Mywis, Taiping

Mywis, Taiping is a forward-looking enrichment centre that offers STEAM-based programmes for 7- to 12-year-olds. “At Mywis, we aim to raise globally aware children who are able to thrive in a complex society. In this day and age, it’s no longer sufficient for them to just be book smart, as the world is constantly changing. Therefore, helping children develop a strong set of higher order thinking skills is a main goal of ours. It’s important that we help prepare them for a lifetime of personal and professional fulfillment,” explains the principal, Ms Alicia, on why she wanted to become more than just a music teacher.

“Besides laying the foundations for children, we also hope to meet the needs of parents in our community, especially those who send their children to SJK(C) Hua Lian 3 (which is situated right opposite the centre),” adds Ms Alicia. As a one-stop centre, Mywis provides homework coaching, school subject revision, multilingual reading and STEAM project-based learning. 

The ways that teachers use to coach students at Mywis are largely inspired by the educational philosophies of John Dewey – a pioneer in progressive education in the United States. This approach focuses on the following to inculcate holistic development:

• To provide students with plenty of hands-on learning opportunities, as children actually become more focused and motivated to learn when they are engaged with their hands. Plus, learning by doing helps them retain knowledge for much longer.
• To provide a child-centred learning environment which promotes active learning. Teachers encourage students to participate in decision making, take on more responsibilities and try to create solutions to problems.
• To instill positive moral values into children and guide them to grow up with appropriate, ethical behaviours and actions. 

Ms Alicia introduces us to the programmes at Mywis: “No matter what field children go into when they grow up, employers will always prefer workers who know how to problem-solve, communicate well, be creative and work collaboratively with the team. So, in addition to reading, we integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) elements into our ACTIVATION Programmes to give children a thorough grounding to get ahead in tomorrow’s world.”

The ACTIVATION Programmes include:

Homework Coaching

Highly trained teachers assist students to understand and work out the correct answers rather than simply telling them the answers, and taking away their ability to think for themselves. The teachers not only ensure everything is done correctly but also inspire students to be self-motivated when it comes to completing their homework and learning. 

School Subjects Revision

These revision sessions help students who are falling behind or are struggling in specific areas. The teachers reinforce key concepts in main school subjects, namely English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Science and Mathematics, in small group classrooms. Students will be evaluated monthly via a SCORE100 system. This will allow students to understand and perform better academically, which will in turn boost their self-esteem and confidence.

3 Languages Reading

Students are guided to master their reading proficiency in the 3 main languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin. Lots of interesting books are used to stimulate students’ imagination while improving their vocabulary and comprehension skills. On top of that, by fostering this lifelong habit of reading at an early age improves students’ ability to capture and grasp information very easily – a cornerstone of academic success.

STEAM Projects

One of the standout programmes at Mywis is their fun yet highly beneficial STEAM projects for kids. Each month, students create prototypes and test runs on fully functional projects, such as combining gears to make a rotating toy carousell and using water pressure to create force for a hydraulic bridge, that will amaze both kids and adults alike. In the process, these team-oriented projects enhance students’ research ability, presentation skills, and get them thinking out of the box.

On the whole, it embodies the 4C’s of modern day education, i.e. critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication. At Mywis, they believe if children can learn to problem-solve today, they can definitely take on the future and change the world tomorrow.

On a side note, Mywis Academy was one of the competition coordinators for the Recycling STEAM Project Competition during the Karnival Pendidkan Swasta (KPS) 2021 - an event organised by the Bahagian Pendidikan Swasta (MOE).

Daycare Services

Besides being able to better themselves in terms of schoolwork, Mywis also emphasises on the importance of balanced growth, and that includes healthy nutrition and dietary habits. Careful attention is placed in preparing the meals to make sure children are eating fresh, unprocessed whole foods from all the food groups so that they get enough nutrients for their mental and physical development. As a precautionary measure during the age of coronavirus, children bring their own food containers and eat at their own designated spots to mitigate the risk of infection.

Moreover, being at Mywis exposes children to a structured daily routine that helps support healthy social emotional development, as well as other important practical life skills. Over time, they will be able to better adapt to everyday challenges and new expectations of life.