MOE to pilot smaller classes, redesigned teacher roles in 6 schools from 2027

The Ministry of Education (MOE) will pilot new approaches to redesigning classrooms in six schools from January 2027, including exploring more flexible learning spaces, smaller classes and changes to how teachers' work is organised to better support learner-centred teaching.

The pilot will involve three primary schools and three secondary schools, as part of efforts to strengthen students' holistic development.

Education Minister Desmond Lee outlined the plans at this year's Schools Work Plan Seminar on Wednesday (Sept 16), where he announced two shifts to reimagine learning and redesign classrooms.

"To support these new ways of learning, we must redesign how teaching and learning take place in our classrooms," he said.

MOE said the pilot will explore how learner-centred teaching approaches and more purposeful feedback can be better incorporated into lessons, while giving teachers more time and space to focus more on students' learning and development.

The six schools participating in the pilot are St Anthony's Canossian Primary School, Woodgrove Primary School and Zhangde Primary School.

The secondary schools are Commonwealth Secondary School, Deyi Secondary School and Jurongville Secondary School.

MOE will work closely with the schools to provide guidance and support as they explore approaches suited to their needs and operating contexts, before considering how they could be applied more widely across schools.

Classrooms to be adapted for flexible learning

One of the strategies MOE will explore is adapting existing school spaces to support different learning activities.

This includes classrooms with mobile and modular furniture that can be easily rearranged, allowing spaces to accommodate both whole-class and small-group learning.

MOE will also look into technology-enabled learning environments that allow smoother transitions between physical and digital learning.

Lee said: "Tomorrow's classrooms will be different. Teachers will facilitate more discussions, observe how students think and collaborate, give timely feedback, and adapt teaching to their needs."

MOE will also explore whether more students could benefit from smaller classes, particularly where they can better support learner-centred teaching approaches.

It will consider whether more students could benefit from smaller classes, particularly where closer teacher attention and more timely feedback could make the greatest difference to teaching and learning.

Lee added that smaller classes do not automatically mean a lighter workload for teachers, as they could end up teaching more classes.

MOE will therefore consider smaller classes as part of a broader redesign of teaching and learning, alongside other measures to create capacity for teachers.

The ministry will also study the possibility of allowing teachers to focus on two of three responsibilities beyond classroom teaching: form teachership, co-curricular activities (CCAs) and committee work.

The time freed up could then be channelled towards teaching and strengthening classroom practices.

Teacher Workspace to be rolled out to all schools by 2027

MOE will also use technology to reduce the time teachers spend on administrative processes.

Teacher Workspace, a platform developed by the ministry, brings together student information, tools and everyday workflows in one place.

The platform aims to reduce the need for teachers to navigate between different digital systems, while giving them a more holistic view of each student's needs and development.

The platform has been piloted in about 20 schools.

Lianhua Primary School principal Pamela Kiew said teachers have responded positively to the platform, particularly its Student Insights feature.

She explained that the feature allows teachers to access information from different channels in one place, giving them a more complete picture of each student.

"Teachers really appreciate that holistic view of each child," she said.

Kiew added that having the information readily available allows teachers to take action more quickly, instead of spending time searching for details across different platforms.

"Teachers want most time in the classroom and not be bogged down by trying to look for things or to understand the thing, because it's already provided to you," she said.

She also said the platform has helped teachers make more informed decisions when planning programmes for students.

Kiew said: "The data really helps us to make good strategic decisions based on real data student needs."

She added that the platform has helped teachers consider students' academic, emotional and home support needs, allowing them to reach out in a more appropriate manner.

"A child can only thrive when we look at them holistically, and the data helps us with that," she said.

Teacher Workspace will be rolled out to all MOE schools by 2027, with additional features introduced progressively.

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com

教育部将于 2027 年 1 月起在六所学校试点推行新的教室改造方案，包括探索更灵活的学习空间、更小的班级规模以及改变教师的工作组织方式，以更好地支持以学习者为中心的教学。

该试点项目将涉及三所小学和三所中学，旨在加强学生的全面发展。

教育部长李智陞于周三（9月16日）在今年的学校工作计划研讨会上概述了相关计划，并宣布了两项改革措施，旨在重新构想学习方式和重新设计教室。

他说：“为了支持这些新的学习方式，我们必须重新设计课堂上的教学方式。”

教育部表示，该试点项目将探索如何更好地将以学习者为中心的教学方法和更有针对性的反馈融入课程中，同时让教师有更多的时间和空间专注于学生的学习和发展。

参与试点的六所学校分别是圣安东尼卡诺西亚小学、伍德格罗夫小学和张德小学。

这些中学分别是：联邦中学、德义中学和裕廊维尔中学。

教育部将与各学校密切合作，为它们提供指导和支持，帮助它们探索适合自身需求和运作环境的方法，然后再考虑如何将这些方法更广泛地应用于各学校。

教室将进行改造，以适应灵活学习。

教育部将探索的策略之一是改造现有学校空间，以支持不同的学习活动。

这包括配备可移动和模块化家具的教室，这些家具可以轻松重新布置，从而为全班学习和小组学习提供空间。

教育部还将研究能够实现实体学习和数字学习之间更顺畅过渡的技术赋能学习环境。

李说：“未来的课堂将会不同。教师将引导更多讨论，观察学生的思考和协作方式，给予及时的反馈，并根据学生的需求调整教学。”

教育部还将探讨更多学生是否能从小班教学中受益，尤其是在小班教学能够更好地支持以学生为中心的教学方法的情况下。

它将考虑小班授课是否能让更多学生受益，尤其是在教师更密切的关注和更及时的反馈能够对教学和学习产生最大影响的情况下。

李补充说，小班授课并不意味着教师的工作量会减轻，因为他们最终可能需要教授更多课程。

因此，教育部将考虑缩小班级规模，作为更广泛的教学改革的一部分，同时采取其他措施来提高教师的能力。

教育部还将研究允许教师在课堂教学之外，专注于以下三项职责中的两项的可能性：班主任职责、课外活动 (CCA) 和委员会工作。

腾出的时间可以用于教学和加强课堂教学实践。

教师工作空间将于2027年前推广至所有学校。

教育部还将利用科技手段减少教师在行政事务上花费的时间。

教师工作空间是教育部开发的平台，它将学生信息、工具和日常工作流程集中在一个地方。

该平台旨在减少教师在不同数字系统之间切换的需求，同时让他们更全面地了解每个学生的需求和发展情况。

该平台已在约 20 所学校进行了试点。

莲花小学校长 Pamela Kiew 表示，教师们对该平台反响积极，尤其是其“学生洞察”功能。

她解释说，这项功能可以让教师在一个地方访问来自不同渠道的信息，从而更全面地了解每个学生的情况。

“老师们非常欣赏这种对每个孩子进行全面了解的看法，”她说。

Kiew补充说，信息的便捷获取可以让教师更快地采取行动，而不是花费时间在不同的平台上搜索细节。

“教师们希望把大部分时间都花在课堂上，而不是被寻找资料或理解知识所困扰，因为这些资料已经提供给他们了，”她说。

她还表示，该平台帮助教师在为学生制定课程计划时做出更明智的决定。

Kiew表示：“这些数据确实有助于我们根据学生的真实需求做出良好的战略决策。”

她补充说，该平台帮助教师考虑学生的学业、情感和家庭支持需求，使他们能够以更合适的方式与学生沟通。

“只有从整体上看待孩子，他们才能茁壮成长，而数据可以帮助我们做到这一点，”她说。

教师工作空间将于 2027 年前推广至所有教育部学校，并逐步推出其他功能。

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com