In what aspects are teachers struggling with curriculum implementation?

What support is most critical for quality enactment?

What PL offerings/ components could take a different approach, be paused or stopped?

How might we tap existing expertise and/or resources?

How can we leverage each EL Department ecosystem to build teachers’ capacity?

What PL offerings/ components could take a different approach, be paused or stopped?

What innovative approaches could we try for different teacher segments?

How might technology play a role?

What PL offerings/ components could take a different approach, be paused or stopped?

LSP - training of new LSCs remain, with asynchronous and synchronous sessions designed for different training content e.g. f2f training for practice of teaching procedures; for experienced teachers, networking session available for all LSCs, leveraging on those who are keen to share during the session.

RRP - training programme remains, but PL for new RRP teachers have been reduced to a lighter touch.

• P3P4 - group lesson conversation, submission of reflection form, optional sharing of lesson recording

• P5 - group lesson conversation, sharing of recording of lesson segment (teacher's choice)

Ideas for Future PL:

Scoping of training programme in terms of duration, content, mode, teacher's level of experience.

• Consider uploading training workshops for teachers' viewing. Training vides could be theme-based. Reduces tracking, encourage teacher agency.

• Target PL on teacher's level of experience e.g. experienced LSCs may attend networking session if they wish to. Certain teachers who are nominated for training have had prior training in other literacy support programmes, thus may not be required to go through the whole suite of training.

• Innovation - use of tech to design online training with interactive elements (SCORM package)

STELLAR EdTech

• time and effort spent on resources --> need to consider how well-received it is on the ground

STM

• remind ourselves of how this role came about

• pause and reconsider rationale

SLS

• trying to correct teachers' use of SLS lessons --> to use SLS resources for teaching more effectively

Have a customised approach for PL - F2F/ online/ MLU/ networking sess etc. when needed

Clarity of the different roles in school esp STM and ST EL

Partnering strategic stakeholders - ELIS, Clusters, NIE etc.

-We are all on the same page about empowering our strategic partners to help us in professional learning.

-We understand there is a need to streamline some of these roles (e.g. STM & LH) and that the teachers who hold these roles have greater accountability for safeguarding the curriculum.

-There is a need to prioritise and even differentiate professional learning for our teachers. A one-size-fits-all approach may no longer be sustainable or beneficial for our teachers.

Tech-enabled learning in the form of MLUs on OPAL 2.0 is a viable option (depending on the knowledge to be shared).

Last but not least, we should leverage the potential of rich sharing from schools (be it on a cluster or zonal level) to even the level playing field in schools in terms of curricular leadership.

Protected time to learn

I hear some common concerns raised in all 3 groups and I can relate some as I've personally struggled with them back as a teacher in school.

Keep, Adapt and Shelf are immensely important to have at the back of our minds in what we do here.

In terms of support on the ground, for adult learners and in this "TikTok" era, we have to rethink how the MLUs/ PLs are packaged for the learners (teachers).

We can also strengthen our partnership with NIE and ELIS to provide quality STELLAR training. This is further supported with face-to-face interaction and support by STMs in schools.

1) There is concurrence that much of the PL can/should/must be driven by ground-up initiatives by a community of teachers who are passionate about their cause and not see it as additional workload. I think for us to build a culture, things can be messy in the beginning. Just like how our curriculum specialists didn't take a night to build their expertise, teacher leaders need time to develop their competencies and grow into their roles. This then begs the question of what and how much we can let go and what we need to hold on to (esp for literacy support)

2) How do we promote and sustain such a culture of collective ownership? Teachers need to be recognised for their roles (in school, at cluster level etc) and the roles need to be clearly delineated. There should also be more interaction within the community across schools and clusters.

We are also hopeful with the teacher-supporting-teachers, not only do we initiate a network learning system on the ground, we also empower teachers to show up for the strengths that they have which can be a form of affirmation of their strengths (and hopefully support retention of teachers) and in return, we can provide the recognition for their contributions.

1. Empowering mentors (of good standard and calibre) to conduct trainings for new/ inexperienced teachers in various areas (STELLAR/ Lit Support) for their schools/ clusters

2. Coordinated cluster approach - to minimise workload yet maximise marginal gains in expected outcomes (Supts to have a list of mentors which Ps in the cluster can tap on). Tracking of growth of teachers to be done by schools/ clusters. Better coordination between NIE, ELIS, AST and ELLB.

3. ELLB to still be the anchor for the SCK part of PD and to come in to support cluster-based mentoring efforts

4. Recognition of effort of teachers- to look into avenues for this since RRP trs/ STMs are not "official positions"

Can this mindset be changed?

200 yrs later, another group of shamans wanted to revise the cuneiform and hieroglyphics experience, and as they began, a shaman brought in a black cat and tied it up to put it in a corner. The rest looked at him and asked "Why leh?" He said, "It has always been done. To have a successful meeting, we have to have a black cat tied up in a corner!"

1400 years later, cpdd officers are having a meeting in STELLAR Centre. (Metaphorical) black cats are in every corner. Do we still need them? Or are we always going to tie up a black cat because it was what used to be successful? What are we afraid of when we release our black cats?

However, I feel that we have to be cognizant of the fact that this in itself is an additional workload on teachers. If these efforts do not come with recognition we may lose our teachers. Passion alone might not suffice any longer. We also need to ensure fidelity in the content that is shared.

Leveraging on technology might be the way forward in many aspects and in my opinion, this would be an exciting challenge to navigate. Ensuring resources are available to teachers on a needs basis rather than forced upon all.

• PL Goals in Focus: Competence, Continuity and Collaboration

• Teacher networks

• Peer learning opportunities

• Sustainable support structures

For the above, there may be a need to more strongly exhort KP-TL to examine teacher competencies at the department level and individual teachers' level, and understand their PL needs to tap the ecosystem for school-based PL plans that are undergirded with strong SCK of STELLAR 2.0 and literacy support programmes. This includes synergising with NLCs with the support of Supts, Ps, collaborating with schools, actively charting learning path, seeking out PL workshops by AST to transfer their learning in schools. To rationalise bandwidth at ELLB, STM who can mentor newly deployed STM can be identified. STM with strong SCK/PCK can be nominated to take on a stronger mentoring role for the cluster/zone; their sharing can augment MLU-based "milestone" training for STMs.

Nice idea

Liked the idea about streamlining of roles--can STM, an unofficial function be taken over by STs or LHs? Afterall they are supposed to be the TLs of EL. This will cut down teacher and ELLB colleagues workload and time.

Balance needed

1. Involvement of cluster to helm training sessions sounds good but schools who have rotating HODs and reduction no. of teachers may prefer CPDD to do the training. Cluster training has lots of logistical planning besides just the training.

2. Use of MLUs--great idea for training but skills building and implementation works best with classroom observations and guidance. So, some content MLUs are fine but developing of skills may need handholding.

From our perspective, what we need are for schools to implement the curriculum with soundness and for ELS (whichever implementation year) to be adhered to. We are okay with adaptations as long as they are pedagogically sound. So how much control do we want?

Are we confident that they are able to make such decisions on their own?

Let's empower teachers. We can be their partners.

• to grapple with syllabus completion whilst managing numerous school and national events that disrupt teaching time. (time constraints vs curriculum expectation completion)

• to align diverse student profiles (apart from the LA, MA and HA, they are now dealing with students with SEN/ with transit students coming in over the years to come) and to pace learning according to students' readiness whilst meeting learning outcomes with curriculum requirements. (Further differentiation vs curriculum expectations)

  Proposed:

• to consider creating GL that gives teachers the autonomy to decide which needs to be covered and which are considered optional/ good to cover, depending on the class profile

• Professional development packages should be tailored on a needs basis. Teachers have autonomy to decide if PD is necessary esp if they have prior knowledge/ skills in related prgrammes eg SDR trained or LSP trained or RRP trained and to consider giving options for self-paced learning or MLUS instead of a mandatory in person/ synchronous online training for this group.

• Specially created packages for a group of flexi adjunct teachers that allows them to deliver an effective lesson delivery that is current to the pedagogic framework as they also form a majority of our EL teachers to ensure quality enactment.