Hawthorne, Elizabeth

Tan, Seng Chee

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Innovate: Journal of Online EducationVolume 1Issue 3 February/March 2005 Article 13-1-2005Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: AnInterview with Seng Chee TanElizabeth HawthorneSeng Chee TanFollow this and additional works at: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovatePart of the Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education at NSUWorks. It has been accepted forinclusion in Innovate: Journal of Online Education by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contactnsuworks@nova.edu.Recommended APA CitationHawthorne, Elizabeth and Tan, Seng Chee (2005) "Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with Seng Chee Tan," Innovate: Journal of Online Education: Vol. 1: Iss. 3, Article 1.Available at: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol1/iss3/1Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with SengChee TanAll exhibits, tables and figures that have remained available have been included as additional content withtheir respective articles to be downloaded separately. Click here to return to the article page on NSUWorksand view the supplemental files.Unfortunately, not all the supplemental files have survived until 2015 and some will be missing from thearticle pages. If you are an author in Innovate and would like to have your supplemental content included,please email the NSUWorks repository administrator at nsuworks@nova.edu.This article is available in Innovate: Journal of Online Education: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol1/iss3/1Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools:An Interview with Seng Chee Tanby Elizabeth Hawthorne and Seng Chee TanThe Southeast Asian country of Singapore comprises a main island and numerous islets between Malaysiaand Indonesia. Inhabited by Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, and other ethnic populations, Singapore isa vibrant mix of different cultures and religions. It is also reputed to be the most wired island in the world. Thischaracteristic—along with the nation's commitment to multiculturalism, its Western influences (including thewidespread use of English in schools), and its determination to be economically competitive—makesSingapore a particularly interesting case study for information technology (IT) adoption and adaptation. Seng Chee Tan is an assistant professor in the Learning Sciences and Technologies Academic Group at theNational Institute of Education in Singapore. In this interview with Elizabeth Hawthorne, principal of ChangeConsultancy in Chicago, Tan describes his country's achievements in technology-enhanced education. Elizabeth Hawthorne [EH]: Dr. Tan, Singapore is said to be the most wired island in the world. Pleasedescribe the hardware that is common throughout Singapore schools. Seng Chee Tan [SCT]: With the launch of the Masterplan for Information Technology in Education in 1997,the Ministry of Education provided an IT-enriched environment for all schoolchildren, including those inprimary schools. In terms of physical infrastructure and hardware, all schools were provided withwide-area-network and Internet access. It is now common to see two or more computer laboratories in aschool, with a student-to-computer ratio of 6:1 (the goal is 2:1). There are also computers in someclassrooms, libraries, audiovisual theatres, and even along the walkways or in canteens. Most classroomsare equipped with a single-beam projector. Teachers were given a special subsidy to purchase computers,and the current teacher-to-computer ratio is approaching 1:1. EH: With all of this equipment readily available, what are the expectations for schoolchildren withrespect to computer use? That is, are children in the primary grades expected to be able to use theInternet? Are special software packages used? To what extent are computers used independently orthrough structured oversight? SCT: Some schools conduct computer enrichment courses, but the emphasis is more on the use of IT inteaching and learning. Schoolchildren are able to use the Internet under teacher guidance for some learningactivities. Web sites or portals are being set up to help primary students learn languages (e.g., Happy Townfor Chinese, Nadi for Malay, and Nam Naadi for Tamil). [Editor's note: These sites employ special languagepacks.] The Ministry of Education provides funds for schools to purchase their own educational software, and itmaintains a list of reviewed programs. The Ministry also develops some software in-house to cater to localcurricula. The use of educational CD-ROMs was dominant at the beginning of the Masterplan, but in recentyears, many schools have subscribed to outside service providers for e-learning platforms and IT-basedsoftware. Now there is an increasing use of learning objects; I think that this trend will reduce problemsassociated with running software on different platforms or different operating systems. Under the Masterplan, most schools are using IT in teaching and learning for at least 10% of the curriculumtime. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18 1Hawthorne and Tan: Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with SPublished by NSUWorks, 2005EH: Are there restrictions on children's use of the Internet? If so, how are they imposed?  SCT: Children use the Internet in school, mostly under the guidance of their teachers, and at home under thesupervision of their parents. The main concerns of Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) arepornography, violence, and the incitement of racial or religious hatred. The MDA has developed an effectiveInternet policy and has worked with Internet service providers to filter out objectionable content; such contentis therefore unlikely to be accessed by our children. Teachers are careful in using the Internet in their classes;some of them download the relevant pages for students. An organization called the Parents Advisory Groupfor the Internet (PAGi) is also actively involved with parents and the industry to enhance Internet safety foryoung children. EH: Has computer use affected the pedagogy that teachers apply in Singapore schools? If so, pleaseexplain how things have changed. SCT: I have visited some schools but not all, so my comments are observational. During the initial phase ofthe Masterplan, teachers used IT as efficient tools to enhance productivity (e.g., they created PowerPointpresentations, prepared worksheets in Microsoft Excel, etc.), and they used computer-based tutorial softwareto conduct lessons. Recently, we have seen an increase in the use of various pedagogies with IT, likeproblem-based learning, constructivist learning, and computer-based conferencing. Some instructors areeven using the Web as a publication house for children to share their works. These changes reflect the effortsof various parties, including the schools, the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education, andsome companies that sponsor awards for innovative practices.EH: Has the government supported shifts in pedagogy? SCT: Yes. Take, for example, an initiative called Quality and Excellence in Schools through Technology (edu.QUEST). This Ministry of Education program encourages teachers to learn about information andcommunication technology (ICT), provides them with project ideas, and connects them to other educatorsinterested in sharing best practices. It also encourages teachers to be reflective practitioners by engagingthem in action research. More ICT-related information is available to teachers through the edu.Mall portal. EH: Has technology fostered more creativity from both students and teachers? SCT: Technology is one of the driving forces of creativity. It is quite common for children to create their ownPowerPoint presentations. New Web-editing software has made it easy for students to publish and sharetheir works through the Internet, and advances in video technology allow students to produce their owni-movies. Schools are participating in a number of competitions related to computer programming, videoproduction, and digital presentations. Projects like edu.QUEST encourage teachers to be innovative whileengaging in their own classroom action research. EH: What are teachers saying about the use of technology with their students? What is their comfortlevel? What are their concerns? SCT: I have not conducted a survey or any interviews on this topic, so my answer is based on informalconversations with teachers. All teachers are trained in IT use by the Ministry of Education or the NationalInstitute of Education; most of them have basic skills. The main concerns seem to be workload and timeconstraints. Teachers have to cover a national curriculum, and they must prepare students in particular forthe national examination that they take after completing the sixth grade. (This examination determines thetype of school that each child will attend and the academic track that he or she will take.) The time thatremains is often not enough for teachers to create their own IT-based materials or to prepare IT-basedlessons. I think the problem may be partly solved with time, when teachers have accumulated theirresources. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18 2Innovate: Journal of Online Education, Vol. 1, Iss. 3 [2005], Art. 1http://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol1/iss3/1EH: Have the national examinations changed in any way—in terms of content, design, ordelivery—with the advent of technology and the increasing use of it in schools? SCT: Examination scores are computerized, meaning that there is a standard program for reporting thescores. As for computer-based assessment, some schools do subscribe to application providers fore-learning services, which usually include components on online assessment. I would not say that it is acommon phenomenon yet, although the Ministry is considering some projects involving IT-based assessment, like adaptive testing systems and automated essay-marking systems.I have seen an increase in alternative forms of assessment. For example, assessment rubrics are being usedin many schools to grade the students' project work. (Junior college students who want to gain admission to auniversity must now provide evidence of this work.) I cannot say that such changes are solely due to theadvent of technology, but technology has fostered a more holistic education for our students. EH: What is teacher training like? What is emphasized? How is it delivered? SCT: The National Institute of Education conducts a module on IT use for all preservice teachers, who arerequired to attend. The Educational Technology Division of the Ministry of Education provides training for allin-service teachers in the form of workshops and guided lessons. The emphasis is on the proper use of IT for teaching and learning. In the National Institute of Education,preservice teachers learn to be presenters, facilitators, and designers—that is, they learn to use IT toenhance their presentations, to facilitate their instruction, to encourage student thinking, and to design simpleIT-based learning materials called microLESSONS. We relate practices to relevant learning theories. Thetraining is administered in modules that are lecture-free and that blend face-to-face instruction and e-learning;the emphasis is on performance assessment. For in-service teachers, we also offer professionaldevelopment courses that lead to an advanced diploma or an advanced postgraduate certificate; teacherscan choose modules that are specific to the use of IT in education. EH: What are the major challenges related to IT use in Singapore's primary schools? SCT: Schools are well equipped with hardware and infrastructure, and teachers do possess basic IT skills.The major challenge is to encourage teachers to explore the various ways of using IT based on soundpedagogy. While it is relatively easy to learn a program, it is much harder to for a teacher to be convincedthat alternative pedagogies will work. For instance, we require all preservice teachers to createmicroLESSONS using PowerPoint. Most of them do not have problems with the software, but it takes someeffort for them to understand the constructivist approach behind the lessons. EH: Why do you think this is the case? SCT: Teachers are familiar with the instructional approaches that they experienced as students. We used amore didactic approach in the past; the constructivist approach requires quite different planning andpreparation. Teachers need to design activities that engage students in processing knowledge and that guide them towardconstructing and representing their own understanding. Teachers also need to give students more power orautonomy. Some teachers are not comfortable with this approach for several reasons. First, they are not veryfamiliar with it, and they do not want to fail (they do not have time to conduct the lessons again). Second, itrequires a lot of guidance and scaffolding, which is very time-consuming and not easy to do well. Third andfinally, it means giving students more autonomy, and the students themselves may not be comfortable in thissituation. I am not advocating one approach over the other. I am saying that we try to expose teachers-in-training to ahttp://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18 3Hawthorne and Tan: Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with SPublished by NSUWorks, 2005variety of instructional approaches. EH: Have the goals of the Masterplan been reached? What is next?SCT: The first Masterplan covered initiatives through the end of 2002. The second installment, theMasterplan II for IT in Education, covers 2003 to 2007 and will further enhance teaching and learningprocesses. Academic staff members at the National Institute of Education are researching the use of IT ineducation. The Institute also boasts a relatively new Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice thatexamines, among other things, the use of ICT in education. EH: This is an exciting time for technology and learning in Singapore. What wisdom can you sharewith educators and administrators in other countries?SCT: Building the infrastructure and providing the hardware are relatively easy; with sufficient commitmentand funding, these goals can be achieved. However, to truly use technology effectively and meaningfully, weneed to invest more time and effort in teacher training in terms of pedagogical knowledge. Teachers' beliefsabout teaching and learning, as well as their understanding of how learning occurs, influence the final modeof instruction. These mindsets are hard to change and therefore pose the greatest challenge to innovation ineducation. COPYRIGHT AND CITATION INFORMATION FOR THIS ARTICLEThis article may be reproduced and distributed for educational purposes if the following attribution is included in the document:  Note: This article was originally published in Innovate (http://www.innovateonline.info/) as: Hawthorne, E., and S. Tan. 2005. OnlineLearning in Singapore Primary Schools: An interview with Seng Chee Tan. Innovate 1 (3).http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18 (accessed April 24, 2008). The article is reprinted here with permissionof the publisher, The Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University.To find related articles, view the webcast, or comment publically on this article in the discussion forums, please goto http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18  and select the appropriate function from thesidebar. http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=18 4Innovate: Journal of Online Education, Vol. 1, Iss. 3 [2005], Art. 1http://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol1/iss3/1

Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with Seng Chee Tan

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Online Learning in Singapore Primary Schools: An Interview with Seng Chee Tan

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