EVERY TANGLINIAN A LEADER

OUR BELIEFS IN STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We believe that every Tanglinian can be and should be developed as a leader who makes a positive difference to others within his/her sphere of influence. In line with our school’s vision, all students, regardless of their education levels, courses of study and whether they hold formal leadership positions, have the potential to be leaders. All students will be imbued with core values that will anchor them in life, and have the opportunity to develop and strengthen leadership competencies through key student development experiences and CCE lessons, to become Leaders of the Future, Pride of the Community.

OUR STUDENT LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

This framework provides an overview of our approach and programmes which support the development of leadership skills and competencies in our students.

Our student leadership development programmes are based on Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Student Leadership:

1. Model The Way – A Tanglin student leader serves as a positive role model for his/her peers by behaving in ways that reflect the school values.
2. Inspire a Shared Vision – A Tanglin student leader envisions the future and enlists others to make it their common vision.
3. Challenge the Process – A Tanglin student leader seeks opportunities to grow, dares to experiment, takes risks and learns from mistakes.
4. Enable others to act – A Tanglin student leader fosters collaboration by building trusting relationships, and strengthens others by developing competence.
5. Encourage the heart – A Tanglin student leader recognises his/her teammates’ contributions to the success of the project and celebrates team achievements.

 

OUR STUDENT LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

Our Student Leadership Development Programme comprises three tiers, starting with Self-Leadership as the foundation. Students learn that leadership is a disposition rather than a position. The knowledge, skills and values articulated across the CCE2021 curriculum form the baseline of leadership knowledge, values and competencies for all students.

Key student development experiences such as Values in Action, cohort camps and CCA provide opportunities for students to strengthen these leadership competencies. Every Secondary One student will also be guided in fulfilling the requirements of the three key components of the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Bronze Award programme, namely Service Learning, Outdoor Appreciation and Healthy Living (Physical & Mental Wellness), in line with the school’s desired outcomes of nurturing self-directed learners and concerned citizens. After achieving the NYAA Bronze Award, students are offered the Silver Award programme to further develop their leadership skills and competencies, and contribute to service learning in greater depth.

 

Requirement	NYAA Bronze	NYAA Silver	Suggested School Activities
Target Students	All Sec 1 students	Selected Sec 3 students and Student Leaders
Service Learning	At least 20 hrs of VIA spread over a minimum period of 4 months	At least 40 hrs of VIA spread over a minimum period of 8 months	CCA VIA, School VIA, Community VIA
Outdoor Appreciation	At least 15 hrs of outdoor activities with a specific learning goal	At least 24 hrs of outdoor activities with a specific learning goal	Camps with outdoor programmes such as hikes, tent-pitching, pioneering
Healthy Living (Physical & Mental Wellness)	At least 24 hrs of regular activities spread over 6 months	At least 32 hrs of regular activities spread over 12 months	Conversational Chinese and Malay Programme, Sports Education Programme, aesthetic programmes

 

At the Team Leadership Level, students are given opportunities to lead in the various leadership boards, namely the Class Leadership Board, CCA Leadership Board and the Student Council. The Team Leadership model builds accountability to the self, the leadership board and the school.

At the pinnacle of our leadership structure is the Student Council Executive Committee (Exco) as well as the CCA Presidents and Vice-Presidents where our student leaders learn about and develop Organisational Leadership. Through formal and informal (on-the-job) training, the Student Council Exco and CCA Leaders learn the art and process of influencing people to lead in identified tasks. They also represent our school at identified platforms, and serve as the voice of the student body.

OUR APPROACH

The school is committed to developing our student leaders through “SPARK” – Selection, Provision, Affirmation, Reflection and Knowledgeable others.

Selection

We believe that all students need to learn about leadership, before they can demonstrate it through their actions. Students who exhibit the ability to lead themselves well will be nominated to take on additional responsibilities and leadership roles as Class Leaders, CCA Leaders or Student Councillors, where they can have a greater sphere of influence.

The Class Committee comprises the executive committee and various student representatives. The executive committee consists of the Class Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary/Treasurer, Character and Citizen Education (CCE) Rep and Well-being Rep. Student representatives are appointed in the areas of: Environment, ICT as well as the various subject representatives.

CCA leaders are nominated and selected based on their leadership, performance and contributions in their respective CCA groups.

Student Councillors are nominated by their Form/Subject/CCA teachers or through self-nomination. Students who meet the criteria of conduct grade and ability to cope with academic and CCA demands will go through an interview by the Student Leadership Development Committee as part of the selection process. The Executive Committee of the Student Council (comprising the President, the Vice President, the Secretary and/or the Treasurer and other key roles) will be selected by the School Management Committee. The President of the Student Council is voted into office by the student body and the school staff with the School Leaders’ endorsement.

Provision

Self-Leadership Training	All Sec 1 and 2 students	Self-Leadership Module
	All students	National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Bronze programme
Team Leadership Training	·       Class Leaders ·       CCA Leaders ·       Student Councillors	·       The Student Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Posner) ·       Annual Student Leadership Camps e.g. Peer Support Training workshop, Project Management workshop, Conflict Resolution workshop
	·       Class Committee	·       Training per semester by Student Leadership Development (SLD) Committee Teachers and HODs/Subject Teachers ·       Guidance by SLD Committee Teachers and Form Teachers in daily discharge of duties
	·       CCA Leaders	·       Training by CCA Teachers-in-charge ·       College of Alice and Peter Tan Student Leadership Action Mentorship programme (CAPTSLAM) for Sec 2 students with leadership potential
	·       Student Councillors	·       Training by Student Council teachers-in-charge ·       Leadership Camps organised by external partners e.g. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Pivotal Youth

Affirmation

Student Leaders are recognised for their leadership and service to the school via various platforms, including Student Leaders’ Investiture, Achievers’ Day and the EAGLES’ Award. 

Reflection

Reflection is an important part of the learning process as it allows our student leaders to engage in critical and reflective thinking, and help them to better process their experience and outcomes. Through self-reflection, student leaders check their progress based on their identified vision and hone their leadership skills.

SLD Committee teachers guide student leaders in carrying out reflection after each learning experience and facilitate sharing of students’ reflections so that they could learn from one another. Besides the Borton’s model of reflection, or the 3-2-1 reflection model, student leaders also reflect on their application of the five practices of exemplary leadership.

Knowledgeable Others

As part of the student leadership development in TSS, newly appointed Student Leaders will be paired with a more experienced Student Leader to shadow and learn. The latter will help to mentor and provide peer support on less formal settings. SLD Committee teachers will also provide mentoring and reinforce leadership knowledge and skills taught during specific trainings.