Ms Siah Siew Ling (BSc (Ed), Class of 2004) believes you don't have to be a Captain Marvel or a Wonder Woman to bring out the best in your students. Welcome to her teaching universe!

At NIE, Siew Ling was trained to teach English and Mathematics as core curriculum subjects. Fast forward to 2021, this School Staff Developer at Corporation Primary School has done us proud as a newly minted recipient of the 2021 President's Award for Teachers (PAT).

“It has always been my passion to teach and connect with the hearts and minds of young learners,” she explained. She sees herself as a learning facilitator, and believes in tapping into unique qualities inherent in each student to create personal and engaging learning experiences — a teaching style that comes naturally to those who truly believe that every child can and wants to learn.

For Siew Ling, the main challenge has to do with the pace and motivation of her students to learn. Citing the need for great teacher-student relationships, she said, “It helps if you are prepared to invest the time to discover the interests, talents and strengths of each child. Provide opportunities for them to display their strengths and talent and celebrate their successes with them so that they can gain the confidence to grow and soar.”

That's a tall order, we thought, given the tremendous demands that teachers already face with teaching, coaching and supervision. Siew Ling smiles, giving NIEWS a quick peek into her mindset as an educator. “If I were a superhero, I would be a hybrid between Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman. Captain Marvel possesses enhanced strength, stamina and a ‘secret seventh sense' which enables her to see flashes of the future. I try to channel these instincts to discern the potential of each child as I think of better and more relevant ways to help the student. As for Wonder Woman, I like her compassion, which inspires me to cultivate the right attributes to value and show care for those around me,” she revealed.

We love that Siew Ling is driven to summon her own ‘Avengers Assemble!' moment in school, but how would this transform her day-to-day engagement with students? “To me, rethinking possibilities in education is about enculturation. As educators, we are ‘sending messages' not only through the subjects we teach, but also through the way we teach and interact with students. To truly reshape the learning experience, it would be equally important to hear the thoughts and voices of our students, and value their skills and contributions,” she shared.

Recounting an initiative that she had been particularly proud of, Siew Ling said, “During the school's 45th Anniversary in 2020, we came up with a publication to celebrate the theme of ‘Empowering Pupils, Embracing Community'. The book was a compilation of short stories, poetry and comic strips bearing the reflections of students and alumni, with themes ranging from home and relationships, to people and the environment. In empowering the P6s to lead the project, my colleagues and I wanted to create an opportunity for them to discover their talents and collaborate on a common goal. The ‘interviewers' and ‘writers' were given free rein to craft their narratives and ideas, the ‘designers' had to package and present the publication, while the ‘photographers' and ‘videographers' helped to document the interviews and special moments.”

Siew Ling remembers being extremely impressed with her students' accomplishments. “I saw that the P6s were able to grow and exemplify the school values through their respective roles. They also discovered their voices, opinions and confidence through the process, demonstrating resilience by overcoming the challenges faced during the Circuit Breaker and juggling project deadlines with the demands of PSLE,” she added.

Looking at the initiatives and resources available today, she cannot help but envy the opportunities given to her students. “The experiential learning opportunities encouraged pupils to explore, discover and make connections in their learning. The multidisciplinary school programmes broadened their learning horizons, while the incorporation of 21st century competencies into school curricula has nurtured essential soft skills like critical thinking, creative thinking and leadership. I would have loved to go through these rich learning opportunities as a child!” Siew Ling reflected.

Nevertheless, she is already embracing her platform as a PAT recipient to encourage and inspire her peers. “Teachers are in a privileged position to create opportunities for their students — opportunities for engagement, to challenge misconceptions, to delve deep, explore, create meaning and to think. Learn to ask questions like ‘How does this opportunity challenge the student?', ‘Does it require them to think?', ‘How would the content and knowledge be processed?' and ‘How can I promote collaborative learning effectively?' Last but not least, focus on student learning outcomes and not the work you would have to put in. The process may be challenging in the beginning, but it is definitely going to be rewarding once the learning progresses.”