1. Siti Zulaiha Binte Mohamed Mohsen
Nor Jehan Binte Raseede
Geraldene Boey
Chong Kai Qin

2. Role
Education Policy
System Initiatives
Stakeholders
Teachers

3. Student-Teachers will be able to:
• List at least 2 Support Systems & Professional
Development options available currently.
• List at least 5 roles of a teacher.
• List at least 3 challenges teachers face.
• Come up with at least one way of handling the
challenges and stresses of being a teacher.

4. • Game • Movie Time
• Support Systems • Star Search
& Professional Development • Words of Wisdom
• Talking Point • Conclusion
• Break & Love Notes • Motivation before
Practicum

5. Objective:
• Build a structure to withstand the weight of 1 person.
Materials Given:
• 2 decks of cards.
• Pair of scissors.
Rule:
• Cards have to be upright and not lying down.

6. Characteristics of winning structure:
• Interlocking cards.
• Each card depends on another for strength and yet
provides strength to others.
Similarly, as teachers:
• We depend on others for support, i.e. our support
systems.
• At the same time, we should also be pillars of support for
our fellow colleagues.

7. 1. Teachers Network (TN)
2. Enhanced Performance
Management System (EPMS)
3. “Bottom-up initiative, top-down
support” (MOE, 2004; 2005)
4. Other sources
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

8. TN Learning • Self-directed professional development.
• Action research to solve problems related to classroom
Circles pedagogy and practice.
Teachers’ • Administrative, resource and social support for teachers
to conduct workshops.
• Professional Development Officers (PDOs) as coach in
Workshops content and delivery mode.
Teachers’ • Opportunities for teachers to interact, reflect and
dialogue on learning experiences.
Conference • Networking.
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

9. • Comprehensive appraisal framework in accordance to
three career tracks:
o Teaching
o Leadership
o Specialist
• Within each track, 13 competencies are identified to
be effective in raising performance.
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

10. • More transparent tie up between competencies,
promotion and pay.
• Establishment of competencies in accordance to the
three career tracks would influence the areas for
professional development.
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

11. • Innovations should not be imposed on schools.
• School leaders and teachers should be initiating
innovations to suit individual needs.
• Role of MOE is to provide administrative and
resource support.
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

12. • School Staff Developer (SSD) to provide support for
teacher-initiated professional development
endeavours.
• Presence of flexibility, diversity and choice will bring
about peaks of excellence necessary in the knowledge
economy.
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

13. • Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU)
• Educational Research Association of Singapore
(ERAS)
• National Institute of Education (NIE)
• Partially funded professional certification under MOE’s
Professional Development Continuum Model (PDCM)
• Teacher Work Attachment (TWA)
• Teacher Renewal Programme
• Lesson Study
Salleh, H. (2008). Teacher Professional Development in the TSLN Era: Current Challenges and Future Direction. In J. Tan & P. T.
Ng (Eds.), Thinking schools, learning nation: Contemporary issues and challenges (pp. 39-50). Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall.

14. • In your opinion what are the
main roles of a teacher?
• Which Support System &
Personal Development options
explained earlier helps you fulfill
these roles of a teacher?

15. Parent
advisor CCA Co-ordinator
Curriculum Writer Mentor
School Administrator
Event Organizer
Project Work manager
Counselor

16. So do the Support Systems
and Personal Development
options help you fulfill ALL
these roles?

18. During this 5 minutes break,
spend some time writing
words of inspiration to your
fellow teachers.

20. Let’s watch a short movie
on the challenges teachers
face in a typical day in
school.

21. • Insert skit video here.

22. From the video, challenges awaiting us as teachers include:
•High expectations from Principal.
•Added stress of having to fulfill relief duties.
•Meetings, after meetings, after meetings…
•Implementation of new policies.
•Multiple deadlines to meet.
•Additional workload from CCAs.
•Marking students’ work.

23. From the video…
Myriad of Roles
Implementation of STRESS
New Policies !
Other Challenges

24. • In your groups, come up with a skit based on the
challenges teachers face as shown in the movie.
• Act out what we can do to either overcome these
challenges or to ensure they do not affect us adversely.
• Guiding questions:
oWhat can we do to balance our lives and find a midpoint
between our personal life and the various roles of a
teacher?
oWhat provisions are in place to assist us in managing
these challenges?

27. • Insert Mr Samy’s video here.

28. How Mr Samy deals with the
stresses of being a teacher:
•Insert points here.

30. • Game
o Importance of support systems.
• Support Systems & Professional Development
1. Teachers Network (TN)
2. Enhanced Performance Management System (EPMS)
3. “Bottom-up initiative, top-down support” (MOE, 2004;
2005)
4. Other sources

31. • Talking Point
o Adequacy of support systems and Professional
Development options available.
• Break & Love Notes
• Movie Time
o Challenges teachers face.

32. • Star Search
o Dealing with challenges and stresses of being a
teacher.
• Words of Wisdom
o How a senior teacher dealt with challenges and
stresses of being a teacher.

35. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoPtJ19w3fU

37. • Insert questions here. At least 2.