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Seminararbeit
Englisch

Frankfurt Main

14 Punkte, 2016

Sabrina L. ©
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Brief Description about the Singaporean Education System and its Teacher Education

based on the presentation “The Singaporean School System”

as part of the Seminar “Mobility and Diversity in the Teacher Education”


Table of Content


1. Introduction 3

2. The School System 4

2.1 Pre-School 5

2.2 Primary School 6

2.3. Secondary School and Post-Secondary Level 6

2.4. University 7

3. Teacher Education in Singapore 8

4. Conclusion 10

Works Cited

Plagiarism Policy


1. Introduction

In the following term paper, the Singaporean school system is explained and investigated in more detail, as well as the teacher education based on the presentation which was held during the block seminar. Singapore and its school system has been described as “world-leading” and innovating system in various media.

The Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which controls the development and administration state schools. They take over an advisory and supervisory role regarding private schools:

MOE undertook a fundamental review of the education system to develop in student’s creative thinking and learning skills for the future, utilise information technology more widely and to develop communication skills and habits of independent learning.1

Singapore is a rich country, which is well developed and also well regulated. The educational system produces strong students who are highly skilled2. Singapore routinely ranks among the top performers in educational attainment, as measured by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment (OECD) and is seen “as a nation of thinking and committed citizens capable of meeting the challenges of the future, and an education system geared to the needs of the 21st century”3. The output of a strong education system are high-achieving students who are self-aware, morally sound, and resilient when facing challenges and aims at excellence for its students, offering various choices in preschool, primary, secondary, and post-secondary education.

However, the first steps into the education system in Singapore usually start with pre-school. Singaporean children attend preschool up to the age of six where they get prepared for primary school. After six years of primary school, children move on to secondary school. The education system in Singapore allows students to choose a path at this point. They can decide whether they wish to attend a normal secondary school,

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1 Tan, Yap Kwang, Chow, Hong Kheng, Goh, Christine: Examinations in Singapore: Change and Continuity (1891-2007.) Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., 2008. Print: 127
2Yukon Huang, Magnoli, Alessandro: Reshaping Economic Geography in East Asia. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2009. Print. 68
3 Tan, Chow, Goh: Examinations in Singapore. 129

a specialized school, an express school – which leads to the "O" Level in four years rather than the regular five years – or another school (such as a privately funded one), which offers a similar education. Post-secondary education usually takes between one and three years and offers a choice of schools, including junior colleges, polytechnics, and institutes of technical education4. In the following, the different education steps are described.


2. The school system

2.1 Pre-School

In Singapore, the educational system begins at the age of four when a child is starting with pre-school, where it stays until the age of six. During this time children are taught social behavior, self-assurance and learning methods. This is brought to the children by learning to play:

The objectives of the MOE Kindergartens are to provide quality pre-school education that is affordable to Singaporeans, as well as to pilot teaching and learning resources and establish good practices for sharing with the pre-school sector.5

The pre-schools aspire to nurture children holistically, so that they are confident, have strong social skills and a good foundation in literacy and numeracy for being successful when they start school. Children are attending the pre-school for four hours a day normally, but there are also full-day programmes available. In Singapore, children are seen as curios, active and competent learners.

They learn by doing and exploring and are more likely to understand and remember skills and concepts learnt through active participation and exploration. If it is the right environment, children can learn almost anything.6

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4 Soon, Teck Wong: Singapore's New Education System: Education Reform for National Development. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1998. Print. 16
5 online. Access: 31.01.17
6 online. Access: 31.01.17

2.2 Primary School

After pre-school, between seven and twelve years, children attend the primary school.
During this time, their formation is brought to a predetermined standard.
Even now, it is important for the children to choose specific subjects in addition to the basic compartments in order to concentrate on their strengths and to promote them.
Furthermore, the students are encouraged to participate in one or more, there are many "Co-Curricular Activities" or "Values ​​in Action".

National examinations were introduced in 1960, with the implementation of the PSLE at primary level, for the four official language streams. This was an outcome of introduction of the national school system that brought together schools […], under a unified education system with a unified education system, with a common curriculum, common provision of physical and financial resources.

The PSLE unified the different school-leaving examinations of government and aided schools that existed prior to 1960, with a common examination for schools […].7


2.3 Secondary School and Post-Secondary Level

Based on their results in the PSLE, children can choose different kinds of schools. It is possible to attend a private school, which has its own curriculum and thus its own graduation. Or children can choose a “Specialized Independent School”, where special strengths of the pupils in the fields of mathematics, art, science and sports are promoted. Here, a specialized degree or the so called “O” level degree is possible.


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7 Tan, Chow, Goh: Examinations in Singapore. 84
8 ebd.

The PSLE and the GCE examinations are the source of strength of the national examination system. The examinations test students’ ability and achievement and the results are used to determine a student’s progression from one level of education to the next.9

There is also the possibility to go to a special school where they have special courses that are not available anywhere else. Moreover there are also the normal secondary schools, which means that there are again many opportunities for the students to focus on different areas. Thus students can achieve a few different degrees at the Secondary School.

Beside all the different paths, there are also special schools for children with disabilities or special needs in order to be supported more specifically on their requirements and to enable them to have a good education.


2.4 University

The study at university takes three to four years again. Thus the students can start working and being in their jobs with 20 to 23 years. And also here, there are lots of different opportunities to go on with further education or working training through the “Continuing Education & Training” program.


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9 Tan, Chow, Goh: Examinations in Singapore. 84

3. Teacher Education in Singapore

Singapore invests a lot in education as well as in the teacher education. The teacher training is linked across various disciplines and continuing education and training is part of a lifelong program, which means that teachers have different career possibilities and numerous opportunities for advancement as they can become a "Senior Specialist", or from the beginning on a headmaster career.

There is the National Institute of Education (NIE), which has developed into one of the leading teacher education institutes in the world and plays an important role in providing education research. There is a research based-pedagogical curriculum and a direction to the Ministry and its schools. The NIE is an integral part of education service since they are working together with the MOE and various schools.

The current focus in the teacher education is on „ability-driven education [which] aims to identify and develop the talents and abilities of every child to the maximum“10. The NIE offers lots of different opportunities to work in the field of education and school. It ranges from initial teacher education programs to professional development programs for “in-service teachers and executive leadership programs for principals, department heads and other school leaders”11.

Singapore has a two-stage admission process of student teachers which provides a strict selection of qualified candidates. At the first level, candidates are individually
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10 Darling-Hammond, Linda, Liebermann Ann. Teacher Education around the World: Changing Policies and Practices Canada: Routledge, 2012 Print. 26
11 Conference Paper from September 2013 Teacher Education in Singapore online. Access: 12.02.2017


interviewed by the MOE as part of the selection process. “All applicants must first and foremost meet the minimum selection criteria”12: communication skills, interest in teaching, goals and aspiration as well as willingness to learn are tested through the interviews “and only one of eight applicants interviewed is accepted”13. All successful candidates are then employed by MOE.

On average, the total intake for NIE’s initial teacher education programs is about 2000 student teachers per academic year.

To prepare teachers who are ready for the challenges of nurturing and mentoring their students in the 21st century, teachers should possess various skills such as reflective skills and thinking dispositions, pedagogical skills, people- and self- management skills, administrative and management skills as well as social and emotional intelligence. “Teachers and principals will constantly look out for new ideas and practices, and continuously refresh their own knowledge.”14 Knowledge is necessary for 21st century and teachers must be competent regarding curriculum and pedagogy, educational foundation and policies, global and environment awareness as well as multicultural literacy.

In the last years “definitions of teaching and learning became more inclusive, expansive and flexible in order to embrace: diverse ways of knowing and thinking; multiple

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12 Darling Hammond, Liebermann. Teacher Education around the World. 133
13 Tan, Oon-Seng, Liu, Woon-Chia, Low, Ee-Ling. Teacher Education in the 21st Century. Singapores Evolution and Innovation Singapore: Springer, 2017. 16. Online file:///C:/Users/Pia/Downloads/9789811033841-c2%20(1).pdf
14 Darling-Hammond, Liebermann: High Quality Teaching and Learning: Changing Policies and Practices. 26
15 ebd.

pathways and options for learning; and innovative pedagogies and technologies”16. These facts make other countries look at Singapore as an interesting model, where nearly everything works well.





The success of the Singaporean education system is based on a focused strategic alignment of resources around a common vision and a belief that schools and educators are the key to the success of the nation“17 which means that Singapore believe that they cannot afford to lose one child in the process. What the Singaporean system achieves is the maintenance of a high average by applying a constant pressure that forces students to meet established common standards.

At periodic intervals in the student’s life, he must cross formidable hurdles in the form of mass examinations before proceeding to the next stage. “He [the student] has already successfully negotiated a slew of stringent examinations”18 by the time the average student arrives at the university. After defence, education is the next area of government expenditure.

With such a system that researches suggests will result in richer students attaining higher levels of qualification, the expansion of university places and decrease in tuition fees subsidy also serve to reinforce income advantages intergenerationally.21

Singapore moved towards a more diverse education system that would better cater to the different interests and talents of students” “greater diversity was introduced in the education system” Therefore “ specialised independent schools were also set up, namely the Singapore Sports School, the National University of Singapore, High School for Mathematics and Science and the School for the Arts Singapore.

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16 Darling-Hammond, Liebermann High Quality Teaching and Learning: Changing Policies and Practices. 26
17 Reimers, Fernando M., O’Donnell E.B.: Fifteen Letters on Education in Singapore: Reflection from a Visit to Singapore in 2015 by a Delegation of Educators from Massachusetts 2016. Print. 31
18 Da Cunha, Derek: Debating Singapore: Reflective Essays. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1996. Print. 67
19 Yahya, Fazial Bin: Inequality in Singapore Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co.

Pte. Ltd., 2015. Print. 37/38
20 ebd. 39
21 ebd, 39
22 Tan, Chow, Goh Examinations in Singapore: Change and Continuity (1891-2007). 32

5. Works Cited


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