Engaging young minds

When taught well, General Paper can open minds and encourage 17- and 18-year-olds to think more deeply about issues of the day.

In teaching this subject, LAN Yingjie, who graduated in 2016 with a Primary Major in Life Sciences and Second Major in English Language, credits his educational training for enabling him to make a difference as an effective GP educator. Yingjie also holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Liberal Studies under the NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme offered to cohort from the University Scholars Programme (USP).

He says, “Teaching GP, which covers a wide range of topics both across the sciences and the arts, has been a real test of the synthesis of what I learnt at NUS.” He continues to apply skills acquired from his science degree, which trained him to be “very precise”, as well as his arts degree, where he learnt how to “embrace a broader picture, especially in communicating ideas to others.”

He went on to read a Masters in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, which together with his undergraduate education, prepared him well to also teach English Language and Linguistics.

He adds, “My students come from arts and science backgrounds, and my academic background has really helped me to connect with them and explain concepts in a way that they will understand easily!”

Yingjie hopes to continue honing his craft and deepening his exposure by moving across various schools and roles. “There’re quite a lot of opportunities in the Ministry of Education, and it will take a whole lifetime to exhaust the possibilities!”