Forming Global Connections

It was the first time I had the opportunity to share about Singapore’s education system with student teachers from another country. Knowledge about the different educational streams offered in Singapore, which we take for granted, was new information to them. I hope there will be more opportunities to share experiences with and learn from teachers from other countries. Through such exchanges, we learn new strategies and pedagogies that could be useful in our career as educators.

The video conference enabled me to learn about the education landscape in the US and made me realize how fortunate we are in Singapore because we are exposed to and can learn from different cultures and ethnic groups. The sharing emphasized the importance of having an open mind to learn from and about other cultures. In a digital era, technology such as the ZOOM application, is a useful platform for educators around the world to meet and share useful teaching strategies for the benefit of students.

The online conference provided me with an enriching opportunity as we are further exposed to the different teaching atmosphere and culture across the world. Singapore is well-known for her strong education system, yet we have much more to learn about the education cultures of other countries.

Taking part in the session was an interesting experience! One thing that striked me most about the teacher training programme in the US was the mandatory course on teaching in a multicultural environment that students have to take. These student teachers are also trained in special needs education. This experience made me reflect on how I could better prepare myself to create an inclusive classroom, especially because Malay language classrooms today are becoming more culturally diverse.

Despite having to stay up till the wee hours because of the different time zones, we were excited to exchange our thoughts and knowledge on education with IUPUC students! From the sharing, I learnt more about the teacher education programme and the bilingual education system in the US. I would love to have another opportunity to interact and share experiences with other international student teachers!