Choy, Doris

This chapter discusses changes in perspectives about teaching and learning, as well as our state-of-the-art knowledge about ways to optimize learning in the 21st century. Researchers and educators suggested the need to change teaching and learning practices from those that cater to the Industrial Age to those that are aligned with the Knowledge Age. It involves changing roles, such as teachers acting as facilitators and co-learners and students taking more ownership in learning. This chapter will also discuss principles to optimise learning for 21st-century competencies using technologies.

Blended learning has become an integral component of the curriculum in institutes of higher learning (IHL) worldwide. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is a constructivistic learning approach that can facilitate the development of 21st-century competencies such as self-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (CL). This study investigated if there are any differences in Polytechnic students’ perceptions of self-directed learning and collaborative learning between the blended PBL design and the face-to-face PBL design in terms of self-directed learning and collaborative learning in Singapore. The study adopted a quasi-experimental approach, with 56 student participants completing a 36-item validated pre/post survey instrument (MSDLCL). Statistical analyses suggested that in both PBL approaches, students’ perceptions of self-directed learning with technology and collaborative learning increased significantly. Focus group discussion results suggested that while students were motivated to complete the assigned PBL tasks, they preferred to conduct collaborative learning activities in person and work on self-directed learning activities online.

Premised on situated cognition, this study focused on developing preservice teachers’ understanding and performances in technology-based pedagogies during the formal coursework at NIE and during their field placements. A mixed-method research design was proposed. This study aimed to contribute to the field of technology-based pedagogy and preservice teachers’ education.
The first objective was to track if there were any changes in preservice teachers’ technology competency, perceptions and practice in the use of ICT for classroom teaching and learning. This was done by collecting quantitative survey data from a cohort of 300 preservice teachers in the Diploma in Education (Primary) programme at four different points throughout their initial teacher education programme. The research questions were:
 What are the changes of the preservice teachers’ intentions to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their future teaching?  What are the changes of the preservice teachers’ practices to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their 5-week Teaching Assistantship and 10-week Teaching Practice?
The second objective was to investigate a small group of 14 preservice teachers’ process of constructing their understanding of technology-based pedagogy throughout their initial teacher education programme.

The purpose of this study is to explore and compare fourth grade students’ perceptions of technology enabled self-directed learning and collaborative learning during their five-week English writing lesson. Three elementary schools in Singapore were invited to participate in the study. In this pseudo-experimental study, students in the intervention group were able to use various technology tools to develop their self-directed learning and collaborative learning skills while working on their writing tasks. At the end of the intervention, their perceptions of self-directed learning and collaborate learning with technology were collected and compared with the control group. There were significant differences in the perceptions between the control and the experimental groups.

The flipped classroom approach is an instructional approach that incorporates computer-based learning outside of classroom and collaborative learning in the classroom (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). In this approach, teachers prepared resources on specific concepts and content that they would like to teach the students by integrating the use of technology. Students, on the other hand, would be assigned to complete certain tasks such as viewing videos, PowerPoint slide and online assignment via the Learning Management System (LMS) portal before coming to class. In this way, students can learn at their own pace until they are able to grasp the content. Therefore, this research would firstly, find out how schools implemented the flipped classroom. Secondly, this research aims to find out the strengths of the flipped classroom in terms of students’ performance, students’ attitude and teachers’ attitude. Thirdly, this research also aims to find out the challenges of implementing the flipped classroom. For this research, 11 empirical studies that were published in reputable journals from different countries were selected for the meta-analysis.

Self-directed learning and self-assessment require student responsibility over learning needs, goals, processes, and outcomes. However, this student-led learning can be challenging to achieve in a classroom limited by a one-to-many teacher-led instruction. We, thus, have designed and prototyped a generative artificial intelligence chatbot application (GAIA), named TeacherGAIA, that can be used to asynchronously support students in their self-directed learning and self-assessment outside the classroom. We first identified diverse constructivist learning approaches that align with, and promote, student-led learning. These included knowledge construction, inquiry-based learning, self-assessment, and peer teaching. The in-context learning abilities of large language model (LLM) from OpenAI were then leveraged via prompt engineering to steer interactions supporting these different learning approaches. These interactions contrasted with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot which by default engaged in the traditional transmissionist mode of learning reminiscent of teacher-led instruction. Preliminary design, prompt engineering and prototyping suggested fidelity to the learning approaches, cognitive guidance, and social-emotional support, all of which were implemented in a generative AI manner without pre-specified rules or “hard-coding”. Other affordances of TeacherGAIA are discussed and future development outlined. We anticipate TeacherGAIA to be a useful application for teachers in facilitating self-directed learning and self-assessment among K-12 students.

Little published research has investigated how students interact with authentic audiences. By conducting a two-year classroom-based research intervention with 617 students from three government-aided primary schools in Singapore, this study examined the effect of the socio-cognitive and motivation-and-learning (SCML) approach on students’ writing with a real audience in the classroom context. Data included student compositions and peer feedback via Padlet, a web app that enables users to post notes on a digital wall. Findings showed that there was a significant difference between pre- and post-tests in students’ writing with a real audience after the implementation of SCML writing programmes. Findings also indicated that students were able to provide quality peer feedback on classmates’ compositions. This study contributes to research on students’ writing with a real audience in a school context. The SCML approach encourages peer feedback through the use of Padlet, which is conducive to improving audience awareness in writing.