Distinguished Guests,
Colleagues,
Graduands,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good morning.
1. First, my heartiest congratulations to all graduands for having completed your training at the National Institute of Education (NIE).
2. You are stepping into a world that has just emerged from one of the worst global pandemics and continues to change at a rapid pace as it grapples with climate change, sustainability, geo-political instability, digital transformation, and other pressing issues. As educators, you must not only keep up with these developments, but also reflect on how they impact your profession, and what they mean for your students. Let me share some thoughts on some of these issues in relation to teaching and learning.
From Global Learning to Local Citizenry
3. Today, international and cultural literacy is critical for everyone, even more so for citizens of a small city state like Singapore. Our next generation needs this broadened perspective, understanding and sensitivity; so do all our teachers.
4. I am glad that despite the disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of you did have the chance to go on overseas learning experiences. I learnt that Alex Lim, from the Bachelor of Science programme, led a team of trainee teachers to raise funds for new laptops and conduct lessons for primary and secondary school students in Phong Thanh Commune in Vietnam. Soh Hong Yi, also from the Bachelor of Science programme, took part in Project Nalanda in Arunachal Pradesh, India, where he taught in the outdoors in an area with limited access to electricity.
5. These experiences will help you and ultimately your students develop a broader world view and foster a sense of global citizenship. At the same time, to develop students into active, contributing individuals to society, we must stay grounded in our local communities and help those among us who require more support.
6. I want to commend Nuha binte Ahmad Basharahil, a Bachelor of Arts graduand, for organising activities for the Muhammadiyah Welfare Home and leading tutoring sessions for girls at Darul Ihsan Girls' Orphanage over the past couple of years.
7. Also, Manisha Suruchand, from the Diploma in Art Education programme, who co-founded a three-person volunteer group called '6th Sense' to engage children living in rental flats on alternate Saturdays. Through activities such as art & craft, baking, and sports, these children would have a safe and fun space outside of their normally challenging daily lives to be themselves and discover their interests and talents along the way. They also see adults like Manisha and her friends as inspiring role models.
Redefining Success in Singapore
8. As part of the Forward Singapore exercise, we have been talking a lot about redefining success. For adults, it is about moving away from defining success only in material terms. For our students, it is about understanding that education is more than just excellent grades and getting into the best schools or institutions of higher learning. Doing well academically is important, but so is developing interests and skills outside of classroom learning, honing qualities such as resilience and confidence in dealing with failures, and navigating uncertainty and complexity with the right values and an upright character.
9. As teachers, you play a critical role in encouraging and guiding these students to define success for themselves. Share with them the success stories and inspiring role models that you have encountered in your own life. Encourage them to take part in different school activities, so that they have a full schooling experience as they discover their strengths and appreciate their weaknesses. Lend them a listening ear when they encounter setbacks and motivate them to keep on trying.
10. It is equally important to work with parents and involve them in their children's education journey. This requires great skills, because you have to communicate your message in a way that is not just clear and professionally sound, but also demonstrates sensitivity to your students' family circumstances and their parents' opinions.
11. While success can mean different things to different students, some students will need more support than others just to aim for the same goals. They could be experiencing social-emotional challenges, family issues, or have learning needs that require additional attention in our mainstream schools or a more customised curriculum in our Special Education schools.
12. For those among you who are graduands of the Diploma in Special Education and Diploma in School Counselling programmes, you will play a critical role in providing specialised support for such students. But all of you play a part in fostering an inclusive school environment and enabling these students to lead their best lives in schools. At the same time provide good learning opportunities for non-SEN students to appreciate diversity of needs and abilities. As teachers, you must engage their families and community partners to support their learning, and equip their peers with empathy and the understanding on how to interact and develop meaningful friendships. You might not come from a similar background as your students, but you must be prepared to reach out, understand their challenges, think about how best to motivate them, and adopt different pedagogical approaches. Also recognise that you will learn from your students and their experiences too. Learning is a two-way traffic.
Teaching in the World of AI
13. We turn now to our digitalised world. Technology has transformed every aspect of our lives. Only two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink very quickly how teaching could be conducted when face-to-face teaching was not possible. Teaching had to be delivered differently and on new platforms; assessments took alternative forms; engaging students in online learning brought on new challenges even as new means of engagement, such as Kahoot and Mentimeter, were made available to teachers.
14. Yet, before we mastered online teaching and a blended approach to curriculum design, generative AI now challenges the education community in even more radical ways. Most of you would have been in your final semester when ChatGPT was making regular headlines earlier this year. Some of you may already be eagerly exploring some of these generative AI tools.
15. AI offers immense possibilities to enhance teaching and learning. It can provide personalised, and therefore more engaging learning experiences, by analysing student data and designing customised learning plans. It can help with assessment, making marking more efficient and allowing teachers more time to focus and guide students on higher order thinking skills.
16. But ultimately, technology will only complement but not replace the crucial role of a teacher. So never make ChatGPT do your work. As you join the fraternity in embracing this latest technology, do not lose sight of your core duty in exercising your professional judgement and in guiding your students to develop the necessary foundational skills and concepts during their critical formative years.
17. Equally important is the shaping of your students' values. Faced with the temptation to take the easy way out, or under the pressure of time, will they let AI do their homework for them and pass it off as their own? Will they learn to critically evaluate the output of AI tools and make use of AI to learn and appreciate different perspectives, or will they just delegate all their thinking to AI? You will help shape their choices.
Lifelong Learning and Life Beyond Work
18. Learning to harness technology is part of lifelong learning. As an educator, it is important not only to develop our students' growth mindset and resilience so that they can become lifelong learners. We must also apply the same perspective to ourselves.
19. I want to share the experiences of two of our graduands who have exemplified the can-do spirit as they juggled their studies with family commitments. For Sim Li Mei, completing her Diploma in Special Education meant having to keep up with her course work while taking care of her daughter, who was unwell and underwent an operation. For Cui Cui, from the Diploma in Education (Primary)(Chinese Language) programme, it meant setting a good example for her two children by not staying up late and establishing a routine of doing her own work while they did theirs after dinner.
20. It is also important to develop your own personal interests. Life is richer than just the rewards of teaching, and your interests add to the variety of perspectives that you can bring to your students.
21. Nuruzzulfaa binte Rusli from the Diploma in Education (Primary)(Malay Language) programme, for example, has already appreciated as a student that life does not resolve around academic achievements. She developed a love for Malay language when taking her Higher Malay at secondary level. At NIE, under the auspices of the Malay Language and Cultural Society (Perbayu), she joined a group of NIE and NTU students who called themselves the Kalimah Baiduri, and launched three prose and poetry books.
22. You may also join Lee Shi Ting, who is graduating from the Diploma in Art Education, in reading, watching crime documentaries, or sketching. For others who prefer something more physically vigorous, join Brandon Quek Tien Leng in calisthenics and in surfing. His teaching philosophy as a P.E. teacher is that sports can be helpful for coping with mental stress.
23. You could also consider learning the Mridangam, a traditional South Indian Drum, from music graduand Pavethren s/o Kanagarethinam. Outside of NIE, Pavethren is an active musician and music producer. He also released several music videos and pieces of music on Spotify, as well as played for a recent musical film based on a 19th century Tamil literature novel, 'Ponniyin Selvan'. This musical film is currently being judged at international film festivals. All the best to you, Pavethren!
Conclusion
24. As you officially join the education fraternity today, remember that the journey ahead is long. We are stronger if we work together and support one another. Maintain the strong bonds that you have forged with each other, because these bonds will help you get through the challenges that will inevitably come your way.
25. Some of you might be concerned about workload. Rest assured that we will support you to the best of our ability. The staff well-being committees and wellness ambassadors in schools are committed to providing strong peer support for their fellow teachers, and an in-house counselling service is available for those who wish to use it. The Ministry of Education had also adjusted the pacing of new initiatives during COVID-19. We will continue to look into ways to ensure that your well-being is taken care of. At an individual level, even as you focus on your students, remember to take care of yourself as well as those around you.
26. Teaching has never been so enriching, richly challenging and potentially impactful on society. It remains as one of the most meaningful and rewarding professions one may devote oneself to, and it inspires others to follow in one's footsteps. Among you today is Heera Farzana from the Bachelor of Arts programme, whose father and two aunts are also teachers. Heera aspires to become an empathetic and passionate teacher who supports her students' development as learners, and I am heartened to see that she too has chosen the same path as her father in spite of the challenges.
27. I wish all of you an exciting and impactful teaching career! May you make a difference in the lives of our next generation through your work as an educator as your teachers have done for you in your education journey. I am confident that you will be able to navigate the modern AI-powered world with the right ethical and pedagogical bearings as you lead your students into a future filled with limitless opportunities and possibilities.
28. Once again, congratulations and thank you.