Term 2:

HB-Help!

R2's experiences with HBL

note: some of these pictures were taken before the implementation of the COVID19 rules

HBL experience

HBL was something new for everyone, not only for the students but for the teachers as well. We had many zoom and calls every day, and it taught us all to be disciplined and punctual. We also learnt to be responsible for our own work and complete it on time. With the zoom and google meet calls came a lot of technical difficulties. This taught my classmates and I how to adapt to last-minute changes, and to always have a plan B in mind. In conclusion, HBL was a fruitful period for all of us despite the many challenges and difficulties we faced. (Sofia, R2)

Image source: canva

Science lesson zoom (featuring Mr Mao)

Class theme photo

During May, all the Year 1 classes were tasked to think of a theme and dress up to take a class photo. Our class then decided to dress up as our favourite movie characters.

Some of these characters include: Mulan, Wonder Woman, Sherlock Holmes, Forky (from Toy Story), as well as many more!

Online platforms

During the HBL period, we were required to use many online platforms. Different teachers had different preferences on which platforms to use. However, most of the time, we used Zoom to hold online meetings. Whether it was for group work, lessons or consultations, these online platforms always made our learning possible.

However, even though these platforms were extremely helpful to us during HBL, encountering technical problems were inevitable. Here is how a normal HBL lesson would go (with some technical difficulties as usual).

1) Many times, we had problems with logging in

2) Other times, we waited for a long time to be let into the meeting

3) Finally being able to connect to a meeting!

4) It was common for classmates/teachers having to leave lessons abruptly due to technical issues

EXE at home!

During HBL, we were unable to have ExE lessons at school with our friends. However, that didn't stop us from exercising and keeping fit! We learnt various types of exercises through Zoom with the help of our ExE teachers (Ms Wynn and Ms Evon). We learnt a few simple yet effective exercises to keep fit, such as:

HIIT (high intensity interval training)
Body weight exercises

Images: Sofia (R2) during ExE lessons

Art Forms 👯‍♀️🎨🎭✍️🎶

Visual Arts (VA)

In Visual Arts, we did not have the proper art rooms and facilities to be able to work on our artworks at the time - sculptures/ceramics. Therefore, we had to be creative and improvise to still find a way to work without being in the studio.

In general, we VA students had to be more independent and take our own initiative to ask our teachers about our doubts concerning our work. This was because our teacher would not be there in person to always see our artwork and correct us.

"We did a lot of collages as we could not use any clay. Shops were closed and we could not buy anything." - Natalie (R2)

<---- collages by Natalie (R2)

Dance

For Dance, the biggest issue we faced was not having enough space to dance at home. Therefore, we dancers mostly trained ourselves by doing body conditioning on a mat. Other times, when we wanted to do some barre work (where dancers hold on to a barre and practise ballet), most of us used a chair instead as most of us did not have a proper barre at home. Also, most of our floors were not suitable for dancing, so we also needed to be careful to avoid hurting ourselves. Moreover, the technical difficulties we faced frequently meant that it was difficult to listen to the music and dance with it, as lagging etc would occur.

"Even though we didn't have a lot of space to dance at home, we still tried our best to continue learning dance. Actually, this was a great opportunity to do body conditioning and strengthen our bodies." - Sophie (R2)

<---- Time-lapse video of Sophie (R2) doing body conditioning for dance & photo of Sophie (R2) attending an online ballet class at home

Theatre

Theatre students had a tough time during HBL as this art form involves working and interacting with others. However, unable to be in the Theatre rooms, we had to do it through zoom calling.

"It was really weird as theatre is interactive. Talking to people on Zoom feels like you're talking to yourself." - Rieru (R2)

A script used by theatre students during their classes ---->

Music

Music students also had a hard time coordinating through Zoom calls. It was difficult to have proper lessons as the music rooms were not available, and lagging would sometimes occur. Due to this, it was hard for our music teachers to convey certain ideas, without being physically there.

"It was kinda hard because of my neighbours complaining about the sound, and i had to learn how to manage my time properly and try to practice in the day instead of the night." - Joshua (R2)

"It was hard to meet up and it was hard to ask the teacher for guidance. It was also hard to coordinate the music." - Vedu (R2)

"We could not have one-to-one lessons with our teachers." - Giselle (R2)

<---- an excerpt from an annotated score music students use for their year end IS assessment

Literary Arts (LA)

For Literary Arts, we students did not experience any major differences (compared to other art forms) during HBL. However, a problem we encountered was communicating with our classmates and teachers. Sharing ideas with others during online zoom sessions was definitely more difficult than face-to-face lessons. Also, many technical issues interrupted lessons.

In literary arts, "The writing is the same but it is harder to communicate as we need to call to communicate with our group mates." -Lauren

<---- the HBL timetable for LA students

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