In the current 21st century, teachers need new sets of values, skills and knowledge. NIE is addressing these new challenges through continual refinement and enhancement of its teacher education programmes. Essential attributes for teachers in the 21st century include developing:
- A Stance: Personal and social emotional intelligence.
- Ways of thinking: The ability to understand the underlying causes or nature of new situations, to think, devise and sort alternative and appropriate course of actions, and to understand the consequences of courses of action.
- Diagnostic maps: The schemas developed from past problem-solving experiences that enable teachers to be successful in their way of thinking.
- Generic skills and knowledge: a) ability to self-regulate continuous professional learning, b) interpersonal skills necessary to work well with others, c) communication and IT skills.
- Profession specific skills and knowledge: The up-to-date skills and understanding needed to excel as a teacher.
In today's highly globalised and competitive world, Singapore's education system has evolved to one that is 'ability-based, aspiration-driven'. NIE itself has to be fast and nimble to adapt, change and grow to be able to prepare and equip teachers to succeed in the changing education landscape.
Today's teachers need to help pupils gain both an understanding of existing information as well as to generate better ideas using the current knowledge base. This requires teachers to have strong content knowledge and the ability to make thinking visible among their pupils. Teachers also need to be adept in using new digital technologies including graphical and interactive interface to facilitate learning and teaching.
The need to function in an increasingly globalised world requires teachers to have multicultural literacy which is knowledge of cultures and languages. Understanding and respect for diversity is an important element for teachers. Opportunities for service-learning, both overseas and local, serve as a platform for expanding teachers' multicultural literacy. Teachers must be able to facilitate learning in an integrated approach, helping pupils learn how to access, evaluate, synthesise information and contribute to the generation of knowledge.
NIE's initial teacher preparation programmes provide ample teaching and learning opportunities which employ innovative pedagogies to integrate the use of technologies, inquiry and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills that ultimately help our teachers develop the essential values, skills and knowledge needed to function effectively in the 21st century classroom.