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- PublicationEmbargoRefining the opportunity to learn construct through the productive disciplinary engagement frameworkOpportunity to learn (OTL) is a ubiquitous measure of the likelihood of learning in educational research, which typically has been characterized by three dimensions: time, coverage of content, and quality of instruction. The last dimension has been defined in highly divergent ways, which gives it a double-edged nature. While it may be operationalized to better serve a specific problem or context, it also makes it harder to achieve consensus or derive broader implications across studies. Using the four design principles from the Productive Disciplinary Engagement (PDE) framework, we show how PDE can characterize the quality of instruction dimension in OTL that reflects contemporary understandings of the end-goals of science education i.e. learning science as practice. This revision is valuable for science educators and evaluators who rely on OTL measures for it helps them: i) evaluate the quality of instruction consistent with reformed science teaching in valid and reliable ways, and ii) address questions about the adequacy of content coverage in the subject. We exemplify analysis using this refined OTL model with a case study of middle-school learners in Singapore engaged in the challenging scientific practice of argumentation.
13 102 - PublicationEmbargoAssessing multiliteracies: A systematic review and a perspective from SingaporeThe literacy demands on our students in the contemporary digital age goes beyond the reading of linguistic texts to include the viewing and representing with multimodal texts that make meanings across semiotic modes. Students need to possess multiliteracies to navigate the complex multimodal communication landscape and schools are responsible to both teach and assess multiliteracies. In this paper, we perform a systematic review of studies from 2013 to 2023 on multiliteracies and assessment in the English language classrooms and identified the themes of the importance of a metalanguage of multiliteracies for assessment, the productivity of multimodal analytical frameworks for assessment of students’ artefacts, and the preoccupation with language and print literacies in multiliteracies assessment. We reflect on these themes in relation to our multiliteracies project in Singapore and discuss how we have engaged with the issues on multiliteracies and assessment. Our findings attest to the need for a commonly shared pedagogic metalanguage to assess students’ learning of multiliteracies and the need to move beyond the focus on language and print literacy in assessment. Our paper contributes towards initiating a conversation on how multiliteracies can be equitably assessed in anticipation of the changes that must come in today’s digital age.
12 105 - PublicationEmbargoEducation practitioners’ epistemological beliefs and their understanding of evaluation: A preliminary study in SingaporeIn educational reform initiatives worldwide and in Singapore, educators are increasingly encouraged to take ownership of their work through involvement in practitioner inquiry and evaluation efforts to transform teaching and learning. Educators’ epistemological beliefs – their view of knowledge and knowing – play a critical role as they learn to become critical, reflective actors in the knowledge construction endeavour. This mixed-methods study investigates whether and how educators’ epistemological beliefs influence their understanding of programme evaluation as viewed through participants’ journey of learning to design a real-world evaluation study in the context of Masters-level coursework. Findings suggest that participants’ epistemological scale scores are associated with their learning outcomes as manifested in the quality of their evaluation plan. Specifically, participants with higher or lower scores show important differences in their view of evaluation and what a good evaluation requires, their relationship with knowledge about programme evaluation, the nature of challenges encountered in designing their evaluation plans, and how they navigate their challenges. Findings have implications for purposes and approaches of teacher professional learning and offer insights into the re-design of learning opportunities to transform educators’ epistemological beliefs in general and in relation to discipline-specific learning.
6 105 - PublicationMetadata onlyA critical evaluation of “paradoxical” leadership: (New) natural law theory, Aristotelian “heresy” and the mending of nominalist bifurcationsIn this essay, I evaluate the theory that leadership ought to be ”paradoxical”, meaning that leaders should embrace contradictions and incoherent norms. The idea of a paradoxical practice is trending in both education leadership and policy studies (as well as in business leadership studies), but in fact the literature on education (in Singapore and elsewhere) suggests that this is not helpful for arresting the terrors of performativity, and that there are examples of high performing education systems flourishing better through being consistent with core values. I detail how paradoxical leadership makes it difficult for defending ethical practice and how their rejection and shaming of the Aristotelian principle of non-contradiction risks effecting a woke culture that represses criticality. I argue that all this is part of an ongoing nominalist trend (the bifurcation between nature and thinking) in the history of ideas, only that we are at a philosophical tipping point. I explore the alternative, which takes contradictions seriously and irons out inconsistencies, and pre-empt objections internal to the Aristotelian tradition, and also offer an interpretation of James March’s influential theory of leadership to show that if read carefully, the theory does not fit well with the paradoxes approach.
12 - PublicationMetadata onlyTeaching from the heart: An evaluation of award-winning teachers in SingaporeThe Inspiring Teacher of English Award and the President’s Award for Teachers are national awards that recognize outstanding Singapore educators. This paper delves into the practices and philosophies of six award-winning teachers, unravelling the intricacies that distinguish their pedagogical approaches. The study is centred around three pivotal themes: Student-centred instructional approach, Optimization of Curriculum Materials, and Heart for students. The teaching philosophy undergirds and informs the other two themes, providing the guiding principles that ensure a consistent, student-centred, and resource-effective approach in the classroom. Highlighting the adaptability of these educators in tailoring their methods to individual student needs, the paper emphasizes the significance of a sound educational philosophy as their guiding principle. Furthermore, it explores the adept integration of curriculum materials in their teaching. This analysis offers valuable insights into the unique qualities and teaching methodologies that contribute to the success of award-winning teachers, providing a nuanced understanding of their contribution to educational excellence. Additionally, this analysis suggests significant implications for teacher education and in-service professional development, highlighting the need for programmes that foster these key attributes and approaches, thereby enhancing teacher effectiveness and student learning outcomes across educational settings.
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