OER Organises the Inaugural Research-Practice (RP) Connection for Lead Teachers (East Zone)

The School Partnership Unit (SPU) of the Office of Education Research (OER) and the East Zone Teacher Leaders Committee (EZTLC) jointly organized the inaugural RP Connection at Yusof Ishak Secondary School (YISS) on 29 March 2023. The SPU team was led by Dr Imelda Caleon (Assistant Dean for Partnerships, OER), Ms Monica Ong (Teaching Fellow, OER) and Dr Jack Fogarty (Education Research Scientist, OER).

Held as part of the EZTLC’s Professional Learning for Lead Teachers (LTs) in the East Zone, the RP Connection sought to provide opportunities for LTs to have a professional discourse with researchers from the National Institute of Education (NIE) on assessment literacy.

Co-conceptualized by SPU and EZTLC, the RP Connection is a new model of professional learning between researchers and practitioners that is anchored on the ideas of mutuality, strengthening research-practice nexus, translation of research, and supporting professional learning of LTs to further impact and improve practice through their leadership roles, at their respective schools (see Figure 1). 53 LTs participated in the inaugural session as part of their professional growth.

 

Figure 1. The different phases of the Research-Practice (RP) Connection.

After the introduction to the RP Connection, each of the NIE researchers presented their research in two consecutive sessions. Associate Professor Kelvin Tan shared about “Secondary Teachers’ Experiences of Assessment Feedback: Typology and Conceptions” while Dr Tay Hui Yong’s presentation was about “Afl in an Inclusive Classroom”. Dr Wong Hwei Ming conducted a sharing on “Building Teachers’ and Students’ Capacities in Student-Involved Assessment in Primary Classrooms”.

The second part of the session featured round table discussions between researchers and TLs on the application of the shared research findings in the classroom context and leadership practice. Facilitated by EZTLC, participants distilled valuable learning through professional discourse at the round tables by sharing their own applications of research in their classrooms and leadership practice. They were also engaged in layering and deepening of their own understanding of assessment literacy and its applications. 

To conclude the RP Connection, there was a plenary discussion on the learning points from the research sharing and research-practice discussions, how the findings can be translated to practice, and the gaps and challenges that were surfaced in applying such findings in the school context. Heartened by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, OER and EZTLC are encouraged by the win-win partnership formed and follow up sessions will be planned to further deepen and enrich the professional learning of LTs while providing researchers with ground-up information and practices to strengthen their own research work for the benefit of the education fraternity.

 

Principal Master Teacher Mdm Irene Tan from the Academy of Singapore Teachers leads the plenary discussion on the learning points from the research sharing.

Dr Tay Hui Yong from the Learning Sciences and Assessment Academic Group presents on Afl in an inclusive classroom.

Dr. Wong Hwei Ming from the Office of Education Research shares about building teachers’ and students’ capacities in student-involved assessment in primary classrooms.

 

Associate Professor Kelvin Tan from the Learning Sciences and Assessment Academic Group shares about secondary teachers’ experiences of assessment feedback.