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Three top challenges for teachers in the 21st century
Citation
Wong, S. S. (2000). Three top challenges for teachers in the 21st century. In J. Ee, B. Kaur, N. H. Lee, & B. H. Yeap (Eds.), New ‘literacies’: Educational response to a knowledge-based society: Proceedings of the ERA-AME-AMIC Joint Conference 2000 (pp. 262-271). Educational Research Association of Singapore.
Author
Wong, Shyh Shin
Abstract
The 21st century marked the beginning of a new era. It is a time for not only celebration, but also for self-reflection. Singapore’s leaders alerted Singaporeans about the new challenges and new opportunities that are available during this period of time. Leaders of education also echo this message. The question underlying the message is: “What challenges face the age-old profession of teaching in this new period of human existence?” The purpose of this paper is to present some key findings of a pilot study that look at the challenges of the teaching profession from the teachers’ perspective. A total of 51 teachers took part in this study. Their age ranged from 31 years to 58 years (mean = 48.78 years). Their mean teaching experience is 27.74 years. When the respondents were asked to name and rank three top challenges facing teachers in the 21st century, they mentioned issues like information technology, upgrading, workload, roles and attitudes of teachers, creative and critical thinking skills, etc. Limitations and implications of the study were also discussed.
Date Issued
2000
Description
This paper was published in the Proceedings of the ERA-AME-AMIC Joint Conference held at Singapore from 4-6 September 2000