Abstract
The teaching and learning of twenty-first century competencies in Singapore schools began with a vision in 1997. The Thinking Schools, Learning Nation (TSLN) vision initiated a series of educational reforms to strengthen thinking and inquiry among students, preparing them for learning and working in the twenty-first century. The momentum generated from the TSLN vision led to the development of the Framework for 21st Century Competencies and Student Outcomes which articulates the twenty-first century competencies that will be nurtured in schools – civic literacy, global awareness and cross-cultural skills, critical and inventive thinking, and communication, collaboration and information skills. This chapter narrates the policies and approaches that were central to TSLN, specifically on the structural and curricular changes, the re-perception of teaching and learning and a redefinition of the role of teachers. TSLN, which captures the central ideas of preparing students for the twenty-first century, was never conceived as a programmatic change in that it did not contain an explicit set of intervention strategies and targets. TSLN was an entire systemic effort encompassing the policy, cultural, curricular, assessment and professional learning arenas. TSLN recognised that Singapore can no longer depend on large structural fixes to transform the education system. Instead, any refinement has to be at the nexus of teaching and learning, be reflexive and responsive to students’ needs and interests, and create new opportunities and learning experiences dynamically in and out of the classroom. Bringing about transformational change in teaching and learning requires honest recognition of issues of implementation in the classroom. Significant reductions of the national curricular content took place to make time and space for student inquiry approaches. The role of teachers was examined and rebalanced – while recognising the importance of the teachers’ role to tell, instruct and demonstrate, there was also an imperative for teachers to teach less, so that students learn more. Teacher-preparation and in-service professional learning programmes were re-designed to build teachers’ capacity to develop students’ twenty-first century competencies and give a greater emphasis to teacher-initiated learning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
This one hour for professional planning and collaboration is worked within each teachers’ total timetabled time so as not to add to their existing teaching load. Providing more time and space for teachers to engage in professional development was supported by an 8-year recruitment effort to increase the size of the teaching force (Straits Times, 2015).
- 2.
The Singapore Core 2 study is a large-scale study carried out by NIE from 2010 to 2014 that examined pedagogical and assessment practices in Singapore classrooms. Employing a mixed methods approach, the quantitative component of the study utilised a multi-stage sampling design that involved students and teachers in over 200 classes and across 62 primary and secondary schools (see Hogan et al. (2011, 2013) for details of the research design).
- 3.
Performative pedagogy pays attention to ensuring that curriculum content and concepts are taught in the classroom, and to ways that help students master both factual and procedural knowledge.
- 4.
‘Knowledge-building pedagogy’, a theory that is derived from research into the disciplinary nature of knowledge (e.g., Christie & Maton, 2011; Ford & Forman 2008), Visible Learning theory (Hattie, 2009, 2012), dialogic teaching (Alexander, 2008), exploratory talk (Barnes, 2008), academic work (Doyle, 1983; Stein, Grover, & Henningsen, 1996), authentic pedagogy (Newmann & Associates, 1996) and productive pedagogy (Hayes, Linguard, & Mills, 2002) is evident when students have access to powerful conceptual, epistemic, disciplinary and metacognitive knowledge.
References
Alexander, R. (2008). Towards dialogic teaching: Rethinking classroom talk (4th ed.). Cambridge, UK: Dialogos.
Barnes, D. (2008). Exploratory talk for learning. In N. Mercer & S. Hodgkinson (Eds.), Exploring talk in school (pp. 1–16). London: Sage.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Chang, S. C. A. (2001). Implementation of the “thinking schools, learning national” initiative in Singapore. Journal of Southeast Asian Education, 2(1), 13–41.
Christie, F., & Maton, K. (2011). Disciplinarity: Functional linguistics and sociological perspectives. London: Continuum.
Cohen, D. (1990). A revolution in one classroom: The case of Mrs Oublier. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 12(3), 311–329.
Doyle, W. (1983). Academic work. Review of Educational Research, 53, 159–199.
Ford, M. J., & Forman, E. A. (2008). Redefining disciplinary learning in classroom contexts. In J. Green, A. Luke, & G. Kelly (Eds.), Review of educational research (Vol. 30, pp. 1–32). Washington, DC: American Education Research Association.
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. G., & Pomfret, A. (1977). Research on curriculum and instruction implementation. Review of Educational Research, 47(2), 335–397.
Gallimore, R., Hiebert, J., & Ermeling, B. (2014). Rich classroom discussion: One way to get rich learning. Teachers College Record, Date Published: October 09, 2014. http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 17714, Date Accessed: 11 Jan 2014
Goh, C. T. (1997). Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the Opening of the 7th International Conference on Thinking on Monday, 2 June 1997, at 9.00 am at the Suntec City Convention Centre Ballroom. Retrieved September 10, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/1997/020697.htm
Gopinathan, S. (2015). Singapore chronicles: Education. Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies and the Straits Times.
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning. A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London: Routledge.
Hayes, D., Lingard, B., & Mills, M. (2002). Productive pedagogies. Education Links, 60, 10–13.
Heng, S. K. (2011). Opening address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Work Plan Seminar, on Thursday, 22 September 2011 at 10.00 am at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre. Retrieved June 16, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2011/09/22/work-plan-seminar-2011.php
Heng, S. K. (2012a). Keynote Address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the Ministry of Education Work Plan Seminar, on Wednesday, 12 September 2012 at 9.20 am at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2012/09/12/keynote-address-by-mr-heng-swee-keat-at-wps-2012.php
Heng, S. K. (2012b). Address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, at the 6th Teachers’ Conference 2012, on Thursday 31 May 2012, at 9.50am, Suntec City Convention Centre, Ballroom 1. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2012/05/31/address-by-mr-heng-swee-keat-a.php
Hogan, D., Chan, M., Rahim, R., Kwek, D., Khin, M. A., Loo, S. C., et al. (2013). Assessment and the logic of instructional practice in secondary 3 English and mathematics classrooms in Singapore. Review of Education, 1(1), 57–106.
Hogan, D., Towndrow, P., Abdul Rahim, R., Chan, M., Luo, S., Sheng, Y., et al. (2011). Interim report on pedagogical practices in Singapore in Secondary 3 mathematics and English, 2004 and 2010. Singapore: National Institute of Education.
Kwek, D. (2012). Weaving as frontload and backend pedagogies: Building repertoires of connected learning. In C. Day (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook on teacher and school development (pp. 335–350). London: Routledge.
Lee, Y.-J. (2014). Science education in a straightjacket: The interplay of people, policies, and place in an East Asian developmental state. In A.-L. Tan, C.-L. Poon, & S. S. L. Lim (Eds.), Inquiry into the Singapore science classroom: Research and practices (pp. 165–190). Singapore: Springer.
Lefstein, A., & Snell, J. (2014). Better than best practice: Developing teaching and learning through dialogue. London: Routledge.
Lortie, D. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Martin, M. O., Mullis, I. V. S., Foy, P., & Stanco, G. M. (2012). TIMSS 2011 international results in science. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Centre, Lynch School of Education, Boston College.
Marton, F., & Tsui, A. B. M. (2004). Classroom discourse and the space of learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Ministry of Education. (1998). Ministry of Education’s response to the external curriculum review report. Retrieved September 1, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/1998/980321.htm
Ministry of Education. (2014a). Education statistics digest 2014. Singapore, Singapore: Ministry of Education. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/files/esd-2014.pdf
Ministry of Education. (2014b). Informational sheet on 21st century competencies. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2014/04/information-sheet-on-21st-century.php
Mullis, I. V. S., Martin, M. O., Foy, P., & Arora, A. (2012). TIMSS 2011 international results in mathematics. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College.
Newmann, F., & Associates. (1996). Authentic achievement: Restructuring schools for intellectual quality. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ng, E. H. (2010). Opening Address by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, at the 5th Teachers’ Conference 2010 on 6 September 2010 at 9.30 am at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Suntec City. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2010/09/06/5th-teachers-conference-2010.php
OECD. (2014a). TALIS 2013 results: An international perspective on teaching and learning, TALIS. Paris: OECD Publishing.
OECD. (2014b). PISA 2012 results: Creative problem solving: Students’ skills in tackling real-life problems (Vol. V). Paris: OECD Publishing.
Poon, C.-L., & Lim, S. S. L. (2014). Transiting into inquiry science practice: Tales from a primary school. In A.-L. Tan, C.-L. Poon, & S. S. L. Lim (Eds.), Inquiry into the Singapore science classroom: Research and practices (pp. 139–164). Singapore: Springer.
Rahim, R., Hogan, D., & Chan, M. (2012). The epistemic framing of mathematical tasks in Secondary Three mathematics lessons in Singapore. In B. Kaur & T. L. Toh (Eds.), Reasoning and communication and connections in mathematics (pp. 11–56). Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.
Rajah, I. (2012). Speech by Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education, at the Opening of the World Association of Lesson Studies International Conference 2012 on Wednesday, 28 November 2012, at 8.45 am at the Lee Kong Chian Lecture Theatre, Nanyang Technological University. Retrieved on October 26, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2012/11/28/speech-by-ms-indranee-rajah-at.php
Ratnam-Lim, C. T. L., & Tan, K. H. K. (2015). Large-scale implementation of formative assessment practices in an examination-oriented culture. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practices, 22(1), 61–78.
Shanmugaratnam, T. (2005). Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, at the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2005, on Thursday, 22 September 2005 at 10.00 am at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre. Retrieved October 26, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2005/sp20050922.htm
Shanmugaratnam, T. (2006). Speech By Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister For Education and Second Minister For Finance, at the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2006, on Thursday, 28 September 2006 at 10.00am at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre. Retrieved October 26, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2006/sp20060928.htm
Stein, M., Grover, B., & Henningsen, M. (1996). Building student capacity for mathematical thinking and reasoning: An analysis of mathematical tasks used in reform classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 33(2), 455–488.
Straits Times. (2015). Singapore Education Ministry cuts back on hiring teachers. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/moe-cuts-back-on-hiring-teachers
Tan, Y. K., Chow, H. K., & Goh, C. (2008). Examinations in Singapore: Change and continuity (1891–2007). Singapore: World Scientific.
Teo, C. H. (1998). Leading the way – The teacher as a catalyst of change. Speech by RADM Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence at the Teachers’ Network Official Launch on Thursday, 30 April 1998 at the Teachers’ Network-Grange Road Centre. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/1998/300498.htm
Acknowledgements
This chapter refers to data from the research project “Core 2 Research Programme: Pedagogy and Assessment” (OER20/09DH), funded by the Education Research Funding Programme, National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The views expressed in this chapter by authors Melvin Chan and Dennis Kwek are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the views of NIE.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Poon, C.L., Lam, K.W., Chan, M., Chng, M., Kwek, D., Tan, S. (2017). Preparing Students for the Twenty-First Century: A Snapshot of Singapore’s Approach. In: Choo, S., Sawch, D., Villanueva, A., Vinz, R. (eds) Educating for the 21st Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1673-8_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1673-8_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-1671-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-1673-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)