Teacher Preparation In Singapore

This book explores the history and philosophy of teacher preparation, training, induction and development in Singapore. It goes beyond the official state celebratory narrative, critically examining social and political influences on Singapore’s teacher education.

Singapore’s education system has come to international attention due to its commendable performance on the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), as well as the students’ continual sterling performance in internationally benchmarked tests such as Trends in International Math and Science Survey (TIMSS), and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The accomplishments are the result of a long-haul vision of education, and more importantly, a deep commitment towards developing teachers for the 21st century. Singapore has invested steadfastly from the early years in teachers at the front line of the classrooms in schools. This book explicates the ‘thinking’ behind Singapore’s approach to developing teachers and building the teaching profession. It examines how Singapore strives to attract the best and the brightest people to become teachers, develop them into autonomous professionals, and grow them over their career so that they are able to deliver quality education for every child. The author hopes that by sharing the hindsight, insight and foresight of the system, and looking at Singapore's aspirations and challenges, the book can stimulate reflection and generate discussion, and provide ideas for improving teaching and teacher learning worldwide.

This book examines the evolution and innovation of teacher education in Singapore in the 21st century. It covers teacher education reforms in the conceptualising and implementing of the Teacher Education for the 21st Century (TE21) Model and discusses curriculum improvements that are aligned to new competencies; values development that re-envision teacher professionalism and calling; pedagogical changes that emphasise self-directed inquiry and technology-enabled learning; strengthened theory–practice linkages and enhanced teaching practices through school partnerships and mentoring; and impactful education research in areas such as assessment and developing teaching competencies, practices and mentoring. Teacher education in Singapore focuses on developing professional leaders in the field of education who are proactive problem-solvers and empowered researchers. It entails a long-term vision of education and an innovative approach to develop teachers with design skills and an inquiring mindset to understand learners in the fast-changing digital and mobile world. This book is aimed at scholars, researchers, policymakers, teacher educators and teachers as well as anyone interested in learning the philosophy behind Singapore’s unique TE21 Model for the 21st century and beyond.

Inclusive teacher preparation varies greatly in format and practice, yet programs grapple with the same underlying challenges: which practices work and where do they work. As children with disabilities are increasingly being included in schools, it is essential that guidance is put into place on how best to adapt inclusive practices into the classroom and create new practices based on the cultural context. Global Perspectives on Inclusive Teacher Education summarizes existing research on inclusive practices globally while presenting emerging research and opportunities for cementing change in inclusive teacher education locally, including examples of how inclusive practices are integrated in and adapted to diverse cultural contexts. Covering topics that include critical pedagogy, religious schooling, and teacher education, this publication is designed for curriculum developers, instructional designers, administrators, higher education faculty, educators, policymakers, and students.

BEST PRACTICES FROM SINGAPORE'S HIGH-PERFORMING SCHOOL SYSTEM Empowered Educators in Singapore is one volume in a series that explores how high-performing educational systems from around the world achieve strong results. The anchor book, Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World, is written by Linda Darling-Hammond and colleagues, with contributions from the authors of this volume. Empowered Educators in Singapore delves into the country's rapid rise to educational excellence on a global scale and the national effort that drives it. Singaporean students routinely outperform their peers from around the world, placing first or second in international assessments, particularly in math and science. In 2015, Singaporean students topped the league table for both the Programme in International Student Achievement (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). With educators around the world clamoring for the "Singapore secret," the reality is that Singapore's excellence is the result of a 25-year drive to improve education through systemic, long-term and ongoing, consistent, and deliberative reform with an emphasis on teacher quality. This book describes the interwoven strategies that merge context, quality, governance, and continual evolution into a consistently high-achieving student population.

Research surrounding teacher quality and teacher effectiveness has continued to grow and become even more prominent as teaching has become more professionalized globally and countries have invested more comprehensively in teacher education, certification, and professional development. To better understand teacher effectiveness, it is important to have a global viewpoint to truly understand how beliefs and practices vary in each country and can lead to different characterizations of what makes an effective teacher. This includes both cross-cultural commonalities and unique differences in conceptualization of teacher effectiveness and practices. With this comprehensive, international understanding of teacher effectiveness, a better understanding of best practices, teacher models, philosophies, and more will be developed. International Beliefs and Practices That Characterize Teacher Effectiveness identifies, shares, and explores the predominant conceptual understandings of beliefs and practices that characterize effective teachers in different countries. This book provides international and cross-cultural perspectives on teacher effectiveness and examines the prominent philosophies of teaching and pedagogical practices that characterize teachers in selected countries. Each chapter includes a background, such as history and undergirding philosophy within each country, effective teacher models, prominent applications of teacher effectiveness practices, and special or unique features of teaching in the specific countries mentioned. This book is essential for practicing educators in various countries, teacher educators, faculty, and students within schools and colleges, researchers in international comparative studies, organizations engaged in international education, and administrators, practitioners, and academicians interested in how teacher effectiveness is characterized in different countries and regions across the world.

The relationship between teacher education and internationalization is often regarded as one that has just begun, sparked by globalization and its knowledge economy. This book questions such an assumption by arguing that although contemporary demands on teacher education have intensified the need for internationalization, teacher education and internationalization have a deep and complex relationship, which is context dependent and has developed differently over time. This book urges its readers to question and rethink overly nationalistic approaches to teacher education. It shows how the internationalization of teacher education could be used as a strategic tool to support sustainable educational development and meet labor market demands for twenty-first century competencies. It puts the spotlight on the imperatives for internationalizing teacher education and its present forms, and considers this current phenomenon in the context of Singapore. This nation state has a history of internationalization, albeit with differing rationales, dimensions and strategies. Internationalization has been a key driver of the Singapore education system’s sustained growth, from its humble beginnings to its present state as one of the best performing education systems in the world. This book will be of great interest to policy makers, academics, researchers and graduate students in the fields of international and comparative education, teacher education, and South East Asian studies.

This book demonstrates that policy, professionalism, and pedagogy are integral to the development of the best teachers that our students deserve. The empirical quantitative and qualitative studies and narratives presented in this volume demonstrate that strong analyses are needed to drive decisions on policy and practice.