Tanglin Trust School: Pioneering real-life learning through The Institute

Good schools encourage students to explore disciplines that’ll prepare them for university but great schools help their pupils identify their purpose. This is precisely what Tanglin Trust School aspires to achieve through The Institute @ Tanglin, which offers an introduction to the world of work and gets students to think in an interdisciplinary manner.

The Institute is not just about exposure alone, it’s about equipping learners to excel in a world defined by constant change and innovation. Hence, the space doubles as a thought leadership hub, bringing together students, teachers, facilitators, mentors, and experts to discuss today’s and tomorrow’s most important topics. Tanglin’s expansive lineup of collaborations with corporate, government, and educational entities make it all possible.

Discovering the world-bettering effects of robotics

Janette Tartabini from Ekso Bionics recently spent the day at Tanglin and introduced students, parents, and educators to the groundbreaking EKSO NR robotic exoskeleton. What started as a Berkeley University programme, with roots in the US Army military, is now a fourth-generation medical robot used in over 15 hospitals across Singapore, with a further 800-900 EKSO robots used globally.

Janette works as a Clinical Manager for Ekso Bionics training fellow physiotherapists on how to use the Ekso robot as a safe and effective tool to help recovery from a stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury or other neurological nerve diseases. The robot provoked much discussion and curiosity amongst the different age groups, all the students were fascinated by how the robot controlled and guided their classmates to walk, sit, stand and even squat!

Conor DeCourcey who is Head of Design and Technology (DT) at Tanglin explained that ‘EKSO provided Senior DT students with the chance to conduct research for their medical technology design project. This involved delving into the functionality of exoskeletons and engaging with an industry expert through questions and discussions.’ Whilst Junior students got a superb example of how science, technology, engineering and maths can be connected and applied in real life.

‘It was cool — I’ve never seen anything like it before,’ says student, Arjun M. ‘I liked that we have created something that helps people.’

Deep diving into the Blue Economy

It’s never too early to address the complex challenges of the 21st century. This is why Tanglin invited Dr. Darian McBain — the first Chief Sustainability Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, recognised by the United Nations as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Pioneer — to speak at its student-led finance conference ‘Money in Motion’.

Her talk explained how the Blue Economy is inextricably linked to the Green Economy, as the Ocean is our largest carbon sink, and hence has a significant impact on our temperatures and carbon dioxide levels. Yet, the financial investment in this goal is the lowest out of all the UN SDGs, primarily because there is not enough information and data on the impact of the ocean on climate change and hence, investors cannot assess the financial risks of investment in this space.

The event provoked discussion and questions from the students as they grappled with the multi-disciplinary issues of sustainable fishing, overfishing, piracy, pollution, rising sea levels, impact on communities with strong cultural affinity with the ocean and carbon nature-based solutions.

‘The topic of blue finance and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) was really interesting because I’ve always had an interest in climate change and environmental issues, as well as how finance can play a role in those issues’ enthused a Year 12 student.

The event, supported by The Institute, sparked lively discussions among students from Tanglin as they engaged in a discussion with Dr McBain on why finding agreement between different stakeholders of the Ocean Economy is a challenge and what progress has been made on agreement such as the International Maritime Organisation’s plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050.

The Next Big Idea

The Institute has recently completed its second successful year of the SC Ventures programme. The 16-week Innovation Programme run by The Institute in collaboration with SC Ventures (SCV), Standard Chartered’s innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm, is an exemplary example of one of the Institute’s key aims of offering Tanglin students real-world learning opportunities.

The rigorous programme has been tailored by SC Ventures to introduce ‘Human Centred Design Thinking Skills’.  It’s a fantastic opportunity for Senior Students to test their thinking beyond the academic, and consider the broader issues that businesses face in today’s shifting marketplace.   Students not only had to expand their critical thinking they also experienced what it would be like to work in a real business environment.

The final pitches hosted at the Pay Pal offices were part of a more extensive journey, which started with the SCV team receiving 32 idea submissions from students across Year 12. These were whittled down to just 4 teams who then took part in the SC Ventures Intrapreneurship Boot Camp, where they received coaching and mentoring from a range of SCV Innovation Coaches headed up by Julia Erakovic. The coaches worked with each team to help them test and refine their ideas into credible business solutions. Key tasks included using design thinking and business modelling skills, conducting independent research and creating a pitch for real venture builders.

Students underwent a mock pitch stage with Tanglin parents and staff before the final day of presentations hosted at the Pay Pal offices in front of an extensive panel of business leaders from SCV, Pay Pal, Argor Capital, and Microsoft. With senior Tanglin staff and parents also in attendance, the students were challenged to pitch to a diverse audience.

The panellists were impressed by the outstanding final presentations, Julia Erakovic summed up the event perfectly, ‘The pitching was top class! It was a real pleasure to support the students of Tanglin Trust School again. It is great to see our Intrapreneurship Program teach these students to take risks, be resilient, adapt and learn from failure in creating their solutions – exactly what is needed for the next generation of entrepreneurs. We hope to see them pursue their passions and take their ideas into reality.’

Exploring the Evolution of Fashion

Petra Sekhar, Programme Director of the Vogue Foundation, and Natasha Damodaran, Managing Director of Vogue Singapore, visited The Institute to share insights into the potential for the fashion industry to merge science, technology, AI and creativity to drive changes in the industry. They highlighted how Vogue Singapore has harnessed technology, AI, and creativity to disrupt traditional fashion narratives, engaging different generation of readers with groundbreaking experiences such as the Metaverse, NFT issues, and AI-generated covers.

Beyond industry insights, they shared stories about their careers, what they enjoyed most about working in fashion and underscored the importance of disruption and staying cutting-edge in the ever-evolving worlds of fashion, media and publishing.

The event resonated deeply with students, sparking inspiration and opportunities for personal growth. For example, Alicia F, a Year 12 student, seized the chance to connect with Damodaran after the talk. ‘My favourite subjects in school are HL Physics and Film, but Fashion is another passion of mine’, she shares. ‘This led me to email Natasha. I had no expectations, but I hoped they’d allow me to help at their ‘Next in Vogue’ event. To my great surprise, I was offered an internship, and obviously, it was too good an opportunity to pass up!’

Alicia’s various pursuits, from fashion to quantum physics and entrepreneurship, exemplify Tanglin’s ethos of nurturing holistic development and fostering a spirit of exploration. Meanwhile, her journey to Vogue affirms Tanglin’s ability to provide platforms for students to cross disciplinary lines and chart their paths to success.

And that’s not likely to be her last foray into a new field, and coming from a school where knowledge, skills and experience are never narrowly segmented, students like Alicia are set for futures that are as broad and bold as their educational experience at Tanglin Trust School.

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