Instructional core and the Singapore teaching practice: Understanding teaching and learning in Singapore's primary and secondary classrooms

Education in Singapore faces unique challenges in the 21st century amid a dynamic global economy and cosmopolitan society. The National Institute of Education’s “CORE Research Programme” (CORE) has conducted rigorous empirical research for the past two decades to support ongoing educational transformation. This chapter presents findings on teaching and learning practices in primary and secondary classrooms across diverse subject domains. Utilising a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design, the study draws insights from 2,278 classroom observations and interviews to examine pedagogical shifts within the framework of the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP). While positive trends are observed in teachers’ instructional practices, certain areas of improvement are identified and discussed. The chapter further describes how CORE findings have impacted on pedagogical practices for the Singapore classroom through contributing to ongoing policy efforts to transform curriculum and pedagogy.