session 8 - summary & wrap-up on 21st century learning and teaching - tsln

SESSION 8 - Summary & Wrap-up on 21st Century Learning and Teaching

- TSLN

Workshop on Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century

Koh Boon Long, M. Ed., PPA.National Institute of Education, [email protected]

ORGANISED BY DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SECONDARY EDUCATIONDirectorate for Development of Secondary School Teachers & Education

Personnel (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Indonesia)

Thinking Schools, Learning Nation

Scope of Presentation

Education in Singapore’s nation-building history

Emerging trends, future challenges - the changing role of the teacher

MOE’s response - our mission, vision, goals, capacity and strategic paradigm

The education buffet

Survival-Driven Education (1959 - 1978)

Self-government - merger with Malaysia - independence

National survival a concern Fragile social situation Widespread poverty, high birth rate,

insufficient housing, high unemployment Fertile ground for communist activism


Mass education for all– accelerated school building programme– recruitment of teachers en masse

A technical bias in education– technical secondary schools– establishing what would become today’s ITE and

polytechnics


Parity of treatment for all streams– common curricula– common training for teachers– common examinations– education structures aligned with English system

Pledge-taking, flag-raising introduced Bilingualism

Efficiency-Driven Education (1979 - 1996)

Singapore achieved full employment Economic restructuring to higher value-

added activities– focus on productivity and efficiency– widespread automation and mechanisation– expansion of technical manpower training – wage correction – selective investment promotion


Problems in education– high educational wastage– lower literacy and numeracy– pre-mature school leaving– unemployability of school leavers

Ability-based streaming introduced– Curricula changes– User-proof materials produced


Severe economic recession in 1985 Singapore subject to factors beyond our

control Economic Committee report (1986)

– upgrade workforce, continually retrain– cultivate a flexible, innovative mindset in our

people


A need to raise the minimum educational levels of the workforce

Provide broad-based education to develop adaptability

Expansion of post-secondary and tertiary education

Excellence in education– independent/autonomous schools– cluster schools

A Sound and Robust System Today19%

4.20% 4.40%

11%

1.90%0.40%

0%2%4%

6%8%

10%12%14%

16%18%20%

80 90 97

Year

Per

cen

tag

e

Sec

Pri

A Sound and Robust System Today

2025303540

4550556065


University 21%

GCE O-levelsGCE O-levels GCE N-levelsGCE N-levels

Polytechnics39%

ITE21%

WORK

JC/CI25%


Primary level

Maths

Secondary levelScienceMat

hs


“We have no failing schools, an assertion few countries in the world can make. We only have good schools, and very good schools. We have not only provided education to our young, we have succeeded in providing quality education to all of them”

RAdm Teo Chee Hean

Minister for Education

Why Change?

Change is discomfiting The best time to change is before change

becomes critical But things are still relatively comfortable, and

the need for change is not pressing Here lies the challenge for change

Why Change?

Three fatal errors– failure to learn from the past– failure to adapt to the present– failure to anticipate the future

A failure to change in good time is a result of a failure to change in good times

The Challenge of Change

Charting change– building from past successes and failures– forging a shared vision– appreciate broader national visions

Communicating change– re-orientate mindsets

Effecting change– harnessing the creativity of everyone to implement

change

Emerging Trends and Future Challenges

Competing in the First League of Nations Globalisation

– the death of distance– increased mobility of talent across borders– intense competition

Intellectual Capital– Knowledge will be the key strategic asset– Technology, innovation critical

Technology


Life in the 21st Century Over Information

– vast amount of information available– knowledge is expanding rapidly

Shifting Moral Values– Easy access to foreign media– Our young better educated than elders– dual-income families, latchkey kids, rising juvenile

delinquency and divorce rates


Life in the 21st Century Demographics

– ageing population– baby boom

Evolving Social Patterns– Families more cloistered– Technology encouraging more individualism– Less concern for others in society


Hotel Singapore Great Expectations

– rising material expectations without regard for Singapore’s constraints

– unthinking vocal dissent

Fight or Flight?– Emigration to perceived greener pastures in good

times– In bad times, will Singaporeans quit Singapore?


National Cohesion Ethnic Divides

– a migrant, plural society– natural divides along lines of race, language and

religion Socio-Economic Stratification

– Income gap likely to grow– A growing underclass?

Citizenship and Permanent Residence

The Changing Role of Teachers

Teachers no longer perceived as people in society holding the key to knowledge– need to go beyond dispensing knowledge to imparting

thinking and learning skills– particular expertise of teachers lies in the ability to

catalyse learning in a class of very different individuals– emphasis must shift from eliciting right answers to

asking good questions– a more constructional, less instructional approach


Learner-Centeredness– not what is most convenient for the teacher, but

what is most effective for the learner– need to be mindful of whole-person factors

influencing learning - aptitude, ability, learning modality, learning style

– mass customisation of education


Teachers must be conversant with IT as an educational tool

The teaching profession as a whole needs to collaborate more - tapping good ideas within and across schools

Teachers should be encouraged to network widely, even with teachers in other countries


The teacher must be the moral guardians of society– the health of a nation lies ultimately in the values

of its people– the building of stout character must be through

personal example

Teachers are cornerstones of social defence, advocates of our principles of governance

But some things do not change …

Let’s take a short break ...

An Overall Framework

Our MissionOur Mission

Moulding the Future of Our NationMoulding the Future of Our NationOur VisionOur Vision

Thinking Schools, Thinking Schools, Learning NationLearning Nation

Our GoalsOur GoalsThe Desired Outcomes The Desired Outcomes

of Educationof Education

Our CapacityOur CapacityManaging for Managing for

Excellence with the Excellence with the 4/3 Approach4/3 Approach

Our Mission

Moulding the Future of Our Nation We cannot provide fixed formulae for success or

dictate desired goals We inculcate values and attitudes, develop skills

and competencies Our young must identify their own problems, find

their own solutions and chart their own destiny Continuous renewal of our people

Our Vision

Thinking Schools, Learning Nation Thinking Schools are true learning

organisations in every sense A Learning Nation envisages a national

culture and social environment that promotes lifelong learning

Our Goals

The Desired Outcomes of Education A return to education fundamentals,

developing the moral, cognitive, physical, social and aesthetic realms

Developing the individual, educating the citizen

Our Organisational Capacity

MOE’s 4/3 Approach The approach sets out

– the centrality of people for all achievement– the need for systems to assure efficiency and

consistency– the need to recognise the customer as the reason for

all things Purpose is to achieve excellence on a sustained

basis

MOE’s 4/3 ApproachWELL-BEING Fitness Challenge Recognition

WELL-BEING Fitness Challenge Recognition

ExCelContinuous ImprovementContinuous LearningTeamwork

ExCelContinuous ImprovementContinuous LearningTeamwork

Mission Vision Support Example

Mission Vision Support Example

StandardsInnovationEconomy

StandardsInnovationEconomy

DELIGHTDELIGHT CUSTOMERSCUSTOMERS

LEADLEAD PEOPLEPEOPLE

MANAGEMANAGE SYSTEMSSYSTEMS

QUALITY SERVICE Courtesy Accessibility Responsiveness Effectiveness

QUALITY SERVICE Courtesy Accessibility Responsiveness Effectiveness

ORGANISATIONALREVIEW

Step Improvement IT Harvest No Red Tape

ORGANISATIONALREVIEW

Step Improvement IT Harvest No Red Tape

SU

PE

RV

ISO

RS

SU

PE

RV

ISO

RS

Qualitivity = Quality + Productivity

Our Strategic Paradigm

Ability-Driven Education Maximal development of talents and abilities

– of students– of staff

Maximal harnessing of talents and abilities– of students– of staff

Ability-Driven Education

Every child has talents and abilities Every child is different Ability refers to ability at all levels, ability of

all types Everyone should excel according to his own

ability To excel is to be the best one can be, to do

the best one can do.


Every Singaporean is able to make a unique contribution to society

By doing so, he gains a sense of self-confidence, a sense of self-worth

Every student can succeed in ability-driven education, so long as he puts his mind to it


We also develop our teachers Efficiency paradigm for training

– miserly provision of professional development opportunities

Ability paradigm for training– each teacher entitled to 100 hours of training– with his supervisor, the teacher decides how he

can get the most out of training


Harnessing the creative talents of every member of staff to provide the best education for the students

School autonomy - not fewer rules, but different rules

Vision, rationale and strategic intent become vital, procedures more flexible

The TSLN Strategic Review

The First Wave– problem identification– about 300 people in 32 project teams

The Second Wave – problem-solving

The Third Wave– vision-sharing– continual feedback

The Education Buffet

Not fixed meal, not a choice of set lunches, but a la carte

A spread to choose from – what to eat, what to eat first

Two mistakes– eat everything – eat nothing

Decision based on what you need, and what you can chew


The Masterplan for IT in Education Education’s answer to a world of rapid

technological advancement Not to teach IT skills per se, but to make our

young IT savvy IT is an enabler, not an end; it empowers

sound pedagogy, not replaces it


National Education Education’s efforts towards rootedness and

social cohesion To know the Singapore story To think global, yet stay local To safeguard social harmony


The Syllabus Content Reduction Education’s response to the nature of

knowledge in the future To free up time for developing thinking skills,

learning skills, process skills, communication skills

Identified the core, cut down content coverage by up to 30%


Teacher-Training Teachers are key to education reform Foundation training at NIE should inculcate

values and attitudes Teachers must keep up to date with educational

developments and effective classroom practices Upgrading to come through courses as well as

professional sharing


University Admissions System Shifting students’ attitudes The university admission system serves two

purposes– sorting students– signaling effect

A-levels to be supplemented by reasoning tests, project work and ECAs


School Excellence Model Shifting schools’ mindsets Quality assurance approach based on self-

appraisal– 50% results– 50% enablers

Aim is to sustain excellence


PRIME To create a conducive physical learning

environment in schools All schools will be upgraded over the next 7

years Thereafter, schools will be upgraded to the

most recent standards every 5 years


MOE’s 4/3 Approach Leadership is key to organisational

excellence Management of systems and resources to

get the most value out of pre-allocated resources

Delighting all customers

Create Your Own Buffet

Not everything is best implemented centrally Schools know their students’ needs best,

schools know the capacity of their staff best Some areas to think about

– Non-academic school programmes– Mass customisation in the school and in the

classroom

Let’s digest ...

CLOSING REMARKS & GOOD BYE

A big “Thank You” – Respect & Greetings to all Esteemed Participants OF THIS WORKSHOP

Hope sharing with you

Workshop on Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century

had been useful

session 8 - summary & wrap-up on 21st century learning and teaching - tsln

Documents

mass education

broadbased education

quality education

robust system todaya

robust system todaywe

educationwhy change

changewhy change

good schools