Idea2 Issue 3 - Academy of Singapore Teachers

Transcription

Connecting Professionals, Knowledge & Practice
i.d.e.a
2
identity . development . empowerment . affirmation @ academy
My Mother’s
Classroom is not like
My Classroom
Issue 3 | March 2012
IDENTITY
Do you know how to measure
your own leadership effectiveness
at the classroom level? Find out
more from Are You A TeacherLeader?
READ MORE
DEVELOPMENT
The Academy Symposium 2011
enabled teachers to glean new
insights and be inspired to create
strong, connected communities
of teacher-leaders and reflective
practitioners to transform our
professional practice. Find out
more from Academy Symposium:
Celebrating Learning, Transforming Practice.
READ MORE
EMPOWERMENT
In November 2011, the Academy of Singapore Teachers invited her 2nd
Outstanding-Educator-In-Residence (OEIR), Mr Michael Gordon Robinson, to
share his expertise on teaching pedagogies and classroom practices.
In this issue, he shares his reflection on how teaching in the 21st century
requires a combination of old and new teaching techniques in order to engage the
students in the learning process. He believes that teachers must be willing to
embrace change and continue to develop their teaching strategies to incorporate
within them the latest technology and information available.
READ MORE
What do we know about the 21st
Century Learner? What are the
key proficiencies and competencies required across different jobs
and work settings in the next ten
years? How would that impact our
preparation of ourselves and our
students for the future? Find out
more from Do We Teach Today as
We Taught Yesterday?
READ MORE
AFFIRMATION
Who are some of the stars of
our teaching fraternity? How did
they add shine to our educational system? Find out more from
Celebrate Our Stars.
READ MORE
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Editorial
Director’s Welcome
Welcome to the 3rd issue of i.d.e.a2!
Our ability to embrace change, adapt to new environments and
work collaboratively are distinguishing human traits that have
ensured our survival throughout the ages. Now more than ever, in
this evolving landscape of the 21st century, it is imperative that as
educators we are able to cultivate in our students future-ready skills
and attitudes that will help them face the challenges of their times.
The theme for this issue is aptly titled 21st Century Learning as it
explores what the identity of a 21st century learner is, what makes a 21st
century classroom tick and the role of the teacher in the classroom today. It also celebrates the fundamentals that anchor us in this landscape:
a greater focus on a values-based education and strong collaborative
culture amongst teachers. These strands and more form the substance
of 21st century teaching and learning.
We hope this issue of i.d.e.a2 will encourage you to search for your own
answers in how you can better prepare our young for 21st century living
and working!
S. Manogaran
Executive Director
Academy of Singapore Teachers
Photographs courtesy of CCE Branch
on the launch of the CCE Conference,
November 2011.
Do feel free to drop us a line at MOE_Academy_Publications@moe.edu.sg
if you have any suggestions or feedback.
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Feature
My Mother’s Classroom is
not like My Classroom
Mr Michael Gordon Robinson
I spent a great deal of my childhood at school; not
just the normal school day, but many days in the
summer and many hours after the school day ended.
You see, my mother was a third grade teacher. My twin
sister and I would help her decorate her classroom
and arrange her desks. We would also write all over
her blackboard with messy yellow and white chalk. I
grew up in a school, and I grew up as a teacher’s kid.
the old fashioned way: with her textbook and her
chalk-filled blackboard. She was considered by most
to be an excellent teacher.
When I entered college I knew I wanted to major in
geography, and I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Being a
teacher was not something I shared with anyone until
three years into my college career. It just did not seem
to be an impressive choice for a lifelong profession. I
My mother’s classroom had no computers and remember one of my high school teachers telling me,
no multimedia projectors. The internet was non- “You can do anything, just don’t teach.” Somewhere,
existent, and the most reliable resource in the room being a teacher had become less than it once was
was a set of 1980 encyclopedias lined in a nice straight in her mind. But it did not matter to me what that
alphabetical row on a bookshelf in the back of the high school teacher or others thought of teaching.
room. My mother taught what some might call now I, unlike so many young students in university, knew
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Feature
what I wanted to do with my life, and I knew I wanted
to be a teacher. However, it did not take long into my
teaching career for me to find out why my high school
teacher warned me not to teach.
A good lesson would always be a good lesson. “Why
change what works?” was a mantra I kept chanting.
What worked before and would still work now...
I have a lesson on world climates. It is a challenging
Teaching is challenging. What my high school and interesting lesson for my students. It does not
teacher should have told me is that teaching is not require high tech computers. It just requires good old
something just anyone could do. Teaching is an art fashioned brains. Students need to construct graphs
form that you perfect over time. You do not just and match the graphs with the climate descripstart out as a great teacher. No one in the university tions. It is an effective lesson, and students would
can prepare you to manage effectively the student be able to master the objectives and understand the
who always wants to sleep in class, or the student differences in world climates quite easily. In short,
who has trouble sitting down, and the ever-present it is a good lesson. There is no need to change what
apathy displayed by students who do not value the works, because it would still work.
education you are providing. Teaching can be at times
a thankless and frustrating ordeal, but you stick with What worked before but would not work as well
it because the reward of seeing your students learn now…
and the satisfaction of knowing what you do matters A few years ago I went to my filing cabinet and pulled
more than most professions. It makes teaching well out the climate project and was about to make copies
worth it.
of the handouts for my students when I stopped. I
looked at it, and exclaimed, “This can look better, and
When I started teaching in 1994, there were no it can use the latest, more diverse statistics.” For this
computers in the room, no one had email, and reason I worked on and updated my lesson. What I
cell phones were hardly used by anyone. My first did not have in 1994 when I created the lesson was
classroom looked a great deal like my mother’s a program that would make the graphs and maps
classroom with one minor change: I had an overhead much better to see and construct. I did not have the
projector and wrote my notes on clear transparencies internet with its vast amounts of climate data that
instead of on the chalkboard.
was now at my fingertips. I was limited to the few
locales with climate data that was found in the back
It was not until 1997 that I had an email address of my old college textbook. By the time I finished with
and one computer in my classroom. I remembered my updates, I had taken a good lesson and turned it
complaining about what I was supposed to do with into what I would say, a great lesson. This was only
a single computer. “How am I going to use it with my made possible by the resources now available to me
students who do not have computers?” I found out on the internet.
later how wrong I was. I did not realize at that time how
that one computer would change my entire approach Probably the greatest impact on teaching in the last
to my lesson preparation. I was about to learn a twenty years had been, access to the internet. The
lesson my students constantly embrace: CHANGE. My percentage of world population who were interstudents knew all the latest trends, fashions, net users in 1995 was 0.4%. This rose to 10.3% in
and techno gadgets. They were accustomed to 2003 and to over 30% in 2011 with over 77% in the
changing with the times. I, however, was much more United States and Singapore. It is no longer now a
careful. If what I had been doing in my classroom was matter of choice for a teacher to use the internet in the
working, then why would it not just keep working? classroom. It is a NECESSITY. As a teacher I must learn
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Feature
how to incorporate this immense resource into my
teaching. My textbooks could become out of date
by the time they are published, but the internet is
always updating itself. This is especially true for the
social sciences. What I must now learn is how to best
use the internet and teach my students how to best
use it. The key word again is “TEACH.” Students know
how to use the internet, but they rarely know how to
best use it for learning and research.
In 1995 my high school had one computer lab with
thirty-five computers. My first lesson in 1995 was to
teach my students how to use a browser to search. I
would have questions like, “How do I find a map of
Tennessee?” Today, my students, like most students,
have advanced past learning how to search the internet. My eight-year-old nephew had no trouble finding a map of Tennessee on the internet. I asked him
to find one for me; he went to Google and in 0.25
seconds there were about 10,900,000 images of
“Tennessee map.” It is this point where the teacher
comes in.
As with any Google search, the images found may
or may not be a map of Tennessee. It is now my
responsibility as a teacher to help the student
organize, analyze, and recognize what is reliable and
useful information. The vast information on the
internet and computers may replace a lot of jobs, but
it would never replace the teacher.
Students need guidance, as the internet makes it
easier for them to make mistakes and take short cuts.
For instance, I had a student present a lesson in which
the assignment was to show images of Madrid, Spain.
The student had an excellent power point presentation with beautiful pictures, graphs, and maps of
Madrid, but one of her pictures was not from Madrid.
After the presentation I asked her why she put the
image of a tourist attraction from Barcelona in her
presentation on Madrid. Her response was, “That
image showed up when I did a Google image search
for “Madrid tourist destinations.” It was an honest
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mistake and an easy mistake to make. Students
come to trust the internet too much. They do not
realise that just finding information they are asking
for does not guarantee that the information is always
accurate. It becomes necessary for teachers to
instruct their students on how to do research on the
internet and check for reliable sources.
Preparing for the unknown
Teachers have a new job when it comes to
preparing students for the 21st century. It has
become necessary for teachers to focus on “learning
how to learn.” I can never teach my students all the
materials found about any topic on the internet. The
amount of information is so vast that I, a teacher, only
know a small fraction about many of the topics. The
challenge for teachers is now to focus on how their
students can learn beyond the classroom. Students
need to have critical thinking skills so that they can
problem solve and be innovative and creative. Some
of the jobs my students would eventually hold may
not even exist today. Advancements in technology are
fast, and the best set of skills I as a teacher can equip
my students with is; how best to learn and think.
The National Council for Social Studies believes that
the primary goal for teachers and public education
in the United States is to “prepare students to be
engaged and effective citizens.”
It is thus our job to move beyond the textbook and
even beyond the internet and other technologies and
instill in our students the values of what it means to
be an “effective citizen.” This comes with class discussions and a willingness to engage students in the topics and issues impacting our country and the world.
It is great to have access to so much up-to-date
information, but it is the teacher’s job to know how to
take the information and make meaning of it for his
or her students. Teachers are responsible for helping
students make the connections with the material to
be learned. No computer can do this.
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Feature
Living in a shrinking world
What the computer could do is show us that our
classroom is not an isolated place. The world in
which we all live has become a great deal smaller. My
students can have Facebook friends in New Zealand,
Singapore, Germany, and Egypt. They can access
podcasts from professors in England, and they can
have a guest speaker who is actually in India but
talking to the class via Skype. The access to the rest
of the world is truly changing daily. My students and
yours are part of a global community. We must make
sure that our education in the social sciences would
reflect this interconnected world in which we are
now all a part of.
The National Council for Social Studies believes
that an effective social studies program must include global and international education. Global and
Mr Robinson conducted a ‘Mental Mapping and
Tourism’ lesson with a class of Secondary Three
Geography students from Woodlands Ring Secondary School.
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international education is important because the dayto-day lives of average citizens around the world are
influenced by burgeoning international connections.
The human experience is an increasingly globalized
phenomenon in which people are constantly being
influenced by transnational, cross-cultural, multicultural and multi-ethnic interactions.
Students in my geography class no longer can say,
“Why do I need to know where Singapore is? I am
never going to go there.” The simple fact is that we
as a world are connected to one another. More so
than ever before, what happens in China can impact
lives in the United States and vice-versa. Life in the
21st century is dynamic, and we as educators must
ensure that our teaching is just as dynamic. We must
embrace CHANGE and, enrich and equip our students
to meet the challenges of the changing world.
Master Classes for teachers on ‘Food Resources,
Health & Diseases’ which are the new topics in the
revised Geography syllabus.
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Feature
About the Author
Mr Michael Gordon Robinson is a teacher at Houston High School (USA). He was also the
Outstanding-Educator-In-Residence at Academy of Singapore Teachers 2011. He was awarded the 2010 award for the National Council for the Social Studies Outstanding Social Studies Teacher, as well as the 2010-2011 Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator of the Year Award
(Tennessee Holocaust Commission). He has also travelled to Prague, Vienna and Korea for
conferences and research.
References
Jerald, Craig D. “Defining a 21st Century Education: At a Glance.” Center for Public Education. Web.
Retrieved from: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Learn-About/21st-Century.
“Standards and Position Statements - National Council for the Social Studies.” National Council for the Social Studies- Social Studies: Preparing Students for College, Career and Citizenship. Web. 04 Dec. 2011.
Retrieved from: http://www.socialstudies.org/standardsandpositionstatements.
“The Future of Schooling: Educating America in 2014 - McREL.” McREL: Mid-continent Research for
Education and Learning. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.mcrel.org/topics/
products/221.
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7
Identity
“Are You a Teacher-Leader?”
Dr Lee Yim Ping
Introduction
The basic organisational unit in the school is any
classroom and the teacher is the one who wields the
greatest influence in it. If being a transformational
leader is to bring about positive change in others, it is
in the capacity of influencing and impacting students
in the classroom that the teacher can be seen most
as a transformational leader. To develop transformational leadership in teachers, it is essential to identify
the components that make up this form of leadership
and design a reliable form of measurement that will
help teachers increase their leadership effectiveness
in the classroom. While the 360-degree feedback is
used commonly to provide information for leadership development, there is a lack of measurement
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on teacher leadership at the classroom level. This
article seeks to fill this gap and provide teachers with
a means to assess their own leadership effectiveness
at the classroom level.
A leader is one who influences others “in a given
direction” (Lantis, 1987). The role of the leader is to
craft a vision (Kanter, 1999), inspire action and empower others to a meaningful course of action (Locke,
et al., 1991). Holding a formal position of leadership
is not a pre-requisite to being an impactful leader as
fundamentally, leadership is a process of influence.
A classroom teacher who influences and impacts her
students is as much a leader as a head teacher who
holds an official position of leadership.
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Identity
Success in leading a class demands more than
a display of technical and conceptual skills
(Gordon, 1997). The human skills of leadership
impact the affective outcomes of learners too
(Cheng, 1994).
School leadership and classroom teacher leadership
are not simliar. Much of existing leadership instruments in education settings measure behaviours
involving principals and head teachers in capacities
of formal positions of administration. Twenty-first
century literacy however requires new frameworks
on developing schools’ capacities for self-renewal
and forward thinking.
The complexity of multiple and evolving needs in
the schools necessitate a paradigm shift in school
leadership. Distributed leadership allows the vision
of the school to be shared by all members. Under
distributed leadership, everyone is empowered to
contribute to the success of the school and at the
same time feels the support that arises from trust
and interdependency.
Teachers, who have a vision for learning when
partnered by curriculum developers with specialised
expertise, can co-create a forward-looking curriculum that is guided by theories-grounded pedagogies,
up-to-date curriculum knowledge and concepts and
progressive modes of assessment. If their work is
backed by school principals who believe every child
can learn, a shared leadership emerges and this
facilitates and sustains a culture of continuous
professional learning.
Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM) affirms that
academic achievement depends not only on
students’ ability to learn but also on the quality
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interaction between teachers and students, as well
as students and students (Ministry of Education
Workplan Seminar, 2006). Increasingly, efforts
by schools to develop school-based curriculum innovations recognise the teacher’s sphere
of influence and impact in the classroom in
engaging the learner. A measure of the teacher’s
leadership effectiveness in the classroom provides valuable information for their professional
development and increases their effectiveness in
influencing students.
Teacher Classroom Leadership
My study of teacher classroom leadership began
as an investigation on students’ perceptions of the
influence of their teachers on their learning. Guided
by the grounded theory approach, focused group
discussions and semi-structured interviews were used
to gather descriptions of great teachers who were
remembered for being able to bring out beyondexpectation achievements in their students (Parry,
1998).
The data were content-analysed for emerging
patterns and themes. Questionnaire items developed
based on these emerging patterns were piloted and
revised (Lee, 2002). The result was a survey
instrument, Teacher Classroom Leadership Questionnaire (TCLQ), which measured the five components
of teacher classroom leadership, namely, engaging
disposition, extrinsic reinforcement, intrinsic motivation, student-active inquiry and concern for learner
as in Figure 1 (Lee, 2005).
As leadership is a process that is not vested in an
individual, a hallmark of leadership is the ability
to partner and connect with others (McCauley,
Drath, Palus, O’Connor, & Baker, 2006).
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Identity
Engaging Disposition
Extrinsic Reinforcement
In order to influence a child, a
teacher with an engaging
disposition:
• displays conviction in what he/she says
• walks the talk and is a role
model, generating pride,
loyalty, confidence and alignment around a shared purpose
• emphasises trust and the
importance of purpose,
commitment and ethical
consequences of decisions
• takes a stand on difficult issues
and presents his/her values
Some learners require a teacher
to motivate them in a constructive
transaction of reward for
performance. Such learners are
motivated to try when their
teacher:
• clarifies expectations and
rewards good work done
• arranges mutually
satisfactory agreements and
negotiates for resources in
exchange for students’
commitment towards effort
• provides commendations for
successful performance by
students
Teacher
Classroom
Leadership
Concern for Learner
Intrinsic Motivation
In leading the student to be an
independent learner, a teacher:
• works with students as
individuals
• considers students’ needs,
abilities and aspirations
• takes time to listen
attentively
• advises, teaches, or coaches
to further students’
development
An influential teacher is able to
balance his/her use of extrinsic
and intrinsic motivation. With
some learners, he/she would:
• articulate an appealing
vision of the future
• challenge students with high
standards and talk optimistically with enthusiasm
• provide encouragement and
meaning for what needs to
be done
Student-Active Inquiry
To lead students to deeper
learning, an influential teacher:
• provides opportunities for
students to question
assumptions, traditions and
beliefs
• stimulates thinking and
encourages students to see
new perspectives and ways
of doing things
• encourages the expression
of ideas and reasons
Figure 1: Five components of teacher classroom leadership
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Identity
Self-reporting Inventory
While a student’s ratings could provide insights
on how the child views the learning and teaching
process, a more useful angle would be how the
teacher thinks about his or her influence. The
alignment between students and teachers’ ratings
could provide much insight to the teachers on what
motivates the learners. This would help the teachers
to be strategic in designing and planning instruction.
be used to examine the relationship between teacherleadership and student outcomes.
A parallel version of the TCLQ was developed as a
self-rating inventory, TCLQ_R for teachers’ use. Items
in the TCLQ were rephrased to make it suitable as a
self-assessing inventory. The TCLQ_R would allow a
teacher to self-examine his or her influence within
the dynamics of the classroom. Table 1 shows some
sample items and how the changes were made.
Conclusion
Classroom teachers are leaders among the students
they work with (Muijs & Harris, 2003). If leadership
is about influence, teachers are the most important
leaders in society (Teo, 2001; Avolio & Gardner, 2005)
and the TCLQ_R could be used as a practical measure to examine teachers’ self-perceptions of their
influence across different classroom settings. Used
purposefully, the TCLQ_R is a useful instrument for
collecting information as a basis for self-reflection
which could contribute to the continuous professional development among classroom teachers in enhancing their leadership effectiveness in the classroom.
The TCLQ_R would indicate the areas of strength
and opportunities for growth. Such aspects would
be useful for planning learning road maps for
teachers’ professional development. To encourage
teacher-professional discourse, action research could
Subscale
Concern for learner
Engaging disposition
Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Reinforcement
Student-active inquiry
Alternatively, teachers could administer the student
version TCLQ and compare their self ratings with the
students’ ratings. These items when used in a 360-degree feedback could also help school leaders in their
coaching role when guiding teacher leaders in schoolbased curriculum planning and implementation.
TCLQ
My teacher... ...
Gives personal attention to pupils
even though nobody likes them.
Is one whom I want other people
to know that this is my teacher.
Encourages me to be better than
what I think I can do.
Is clear what we can get for our
efforts.
Encourages me to see things differently.
TCLQ_R
I give personal attention to students even though nobody likes
them.
My students want other people to
know that I am their teacher.
I encourage my students to be
better than what they think they
can do.
I am clear what students can get
for their efforts.
I encourage my students to see
things differently.
Table 1: Sample items that have been modified for TCLQ_R
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Identity
Want to discover your classroom leadership profile?
Click here to access the 45-item instrument. After you have completed the questionnaire, click on
submit. Summary mean scores and a graph plot will be presented for your information. Contact
yimping.lee@nie.edu.sg should you need more information about the project.
About the Author
Dr Lee Yim Ping is with the Centre for Research in Pedagogy. She played an important role as
part of the team tasked to roll out MOE’s Teach Less, Learn More vision to schools, particularly
in developing the Research Activist programme.
References
Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of
leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.
Bass, B. M., Waldman, D. A., Avolio, B. J., & Bebb, M. (1987). Transformational leadership and the falling
dominoes effect. Group & Organization Management, 12(1), 73.
Bracken, D. W., Timmreck, C. W., Fleenor, J. W., & Summers, L. (2001). 360 feedback from another angle. Human
Resource Management, 40(1), 3-20.
Catano, N., & Stronge, J. H. (2006). What are principals expected to do? Congruence between principal
evaluation and performance standards. NASSP Bulletin, 90(3), 221.
Cheng, Y. C. (1994). Teacher leadership style: A classroom-level study. Journal of Educational Administration,
32(3),54-63.
Gordon, R. L. (1997). How Novice Teachers Can Succeed with Adolescents. Educational Leadership, 54(7), 56-58.
Kanter, R. M. (1999). The enduring skills of change leaders. Leader to leader, 1999(13), 15-22.
Kuhnert, K. W. (1994). Transforming leadership: Developing people through delegation.
Lantis, M. (1987). Two important roles in organizations and communities. Human organization, 46 (3),
189-199.
Lee, Y. P. (2002). Measuring transformational leadership behaviours of teachers in the classroom. Paper
presented at the ERA 2002, Singapore.
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Identity
Lee, Y. P. (2005). Measuring Teacher Classroom Leadership. Unpublished PhD’s thesis, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore.
Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2000). The effects of transformational leadership on organizational
conditions and student engagement with school. Journal of Educational Administration,
38(2),112-129.
Lepsinger, R., & Lucia, A. D. (2001). Performance management and decision making. The handbook of multi
source feedback: the comprehensive resource for designing and implementing MSF processes,
318–334.
Locke, E., Kirkpatrick, S., Wheeler, J., Schneider, J., Niles, K., & Goldstein, H. (1991). In Welsh, and Chah. DO.
The essence of leadership. New York: Lexington Books.
McCauley, C. D., Drath, W. H., Palus, C. J., O’Connor, P. M. G., & Baker, B. A. (2006). The use of constructive
developmental theory to advance the understanding of leadership. The Leadership
Quarterly, 17(6), 634-653.
Ministry of Education (2006). Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second
Minister for Finance, at the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2006.
Retrieved July 29, 2011, from
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2006/sp20060928.htm
Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2003). Teacher Leadership—Improvement through Empowerment? Educational
Management Administration & Leadership, 31(4), 437.
Parry, K. W. (1998). Grounded theory and social process: A new direction for leadership research.
The Leadership Quarterly, 9(1), 85-105.
Rost, J. C. (1993). Leadership for the twenty-first century: Praeger Publishers.
Tan, G. (2001). Developing new measures of charisma and vision. An unpublished master’s thesis, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore.
Teo, C. H. (2001). Opening address by Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education
and Second Minister for Defence at the Teachers’ Conference, 30 May –2 June, Singapore.
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Development
Academy Symposium:
Celebrating Learning,
Transforming Practice.
On 10 December, about five hundred and
fifty teachers attended the inaugural Academy
Symposium 2011 held at Science Centre Singapore.
The theme, “Celebrating Learning, Transforming Practice” reinforced the process of continual engagement
of teachers in networked learning to co-create new
knowledge and transform their practice.
active leadership role. She concurred with him that
being in a knowledge-based economy, teachers must
continuously expand their capacity and make use of
theories to support innovation to create the results
they desire. Teachers in doing so, would need to alter
their practices which might no longer be relevant in
this era.
Celebrating Learning, Transforming Practice
The keynote speech and plenary sessions set the
tone for the Symposium. Mdm Jalela, Senior Teacher,
Science,
from
Tampines
Primary
School,
shared that the keynote speech by Professor Ng Kee Lin, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS)
reminded teachers to be prepared to improve
academically, work collaboratively and take an
“Professor Ng’s keynote address motivates me
to try new ideas without being afraid to make
mistakes,” she remarked. “I cannot but agree
with him that we would not know if anything is
impossible unless we try it. When new knowledge is
obtained, it could be shared with others. I have
learned that by sharing, new and improved knowledge
emerges which then makes teaching and learning
more effective.”
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Development
Mdm Jalela also found Professor Lim Tit Meng’s
presentation engaging and inspiring. He is the Chief
Executive of Science Centre Singapore. “He reminded
us that the ocean of learning has no limit. If we try
to stand alone, we may sink in that big ocean. As
such, we need to continously look for new avenues to
improve our knowledge and skills,” she said.
Professor Pey Kin Leong, Associate Provost (Academic), Singapore University of Technology and
Design (SUTD), gave a speech on nurturing 21st
century competencies. Principal Master Teacher, Dr
Charles Chew, complimented that the speech was
insightful. He felt that it was noteworthy that SUTD’s
unique integrated curriculum was enacted through
collaborative pedagogy using a cohort-based
classroom to “build a world‐class university, focused
on design, that advances knowledge and nurtures
technology‐grounded leaders and innovators who
will create a better world.”
and transformed. “Such interactions would surely
encourage teachers to create and share new knowledge which would be relevant to their professional
development,” she concluded.
“My experience as a facilitator in this symposium has
allowed me to further improve my skills in collaborating with others and leading my team with the correct
mindset to reach another level of professionalism,”
recounted Mdm Jalela. “I was glad to be a teacherleader in networked learning. I was expected to
engage the presenters and participants in the concurrent sessions. It was not an easy task to lead because
the facilitators had to be clear of what was shared
and be professional in engaging the participants and
presenters.”
“My experience as a facilitator was enriching. It
made me more confident. At the end of the session, I felt that my contribution, though small,
might have made a great difference.”
Teachers as Researchers, as Leaders, as Learners
Networked Learning was at the heart of collabora- Mdm Jalela
tive capacity building during the concurrent sessions. Tampines Primary School
During these sessions, teachers took on the roles of
As learners, Mdm Carine Yap, Ms Chan Jing Bo
learners (as participants), researchers (as presenters)
and Ms Esther Kuek (Senior Teacher) of Tampines
and leaders (as facilitators).
Primary School attended two concurrent sessions.
They discovered new strategies that could be
Ms Tan Siew Peng enjoyed herself both as a presenter
incorporated to scaffold their students’ learning in a
as well as a participant at the Academy Symposium.
more systematic and structured manner.
She was enthused by the participants’ attentiveness, keenness to learn and the valuable feedback
Conclusion
they gave. She believed that the ideas generated and
The Academy Symposium left an indelible mark in
relationships established would be further developed
the hearts and minds of our teachers. There was rich
learning and sharing and many were enthused to
“It was a great opportunity for teachers to come
apply the ideas shared to transform their practice.
together and share their best practices. Our sharInterested to learn more about Networked
ing would not end after our presentation. We will
like to set up an online group with the particiLearning?
pants so as to continue to share and learn from
The next article, ‘Towards Mission-Driven
each other even after the Academy Symposium.”
Professionalism’ reinforces the importance of
Ms Tan Siew Peng
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
BACK TO TOP
strong, connected communities of teacherleaders and reflective practitioners in transforming
our professional practice.
15
Development
Towards Mission-Driven
Professionalism
Reproduced with edits from Academy Symposium 2011
Introduction
A hallmark of a strong, connected community is
collaboration. When teachers work together and
learn together, they build trust within the group and
from there they will develop new ideas that energise
members to collaborate further.
A hallmark of leadership is the ability to collaborate with others. Teacher-leaders challenge and
support their fellow colleagues, build consensus
among diverse groups of educators, facilitate
networked learning and take the initiative to address
a learning problem.
A hallmark of any profession is the use of research
data and a unique knowledge base to solve problems,
inform practice and policies and through the process
of critical inquiry and self evaluation, the profesion
improves itself for the purpose of service to society.
Finding Intention, Intersection and Integration
Intersecting these three ideas of collaboration,
leadership and profession and integrating them
with the right intent is a powerful way of transforming our professional practice. With the mandate to
build a teacher-led culture of professional excellence
centred on the holistic development of the child, the
Academy of Singapore Teachers envisages that the
teaching profession will transform itself to lead the
next wave of change for the Singapore Teaching
Service.
Indeed, the actualisation of these three ideas into
practice requires deep understanding of the nature
and process of change that include a change of mindset and acquiring new sets of knowledge, skills and
BACK TO TOP
attitude towards our professional practice. As part
of our attempts to de-privatise the classroom and to
bring forth the concept of distributed leadership, it
is important that Singapore teachers and educators
re-examine the process of professional learning and
sharing, with a view towards co-creating new knowledge to strengthen our professional discourse and
practice and nurture stronger teacher-leadership.
The Teachers’ Vision is an exhortation for teachers
to lead and teachers do so through their leadership
of students and through formally assigned roles.
The newly launched Teachers’ Creed codifies the
practices of past and present educators and makes
explicit their tacit beliefs. It provides a guide for us
to fulfil our responsibilities and obligations and to
honour our promise of attaining professional
excellence. One of the five principles of the Teachers’
Creed encourages teachers “to continue to learn and
pass on the love of learning to our pupils”. As teachers, we work in a field characterised by an expanding
body of knowledge. Given the emerging new developments in education, teachers have to be cognisant
of the role they play in raising the professionalism
of the teaching fraternity through their leadership,
support of and respect for one another.
Three elements are crucial in distinguishing a
community of practice from other groups and communities. Firstly, a community of practice “has an
identity defined by a shared domain of interest.
Membership therefore implies a commitment to the
domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people”. Secondly,
“members engage in joint activities and discussions,
help each other, and share information. They build
16
Development
relationships that enable them to learn from each
other”. Lastly, “members of a community of practice
are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire
of resources: experiences, stories, tools and ways of
addressing recurring problems - in short a shared
practice.” (Wenger, 1998; Wenger & Snyder, 2000)
ideas and relates their own personal experience. The
presentation may be about lesson plans, classroom
practices, and literature study on an area of interest
or even a piece of work-in-progress.
• Professional development must transform our
practice and improve students’ learning and
outcomes, and that teachers must see themselves
as informed practitioners, comfortable with being
producers and consumers of research.
As they learn with one another, they will co-construct
knowledge that has practical relevance to the context of their classrooms. Through critical inquiry led
by teacher-leaders within the networks, new knowledge is generated from the contextual knowledge of
the teachers and the public knowledge in the form of
research and good practices. Driven by their desire
to deepen their professional knowledge and sharpen
their craft so as to improve student learning, we are
confident that teachers will welcome these opportunities to learn, grow, collaborate with colleagues
from other schools and institutions, and expand their
influence beyond the physical boundaries.
These ideas and relationships can further be
developed and transformed. Once the knowledge is
We envisage that in transforming the teaching created and shared, the expectation is that it will
service, three imperatives are critical to our success, influence practice. Engaging in networked learning
namely:
provides teachers with the opportunities to ‘learn
from each other’s experiences’ and ‘use each other’s
• Teachers, whether appointed to their formal expertise’. The exchange of experiences is in no way
roles as teacher-leaders or otherwise, take on the limited to the face-to-face meetings. Members could
challenge to inspire and grow others and also harness technology to stay connected and to
deepen their sense of identity and commitment to share authentic artefacts and resources at any time
the teaching profession;
and anywhere. Members could consult each other
through emails, telephone conversations, or even
• Teachers need to develop different sets of visit each other’s school. In learning from one
knowledge, skills and attitude to negotiate new another, teachers from different schools capitalise on
environments as they learn and work together in their expertise and practical wisdom to contribute
effective learning communities; and
towards their shared interest.
Building Strong, Connected Communities
Networked learning is at the heart of collaborative
capacity building. It is a form of learning that encompasses the notion of building capacity within schools
and networks (Hopkins and Jackson, 2002) as well
as promoting system-wide learning. According to
Jackson (2004), “Networked learning occurs where
people from different schools in a network engage
with one another to enquire into practice, to innovate, to exchange knowledge and to learn together.”
There is a learning focus for each network meeting.
Someone may give a presentation on a particular
topic, and members then reflect together on that
practice and everybody contributes their own
BACK TO TOP
Adopting a facilitative approach, participants
at the Academy Symposium will learn together
using the Networked Learning Community Protocol
(Figure 1) developed by the Master Teachers at the
Academy. Called SPAR©, this Networked Learning
Community Protocol show five stages of work. Teacher facilitators can pose questions about their practice,
17
Development
Figure 1: The Networked Learning Community Protocol: SPAR ©, by the Academy of Singapore Teachers
encourage the participants to share their experiences
and offer opportunities for them to reflect on their
learning. We hope that teachers will find the protocol
useful and that through collaborative inquiry, will improve on the protocol for use by Singapore teachers.
Growing Teacher-Leadership
Within the networks, teachers take on the roles
of learners, researchers and leaders to improve
their practice. We have selected a definition that
encompasses key elements of teacher leadership —
teacher ownership and leadership is defined “when
teachers, driven by a sense of mission, individually
or collectively exert intentional influence to improve
the overall state of professional practice, through a
climate of trusting and supportive relationships.”
Hence, leadership in the network can take many
forms. Teachers assume these various roles as a part
of the teaching fraternity to improve teaching and
learning, for the benefit of students.
Improving professional excellence in education
therefore becomes the collective responsibiity of all.
BACK TO TOP
Teachers feel empowered when they are
involved in decision-making and professional
development of their peers. The network gives teachers a collective voice and, their influence stems from
the respect they command from their colleagues
through their expertise and practice. When teachers
work together in this way, they build trust within the
group and develop new ideas which in turn, energise
members to build networks of interest and participation.
Developing Reflective Practitioners
Another key idea to transforming the teaching service
is to deepen teachers’ reflective practice. Defined as
“a systematic intentional inquiry by teachers about
their own school and classroom work” (CochranSmith and Lytle, 1993 pp. 23-24), teacher-research
places great emphasis on teachers’ ways of knowing
and distinguishes among three conceptions of
teacher learning, namely knowledge for practice,
knowledge in practice and knowledge of practice.
In the first conception, knowledge is usually
18
Development
generated by university dons and academia for
teachers to use to improve their practice.
In this case, teachers are viewed mainly as
consumers of research. The second conception places emphasis on how knowledge is
embedded into action, exemplified by the
practice of experienced teachers. This suggests that
through a process of coaching and guided practice,
teaching can be improved. The third conception views
that knowledge is constructed collectively (CochranSmith & Lytle, 1999, p. 279), where teachers are
viewed as producers of knowledge through research.
By adopting a stance of inquiry that self-evaluates our
work, teachers are consciously using their knowledge
and skills to reflect on their practice, solve problems
and learn together in cycles of improvement to bring
about an enhanced state of professional excellence.
Indeed, developing an inquiry lens is a critical phase
of our work as we ride the next wave of educational
change.
Conclusion
The inaugural Academy Symposium is our crucible
for the growth of networks as the Symposium brings
teachers together to learn, strengthen their identity
as professionals and raise the level of professional
discourse and practice. Through networked learning, teachers work collaboratively to address shared
professional concerns, issues and challenges as
co-learners to co-create solutions. Teachers who are
networked learners are actively engaged in meaningful learning conversations to learn from both the experts and peers.
About the Author
This article was written by the Master Teachers at the Academy of Singapore Teachers.
References
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L., (Eds.).
New York: Teachers College Press.
(1993). Inside/outside: Teacher research and knowledge.
Hargreaves, A Hopkins, D. & Jackson, D. (2002). Networked learning communities – capacity building, networking
and leadership for learning. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.
Jackson, D. (2004). Networked learning communities. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.
McKeman, J. (2008) Curriculum and imagination: process theory, pedagogy and action research,
Oxford, New York: Routledge in Network Learning Commuities (NLC) (2003) Principles. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, meaning and identity Cambridge University Press,
NY, USA.
Wenger, E & Snyder, W M. (2000). Communities of Practice: The organisational frontier, Harvard Business Review,
pp139145.
Veugelers W. & O’Hair, M.J., (2005). Network Learning for Educational Change. Berkshire : Open University
Press
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19
Empowerment
Do We Teach Today
As We Taught Yesterday?
John Dewey, a well-known educational reformer, said, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob
our children of tomorrow.” How can educators meet the needs of the 21st Century Learner? How can we
re-evaluate the practice of teaching and learning and equip students with the necessary tools to help them
advance in this digital age?
Before we can answer the above questions, there are two fundamental questions that need to be first
answered: Who are the 21st Century Learners and what are their learning preferences? What do they need
to know to confidently handle the challenges of the changing world? Below are short summaries of three
relevant articles that would shed some light on these questions.
21st Century Learners and their Learning Preferences
It is evident that
students of today, the
Generation-Y or the
digital natives learn
differently from students of previous generations. According to
the research by Diana
Oblinger, the Vice President for EDUCAUSE, by
21 years of age, Generation-Y would have spent
10 000 hours playing video games, sent 20 000
emails, watched 20 000
hours of television and
spent 10 000 hours on
their mobile phones. On
the other hand, reading
activities only constitute
5000 hours.
Full Report Available at: http:// www.depd.wisc.edu/series/06_4168.pdf
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20
Empowerment
Future Work Skills for 21st Century Learners
In an increasingly competitive global knowledge
economy, it is vital to understand and cultivate in
our students the fundamental skills, behaviours and
aptitudes required for a thriving workforce. With
technology pervading every aspect of our lives, we
also have to give greater emphasis to its use and
management.
The report, Future Work Skills 2020, highlights ten
skills for the future workforce, seven of which are
literacy skills, and three of which are people skills
needed for working in teams. The report focuses on the
key proficiencies and competencies required across
different jobs and work settings in the next ten years
instead of predicting specific job categories as that
has proven to be inaccurate.
3 People Skills for the Workforce
Virtual Collaboration
Ability to work productively, drive engagement,
and demonstrate a presence as a member of a
virtual team
7 Literacy Skills for the Workforce
Transdisciplinarity
Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across
multiple disciplines
New-Media Literacy
Ability to critically assess and develop content that uses
new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication
Design Mindset
Ability to represent and develop tasks and work
processes for desired outcomes
Cognitive Load Management
Ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive
functioning using a variety of tools and techniques
Computational Thinking
Ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract
concepts and to understand data-based reasoning
Novel and Adaptive Thinking
Proficiency at thinking and coming up with
solutions and responses beyond that which is rote
or rule-based
Cross-cultural competency
Ability to operate in different cultural settings
Sense Making
Ability to determine the deeper meaning or
significance of what is being expressed
Social Intelligence
Ability to connect to others in a deep and direct
way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired
interactions
Full Report Available at:
http://www.iftf.org/futureworkskills2020
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21
Empowerment
21st Century Literacy Skills
On a similar subject matter, the article, “PIACC: A
New Strategy for Assessing Adult Competencies”,
highlights six processes that are considered as critical
components of literacy for the 21st century.
PIACC defines reading literacy broadly as the
interest, attitude and ability of individuals to
appropriately use socio-cultural tools, including digital technology and communication tools, to access,
manage, integrate and evaluate information,
construct new knowledge, and communicate with
others in order to participate effectively in society.
Literacy, once seen from the perspective
of minimum competence, is defined here as a
continuum of knowledge, skills and strategies that
individuals acquire over the course of their lives. It
includes the requisite set of skills and knowledge
across a variety of domains including reading literacy
and numeracy.
6 Processes PIACC Identifies as Critical Components
of Literacy
Accessing Knowing about and know how to collect and/or
retrieve information
Managing
Organising information into existing classification
schemes
Integrating Interpreting, summarising, comparing and
contrasting information using similar or different
forms of representation
Evaluating
Reflecting to make judgements about the quality,
relevance, usefulness, or efficiency of information
Constructing Generating new information and knowledge by
adapting, applying designing, inventing, representing
or authoring information
Communicating
Conveying information and knowledge to various
individuals
Full Report Available at:
www.oec.org/dtaoecd/48/5/41529787.pdf
Educators in the 21st Century
Our students will enter the workforce about a decade later. Only then will we see the fruits of our labour
impacting our society. We are currently moving towards a values-driven, student-centric education, and
placing more emphasis on the 21st century competencies. As we know who our learners are and what they
need to know, we will need to further reflect on our role as educators in the 21st century, and how we can
develop the proficiencies needed to better prepare our students and ourselves for the future.
BACK TO TOP
22
Affirmation
Celebrate Our Stars
i.d.e.a2
would
like
to
congratulate
all
recipients of the Academy of Singapore Teachers
Appreciation Awards! The theme for this year’s
Appreciation Awards Ceremony was Celebrate
Our Stars: Connecting through Professionals,
Knowledge and Practice. A total of 124 recipients were
presented the awards at the ceremony by Ms Ho Peng,
Director-General-of-Education (DGE) on 23 November 2011.
Three categories of awards were presented - the
Appreciation Award, Outstanding Resource Teacher Award and the Partner Award. The awards were
presented to education officers and partner
organisations who have contributed to the
professional development of teachers. In her
address, DGE commended the recipients for
being the stars of our teaching fraternity, “You have
added much shine to our educational system by
leading or supporting teachers in their journey of
professional-led excellence. The shine is not mere
gloss. Beneath the shine is a quiet transformation
that has been taking place in our schools and in our
classrooms – it is about how teachers are teaching
better, and therefore how our students are learning
better.”
Indeed, we would like to congratulate our awardees
and celebrate with them as they continue to shine
and be a source of light to all in the fraternity!
MOE has made revisions to the two pinnacle awards for teachers this year, namely the Presidents’ Award for
Teachers and the Outstanding Youth in Education Award. The criteria have been refined to take into consideration
the various roles our teachers play in an emerging educational landscape, as articulated in our Teachers’ Vision of
Lead, Care and Inspire. Significantly, the criteria acknowledge the place of teacher leadership and ownership in
contributing to the professional development of the teaching fratenity.
In line with these changes, MOE has also revised the recognition scheme for teachers who support the professional
learning of other teachers. Renamed Academy Awards for Professional Development from 2012, these awards
recognise the multi-dimensional roles of a teacher – as a teacher-leader, teacher-mentor and teacher-researcher. There will be three categories for the revised awards, namely Fellow of the Academy of Singapore Teachers,
Associate of the Academy of Singapore Teachers and Partner of the Academy of Singapore Teachers. These Awards
affirm those who champion a teacher-led culture of professional excellence and place a greater emphasis on the
quality of influence and instructional leadership that our teachers have. Nominations for 2012 Academy Awards for
Professional Development will open in July.
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23
Affirmation
Appreciation Awards 2011
Celebrate Our Stars. Congratulations!
Appreciation Award
1.
Row Burton Timothy
Sherlock
Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
2.
Wong Lai Fong
Anderson Secondary School
3.
Arasumani S Retnasamy
Anderson Secondary School
4.
Apiramee Anandarajah
Ang Mo Kio Primary School
5.
Lip Yoke Suet Fabiola
Anglo-Chinese Junior College
6.
Rose Ang
Beatty Secondary School
7.
Agnes Lim Hui Lin
Beatty Secondary School
8.
Karamjit Kaur
Bendemeer Secondary School
35.
Dianaros Bte Abdul Majid
Haig Girls' School (Primary)
36.
Wong Mei Li Geraldine
Holy Innocents' Primary School
37.
Joyce Yon
Horizon Primary School
38.
Ong Chee Wah
Innova Junior College
39.
Lim Poh Yen Rachel
Jurong Secondary School
40.
Tan Peiru
Jurongville Secondary School
41.
Hing Mui Hong
Keming Primary School
42.
Yip Lai Ching Violet
Kong Hwa School (Primary)
43.
Lee Pauline nee
Wong Poh Har
Lakeside Primary School
44.
Joanne Liew
Loyang Primary School
45.
Tay Hwee Ping
Manjusri Secondary School
46.
Azman bin Kassim
Manjusri Secondary School
47.
Teo Seck Tuan
Maris Stella High School (Secondary)
9.
Soh Suay Hung Linda
Bishan Park Secondary School
10.
Md Shahrin s/o
K S Moorthy
Broadrick Secondary School
11.
Chong Lay Ting
Canberra Primary School
12.
Anne Wong
Catholic High School
(Primary)
13.
Hua Terng Mary
Catholic High School
(Secondary)
48.
Chan Siew Sharn Betty
Marsling Primary School
49.
Choy Poh Lin
Meridian Junior College
14.
Teo Shue Mei Michelle
Catholic Junior College
50.
Chee Mei Lan Christina
Methodist Girls' School
15.
Soon Bee Hong Emelyn
CHIJ (Kellock)
51.
Chin Kai Li
16.
Tay Sze Leng
CHIJ (Kellock)
MOE – Corporate
Communications Division
17.
Wong Ming Rui Shereen
CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent
52.
Au Sau Kheng
18.
Chong Shiow Huey
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School
(Secondary)
MOE – Curriculum Planning &
Development Division
53.
Lyvenne Chong-Phoon
19.
Liew Weiling
Chongzheng Primary School
54.
Er Siew Shin
20.
Siti Halizah Bte Hamzah
Compassvale Primary School
21.
Cheng Wei Na Edwina
Compassvale Secondary School
55.
Kelvin Ho
22.
Tey Puay Leng
Compassvale Secondary School
23.
Tan Whye Wee Jeffrey
Dunearn Secondary School
56.
Zuhairi Bin Mohd Hassan
24.
Lim Bee Kee
Dunman High School
57.
Selvathi d/o Sambasivam
MOE – Education Services Division
25.
Ganesan s/o Raman
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)
58.
Arshad Mashor
26.
Li Weihan Joel
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)
MOE – Educational Technology
Division
27.
Seeto - Goh Chee Choong
Fajar Secondary School
59.
Chai Siew Cheng Aileen
Division
28.
Li Yuxiang Johnson
Farrer Park Primary School
60.
Low Tan Ying
29.
Ong Shaw Mui
Geylang Methodist School (Primary)
Division
30.
Neo Soh Cheng
Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)
61.
Niam Hwee Peng
31.
Haryati Bte Hassan
Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)
Division
32.
Syed Faisal Bin Syed Ismail
Greendale Secondary School
62.
Thong Chee Hing
Division
33.
Kristin Heng
Greenridge Primary School
63.
Wee Loo Kang
34.
Koh Kok Khai
Greenview Secondary School
Division
BACK TO TOP
24
Affirmation
64.
Kom Mun Siong
Division
101.
Lata Krishnan
Townsville Primary School
65.
Fadilah Bte Isnin
MOE - Malay Language Centre of
Singapore
102.
Nathalie Wong
Woodgrove Primary School
103.
Shuryati Bte Mohd Shariff
Woodgrove Secondary School
66.
Ng Tai Cheen
MOE - Singapore Centre for
Chinese Language
104.
Chua Mui Ling Joyce
Woodlands Ring Primary School
105.
Chong Jack Sheng
Woodlands Ring Secondary School
MOE -Singapore Centre for
Chinese Language
106.
Tan Chong Hian
Xingnan Primary School
Azizah Bte Abdul Rahim
Yishun Secondary School
67.
Lim Chin Nam
68.
Melison See
MOE – Schools Division
107.
69.
Tan Yit Kee
MOE - Singapore Teachers
Academy for the Arts
108.
Gopala Krishnan
Yishun Town Secondary School
109.
Saudah Bte Marwan
Yishun Town Secondary School
110.
Ang Chan Mai Mai Maybrie
Zhonghua Secondary School
70.
Tan-Chua Siew Ling
MOE - Singapore Teachers
Academy for the Arts
71.
Tamilaras Subramaniam
MOE - Umar Pulavar Tamil
Language Centre
72.
Han Tui Kin Serene
Montfort Junior School
1.
Frank Sky
CHIJ Our Lady Of The Nativity
73.
Shobhana Vijayakumar
Montfort Junior School
2.
CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)
74.
Seah-Tay Hui Yong
Nanyang Girls' High School
Subhalakshmi d/o
Laksmanan
75.
Andrew Chong Wenyi
National Junior College
3.
Wong Foo Aik Adrian
76.
Ning Hwee Tiang
National Junior College
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School
(Secondary)
77.
Tay Chee Joo, Edna
Naval Base Secondary School
4.
Veerappan Letchimee
Deyi Secondary School
78.
Abu Bakar B Farid
Ngee Ann Secondary School
5.
Noorkhairuniza Binte
Adbul Khaliff
Farrer Park Primary School
79.
Tan Kim Chwee Daniel
National Institute of Education
6.
Amilia Baba
Jurong Primary School
80.
Tan Kok Siang
National Institute of Education
7.
Sarimah Sainin
81.
Mohamad Ibrahim
Mohamad Yoonus
Northland Secondary School
8.
Wahindah Suhari
82.
Chia Hai Siang
Northlight School
9.
Eugenia Lee
Mayflower Secondary School
83.
Chua Yen Ching
Northlight School
10.
S Santhi
Mayflower Secondary School
84.
Wong Heng Yee
Outram Secondary School
11.
Ghazali Bin Mohamed
Ibrahim
Springfield Secondary School
85.
Tay Kah Gek
Pasir Ris Primary School
12.
Baskaran Ganga
Teck Whye Secondary School
86.
Ng Bee Choo, Ivy
Pei Cai Secondary School
13.
Kwok Kah Leong Edmund
Raffles Institution
Govindarajalu
Krishnamoorthy
Teck Whye Secondary School
87.
88.
Kuek Yen Yen Sheree
Regent Secondary School
14.
Suriani Othman
West View Primary School
Yong Lee Min
West View Primary School
Nabilah Binte Abdul
Rahman
Woodlands Primary School
Outstanding Resource Teacher Award
89.
Loi Guang You
River Valley High School
15.
90.
Muhamad Salahuddin
Serangoon Junior College
16.
91.
Syed Danial Bin Syed Taha
Springfield Secondary School
92.
Tan Thian Ser
St Anthony's Canossian Primary School
93.
Lim Tai Foon
St Hilda's Primary School
94.
Jalela Bte Atan
Tampines Primary School
1.
Nanyang Polytechnic
8.
Institute of Mental Health
95.
Yap Boon Chien
Tanjong Katong Girls' School
2.
National Arts Council
9.
National Parks Board
Overseas Family School
10.
Super Bean
International Pte Ltd
11.
APSN Katong Special
School (Primary School)
Partner Award
96.
Teh Meijie Jerine
Teck Ghee Primary School
3.
97.
Ng Puey Koon
Teck Whye Primary School
4.
Senoko Energy Ltd
5.
KK Women’s and Children’s
Hospital (SHG)
6.
Health Promotion Board
12.
Northlight School
7.
Singapore Zoological
Gardens
13.
Science Centre Singapore
98.
Pooja Shekhar Nansi
Temasek Junior College
99.
Lim Chye Hoon
Temasek Primary School
100.
Agnes Lim
Townsville Primary School
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25
Dear i.d.e.a
2
What is a Portfolio?
Dear i.d.e.a2,
I have been hearing my colleagues in school talk about keeping a portfolio and I am wondering what
exactly a portfolio is, and what it entails. Also, is keeping a portfolio important?
Curious Beginning Teacher.
Dear Curious Beginning Teacher,
Thank you for your question! It is wonderful to hear that teachers are interested about keeping a
portfolio.
A portfolio is a documentation of the key areas of contribution of a teacher in his or her journey as an
educator. According to Doolittle (1994), “A portfolio is a collection of work produced by the educator…
designed to highlight and demonstrate their knowledge and skills in education. A portfolio also provides
a means for reflection; it offers the opportunity for critiquing and evaluating the effectiveness of one’s
work.”
Keeping a portfolio is important for all educators as it allows for reflection, where it documents the
journey and growth of the educator. It is also a key element of the accreditation process for teachers
who would like to seek higher appointments on the teaching track as it provides evidence of the teacher’s
experiences which satisfy the accreditation standards required of each level on the track.
Teachers who are interested to move on the teaching track, and are aspiring to become Master
Teachers (MTT), Lead Teachers (LT) and Senior Teachers (ST), must meet the accreditation standards for the
positions. These standards will be assessed via the professional portfolio.
The accreditation standards are in the following key aspects:
i) ST and LT
a) Holistic Development of Students through:
•
Quality learning of Students
•
Pastoral Care & Well-Being of Students
•
Co-Curricular Activities
b) Contribution to School/ Cluster/ Zone/ Nation
c) Collaboration with Parents
d) Professional Development
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26
Dear i.d.e.a
2
The professional portfolio for ST should preferably be completed before appointment. However, if
the need arises, the Cluster Superintendent has the flexibility to allow submission of the professional
portfolio within one year from date of appointment as ST.
ii)
MTT
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Quality Learning of Students
Contribution to Schools/ Clusters/ Zones/ Nation
Collaboration and Networking
Culture of Professionalism, Ethos and Standards
Professional Development
iii) Principal Master Teacher (PMTT)
The appointment process for a PMTT requires the candidate to deliver an oral
presentation an oral presentation on his/her pedagogical expertise and contributions to
raising teaching standards within the Education Service. The presentation should also include:
a)
b)
achievements as MTT, and
vision as a PMTT.
For teachers who are interested to find out more about keeping a portfolio and moving on the
teaching track, you could speak to our Master Teachers in the ‘Up Close and Personal’ sessions at the
INs-place at the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST). You could also email the Master Teachers. Their email
addresses can be found on the AST website: http://www.academyofsingaporeteachers.moe.gov.sg/cos/
o.x?c=/ast/pagetree
Besides, the accreditation forms for ST, LT, MTT and PMTT are also available on HR online on the intranet,
and can be assessed at the following link: http://intranet.moe.gov.sg/hr_online/EO/form.htm
All educators are encouraged to keep a portfolio regardless of whether they intend to pursue a higher
appointment on the teaching track as it deepens their reflection and learning as reflective educators.
i.d.e.a2
If you have any Professional Development related questions that you would like to pose,
or if you have any insights to share in response to the issues raised, please email us at:
MOE_Academy_Publications@moe.edu.sg.
We welcome your IDEAS indeed!
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27

Idea2 Issue 3 - Academy of Singapore Teachers

Transcription

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