Circuit breaker and the resulting switch to home-based learning (HBL) has forced students and teachers alike to quickly adapt to a completely new way of learning and teaching.

While the transition was certainly not without some teething problems like technical glitches, teachers have gamely taken on the challenge of managing a bunch of students remotely.

Such as this teacher using her child's Lego bricks to prop her phone up to better film herself teaching with the textbook.

A different classroom setting

One Lan Yingjie, a General Paper teacher from Hwa Chong Institution, has also come up with a rather innovative method of testing his students.

Here's his set-up during HBL. Students have their webcams on while taking the test, and Lan monitors them.

When time is up, students will have to submit whatever they have for grading.

They have to scan and upload their work for submission, one stark difference due to HBL.

Allows second submissions

While most might call it a day after the tests, Lan actually offers students who were unable to finish their essays another chance at completing it.

These students can use a pen of another colour and complete the essay to submit it a second time.

This allows Lan to assess the student's full thought process if they have more time.

It enables him to provide more feedback on the work and how the student can better manage their time in the future.

Lan's clever way of adding value to a typical test was shared by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung on Facebook.

Ong applauded Lan's creative method of invigilating and assessing students, saying that such a thing would not have been possible in a normal classroom setting.

HBL's schedule generally provides more flexibility for students because they can decide when to access their homework and assignments during the day.

A few hours in a day will also be spent on e-learning through a device.

Ong said:

"It is a good reminder that a test is also about learning, and not just testing for testing’s sake."

You can read his full post here.