To do better in developing 21CC, we need to free up some time and space. What else can or should we do? by

2025-07-18 08:34:41 UTC

Be more intentional in integrating E21CC into non-curriculum lessons (CCE, SDT lessons)

Provide more space for reflection

2025-07-18 08:34:43 UTC

Leverage existing programmes, more reflective thinking — chances are existing programmes can bring out many 21cc.

2025-07-18 08:34:44 UTC

Allow more opportunities for reflections to take place after learning experiences

2025-07-18 08:34:58 UTC

Safeguard the time and space to do the planning. Very often the time is carved out from but taken over by other more ‘seemingly’ or as important matters.

Recruit more teaching colleagues

2025-07-18 08:34:58 UTC

2025-07-18 08:35:08 UTC

Continue efforts in reducing / outsourcing reviewing processes related administrative workload of staff

Share guidelines on how different IP/non-IP can weave in 21CC in their curriculum to establish common language and understanding.

2025-07-18 08:35:14 UTC

2025-07-18 08:35:16 UTC

There needs to be more modelling and sharing so as to inspire and remove vagueness.

2025-07-18 08:35:16 UTC

Reframe
Alignment of desired outcomes from various portfolios eg. SLD, CCE, YH etc. - implement through 1 programme to meet multiple desired outcomes

2025-07-18 08:35:18 UTC

Free up teachers from doing national exam duties.
Reduce the number of teaching classes (perhaps reduce by 10%), so teachers can spend more time designing lessons.

Free up teachers

2025-07-18 08:35:25 UTC

If we can cut the workload of teachers, we will have more time and energy to think about incorporating 21 CC into our curriculum. Class size and total number of curriculum hours can be adjusted.

Being intentional

2025-07-18 08:35:43 UTC

Since 21st Century Competencies (21CC) are such an important component of our students’ holistic development, perhaps we could consider making it an assessable component in major exams. This would help reinforce its importance among both teachers and students, as what is monitored tends to be respected and prioritised.

How may we develop rubrics to assess student competency across their 4-5 years with us?

2025-07-18 08:35:49 UTC

2025-07-18 08:36:00 UTC

Reduce the need for drill and practice

Safeguard the white spaces for teachers to plan for lessons that integrate 21CC effectively

Teacher student ratio

2025-07-18 08:36:01 UTC

It is not a fair representation of what teacher need to handle on the ground. Have more teachers in each school. Especially for the language EL teachers. Overwhelmed.

2025-07-18 08:36:11 UTC

White space for teachers to plan how to integrate E21CC into curriculum

2025-07-18 08:36:18 UTC

SH/ST 21CC

Creating space for teachers to reflect and think about their work overall

2025-07-18 08:36:19 UTC

For such a major shift in a lot of the established practices, perhaps we also need to give teachers consistent time and space to take sabbaticals to rethink their work.

It is difficult to make major shifts to their teacher approach if they are constantly jumping from fire to fire: the default mode then tends to be keeping things stable, which defaults to what has been done for a long while.

Perhaps some sort of reset: a term off, with deliverables, may be wild, but for some key teachers, might be the fulcrum to move departments.

2025-07-18 08:36:29 UTC

Reduce syllabus content coverage more significantly. Alot of time is spent trying to rush to cover syllabus/ worried about whether syllabus can be covered in time for national exams. This reduces the time and bandwidth for teachers to think about intentional 21CC development in lessons.

Outsource national exam duties

2025-07-18 08:36:32 UTC

2025-07-18 08:36:35 UTC

Have plug-and-play 21cc packages that teachers can readily apply or customised for use.

Reduce curriculum content

Freeing up time and space

2025-07-18 08:36:41 UTC

While it sounds good in theory, removal of MYE doesn’t actually feel like it frees up time or space. I guess it is also dependent on how each school implements it but it honestly feels like Term 1 and Term 2 are just 2 terms of full speed ahead with no break. MYE in the past actually allowed for a bit of a breather, where school could take a break from CCA/activities and focus on revision. Right now, teachers are being overworked and overstretched. Taking away MYE doesn’t really solve anything.

2025-07-18 08:36:43 UTC

Lower the stakes and requirements of the national exams

Reduce the breadth and depth of the syllabus

2025-07-18 08:36:44 UTC

Mandate schools to not have normal lessons in T2 Week 9 and 10. Some schools are still having normal/typical lessons (at least 1 full week for some levels) on these weeks when it’s the perfect chance to build 21CC

Encourage schools to intentionally map programmes or lessons during this period to 21CC.

2025-07-18 08:36:46 UTC

Scrap national examinations. At least PSLE. Let students use their primary school years to focus on developing 21CC skills since it’s important foundation years. Develop their love of learning and curiosity of the world around them instead of focusing time on preparing for a life-changing (to most at least) exam

Develop Lesson package

2025-07-18 08:36:47 UTC

Use department white space or even PLT to brainstorm, design and implement to refine the lesson packages. This will lower the cognitive load of teachers in coming out their individual lessons.

Sharpen the CCE curriculum

2025-07-18 08:36:48 UTC

To reprioritize things that are more prevalent and to make the hard cut to remove things that are good, but not a priority. Some items can really just be reading material.

Free up TEACHERS time

2025-07-18 08:36:48 UTC

Subject specialisation at secondary level - can most teachers be effective at delivering 21CC across different disciplines?

Role specialisation - the skills required for form teachers/ CCA teachers, especially in schools that have the full expression of FSBB, is quite demanding. Maybe teachers can do either FT or CCA roles?

For teachers to be intentional in their planning, they also need time to think and design better experiences for students

Educate Parents

2025-07-18 08:36:54 UTC

To involve parents directly, on how they can also echo E21CC at home, to echo MOE’s efforts.

2025-07-18 08:37:03 UTC

What exactly is the role of SH/21CC / HOD/21CC / 21CC Comm?

2025-07-18 08:37:16 UTC

Reduce classroom size to do more work in class.
Like Finland, do not give homework.

21CC student ambassadors

2025-07-18 08:37:21 UTC

Shift 21CC from something taught to something lived and led by students themselves - co-opt them as agents of change.

Being intentional

2025-07-18 08:37:21 UTC

We need to be intentional in the design of learning experiences. With affordances of technology, are we able to take advantage of tech to do this?

Industry partnerships

2025-07-18 08:37:29 UTC

Allow for more opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom, helping to build industry partners and implementing internships in replacement of segments of the curriculum.

2025-07-18 08:37:30 UTC

Reduce the workload of teachers. Take care of teachers so that they can better take care of our students. Many teachers are experiencing burn out. Some left the service. We are not taking in new teachers. Secondary schools are facing a crunch of manpower.

2025-07-18 08:37:31 UTC

Promote interdisciplinary collaboration between different departments so as to streamline and at the same time help students to see the connections between different subject domains.

Have dedicated time allocated for teachers to plan 21cc into their programmes - dept time/reflection time.

2025-07-18 08:37:36 UTC

2025-07-18 08:37:47 UTC

We should streamline. I understand that with this BANI world it is so unpredictable hence developing 21CC is so important. But there is just too many changes coming from every direction it becomes a struggle for teachers to cope. Hence one thing that can be changed is the speed at which things are happening. Allow for deeper learning of a few things rather than so many things. Ensure that this is adhered to at all levels.

2025-07-18 08:37:49 UTC

Tapping on student agency. Involve students in designing part of their learning (eg certain school based programmes). This process itself would also help them build various areas of the 21CC too.

21cc

2025-07-18 08:37:51 UTC

Providing fail-safe platforms for ALL schools to have the opportunity to showcase students' strengths. How can we look beyond SYF type of platforms

Ideas

2025-07-18 08:37:53 UTC

Provide sch with ideas and suggestions on how we can incorporate e21cc in our lessons.

2025-07-18 08:37:53 UTC

Maintain a pool of ready-to-use resources that support the development of specific 21CC across various domains, enabling teachers to implement them without the need to design materials from scratch.

Provide time and space for the development of 21CC in schools.

2025-07-18 08:37:55 UTC

The LGM reflects the characteristics that we would observe in our students as they develop the e21Ccs. But as teachers, what reflects that we are developing the competencies and skills to be able to develop these competencies in the students? How would an effective e21cc teacher look like? What would that entail? It's not about assessing teachers, but this clarity will point us in the direction, or as KPs facilitate the necessary conversations or develop our teachers well. I don't have a solution, but perhaps we can look into what this means for teachers (beyond attending courses - head knowledge may not translate to practice, afterall, many experienced teachers were trained in a vastly different era.)

2025-07-18 08:38:00 UTC

Relook at manpower deployment

2025-07-18 08:38:16 UTC

Providing authentic opportunities and experiences for our students and teachers;

something to look forward to or learn beyond classroom/curriculum. A skill/experience that relates to career building

2025-07-18 08:38:23 UTC

Spread out national exams across two years?

Some subjects can be tested in sec 3, allowing more breathing space in Sec 4/5 curriculum hours?

Free up teachers

2025-07-18 08:38:33 UTC

If we want to be effective, we need to give teachers the space to be able to learn and try out the initiatives that schools would like to roll out. Teachers all want the best for students but everyone is too tired and overly stretched to be able to do these things well/even want to try out these initiatives.

Time and Space…

2025-07-18 08:38:37 UTC

are precious commodities. Improving manpower is one important area; looking for more efficient, innovative means to produce same outcomes ultimately stretch and tire the existing pool.

Reimagining the profession has to be bolder (eg allowing teachers to clock in and out of work flexibly) to allow teaching to be on par with other career options that attract talent and a generation that desires and prioritises work life balance.

Teachers do their best to drop what the ministry drops to lower the temperature, but the other powerful stakeholder, parents, as well as societal mindsets, need to be engaged in order to have real effect. Otherwise, it’s similar to the China effect - boosting a thriving tuition industry because they give the people what they STILL want. We have to change what they want!

2025-07-18 08:38:40 UTC

Be intentional in the SOW and give teachers time and space to implement and share. Concrete steps and plans can be made for teachers to share among peers and let them know that support ia available. Would be good to provide in the syllabus so that teachers can focus on implementing by using the ideas given.
Provide authentic learning experiences and real world context. Alternative Assessments can also be used to engage students in group work or projects.

2025-07-18 08:38:41 UTC

Understand that there will be alot of implications but possibility for having lesser chapters within subjects so there is more leeway for more exploring in depth of the chapters instead.

Possibility to free up teachers admin time so there is more time focused on planning and teaching.

Mindset change on the ground on the importance of E21CC

2025-07-18 08:39:29 UTC

Need time for school curricula to adjust to the infusion of E21CC
More opportunities to students to demonstrate E21CC competencies (will need some suggestions or rubrics from CPDD on how we can assess the demonstration of E21CC)

Have more teaching manpower

2025-07-18 08:39:47 UTC

To ensure a more balanced distribution of workload among all teachers, it’s essential to implement strategies that alleviate the strain on individual educators. By evenly allocating tasks, we can reduce the pressure on overburdened teachers, ensuring a more sustainable and efficient work environment for everyone.

Assessment

jason_seng_yang_sun1_1 — 2025-07-18 08:40:03 UTC

Assess students using E21CC criterion for one of the WAs across subjects for greater intentionality in assessment and feedback.

Having specialised personnel to assist classroom teachers

2025-07-18 08:40:17 UTC

Having these specialised personnel who are teachers but do not have to do classroom teacher but is on the ground to focus on material development. This would free will classroom teacher to focus on carrying out the plan while collaborating with the ‘designers’.

Suggestions

2025-07-18 08:41:12 UTC

Provide teachers time and space for reflection and better design lessons to achieve learning outcomes for 21CC through means such as hiring and reducing teaching classes/administrative work/teacher-student ratio.
Integrate 21CC outcomes into requirements for tertiary or employment requirements (not the best way to teach)

Not having 40 as a possible class size anymore.

2025-07-18 08:43:42 UTC

There are other implications to have smaller class size. We may want to avoid students ‘parachute’ in before the class is less than 40.