Introduction
This course is aimed at trainers of the Code For Fun enrichment programme for primary and secondary schools, and/or those in a similar role, especially those without prior pedagogical training or teaching experience.
In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of managing primary and secondary school students in order to create a conducive environment for effective learning of digital coding and related skills. You will also learn to plan and deliver engaging learning experiences suited to your students' profiles through varied pedagogical stances, strategies, and learning approaches. You will practice what you have learned and be assessed through micro-teaching sessions. You may be deployed as a CFF Trainer upon successfully passing the course.
Course Availability
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Date(s): 07 to 11 Sep 2026
Venue: NIE Block 2
Registration Closing Date: 14 Aug 2026
At the end of the course, learners will:
- Be able to describe and reflect on the fundamentals of teacher professionalism, teacher authority, and their application to classroom practice
- Identify and select appropriate proactive and remedial intervention strategies for classroom management of primary and secondary students
- Identify and select appropriate computing pedagogies and instructional approaches to deliver learning experiences to various student profiles.
- Gain and apply pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) on the teaching of computational thinking, key computing concepts, and digital competencies.
- Practice, critique, and reflect on what they have learned through role play activities.
Day 1: Pedagogical Fundamentals and Classroom Management
- Course Introduction
- Teacher Professionalism
- Authority bases
- Proactive intervention strategies
- Remedial intervention strategies
- Analysis of classroom scenarios
- Application of strategies to classroom scenarios
- Reflection on the application
Day 2: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Developing Learners’ Digital Competencies
- Introduction to Computing Pedagogies
- PCK of Computing Concepts, Computational Thinking and Problem Solving
- Approaches to Teaching of Visual Programming Languages
- Approaches to Teaching with microcontroller hardware
- Adopting Integrative STEM approaches
- Engaging Learners in Digital Making activities using external modules for microcontrollers (CFF kits) and emerging technologies
- Introduction to and preparation for microteaching
- Lesson planning exercise
Day 3: Microteaching Practice
- Split into two equal groups of 15 learners each with one NIE instructor
- Each learner to plan and enact a short (10-15 minutes) segment of a CFF Lesson to the other learners in the group who will role-play as students. Learners to apply appropriate approaches and instructional skills learned.
- At the end of each microteaching segment, the other learners will provide peer-critique and the instructor will provide formative feedback and guidance (5 minutes).
- Microteaching to be conducted at the rate of 2 to 3 learners per hour.
- Any remaining time at the end of Day 3 can be utilised for generalised feedback and guidance.
Day 4: Microteaching Assessment
- Repeat of microteaching practice session, but with summative assessment of each microteaching performance. Peer and Instructor feedback for further improvement can be provided as needed.
This course is designed for trainers who are to be deployed to conduct the Code For Fun Enrichment Programme in schools, and/or other instructors and facilitators in similar roles. No prior pedagogical experience is required, but basic familiarity with the use of microcontrollers, associated accessories, and visual programming would be advantageous.
Standard Course Fee: S$4360
| SSG Funding Support | Course fee | Course fee payable after SSG funding, if eligible under various schemes |
| BEFORE funding & GST | AFTER funding & 9% GST | |
| Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) (Up to 50% funding) | S$4,000.00 | S$2,360.00 |
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS) | S$1560.00 | |
| SCs aged ≥ 40 years old SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES) (Up to 70% funding) |
Funding Requirements:
- You must achieve a minimum of 75% attendance for each module.
- You must complete and pass all assessment components.Read more about funding here.
Credits :
- SkillsFuture Credit:(Opening Credit) : Applicable
- SkillsFuture Credit ($4000 Mid-Career Top-Up Credit): Not Applicable
- NTU/NIE Alumni Credits (up to S$1,600): Applicable
NTU/NIE alumni may utilise their $1,600 Alumni Course Credits. Click here for more information.
Choy Doris
Dr Doris Choy is an Associate Professor in the Learning Sciences and Assessment Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Choy earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University and her Ph.D. in Educational Technology, Curriculum and Instructional at Purdue University.
Her research interests include technology enhanced learning, technological pedagogical content knowledge, teacher education, adult learning and instructional design. She has published in journals such as Learning and Individual Differences, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, etc.
She teaches instructional design and technology, training methods and strategies, blended learning at the graduate and continuing education level. She serves as the Programme Leader of the Master of Arts in Professional Education (Training and Development). She teaches technology for meaningful learning, classroom management at the undergraduate and post-graduate diploma levels. NIE awarded her Excellence in Teaching Commendation in 2017 and 2019.
Tan Ter Ming Timothy
A lifelong 'maker', Timothy 's interests in both teaching and research, are in the teaching of science with an integrative approach, STEM integration and the use of design-and-make activities. He has always been keen to develop learning resources and laboratory activities that cater to the integrated, interdisciplinary teaching of the natural sciences in schools. In particular, he is interested in approaches that in recent years have become defined as 'maker culture', such as where learners learn science by building their own instrumentation or devices. He is also interested in the use of technology in science education, such as using connected internet of things (IoT) sensors for data acquisition and analysis for applied learning; and in the use of 360-degree video media for immersive learning environments (ILE). Timothy teaches pre-service curriculum studies in Computer Applications (CPA) and Primary Science, selected in-service courses in Primary and Lower Secondary Science, as well as undergraduate academic subject courses in molecular genetics and biotechnology. He is also part of the team at the meriSTEM@NIE Centre. Timothy's broad portfolio is both reflected in and possible because of his background. He obtained a BSc (Honours) in Biochemistry and worked at Tan Tock Seng Hospital as a Medical Technologist prior to receiving his MSc from NIE/NTU for his work on the serological diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Working full-time in NIE since 2003, his focus transitioned to teaching and learning of science and he eventually obtained his PhD in Science Education from NIE/NTU.
Timothy is a Council Member of the Singapore Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAS), and a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), European Science Education Research Association (ESERA), Australian Science Education Research Association (ASERA), International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA), and The Singapore Institute of Biology (SIBiol). He has been on the Organising Committee for the International Science Education Conference (ISEC), Singapore (2006, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2021), Organising Committee of the International Biology Olympiad held in Singapore (2012), as well as past Editor of the SIBiol Bulletin (2007-2010), past Honorary Treasurer (2003-2006), Council Member (2006-2013) of SIBiol.
Seow Sen Kee, Peter
Peter Seow is a Lecturer/Research Scientist in the Office of Education Research in NIE. With his computer science background, he has been studying how students can develop Computational Thinking competencies though physical computing such as the micro:bit boards and unplugged approaches to develop computing concepts. He is deeply involved in the design of constructionist approaches such as tinkering where students can develop concepts and knowledge through creating physical and virtual artefacts that can iteratively reflected, revised and improved to be shared with others. Not only is he interested in how students develop science concepts through tinkering activities but also their social-emotional competencies such as self-efficacy, resilience and social development.
Edwin Chng
Edwin Chng is an assistant professor of science education at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore. At present, Edwin teaches both biology education and computing education courses in NIE. Prior to joining NIE, Edwin was trained as a secondary school Physics and Biology teacher in Singapore. During his time as a schoolteacher, Edwin has had teaching and curriculum leadership experience in two local secondary schools, as well as a short research analyst stint in Research & Management Information Division, Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Edwin’s current research interest lies in the extraction of relevant student information from classrooms to support evidence-based intervention strategies. As such, he works primarily in the fields of multimodal learning analytics, educational data mining, and artificial intelligence (AI) in education. With the use of student pose and gaze data, Edwin has studied how students collaborate and how teachers facilitate in open-ended learning environments such as makerspaces. With the use of computer vision, Edwin has examined the deployment of AI agents to support science teachers with informed pedagogical and technological considerations. Overall, Edwin is interested in the educated use of technological innovations to augment teaching and learning in traditional classrooms.
Academic Background
PhD in Education, Harvard University (USA)
MSc in Computational Science and Engineering, Harvard University (USA)
Postgraduate Diploma in Education, National Institute of Education (Singapore)
MASt in Applied Mathematics, University of Cambridge (UK)
BSc in Physics with Theoretical Physics, Imperial College London (UK)
Ng Yong Sim
Yong Sim has been with the Natural Sciences and Science Education (NSSE) Department of NIE/NTU as a lecturer since 2016. He was also with NSSE/NIE/NTU as a Teaching Fellow for 3 years from 2011 to 2013. He received his Master of Education (MEd) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) with Distinction from NIE/NTU and BEng (Hons) from School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from NTU. He was awarded NIE NEXUS Award (Team) in 2020 and NIE Excellence in Teaching Commendation Award in 2019 & 2023.
Prior to joining NIE/NTU, Yong Sim was with the Ministry of Education (Singapore) where he taught in secondary schools between 2004 to 2015. Yong Sim held the position of Senior Teacher and has experience in mentoring teachers. He is committed to work involving Design & Technology (D&T) education in the secondary schools and shared his professional practices to many D&T teachers in numerous D&T sharing platforms.
