Pedagogies of the future
What Lego & Cedar Did
TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
By Goh Weng Lai
In
the journey to define Pedagogies of The Future (POTF), two areas were
highlighted for professional development for Cedar Primary:
Facilitation Skills
and Assessment of Students’ Inventiveness and Global Citizenship.
Facilitation Skills
Facilitation
emerged strongly as a core competency that teachers must possess to
engage
pupils effectively. Facilitation is delineated as skills of
questioning, dialogue,
improvisation and navigation. The four skill categories are not to be
seen in
silos as they overlap in terms of teacher behaviour and practice.
(i) Questioning
Teachers
need to be equipped with questioning techniques to
- guide the pupils in
the systematic formulation of their responses (scaffolding)
- clarify the responses
given by the pupils
- redirect thinking and
behaviour (in tandem with navigation)
- check understanding
and reinforce concepts taught
-
provoke
thinking and
development of new and critical perspectives
(ii) Dialogue
Teachers
need to be equipped with skills to
- design and provide
opportunities for pupils to ask questions, build on teacher and peer
response,
and engage in dialogue, thus enabling pupils to check their own
assumptions,
gain multiple perspectives, enhance understanding and build new
knowledge
- start and sustain
dialogue
- respond purposefully
to pupils to help them clarify their thinking, correct misconceptions,
and
consolidate their learning
(iii) Improvisation
Teachers
need to be equipped with skills to
- acquire a working
knowledge of pupils’ learning styles and group dynamics
- make observations of
pupils’ behaviours and responses in the classroom
- make spontaneous
decisions on purposeful changes to planned lessons
- exercise flexibility
to execute purposeful lesson changes, so as to meet varied learning
styles,
embrace diverse responses, and maximize pupils’ learning
(iv) Navigation
Teachers
need to be equipped with skills to
- direct and redirect
pupils’ thinking and behaviour
- formulate and
communicate clear instructions that provide clear expectations
Cedar
Primary School wants to nurture pupils as global citizens who think
globally,
act locally and live personally and develop them holistically as
independent learners,
creative thinkers and responsible citizens. We see global citizens
possessing
the following understanding, knowledge, skills, attitudes and values:
|
Understanding
& Knowledge |
Skills |
Attitudes
& Values |
|
Students
should understand and know · How
the world works economically, politically, socially, culturally,
technologically and environmentally · The
wider world and their role as world citizens ·
That
the world is complex and interconnected ·
Several languages ·
Cross-cultural
sensitivity |
Students
should learn to · See an
issue from several perspectives · Think
and plan with complex systems as the backdrop · Synthesise
and Discern · Innovate · Problem-solve
in teams · Collaboration
and Networking
· Participate
in and contribute to the community at a range of levels from local to
global
|
Students
should have · A
sense of Responsibility for Their Own Actions · Empathy · A code of Ethics · A
Sense of Justice · Respect
for Diversity · Resilience
with Flexibility · The
willingness to make some sacrifice for the common good, · The
willingness to act to improve the world and make it a more sustainable
place |
Assessment
of these understanding, knowledge, skills, attitudes and values seeks
to
provide pupils with feedback on their progress. It will also provide
teachers
with data on the effectiveness of their teaching approaches and
strategies,
thus informing them on improving practice.
To
start with, the school seeks assessment tools and assessment
training
on the following areas:
(v) Inventiveness
(vi) Creativity
(vii) Communication
(viii) Problem-solving
(ix) Adaptability
(x) Determination
APPROACH TO
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The
school seeks an immersive, experiential approach to engaging teachers
and
enhancing their teacher competencies. This approach would be
multi-tiered and
multi-modal, and would also be a journey covering stages of learning
from
experts, learning by doing, and deep reflection. The following learning
activities would be taken into consideration:
(a) Training
Workshops
(b)
Conversations
with Community Partners and Industrial Collaborators
(c) Article Sharing
(d) Team Lesson
Study (comprising planning, execution, peer observation, and
conferencing)
(e) Personal and
Group Reflection