CONTENTS OF CORE MODULES & PRESCRIBED ELECTIVES

Module Code

Title

Module Category

No. of AUs

Pre-requisites

QED520

Education Psychology I: Theories and Applications for Learning and Teaching

Core

2

-

QED521

Educational Psychology II: Providing for Individual Differences in Learning and Teaching and Classroom Management

Core

2

-

QED522

ICT for Engaged Learning

Core

2

-

QED523

The Social Context of Teaching and Learning

Core

2

-

QED560

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning

Prescribed

2

-

QED561

Technologies as Cognitive Tools

Prescribed

2

-

QED562

Designing Effective Learning Environments

Prescribed

2

-

QED563

Games and Simulations for Learning

Prescribed

2

-

QED564

Designing for Communities of Practice

Prescribed

2

-

QED565

Surviving and Thriving as a Beginning Teacher

Prescribed

2

-

QED566

The Learning School: Innovation and Enterprise

Prescribed

2

-

QED567

Creating Connections in the School Community

Prescribed

2

-

QED568

Exploring Issues in Philosophy of Education

Prescribed

2

-

QED569

Teachers as Leaders

Prescribed

2

-

QED569

Developing Creativity in the Secondary Classroom

Prescribed

2

-

QED570

Multiculturalism in Singapore Schools

Prescribed

2

-

QED571

Schooling in Meritocratic Societies

Prescribed

2

-

QED572

Moral Education Across the Curriculum

Prescribed

2

-

QED573

Psychology of Learning and Motivation

Prescribed

2

-

QED574

Assessment and Alternative Assessment to Promote Thinking

Prescribed

2

-

QED575

From Extrinsic Motivation to Passion: Diversified Approaches to Learning

Prescribed

2

-

QED576

Developing Creativity in the Secondary Classroom

Prescribed

2

-

QED577

Counselling and Guidance in Secondary Schools

Prescribed

2

-

QED578

Youth At-Risk: From the Classroom to the Courtroom?

Prescribed

2

-

QED579

Facilitating Sexuality Education in Secondary Schools

Prescribed

2

-

QED580

Understanding Social Behaviour of Secondary School Students

Prescribed

2

-

Differentiating Instruction for Able Learners

Prescribed

2

-

QED582

Teaching Students with Behavioural and Learning Problems

Prescribed

2

-

This module provides the foundation for understanding the learner, their development and the psychology of learning. Key areas include: Understanding different aspects of pupil development and how these influence the teaching and learning processes.  Psychosocial development, stages of moral development and the self-concept, and theories of intellectual development.  Application of psychological principles and learning theories to classroom learning; understanding how pupils learn and how some pupils fail to learn; proactive approaches to motivate and enhance learning, develop creative and critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Students with diverse abilities and needs are increasingly found in mainstream schools in Singapore.  Greater diversity among students requires pedagogical approaches that are inclusive of the learning needs of all and yet responsive to individual abilities.  This module seeks to help student teachers to understand the characteristics and needs of diverse learners and how to provide optimal learning for all students.  This module also seeks to help student teachers acquire and apply basic knowledge and skills in relation to creating conducive learning environment, managing and facilitating teaching and learning activities, and school/classroom discipline.  The importance of the practice of proactive classroom management and positive teacher-student relationship will also be emphasized.

a)  working in teams to modify or create authentic interactive ICT based learning resources for engaging learners
b)  creating and facilitating online collaborative learning environments
c)  managing ICT learning environments
d)  professional development by independent self-learning of innovative technologies

This module provides student teachers with an introduction to the Singapore education system that they will be working in. They will need to know the functions of the school system in socializing citizens for economic, political and social roles in the context of a multi-ethnic and multicultural society.  They will have the opportunity to understand the rationale of major education policies and new government initiatives that impact the work of school leaders, teachers, students and other stakeholders in order to achieve the Desired Outcomes of Education laid out by the Ministry of Education. At the same time, they will be made aware of the diverse and multiple roles that are played by teachers in the education system.

CSCL advocates the move away from teacher-centred to student-centred approaches where individuals in the learning community make meaning collaboratively through innovative teaching practices. Knowledge building communities is one strong CSCL dimension. The student teachers will design thinking prompts to support intentional learning; facilitate social negotiation of ideas among students and structure the online environment to help students in organizing emergent understandings.

The participants will be introduced to concepts and research of cognitive tools with applications in international as well as local primary and secondary schools. IT as cognitive tools exhibit how technologies can be adopted for thinking through epistemic structures such as concept maps.

Educators around the world tend to pay more attention to student achievement and only a little attention has been paid to the learning environments. Recent approaches in learning sciences focus on interactive learning environments which consider contextual elements, authentic tasks and learner-centred pedagogies.  This module examines innovative approaches such as Communities of Practices (CoPs), inquiry-oriented learning, situated learning and Problem-based Learning (PBL) environments.

This module deals with using instructional games and simulations for attainment of cognitive objectives, concepts and adding motivation to topics that ordinary attract little student interests. Some emphasis will be given on the value of simulation as problem-based learning in an attempt to immerse the learner in a problem situation. Gaming and simulations are increasingly important and central to cognitive and affective dimensions of learning.

This module capitalizes on communities of practice to situate learning in rich and meaningful contexts. It capitalizes on the concepts of situated learning, implicit and explicit knowledge, and distributed cognition enabling holistic learning experiences. Because communities of practice is an increasingly important concept for enacting mindset change in school leaders, strategies for designing and fostering communities are introduced.

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  discuss and clarify their aspirations, expectations, fears and concerns; understand some of the key roles, responsibilities and challenges awaiting them in their relationships with other stakeholders in the school system; think about their career progression beyond the initial years.  The main thrust in this module is on personal development and reflection as part of a growth process undertaken in collaboration with the module instructors and other module participants. In other words, there is no “one right track” or “one-size-fits-all” philosophy underlying the module.

There is a buzz on the scene: ‘Innovation and Enterprise’ (I&E).  Launched in 2004, this initiative is set to bring Singapore schools to an era of experimentation and change.  There are many implications for teaching and learning.  There are also many implications for school leaders, teachers and students.  This module explains how a learning school, where staff and students are actively engaged in learning, generates better learning outcomes and inculcates the I&E spirit. The module will be taught through lectures, group work, directed readings, peer teaching and reflection.

This module explores the concept of ‘social capital’ and how school professionals can leverage on it to build positive school-home-community links with other stakeholders.  It examines research on the benefits of parental involvement in schooling and provides an authentic opportunity for basic research into local situations.  Participants will gain valuable first-hand (and usually, first-time) experiences on how to conduct small-scale research into specific topics of interest.  Foreign students in Singapore, financially-needy students, part-time work among students, smoking among teens, influence of the media on youth, are recent examples of work undertaken by participants in the module.

This module explores philosophical issues in education, in particular the roles of the education system in Singapore. Through films such as I Not Stupid, Dead Poets Society and The Simpsons, the major functions of schools, key policy concerns in education and the implications for teachers and other stakeholders are introduced and discussed. Throughout the module, the student teachers are encouraged to investigate – to reflect on, question and establish their own assumptions, beliefs and values on issues relating to the roles of the education system. The module will be taught using films, seminars, small group sessions with the tutor and Group Investigation (GI).

The role of the teacher is becoming increasingly complex. The teacher today must be able to motivate and inspire students, deal diplomatically with parents, negotiate will officials both within and outside the school system, and solicit the support of community and business leaders. In other words, teachers must assume a leadership role. This module is designed to help student teachers gain some awareness of the nature and qualities of good leadership, as well as an appreciation of problems and challenges in managing human relations. The module will involve the close study and rigorous analysis of classical works on leadership, and the application of concepts and principles from these texts to actual or hypothetical situations in the school environment.

Racial harmony and social cohesion have always been a major national goal in Singapore since independence. However, our understanding of racial harmony is more often than not superficial. In the current government’s attempt at political, economic and social renewal, there is need for Singaporeans to make the transition from silent naïve tolerance to a deeper understanding of the different cultural traditions that make up Singapore society. But how do teachers promote racial harmony and social cohesion in the midst of heavy workload, changing curriculum, and an education system that emphasizes economic and academic pursuits? This module will provide student teachers with learning opportunities to appreciate issues relating to multi-ethnicity in the Singapore context, how these issues surface in school and classroom practices, and creative ways to promote multiculturalism in schools.

Meritocracy is one of the “sacred cows” of Singapore’s education system. But does this mean that all students experience schooling in the same way? This module explores the implications of such a system for different groups of students (male/female, different racial/ethnic groups; socio-economic status) and some of the challenges these issues might pose for teachers in Singapore. By drawing on teaching and learning experiences in Singapore, as well as other meritocratic systems across the world, participants will have an opportunity to consider different strategies that can be used to manage these challenges.

It has often been pointed out that every teacher is a moral educator. This module is an attempt to show why and how this saying is true. With help of actual examples, the module explores the various facets of a teacher’s work in the classroom, school and community in order to show that all subject teachers teach knowledge which are needed for our students’ complete understanding of their moral obligations within their specific life situations. They do this both within the curriculum and also at co-curricular activities. And beyond promoting the understanding of moral obligations, all teachers also have a role in training students in the commitment, strength of will and skills needed for effective practice no matter what subject they teach and what CCA they conduct.

The module examines learning and motivation theories in the context of student development and learning in variety of contexts – classroom and school activities as well as out-of-school environments. The role of the teacher as a motivator; motivating and demotivating factors affecting learning; and strategies for motivating different types of learners will be examined.

This module will discuss the concepts of assessment, measurement, evaluation and testing and the integral role that assessments play in the teaching and learning process. Formative and summative evaluation will be considered employing conventional and alternative assessments to promote thinking. Different ways of assessing students’ work and grading will be discussed together with consideration for the broader issues of validity, reliability and objectivity of the results. Problems, issues and research related to assessment will be discussed.

Motivation comes from the Latin verb movere (to move).  In lay person’s term, the idea of motivation is to get us going, keeps us moving, and helps us complete tasks.  Despite the commonly held idea, all educators know that getting students to move is no simple task, especially if we want them to move in a direction desired by us.  This module will look at the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of motivation, and examine ‘how’ we can move students from external motivation to nurturing in them a passion for learning by the use of diversified approaches to learning such as multiple intelligences, problem-based learning and differentiated learning.

The psychological principles of creativity development; essential concepts and techniques for promoting and assessing creative thinking in the classroom; the qualities of the creative product; procedures of the creative process; characteristics of the creative person; conditions of the creative environment; psychometric and consensual approaches to the assessment of creativity and individual differences in creativity.

This course introduces the basic concepts and applications concerning the use of individual counseling and group guidance in the school setting. It is designed for teachers as well as teacher-counsellors to learn basic individual counseling skills and basic group guidance skills for developmental, prevention, and intervention work. Simulated practice will be utilized throughout the course for skill acquisition and development.

This course provides student teachers with an in-depth understanding of the nature and causes of some of the more serious behavioural problems such as gang violence, suicidal tendencies, substance abuse and internet pornography, displayed by at-risk youths today. The course also serves to equip teachers with the appropriate strategies and preventive measures in handling some of these behavioural problems in the classroom before the adolescent faces incarceration in the courtroom. Intervention programmes offered by the Singapore Juvenile Court for handling such acts of deviance will also be discussed in the course.

This course provides teachers with the content knowledge on human sexuality as well as pedagogic skills to deliver sexuality education to teenagers in secondary schools. Course participants will have the opportunity not only to update basic knowledge of physiological changes and development in adolescents, but also an awareness of attitudes and emotional, cultural and moral issues. Topics such as gender roles, sexual health and behaviour, and intimate relationships as well as issues such as contraception, abortion, homosexuality and the influence of media and the Internet will be addressed.

This course will examine the theories and research on social behaviour. Participants will learn to use developmental guidance to enhance learning and social interaction in the classroom.  Issues such as group theories and techniques in group guidance, leadership, decision making, conflict resolution, social influence, prosocial and help-seeking behaviour, friendships and close relationships, and group problem-solving will be examined.

The promise of an ability-driven curriculum and that all students will learn is rhetoric if teachers lack deep knowledge of learners and wide-ranging pedagogical skills to help learners of diverse abilities. In the mainstream classroom, there is a need to help teachers better understand the nature and needs of able learners and to make needs-based curriculum decisions. This module aims to help student teachers obtain an overview of the conceptions of giftedness, understand the psychology and needs of the precocious student and develop appropriate, differentiated approaches to meet the learning needs of these students in mainstream classrooms.

This module prepares future secondary school teachers in managing a classroom comprising students with diverse academic, emotional and behavioural challenges. The module emphasizes preventive, supportive and corrective measures for developing and maintaining positive learning environments for all students. Topics covered include causal and risk factors for learning and behavioural problems, an overview of academic, behavioural and social/emotional characteristics of students who manifest specific learning and behavioural problems, preliminary screening, identification and assessment, effective academic instructional strategies, social skills instruction, individual and group strategies for managing behaviours, and collaboration with parents.