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The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know
People look forward to investing in education when the education comprises exceptional learning opportunities, engaging lecturers and a diverse group of peers to study with.
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P
eople look forward to investing in education when the education comprises exceptional learning opportunities, engaging lecturers and a diverse group of peers to study with. Siti Raihana Binte Husainni had all of the above and more reasons to continue her studies, so she chose the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NIE NTU, Singapore) to do so.
“This program has afforded valuable learning opportunities for me to view curriculum and teaching issues in its granularity to the big picture and taught me to consider multiple perspectives in understanding its issues and potentials,” said Siti Raihana who decided to pursue the Master of Education (Curriculum and Teaching) at NIE NTU, Singapore. She had graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in the same university.
The Master of Education (Curriculum and Teaching) program is a specialization that aims at facilitating the growth of experienced educators who are committed to developing their expertise in curriculum and teaching. The program is designed to provide the fundamental knowledge and theoretical underpinnings of the curriculum-making process, from design to implementation to evaluation, as well as an informed and critical understanding of curriculum issues in local and international contexts and an appreciation of the role and responsibilities of curriculum leaders.
Siti Raihana said her educational journey had been humbling. She found that the famous quote by Aristotle, “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know”, perfectly summed up her thoughts on continuing education.
“The vulnerability of never knowing enough drives me to seek further so that I can continually grow to become a more thoughtful being and contributor to our society.”
Siti Raihana’s professional journey motivated her to enhance her knowledge of curriculum and teaching. During her posting as a curriculum planning officer in the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) at Singapore’s Ministry of Education, she and her team were tasked with planning a review and development of a new secondary mother-tongue languages syllabus. This compelled her to enhance her curriculum literacy and in-depth understanding of the complex facets of education.
“It was a poignant move and the two worked well in tandem to accelerate my learning,” she said.
Her colleagues who had graduated from the Master of Education (Curriculum and Teaching) program also highly recommended the program due to its structure, diverse course selection, and lecturers who critically engaged with learners.
Apart from the mentorship of experienced lecturers in NIE who were experts in Singapore’s educational context and versed in the international education landscape, Siti Raihana also found her peers to be one of the most interesting facets of the program. Her classmates came from various countries and professional backgrounds. Their discussions were enlivened with multiple perspectives, contexts and considerations that widened their critical thinking skills, their sensitivity and their thoughtfulness in approaching issues under the guidance of NIE’s lecturers.
Through the program, Siti Rahana grew to understand the complexities of education, educational change and implementation, as well as hone her research skills, which allowed her to be an active team player through the review, research and curation stages of curriculum development. What she learned in class also benefited her professional life as she was able to transfer the knowledge by contributing to rigorous discussions while planning for curriculum innovations in and across divisions. This experience also emboldened her to embark on cross-level deployment to primary schools to continue her learning journey and hopefully, trigger innovation.
“Like former graduates of the course, I echo their recommendation,” Siti Raihana added.
Thanking Dr Leonel Lim Tze-Wei and Dr Mardiana Bte Abu Bakar for their invigorating fervor and dedication, she shared her overall thoughts on the program.
“The passionate lecturers helped us find our own evolving ‘sweet spot’ of influencing change and supporting practices within our spheres of influence.”
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an autonomous institute under the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. It has been consistently ranked among the top 20 educational institutions in the world and the top three in Asia by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking. For more information on the range of graduate programs offered by NIE, please visit nie.edu.sg/ge.
Applications for NIE NTU’s January 2023 intake are now open until July 4. To apply, visit nie.edu.sg/jan2023.
If you had missed our 2022 Postgraduate & Continuing Education Fair (PG&CE 2022), watch our program-related talks and videos here: nie.edu.sg/pgce.
