Abstract
This article will reflect on the first author’s deanship journey from 2008 to 2014, which saw the mobilization of the NIE Teacher Education Model for the 21st Century (TE21) and conceptualization of the V3SK framework for teacher education curriculum. Taking a big picture approach, the model and framework were architecturally derived through our building block and improvement systems approach where strong foundations were critical. The period of the late 2000s through the next decade saw an increased interest in education reforms worldwide. Two major trends saw a confluence in interest in Singapore. Firstly, there was increased research pointing to the importance of the teacher factor. Secondly, enhanced interest in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and international comparisons placed Singapore under global spotlight owing to her remarkable performance. Singapore drew much attention from education ministries around the world, which were visiting Singapore to learn how we invest in education and more importantly what we do to bring ideas to fruition. It became clear that the teacher factor was a significant reason for Singapore’s success. This article will share on how TE21 was a scholarly and pragmatic endeavour resulting from research-informed and motivated teacher educators working with partners and stakeholders in practice whilst taking a globalized perspective. The pinnacle of the TE21 model was the V3SK framework which continues to permeate theory and practice. The framework has gone beyond a professional guidepost to capturing the importance of the teacher symbol. In essence, we were building on roots, culture, values, and wisdom as we tapped on science and evidence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aaronson, D., Barrow, L., & Sander, W. (2007). Teachers and student achievement in the Chicago public high schools. Journal of Labor Economics, 25, 95–135. https://doi.org/10.1086/508733
Ang, Q. (2021): More than 80% of Singapore teachers say Covid-19 pandemic has hurt their mental health: Survey. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/more-than-80-of-teachers-say-the-pandemic-has-hurt-their-mental-health
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. In: Six theories of child development: Revised formulations and current issues. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Canrinus, E. T., Helms-Lorenz, M., Beijaard, D., Buitink, J., & Hofman, A. (2012). Self-efficacy, job satisfaction, motivation and commitment: Exploring the relationships between indicators of teachers’ professional identity. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 27(1), 115–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-011-0069-2
Chalkiadaki, A. (2018). A systematic literature review of 21st century skills and competencies in primary education. International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.1131a
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In Handbook Theories of Social Psychology, Sage Publications Ltd., 1, 416–436. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21
Grimmett, P. P. (1997). A search for hope in teaching and teacher education in changing times. The University of Chicago Press, 105(4), 458–477.
Hanushek, E. A., & Rivkin, S. G. (2006). Teacher quality. In E. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), In: Handbook of the economics of education. Elsevier.
Jang, H.-R. (2023). Book review: Singapore’s approach to developing teachers – Hindsight, insight, and foresight authored by Woon Chia Liu. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1087458.
Jensen, B. (2010). Investing in our teachers, investing in our economy. Melbourne: Grattan Institute.
Kelchtermans, G. (2009). Who I am in how I teach is the message: self-understanding, vulnerability and reflection. Teachers and Teaching, 15(2), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600902875332
Kemp, S. J. (2013). Exploring the use of learner-focused teaching approaches in different academic disciplines. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 37(6), 804–818. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2012.684041
Low, E. L., & Tan, O. S. (2017). Teacher education policy: Recruitment, preparation and progression. In O. S. Tan, W. C. Liu, & E. L. Low (Eds.), Teacher education in the 21st century: Singapore’s evolution and innovation. Springer.
Ministry of Education. (2021). 21st century competencies. Ministry of Education. Retrieved 21 Jan 2022 from https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/21st-century-competencies
National Center on Education and the Economy (2016). Empowered educators: How high-performing systems shape teaching quality around the world. Singapore: A teaching model for the 21st century. http://ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/SingaporeCountryBrief.pdf
National Institute of Education (2009). A teacher education model for the 21st century. A report by the National Institute of Education, Singapore. https://nie.edu.sg/docs/default-source/nie-files/te21_executive-summary_101109.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Nochaiwong, S., Ruengorn, C., Thavorn, K., Hutton, B., Awiphan, R., Phosuya, C., Ruanta, Y., Wongpakaran, N., & Wongpakaran, T. (2021). Global prevalence of mental health issues among the general population during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 10173. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89700-8
Nye, B., Konstantopoulos, S., & Hedges, L. V. (2004). How large are teacher effects? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737026003237
OECD. (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers.
OECD. (2010). PISA 2009 results: Executive summary.
OECD. (2011). Singapore: Rapid improvement followed by strong performance. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264096660-8-en
OECD. (2021). OECD future of education and skills 2030: Learning compass 2030. Retrieved 21 Jan 2022 from https://www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/teaching-and-learning/learning/learning-compass-2030/
Olsen, B. (2008). Teaching what they learn, learning what they live: How teachers' personal histories shape their professional development. Routlege.
Rajandiran, D. (2021). Singapore’s teacher education model for the 21st century (TE21). In F. M. Reimers (Ed.), Implementing deeper learning and 21st century education reforms: Building an education renaissance after a global pandemic. Springer International Publishing.
Rockoff, J. E. (2004). The impact of individual teachers on student achievement: evidence from panel data. American Economic Review, 94(2), 247–252. https://doi.org/10.1257/0002828041302244
Rogers, C. R. (1983). Freedom to learn for the 80s. Merrill Publishing Company.
Soh, K. (2017). Singapore’s education in world rankings: School and higher education and beyond. In PISA Ranking. https://doi.org/10.1142/10299
Tan, O. S. (2002). Problem-based learning: more problems for teacher education. REACT, 21, 43–55.
Tan, O.-S. (2007). Problem-based learning pedagogies: Psychological processes and enhancement of intelligences. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 6(2), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-007-9014-1
Tan, O. S., & Chua, J. J. E. (2022). Science, responsibility, and education: The experience of Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. In F. M. Reimers (Ed.), Primary and secondary education during COVID-19. Springer.
Tan, O. S., & Liu, W. C. (2015). Developing effective teachers for the 21st century: a Singapore perspective. In Teacher effectiveness: Capacity building in a complex learning era. Springer.
Tan, O. S., & Liu, W. C. (2017). Championing the teacher factor. In O. S. Tan, W. C. Liu, & E. L. Low (Eds.), Teacher education in the 21st century: Singapore’s evolution and innovation. Springer.
Tan, O.-S., Liu, W.-C., & Low, E.-L. (2017). Teacher education futures: Innovating policy, curriculum and practices. In O.-S. Tan, W.-C. Liu, & E.-L. Low (Eds.), Teacher education in the 21st century: Singapore’s evolution and innovation. Springer Singapore.
Tan, O. S. (2015). Teacher policies: Global best practices for developing the teaching profession. https://www.wise-qatar.org/app/uploads/2019/04/teacher_policies_online_0.pdf
UNICEF. (2020). Education and Covid-19. Retrieved 21 Jan 2022 from https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/covid-19/
Yeung, W-J. J. (2020). Covid-19 can widen gaps in children's development. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/covid-19-can-widen-gaps-in-childrens-development
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Tan, O.S., Chua, J.J.E. Reflections on the teacher education model for the twenty-first century (TE21) and V3SK: legacy and lessons. Educ Res Policy Prac (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-023-09361-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-023-09361-4