There is international concern over the effectiveness of teacher education, which is closely linked to the quality of school education. The values, skills and knowledge model (V3SK) introduced by the National Institute of Education (NIE) in its Teacher Education Model for the 21st Century (TE21) focuses on developing student teachers’ professional knowledge, skills, and values to enhance teacher education and help students reach their full potential in the 21st century. This study sought to understand core teacher learning processes in ITE and make visible the relationship between teacher educators’ teaching and student teachers’ professional growth by identifying effective pedagogical characteristics through the examination of videographic data and qualitative interviews. It was hoped that knowledge generated from this project would contribute to the establishment of a body of evidence-based signature pedagogies for teacher education.
Principal Investigator
LOW Ee Ling
Co-Principal Investigators
LIM Kam Ming, NG Pak Tee, BEN SAID Salim
Collaborators
Linda DARLING-HAMMOND, Seetha LAKSHMI, TOWNDROW Phillip Alexander, TEH Laik Woon, SOE Marlar Lwin, KEHK Bee Lian
Objectives
- Characterise the development of STs’ professional competence and identity in ITE
- Studies the impact of ITE programmes on the development of professional competencies and teacher identity
- First systematic attempt in Singapore that provides empirical evidence to inform policy on, and practice of, TE programmes, along with previous two projects
Findings
- ITE prepares STs adequately, but the theory–practice nexus could be strengthened further
- More opportunities for authentic learning are needed for ITE
- Contract teaching experiences are valuable and makes a difference on pre-service teacher learning
Resulting enhancements of the Teaching Scholars Programme [Enhanced BA/BSc (Ed)] & Enhanced 16-month PDGE Programme :
- Strengthening of Theory-Practice Nexus
- Additional 4-week Teaching Assistantship
(TA), and additional modules in the
Enhanced 16-month PGDE Programme
- Additional 4-week Teaching Assistantship
- Pedagogical Practices course
- In tandem with TA, allows STs to
consolidate and explicitly link theory to
practice
- In tandem with TA, allows STs to
- SALT and BUILD modules
- Provide STs opportunities for authentic
and real-world learning, along with
International Practicum for global exposure
- Provide STs opportunities for authentic
- Compulsory teaching stint
- For all STs in the PGDE programmes
Citation
Low, E. L., Ng, P. T., Hui, C., & Lin, H. J. (2014). Building an evidence-base for teacher education: Phase I: Pedagogical characterization of an initial teacher education classroom (Research Brief No. 14-005). National Institute of Education (Singapore).