TEC Launches Its First TECTalk Featuring the Teacher Observation Platform

The Technology for Education Centre (TEC) recently launched its inaugural TECTalk with an engaging sharing by Professor John Wang Chee Keng, Dr Chua Li Lian, and Mr Tea Lee Seng on the Teacher Observation Platform (TOP) — an AI-enabled initiative that explores how technology can be used to assess teachers’ motivating styles in the classroom. 

Held on 29 April as part of TEC’s TECTalk series, the event aimed to bring faculty together to explore emerging innovations, research, and practices in education technology. Participants attended the session to learn about the development journey behind TOP, the findings that informed the project, and how artificial intelligence can be meaningfully applied in teacher education. 

Developed through a collaboration between NIE and Amazon Web Services (AWS), TOP uses machine learning trained on Singapore classroom data to analyse teachers’ verbal interactions and provide feedback on instructional behaviours. The platform is designed to support the development of autonomy-supportive teaching practices that foster student motivation, engagement, and positive classroom experiences. 

During the sharing, Professor Wang highlighted findings from the earlier ERFP project, “Creating a Motivating School”, which involved 20 secondary schools. The study found that teachers can learn to become more autonomy-supportive and less controlling in their classroom interactions, with such instructional approaches positively influencing students’ motivation and engagement. 

Faculty attendees also gained insights into how TOP works in practice. The current version focuses on teachers’ verbal expressions and has achieved over 85% accuracy in identifying motivating styles from classroom recordings. Future enhancements may include analysing additional cues such as tone of voice, body language, and other teaching behaviours. 

Beyond showcasing a promising AI application in education, the session also sparked broader conversations on how faculty can leverage analytics, feedback systems, and reflective tools in teaching and professional learning. The sharing offered valuable perspectives for colleagues interested in pedagogy, educational innovation, AI in education, and teacher development. 

As TEC continues to grow its community of practice around education technology, more TECTalks featuring innovative projects, research, and collaborations will be rolled out for faculty in the coming months. Stay tuned for the next session!