Our teachers

Teachers are mentors and role models to their students. They influence young minds and inculcate sound social and moral values through word and deed, within and outside the classroom. Teachers impart learning and thinking life skills to students, to develop their full potential and enable them to seize opportunities in the future.

We are committed to helping our teachers build up their capabilities as educational professionals so that they can better guide our students in their growing years.

Teachers’ Pledge

We, the teachers of Singapore, pledge that:

• We will be true to our mission to bring out the best in our students.
• We will be exemplary in the discharge of our duties and responsibilities.
• We will guide our students to be good and useful citizens of Singapore.
• We will continue to learn and pass on the love of learning to our students.
• We will win the trust, support and co-operation of parents and the community so as to enable us to achieve our mission.

The Singapore Teaching Practice

The Singapore Teaching Practice is a model of teaching and learning to guide and strengthen effective teaching. Co-developed by educators and researchers for teachers in Singapore schools, it articulates the beliefs of the teaching fraternity on teaching and learning and describes the Pedagogical Practices that are customised for our context.

The Pedagogical Practices are guided by the Singapore Curriculum Philosophy, which encapsulates the teaching fraternity’s beliefs about teaching and learning, where every student is placed at the heart of our educational decisions, and are supported by Knowledge Bases that provide teachers with an understanding of:

• Subject matter and goals.
• Theories and research on students and learning.
• Theories and research on teaching.

Pedagogical Practices

At the heart of the Pedagogical Practices are four Teaching Processes, with corresponding Teaching Areas. These specify considerations to be taken and practices enacted before, during, and after the facilitation of student learning by teachers.

Singapore Curriculum Philosophy

A summary of what we believe about teaching and learning:

• We believe in holistic education, centred on values, social and emotional well-being and character development.
• We believe that every child wants to and can learn. We focus on children’s learning needs when designing learning experiences.
• We believe that learning flourishes:
  • In caring and safe learning environments.
  • When children construct knowledge actively.
  • Through the development of thinking skills and dispositions.
  • When assessment is used to address children’s learning gaps.

Professional Development Opportunities

We have a range of opportunities for teachers that seek to build teachers’ capacity in the subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. These opportunities are customised to meet the needs of the teachers at every level. These include the Singapore Instructional Mentoring Programme, Teacher Work Attachment Programme, and Outstanding Educator-in-Residence Programme. In addition, teacher-led learning communities and conferences are organised for the sharing of developments in pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment.

We also have a range of opportunities for our allied educators, and executive and administrative staff, so that they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfill their responsibilities in supporting schools.