Views & Opinion Learning from Singapore at Bett 2016 Comment by Mike NG, Group Director, Europe Group at International Enterprise (IE) Singapore
In a recent PISA study, looking at member and non-member nations of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance in mathematics, science, and reading, Singapore was ranked third in the world, while the UK was placed 12th. The Learning Curve Report which accompanies this ranking states that teachers are highly respected in Singapore and that teachers, students and parents take joint responsibility for education. Funding supports teacher recruitment and training; and only the top 30 per cent of students who pass an intensive screening process, can apply to the prestigious National Institute of Education. They are incentivised to excel, with the promise of an entry-level wage that is equivalent to that of an engineer.
Developing a strong core
It is Singapore’s approach to core subjects that really enables pupils to excel. If we take mathematics for example, our approach is
distinctive and as such, is being replicated throughout the world. Our national mathematics curriculum is based on the assumption that the role of the teacher is to instil “maths sense”. In a Singapore classroom, the focus is not on one right answer, but rather to help students understand how to solve a mathematics problem. Our Model Method also makes extensive use of visualisation to help students understand mathematics. The concrete-pictorial-abstract model is based on an understanding of how children learn mathematics rather than on language considerations.
Teachers cover far less material than in many other countries, but cover it in depth: the goal is to master concepts (Hong et al., 2009). The level of mathematics in the Primary School Leaving Examination (grade 6), is approximately two years ahead of that in most US schools (Schmidt, 2005). Singapore mathematics also blurs the distinction between algebra and
geometry. These concepts are integrated into basic mathematics before students reach high school.
What’s next?
Education is the backbone of the Singapore society; as such, a third of the workforce are university graduates. There is now a greater emphasis being placed on what the Singapore Ministry of Education has termed ‘21st Century Skills’ including: communication, collaboration and analysis; civic literacy, global awareness, cross-cultural awareness and critical thinking. These will be the skillsets that Singapore pupils will need to thrive in the next generation’s workforce. I see our education system evolving to support pupils in these areas. I also see our education system becoming more inclusive for learners of different needs, and I think we will see technology become crucial in bridging this gap.
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Top tips on motivating your senior leadership
Comment by Julie Lorkins, headteacher of St Andrew's Primary School, North Weald • Give them time
It sounds simple, but this is something which is easily overlooked in the hectic school environment. Finding time to actually go over plans for school progress is not easy. Yet without it, we risk losing sight of the wider goals being worked towards collectively. Try to establish regular meetings in which the SLT can come together and discuss what their upcoming plans are, as well as work out whether they actually have the time to implement them.
• Give them permission
Once you’ve promoted an excellent member of staff into your SLT, it is easy sometimes to presume they will naturally feel empowered to implement ideas or strategies without needing encouragement or a stamp of approval; however, this is not always the case. Ensuring that you take the time to allow your SLT to understand that they have creative free-rein when it comes to proactively taking charge is crucial. Giving them the autonomy to be leaders in their own right is essential, so it’s equally important to communicate this to them.
• Empower your staff
As touched on in point two, empowerment comes from more than just a job title. Each SLT member will have their own specific roles in which they can contribute to the school’s strategy for teaching and learning, however it’s important to be clear about what exactly this role entails as well as what needs to be achieved. Effective leadership is about empowering your team to work towards common goals. Even the best headteacher can only do so much; ensuring that your SLT knows what these common goals are, and keeping them inspired to work towards this goal is the best way to keep them engaged and motivated.
• Develop a coaching model
School Effectiveness+ enabled us to gauge more effectively what our next steps ought to be in terms of developing a coaching model. We could see in a more detailed way how we could actually strengthen leadership, as opposed to simply being told to do so.
Our SLT wasn’t particularly strong in their ability to monitor teaching and learning. Feedback and evaluation on what they and their team were doing was also a challenge, so what
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we’ve done is develop explicit guidelines for the specific areas they were leading. We then started looking at the most effective way of monitoring teaching and learning. We have begun to develop a coaching model specific for our school which enables all staff to feel supported yet challenged within their own practice.
• Continuing professional development Actually taking the time to sit down and really think carefully about what we need to be doing can be incredibly valuable – yet actually making that time can sometimes feel impossible! Training is the best way I’ve found to overcome this challenge. This also provides them with the opportunity to actually reflect on what they need to do and their next steps. Good quality training should be inspiring, not a chore. I’m still regularly updating our strategy for school improvement; even now, it is not immune to change. Even when you think you’ve reached a good conclusion in terms of a plan or coaching model, checking and reflecting on its successes and (more importantly) weaknesses before you tackle any issues ensures that your school is continually improving.
January 2016
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