R.E.A.L Kids has a Strong Preschool Brand to Ride On - Teacher Carmen from ALFA

Teacher Carmen, Diploma ECE graduate from ALFA International College. She's been with us since 2005 and she further her studies later on with ALFA to meet the early years' professional expectations. She's currently a Supervisor with R.E.A.L Kids.

“I would rate my working experience at R.E.A.L Kids so far to be 4 out of 5 or Very Good. I have had a lot of opportunities to learn with and from good colleagues. R.E.A.L Kids also offers a very good environment to work in as we have very friendly staff here. It is also a very good place for personal and career development, as the principal is very good at coaching and guiding the teachers as well as being encouraging at the same time. I feel we have a strong brand to ride on as most people in the ECCE industry are familiar with R.E.A.L Kids. On top of this, I think that we have one of the best preschool curriculums in town.”

Education: Traditional vs Online

For the past century our education system has been very traditional with books, blackboard and teachers. Recent technological advancements have been affecting classroom learning with the implementation of smart board, blackboard and Coursera (online learning) that are causing the educational method to change. All these new interactive learning tools that are available to students nowadays, are they here to do good or bad?

Looking from the positive side, online learning in fact increases the efficiency of learning and it can actually encourage students to access learning materials easily. Students can also download lecture notes, slides and tips online without consulting lecturers and this form of learning can happen anywhere anytime. Parents could also check on students progress and homework to ensure that the students are doing well in school.

Besides, moving the classroom online could also broaden the reach of these education to those that could not afford to attend to universities but are keen learners. Coursera (a new online education platform) partners with Professors from Universities to provide classes online with lower fees. Coursera now offers 859 courses from 115 Universities for only $50/month.

Despite the positive impact of technologies in learning nowadays we could not discount the possibility that traditional classroom learning will ever be replaced. The fundamental on teaching and learning is through two way communication between the students and lecturer but with online learning it would be overly flexible and that may cause students to miss classes or have less initiative to learn rendering the education invaluable. 

With the pros and cons of technological impact on education it would be wise to think twice before revamping the education methods.

What do you think? Would you want your child to learn online or in a classroom?

70 and Going - Mrs Bala, Principal of R.E.A.L Kids TTDI

Mrs Bala joyfully welcoming us into her office in R.E.A.L Kids TTDI while she brought us through the wonderful times she is still experiencing in R.E.A.L with her adorable kids.

What would you expect when you were told you are to meet a principal in her 70's? I could imagine a strict principal with a straight face, an eye for discipline and minimal tolerance for humor.

Think twice if you ever walked into R.E.A.L Kids TTDI. Mrs Bala was absolutely adorable. You'll find eyes rolling and stirring around all corners trying to catch her fleeting thoughts everywhere. Like a 12-year-old child piloting a jet flying across the big blue sky trying to describe away how running her kindergarten is like. The joy, the pain, the surprises and the frustrations. But no, you can see in her eyes that she's really painting her wonderland adventures despite some of the real hurdles. Like an experienced Yogi who knows the art of living life full with a serenity named Joy.

"Our kids loved swimming. Water time is always fun for them. They would turn into Batman, Superman, whatever man you call it. Owh and Supergirl. When the bell rings, they would hide in the corner hoping that you can't find them so they can continue playing water till the end of day." Mrs Bala was chipping away with enthusiasm. Chuckling her signature way it was so contagious all 3 of us giggled and cackled along.

It might be a relatively old center compared to most other flagship R.E.A.L Kids centers, but you could feel the warmth of the center so profound you instantly want to be a part of this family.

From Left: Christopher, Mrs Bala, Kean Wei & Ai Lin on our visit to R.E.A.L Kids TTDI on 5th Feb 2015.

What's better to frame our memory together this warm afternoon other than a picture together?

Are Online Universities Viable Businesses?

Avid Investor cum "Economist" Jim Rogers warned that the traditional model of universities might not be sustainable thanks to the bureaucracy and the seniority model they employ. They are barely running as profitable businesses but faculties that merit scholars and academicians, not realists and investors. But how about the Online University business model? Nothing about it was mentioned in the book, Street Smarts. However should we be applying his rule of investment correctly, I'm assuming we could spot the gem or dirt through a few questions highlighted below:

1. Is Online University sustainable as an educational initiative?
Yes it reaches millions of users over months with the huge initial investments.
Yes it offers flexible pacing option for students all over the world which could prove attractive to the students or adults.
Yes it comes mobile and is available all time everywhere globally as long as there's internet access, except North Korea.

The doubts however are on these. Can students and adults really learn real professional skills via the net? How about the social and interactive side of online education? If recruiters cannot correctly assess applicants' abilities via phone or Skype interviews, can educators effectively assess students' abilities and learning via the net? How efficient would the process be for geographically dispersed individuals here? 

TED Talk works but with sponsorships and it's mainly spreading of ideas rather than transferring skills. Not to mention it is non-profitable.





2. Is and will Online University be profitable business?

Yes if the conversion rate from free users to paid online education services are high enough. Coursera started with 1-2% conversion rate at its inception but it's growing. It charges for its verifiable certificates upon completion which are still vying for credentials but it services millions of users for free. Social entrepreneurial model definitely but as a profitable business it is too early to tell. However on the upside, it offers a feeder system for traditional university enrollments.

Udacity charges an average of USD150/month plus coaching plus personalized mentoring plus all free-of-charge materials online. Its user base range from 24 to 34 years of age, mostly IT professionals keen to upskill on Big Data, Mobile, Web Development & Programming.

Coursera raised USD85million over 2 rounds of fund raising by Sept 2013 since its inception in 2012 Spring but to date, its return is barely 10% of its investments, yet. The Singaporean government has spent some modest amounts to organize data science courses for both the government and non government staff through Coursera.


3. What is Tertiary Education or Professional Cert in essence?
A paper certification extremely focused at getting you a job at a company you want?
A learning experience that entails social aspect and physical involvements?
An ideal aspiration to empower everybody to live the American Dream, or the Chinese, the Indian or the Malaysian Dream? Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity believes in democratizing education so education is optimized for everybody and woven into their daily fabric. He dreams of a day where online educational is like toothbrush to us as our trusted partner in life. On the other hand, Richard C Levin, CEO of Coursera sees Online Education platform as an avenue for notable partner universities to magnify their global impact.

AT&T and some top tier Silicon Valley employers such as Google & Facebook are collaborating with Udacity to absorb their Big Data graduates.

Coursera has 110 notable partner universities around the world including names like Yale University, Stanford, John Hopkins, Princeston, University of London, Tokyo University, Peking University, Nanyang University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, etc.


4. What are the challenges or barriers of Online Education?
Sebastian, "the trust that comes and our ability to deliver the users' and partners' expectations. How do we create fun like online lessons similar to that of games to get students and learners addicted because online education is more than watching a Youtube video, it demands for your diligence and dedication."

The high dropout rate, 1-4% finishing rate thanks to the flexibility and the inflexibility of arranging resources for coaching and mentoring. The ease of signing up these online courses also encouraged the mismatch of students' capabilities to the wide selection of courses.

As for the anticipated Disruptive Innovation, no Superstar Syndrome or displacement of tier-2 and tier-3 universities happened yet. Superstar professors seem to be happy under their institutions still and not venturing out to go into business on themselves.

The Revenue-Split model, incentivising the contributors is still not an easy split-the-top-line-revenue option but one complicated model that considers many aspects.
 

5. What is the future of Online University business model?
More direct projects with industries, 1-on-1 mentoring with students, vocational courses, corporate courses, interactive lessons with video quizzes or peer grading every 6-8 minutes of lecture, connections, discussion groups, higher price points to speak to professors real time, etc.


In short, it is a social entrepreneurship business model to date. Will it turn into a profitable business soon? That's for you to figure and ride on.


Other relevant studies and links:
1. Democratizing Education by Richard C Levin, CEO of Corsera with BFM Radio on 14th Nov 2014.
2. Can Udacity Democratise Education by Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Udacity with BFM Radio on 19th Dec 2014.
3.Corsera Official Website
4. Udacity Official Website
5. Adec Official Website
6. Coursera CEO Richard Levin: Democratizing Learning Takes Time

Eunice Loh - Teaching Preschoolers as a Second Career

From Left: Kenny, Esther, Eunice, Selvi, Sooria & Rachel during R.E.A.L Long Service Award 2015, 15th Jan 2015 in HQ.

10 years with R.E.A.L Kids Wangsa Melawati. Teacher Eunice is a lovely teacher who joined us back in 2004 as an Assistant Teacher in R.E.A.L Kids Wangsa Melawati, better known as CEC back then. She was formerly a professional working in the field of Quantity Surveying, a lucrative and competitive career with hectic deadlines. She never knew teaching preschoolers was her calling. It was a fine day she walked in to our center and everything changed from then on. By chance she would say, she was there to enroll her son in the kindergarten and she realized how much she would love to work with children than with buildings.

In her own words, Eunice said, "Children had given me a lot. Every year, I see new faces. They are cute and I don't feel we're old. A lot of opportunities were given to me to advance my career with R.E.A.L Kids. From Assistant Teacher to Class Teacher to HoD for 5-year-old classes. I later took up a Diploma in Early Childhood from Institute CECE  to better equip myself with the industry's standard. Good times and bad, during my term with R.E.A.L Kids, the Center Manager Esther guided and taught me some important lessons before too." But it's all good today, resigning as an Assistant Supervisor, Eunice has decided to migrate to another country with her family and we wish her all the best.

Some additional Q&A with Eunice post award:
1. It is definitely not easy to decide to resign from a lucrative QS (Quantity Survey) career to join R.E.A.L Kids as an Assistant Teacher. Can you share with us, how did you battle that huge change?

"Career, family, money. It came a time I had to decide what I really wanted in life as a mother. Quantity Surveyor was a really competitive career. I had to do tender, do the quantity surveying jobs and rush for deadlines every time there's a project to deliver. I made a lot of money but I had no time to spend the money. We are all answerable to ourselves. What we believe in. You can't please everyone but you yourself must be aware what's worth your time. What makes you happy and what satisfies you. My son was 5 years old that time and I was in my thirties."

2. Any regrets for the drastic career change?
 "If there was any regret, I regretted I did not take up Education that time." 

3. Were your family members supportive of that decision?
"Not really. But I was answerable to myself. I was lucky my husband made sufficient to support our family."

4. What's your plan moving forward? Will you pursue Early Childhood when you're in Australia?
"Maybe. Perhaps in Special Needs, but nothing is firm as of now."