By Sara, Jul 2020
When I look back at my early years learning in Science in primary school — slightly more than a decade ago — all that I can vaguely remember is frantically doing many practice papers and trying to memorise keywords. Though this is definitely an important reality for many due to the somewhat relentless Singaporean education system, I wish I could remember being inquisitive and passionate about learning Science concepts.
So, when I came across the Learning Design internship position in Ottodot, I was excited to be able to have the opportunity to contribute to a team that seemed (and still is!) so passionate about making learning not only accessible virtually but fun.
If we don’t have the power to change the education system, we can definitely try to make learning a better experience from within!
This journey thus far has cemented my interest in the education industry and has also taught me numerous things which I’m so grateful for, such as about the company, designing content for children, conducting lessons and even more about myself.
As a Learning Design intern, my job scope revolved around firstly, planning lessons, designing subsequent content materials for the lessons and finally, conducting these lessons over Zoom. Recently, we’ve also worked to convert these lessons into journeys on the Ottodot platform. Planning and then executing the lessons initially seemed frankly daunting as someone who has never taught a group of primary school students before. However, through this entire process for what has been 8 weeks thus far, with the close guidance and feedback from Ottodot’s founders (thank you Wong Lei and Le Yi!), the self-doubt and anxieties surrounding this new challenge had slowly dissipated.
In terms of the technical aspects, I have definitely learnt a range of things such as effective (virtual) teaching methodologies, how to effectively plan engaging lessons and design the respective materials. Being given the opportunity to bring up new ideas pertaining to lessons and then testing them out also felt really exciting, as we could receive real-time feedback from our team and also our target audience!
Furthermore, it has truly been eye-opening to learn more about what the rest of the team does thanks to the team who is so committed to our growth as interns! Through weekly jumpstarts, wrap-ups and also sharings of what we have learnt, I have learnt more than I had expected to, such as digital marketing, graphic strategies and even what our data analysts do too! I feel like such a holistic approach, has made me better understand what goes behind the scenes of a start-up such as Ottodot does and has helped me pick up new skills too!
While I picked up technical skills within and beyond my job scope, I have also been able to hone my soft skills too, specifically pertaining to adaptability and interpersonal skills, though are definitely overlaps here and there! In the context of a pandemic, adapting has truly been the theme of 2020. Initially, I was worried about the internship being totally remote and how that would affect communication and learning as a new member of the company. However, in all, remote working has been going very well owing to the practice of good communication amongst the team. In a world that might shift to more remote working, I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to experience it and develop better communication skills.
Furthermore, adapting was necessary when conducting virtual lessons via Zoom with children. Working with children can already be highly unpredictable in nature, given how they are very different from us. However, over time we were able to understand what works and what does not with them, and subsequently tailor our lessons to better suit their learning needs. Additionally, with the aspect of virtual lessons, we had to quickly adapt to fixing any technical difficulties that they had and also how to ensure that our class remains engaging and personal despite all of us being in our separate own four walls during lessons. Utilising technology to engage as well as adapting traditional classroom management techniques has helped me and my teammate to gain the confidence to successfully conduct what has been 5 lessons thus far!
Lastly, through catering for the learning needs of our target audience — children aged from 9 to 12 — I feel like I have definitely honed my interpersonal skills, given how important it is as nurturers to be mindful of how we communicate with children in their formative years. It has made me more mindful of how I communicate with children.
For instance, we can see the benefits of using positive language in our classes. Even simply adopting “Close, good try!” instead of “No, that’s wrong!” as well as taking interest in what students have to say, has created a very participatory environment in our classes. Thus, even though we are far apart distance-wise, cultivating an encouraging environment has helped to bridge the teacher-student divide. Students who were initially shy, feel comfortable to ask questions be it aloud or in the chat function of Zoom. It has been very fulfilling and validating to watch our students remain engaged, motivated and even improve their answering techniques, hence achieving Ottodot’s aim of making the learning experience accessible and fun!
Here are some of the many students who made this such a heartening experience:
In all, as a learning design intern thus far, I have definitely learnt what goes behind making learning an exciting and enriching experience for primary students. In the process, however, I myself have grown and learnt numerous things, be it technical skills or soft skills from the rest of my team as well as my dear students.
Grateful to continue to take these treasured learning experiences with me beyond the end of this internship!
