Learning, thinking and the effective use of instructional technologies to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom, integrating IT into the curriculum, evaluating and selecting appropriate IT resources, designing and creating IT-based materials for student-centered learning, promoting different kinds of learning through the effective use of web-based activities; and designing assessment tools for computer-mediated assignments.

Aims, structure and new initiatives of the Singapore education system. Understanding the learner: conceptual, socio-emotional and moral development of children. Understanding learner differences: multiple intelligences, learning styles and pupils with diverse learning needs. Managing the processing and organization of knowledge. Planning for effective classroom management. Assessing pupil understanding through alternative modes of assessment.

TED102 Providing for Individual Differences in Learning and Teaching

Challenging learners, enriching learning and fostering a thinking classroom culture. Motivating learners and facilitating learning through effective communication and a positive classroom climate. Examining classroom processes and different approaches to instruction: direct instruction, discovery and cooperative learning. Developing an affective curriculum. Accommodating diversity in the classroom: differentiating the curriculum for able learners and providing for children with special needs.

TED200 Social Context of Teaching and Learning

School and society: the changing socio/economic environment in Singapore; the function of schools; the school as an agent of innovation and change. Key education policies: critical and creative thinking; national education; information technology. Home influences on schooling: home background and educational attainment; strategies to assist children from deprived homes. Effective schools: changing organisation of the school; changing role of the teacher. Teaching as a profession: role and responsibilities of a professional. Authority and discipline. Citizenship and moral education.

Role of assessment in the learning process; assessment practices in Singapore schools; basic knowledge and practical skills of monitoring and assessing pupils' learning; the essentials of measurement in the cognitive, affective and behavioural domains; the use and construction of classroom tests; item analysis and tests reporting; basic statistics for educational measurement; use of computer in educational measurement; evaluation of teaching and learning.

Developmental group guidance to enhance learning and social interaction in the primary classroom. Group development, friendship and class cohesiveness, developing group norms, co-operative learning, communication in groups, problem-solving and conflict resolution in groups and the development of leadership.

Identifying and working effectively with children who have problems; basic knowledge and skills in counselling primary school children whose school learning and social functioning have been affected by social/emotional problems; the concept of mental health and maladjustment: causes, identification and assessment of maladjustment problems; the helping relationship; counselling theories and counselling techniques; different approaches to counselling children; opportunities for practical sessions and hands-on activities.

The psychological principles of creativity and its development in children; essential concepts and techniques for promoting and assessing creative thinking in the classroom; creative problem-solving; qualities of the creative person; characteristics of the creative environment; assessment of creativity and strategies to enhance creativity in the classroom.

Careful planning for effective teaching and learning; the planning and implementation aspects of instruction; various instructional and learning strategies for implementation in the primary classroom; ways of active involvement of pupils in the learning process; teaching of thinking strategies as an integral part of the process of instruction.

Use of various IT-based tools to design and create various constructivist activities to help pupils learn; various aspects on the theoretical framework of constructivism and cognitivism; various strategies of using IT tools to promote creativity and thinking; use of IT tools like semantic networking, multimedia authoring tools, office-productivity software and the Internet.

Obstacles to creating thinking classrooms; what kind of teacher are you? Mastering the loss of art of spin control; understanding the meaning and purpose of thinking classrooms; how to implement strategies to create a lively environment; using the art of deception in instilling an inquiring environment; the role of the imagination; review of successful strategies; creating the inquiring pupil.

A practical approach to teaching discipline. A variety of classroom management techniques. Ways of helping primary school children and whole classes learn personal responsibility for their behaviour and to judge between right and wrong. Insights from experienced as well as novice primary school teachers.

Introduction of basic features of the Internet for educational purposes. Creating simple web-pages. Identifying, evaluating and designing learning activities using educational resources on the Internet. Emphasis on the design of web- based inquiry learning like those presented in WebQuest.

Preparation of instructional video materials for constructivist learning. Planning, storyboarding, scripting, video digitizing, video-editing using simple editing software, adding of sub-titles. Video as a form of constructivist learning. Developing rubrics for evaluating video projects done by school pupils.

Biological, social, psychological and cultural factors influencing individual differences in learning; identification and assessment procedures; classroom management techniques; grouping and teaching strategies to cater to differences among pupils.

Issues and problems of pupils with special needs; slow learners, low achievers, underachievers, children with high intellectual potential; identification procedures; characteristics, causes; differentiated curricula, educational provisions and programmes in Singapore schools; teaching methods and strategies to enhance learning, and maximising pupil potential.

Biological, social, educational, psychological and cultural factors that may bring about individual differences in learners; identification, assessment and nature of such differences; and teaching strategies to cater to the different abilities and interests of learners.

Cognitive and psychological factors affecting learning; the nature of thinking and types of thinking skills; the role of the teacher in creating conducive classroom environment to enhance thinking; metacognition and learning strategies; various approaches to the teaching of thinking skills and related programmes; teaching specific thinking skills to enhance learning; the assessment of thinking and learning.

Frameworks and concepts in curriculum; nature, scope, aims, structure and process involved in implementing the primary school curriculum in Singapore; theory and practice of the primary curriculum; curriculum assessment; improving curriculum implementation; emerging teacher roles in curriculum implementation.

Morality as subject and as process. How teachers educate for commitment, the will to act and the development of morally important skills. Curriculum subjects as sources for moral teaching. Extra-curricular subjects and moral development. Implications for primary school teaching in Singapore.

Basic principles of message design for the development of appropriate classroom materials. The use of computers to design effective instructional messages for different instructional purposes. Developing multi-media learning objects to be used to promote higher order thinking among learners.

Cognitive and psychosocial aspects of thinking. Nature and types of thinking. Trainees sharpen their own thinking skills through interactive learning and hands-on activities in class. Trainees will examine the role of the teacher in creating a conducive learning environment in schools to enhance thinking and creativity. Teaching approaches and learning strategies that enhance thinking and creativity. Opportunities and guidance to develop lesson plans to infuse thinking into content teaching.

Key concepts, issues and challenges in developing school-home partnerships as an adaptive response to changes in family and society; stakeholders in education; ideas and strategies for building positive and strong partnerships between the school and family; cross-cultural research on parental involvement in schooling; hands-on experience in researching parent-teacher perspectives and parent-teacher relationships in Singapore.

TED249 Instructional Multimedia Design

The concepts of media, multimedia, and hypermedia. The relationship between multimedia, instructional method, and learning effectiveness. How to systematically design and develop instructional multimedia including how to select proper media and how to integrate multimedia into teaching and learning.

Ways to encourage pupils to become self-directed learners. To learn smart rather than just to work hard. Issues that will help trainees and their pupils prepare themselves to be life-long learners by using opportunities provided by the technology, such as online and eLearning. Topics such as self-regulated learning strategies, metacognitive strategies, using IT as a mind tool, memory strategies, speed reading and note taking.

A good theoretical understanding and practical experience on how to conceptualise a motivational educational website incorporating pedagogical principles as well as web design elements. The creation of web materials for instructional purposes as well as school events such as exhibitions and Speech Day. Preferred entry level skills include intermediate user levels of design software.

TED252 Project Work (PW): Understanding Process and Product

Understanding the PW initiative. Useful classroom management strategies and skills. Design of interdisciplinary project tasks as well as workable school practices suitable for primary schools. Plan and work out suitable project work topics based on various learning theories.

TED253 Surviving and Thriving as a Beginning Teacher

This module discusses the various challenges facing beginning teachers in Singapore secondary schools and junior colleges, and aims to better prepare them for their careers.  Many teachers find the transition from their teacher preparation year to schools daunting because they often lack an adequate understanding of what lies ahead of them.  This module will provide an opportunity for them to a) discuss and clarify their aspirations, expectations, fears and concerns; b) understand some of the key roles, responsibilities and challenges awaiting them in their relationships with other stakeholders in the school system, and c) think about their career progression beyond the initial years.

The Food and Nutrition syllabus at the lower and upper secondary levels; strategies and methods to teach basic principles of food management; organisation of investigative and practical work, emphasis on coursework development for upper secondary syllabus.

The pedagogical aspects of topics such as textile studies, planning of clothing needs of individuals and families, consumer awareness in the choice and care of clothes, choice, use and care of equipment, and basic clothing construction skills.

The nature, history and philosophy of home economics; the rationale and objectives of teaching home economics; resources and teaching strategies which focus on learner involvement; the use of appropriate evaluation procedures in facilitating effective learning.

Various approaches to the teaching of consumer education. The concepts of needs and wants, as well as how to make smart consumer decisions, to identify priorities, to set realistic economic goals and manage resources effectively.

PRACTICUM

This module will expose the trainee teacher to opportunities of teaching and managing students for the subject that he/she has been trained to teach. By this stage of professional training, the trainee teacher will be exposed to the multi-faceted role of the teacher, such as planning, instructing, managing and assessing pupils' learning, as well as having some practice in using appropriate enrichment and remedial learning activities for target students in classrooms.

Written communication in the context of situations that teachers are likely to encounter in their professional capacity. Knowledge of and practice in conventions of professional written communication, using a process-driven approach based on prewriting, drafting, revising and editing, sharing and publishing. Use of language appropriately in producing clear, grammatically acceptable, and stylistically suitable writings.

Development of effective oral communication skills in instructing, explaining, questiioning and responding as well as in reading aloud prose and poetry to children. Focus on effective articulation, including pronounciation, rhythm, stress and intonation, as well as non-verbal skills such as gesture and vocal tone.

In addition to the core modules and the required number of prescribed electives, Diploma in Home Economics Education trainee teachers must offer a minimum of 2 academic units of general electives which can be chosen from subjects offered by the Institute.