In the afternoon, we visited the National Institute of Education (NIE), located on the campus of Nanyang Technological University, and responsible for pre-service teacher training throughout the country. We met with members of the Mathematics and Mathematics Education (MME) Academic Group of the NIE. Our host for the afternoon was Dr. Khoon Yoong Wong, Head of the group.
Dr. Wong described the role of the MME group. (See his PowerPoint presentation.) They provide teacher education in mathematics at several levels: primary, secondary, pre-university and graduate levels. Members of this group are involved in both research and teaching. They work closely with the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) and with schools, through their community service component.
There were many staff members in attendance. They included mathematics educators, mathematicians (some of whom teach), teaching fellows and support staff. We met in one of the mathematics laboratories associated with the program. This laboratory contained many sets of manipulatives, accessible to the students as part of their training. The facilities also include computer laboratories.
Professor Wong discussed the various programs offered by NIE, leading to careers in education. Pre-service programs are offered at various levels. To teach at the Primary level, one can pursue a two-year course of study leading to the Diploma in Education. Pre-requisite for this is an A-level or Polytechnic Diploma. To teach at the Primary, Secondary or Junior College (JC, equivalent to our Junior and Senior years in high school) level, one can study full time for 4 years, to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. For people who already have Bachelor’s degrees, there is a Post Graduate Degree in Education. The programs focus on Primary or Secondary studies.
NIE supports the MOE Professional Development Continuum Model by offering coursework for in-service teachers, as well, leading to advanced degrees. For example, a Primary school teacher with a two-year diploma can take coursework leading to a BA or BSc, then a Masters and finally a PhD. Similarly, graduate level programs are offered for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree holders.
There are also ad hoc courses in mathematics and pedagogy, which support MOE Professional Development plans for Singapore teachers.
{Notes on financing teacher education: Trainee teachers and graduates pursuing advanced degrees are employees of MOE. They receive a salary-like allowance (somewhat less for undergraduates or those in the diploma program). Once they begin to teach in schools, their salaries are raised. There are no tuition fees, since they are employees and MOE pays for their studies. Through MOE, there is an application process to become a teacher and to receive all this education. Some applicants are sent to schools for ½ year or more, as contract teachers, prior to entering NIE. Others enter directly, having completing their 'A' level exams or their diploma studies or their undergraduate studies.}
A number of attendees from the MME group are published leaders in the fields of Mathematics Education and Mathematics research. MME staff members founded a professional society, the Association of Math Educators, with a website which publishes a journal on teaching and learning and a newsletter, Maths Buzz. This organization also organizes an annual conference each year.
Professor Wong presented the curriculum framework pentagon, seen in the schools we visited, as the core of Mathematics Education in Singapore. This framework was developed in 1989-90. He also showed a diagram of five intertwined strands of proficiency from “Adding it Up”, one of whose authors and the committee chair was Jeremy Kilpatrick. This author visited Singapore several times. The work was published in 2001 and makes note of these strands: Adaptive Reasoning, Strategic Competence, Conceptual Understanding, Productive Disposition and Procedural Fluency.
After a Q&A period, and appropriate farewells, we left the MME group.
We headed to the SIE bookstore, where we found a number of books used in the education of teachers, most notably, the Singapore Mathematics Education Series Resource Books, written by MME lecturers. We were able to purchase the Primary School version and await the soon to be published Secondary School Mathematics, newly revised edition.
Post created with input from Perla and Patsy
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