The Learning Lab is a private tuition and enrichment centre based in Singapore. It develops and runs academic programmes in English, Chinese, Mathematics and the Sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry). Programmes are available for students at pre-primary, primary, secondary and pre-tertiary levels.
Description
The Learning Lab runs academic enrichment and tuition programmes for pre-primary, primary, secondary and pre-tertiary students.
The Learning Lab also offers preparatory classes for the Gifted Education Programme screening test and selection test, in response to repeated pleas from parents and families. The Gifted Education Programme caters to the top 1% of each academic year and introduces added curriculum topics and components for high-achieving students within Singapore’s education system.
Similarly, preparatory classes for the Direct School Admission (DSA) programme are part of The Learning Lab lessons for Upper Primary students. Along with the PSLE, the DSA programme offers students entry into top Integrated Programme schools sought after by the best secondary and junior college students.
The Learning Lab has seven centres across the island, including United Square. In the East, The Learning Lab has centres at Mountbatten Square, Tampines Point and Tampines Mall. In West Singapore, The Learning Lab centres can be found at Rochester Mall, HomeTeam NS Bukit Batok and Westgate Mall.
Classrooms at The Learning Lab are named after global cities and cultural hubs, such as Silicon Valley, Stanford, London, New York City, Boston, Paris, Geneva, Stockholm, Cambridge and Tokyo, inspiring students to adopt a global mindset.
Track Record
In the 2016 PSLE, more than 50% of The Learning Lab students attained a T-score of 250 and above. 9 out of every 10 of their students scored an A or A* in their English, Chinese, Math and Science exams.
The Learning Lab has an unrivalled track record for producing the country’s top students. In 2010, the school's top 3 students scored 282, 279 and 278 respectively nationwide. They were ranked 1st, 2nd and 7th respectively nationwide. In 2011, The Learning Lab's top three students scored 283, 282 and 281 respectively in the PSLE. They were also the top 3 students nationwide.
From 2012, the Ministry of Education declined to name the top PSLE students and correspondingly, The Learning Lab has not released specific data, although it did share that it had produced the top students in 2012 as well as in 2013.
The Learning Lab takes in a myriad of students from all around Singapore including students from Rosyth School, Nanhua Primary School, Rulang Primary School, Red Swastika, St. Hilda’s Primary School, Tao Nan Primary School and more. Similarly, The Learning Lab has an unrivalled track record in the placement of their students in the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) and the admission to the best Integrated Programmes at Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls' School, Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls' High School, NUS High, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), NUS, VJC, NJC and SOTA.
The centre’s students have gained admission into the best universities globally. In the US, such universities include the likes of Princeton, Harvard and Yale. In the UK, such universities include University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics and Political Science. In Singapore, the centre’s students have been selected for entry into the elite University Scholars Programmes at the National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and Nanyang Technological University. Many have been successfully admitted into the much sought-after medical, business and law schools.
As of 2015, 28 students from The Learning Lab have been awarded the prestigious President’s Scholarship by Singapore’s Public Service Commission (PSC). In addition, The Learning Lab alumnus have been awarded the PSC’s Overseas Merit Scholarship (Open), the Singapore Government Scholarship (Open) and the Overseas Merit Scholarship (Legal Services), as well as a plethora of private sector scholarships.
Curriculum
Curriculum at The Learning Lab is designed by a team of 50 in-house curriculum specialists. In addition to being hired based on academic merit in their field of content expertise, curriculum specialists are also assessed in terms of their ability to think and write critically.
The curriculum management units are organised along subject and age-group lines. These curriculum management units generate its proprietary teaching materials and case studies in the English, Math, Science and Chinese subjects. Lesson materials often include articles from international publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME Magazine as well as academic journals and publications.
The Learning Lab's English curriculum teaches children about topics such as the United States Presidential Elections, Brexit and introduces them to figures such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Sonia Maria Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Global business figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Ma are also featured in The Learning Lab’s lesson materials.
The Chinese programme at The Learning Lab develops advanced skills in students’ writing, speaking, reading and listening, enhancing their Chinese language appreciation and mastery.
The Learning Lab’s Maths programme focuses on strengthening problem-solving skills and applications of the mathematical techniques. Students are taught a range of key heuristics to solve questions in the most efficient method. To cultivate their love for the subject, we provide students with an array of fun learning activities from teasers that generate interest in new topics to in-house designed games that reinforce key concepts.
Science curriculum at The Learning Lab focuses heavily on getting students to think critically and flexibly with exam-type and higher order thinking questions. It incorporates experimentation to reinforce understanding of scientific concepts. Science lessons also include fun and engaging activities, experiments and games to help facilitate the understanding and internalisation of content.
Teachers
Teachers at The Learning Lab go through a very stringent selection process. They are energetic, bright and driven individuals from the top local and overseas institutions, as well as industry professionals. Teachers are noted for their nurturing and empowering approach in the classroom.
Each candidate goes through several interviews and upon employment undergo an intensive Incubation Training Programme. Conducted by senior teachers and trainers at The Learning Lab, this programme focuses on subject mastery, content delivery, student psychology and parent management. It includes lectures, role play, observations and appraisal sessions.
The company’s tagline, “Nurturing the Love of Learning†is part of its teaching philosophy in developing each student’s potential.
Early Years Programme
The Learning Lab Early Years Programme enrichment classes in English, Mathematics and Chinese for the Nursery 2 and Kindergarten 1-2 age groups.
The Learning Lab Early Years develops its own curriculum materials and its programmes aim to develop the academic, social and cognitive sensibilities of young learners. As children have an innate curiosity and desire to learn about the world around them, The Learning Lab’s Early Years programmes aim to guide and channel their energy towards learning in a fun and creative way and building their self-confidence in cognitive and language abilities. We incorporate games and activities to make lessons more enjoyable and relatable to their experiences.
Further to that, The Learning Lab’s Early Years programmes prime our pre-schoolers for academic excellence and prepare them for a smooth transition into primary school.
Enrichment Programmes
The Learning Lab has encourages students to explore opportunities and learn beyond the classroom setting. The company has organised…
Special enrichment programmes including:
- Junior Space Camp with ex-NASA engineers
- Motivational seminars with co-leaders of the Singapore Women's Everest team
Special holiday programmes including:
- Dream Academy, helmed by Singapore actress Selena Tan
- Coding camps in collaboration with First Code Academy
- Making Sense of Money: Introduction Workshops to Financial Literacy
In addition, the company has sent student contingents to several high-profile conferences including
- Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC and NYC
- National Youth Leadership Forum on Business and Innovation at Stanford
- Global Young Innovators Initiative at Harvard Law School
Media Presence
Online media features
- Channel NewsAsia: “7 ways parents can instil good study habitsâ€
- HerWorldPlus: “Does tuition really help kids do better in exams?â€
- Smartparent.sg: “7 ways parents can instil good study habits
- TheSmartLocal: “This Is How P5 Kids Are Trained To Understand The US Presidential Elections Better Than Adultsâ€
- TheSmartLocal: “5 Secrets Of This Tuition Centre That Helps Students Get PSLE T-scores of >250â€
- TheSmartLocal: “4 Reasons Same Intelligence Kids Do Better Than Others In Exams
- The New Paper: “Extra lessons can make kids perform worseâ€
- Young Parents: “40 enrichment classes in Singapore for babies, preschoolers and schoolkidsâ€
Holiday programmes highlighted in:
- Harper’s BAZAAR Junior March 2017 Issue
- Harper’s BAZAAR Junior June 2017 Issue
- Honeykids Asia: “School holidays in Singapore â€" Dye-Nosaur Gardens Children’s Festival at Gardens by the Bayâ€
- Honeykids Asia: “March and Easter holiday camps in Singapore 2017 â€" Enrichment classes, drama workshops, sports camps and moreâ€
- Singapore’s Child: “7 Activity Workshops To Keep The Kids Engaged During The March Holidaysâ€
- Singapore’s Child: “Fun Enrichment Workshops To Keep The Kids Engaged This June Holidaysâ€
- Singapore Women’s Weekly: “Art-Zoo And Other Fun Places To Take Kids To This Weekend (Mar 11-12)â€
- Singapore Women’s Weekly June Issue
- Young Parents: “Top 30 activities for the June school holidays 2017â€
- Young Parents: “June school holidays 2017 â€" Activities for kidsâ€
The Learning Lab has been featured in Channel NewsAsia’s TV programmes:
- “Bright Start, Bright Sparks†(2016)
- “The Class Above†(2016)
- “Nurturing The Love of Learning in Every Child†(to be aired on Friday, 23 June 2017)
See also
- Gifted Education Programme (Singapore)
- Integrated Programme
- Education in Singapore
External links
- Official website
- Company Facebook
- Company Twitter