Public speaking is a skill that requires not only eloquence and knowledge of the subject matter being discussed, but also confidence – after all, a great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.
Students develop confidence if they are given a safe space to share their ideas. At W@W, we believe that students should not be shot down when they are trying to meaningfully contribute – every student should have a chance to voice his or her opinions. One way to do this is during class, when teachers facilitate idea generation within a group to address the learning points of the session. Students will be able to contribute – whether it is their idea for what happens next in a Plot Curve, a character’s motivations, or how to end the story, students will be allowed time and space to meaningfully add to the class discussion. This helps build their confidence and build their eloquence in giving good answers which help class discussions.
In their chosen DSA schools, students who DSA via public speaking may be required to participate in debate competitions. Debate is very much like an argumentative essay – in a team (whether “for” or “against”), the 3 speakers will need to build their case surrounding a motion and rebut the other team’s case, making logical points which strengthen their arguments. The opposing team will bring their best arguments as well, and debate teams need to find a way to rationally rebut their arguments without “squirreling” the debate – this means that the team is trying to change the technical definition of the motion to make it impossible to argue. Above all, speakers need to speak for at least 7 minutes and take some arguments – Points of Information (POIs) – from the opposing team during their speech.
Participating in a debate requires students to be good at a number of things – they need to write down their arguments (whether in prose form or in bullet points), flesh out their ideas during their speech, and creatively rebut the opposing team’s case, whether given during a POI or the opposing team’s speech. Moreover, it requires teamwork to coordinate between the three speakers and determine which speaker will run arguments focusing on building up the team’s case or tearing down the opposition’s case. As teams have limited time to prepare, a debate tournament is a high-stress, high-octane environment where students need to make full use of their brainpower not only during speaking, but also during preparation time.
Naturally, as W@W teaches students how to write, they will get better at developing their ideas and expressing them in a clear and concise manner. Students will be able to put their best arguments forward by learning how to craft a paragraph and write argumentative essays. Writing a speech is very much like writing a story – there is a point the listener needs to take home from it, and stylistic choices in the starting and ending of the speech. A speech needs to communicate its thesis effectively – much like a story, where there should be appropriate building of tension leading to a satisfying conclusion. Language skills are transferable – they can be used in a wide variety of scenarios to help people communicate effectively.
The DSA process is not a straightforward one – many students are competing to get into their chosen institutions based on their merits. All parents can do is prepare their child as best as they can and hope for the best. However, there are ways to better equip your child with the skills and abilities required to pursue some areas covered by the DSA, such as public speaking, languages, and humanities. With the astute guidance of their W@W teachers, students will be able to express their thoughts and ideas in any speech or debate in a logical, coherent, and concise manner, lending them a boost in applying for their dream school.
English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.
At WR!TERS@WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. W@W reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how W@W makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!
If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WR!TERS@WORK has expanded to 8 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WR!TERS@WORK!
1. How Can I Improve My English Creative Writing Skills?
The secret to writing better is to practice more while emulating good examples of writing. Having constructive feedback is extremely important in honing your creative writing skills, as often, students are not aware of what they are doing right or wrong. Trying to copy good examples of writing will help the student intuitively pick up essential skills like grammar rules and vocabulary. Reading good examples of writing will also give the student more ideas.
2. What is the Main Purpose of Creative Writing?
Creative writing helps students express their thoughts more clearly and develop a sense of logic. In crafting a believable plot which flows properly given the premise and characters the story features, a student will be able to hone their critical thinking and their ability to put things in a systematic manner. Creative writing is further important for communicating ideas concisely.
3. What is the Benefit of Creative Writing Classes?
Having good feedback will help a student tremendously, as parents often leave creative writing to the student to “do their best and see how it goes”. However, this is the wrong approach to creative writing – like all skills, creative writing can be taught. It will require a significant amount of work and trial and error to get right, but it is certainly a skill worth learning.
4. How Do You Make a Creative Writing Class Interesting?
Making a creative writing class interesting is something that W@W specialises in! Teachers are engaging, fun, and witty, allowing students to explore many possibilities of plots and characters. Our composition topics are funny and memorable, allowing students to draw on them when they face their actual exam questions. Students participate in discussions with their classmates, giving them the chance to speak up and voice out their own thoughts and ideas during the lesson.
5. Who Benefits From Creative Writing?
The benefits from creative writing are lifelong – all throughout our lives, we will need to communicate with people important to us, not only at work but also in our personal lives. Being able to express our thoughts and ideas clearly is highly important to ensure other people understand what we are saying. By having a logical flow to our thoughts, other subjects in school will become much easier to learn. After all, the English language is the foundation to everything.
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