Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century

Lim Kam Ming & Tay Eng Guan

National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Abstract
The quality of any education system is significantly dependent on the quality of teachers in that
system. A 21st century teacher professionalism requiring specialist knowledge and skills is essential
for ensuring the quality of teachers. This paper will describe the key features of the teacher education
model used in Singapore. In addition, the paper will discuss some key challenges for the teaching
profession in the 21st century and possible ways to prepare teachers for the 21st century. Since its
establishment as the Teacher Training College in 1950, the National Institute of Education (NIE)
has served as the national teacher education institute in Singapore. NIE provides all levels of teacher
education, from initial teacher education programmes to professional development programmes as
well as higher degree programmes. The NIEs Teacher Education Model for the 21st Century (TE21)
and how this model addresses several key challenges for teacher education are explained in this paper.
NIEs TE21 Model revolves around the Values, Skill and Knowledge (V3SK) model which focus on three
value paradigms: Learner-centredness, Teacher Identity, and Service to the profession and community.
Finally, the paper will outline some possible issues relevant for the improvement of teacher education.

Authors Notes
Tay Eng Guan & Lim Kam Ming, Office of Teacher Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore. Correspondences regarding this paper should be directed to Tay Eng Guan
([email protected]) or to Lim Kam Ming ([email protected]).

Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century

This paper will start with the often-quoted
statement that the quality of any education
system is significantly dependent on the quality
of teachers in that system (Barber & Mourshed,
2007). It is also accepted that 21st century teacher
professionalism requires specialized knowledge and
skills essential for ensuring the quality of teachers
(Darling-Hammond, 2010). These are but two of the
challenges of preparing teachers for the 21st century.
Teacher education programmes are essential for the
preparation of teachers for the opportunities and
challenges of preparing children for the unknown
future (Goodwin, 2015).
Volume 1 Issue No.1

As teachers are often cited as the 2nd most

important source of socialization for children other
than the childrens families, a clear paradigm and
purpose of a values curriculum within the teacher
education programmes (e.g., service learning) is
essential for encouraging student teachers to reflect and
develop a value-based teaching philosophy (Boland,
2009; NIE, 2009).
Teachers are responsible for the education for the
whole-child (morally, intellectually, physically, socially
& aesthetically) (NIE, 2009).
Teacher education programmes that aspire to
develop 21st century teacher professionalism among its
AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education 2016 1

Table 1. Type and Duration of NIEs Initial Teacher Education Programmes

Programme

Level for Teaching

Duration

Diploma in Education

Primary /Secondary

2 years

Bachelor of Arts (Education)

Bachelor of Science (Education)

Primary & Secondary

4 years

Bachelor of Education

3 years
Part-time +

Primary

0.5 year
Full-time

PGDE (Primary) PGDE

(Secondary) PGDE (Junior
College)

Primary, Secondary Junior

College

Diploma in

Special Education/

Special Education

Allied Educators

graduates need to be cognizant of the need for a 21st

century curriculum which is interdisciplinary, projectbased, research-driven, connected to the community
and collaborative, embraces technology, authentic
assessments and service learning, and nurtures higher
order thinking skills, multiple intelligences and 21st
century literacy (Lim, 2013, 2014).
As teachers are key to the quality of any education
system (Harris, 2011; McKinsey, 2010), a constant
challenge for Singapore is to ensure that its teacher
education system is relevant, responsive and produces
quality teachers able to cater to the needs of learners
(National Institute of Education, 2007, 2012). The
new paradigms for learning and teaching in a rapidly
changing 21century environment add to the challenges
of teacher education.
This paper describes the key features of the
teacher education model currently used by the
National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore.
The description of the main characteristics of the
characteristics required of teachers in the 21st century
was based on the NIE Model of Teacher Education.

2 AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education 2016

1 year
(2 years for Physical
Education)
1 year

Teacher Education System in Singapore

As the main teacher education institute in
Singapore, the National Institute of Education (NIE)
provides all levels of teacher education, from initial
teacher education programmes to professional
development programmes for in-service teachers
and executive leadership programmes for Principals,
Departmental Heads and other school leaders.
Since its establishment as the Teacher Training
College in 1950, NIE has since developed into one of
the leading teacher education institutes in the world
(Chen & Koay, 2010). NIEs initial teacher education
p r o g r a m m e s prepare t e a c h e r s for all government
schools ranging from primary schools to Junior
Colleges in Singapore.
There are various pathways for qualified
candidates to complete initial teacher education at
NIE to complete their qualifications to be teachers in
Singapore. NIEs initial teacher education programmes
include the Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Science
(Education), Bachelor of Arts (Education) and the
Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (see Table
1). The Bachelor of Education programme is designed

Volume 1 Issue No.1

to help primary school teachers to achieve their goals of

completing a degree.

education institutions to meet the challenges brought

by this new landscape.

On average, the total intake for NIEs initial

teacher education programmes is about 2000 student
teachers per academic year (AY) (e.g., 1656 for
AY2013-14, 2019 for AY2012-13, 2066 for AY201112, and 2320 for AY2010-11).

Apart from the ultimate objectives of education

and the desire of teachers to help each child to achieve
their fullest potential, a good education system is also
important for economic growth. A good and efficient
education system has been linked to the basis for
developing and sustaining strong economic growth and
progress (e.g., Economic Review Committee, 1986). A
well-funded and efficient public education system in
Singapore has contributed to significant improvements
in a number of aspects. For example, between 1970 and
2013 literacy rates has improved from 68.9% to 96.5%
(Department of Statistics Singapore, 2014a). Between
the same timeframe, the percentage of university
graduates within the population has increased from
1.9% to 27.3% (Department of Statistics Singapore,
2014b).

NIE administers postgraduate programmes

that lead to the award of higher degrees (i.e., Master
of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Education,
Master of Teaching, Ph.D. and Doctor in Education).
In addition, NIE also provides the Management
and Leadership in Schools (MLS) and Leaders
in Education (International) (LEPI) for overseas
education leaders, as well as the joint Master of Arts
in Leadership and Educational Change programme
between NIE and Teachers College, Columbia
University. NIE also supports the Singapore Ministry
of Education through evidence-based advice gleaned
through education research to inform education policies
and school curriculum. Working in partnership with the
Ministry of Education (MOE) and schools, NIE plays
an integral role in the development and improvement
of the education service in Singapore.
In terms of organizational structure, NIE is an
autonomous institute of the Nanyang Technological
University (NTU). NTU is a comprehensive
university with colleges of Engineering, Business,
Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, an
Interdisciplinary Graduate School, a medical school
(set up jointly with Imperial College London), and
autonomous institutes such as the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of
Singapore, Singapore Centre on Environmental Life
Sciences Engineering and NIE.

NIEs Model of Teacher Education for the

21st Century (TE21)
Globalisation and the increasing pervasiveness
of digital technologies are the defining characteristics
of our world at the turn of this century. As boundaries
blur due to the swiftness of information transfer,
knowledge becomes power. With governments gearing
up to prepare their citizens for the knowledge-based
economy, greater responsibility has been placed on

Volume 1 Issue No.1

Educators must be cognizant of what 21st

century learners need to learn and how 21st century
learners learn. As such, 21st century learners call for
21st century teachers. This provided the impetus for
the Programme Review and Enhancement 20082009 for NIE. Based on extensive literature review,
understanding of existing and emerging trends, local
profile, changing landscape in policies and initiatives,
and research data, NIE explored possible and viable
avenues for enhancements the culmination of these
efforts is a new Model for Teacher Education for the
21st Century (TE21) at NIE.
NIEs Model of Teacher Education for the 21st
century (TE21) revolves around the Values, Skills and
Knowledge (V3SK) model which focuses on three
value paradigms (NIE, 2009, 2012):
Learner-centredness puts the learner
at the centre of teachers work and
the teacher must be aware of learner
development and diversity, believe that
all youths can learn, care for [the learner],
strive for scholarship in content teaching,
know how people can learn best, and learn
to design the best learning environment
possible (Lim, 2013, pp. 2-3).
Developing a strong sense of teacher
identity refers to upholding the highest
standards in teaching and being a teacher

AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education 2016 3

and possessing a strong drive to learn

in view of rapid changes in the education
milieu and to being responsive to students
needs (Lim, 2013, pp. 2-3).

at NIE take part in two core mandatory programmes:

the Group Endeavours in Service Learning (GESL)
and the Meranti Project (a personal and professional
development 2-day non- residential workshop).

Service to the profession and community

focuses on teachers commitment to growing
beginning teachers within their profession
through active collaborations and striving
to become better practitioners in order to
benefit the teaching fraternity as a whole
(Lim, 2013, pp. 2-3).

GESL provides hands-on opportunities

for student teachers to engage with a
community partner of their choice and to
contribute towards furthering the cause
of that community and in so doing, helps
student teachers to hone values such as
team- work, resilience, empathy, service
to the community to name a few. Service
learning has been used as a pedagogical
tool at NIE since 2004 to develop teachers
who will be able to lead, care, and inspire
the young people and forge trusting
partnerships with the community. (Lim,
2013, p.3).

The TE21 V3SK Model also stresses that

it is important for good teachers to have skills
such as reflective skills and thinking dispositions,
pedagogical skills, people- and self- management
skills, administrative and management skills,
communication and facilitative skills, technological
skills, innovation and entrepreneurship skills, as well
as social and emotional intelligence. At the same time,
teachers capable of nurturing the learning needs of 21st
century learners should possess knowledge related to
self, pupil, community, subject content, curriculum and
pedagogy, educational foundation and policies, global
and environment awareness as well as multicultural
literacy (NIE, 2009, 2012). NIEs values-driven
teacher education programmes help student teachers
to reinforce their beliefs in the learner, take pride in
being a teacher and remain committed to the teaching
profession (Tan, 2012).
The Values, Skills and Knowledge components
of NIE TE21 Model are closely aligned with MOEs
desired outcomes of preparing students to be
collaborative learners, confident persons, active
contributors and concerned citizens (Masagos, 2011).
In addition to the V3SK model, NIEs Graduand
Teacher Competency (GTC) framework articulates
the types of competencies at the beginning teachers
level. Based on the three performance dimensions
(professional practice, leadership and management)
and personal effectiveness stated in the MOE
competencies framework for beginning teachers,
NIEs GTC and V3SK Model provide the framework
for a teacher education curriculum that is relevant for
Singapores needs.
As values are the key characteristics of a
true teacher, NIE has worked hard to incorporate both
formal curriculum and experiential learning such as
service learning in its teacher education programmes to
promote the essentials of values. All student teachers
4 AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education 2016

The Meranti Project facilitates student

teachers to develop better self- awareness;
clarify their role in nurturing National
Education; understand how to better work
with diversity in the classroom; develop
strategies for coping; and affirm their
choice of teaching as a career. (Lim,
2013, p.4).
As is true for most teacher education programmes
around the world, the teaching practicum is one of
the key components for preparing new teachers.
This is when student teachers put into practice in
a real life classroom the skills and knowledge they
have acquired from the teacher education courses.
Coherence in the links between courses and teaching
practicum or clinical practice is essential for the
effectiveness of any teacher education programme
(Darling-Hammond, 2010).
NIE has implemented several key enhancements
to its practicum structure to build a stronger theorypractice link. One key change is the introduction of
Focused Conversations (FC) which allows student
teachers to share with their school mentors about
their learning in NIE, issues encountered during the
practicum on classroom management and motivating
pupils, and about their learning in school towards
developing teaching competencies (Lim, 2013,
p.4). The use of a Reflective Practice framework has
proven effective in facilitating the development of the
reflective teacher.
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Research has shown that courses such as

Educational Psychology and Social Context of
Teaching and Learning have a positive influence
of the development of strong and positive teacher
identity. Teacher identities that reflected notions of
teaching with heart and being reflective have
been demonstrated by NIE student teachers. The use
of the e-portfolio that help student teachers integrate
and reflect on their learning across various courses
such as Educational Psychology and Social Context
of Teaching and Learning has been found to be useful
in helping student teachers strengthen their positive
teacher identity (Zhou, Chye, Koh & Liu, 2013).
Changes in the curriculum may not be sufficient
to support the effective enhancement of a teacher
education programme. For this reason, NIE has
transformed the physical infrastructure in NIE, such
as the collaborative tutorial rooms, the model Primary
English Language classrooms and Teachers Language
Development Centre, to support the new pedagogical
approaches designed to achieve the desired teaching
and learning outcomes. The collaborative tutorial
rooms are equipped with technology-driven learning
tools and designed with learning spaces that allows
student teachers to conduct collaborative activities.

Challenges for the National Institute of Education

Although the teaching profession in Singapore
is respected and has received positive evaluations and
Singapore students performance in recent international
standardized assessments (e.g., Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS)) (e.g., Ministry of Education
Singapore, 2012, 2014a), NIE is aware that its teacher
education programmes need to be constantly reviewed
and revised to ensure that they remain relevant in
preparing teachers to work effectively in meeting the
learning needs of 21st century learners.
NIE works closely with relevant stakeholders,
mainly the Ministry of Education and schools to
address these issues. For example, NIE has worked
with the Ministry of Education and other agencies to
incorporate a systematic series of key events within
the initial teacher education programmes to enhance
student teachers sense of professional ethos. These
events include dialogue sessions with key leaders,
Volume 1 Issue No.1

workshops, and a reflective teacher model during the

teaching practicum in schools.

Challenges and Opportunities for Teacher

Education and the Teaching Profession
The challenges and opportunities for teacher
education and the teaching profession are likely to
be common across different countries. A number of
factors that may be of concern for teacher education
and the teaching profession include:
1.

Processes to improve recruitment of

candidates

2.

Curriculum within teacher education

programmes to enhance professional
values and ethos among student teachers
and beginning teachers

3.

Improving mutual understanding of

teacher education among relevant
stakeholders such as teacher educators,
policy-makers and teachers

4.

Alignment of teacher education with

education system

5.

Coherence within teacher education

programme (course and practicum)

6.

Strengthening theory-practice nexus

through evidence-based teacher education
programmes

7.

Ensuring relevancy of professional

development for in-service teachers

8.

Processes to retain good teachers in

education system

9.

Enhancing trust and support among

parents and community for education
system

By working together, it is possible to find

common strategies to address the challenges and
problems. A platform such as the AsTEN conference
is a good example of how we can work together to
improve teacher education and the teaching profession.

AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education 2016 5

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