Concurrent Session

For this project, we aimed to find out how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help to support mentoring and teacher self-assessment. Traditional classroom observations frequently involve mentors having to actually be in the classroom, and this approach has its limitations as it is rather intrusive, may result in changes in students' behavior, and also can be perceived as ad hoc - since the mentor cannot usually be in the classroom all the time. This approach is also very reliant on the mentor. AI offers potential to sidestep some of these issues -- for instance, a) it can collect huge amounts of data and help to synthesize and summarize data over time; b) it can be more objective and evidence-based; c) it reduces the need for mentors to be in the classroom all the time, as AI can help to collect data and provide a summary for mentor and mentee to reflect on and discuss together during their professional development discussions; d) it can also offer useful feedback for teachers during from lesson preparation, to lesson enactment, and even how their actions are creating a positive classroom culture, or not. There were different approaches that we trialed - including building a chatbot to give teachers differentiated and personalized feedback on their lesson plans; recording and having AI analyze transcripts of lessons and groupwork. We collected pre- and post-survey data from mentors and mentees. Preliminary feedback showed that AI had potential for enhancing the mentoring process, but there were also certain limitations - mostly due to the stage of advancement that the current tools are at. However, we do have recommendations for how we can use AI in the future, when technology advances, as it surely will.

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping professional practices in education, yet the extent to which teachers are prepared to adopt and integrate these tools remains unclear. This study examines AI readiness, adoption patterns, and emerging teacher beliefs through pre/post surveys and open-ended reflections collected from 43 secondary and pre-university teachers in Singapore. The research focuses on how teachers currently use GenAI in their professional work, what factors shape their readiness, and how these patterns align with global trends.
Quantitative findings show that although almost all teachers (98%) had prior exposure to AI tools, actual classroom-oriented use was concentrated in a small set of efficiency-driven tasks such as drafting content, generating examples, summarising information, and rephrasing text. Cross-analysis of AI tools and teacher professional tasks revealed a clear imbalance: teachers made frequent use of AI in curriculum planning and resource creation but rarely applied AI to differentiation, assessment design, or student engagement. This reflects a usage gap between the affordances of contemporary AI tools and how teachers currently employ them in practice.
AI readiness patterns indicate high technical familiarity but uneven confidence across pedagogical and ethical dimensions. While teachers reported increased openness to AI following hands-on exposure, they also expressed caution about accuracy, student dependency, data risk, and the erosion of professional judgement. Open-ended reflections highlighted strong interest in using AI to accelerate routine tasks, alongside persistent concerns about maintaining relational, contextual, and ethical responsibilities.
This study offers practical insights for schools, policymakers, and professional development designers seeking to integrate GenAI meaningfully into teaching practice. Findings underscore the need to move beyond tool proficiency toward sustained support for pedagogical integration, ethical discernment, and responsible use. The results contribute regionally grounded evidence to the growing international discourse on educators’ readiness for AI-enhanced teaching and learning.

Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly reshaping the educational ecosystem, posing new challenges for teacher professional development. Grounded in the TPACK-in-Action framework and aligned with the demands of the intelligent era, this study constructed a research hypothesis on the factors influencing teachers’ AI-TPACK development, including activities, interpersonal environment, institutional environment, technological environment, and temporal dimension. Using a sample of 200 middle school teachers from National Smart Social Governance Experimental Base, who participated in AI-integrated teaching research activities, we systematically investigated the key factors and mechanisms affecting AI-TPACK development through structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that teachers’ AI-TPACK development results from the synergistic interplay of multiple factors, necessitating the construction of a multi-domain collaborative institutional ecosystem, the cultivation of teacher learning communities, the establishment of sustainable development mechanisms, and the promotion of practical knowledge transformation through action research to advance technology integration. This study provides theoretical foundations and actionable strategies for teacher professional development in the AI era.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI); K-12 Schools; Teachers; TPACK; Predicting Factors

With the increasing use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Chinese language classrooms, teachers are able to provide students with large amounts of instant, AI-generated feedback. However, students do not always interpret this information effectively, extract actionable strategies, or apply them in new learning contexts. As a result, the impact of AI-generated feedback on learning transfer and self-regulation remains limited. This study addresses this gap by drawing on Hattie’s feedback loop theory to examine why AI-enabled feedback does not always lead to meaningful transfer, and how feedback task design can enhance students’ feedback literacy and metacognitive abilities.

Within the W3 school cluster’s collaborative research framework, teachers engaged in a lesson study approach involving cycles of joint inquiry, school-based enactment, and cross-school exchange. Through this iterative process, teachers deepened their understanding of feedback loops and AI-supported instructional design. The investigation revealed two main categories of student barriers: (1) Cognitive barriers, difficulty identifying deep misconceptions and extracting transferable strategies from AI feedback; and (2) Affective barriers, low confidence and sense of agency, which hinder sustained engagement in improvement actions.

Findings suggest that effective AI-enabled feedback practices should emphasise the development of feedback interpretation skills, the formation of actionable strategies, opportunities for cross-context application, and explicit support for metacognitive regulation. Based on these insights, the study proposes a preliminary “Transfer-Oriented Feedback Loop Model,” offering teachers a theoretically grounded and practically applicable framework through which AI feedback can function as a genuine driver of learning transfer and self-regulated learning.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has created a critical opening to redesign assessment practices within business and management programs. As workplaces increasingly value autonomy, creativity, and lifelong learning, heutagogy, centered on learner-driven decision-making, capability development, and reflective inquiry, offers a forward-looking pedagogical lens. This study proposes the Heutagogical AI-Augmented Learning Assessment Framework for Business Education, focusing on how Gen AI can transform assessment from a performance-measurement exercise into a dynamic, self-directed learning process. Rooted in the seminal work of Hase and Kenyon (2000), the study positions AI as an enabler of personalized evaluation, authentic learning evidence, and reflective growth rather than a mere grading tool.

This study adopts a qualitative design grounded primarily in a comprehensive literature review. Existing scholarship on heutagogical pedagogy, AI-enabled assessment, digital learning analytics, and business education evaluation models will be systematically analyzed to identify conceptual intersections and gaps. Using insights from this synthesis, the study will develop a conceptual framework illustrating how Gen AI can scaffold self-regulated assessment pathways, generate formative feedback, and cultivate learner capability through reflective cycles. Anticipated framework components include adaptive assessment tasks, AI-supported feedback systems, reflective dialogue agents, and authentic business problem simulations that serve as assessment environments. The proposed framework articulates how generative AI, intelligent analytics, and conversational feedback interventions can embed heutagogical principles into assessment design to strengthen learner agency and capability development. By shifting evaluation from static testing to continuous, learner-driven evidence-building, AI-enabled assessment can improve engagement, metacognitive awareness, and real-world readiness among business students.

This conceptual research study contributes to academic discourse by defining how AI augmentation can operationalize heutagogy within assessment structures. It offers practical guidance for educators and curriculum designers seeking to align learning evaluation with contemporary professional demands. The framework will serve as a foundational reference for future empirical validation and as an innovation pathway for business schools aiming to cultivate autonomous, reflective, and future-ready graduates equipped to navigate complex digital business environments.

As generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini become increasingly present in students' daily routine, educators face an urgent and practical question: how can AI be integrated in ways that strengthen students’ thinking, rather than encourage over-reliance or superficial learning? This presentation argues that Knowledge Building pedagogy and technology provide a critical missing link in current discussions about AI in education. Without a clear pedagogical foundation that foregrounds students’ responsibility for ideas and collective knowledge advancement, the use of chatbots risks positioning AI as a shortcut to answers rather than a catalyst for deeper learning. Knowledge Building offers a principled approach for integrating AI by focusing classroom activity on idea generation, explanation building, critique, and continuous improvement. Using Knowledge Forum as a technology platform, students make their thinking visible, build on one another’s ideas, and use structured scaffolds to deepen inquiry. Within this environment, AI tools are intentionally positioned as supports for sense-making and reflection, not as substitutes for student thinking. Chatbots can be used to challenge assumptions, surface alternative perspectives, or help students synthesise emerging ideas, while the responsibility for advancing knowledge remains firmly with the learners. Drawing on classroom examples and student discourse, one of the examples in this presentation is to illustrate how Knowledge Building creates an environment in which students leverage real-time affective feedback to interact productively with both AI and peers, with a clear emphasis on effortful thinking, collaboration, and idea improvement. Specifically, we demonstrate how the tool helps students reframe moments of confusion or frustration not as obstacles, but as signals to deepen inquiry. Importantly, as students internalise these metacognitive norms and practices, the scaffolding provided by AI can be gradually reduced. Over time, students demonstrate greater epistemic independence, using AI strategically to extend and refine their thinking rather than stopping at surface-level responses, ultimately taking full ownership of their emotional and cognitive regulation. We also include a chatbot that does not foreground knowledge building but uses knowledge building principle as its underlying design consideration to bring about meta-cognition when students interacts with it.

This Professional Learning Team (PLT) 2025 report documents an action research project conducted with Primary 6 Science students to enhance concept mastery through the use of generative AI–enabled feedback. Anchored in the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) framework, the project focuses on formative assessment, differentiated instruction, and technology integration, with specific emphasis on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA) as a targeted remediation tool.

The central research question investigates how immediate feedback and repetition generated by AI can improve students’ performance ability, particularly in answering open-ended Science questions related to adaptations. The project adopts an action research approach, involving systematic planning, intervention, data collection, reflection, and refinement of teaching practices. The target group comprises Primary 6 high- and middle-progress students attending remedial Science lessons.

The intervention design includes pre-tests and post-tests, SLS progressive quizzes with AI-generated feedback, and structured opportunities for students to refine their responses using the Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) framework. Data sources include students’ written work, SLS analytics (e.g. heat maps), pre- and post-test comparisons, and qualitative student feedback. These data are used to identify learning gaps, evaluate the effectiveness of AI-mediated feedback, and inform instructional decisions.

Findings indicate that immediate, targeted feedback supports students in refining their answering techniques, increases engagement, and contributes to improved conceptual understanding. However, challenges remain, particularly in students’ literacy fluency and their ability to interpret lengthy or insufficiently targeted AI feedback. The study highlights the continued importance of teacher oversight in vetting AI-generated feedback and aligning it closely with lesson objectives.

Overall, the project demonstrates the potential of AI tools, when thoughtfully integrated, to enhance formative assessment and remediation in primary Science education. It concludes with reflections on professional learning, implications for practice, and recommendations for scaling and refining AI-supported feedback to better meet diverse learner needs.

Scientific literacy involves achieving a grasp of scientific practices as articulated in the US Next Generation Science Standards or the Ways of Thinking and Doing in Science (WOTD) in the Science Curriculum Framework by the Singapore Ministry of Education. Instruments are needed to reliably evaluate students’ scientific practices to inform classroom pedagogy in science education. Currently, there are limited survey instruments to assess scientific practices with respect to the practices under WOTD for Singapore secondary school students. A scientific practices instrument was constructed with three item bundles which totals up to 15 individual items. Each item is mapped to a scientific practice highlighted under WOTD. This study investigates student performance in the scientific practices using the constructed instrument and explores its applications for teaching and learning in schools. The instrument was administered to secondary school students and coded with moderate to almost perfect inter-rater reliability measured by Cohen’s kappa. Items were analysed using Rasch model analysis and shown to be unidimensional. The instrument demonstrated good item separation and reliability but low person separation and reliability. This was addressed through the addition of easier items as the items’ mean difficulty was higher than student ability. As data collection and analysis is still ongoing, current results show that items involving the scientific activity of evaluating to be the most difficult for students, followed by explaining and investigating. The instrument has potential to be an Assessment for Learning (AfL) tool to provide classroom teachers with formative feedback to inform pedagogy towards the scientific practices. Applications may also include low stakes testing and student profiling within schools.

In this paper, we explore the ways in which arts-based assessment can deepen the teaching and learning of Literature. Uniquely positioned in the School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA), our students spend seven hours a week engaging with their art form (theatre, visual arts, dance, music, literary arts) as part of their formal curriculum. SOTA’s Integrative Learning Model was developed as a way of codifying ground-up interdisciplinary practices and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations. The model draws on Julie Thompson Klein’s broad definition of integrative learning that bridges divides between disciplines (2005) and encourages “dialogue or interaction between two or more disciplines” (Moran, 2010). This model underpins our arts-based assessment which requires students to use knowledge of disciplinary processes, concepts and methods in their art form to encounter literary texts. The tasks require students to use an art form to respond to a poem of their choice, or a taught novel or play. Fifteen creative responses across three cohorts (Secondary 1-3) of approximately 180 students each were identified and studied qualitatively, together with accompanying written reflections and post-task surveys, to understand the ways in which a broad interdisciplinary approach has furthered student learning. We identify three key findings of arts-based assessment: firstly, yielding deeper, and more nuanced insights in the act of interpretation; secondly, allowing students who are weaker in writing skills to express their understanding of the text in a medium of their choice and; thirdly, developing learning dispositions of playfulness, curiosity and empathy that are a foundation for deeper learning.

Feedback is significant in language learning and teaching. Nonetheless, how feedback is utilised effectively in various instructional approaches and assessment tools remains contentious. In portfolio scholarship, feedback plays a pivotal role in aligning language teaching, learning, and assessment seamlessly. Although feedback has been constantly reported in second language portfolio studies, not much, thus far, has been investigated to understand the role of feedback in both formats, namely print-based and electronic portfolios (also known as e-portfolios) in compulsory education. To fill this lacuna, this paper discusses what role feedback plays in portfolio assessment; reviews how the feedback process is similar and different in two portfolio mediums; and identifies which portfolio format could facilitate a transformative feedback experience throughout iterative portfolio development stages. To achieve these goals, the paper first unpacks the role of feedback in language education and its link with formative assessment and self-regulated learning. The paper goes on to review research on feedback in both portfolio versions in terms of divergences, convergences, and categories. It further discusses six contemporary feedback issues in portfolio assessment. Afterwards, the paper evaluates the extent to which portfolio integration in Hong Kong compulsory education promotes or constrains feedback provision and engagement. Lastly, teaching implications of how to maximise the learning-oriented potential of multimedia feedback in portfolio programmes are recommended.

This paper presents a practice-grounded, theory-informed investigation of student assessment literacy, defined as the ability to understand, interpret, and act on assessment information, as a critical competency for self-directed and lifelong learning in the 21st century. Although international research highlights persistent challenges in students’ interpretation of criteria, evaluative judgement, and feedback use, there remains limited empirical work in applied learning environments examining how assessment literacy can be intentionally developed. This gap is especially salient in Singapore’s polytechnic sector, where learning is vocationally oriented, authentic, and anchored in practice-based pedagogies.

This study conceptualises assessment literacy as a learnable capability and embeds two structured interventions, rubric deconstruction and evaluative peer-based activities, within an authentic, semester-long module. Guided by Smith et al.’s (2013) six-factor framework on evaluative judgement, feedback literacy, and self-directed learning, the study examines how students construct meaning around assessment purposes, processes, criteria, and performance standards.

A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, integrating Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Paired Sample T-Tests with thematic analysis from five focus group discussions involving students and lecturers. Quantitative findings show significant gains in Assessment Literacy Understanding (AU) and Assessment Literacy Judgement (AJ), alongside reductions in Minimum Effort Orientation (MEO), indicating greater metacognitive engagement and increased willingness to invest effort once expectations are clarified. Qualitative insights further illustrate how rubric interpretation, self-evaluation, and peer feedback reshape students’ perceptions of quality, agency, and responsibility for learning.

Three conceptual insights emerged: (1) early, explicit engagement with criteria strengthens evaluative judgement; (2) structured self-reflection enhances metacognitive monitoring and understanding of quality; and (3) guided peer-feedback protocols broaden students’ interpretive resources through exposure to diverse perspectives. Collectively, these insights position assessment literacy as a socially constructed, identity-developing, practice-based competency rather than a technical skill.

The paper argues for embedding assessment literacy purposefully within institutional teaching-and-learning frameworks and identifies implications for both pre-employment training (PET) and Continuing Education and Training (CET). By integrating methodological rigour with conceptual inquiry, the study advances understanding of how applied learning ecosystems can cultivate assessment-capable learners prepared for an evolving, skills-driven future.

Keywords: Assessment literacy; Evaluative judgement; Feedback literacy; Applied learning; Self-directed learning; Polytechnic education

Aims. Singapore’s Ministry of Education has introduced sustained reforms to shift assessment away from narrow exam orientation toward formative use and holistic development. While teacher and student perspectives are documented, parents’ beliefs and practices remain under-studied despite their influence on home learning and school decisions. This qualitative study (i) maps the assessment-related activities in which parents engage and (ii) examines factors associated with that engagement—parents’ assessment literacy (beliefs/knowledge), personal experiences, family structure, and school climate.
Methodology. Guided by Hoover-Dempsey et al.’s parental engagement model, we conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with parents (3–5 per group, Primary 1–6) and one-to-one semi-structured interviews with teachers to triangulate school perspectives. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, anonymised, and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), combining inductive coding with theory-informed codes. Credibility was supported through multiple coding cycles and peer debriefing. The dataset comprised 16 FGDs with 40 parents from 22 schools and 10 teacher interviews from 10 schools.
Findings.
1. High family-led engagement; limited school–home partnership. Parents took primary responsibility for academic supervision (timetabled revision, tutoring, commercial materials). School–home communication was typically infrequent and event-based (e.g., annual PTMs), with few structured conversations about assessment purposes and next steps.
2. Assessment literacy and beliefs. Most parents positioned PSLE as a gateway shaping pathways and futures. Many expressed skepticism or confusion about non-traditional indicators (performance tasks, qualitative feedback), defaulting to familiar marks. A minority showed early mindset shifts—valuing assessment for learning and questioning early high-stakes sorting—yet doubted impact without systemic changes to PSLE’s role and sought guidance on how to adapt at home.
3. Drivers of engagement. Engagement patterns varied by parents’ own schooling experiences, time/resources (working vs stay-at-home), and school climate (clarity/consistency of messaging; availability of exemplars).
Implications. Findings reveal a policy–practice tension: reforms signal holistic aims while families continue to optimise for high-stakes pathways. Results inform parent-facing guidance (plain-language explanations and at-home strategies) and teacher supports (scripts/routines for assessment conversations), and motivate subsequent quantitative profiling of engagement, literacy, and stress, and modelling of their interrelations.

This study investigates the developmental impact of a Value-In-Action (VIA) programme, Action.Care.Transform (A.C.T) carnival, implemented with the Secondary 3 cohort in a mainstream secondary school. Across a span of four months, all classes will participate in structured facilitation sessions where students, in small groups, conceptualise and design engagement activities, through the lens of empathetic perspective-taking, for an intergenerational carnival, involving elderly participants. The design of the process is to allow students to become (1) creators of new experiences that embody empathy, gratitude and care for our seniors, (2) connectors of Intergenerational relationships through meaningful interactions, and (3) contributors as they enrich the lives of others through shared stories.

The JoYful* programme aims to balance students’ sense of mattering – the twin engines of feeling valued and adding value to others through meaningful contributions, with a larger goal of promoting a sense of purpose, as a protective factor for our students’ well-being. In-built in the process, students experience contemporary issue discussions on inclusivity, lessons on financial literacy and do-good-feel-good inspiration lessons. Conditions for student agency are woven into the process to allow student leaders the opportunity to lead their peers while also allowing students to exercise their agency in their vision of adding value.

A mixed-methods, one-group repeated-measures design is employed. Students will complete validated questionnaires assessing mattering and purpose at three timepoints (pre-programme, mid-programme, and post-programme). Qualitative data in the form of student and teacher written reflections has been collected to deepen understanding of the programme’s mechanisms of impact.

Findings are currently underway. Our hypothesis, informed by theory, suggests that providing students with authentic, socially meaningful tasks will enhance their sense of mattering and clarity of personal purpose. It is also hypothesised that students who report higher gains in mattering and purpose may show corresponding improvements in behavioural indicators. Implications on how schools can design service-learning projects to intentionally cultivate mattering and purpose to enhance well-being among adolescence will be discussed.

*JOYFUL refers to Journey Of Yearning For Unlocking Learning.

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) in Singapore represents an integrated approach to student development that brings together elements commonly addressed internationally through character education, social-emotional learning, and citizenship education. Across many education systems, these domains are recognised as core priorities, with increasing emphasis on whole-school approaches that embed character and citizenship learning within everyday school experiences.

Drawing on sociocultural and developmental perspectives, character and citizenship dispositions are understood to develop through sustained participation in meaningful social contexts, where values are enacted, negotiated, and reflected upon with others. Research on co-curricular participation further reiterates the critical role of quality and interpersonal context, including supportive relationships, and autonomy-supportive environments, in shaping both academic and non-academic developmental outcomes (Guo & Liem, 2025).

When intentionally designed, co-curricular activities (CCA) can therefore function as key developmental contexts for fostering belonging, agency, and values enactment over time. However, how such structures are systematically aligned with CCE within a whole-school approach remains under-explored.

This paper has two aims. First, it advances a relational and participation-based framing of character and citizenship development, highlighting the developmental role of co-curricular contexts. Second, it examines how these principles are enacted in practice through a case study of Boon Lay Secondary School’s CCA-centric, whole-school approach to CCE, guided by the principles of student-centricity, intentionality, and coherence.

The study adopts a qualitative case study approach. Data sources include documentation of school practices and programme approaches related to CCA and CCE implementation, alongside reflective accounts from educators and insights drawn from students’ learning experiences. The analysis focuses on key design features, including CCA Family structures, CCA-based CCE lessons, student leadership opportunities, and interdisciplinary learning projects.

The case illustrates how intentionally designed co-curricular structures can function as central contexts for character and citizenship learning. Key outcomes include the cultivation of a caring and enabling school environment, coherent values enactment across curricular and co-curricular spaces, and increased student ownership.

The paper concludes by discussing design tensions and implications for schools seeking to embed CCE holistically through co-curricular structures, contributing to international conversations on whole-school and practice-centered approaches to student development.

During adolescence, students experience rapid cognitive, social, and identity development while navigating an increasingly complex world. This makes the development of moral reasoning particularly crucial, as it lays a strong foundation for sound decision-making. Moral reasoning goes beyond knowing what is right or wrong; it involves understanding why a decision is made and how one arrives at it. Metacognition therefore plays a vital role, as it enables students to examine their own thinking processes, surface underlying assumptions and biases, consider multiple perspectives, and engage in deeper reflection to develop more informed and reasoned judgments.

At Hougang Secondary School, the O.L.A.Y. framework was developed to support students in exercising metacognition as they navigate moral dilemmas. The framework guides students through an iterative process: first, they establish and articulate their own decisions (Own your decision). They then create space to listen to and understand others’ viewpoints (Listen with an open mind), before critically examining and weighing these perspectives (Analyse and evaluate each perspective). Finally, students re-evaluate their values and reasoning and reflect on any shifts in their thinking (review Your decision after hearing from others). Through this process, students critically examine their own thinking, allowing them to identify biases, assumptions, and inconsistencies, and to arrive at a clearer understanding of their beliefs and actions.

The effective implementation of the O.L.A.Y. framework is supported by a safe and supportive learning environment that encourages students to express their views authentically and critically. Teachers play a key role through skillful facilitation and purposeful questioning, which help to prompt deeper reflection and guide students’ thinking.

Through the use of Lesson Study, the teachers in the school worked collaboratively to refine the lesson design and the use of the O.L.A.Y. framework in Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) classrooms, informed by the observations made during the lessons, as well as the qualitative data collected about students’ learning. The use of the O.L.A.Y. framework helped students to frame their thinking processes and make their thinking visible. Through this, teachers also gathered useful information about their students’ thoughts and perspectives which enabled them to further guide the students in decision-making.

Education systems worldwide increasingly emphasise student flourishing as a core educational aim. In Singapore, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) plays a central role in nurturing values, purpose, social-emotional competencies, and civic dispositions. The research informing CCE is wide-ranging, spanning disciplines such as character education, citizenship education, social-emotional learning (SEL), well-being, and human development. While these bodies of work have developed largely within their own traditions, there is growing opportunity to bring them into closer dialogue to strengthen conceptual coherence for curriculum design, implementation, and research alignment. Building on this diverse body of scholarship, this project aimed to synthesise the scientific foundations underlying CCE and develop a unified, research-informed conceptual framework tailored to Singapore’s context.
The study employed a two-phase meta-synthesis design. Phase One involved a systematic bibliometric review of international literature indexed in Scopus, guided by PRISMA procedures. Using descriptive analyses, author co-citation mapping, and keyword co-occurrence analysis, the review mapped publication trends, identified influential scholars and intellectual traditions, and revealed structural relationships across CCE-related subfields. Phase Two involved integrative conceptual synthesis, drawing on findings from the bibliometric analysis, established theoretical models from philosophy, psychology, and education, and close alignment with Singapore’s CCE2021 curriculum. Iterative consultations with MOE, NIE, and AST stakeholders ensured policy relevance and contextual sensitivity.
Findings from the bibliometric review indicate exponential growth in CCE-related research over the past two decades, particularly in SEL and well-being. The literature is heavily dominated by Western authors and frameworks, raising concerns about cultural transferability, especially in citizenship education. Co-citation analyses revealed five interconnected but historically siloed research clusters: citizenship education, human development, character education, SEL, and well-being. Emerging themes include digitalisation, mental health, global citizenship, sustainability, and early childhood.
The conceptual synthesis produced a unified framework that positions flourishing as the overarching goal of CCE, supported by six interrelated components: Purpose, Values and Virtues, Social-Emotional Competencies, Identity, Relationships, and Choices. The framework aligns closely with CCE2021’s core values and big ideas, while incorporating both Western and Asian philosophical perspectives. This project contributes a coherent conceptual anchor for CCE, supporting curriculum coherence, professional development, and future research on holistic student development and flourishing.

Teacher empowerment can transform pedagogical practices and positively impact teaching and learning. In particular, teacher empowerment through coaching has been associated with improved teacher commitment, enhanced professional skills, and stronger instructional outcomes.

This paper explores how strengths-based teacher coaching has transformed Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) at Greenridge Primary School. The school adopts a positive, people-centered coaching approach which focuses on identifying and developing the teacher’s strengths and professional aspirations, rather than simply overcoming weaknesses. Through structured mentoring, collaborative learning, and reflective conversations, Greenridge Primary enhanced teacher self-efficacy and CCE outcomes for students.

Following a 2024 internal survey, the school implemented a three-tiered coaching model comprising CCE Coaches, CCE Champions, and Teachers as Facilitators, anchored in the CCE 2021 Curriculum Frame. Utilizing a strengths-based approach, the school sought to deepen teachers’ understanding of the CCE pedagogical approaches and enhance teachers’ proficiency in the use of facilitation strategies and activation of social-emotional skills.

In the process, teachers initiated an increasing number of innovative student-centred projects that promote voice and agency through authentic contexts. Impact measurement focused on learning experiences using student reflections and peer feedback. Results showed enhanced teacher instruction and confidence, whilst students demonstrated improved empathy, self-regulation, and reflection. Future plans include scalability of innovative student projects and partnership with the Singapore Centre for Character & Citizenship Education (SCCCE) on authentic student leadership experiences.

The school’s approach to empowering and coaching teachers suggests the value of strengths-based teacher coaching in enhancing the teaching and learning of social-emotional competencies (SECs). The findings point to broader implications for how schools might design teacher empowerment and coaching structures to strengthen CCE implementation.

This study explores the integration of positive education to promote motivation and self-directed learning (SDL) among first-year students in the Diploma in Perfumery and Cosmetic Science. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative surveys, the research gathers student insights into how positive education influences their motivation for SDL. The results, interpreted from the students’ perspectives, highlight a dynamic shift in motivational factors and barriers over the course of the semester. Interventions focused on fostering self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-efficacy were found to improve students’ academic engagement and motivation. Students who perceived their learning environment as meaningful and supportive exhibited greater proactive learning behaviours and confidently pursued mastery-oriented objectives. Survey findings also indicated that students were initially motivated by external social and emotional factors, but their motivations evolved towards intrinsic sources and emotional resilience after the intervention. Challenges faced by students were most evident in the early weeks, but these also gradually transformed into the adoption of effective coping strategies as positive education principles were systematically embedded in the curriculum. The preliminary findings indicate enhanced self-discipline, reduced stress levels, and a stronger emphasis on personal goal achievement, reflecting both intrinsic motivation and emotional resilience that support sustained engagement and academic success in SDL. The study concludes that positive education acts as a catalyst for student empowerment, contributing significantly to contemporary educational practice by prioritising the evolving demands of nurturing 21st-century learners with lifelong capacities.

As learning and work environments become increasingly complex and technology-enabled, Self-Directed Learning (SDL) has shifted from a desirable attribute to a fundamental requirement for lifelong success. Grounded in the multidimensional models of Pintrich et al. (1991) and Garrison (1997), and extended by contemporary perspectives (Brandt, 2020), this study frames SDL as a scaffolded and developable set of capabilities rather than a fixed trait, encompassing growth mindset, intrinsic motivation, metacognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, and help-seeking.
This research addresses two critical gaps in Higher Education: (a) the lack of validated, objective instrumentation to measure SDL across disciplines, and (b) the challenge of implementing scalable interventions within existing polytechnic curricula.
A total of 360 students participated in a semester-long intervention anchored in an institution-wide Education and Career Guidance module where SDL concepts were explicitly introduced, after which students completed a validated SDL questionnaire that produced individualized competency profiles. Building on models of self-regulation, students then engaged in a structured Plan–Monitor–Review process over ten weeks, setting personal learning goals, tracking their progress, and reflecting on strategy use and help-seeking behaviours.
Quantitative analyses examined SDL strengths and gaps across STEM and Non-STEM disciplines, while qualitative focus group data provided deeper insight on common patterns in students’ goals and strategies.
This study offers a research-informed, practically grounded model for embedding SDL assessment and development at scale, providing actionable strategies for educators and institutions seeking to prepare learners for continual upskilling and self-directed growth in rapidly evolving, AI-driven global environment.

This study investigates whether structured peer discussions supported by the UPAL problem-solving framework and socio-mathematical norms can enhance student engagement and mathematical reasoning in secondary mathematics classrooms.
Despite recognition that dialogic interaction enhances mathematical reasoning through elaboration, justification, and evaluation of claims (McKeown et al., 2009; Fonseca & Chi, 2011; Goos, 2004), many secondary mathematics students remain passive answer-givers rather than active reasoners. This study investigates whether routine establishment, explicit teaching of socio-mathematical norms, and structured peer discussions can strengthen students’ conceptual articulation, problem-solving processes, and reflective habits.
The research employed an experimental design with pre- and post-implementation data collection with two Secondary mathematics classes. They are comprised of 40 Secondary One G3 students and 27 Secondary Two G3 students. Students worked in pairs using the adapted Polya problem-solving model (UPAL) whilst adhering to established socio-mathematical norms: providing explanations when presenting solutions, listening to understand and asking clarifying questions, and using appropriate mathematical language.
Data were collected through multiple sources: pre-post surveys measuring student perceptions, audio-video recordings of paired discussions, structured peer feedback rubrics, self-evaluation checklists, exit passes, and focus group interviews. Implementation occurred over two rounds, with teachers initially modelling the approach before students engaged in recorded peer discussions
Findings indicate notable improvements in students’ communication clarity, depth of explanation, and ability to justify their mathematical reasoning. Both classes showcased more structured and sequential problem-solving processes in post-discussion recordings. Students increasingly used precise mathematical language and demonstrated stronger verification and reflection skills, particularly in the Look Back stage. Performance data showed improved accuracy and clearer working in algebraic fractions, with the majority of students showing mastery. Survey results reflected increased belief in the usefulness of discussion and greater comfort in sharing ideas, while focus-group feedback highlighted students’ growing confidence and awareness of the rationale behind mathematical procedures. Overall, the project suggests that embedding UPAL within socio-mathematical norms creates an environment that meaningfully enhances student engagement, metacognition, and mathematical communication.

Integrative Learning Model

Our school offers a unique educational pathway that cultivates both artistic excellence and academic breadth for students aged 13 to 18. Our students engage in the deep study of a chosen specialised arts discipline, ranging from Dance, Film, Literary Arts, Music, Theatre, to Visual Arts, while pursuing a full spectrum of academic subjects. Recognising the distinct cognitive, affective, and creative profiles of its students, our school has intentionally developed an integrative learning model that nurtures artistic and intellectual potential through interdisciplinarity.

This session shares our journey of curriculum development, highlighting how school leadership and teachers collaboratively codified interdisciplinary practices from the ground up. By investigating the nexus between theory and practice, the team sought to create a learning model tailored to our school’s unique cohort. Our Integrative Learning Model draws on foundational scholarship, including Julie Thompson Klein’s work in interdisciplinary studies, educational frameworks from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero, and principles articulated by the International Baccalaureate.

Central to the our approach are the Model’s Three Frames:
The Conceptual Frame articulates the core purposes and values of integrative learning, offering a shared language for curriculum innovation.
The Teaching Frame provides practical guidance for teachers to design meaningful integrative learning experiences, fostering professional growth and collaborative curriculum planning.
The Learning Frame scaffolds students’ development of critical, creative, and integrative thinking skills, empowering them to navigate and respond to complex, contemporary issues.

Through this presentation, participants will engage with the key ideas, practical strategies, and implementation insights underpinning our Integrative Learning Model. The session aims to inspire educators to equip learners with the dispositions necessary for addressing ill-structured problems, multi-faceted questions, and the ambiguities of contemporary life, preparing them not only as artists and scholars but also as resilient, adaptive thinkers.

Most maker education initiatives initially emerged as ad hoc extracurricular activities. However, research literature indicates a growing shift towards their formalisation within school curricula. Despite this trend, integrating maker education into formal educational settings remains complex and insufficiently examined. To better understand the challenges educators face in implementing maker education in Singapore, user research was conducted through 270 educators participating in Learning Journeys, 7 teachers from TWA+ sessions and 21 stakeholder interviews. Based on user needs and data collected, a structured maker education program proposal was developed. Data sources to develop this structured programme proposal include programme design and curriculum alignment documents, teacher reflections from TWA+ attachments, student artefacts from maker activities, and feedback from school leaders, teachers, and students. Findings highlighted the need for a structured approach to support successful integration of maker education into formal education. Sustained engagement in maker centred learning was found to enhance teacher confidence, encourage shifts towards more student centred and inquiry oriented pedagogies, and increase student engagement in collaborative and hands on learning.

Based on user needs and the collected evidence, a structured program comprising three core components was developed: (1) a learning space design kit, (2) a professional development programme for teachers, and (3) a student maker education programme implementation through Applied Learning Programmes (ALP), and Values in Action (VIA). A significant outcome of the structured school programme was the establishment of a post secondary elective module exemption pathway. Students who successfully completed all three tiers of maker education became eligible for elective exemptions upon enrolment, providing them with an early head start and greater flexibility in post secondary learning.

The paper concludes that maker education offers a meaningful pedagogical pathway for cultivating 21st Century Competencies (21CC) and demonstrates how structured school–institution partnership program can translate pedagogical innovation into systemic educational change.

This study examines how teachers position themselves as both global citizenship educators and community‑engaged practitioners when participating in an international, sustainability‑focused dialogue programme. Using positioning theory, teacher agency, and a community engagement lens that conceptualises engagement as building equitable, mutually beneficial relationships between institutions and communities through power‑sharing, reciprocity, and shared outcomes, the study explores how teachers negotiate roles as facilitators, learners, change agents, and potential partners with local and international communities in a cross‑cultural Global Dialogue on nature conservation and climate change. The programme was implemented in December 2024 as part of a larger initiative on global citizenship and sustainability education hosted at a local university, with the first Global Dialogue session followed by a structured co‑reflection workshop.
The study draws on qualitative analysis of a co‑reflection workshop involving Hong Kong prospective teachers (N = 9) engaging in guided group reflection, concept mapping, and collaborative picture‑making around their dialogue experiences and evolving understandings of global citizenship, nature conservation, and community engagement. The workshop was audio‑recorded and fully transcribed; the transcript was analysed using positioning theory to identify interactive episodes of self‑ and other‑positioning, and through an agency and community‑engagement lens to trace how participants articulated intentions, evaluations, and projected future actions related to school–community–environment partnerships. Analytical attention centred on shifts from “confused/overwhelmed” to “eye‑opened/empowered” positions, and on how participants envisaged reciprocal relationships with schools, NGOs, local communities, and students in sustainability initiatives.
Preliminary findings show that the Global Dialogue generated both tensions and possibilities for community‑engaged teacher agency. Participants initially positioned themselves as linguistically and culturally disadvantaged within the international dialogue, yet simultaneously described the experience as “eye‑opening” in revealing diverse community perspectives on sustainability. Through co‑reflection, they re‑positioned themselves from passive recipients of global discourse to proactive co‑designers of community‑oriented learning experiences, proposing ideas such as collaborating with NGOs, organising field trips and restoration activities, and integrating nature conservation and climate change into local curricula and assessment to sustain student and community engagement beyond one‑off events.

Students learning Chinese as second Language often experience anxiety when they perform writing tasks. They often write essays individually after teacher’s direction, which leaves students feeling isolated and unsupported. Students’ motivation to write in Chinese is hindered by both anxiety and a lack of meaningful interaction. This presentation focuses on using the mixing learning approach to leverage the socialisation opportunities of interactions and technological affordances to promote an active and interactive learning experience. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the redesigned lesson focused on enhancing students’ relatedness, the psychological need to feel connected and valued by others. By fostering relatedness in the writing process, students experienced a greater sense of belonging and support, which increased their motivation to write in Chinese. Leveraging the SLS platform alongside Google’s collaborative tools, the mixing learning approach fostered task-based learning, real-time feedback, and making thinking visible. Through creating authentic contexts in using of Chinese Language, students also developed critical thinking and information literacy skills progressively, making argumentative writing more purposeful and engaging. Additionally, the approach fosters students' skills in evaluating the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of information, enabling them to select and process information effectively to substantiate their viewpoints, thereby promoting the development of 21st-century competencies.

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, technology-enhanced learning has become a powerful enabler of effective teaching and engagement. This paper explores how intelligent digital tools can be harnessed to design smarter, more interactive quizzes that foster deeper learning and improve knowledge retention. Traditional quiz formats often struggle to maintain student interest, provide timely feedback, or develop higher order thinking skills. In contrast, technology-supported quiz systems can overcome these limitations by offering interactive, adaptive, and scaffolded learning experiences grounded in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) framework.

The study introduces the concept of the AI Scaffold Quiz, a dynamic platform that utilizes data-driven automation and content design to create responsive, bite-sized, and theme-based quizzes accessible across multiple devices. The design emphasizes retrieval practice; shown to strengthen long-term memory and deepen conceptual understanding. Each quiz provides immediate feedback, helping learners quickly identify any misconceptions and focus on targeted improvement. The quiz prompts learners to retry the questions they answered incorrectly, reinforcing understanding and improving retention. Gamified elements and engaging visual themes further enhance motivation, transforming traditional assessments into enjoyable and meaningful learning experiences.

Preliminary pilot testing with a class of 39 students has shown encouraging results, including increased quiz completion rates (from 56% in week 2 to 74% in week 6), and positive user feedback. The quizzes integrate seamlessly with ITE’s Learning Management Systems (LMS) and can be deployed via Microsoft Teams, ensuring scalability and accessibility. This initiative also holds promise for scaling across schools and informing policymakers about the effective use of formative assessment in retrieval practices, underscoring its value in driving systems-level impact for 21st-century learners.

Findings indicated that this technology-enabled quiz design not only enhances learner engagement and recall but also cultivates a more reflective and self-directed learning culture. Ultimately, this initiative positions intelligent quiz creation as a practical and scalable strategy for educators seeking to bridge students’ learning gaps and foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills in an increasingly digital learning environment.
Keywords: technology-enhanced learning, retrieval practice, AI Scaffold Quiz, knowledge retention

Abstract:
Purpose: This study investigates the impact of technology-enhanced flipped learning on student engagement and learning outcomes. Specifically, it explores the factors that influence the relationship between flipped learning practices (e.g., digital tools, well-structured learning activities) and (a) student engagement/experience and (b) learning outcomes across diverse academic groups. We aim to identify how flipped learning can be effectively integrated to support meaningful learning.

Design/methodology/approach: Data from student module evaluations for academic year 2023 and 2024 were analyzed, focusing on flipped learning components (pre-class activities and digital tools) and their association with student engagement and academic performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess direct and indirect relationships between these flipped learning elements and outcomes, with a particular focus on module-level scores and cumulative GPA (cGPA).

Findings: SEM analysis revealed that well-designed learning materials and activities are central to the effectiveness of flipped learning, while the role of digital tools is more indirect but still significant. Flipped learning practices were strongly linked to student satisfaction and engagement. Interestingly, while flipped learning led to notable improvements in module scores, the effect on cumulative GPA was weaker, suggesting that the immediate impact of flipped learning is more apparent in specific module outcomes rather than in overall academic performance.

Originality/value/implications: This study highlights the importance of aligning flipped learning practices with targeted education goals, focusing on well-designed tasks and purposeful integration of digital tools. The findings provide actionable insights for educators aiming to enhance student engagement and improve academic outcomes, emphasizing the value of structured, technology-enhanced learning designs for impactful teaching and learning in the digital age.

Teachers and students frequently rely on broad SEAB rubric descriptors when teaching and learning writing. However, such general statements are often difficult to unpack and translate into actionable classroom practice. Research in Variation Theory suggests that learning occurs when learners are able to discern the critical aspects of an object of learning, and that such discernment requires deliberate patterns of variation (Kullberg, Ingerman, & Marton, 2024). In many writing classrooms, critical aspects such as depth of reflection, clarity of reasoning, and coherence remain implicit, leading students to rely on surface features or personal assumptions about what constitutes “good writing”.

This presentation reports on an English Department project at Naval Base Secondary School that applied Variation Theory to enhance students’ clarity of writing expectations. Grounded in Hattie and Timperley’s (2007) model of effective feedback, specifically the processes of feed-up, feedback and feed-forward, the project aimed to support students in answering the guiding questions: Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next?

In Phase 1, teachers analysed student scripts alongside students’ annotations of teacher feedback to identify critical aspects that students struggled to discern. Consistent with Marton’s assertion that critical aspects must be surfaced empirically through learner data, this analysis informed the design of genre-specific rubrics and curated exemplars that foregrounded these aspects explicitly.

In Phase 2, customised rubrics were paired with carefully selected contrasting exemplars that kept task conditions invariant while varying critical aspects of performance. This design operationalised the Variation Theory principle that learners discern what varies against what remains constant. Students engaged with these resources during feed-up, drafting, self-assessment, peer review and revision, enabling them to notice qualitative differences between performance levels rather than infer expectations intuitively.

Analysis of student drafts, annotations and revision decisions suggests that systematic variation, when embedded within structured feedback processes, enhances students’ clarity of writing expectations and supports greater student initiative and self-directed use of feedback. Echoing research on rubric-referenced assessment (Andrade & Du, 2005), the study highlights how rubrics, when used formatively, can function not only as evaluative tools but also as instructional resources that develop students’ feedback literacy and self-regulation.

This presentation reports on an action research study Grammar as a Meaning-Making Resource for Literacy Development that reconceptualises grammar within English Language classrooms in Singapore as a dynamic, contextually situated resource for literacy learning. Moving beyond the traditional view of grammar as a fixed set of rules, the project positions it as a flexible tool that enables learners to construct, interpret and communicate meaning effectively. By foregrounding authentic Asian texts, it underscores the importance of contextualised grammar learning that reflects learners’ linguistic and cultural realities.

Using a cyclical action research design of planning, acting, observing, reflecting and revising, the project engaged ten teacher-collaborators from four primary and secondary schools. Data sources included teacher-designed materials, written reflections and interviews. Thematic analysis led to a coding sheet capturing several themes among which were Authentic Texts, Perspectives of Grammar and Lesson Improvements.

The presentation will highlight vignettes from teacher interviews and reflections that showcase teachers’ evolving conceptions of grammar – from rigid rules to meaning-making resources – and the pedagogical shifts enacted in their classrooms. These accounts reveal how scaffolded, context-based instruction enhanced learners’ engagement, confidence and literacy awareness. The study reaffirms central role of grammar in meaning-making and offers a situated framework for designing functional, culturally responsive grammar pedagogy in today’s diverse classrooms.

This presentation introduces a collaborative research–practice model developed through an NIE research project Grammar as a Meaning-Making Resource for Literacy Development. Designed as a case of education research for impact at the practitioner and school level, the project brought together ten English Language teachers from four Singapore schools and two NIE researchers in a sustained, year-long inquiry to re-envision grammar as a meaning-making resource for literacy development. Central to the project was an adaptation of Timperley, Parr and Bertanees’ (2009) teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle, which framed the work as iterative cycles of identifying needs, deepening knowledge, co-designing lessons, enacting them in classrooms, and jointly reflecting on outcomes.
Across the year, teachers and researchers collaborated to diagnose both learner literacy needs and teacher knowledge needs, building capacity through professional development on contextualised grammar, metalanguage, and grammar-for-meaning pedagogies. These learning sessions informed the collaborative redesign of lessons, where teachers integrated grammar into reading and writing tasks using, for example, authentic texts, guided discovery, annotation, and multimodal resources. Classroom enactments were followed by structured reflection, discussion of challenges and refinement of pedagogical approaches, forming a sustainable cycle of inquiry-driven professional learning.
Analysis of lesson artefacts, teacher reflections, and interview data showed that participation in the model strengthened teachers’ grammar content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and confidence in linking grammatical choices to meaning-making in texts. Teachers reported improved ability to design contextualised grammar instruction, heightened awareness of how grammar supports literacy development, and greater student engagement and noticing of language choices. These outcomes were underpinned by four design principles that emerged from the research cycle: collaboration, contextualisation, co-reflection, and classroom-based inquiry.
By foregrounding the processes, relationships, and iterative learning structures that shaped the research, this presentation argues that such researcher–teacher partnerships offer a replicable model for bridging research and practice, fostering teacher professionalism, and supporting literacy-oriented grammar pedagogy in Singapore classrooms.

This study presents an instructional design in Chemistry education that integrates microscale experiments and educational technology (EdTech) to deepen conceptual understanding and develop emerging 21st century competencies (E21CC). It responds to the need for science learning that is inquiry-driven, reflective, and relevant to students’ lives and society.

The first component aligns microscale practicals with Bloom’s taxonomy to scaffold scientific thinking. Students undertake hands-on investigations that move from applying concepts to analysing data, evaluating evidence, and constructing explanations. This approach encourages them to make connections between experimental observations, chemical principles, and real-world phenomena. Microscale practices also reduce safety risks and resource demands, while fostering autonomy, confidence, and reflective habits of mind essential for scientific reasoning.

The second component extends inquiry through digital learning tasks on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS). Designed around authentic case studies, these activities require students to research, synthesise information, critique scientific claims, and collaborate to propose solutions. Through this process, they explore the societal relevance of Chemistry and develop inventive thinking, communication, and information literacy.

Classroom implementation indicates improved student engagement, deeper conceptual mastery, and greater confidence in experimental design and scientific explanation. Students demonstrated increased ability to articulate reasoning, evaluate evidence, and appreciate the role of Chemistry in addressing real-world issues.

This integrated approach offers a scalable model for Science education that combines hands-on inquiry with technology-enabled learning. It supports teachers in designing lessons that strengthen disciplinary understanding while intentionally nurturing future-ready learners who think critically, collaborate effectively, and act responsibly in a complex world.

There is growing recognition that thoughtfully designed learning spaces, coupled with purposeful opportunities for student agency, can significantly deepen the development of Emerging 21st Century Competencies (E21CC). In science education, such environments are pivotal in fostering critical and inventive thinking, collaboration, communication, and learner autonomy. Yet, translating these aspirations into authentic classroom practice remains a challenge for many teachers.
This study investigates how the intentional design of science learning spaces and the structures embedded within them to empower student agency can support the cultivation of E21CC. A series of outdoor science learning experiences was conducted in the school’s science garden, involving Primary school students (n = 166) who engaged in inquiry-based investigations, collaborative problem-solving, and self-directed decision-making. These experiences required students to plan and conduct experiments, negotiate roles, and apply scientific concepts in real-world contexts.

Data from student reflections and teacher observations revealed high levels of confidence in applying critical thinking (> 87.5%) and inventive thinking (> 82.7%) during the tasks. Chi-Square goodness of fit tests were applied across 2 sets of survey data and the results were highly significant. (p < 0.001). Students valued the autonomy provided to make investigative choices and appreciated the relevance of learning in authentic outdoor settings. Teachers observed that the use of the science garden not only strengthened conceptual understanding but also nurtured important learner dispositions such as resilience, adaptability, and persistence when faced with unexpected outcomes.

Overall, the findings suggest that the intentional design and use of learning spaces, particularly outdoor environments, can meaningfully advance E21CC outcomes by enabling student agency as they take ownership of their scientific inquiries. The study highlights the potential for such approaches to inform broader efforts in building student-centred learning ecosystems across subjects and school environments.

The integration of curriculum across disciplines is increasingly recognised as an important approach to enhancing student learning. Research has shown that integrated curricula can enhance students’ motivation and sense of relevance by helping them make meaningful connections across subjects. This qualitative case study examines how Mathematics and Science can be integrated using the Authentic Integration of Mathematics and Science (AIMS) framework (Treacy, 2021). The study involved 23 Secondary Four students and focused on the topics Data Analysis – Measures of Spread in Mathematics and Infectious Diseases in Science. Guided by an inquiry-based approach, students worked on a rich task in which they assumed the role of health ministers and analysed data to propose strategies to reduce Influenza A cases in their assigned countries. Throughout the learning process, teacher scaffolding and structured dialogue supported students in making explicit connections between mathematical representations and scientific concepts.

Qualitative data were collected through students’ artefacts and open-ended survey responses, providing insights into students’ learning experiences and perceptions. Findings indicate that students were more engaged and motivated when learning through an integrated curriculum. In addition, students demonstrated adaptive thinking by drawing on knowledge and strategies from both subjects and adjusting their approaches when faced with unfamiliar or complex situations. The findings highlight the potential of authentic curriculum integration to support deeper learning and the development of 21st-century competencies in secondary classrooms.

County-level teachers play a vital role in China’s basic education but face resource constraints and inequities. As digitalization advances, traditional school-based teaching research no longer meets their needs. Digitalized teaching research thus holds promise not merely as a technological upgrade, but as an equity-oriented approach to reconfiguring time–space arrangements, expanding access to high-quality resources, and enabling continuous problem solving in everyday teaching. Nevertheless, empirical evidence on the current landscape and influence mechanisms of county-level teachers’ digitalized teaching research remains limited.

Drawing on survey data from 1,899 teachers across 13 counties in central and western China, this study examines the status quo and determinants of county teachers’ digitalized teaching research. The current landscape is analyzed through three interrelated dimensions: behaviors (theory engagement, innovative practice, communication and collaboration, and reflective improvement), activities (demonstration-based, community-based, and research-oriented), and culture (institutional, spiritual, and material). Building on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we further develop and test a structural equation model that integrates teaching-research behaviors, teachers’ intention and competence, organizational culture, and human–machine collaborative teaching to reveal systemic influence mechanisms.

The results indicate broad acceptance of digitalized teaching research among county teachers. Reflective improvement emerges as the most prominent behavior, whereas innovative practice remains comparatively weak. Teachers participate most actively in demonstration-based and community-based activities, while research-oriented activities are less developed. Cultural analysis reveals strong shared beliefs and policy attention, alongside a pronounced “expectations-ahead, support-lagging” tension in material conditions and access to high-quality resources. Significant subgroup differences are observed, with English teachers consistently reporting lower engagement and perceived support than Chinese and mathematics teachers.

Structural equation modeling shows that digitalized teaching-research behavior positively predicts the effectiveness of school-based teaching research, and human–machine collaborative teaching behavior positively predicts both digitalized teaching-research behavior and effectiveness. Technology-use intention is driven by performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence, whereas effort expectancy is non-significant. Institutional and spiritual culture significantly promote digitalized teaching-research behavior, while material culture shows no direct effect. These findings provide theoretical guidance for the sustainable and systemic development of county-level teachers’ digitalized teaching research in the context of digital transformation.

Informed by activity theory (AT), the present study explores the expertise of two Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) non-university-based teacher educators (NUBTEs) in China and the factors that contribute to their expertise development. Despite the critical role TESOL NUBTEs play in bridging policy and practice for frontline TESOL teachers, limited research has examined their professional expertise, particularly through the lens of AT. This study addresses this gap by drawing on semi-structured interviews, non-participatory field observations, and relevant artifacts to identify TESOL NUBTEs’ expertise across four dimensions: (1) a strong mission of supporting the professional growth of all TESOL teachers; (2) context-responsive knowing about and for TESOL teacher education; (3) effective strategies for integrating TESOL theory and practice; (4) mature social–emotional competence to navigate and transform TESOL education within existing structures. The participants’ expertise functioned and developed through their long-term adaptive interaction with various factors within and across three activity systems: professional development activity system, policy-related activity system, and learning activity system. The study proposes a context-specific framework for TESOL NUBTEs’ expertise and its development from an expanded AT perspective. It concludes with practical implications for TESOL NUBTEs on how to navigate their expertise development in this time of flux.

This paper reports on a study of cooperating teachers' (CTs') perceptions of their roles as mentors when they were mentoring student teachers in the Singapore context. The study aimed (i) to find out the dominant roles of cooperating teachers (CTs), (ii) if there are distinct clusters of roles, and (iii) to find out if there are any cluster differences and CTs’ satisfaction and thwarting. Cluster analysis was used to determine if there were distinct clusters of roles, and MANOVA was conducted to determine whether there was a statistically significant overall cluster effect on the roles of mentors. Knowing whether mentors were predominantly acting in their roles would allow teacher educators to modify their practicum processes and mentoring preparation programmes to put more emphasis on roles that are found to be lacking. Knowing the extent to which mentors need satisfaction or need thwarting in carrying out different roles meant that teacher educators could share the findings with mentors and guide them to be more supportive.

Background:
Self-control is a fundamental skill for children development and effective functioning in their life. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently experience significant difficulties with self-control, which show considerable challenges for parents and negatively affecting children’s social, behavioural and learning. Although numerous interventions targeting self-control have been developed for school-aged children with ADHD, the literature demonstrates considerable variation in how self-control is conceptualized and promoted. A strategy-focused synthesis is therefore needed to clarify existing techniques in intervention research and to provide a foundation for the development of parent training programs to support self-control in children with ADHD.

Objective:
This systematic review aims to identify and narratively synthesise self-control training strategies used in intervention studies with school-aged children with ADHD, examine how self-control and related outcomes are reported, and to investigate the role of parental involvement in informing the development of parent training programs.

Methods:
Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, electronic searches were conducted in the PubMed and SAGE Journals databases to identify peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2010 and 2025. Key search terms included combinations of ADHD, ADD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with self-control, self-regulation, or inhibitory control, and intervention or program or training. A total of 35 PubMed records and 793 SAGE Journal records were retrieved. After duplicate removal and title and abstract screening based on predefined inclusion criteria, 13 PubMed studies and 12 SAGE Journal studies focusing on school-aged children with ADHD and interventions targeting self-control or related regulatory processes were included in the review. A narrative synthesis approach was used. Results found that intervention strategies were classified using a taxonomy that included: (1) cognitive neuroscience strategies, such as executive function–focused approaches; (2) socio-emotional strategies involving engagement with emotional or motivational challenges; and (3) environmental or situational strategies that emphasised contextual selection or modification.

Expected Contribution: This review aims to provide a structured overview of self-control intervention strategies in ADHD research and to support evidence-informed practice, future research and program development in special and inclusive education.

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into education has become a global trend, yet its adoption varies across countries. In Japan, teachers often adopt new technologies cautiously due to limited preparation time, heavy workload, and established teaching cultures. As a complex and uncertain emerging technology, GenAI may further intensify these challenges and affect teachers’ willingness to adopt it in educational practice. However, empirical research examining Japanese teachers’ adoption of GenAI remains limited, highlighting the need for further investigation.
Prior theories of educational technology adoption suggest that teachers’ adoption of new technologies is influenced by factors such as technological understanding, perceived usefulness, and contextual conditions. Building on this perspective, this study investigates Japanese junior high school teachers’ initial understanding, perceptions, and use of GenAI in educational practice. To address this aim, a web-based questionnaire survey was conducted with technology education teachers working in interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) contexts. In Japan, STEM-based learning is most implemented in the Technology subject, where teachers face complex and cross-disciplinary instructional demands. Given this complexity, teachers in this context are among those most likely to consider adopting GenAI to support lesson planning and teaching.
By focusing on this group, the study provides initial empirical insights into early-stage patterns of GenAI adoption in Japanese classrooms. The findings extend prior research by showing that teachers’ understanding primarily determines whether GenAI is adopted, while perceived usefulness and contextual conditions further shape how GenAI is used and the extent to which it is integrated into teaching. Overall, the study offers a preliminary foundation for future research on GenAI integration and provides implications for supporting the adoption of GenAI in other subject areas.

Character and citizenship development is increasingly recognised as one of the central aims of education. Social and emotional skills (SESS) and youth purpose have received growing attention in policy, research, and practice for their roles in shaping adolescents' cognitive and psychosocial outcomes. Recent lines of inquiry have been extended to examine how these socioemotional and motivational capacities relate to moral character formation that supports students' development into competent and ethical 21st century citizens. With emerging technologically-driven shifts affecting how young people learn and live, cultivating these developmental capacities as foundations for character and citizenship has become a national and global priority. However, questions remain about how these capacities operate, the effects they have, and how they are shaped and supported by social contexts, particularly within schools. This symposium brings together theoretical and empirical perspectives that examine the relational contexts and intentional pedagogical and interventional approaches through which SESS and purpose are cultivated, as well as the key developmental outcomes associated with these capacities. Paper 1 presents a purpose-oriented pedagogical framework that views schools as “mirrors” and “windows” and seeks to cultivate self-awareness and connection to the world beyond the self to orient learning towards ethical action and the common good. Paper 2 reports findings from an action-research study investigating the effectiveness of a structured resource for fostering youth purpose. Paper 3 examines empathy, a core character strength and socio-emotional competency, focusing on its antecedents and associations with adolescent developmental outcomes. Paper 4 presents a theoretical perspective on the linkages between teachers’ social-emotional competencies and motivational beliefs, teacher-student relationships, and students’ socio-emotional development. Together, these papers advance understanding of adolescent purpose and socioemotional development as relational and intentional developmental processes and consider their implications for character and citizenship education in schools.

What does it mean for humanity when our tools begin to think? Across societies, rapid advances in AI are reshaping how people work, learn and relate to others. While technological change has always accompanied human progress, the current AI revolution represents an unprecedented shift: the emergence of systems that learn, generate and interact in ways that increasingly resemble human cognition and even emotion in complexity and volume never experienced before. This has intensified social and ethical concerns, raising urgent questions about the purpose of education and the kind of persons schools should be cultivating in an AI-mediated world. Situated within Character and Citizenship Education, this symposium examines how education systems can respond to AI through a renewed emphasis on ethical purpose, human-centred systems and pedagogical design, and the moral and relational work of teachers.
The first paper points out the broad trends shaping education today, characterised by Fractured societies, Ecological deterioration, Artificial intelligence, Resiliency breakdown, and Social media (FEARS). Against this backdrop, it proposes a 3R framework for reimagining education: guardRails, Rules of Engagement, and Routines, which foreground the need to recognise AI’s risks and limitations, cultivate discerning ways of thinking, and shape everyday practices that remain deeply human-centred over time. In a similar vein, paper 2 offers an analysis of paradoxes introduced by AI and other “post” movements of the contemporary era. It argues for a cosmopolitan-ethical approach and the need for critical-ethical engagements with AI to mitigate its risks. Translating these commitments into education system design, paper 3 argues that harnessing AI requires a human-centred, values-driven mindset that enables learning beyond AI, and illustrates how this is cultivated through initial teacher education at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore. Finally, paper 4 focuses on teachers as key moral and relational agents, outlining the competencies and dispositions required for teachers to mediate human-AI relationships in learning. Collectively, the symposium argues that education must move beyond AI as merely a tool for learning efficiency and innovation, and instead re-centre on what it means to be human in a world characterised by FEARS.

This symposium examines how the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping understandings of literacy, learning and meaning-making across subjects and modes. While literacy has long been understood as a socially situated, multimodal and increasingly digital practice, GenAI introduces new forms of agency, new semiotic possibilities and new pedagogical dilemmas. Across four diverse studies in English Language learning and Chinese Language learning in the secondary school context as well as literacy learning in the higher education contexts, the symposium advances a shared argument: that educators must reimagine how language could be taught and learnt, as well as what new literacies are needed today.
A common theme across the presentations concerns the changing relationship between learner agency and AI mediation. The papers collectively point to the need for pedagogic approaches that enable students to evaluate AI output and take ownership of their learning through sustained reflection. Developing feedback literacy, transmodal literacy and argumentation skills involves understanding how GenAI scaffolds and shapes thinking.
Another common theme concerns the role of the teacher. The studies show that teachers’ interpretive, relational and affective work remains crucial, even as AI systems provide personalised and real-time guidance. Teachers mediate students’ engagement with GenAI by framing expectations, modelling evaluative judgement, amplifying metacognitive awareness and supporting emotional regulation. The “human in the loop” emerges as central to literacy learning, ensuring that AI-driven processes remain educationally purposeful and ethically grounded.
Together, the papers offer a reimagined view of literacies in the age of GenAI with literacies that involve navigating human-machine partnership, designing meaning across modes, and cultivating critical discernment.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into education, a key challenge is ensuring that AI supports deeper thinking rather than automating it. This hands-on workshop introduces participants to Project Andy, an AI-augmented pedagogical tool designed around the CAVE model—Capture, Assess, Visualize, Elevate. Andy operates as an instructor-facing FigJam plugin that captures student artefacts, analyses class-wide patterns, and provides concise insights to support formative assessment and reflective learning. Rather than replacing teacher judgement, Andy is designed to surface student thinking in ways that allow educators to intervene more intentionally and purposefully.
In this 1.5-hour express session (recommended cap: 20 participants), attendees will experience three compressed stages of the design thinking process—Discover, Define, and Develop—using short activities adapted from classroom pilots in secondary schools and teacher education. Working directly on FigJam, participants will complete the following activities:
1. Discover
• Practise Noticing User Frustrations — distinguishing events from underlying emotions
• Write Empathy Statements — articulating needs using simple cause–effect logic
2. Define
• Write a Problem Statement — clarifying user, need, and cause
• Write a “How Might We” Statement — reframing problems into opportunities
3. Develop
• Ideate Fast — generating multiple divergent ideas
• Prototype & Iterate — refining ideas rapidly based on new insights
Each activity follows a two-mode structure:
(1) a raw attempt completed independently on FigJam, and
(2) a scaffolded improvement informed by Andy’s CAVE process. After participants submit their raw artefacts, Andy captures their inputs, generates individualized AI-assisted feedback, and elevates class-level patterns that help the facilitator identify common gaps, strengths, and opportunities for guided discussion. Participants will see how AI can serve as a partner that makes thinking visible without reducing learner autonomy.
The workshop concludes with a dialogue on how AI-supported visible-thinking processes can strengthen metacognition, promote productive struggle, and deepen creative collaboration in design-based learning.
Expected outcomes include:
(1) understanding how AI can support metacognitive growth across 4D Design framework;
(2) experiencing seamless AI–FigJam workflows relevant to real classrooms; and
(3) identifying design principles for using AI to empower facilitation, creativity, and reflective thinking in design education.

Aim:
This hands-on workshop aims to empower educators to design and customise ChatGPT to function as a personalised teaching and learning assistant. Participants will explore how to create domain-specific ChatGPT tutors that support classroom instruction, curriculum design, and assessment practices. The session demonstrates how educators can align AI prompts and responses to their specific subjects, educational levels, and pedagogical goals—transforming ChatGPT from a generic tool into a context-aware co-teacher.
Methodology:
Conducted over 1 hour and 30 minutes, this interactive workshop follows a three-phase structure:
Introduction (20 minutes): Participants will be guided through the fundamentals of ChatGPT and the process of creating a Custom GPT using OpenAI’s platform. This includes defining educational goals, setting custom instructions, and aligning responses to Bloom’s Taxonomy or institutional learning outcomes.
Hands-On Design (50 minutes): Working in pairs or small groups, participants will customise their own AI tutors for classroom or administrative use (e.g., “Lesson Planner GPT,” “Assessment Checker GPT,” “Student Feedback GPT”). They will upload sample materials such as rubrics, syllabi, or lesson outlines to see how customisation improves relevance and accuracy.
Showcase & Reflection (20 minutes): Participants will test their Custom GPTs, share outcomes, and discuss how prompt design and fine-tuning influence AI-generated quality. Ethical use and data protection guidelines will also be addressed to ensure responsible implementation in educational settings.
Findings/Expected Outcomes:
By the end of the session, participants will:
Understand how to tailor ChatGPT’s persona, tone, and functionality for educational contexts.
Gain practical experience in creating custom tutors for specific subjects and learning needs.
Learn strategies for integrating AI tools ethically and effectively to support differentiated learning and teacher workload management.
This workshop bridges theory and practice, showcasing real examples of ChatGPT’s application in curriculum support, formative assessment, and student engagement. It reinforces AI’s role as a cognitive scaffold—enhancing, not replacing, the educator’s professional expertise.

This workshop shares insights from the joint inquiry conducted by Fuhua Secondary School and Guangyang Secondary School under the NIE Assessment Certification Course, exploring how structured self-assessment routines can strengthen learner ownership and deepen conceptual understanding in Chemistry.
The inquiry focused on the common challenge of students relying on rote recall rather than monitoring their learning, identifying misconceptions and acting on feedback, Participants will experience classroom tested strategies such as reflective journaling, self-assessment checklists etc. used in classroom interventions trialled in both schools and reflect on how similar practices can be adopted into their own subject areas.

Fostering deeper mathematical learning requires instructional methods that value the struggle with complexity before instruction, cultivating growth mindsets and Critical and Adaptive Thinking (CAT). This sharing details a secondary school’s journey in developing and implementing Productive Failure (PF) learning tasks across its Mathematics curriculum. PF reverses the conventional learning sequence, requiring students to solve complex, novel problems before formal instruction, thus reframing initial "failure" as a desirable cognitive event (Kapur, M., & Bielaczyc, K., 2012; Sinha, T., & Kapur, M., 2021).

The PF journey began with the goal of promoting mathematical mindsets by establishing positive classroom norms, such as viewing mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. An initial survey revealed gaps in students' beliefs about making mistakes and their reluctance to persist when faced with challenging problems. Addressing this, the Mathematics Department designed and iterated PF tasks following the core phases of PF: Generation and Exploration (Phase 1) and Consolidation and Knowledge Assembly (Phase 2). Tasks were crafted to be complex and non-routine, categorised into Multiple-Choice Questions (challenging schemas) and Real-World Context Questions (novel applications) to tap students’ intuitiveness and activate their prior mathematical concepts.

In addition, a study was conducted with 170 Secondary 3 students on "Making Failure Desirable for Students," complementing the PF tasks with Growth Mindset and Utility Value interventions. Specifically, students made predictions about several Growth Mindset myths (e.g., “your brain can’t get smarter”, “when I fail, my brain grows bigger”) and evaluated relatable peer quotations of reframing failure across formal and informal learning contexts. The findings showed that the 123 students who engaged with growth mindset and utility interventions exhibited greater persistence and achieved positive shifts in their emotions and attitudes. They generated a greater diversity of solutions, effectively using multiple methods for answer verification, when faced with a challenging problem.

This workshop offers practical insights into the systematic PF development journey, presenting refined learning tasks and empirical findings when complemented with Growth Mindset and Utility Value interventions. By intentionally designing mathematical problems using a PF-based approach, this reframes failure as a productive experience, fostering persistence, CAT, and deep mathematical learning.

In today's tech-driven world, traditional teaching methods are no longer the preferred choice, as they often involve passive learning and a one-size-fits-all approach. Students now crave engaging lessons with hands-on activities, ICT tools, and gamification. To bridge this gap, we've found KAMI, a digital tool that combines traditional teaching with modern tech. KAMI lets teachers turn static worksheets into interactive tasks, allowing students to write, draw, type, and annotate. It enables paperless marking, anytime and anywhere, and helps teachers support students with timely feedback. This workshop will show you how to blend traditional and digital teaching methods to boost student learning. We'll explore KAMI's benefits and features, and how to integrate it with Google Classroom, Canva, and Google Drive. You'll get hands-on experience with KAMI, so you can implement it in your teaching.

This workshop introduces a sustainable, classroom-ready approach to developing multiliteracy skills through Virtual Galleries (VGs); curated digital spaces that organise multimodal texts for purposeful reading, viewing and response. Grounded in the multiliteracies framework (New London Group, 1996) and informed by multimodal theory (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006), the workshop shows how VGs help students navigate, interpret and evaluate meaning across modes; strengthening key multiliteracy dimensions such as linguistic, visual, spatial and critical. In line with Hattie’s emphasis on making learning processes and intentions explicit (Hattie, 2009), VGs also make students’ thinking visible as they work across multimodal texts. Drawing on a school-based inquiry, the workshop demonstrates how VGs make multimodal instruction systematic by making text–image relations visible, scaffolding comprehension through curated pathways and promoting active learner interaction through embedded prompts and visible thinking routines. Participants will experience three components: (i) a conceptual grounding that introduces key multiliteracies constructs and explains why VGs support adolescent literacy needs; (ii) a demonstration of practice featuring a teacher-tested prototype that sequences multimodal texts to activate prior knowledge, foreground critical viewing and deepen inferential reading; (iii) a guided design activity in which participants construct a micro-gallery using a template while considering accessibility, cognitive load management, semiotic purposefulness and opportunities for response. Beyond being low-cost, scalable and sustainable within regular curriculum time, the workshop offers a clear and replicable model for integrating multiliteracy instruction into everyday lessons, without specialised platforms or extensive preparation. It also establishes a shared language for multimodal pedagogy and supports departments in realising aspirations related to critical literacy and 21st-century competencies. Participants will leave with a practical template, design principles and a framework for embedding VGs into sustained reading units.

This professional development workshop explores how the Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) 5E Model—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate—can enhance student engagement in Chinese Language classrooms. Aligned with the Ministry of Education’s Framework for 21st Century Competencies (21st CC), it supports the development of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-directed learning.

Targeting Primary 5 and 6 Middle Progress and High Progress learners, the workshop addresses the limitations of traditional teacher-centred approaches and repositions students as active meaning-makers in the learning process. Grounded in constructivist learning theory and aligned with the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) area of Activating Thinking, the 5E Model fosters deeper understanding through active inquiry and authentic language use.

Incorporating the principles of Curriculum Integration (CI), the workshop demonstrates how Chinese Language learning can be meaningfully connected with other disciplines—such as Science, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), and the Arts—to strengthen students’ understanding of real-world contexts. Through interdisciplinary themes and authentic tasks, teachers will learn how to design lessons that integrate language skills with values, creativity, and cultural appreciation, making learning both purposeful and relevant.

The 5E Model also complements the Knowledge, Application, and Thinking (KAT) framework by promoting Higher-Order Thinking and application of knowledge in varied contexts. Participants will experience using AI as an instructional and creative tool while incorporating the 5E Model in Reading, Composition, and E-Oral components.

Through lesson co-design, guided facilitation, and reflective discussions, the workshop equips teachers with practical strategies to design student-centred, integrated Chinese Language lessons that strengthen Holistic Engagement, promote cross-disciplinary learning, and nurture future-ready, lifelong learners. Students will discuss, craft their ideas, and work in groups for their presentation, thus building their level of confidence in presentation skills.

This workshop introduces a sustainable, classroom-ready approach to using Virtual Reality (VR) tools when engaging reluctant learners in lower secondary Science. Anchored in the MOE 21st Century Competencies domain of ‘Critical, Adaptive and Inventive Thinking’, particularly curiosity and creativity, the workshop shows how VR-mediated experiences offer low-barrier entry points for learners who often hesitate during conventional instruction. In line with insights from Educational Neuroscience - which highlight how emotion, curiosity and embodied experience enhance learning (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007) - VR creates conditions that strengthen attention, motivation and conceptual exploration. Grounded in embodied cognition theory (Barsalou, 2008) and informed by school-based pilot findings, the workshop demonstrates how immersive VR scenes, captured with low-cost cardboard cameras, make scientific ideas more concrete and relatable; reducing abstraction and increasing students’ willingness to observe, question and participate. The workshop comprises three components: (i) a conceptual grounding that frames curiosity as a cognitive-emotional catalyst for learning and explains why VR supports perspective-taking, novelty and embodied observation; (ii) a demonstration of practice using classroom-tested VR clips paired with noticing routines, structured prompts and collaborative discussion moves that help learners move from curiosity to clearer conceptual understanding; (iii) a guided design activity in which participants create a short VR-supported learning sequence using a template while applying principles of accessibility, cognitive load management, prompt clarity and low-stakes student response. By the end of the workshop, participants will understand how VR can be used as a pedagogical scaffold rather than a technological add-on, how to design VR-supported tasks that build confidence and participation among reluctant learners and how to harness curiosity as an entry point for scientific inquiry. They will leave with adaptable VR routines, design principles and a practical framework for integrating VR meaningfully into everyday lessons.

Research consistently highlights the pivotal role parents play in shaping the educational and developmental outcomes of their children and youth with Special Educational Needs (SEN). As such, parental partnerships are a key determinant in the effectiveness of educational and therapeutic interventions.

In Singapore, while there have been increased efforts made by both education and healthcare systems to support and empower parents of children and youth with SEN through parent education programmes, school-based engagement initiatives, and clinical guidance, many such efforts often operate in parallel rather than in synchrony. Consequently, many families navigating the SEN ecosystem experience fragmented communication, frustration, and confusion.

Significant gaps remain in how home, school, and healthcare systems collaborate in practice. Parents frequently report challenges related to access to timely help, inconsistent information, and alignment between educational and clinical support. These gaps can undermine trust, increase caregiver stress, and limit the potential impact of interventions on children’s development and well-being.

So, how can education and healthcare systems work more seamlessly together to support parents as informed, confident, and empowered partners in their children’s education and development?

Drawing on the lived experiences of parents of neurodivergent children who are themselves educators and/or healthcare professionals, the workshop foregrounds parent voices that bridge multiple professional perspectives. These narratives offer unique insights into systemic misalignments as well as opportunities to build more integrated and empathetic partnership models.

This interactive design thinking workshop seeks to expand professional dialogue and perspectives on the persistent challenges of establishing coherent and sustainable home–school–healthcare partnerships within Singapore’s SEN landscape. Participants will be invited to critically reflect upon current practices in parent engagement and their underlying assumptions as well as explore points of friction across systems. They will then co-generate practical strategies for enhancing communication and collaboration with parents across systems. At the end of the workshop, participants should also be able to identify actionable refinements to their current professional practices.

This workshop is relevant to educators, school leaders, allied health professionals, policymakers, and researchers committed to redesigning pedagogical and support practices for learners with SEN through stronger cross-system partnerships.

In instrumental teaching, helping students to perceive and communicate musical flow—the sense of direction, tension, and release within a phrase—remains a central pedagogical challenge. While this expressive dimension is often conveyed intuitively, its foundation lies deeply in musical structure. This workshop transforms research on music analysis into practical pedagogical strategies, demonstrating how analytical understanding can enhance expressive performance and interpretive confidence.

Drawing from ongoing classroom and studio-based research, the workshop illustrates how the integration of functional harmony, melodic projection, and motivic development into lesson practice can help students internalize the “grammar” of music. Using live demonstrations on the violin and viola, the demonstration session will focus on selected excerpts from J. S. Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin and Six Cello Suites (transcribed for viola). These works, renowned for their structural clarity and rhetorical expressiveness, provide ideal models for exploring phrase unfolding, harmonic direction, and cadential arrival.

Participants will engage in guided analytical observation, interactive discussion, and reflective performance exercises. The aim is to translate theoretical insight into embodied musicianship—showing how understanding harmonic function and motivic flow naturally informs bowing, articulation, dynamic shaping, and pacing. Through this hands-on exploration, attendees will gain a replicable framework for integrating research-based analytical awareness into instrumental pedagogy.

By bridging the gap between research and studio practice, this workshop offers a concrete example of “Education Research for Impact.” It demonstrates how analytical inquiry can directly transform teaching and learning, fostering deeper musical comprehension, more authentic expression, and greater student agency. This workshop invites music educators and performers alike to reconsider analysis not as an abstract academic task, but as a living process that animates the performer’s voice and enriches every stage of musical interpretation.

This paper explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting and enhancing students’ writing practices in the literature classroom. While AI offers powerful tools for deeper textual analysis and creative possibilities, students are increasingly reliant on its generative abilities. This paper reframes AI as a learning companion that scaffolds the writing process without replacing authentic student thinking. Methodologically, this study adopts a practice-based design that is implemented across two writing cycles. The Learning Assistant (LEA), an AI-enabled dialogic agent on the Student Learning Space that guides learning via iterative questioning, is purposefully integrated into a writing cycle for Lower and Upper Secondary Literature students to help them internalise the critical elements of an analytical paragraph. Catering to varying readiness levels and differing class sizes, the LEA provides scaffolded support for paragraph writing, strengthening students’ metacognitive awareness of how effective literary responses are crafted. The seamless integration with collaborative tools such as Kami and Google Docs further fosters peer learning and reflective dialogue. Within this process, the teacher operates both in the loop—interpreting students’ responses with the LEA and guiding their analysis—and over the loop, as students have the freedom to choose how they interact with the LEA. The second writing cycle extends this approach for Secondary 4 students by leveraging AI alongside examination rubrics to investigate what makes good writing even better. Often perceived as elusive, high-quality literary analysis becomes more concrete and attainable when students use AI to analyse exemplars, identify specific moves that elevate quality, and reflect on how these techniques can be applied in their own work. With the teacher remaining firmly in the loop to contextualise rubric language and provide feedback, students are supported to think more deeply in the ways the discipline demands. Our findings challenge conventional assumptions about AI in education, suggesting a reimagined role for intelligent technologies as collaborative partners in knowledge creation rather than mere content generators. We conclude with practical recommendations for optimising AI integration responsibly while strengthening authentic learning. Collectively, these insights point towards AI’s potential to augment instructional support while encouraging aspirational growth in Literature education.

This paper explores how school language teachers can lead the ethical and effective integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in language education. It highlights a recent initiative at an Australian University that brings together university-based language academics and schoolteachers in Australia to co-design AI-enhanced pedagogy. The study aims to investigate how teacher-led approaches can shape AI integration in ways that are pedagogically sound, context sensitive, and ethically responsible. It positions teachers as active designers of principled AI-mediated practices, rather than passive adopters of technology.

A three-stage design-based participatory action research (PAR) methodology guides the project. In Stage 1, teachers participated in a professional development roundtable event. They examined the opportunities and challenges of AI in language education and discussed what teacher-led AI pedagogy might look like in their own classrooms. In Stage 2, drawing on current research and policies, the schoolteachers will collaborate with academic facilitators to co-design AI-integrated teaching strategies. Stage 3 involves implementing these strategies in classrooms, followed by evaluation, reflection, and iterative refinement.
The expected outcome is a replicable and scalable model for teacher-led AI pedagogy. This model is inspired by two key frameworks: the Digital Pedagogy Framework (Tan et al., 2024) and the Jagged Frontier framework (Christensen et al., 2023). The latter helps educators distinguish between core and non-core practices when responding to technological change. Together, these frameworks inform a model that supports teachers in navigating ethical tensions while maintaining professional autonomy in AI integration.

This study contributes to the field of AI in Education by centring teacher agency in the design of AI-enhanced pedagogy. It offers practical insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers seeking responsible and sustainable approaches to AI integration in language classrooms.

Key words: AI in Education, language education, pedagogy, teacher agency, co-design

Reference:
Christensen, H. B., Floyd, E., Liu, L. Y., & Maffett, M. (2023). The jagged frontier: Framing and taming disruption in education (Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 24-013). Harvard Business School. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=64700
Tan, S. C., Voogt, J., & Tan, L. (2024). Introduction to digital pedagogy: A proposed framework for design and enactment. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 19(3), 327–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2024.2396944

Aim:
This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining the meaning of personalized learning by transforming the long-standing “2-Sigma Problem” into a scalable educational opportunity. Building on Benjamin Bloom’s (1984) findings that one-to-one tutoring can raise student performance by two standard deviations, the paper argues that recent AI advances—particularly through tools like Khan Academy’s Khanmigo—demonstrate the first practical pathway to democratizing expert-level tutoring for every learner. The central thesis posits that AI can shift education from a model of scarcity (limited teachers and time) to one of abundance, where every student receives adaptive, continuous guidance.
Methodology:
The study adopts a qualitative analytical approach grounded in case studies from emerging AI-education ecosystems, including Khanmigo, ChatGPT-4, and adaptive learning platforms. Data are drawn from pilot implementations, classroom simulations, and teacher–student interaction logs. The analysis examines how AI tutors emulate human cognitive scaffolding—questioning, prompting, and feedback—without providing direct answers, thereby fostering metacognition and self-regulated learning. Ethical safeguards, such as teacher-viewable transcripts and dual-AI moderation, are reviewed to assess responsible AI integration.
Findings:
Preliminary findings indicate that AI-assisted tutoring can replicate and, in some cases, exceed traditional one-to-one tutoring outcomes. Students demonstrated improved conceptual understanding, increased motivation, and greater willingness to engage in reflective reasoning, particularly in mathematics, coding, and language arts. Teachers reported significant reductions in lesson preparation time as AI tools generated differentiated materials, formative feedback, and progress analytics. Furthermore, AI-mediated Socratic dialogue enabled learners to engage with literature and historical contexts in immersive ways—such as conversing with “Jay Gatsby” or debating social issues—expanding the boundaries of experiential learning.
Conclusion:
AI represents not a threat but a transformative partner in realizing the ideal of “Every Student a Genius.” When used as a thinking catalyst rather than a content generator, AI can enhance human intelligence (HI), deepen creativity, and restore the teacher’s central role as mentor, designer, and moral guide. The paper concludes by proposing a values-driven framework for balancing technological power with educational purpose.

Feedback is a critical component in effective mathematics teaching and learning as it can deepen conceptual understanding, highlight learner strengths, and guide students toward improvement. With artificial intelligence increasingly shaping educational practices, AI-powered feedback presents new possibilities for supporting learners in more personalised and meaningful ways. When coupled with self-error analysis, such feedback can further strengthen students’ metacognitive awareness and self-regulatory skills. This study investigates how AI-powered personalised feedback, integrated with student self-error analysis, enhances mathematics learning among primary school students.
The research involved 217 students from three grade levels: Primary 2 (N = 30), Primary 4 (N = 104), and Primary 5 (N = 83). After receiving teacher-led instruction on selected mathematical topics, students completed tasks on the Student Learning Space (SLS) platform. For each solution submitted, the platform generated personalised AI feedback, which students then used to conduct a self-error analysis. Data sources included student polls, open-ended responses, and collected learning artefacts. These were analysed using Data Assistant Analyses (DAA) to identify emergent themes and develop illustrative case studies.
Findings revealed three key themes in which AI-powered feedback supported students’ learning: (1) timely and specific feedback helped students clarify misconceptions and refine their understanding; (2) constructive feedback prompted deeper reflection and supported learning growth; and (3) positive and encouraging feedback strengthened students’ motivation and confidence. The study also identified an area for improvement: the need for greater clarity and precision in some feedback to better guide learners to move forward.
Overall, the study demonstrates that AI-powered personalised feedback, when paired with opportunities for students to analyse their own errors, can significantly enhance mathematics learning and promote self-regulated learning behaviours in primary students. The findings underscore the potential for educators to integrate AI-supported feedback tools into classroom practice to enrich instruction, strengthen learner agency, and support sustained academic growth.

Aims:
This study investigates how an AI-enabled Adaptive Learning System (ALS) can strengthen self-directed learning (SDL), adaptive thinking, and conceptual mastery among Primary 5 and 6 learners in a mainstream Singapore school. The research responds to persistent challenges in heterogeneous classrooms—including varied readiness, uneven home support, and the demand to align teaching to the 2021 Mathematics Curriculum (Basic Items, AO1–AO3 cognitive processes, and formative assessment). The study aims to understand how AI-driven adaptivity and feedback can provide clearer learning entry points, enhance learner agency, and support more equitable academic growth.

Methodology:
A two-year action research design was employed, anchored in the Singapore Teaching Practice and guided by termly inquiry cycles. Each term functioned as a full design–implementation–review–refinement iteration. Mixed-method triangulation was used to obtain a comprehensive picture of impact:
Quantitative data: ALS analytics, Basic Item mastery patterns, weighted assessment performance, and adaptive-thinking scores.
Qualitative data: student surveys, open-ended reflections, and semi-structured teacher interviews.
ALS features—real-time concept-readiness indicators, granular feedback, and tiered pathways (Revision → Guided → Challenge)—were analysed to examine how they mediated SDL, clarified next-step actions, and reduced cognitive load for lower-progress learners. Particular attention was paid to how the ALS signalled prerequisite skill gaps and suggested optimal starting points, enabling pupils to initiate learning with minimal teacher prompting.

Findings:
Findings show consistent improvements across both cohorts, with notable trends across class profiles. Quantitatively, pupils demonstrated increased quality and quantity passes and positive gains in adaptive-thinking scores, with differentiated yet developmentally appropriate growth patterns across higher-, middle-, and lower-progress classes. Qualitatively, pupils reported clearer understanding of learning goals, greater confidence, and stronger SDL behaviours, attributing these improvements to the transparency and immediacy of AI-enabled feedback. Teachers observed richer mathematical discussions, improved monitoring of foundational mastery, and more purposeful mediation informed by ALS insights.
Curriculum alignment was strengthened as ALS data complemented Basic Item tracking, supported difficulty-weighted task design, and enhanced formative assessment planning. While AI provided structure and diagnostic clarity, teacher sense-making remained essential in translating insights into classroom action.
Full inferential analysis will be completed in the next analytic stage.

Word problem solving remains a persistent challenge in primary mathematics learning. Many students struggle to make sense of and solve word problems even after formal classroom instruction.
To address this challenge, we developed a ChatGPT-supported learning application, MathTutor, to scaffold the re-learning of word problem solving through a structured inquiry process grounded in Polya’s problem-solving framework. The app guides students step by step through the phases of understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and reflecting on the solution. It prompts students to articulate their reasoning in natural language, provides immediate feedback on their responses, surfaces misconceptions, and supports reflection on errors.
A pilot study was conducted in two neighbourhood primary schools in Singapore with twelve students aged 8–9. Over a two-hour intervention, students used MathTutor to re-learn the solving of word problems involving addition, subtraction, and comparison. Analysis of system log data and post-activity interviews yielded three preliminary observations: (i) students were generally engaged when learning with the app; (ii) students showed relative proficiency with addition and subtraction items but experienced greater difficulty with comparison and combination problems; and (iii) students enrolled in the Learning Support for Mathematics (LSM) programme were unable to use the app independently and required ongoing teacher mediation and support.
Several design and implementation issues also emerged. First, low typing proficiency among some students hindered smooth interaction, prompting the activation of a copy-and-paste function as a workaround. However, this introduced the risk that students could copy and paste without understanding, achieving high task performance with limited conceptual learning. Second, some incorrect entries by students were not flagged by the app, thereby reducing the accuracy and completeness of feedback. Third, high-progress and low-progress learners exhibited distinctive interaction and learning patterns. The differentiated patterns highlight the need for more finely tuned personalisation and adaptive feedback to cater to diverse learner profiles.
Overall, this pilot study offers preliminary evidence of both the potential and the limitations of ChatGPT-supported re-learning in primary mathematics word problem solving. Future work will focus on refining the app for the main study.

Computational thinking (CT) is crucial for enhancing students’ complex problem-solving abilities in the intelligent era. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is profoundly transforming the global educational landscape and demonstrating significant potential for promoting personalized learning. However, the literature offers varied results on the effectiveness of using GenAI to cultivate students’ CT. This study comprehensively investigated the effects of GenAI on students’ CT and the role of moderating factors, integrating 45 effect sizes from 25 empirical studies published between 2022 and 2025. A theoretical framework of factors influencing students’ CT was proposed based on activity theory, and the moderating factors included educational level, region, intervention duration, teaching mode, interaction mode, role setting, and feedback type. The results indicated that GenAI had a significant overall positive effect on students’ CT development. Specifically, the largest effect size was computational practice, followed by computational concept and computational perspective. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that region, teaching mode, and interaction mode had significant moderating effects. Based on these results, this study offers targeted implications across the dimensions of theoretical foundation, educational practice, and technological development, providing empirical evidence for implementing GenAI teaching and developing GenAI tools to cultivate students’ CT.

This two-phase study investigates whether a generative AI chatbot could improve written peer feedback quality in polytechnic education from both objective and recipient perspectives. Phase 1 examined objective feedback quality improvements, while Phase 2 will validate these findings through recipient perceptions and implementation intentions across multiple academic contexts.

Phase 1 employed a static-group comparison design with 75 first-year engineering students across four classes, comparing feedback quality between students who used the SPA Feedback Enhancer chatbot (n=23) and those who did not (n=52). The chatbot, built using Microsoft Copilot Studio, guided students in providing feedback following a structured [Behaviour] [Example] [Impact] template. Feedback quality was assessed using a validated rubric focusing on "reference to specific behaviour" and "impact of specific behaviour," with inter-rater reliability between AI and human raters achieving acceptable levels (QWK > 0.7). Phase 2 will utilize a cross-sectional survey design across four schools (CLS, EEE, MAE & SMA) with a target sample of 300 students, measuring recipient perceptions using validated Steelman feedback quality and delivery scales and implementation intention measures.

Phase 1 results demonstrated that for positive feedback, the intervention group achieved statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) with medium-to-large effect sizes for reference to specific behaviour (r = 0.407) and impact of specific behaviour (r = 0.377). However, improvements for negative feedback were limited, with significant differences only in impact of specific behaviour (r = 0.261). Voluntary adoption rate was 31%. Phase 2 will examine whether these objective improvements translate into recipient perceptions of higher quality feedback and increased implementation intentions across diverse academic contexts.

This study will provide convergent validity between objective and subjective measures of feedback quality, demonstrating whether AI-enhanced peer feedback tools can effectively improve both technical quality and recipient experiences. The multi-school validation will establish broader applicability for institutional adoption decisions while identifying implementation strategies for scaling AI-enhanced peer feedback systems across diverse educational contexts.

Keywords: AI chatbot, peer assessment, peer feedback, feedback quality, teamwork, educational technology

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has renewed interest in personalised learning within higher education. Although AI technologies offer considerable potential to tailor learning experiences, their pedagogical value depends on effective integration into authentic, applied, and active learning environments. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for personalised learning with AI, synthesising current empirical and theoretical literature to inform meaningful implementation in higher education.

The framework comprises four interrelated core dimensions. The first dimension, personalised learning design, incorporates learner profiling, personalised pathways, and personalised feedback. AI-enabled learner profiling, often referred to as user modelling, facilitates the assessment of learners’ prior knowledge, preferences, and support needs, thereby enabling adaptive content sequencing and targeted interventions. Personalised pathways, supported by intelligent tutoring systems and recommendation engines, allow learning content and pacing to adapt dynamically to learner progress. Personalised feedback, delivered through automated and real-time systems, enhances self-regulation, motivation, and learning momentum when aligned with established feedback principles.

The second dimension, learner empowerment, focuses on fostering autonomy, reflective learning, and AI literacy. Instead of viewing learners as passive recipients of AI-driven instruction, the framework prioritises equipping students with the skills necessary to engage critically and ethically with AI-supported learning environments.

The third dimension, human-centred teaching with AI, highlights the ongoing role of educators. Informed by sociocultural learning theory and scaffolding principles, the framework positions AI as a tool that augments pedagogical judgment, enabling instructors to deliver differentiated support within learners’ zones of proximal development.

The fourth dimension, AI and technological infrastructure, supports scalable and responsive personalisation, while acknowledging challenges associated with system complexity and resource requirements.

Ethical considerations, privacy and consent, and integrity and alignment surround these core dimensions, serving as essential conditions for sustainable implementation. Together, these elements provide a coherent pedagogical perspective for leveraging AI to enhance personalised learning while maintaining educational quality, human agency, and ethical responsibility in higher education.

To systematically explore the core influencing factors and mechanisms of teachers’AI literacy, this study adopted a combination of meta-analysis and subgroup analysis to synthesize relevant factors based on 128 valid effect sizes from 44 independent studies (total sample size N=19,092). The results indicated that the influencing factors of teachers’AI literacy can be categorized into six major types, among which knowledge and skill foundation is the most critical positive driving factor (significant influence rate 65.9%, average effect sizeβ=0.315). Core sub-factors include AI understanding ability (KUAI,β=0.698, 100% significant), digital literacy (technical application/problem-solving,β=0.128–0.204), and computational thinking skills (CT,β=0.257).
Within personal psychological characteristics (significant influence rate 32.0%), learning self-efficacy (SE, β=0.420) and autonomy (β=0.221) showed significant positive effects. Among environmental support factors (significant influence rate 33.3%), school support (SS,β=0.495) was prominently effective. In terms of demographic background (significant influence rate 35.7%), professional capital (PC,β=0.150) also exerted a significant positive impact. Negative influencing factors mainly included AI anxiety (β=-0.290), AI trust (β=-0.392), and psychological barriers (β=-0.357).
Subgroup analysis revealed differences in the impact of training models on AI literacy between K-12 teachers and higher education teachers, with blended training being more effective than single theoretical or practical training. Additionally, AI literacy exhibited heterogeneity in its effects across different dimensions, with the most prominent improvement effects on AI application skills (β=0.373) and ethical awareness (β=0.810). This study constructed a three-dimensional influencing factor framework of ‘knowledge foundation-psychological characteristics-environmental support’, providing empirical evidence for the targeted design of teachers’AI literacy improvement programs and the optimization of AI education integration strategies.

Abstract:
The rapid adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) tools in higher education has led to widespread student usage; however, frequent use does not necessarily translate into structured thinking, critical evaluation, or meaningful learning. Building on earlier work demonstrating the effectiveness of the PAIR (Problem, AI Tools, Interaction, Reflection) framework, this study examines the impact of a scaffolded PAIR instructional design, informed by pre- and post-intervention survey data.

Methods.
Participants comprised 375 students enrolled in User-Centred Design for Business (UCDB) within the School of Business & Accountancy (BA). UCDB served as the focal module for impact analysis. In parallel, the PAIR framework was also implemented across selected modules in BA and the School of Life Sciences & Chemical Technology (LSCT); however, outcome evaluation in this study focuses on UCDB.

A pre-intervention survey was administered to establish baseline GenAI awareness, usage patterns, AI literacy, and critical thinking behaviours. GenAI was subsequently integrated using the PAIR framework. To ensure consistency, a standardised PAIR implementation guide aligned problem framing, GenAI interaction, and reflection activities with module learning outcomes. Students engaged with design problems, evaluated GenAI tools, participated in structured interactions supported by instructor facilitation and peer discussion, and completed guided reflection activities addressing reliance, limitations, and ethical considerations. A post-intervention survey was administered to capture changes in students’ perceptions and self-reported GenAI practices.

Results and Discussion.
Pre-intervention findings indicated that GenAI usage was nearly universal (98%), yet awareness of structured frameworks for GenAI use was low. ChatGPT dominated tool usage, and GenAI was primarily used for idea generation and efficiency rather than critical evaluation. Although students expressed confidence in using GenAI and writing prompts (95%), responses revealed limited systematic evaluation of GenAI outputs.

Post-intervention findings from UCDB indicated increased student confidence in applying structured and reflective GenAI practices, including clearer articulation of when and how GenAI should support design decision-making. Students also reported greater awareness of GenAI limitations and ethical considerations. Together, these findings suggest that the PAIR framework supports a shift from habitual GenAI use toward more deliberate, structured, and responsible practices, offering implications for GenAI-enabled learning design in business education.

Emerging work suggests that custom generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots offer unique support for personalised learning (Ali, et al., 2023; Kuhail et al., 2023; Wu & Yum 2024). In 2024, two OpenAI GPT Builds, Picture Composition Coach and Art Writing Assistant, were trialled with six art classes from three secondary schools and two junior colleges. About 130 students engaged in guided interactions with AI as feedback assistants. Using mixed methods, this research synthesised findings from quantitative surveys, focus groups, and interviews. The analysis focused on the perceived instructional benefits and drawbacks of using custom GenAI chatbots to personalise art learning.

Student feedback was largely positive, with 90% finding the tools easy to use and helpful for understanding concepts. High engagement rates were also reported: 80% cited improved critical thinking, and 85% felt more motivated. Qualitatively, students valued the immediate, personalised feedback offered by the chatbots. Its use of the “Praise-Question-Polish” feedback protocol and strong art vocabulary appeared to encourage deeper reflection than standard peer reviews. The visual tools also proved valuable for beginners, making it easier to grasp composition and visualise art concepts. Teachers specifically valued how the chatbots supported brainstorming on ways to improve their picture composition or writing structure.

However, the study also highlighted concerns. Teachers raised concerns regarding the authentication of student work, while students themselves identified the risk of dependency. Participants noted that the AI’s ability to “think” and fill in details creates a slippery slope toward over-reliance. To mitigate this, older students suggested strict boundaries, such as limiting AI use to feedback stages rather than initial brainstorming. Teachers also called for clear guidelines on when to use these tools, along with increased AI literacy and prompt engineering instruction to ensure students remain engaged in the creative process.

The research suggests that custom GenAI chatbots show great promise as “thinking partners”. However, they are not plug-and-play solutions. Thoughtful AI use requires careful scaffolding and clear usage guidelines to ensure the technology supports the creative process without sabotaging human learning. Art classrooms’ use cases in alignment with MOE’s position on AI would also be discussed.

This mixed-methods study investigates the pedagogical impact of a generative voice-based AI model engineered for natural and expressive speech synthesis on students’ conversational self-efficacy. As educational institutions increasingly explore AI integration, understanding how voice-based generative technologies influence learner confidence and communication skills is critical for evidence-based instructional redesign. By combining quantitative and qualitative insights, this research situates AI integration within local educational contexts, contributing to the broader discourse on digital transformation in teaching and learning.

The study employed an A/B testing framework structured as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), involving 76 Polytechnic Foundation Programme students across four classes. Two classes were randomly assigned to the experimental group (Group A, n=38), which engaged with the AI model as a conversational partner during structured curriculum time (minimum 60 minutes weekly), with additional home access for self-directed practice. The remaining two classes formed the control group (Group B, n=38), receiving conventional instruction without AI intervention.

Data collection followed a convergent mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative pre-test/post-test measures with qualitative focus-group insights. The quantitative component utilized a validated 12-item self-efficacy survey adapted from Axboe et al.’s clinical communication skills questionnaire, administered anonymously via Microsoft Forms. Qualitative data were gathered through focus-group discussions with selected experimental participants, conducted in groups of six across two sessions.

Findings from this study will inform pedagogical innovation by examining how generative AI can augment conversational self-efficacy. By highlighting the role of emotionally intelligent, context-aware voice models in enhancing conversational self-efficacy, this research advances understanding of AI’s potential in pedagogical redesign in digital educational landscapes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly entering classrooms, raising an important question: how can AI illuminate student thinking without diminishing teacher judgement? This study investigates Project Andy, an AI-assisted pedagogical tool built around the CAVE model (Capture, Assess, Visualize, Elevate), designed to surface learners’ cognitive processes during design-based learning. Guided by the design principles that AI should amplify—not replace—student thinking, support timely and actionable feedback, enable iterative improvement, and fit seamlessly into existing classroom workflows, Andy aims to preserve student agency while strengthening the visibility of reasoning and reflection.

The Andy–CAVE approach has been tested across multiple educational settings in Singapore, including a 13-week master’s-level module on Design Thinking and Human-Centred Education and several ERFP workshops involving secondary and junior college students. Across all contexts, participants completed structured design tasks on FigJam, producing observations, empathy statements, problem statements, and early-stage ideas. Andy functions as an instructor-facing plugin that captures student artefacts, provides individualised feedback, and visualises class-level patterns to support formative assessment. Each activity follows a two-mode structure: a raw attempt, followed by a scaffolded attempt informed by Andy’s feedback. This structure enables controlled comparisons of thinking development across the Discover, Define, and Develop stages.

Qualitative data include student reflections, classroom artefacts, teacher interviews, and observation notes. These are analysed to understand how learners interpret AI-supported insights, how teachers negotiate agency when AI contributes to formative assessment, and how visible thinking influences classroom discourse.
This paper reports initial findings addressing three pedagogical questions:
(1) How does AI-mediated feedback shape students’ ability to observe, empathise, frame problems, ideate, and iterate?
(2) How do educators perceive AI’s role in supporting or constraining their pedagogical intent?
(3) What design principles best support ethical, meaningful integration of AI into creative and reflective learning?

This work contributes to AI-supported design education by demonstrating how structured AI feedback loops can strengthen—not replace—the human dimensions of design thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), has permeated and is transforming music education by reshaping how students think, create and interact musically. With AI, students can get compositional guidance, instant feedback, and personalised music learning experiences (Holland, 2000; Rizal & Milyartini, 2024; Liu, 2025). Yet, the balance between AI and humans in creative processes remains crucial. AI’s potential in fostering inventive thinking calls for “co-creativity”, emphasising partnership, complex interactions, and reciprocal feedback processes (Esling & Devis, 2020).

Through secondary data analysis of four case studies across Primary and Secondary schools’ contexts, this paper explores how music teachers integrate AI tools (MagicSchool AI, Suno) to develop creativity, ownership, and engagement in students in the context of songwriting and composition lessons. Teachers implemented progressive models where AI scaffolds creativity before evolving into a creative partner. Primary students received teacher-facilitated sessions, while Secondary students were able to engage more critically and personally with the AI tool to explore musical structures, harmony, and stylistic variations.


In both Primary and Secondary contexts, students valued AI’s assistance and efficiency in rhyme, lyric creation and generation of musical ideas, while emphasising the need to preserve authenticity, emotional depth, and ethical responsibility in the use of AI-generated outputs. Students appreciated the AI affordances of experimentation, instant feedback, and exposure to diverse musical styles, whilst advocating for the desire for more personal agency through creative autonomy and control over artistic expressions and choices.


Findings suggest that teachers need to proactively position AI as a creative partner to scaffold inventive thinking while ensuring that ethical considerations, such as age appropriateness and responsible use are addressed. AI should be a creative collaborator that supports the development of creative problem-solving and innovative exploration, calling for a reimagining and redesigning of learning environments where technology partners with students to enhance inventive capacity. This necessitates a more balanced pedagogical approach that leverages AI as a creative collaborator rather than replacing human creativity. Such environments empower teachers to nurture inventive mindsets, foster creative risk-taking among diverse learners, and strengthen critical listening and evaluative skills that are key competencies of music learning.

This study examines the extent to which generative artificial intelligence can be integrated into authentic assessment practices in higher education in the Philippines. Grounded in constructivist theories by Piaget (1954), Vygotsky (1978), and Wiggins (1990), together with adaptive learning principles from Brusilovsky and Millán (2007), the research positions generative AI as an instructional tool that can enhance learner-centered assessment through improved alignment between tasks and intended learning outcomes. With the global expansion of AI-supported learning environments (Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019), Philippine higher education institutions face increasing demand for clear, empirically based guidance on the ethical and pedagogical use of generative AI for assessment.

A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, beginning with surveys of students and educators and followed by focus group discussions to refine the scale’s conceptual structure. Structural equation modelling validated a three-factor model consisting of Construct Alignment, Functional Reliability, and Ethical and Equitable Use. The model demonstrated strong fit indices, including CFI = .952, TLI = .945, RMSEA = .046, and SRMR = .041, which meet recommended criteria (Hu & Bentler, 1999). Standardized factor loadings ranged from .63 to .88, and composite reliability values ranged from .83 to .90. Convergent validity was supported by average variance extracted values between .56 and .68, and discriminant validity was established following the Fornell-Larcker criterion (Fornell & Larcker, 1981).

Qualitative findings aligned with these results by emphasizing the need for transparency, assessment integrity, and alignment with international ethical guidelines for AI in education (UNESCO, 2021). The resulting Generative AI Assessment Integration Scale provides an evidence-based framework for guiding higher education institutions in implementing generative AI for authentic, equitable, and pedagogically coherent assessment.

Formative assessment (FA) is most effective when it is embedded within everyday classroom interactions and used continuously to guide instructional decisions. For FA to serve this pedagogic purpose, classroom activities must be aligned to learning outcomes, must elicit meaningful student responses, and must generate evidence that teachers can interpret on an ongoing basis. However, teachers often struggle to implement FA consistently due to workload pressures, fragmented processes, and the additional time required for documentation and analysis.

Purpose:

This study primarily explores the role of emerging technologies, especially AI-driven tools, in supporting teachers to manage formative assessment data and derive meaningful insights for instructional decision-making.

Methodology:

During the 2024–2025 academic year, an AI-enabled FA pilot was conducted across 78 schools with 1362 teachers. Teachers captured student responses by uploading work samples to a digital platform, which generated Progress reports summarising strengths, gaps, and recommendations for teachers and school leaders, with simplified summaries for parents. The usage of the platform was monitored using the upload rate of student work and the number of reports generated per school.

Key findings:
The digital platform enabled teachers to access cohort level insights and identify misconceptions early.
*98% of teachers reported that the progress report provides clear, comprehensive insights and practical recommendations across academic and co-scholastic areas.
*98% of teachers found the report easy to use and highly supportive in understanding each child’s learning journey.
*90% of parents expressed satisfaction with the progress report, finding it clear, meaningful, and easy to understand.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates how technology can reduce administrative burden related to manual data collection, consolidation of student responses, and tracking of learning progress while enhancing the quality, timeliness, and usability of assessment data. It proposes a practical framework for scaling AI-supported FA, offering a pathway for schools to move from compliance-driven assessment practices to a child-centred model that prioritises ongoing growth and instructional responsiveness.

Keywords: Formative assessment, AI in education, learning analytics, holistic report card

* Based on responses from 200 teachers across 50 schools

This study examines assessment design considerations for integrating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into a weighted summative Chemistry performance task at Grade 9. Specifically, the study explores how deliberate task structuring, clearly defined AI-use boundaries, and alignment to disciplinary learning outcomes can leverage GenAI to support higher-order thinking while safeguarding assessment validity, conceptual understanding, and student ownership of work.

The study was conducted through the design and enactment of a summative performance task grounded in chemical bonding, structure, and material properties. The task was intentionally segmented to specify where, when, and how GenAI could be used, ranging from AI-assisted research and ideation to AI-restricted problem definition, prototyping, and scientific explanation. Students were supported through ChatGPT and a custom STEM Ideation Assistant chatbot developed by RGS teachers. Based on the SCAMPER framework, the custom chatbot personalises scaffolded questions to strengthen students’ proposed ideas. Explicit expectations for citation, transparency, and human evaluation were embedded into the assessment. Student perceptions of GenAI use were collected through post-task survey and analysed descriptively to surface patterns in engagement, learning support, and perceived value.

Findings indicate that students perceived GenAI as a productive cognitive scaffold when its use was purposefully guided by assessment design and clear task instructions. Students reported high perceived benefits in time efficiency, idea generation, problem-solving, and adaptive thinking, alongside increased engagement and confidence in iterating solutions. When used strategically, GenAI can expand students’ awareness of contemporary environmental, technological, and societal challenges, as well as current solutioning approaches, thereby enabling students to propose innovations of a higher standard and relevance. Importantly, the restriction of GenAI use in disciplinary explanation and final submissions preserves the centrality of conceptual understanding, with students recognising GenAI as a support for thinking rather than a substitute for learning.

The study suggests that assessment validity in the age of GenAI is not achieved through prohibition, but through intentional assessment design. Clearly defined AI-use boundaries, alignment to disciplinary success criteria, and explicit instruction on responsible GenAI use enable summative assessments to remain rigorous, authentic, and educative, supporting MOE’s emphasis on disciplinary understanding, adaptive thinking, and future-ready competencies.

This paper presents a cluster-based, teacher-led inquiry across four primary schools in East Zone 1, Singapore, situated within the RPIC strands of Assessment for Learning, Learner Agency, and Teacher Leadership. While schools had begun adopting formative assessment, classroom practices often remained compliance-driven, with students completing corrections without meaningful reflection or improvement. Grounded in formative assessment research (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Sadler, 1989) and feedback theory (Hattie & Timperley, 2007), the inquiry explored how assessment could be repositioned as a learning-focused, student-centred process.

Teacher Leaders (TLs) collaborated to enact a shared vision aligned with the Singapore Curriculum Philosophy and MOE’s emphasis on learner agency and holistic development (MOE, 2023). Through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), structured cluster meetings, and a shared digital platform, TLs co-designed, implemented, and refined formative assessment practices responsive to school contexts. A key innovation, the low-stakes “Spot and Correct” approach, supported students in engaging with feedback, identifying misconceptions, and taking ownership of improvement, operationalising research on feedback literacy and self-regulated learning (Zimmerman, 2002; Carless & Boud, 2018).

School-based inquiry further strengthened the research–practice nexus. One school employed the Student Feedback Rating Tool (SRT) and Receptivity to Feedback Tool (RIFT) to examine students’ cognitive and affective engagement with feedback, while another investigated feedback practices that enhanced motivation and confidence.

Impact data indicated strengthened assessment literacy and professional capacity: 96% of teachers reported confidence in integrating assessment literacy into collaborative lesson planning, and 98.7% valued sustained professional learning. Consistent with OECD (2021) principles, this study demonstrates how cluster-based teacher leadership can translate research and policy into scalable, learner-centred assessment practice.

Background. High-quality teacher-report tools are essential for large-scale, low-burden assessment of children’s early development, yet few instruments have been locally validated for Singapore’s multilingual preschool context. This study reports the development and pilot validation of the REEDS Teacher Instruments for tracking children’s learning in numeracy, language, executive functioning, motor abilities, socio-emotional skills, and behavioral self-regulation.
Methods. Instrument development followed an iterative, stakeholder-informed process that combined (a) a review of relevant literature and established measures, (b) input from domain experts and education stakeholders, and (c) piloting and refinement through focus group discussions (FGDs). Initial input involved 26 stakeholders (FGD1), followed by a small-scale pilot with 28 stakeholders and a second FGD with 19 stakeholders, alongside educator training. In the pilot, 193 educators completed the teacher instruments for 479 children from N1–K2. Given recruitment constraints for Malay and Tamil mother tongue (MT) groups, sampling was revised to a stratified approach targeting diverse ethnic backgrounds (72% Chinese, 15% Malay, 8% Indian, 2% Mixed Race Asian, 2% Other). Instruments included both Yes/No/NA and rating-scale formats. Analyses estimated children’s latent abilities (logit scale) and examined reliability, grade-level suitability, and criterion validity against direct child measures.
Results. Reliability analyses suggested that the Teacher Checklist is most suitable for younger children (N1: all domains; N2: all except Numeracy; K1: all except Numeracy/MTL/Motor; K2: socio-emotional development only). Criterion-validity correlations between child measures and teacher checklist composites were moderate to strong for most domains, including English (r = .41–.68), MTL (r = .24–.74 across languages), Numeracy (r = .41–.65), and gross motor skills (r = .61), but were weaker for fine motor skills and some socio-emotional/self-regulation indices.
Conclusions. The REEDS Teacher Instruments show promising measurement properties for efficient, developmentally sensitive monitoring of early learning and development in Singapore. Utility appears strongest in the younger preschool years, with clear directions for item refinement in upper grades and selected domains.

Research consistently shows that metacognitive strategies can improve student achievement (Hattie, 2016). Veenman and Beishuizen (2004) reported that metacognitive regulation, having the self-control to carry out metacognitive processes, accounts for 17% of students' cognitive achievement. Daniel et al. (2016) also advocates the use of metacognitive strategies to improve academic attainment.

Studies have shown that one of the most effective metacognitive strategies follow a three-stage framework: planning (setting goals and choosing strategies), monitoring (checking progress during learning), and evaluating (reflecting on what worked and what did not). These strategies transform struggling students into self-regulated learners who know when and how to seek help.

My personal experience shows that the best way to develop students’ metacognitive abilities is to teach metacognitive strategies hand-in-hand with the subject content. The most effective metacognitive training happens when we talk explicitly with your students about why metacognitive practice is useful and provide them with specific, guided prompts that consistently direct their thinking.

The preliminary study was done in 2025 with a class of 39 Primary Three students. Students were introduced to the Plan (P), Monitor (M), Evaluate (E) frame as part of their English lessons. They were guided to write their thoughts on the PME Thinking Sheet and this was done consistently. Over time the PME frame became a routine that students were very familiar with. The process is continued in 2026 with the same group of students who are now in Primary Four.

The paper will discuss the quality of students’ written reflections (within and across students) over the span of the study. Snippets of students interviews as well as students’ work will be shared to triangulate the findings. Initial findings have shown that routinising metacognitive strategies help to develop agency and empower students to articulate their learning needs. When students understand how they learn best, they can communicate more effectively with teachers about what support they need. This leads to increased engagement because students feel heard and take ownership of their learning journey.

Educational institutions increasingly aim to equip students with industry-relevant knowledge and interpersonal skills essential for success in a volatile global environment. This learning process has traditionally relied on a top-down approach, where youth learn from adult experts and mentors.

The Youth Model ASEAN Conference (YMAC) 2026 challenges this paradigm by introducing a youth-led knowledge ecosystem. As a regional conference led by ASEAN youth for ASEAN youth to promote awareness of ASEAN issues, diplomacy, and community-building, YMAC 2026 introduces a new knowledge-sharing model. Instead of relying on external experts, this conference fosters a peer-to-peer driven knowledge ecosystem built on collaboration among youth alumni, leaders, and participants, serving to empower youth as both learners and knowledge creators.

This paper reports findings from a mixed-method case study of the YMAC 2026 pilot. This youth-led knowledge ecosystem operated in two stages: (1) YMAC alumni trained the current cohort of YMAC youth leaders on critical ASEAN issues and diplomatic protocol, reinterpreting prior adult vendor-led training knowledge content through their own on-the-ground conference experience; (2) youth leaders adapted and disseminated this knowledge in a more impactful manner for YMAC participants. Data from surveys and focus group discussions with youth and educators indicate that this approach fostered greater empowerment, ownership, and leadership among participants. Youth contributed novel insights often overlooked by adult facilitators and reported higher engagement, confidence, and understanding of ASEAN issues. Additionally, the model strengthened their sense of ASEAN identity and community.

This case study demonstrates a scalable framework for cultivating future ASEAN leaders through a ground-up, youth-led knowledge and expertise sharing process.

This qualitative study investigates the impact of a service-learning program on primary students. Specifically, it examines students’ development of the emerging 21st Century Competencies (e21CC).

Methodology
The 2 year service-learning program involve more than 300 primary students who take turns to organize wellness activities for seniors once a month at a community club. Every month, 25 to 35 students work in small groups to plan and lead 35 to 45 seniors to participate in wellness activities for 45min. After each session, students are encouraged to submit their reflection on Student Learning Space (SLS). Students’ reflection on SLS form the data for our analysis.

Findings
From the analysis of students’ reflection, there is strong evidence that this service-learning program provides rich opportunities for students to develop e21CC through authentic community engagement and intergenerational interactions. The analysis reports that students demonstrated e21CC in the forms of:

Critical, Adaptive and Inventive Thinking (CAIT)
• Problem-Solving
• Adaptability
• Creative Thinking

Communication, Collaboration and Information Skills (CCI)
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Active Listening and Responsiveness
• Collaborative Skills

Civic Literacy, Global Awareness and Cross-Cultural Skills (CGC)
• Community Engagement
• Cross-Cultural Understanding

From the analysis of students’ reflection, 4 emerging themes support students’ e21CC development.

1. Authentic Application: Students applied 21CC skills in real-world contexts rather than theoretical exercises.

2. Reflective Practice: Strong evidence of students' metacognitive thinking about their learning and growth.

3. Empathy Development: Significant growth in perspective-taking and understanding others' needs.

4. Adaptive Leadership: Students took initiative and adjusted their leadership style based on the situation.

There are also 2 areas for further improvement.

1. Preparation and Planning: Some students could benefit from more structured preparation for working with diverse populations.

2. Cross-Cultural Competency: Some students will benefit from more support and explicit development of multicultural communication skills.

Overall, the analysis suggests that this service-learning program effectively develop students' e21CC through authentic, meaningful community engagement. Students demonstrate growth in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and civic responsibility while developing MOE core values and social-emotional skills. The intergenerational nature of the service-learning experience provides unique opportunities for students to practice adaptability, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding in ways that traditional classroom learning cannot replicate.

 

Foundational learners at Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) often face challenges during the transition from secondary school to tertiary education, including varied academic readiness, low self-confidence, limited social-emotional competencies, and difficulties with self-regulation. These issues underscore the need for structured, non-academic interventions that promote holistic student development. This paper examines the design, implementation, and impact of an integrated Essential Life Skills (ELS) module that foregrounds character development, wellness, and essential life skills for foundational-level students in an IHL context.

The study aims to: (1) present a conceptual framework that integrates character education, wellness, and life skills within a single curriculum; (2) describe pedagogical strategies responsive to the social, emotional, and developmental needs of foundational learners; and (3) evaluate the perceived impact of the ELS module on students’ self-awareness, communication, and classroom engagement.

A qualitative, practice-based methodology was employed. Data were gathered through tutors’ observations and interviews across 18 classes delivering the ELS module, complemented by student feedback over two semesters. Classroom activities included scenario-based learning, role plays, reflective sharing, and collaborative tasks, delivered using social-emotional learning practices and inclusive pedagogical approaches. The module emphasised psychological safety, strength-based facilitation, and real-world relevance, particularly in relation to interpersonal relationships.

Findings indicate that the module was effective in helping students understand themselves and others, preparing them for career readiness post-polytechnic, and enhancing socio-emotional learning. Students demonstrated improved capacity for self-regulation, empathy, and personal growth; these are skills foundational to holistic development and lifelong learning. Observations noted increased classroom engagement, reduced interpersonal conflict, and greater confidence in managing stress and emotional triggers. While academic outcomes were not the focus, improved participation were evident.

The study concludes that embedding character development and wellness within life skills instruction can significantly support foundational learners in IHLs. The paper offers implications for curriculum design, educator professional development, and institution-wide strategies to foster resilience, agency, and social competence.

Aims: This study investigated the effectiveness of dialogue journals in strengthening teacher-student relationships and enhancing student engagement in English language learning across Singapore secondary schools. The research aimed to measure changes in student perceptions of teacher understanding, comfort levels, motivation, confidence, and overall engagement following a dialogue journal intervention.
Methodology: A six-month quasi-experimental study was conducted with secondary school students who participated in voluntary weekly dialogue journal exchanges with their English teachers. The intervention involved students writing regular letters to teachers, who responded consistently to foster ongoing written dialogue. Data were collected using pre- and post-intervention questionnaires on a 5-point Likert scale. The study employed mixed methods, combining quantitative analysis of response distributions with qualitative examination of open-ended feedback to assess intervention effectiveness across multiple dimensions of teacher-student relationships and learning engagement.
Findings: The dialogue journal intervention demonstrated substantial improvements across all measured indicators. Teacher-student relationships showed the most significant gains, with notable increases in students feeling their teacher understood them as individuals and greater comfort in approaching teachers with questions or concerns. Student engagement metrics improved markedly across motivation to participate in English lessons, lesson interest, and confidence in English skills. Post-intervention data revealed that most students felt the dialogue journal helped them share thoughts and feelings, reported feeling closer to their teacher, and indicated increased interest in English. Qualitative feedback demonstrated a notable shift from basic relationship descriptors like "normal" or "alright" to meaningful descriptions emphasising mutual understanding, comfort, and connection. Negative responses decreased substantially across all measures, with most neutral responses shifting to positive ones. The vast majority of students showed measurable positive changes in at least one key area. The intervention proved particularly effective in building teacher-student rapport and creating foundations for enhanced academic engagement and student confidence. A small proportion of students showed limited response to the intervention, suggesting that dialogue journals, while highly effective for most learners, may need to be supplemented with additional relationship-building strategies for some students to achieve optimal outcomes.

With the rapid advancement of digitalisation and AI technologies that are reshaping many industries and displacing jobs, higher education students face not only rising academic demands but also increasing career pressures to equip themselves with relevant skills for employability in a highly competitive global market. Higher education students who hold a growth mindset and whose basic psychological needs are satisfied are more likely to demonstrate resilience in coping with these challenges and to sustain long-term personal and career development. However, empirical research remains limited in examining how mindsets and basic psychological need satisfaction function as psychological resources that enable higher education students to manage academic demands and navigate career challenges in preparation for future work. Therefore, this current study examined the predictive relationships between mindsets (growth and fixed), basic psychological needs (satisfaction and frustration), and two important learning outcomes (academic buoyancy and self-directed learning). An anonymous online questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 302 higher education students in Singapore. Results from correlation analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between growth mindset and fixed mindset. Path analysis was conducted and results indicated that both growth and fixed mindsets positively predicted basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) and basic psychological need frustration (BPNF). Notably, growth mindset demonstrated a stronger predictive relationship with BPNS, whereas fixed mindset exhibited a stronger predictive relationship with BPNF. Additionally, BPNS positively predicted academic buoyancy and self-directed learning but BPNF did not predict either of the learning outcomes. Results further revealed that both growth mindset and fixed mindset indirectly predicted academic buoyancy and self-directed learning through BPNS only. Findings of the current study offer useful insights for higher education practitioners, including university instructors and counsellors, highlighting the importance of fostering students’ academic buoyancy and self-directed learning capabilities to support holistic student development beyond grades.
Keywords: Mindsets, Basic Psychological Needs, Academic Buoyancy, Self-Directed Learning, Higher Education, Singapore

Aims: This study investigated how students' achievement goals combine with their underlying reasons (called "goal complexes") and how these combinations relate to student engagement. Achievement goals are the aims students pursue. Common underlying reasons include autonomous (self-driven, such as personal enjoyment or development) and controlling (externally pressured, such as avoiding shame or seeking social approval) reasons. While previous research treated autonomous and controlling goal complexes as single constructs, recent work shows they consist of more specific goal complexes: aggregate autonomous goal complexes comprise personal enjoyment, personal pride, personal development, and others' development; aggregate controlling goal complexes comprise personal shame, others' pride and shame, and social reward and punishment. This study identified specific goal complexes common among undergraduates in Singapore and the United States and examined how these goal complexes—individually and in combination—relate to engagement and disengagement.
Method: Participants were 535 undergraduates from Singapore and 441 from the United States who completed an online survey measuring their goal complexes, engagement, and disengagement. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings: Some specific goal complexes endorsed by Singapore students (social consequences, personal emotional consequences) differed from those endorsed by U.S. students (personal pride, personal shame, social approach, social avoidance), though these largely organized into broader autonomous and controlling categories. Students with higher autonomous goal complexes—both specific and aggregate—showed higher engagement and lower disengagement, while students with higher controlling goal complexes showed higher disengagement. Specific goal complexes showed smaller and fewer associations than aggregate ones. Cultural differences emerged: among U.S. students, higher aggregate controlling goal complexes related to lower engagement, but this pattern did not appear among Singapore students. Goal complexes also interacted with each other, particularly in the Singapore sample, where the interaction between the two aggregate goal complexes related to disengagement.
Conclusions: Students' specific goal complexes matter for learning, both individually and in combination. Instructors who recognize that students hold multiple goal complexes may be better positioned to support engagement.

Aims:
Adolescents who face academic, social, or emotional adversity often struggle with regulation competencies that support learning, classroom engagement, and social well-being. Emotional regulation (ER), metacognitive regulation (MR), and social regulation (SR) are essential for healthy development, yet the evidence on at-risk adolescents is widely dispersed across different fields. This study aims to systematically synthesise research on ER, MR, and SR, together with available neurophysiological findings, to understand how these competencies influence social well-being and to identify implications for educational practice.

Methodology:
Using PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in Scopus, ERIC, PubMed, and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed English-language studies published between 2000 and 2025. Studies were included if they examined regulation competencies in adolescents aged 10 to 18 who were identified as at-risk due to socioeconomic disadvantage, academic difficulties, adverse environments, or behavioural vulnerability. Forty-five empirical studies met the inclusion criteria, representing a combined sample of approximately 17,000 adolescents. Data were synthesised in three domains: ER, MR, and SR, with an additional neurophysiological component drawing from EEG, fNIRS, and autonomic studies. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).

Findings:
Across the studies, regulation competencies were strong predictors of social well-being. ER was consistently linked to reduced aggression, better peer relationships, and stronger emotional resilience. MR supported academic persistence, problem-solving, and adaptive help-seeking, which are especially important for learners experiencing academic struggle. SR predicted empathy, cooperation, prosocial behaviour, and healthy peer interactions. Neurophysiological evidence, although limited, highlighted prefrontal brain activity associated with cognitive control, emotion monitoring, and social decision-making, offering biological support for behavioural findings.

Implications:
This review identifies regulation competencies as teachable mechanisms that can enhance classroom relationships, student engagement, and social well-being. The findings offer an integrated evidence-informed framework that can guide educators, psychologists, and policymakers in designing effective school-based programmes for at-risk adolescents. Strengthening these competencies has the potential to improve learning experiences, promote positive developmental trajectories, and inform future intervention efforts in educational settings.

This study investigates what enables students to thrive in the context of a secondary school for high ability learners. Guided by the question “What helps individual students thrive in their learning environment?”, the research adopts a qualitative case study design involving three students (aged 16). Data was gathered through journaling, two-week diary studies, interviews, and observations conducted in and out of the classroom. The analysis is informed by an adapted Thriving Framework drawn from Schreiner (2010), Brown et al. (2017), Coe-Nesbitt et al. (2021), and Kaya and Erdem (2021), which conceptualises thriving as a multidimensional process involving engaged learning, academic determination, positive outlook, social connectedness, diverse citizenship, and balance.
Findings revealed strong internal motivation and interest-driven engagement, especially when learning is connected to their lives or areas of curiosity. Supportive relationships with peers and trusted adults play an important role in their lives, offering encouragement and shared joyful school experiences that strengthened their sense of belonging.
The data further suggests that school life is experienced as fast-paced and busy, with full schedules, assessment demands, and multiple commitments. This normalised busyness required students to navigate trade-offs around rest and personal time, and to rely on individual strategies and peer support to maintain balance.
Joyful experiences were most often found in informal or special events such as ‘English Day’, celebrations, or co-curricular activities. This created space for expression, fun, and social connection, and pointed to the value of intentional structures that allow students to engage creatively and maintain a healthier balance.
Across the study, students actively reflected on their setbacks, habits, and emotions, and used these reflections to guide their choices, adjust expectations, and stay anchored to their goals.
The findings offer a close look at how adolescents experience learning, motivation, and growth in a fast-paced environment. They illustrate how reflective habits, meaningful relationships, and opportunities for joy help sustain growth. The multi-method approach revealed nuanced insights that may not surface in traditional surveys or once-off interviews, giving educators a deeper understanding of students’ lived experiences and useful lens for strengthening the conditions that help students thrive with purpose, confidence, and wellbeing.

Background: Although much is known about socio-emotional learning, less is known about the role of language, and even lesser known about how to effectively build these 21st century competence skills. This presentation will share materials and procedures from Singapore’s first randomised pilot control trial to build language and socio-emotional mental health skills among preschoolers.
Aims: To present (1) the materials from social emotional mental health arm and (2) the procedures of Singapore’s first randomised pilot control trial of the above.
Methodology: Four bespoke audiobooks with evidence based cognitive behavioural common elements, were specially designed for Singaporean preschoolers. Randomised pilot control trial procedures were designed according to international guidelines of Standard Protocol Items Recommendations for Interventional Trial (SPIRIT).
Findings: The procedures of this study are in keeping with SPIRIT guidelines for a 2-arm randomised pilot control trial. This consists of SEL-active intervention compared to LANG-active control arm, with a target recruitment sample of 56 preschoolers based in Singapore.
Discussion: High quality evidence is needed to advance this evergreen area of 21st century competencies. This presentation will inform the audience on how such evidence can be generated locally, in the specific areas of language and socio emotional mental health skills among preschoolers.

Introduction
Research has highlighted LinkedIn Learning’s (LL) suitability for blended learning owing to its expert-led, modular structure, which supports independent learning and effective time management. This study examines the impact of curated LL resources on foundational Excel learning. It explores whether a self-paced online course can complement online course materials and tutorials to strengthen confidence in applying Excel among learners with varied Excel competencies. These insights informed the selection of Excel Essential Training, a beginner-friendly course aligned with module outcomes.

Methods
Participants. This study consisted of 110 Year 1 students taking comparable data analytics modules with 26 Diploma in Hotel & Leisure Facilities Management (HLFM) students in April 2025 semester (Apr25) and 86 HLFM and Diploma in Real Estate Business (REB) students in October 2025 semester (Oct25).
LL Course. The course designed for beginners was aligned to the module’s learning outcomes. It progresses from basic Excel navigation to more advanced functions using short videos, practice files, and quizzes to support learning.
Procedure. The LL course was integrated as a structured, self-paced component of the module in Apr25.In Oct25, a chapter-by-chapter content guide was introduced to improve clarity and alignment. 
Survey. A 10-item survey measured students’ confidence in applying Excel skills and their learning experiences using LL.

Results & Discussions
Across both semesters, students reported increased confidence in using Excel after completing the LL course. The Oct25 cohort demonstrated a similar improvement in mean confidence to Apr25, replicated across a larger and more diverse sample. Overall satisfaction remained high, with students valuing LL’s flexibility and the structured learning path, though some suggested shorter videos and more interactive content.

Conclusion
Curated, self-paced resources like LL can effectively support foundational Excel learning within a blended-learning design. This presentation will share key considerations when curating LL resources to align with learning outcomes and supporting diverse learners. Enhancements introduced in Oct25 strengthened alignment and engagement, particularly for the larger cohort. LL remains a scalable supplementary tool that, combined with in-class reinforcement, can improve readiness for Excel-based tasks. Future iterations may explore performance-based assessments, checks on longer-term skill retention, and expansion across more modules.

Drawing on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, this qualitative study examined the efficacy and efficacy beliefs of Singaporean Educational Therapists (EdTs) in supporting schoolchildren (primary and secondary levels) with dyslexia demonstrating problem behaviours (PBs) during literacy remediation. While Singaporean EdTs receive specialised training in structured literacy instruction, little local research has explored how they perceive their own competence and confidence in managing co-occurring behavioural challenges within time-limited intervention sessions. This study aimed to (a) identify the types of problem behaviours presented by students with dyslexia in remediation settings, (b) explore EdTs’ self-perceived efficacy in managing these behaviours, and (c) identify what EdTs view as the factors influencing their efficacy beliefs. A qualitative single case-study design, bounded within the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS), was adopted. Data were collected from ten full-time EdTs employed at the DAS through an online survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Survey data provided descriptive insights into perceived efficacy levels, while interviews elicited in-depth accounts of EdTs’ lived experiences. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis, guided by Bandura’s four sources of efficacy - mastery experiences, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physiological and emotional states. Findings revealed that students with dyslexia commonly exhibited both externalising behaviours (e.g., inattention, defiance, impulsivity) and internalising behaviours (e.g., anxiety, withdrawal, avoidance), with externalising behaviours occurring more frequently. EdTs reported moderate-to-high levels of self-efficacy overall, particularly in maintaining structure and preventing low-level disruptions, but lower confidence when managing emotionally intense behaviours. Efficacy beliefs were strongly shaped by accumulated mastery experiences, peer modelling and mentorship, supportive feedback from supervisors and parents, and EdTs’ own emotional well-being. Contextual factors such as EdT–student rapport, parental collaboration, manageable student load, and organisational support, emerged as additional influential sources of efficacy beyond Bandura’s original framework. This study highlights the increasingly common co-occurrence of literacy difficulties and behavioural challenges and underscores the importance of integrated academic and behavioural support. Findings point to the need for targeted professional development, reflective supervision, and organisational structures that sustain EdTs’ efficacy and emotional resilience, thereby promoting more holistic outcomes for students with dyslexia presenting problem behaviours.

In the digital age where students’ attention spans are reportedly becoming shorter, it is essential to ground teaching and learning in established principles to support their learning so they can actively engage with the learning process. Such principles include active engagement, retrieval practice, and cognitive load management. This becomes especially important in language and literacy learning and in older age groups where tasks need to be meaningful to engage learners.
In junior college General Paper (GP) contexts, lectures are often content-dense and risk encouraging passive reception, which limits durable learning. This classroom-based action research study examines how learning science principles can be intentionally embedded into GP lectures to promote deeper processing and retention.
The design-based action research was conducted with GP students in a Singapore junior college.. Two instructional interventions were of focus. The primary intervention involved a redesigned lecture handout grounded in generative learning theory. Instead of extensive writing, the handout incorporated structured spaces for key ideas, guided prompts, and student-generated questions, requiring learners to organise information during the lecture. The secondary intervention was a low-stakes formative quiz, which students could complete either before or after the lecture. When taken before the lecture, the quiz functioned as a knowledge activation task (Carpenter and Toftness, 2017); when taken after, it served as retrieval practice (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006).
Data was collected through student written reflections and feedback, which were analysed thematically.
Findings indicate that the interventions enhanced student attentiveness, engagement, and perceived clarity of understanding. The pre-lecture quiz supported activation of existing schema and helped students anticipate lecture focus, while when taken post-lecture quiz reinforced consolidation. However, some students experienced heightened cognitive load, particularly when attempting to manage multiple note-taking formats during fast-paced lectures, highlighting the need for careful calibration of task demands. The quiz also was perceived to be too simple for some, highlighting a need for a differentiated approach.
Overall, the study suggests that lectures can and should be redesigned in line with the science of learning to move from passive transmission towards active, retrieval-oriented learning.

While the visibility and salience of specific languages in public spaces are important parameters of their ethnolinguistic vitality in a society (Landry & Bourhis 1997), in a modern business, the owner/manager tends to present a more attractive and appealing image of themselves in order to promote their business. Thus the analysis of meaning-making in public spaces of shops needs to include the visual aesthetic (‘looking, sounding and feeling good’) of the linguistic, visual and spatial signs and its cultural connotations and ideological orientations as well as the specific languages employed (e.g., Hasan, 1989, van Leeuwen 2011, 2020, Wee & Goh 2019).
Drawing upon data from first-hand fieldwork in two neighborhood centers (i.e. clusters of shops near the residential areas) in Singapore, this paper explores the aesthetic display of multiple languages/scripts and/or images in the main shopfronts (i.e., the side of the shop facing the customer at or near the entrance) in order to reveal how local shop owners present a positive image to the public in this ethnically heterogeneous and linguistically hybrid society (Shang & Guo 2017). It is found that, although the Singapore government largely takes a laissez-faire attitude to the languages displayed in shop names, English is prevalent in all types of shop signs, though Chinese is the preferred code on bilingual and multilingual signs and tends to be used to represent the primary shop names. In addition, when presenting the Chinese shop names, a variety of traditional paint-brush calligraphic styles were employed, such as Kaiti (楷体), Li Shu （隶书）, and Xing Shu (行书）(Qiu 2011), some of which were in traditional form （繁体） rather than the simplified form （简体）. We argue that the disparate vitality of languages & images might result from a mixture of social factors such as the state’s macro language policy, demographic structure, ethnic and cultural identity construction (Zhang et al 2023) and their social aesthetic orientations. The implications for literacy/multiliteracies education/curriculum are suggested (Barton & Le 2023).

Composition Writing: Writing through hand or computer?

Abstract
This presentation highlights about the Tamil students’ composition writing through handwriting and computer-based writing. This research study highlighted both modes of composition writing and the link between students’ language proficiency, composition writing and computer-based skills. Talented students also have difficulty in typing their thoughts in computer-based writing and it greatly affects students’ confidence and compassion. This presentation also shares its suggestions and recommendations to raise confidence in writing composition.
Key words: composition writing, writing by hand, computer-based writing, anxiety, language proficiency, computer skills.

Polytechnic institutions play a pivotal role in equipping students with competencies that align with industry demands. As workforce needs evolve, teaching and learning practices must adapt to ensure effective skill acquisition and integration of evidence-based approaches that enhance long-term employability. In recent years, educators have been increasingly challenged to apply evidence-based practice to their teaching. However, polytechnic educators face unique challenges in integrating theoretical frameworks with practical instruction, which can impact their engagement in educational research.
This study investigates the perspectives and concerns of educators within the polytechnic regarding their involvement in educational research. By exploring their experiences, motivations, and barriers, the research aims to inform the development of adult learning strategies that support educators in becoming skilled research practitioners. An adapted cross-sectional survey design was employed using Ozturk's (2010) validated Educators' Attitudes Toward Educational Research Scale, comprising 24 items across eight dimensions measured on a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended items to identify priorities and suggest improvement.
Findings from 20 educators revealed strong endorsement for training in educational research and valuing classroom-based research. Moderate confidence was observed in understanding research reports and applying findings, while time and resource constraints remained one of the key barriers. Qualitative responses reinforced these patterns, highlighting needs for practical training in research methods, accessible resources, IRB support, and collaborative platforms such as Communities of Practice. Educators also emphasized the importance of institutional recognition for research efforts, even without grant funding, and called for strategies to make research less intimidating and more relevant to classroom realities.
The study concludes that fostering research engagement among polytechnic educators requires a multi-faceted approach addressing both systemic barriers and capacity-building needs. Key recommendations include implementing institutional policies that provide dedicated research time, developing accessible research resources and training programmes, creating stronger connections between research institutions and polytechnic educators, and promoting research that directly addresses practical teaching challenges.

In response to calls for more practice-oriented teacher education, this study redefines educational impact as tangible pedagogical improvement achieved through structured reflection. Challenging traditional measures of teacher effectiveness, it reframes reflection not as an introspective act but as a collaborative, design-based process of professional learning. Grounded in the pragmatist tradition of Dewey and Schön, it advances reflection beyond problem-solving toward a vision-driven, generative process bridging theory, design, and practice.
A qualitative design-based approach was employed. Two cohorts of Japanese pre-service teachers participated in an online lesson study program (2024–2025) featuring six structured stages: foundational lectures, microteaching, peer discussion, collaborative reflection guided by five lenses (Darling-Hammond, 2006), vision-setting, and lesson redesign. This iterative approach involved cycles of design, implementation, analysis, and redesign, refining the intervention at each stage. Thematic analysis used inductive coding to identify emergent themes, which were mapped against the program’s theoretical framework. Data from 112 reflection reports, lesson plans, and self-assessment notes traced patterns of cognitive, practical, and agentic growth.
Findings indicate a clear developmental shift from descriptive, self-centered reflection toward analytical, theory-linked, and future-oriented redesigns. For instance, initial reflections focused on personal anxieties (“I was nervous”), whereas later reports analyzed engagement using theory to propose alternative strategies. Participants increasingly demonstrated learner awareness, connected reflections with theory, and articulated visions that guided lesson redesigns. Crucially, the analysis shows how structured reflection mediated this transformation, linking participants’ theoretical insights to pedagogical improvement in reasoning and practice.
Theoretically, this study integrates Dewey’s experiential inquiry, Schön’s reflective practice, and Emirbayer & Mische’s (1998) temporal model of teacher agency within a structured cycle. This integration frames reflection not as mere reconstruction of the past but as a future-oriented design of pedagogical possibilities. While grounded in Japan, the framework offers insights for international teacher education, especially for online and hybrid programs that foster reflective and agentic learning cultures. Practically, the findings provide a scalable lesson study model that connects reflective growth to pedagogical improvement. Ultimately, this study validates structured reflection as a mechanism for generating educational impact—redefined here as the improvement of teaching practice through sustained professional learning.

This paper advances a novel use of systematic review as a conceptual intervention - a rigorous, theory-informed approach extending the traditional function of systematic reviews beyond evidence synthesis to interrogate how knowledge is constructed in higher education research. It demonstrates how systematic synthesis, when designed with theoretical intent, can surface conceptual gaps and reframe professional learning (PL) for Teaching and Learning Specialists (TLSs).
TLSs - academic developers, learning designers, and pedagogical mentors - lead change from within the teaching and learning space rather than through formal authority. Yet, most professional-learning frameworks continue to prioritise technical training and compliance, neglecting the identity, relational, and contextual dimensions that sustain pedagogical leadership.
Drawing on twenty studies published between 2015 and 2025, this review adopts a theory-informed and design-led approach guided by Situated Learning, Professional Identity Formation, and Transformative Learning theories. These frames illustrate how TLS professional growth is shaped by participation in authentic communities of practice, identity negotiation, and reflective transformation. Using PRISMA 2020 principles for methodological rigour and thematic synthesis, the review examines how the field constructs knowledge about TLS development through frameworks that define TLS roles, research-policy-practice interactions, and outcomes that measure its impact.
Five conceptual insights emerged: (1) misalignment between role expectations and learning models; (2) marginalisation of identity, well-being, and relationships; (3) weak theoretical anchoring of professional-learning frameworks; (4) institutional context is referenced but rarely theorised; and (5) minimal visibility of impact on student outcomes. Collectively, these findings reveal a field rich in innovation yet fragmented in conceptual coherence.
The paper argues that professional learning must be reconceptualised as a social, identity-forming, and transformative process situated within complex institutional systems. It proposes reframing PL as identity work, designing for institutional context, broadening evaluation metrics, anchoring frameworks in theory, and using systematic reviews as strategic tools for reflection and renewal. Conceptually, it demonstrates how systematic review process itself can strengthen alignment between research, policy, and practice.
By integrating methodological rigour with conceptual inquiry, this study contributes to reimagining applied higher-education ecosystems, particularly within Singapore’s Pre-Employment Training sector, where TLSs play critical roles in linking educator well-being, institutional innovation, and sustainable educational reform.

Recent research shows that feedback can be an effective tool to engage students in the process of learning. Specifically, feedback can bridge the gap between students’ current understanding and their desired learning outcome. Informed by the model of feedback (Hattie &Timperley, 2007) and drawing on multiple sources of data, including students’ writing samples and teachers and students’ semi-structured interview, the current study aims to analyse the types of feedback teachers provided to primary Chinese writing and the extent to which students made revision based on teachers’ feedback.

Fourty-six primary students and two teachers participated in the study. The analysis focused on three main categories of feedback types, i.e., format, language and content. The findings revealed that students paid more attention to higher order feedback in the category of content. The results suggested that cognitively challenging feedback is more likely to foster critical thinking. The findings provided useful guiding to teachers when they provide feedback. Based on the findings and the conceptual framework of teacher feedback literacy (Lee, 2021), teachers’ required knowledge, goals, skills for giving written feedback to improve student writing were discussed and elaborated.

Teacher leadership is increasingly recognized as central to pedagogical improvement and school transformation, yet in the Philippines it remains underexamined within the cultural and institutional realities that shape teachers’ agency. Filipino teachers routinely mentor peers, lead classroom-based innovations, and engage in community initiatives, but these practices operate within bureaucratic systems, policy pressures, and cultural expectations that influence how leadership is understood and enacted. This study investigates how Filipino teacher-leaders construct, interpret, and sustain their leadership identity across career stages and contexts.

Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Person–Process–Context–Time (PPCT) model and integrating Identity Status Theory, Communities of Practice, and Sensemaking Theory, the research employed a mixed-method design. A 4-point Likert-scale survey measured levels of exploration and commitment among ten public school teacher-leaders, while open-ended responses provided rich narrative accounts. Quantitative results showed consistently high identity exploration and commitment, indicating that teachers view leadership not as formal authority but as an internalized professional ethic rooted in service, collaboration, and community engagement.

Thematic analysis revealed three interconnected processes shaping leadership identity: (1) relational motivation, in which trust, peer recognition, and shared instructional purpose encourage teachers to step into leadership roles; (2) reflective sensemaking, through which teachers navigate policy ambiguity, workload intensification, and shifting institutional expectations; and (3) cultural reciprocity, where values such as pakikisama and utang na loob frame leadership as a collective responsibility anchored in ethical and relational obligations. These processes illustrate leadership identity as a dynamic, culturally embedded phenomenon shaped by person–environment interactions over time.

Findings underscore the need for professional development systems that strengthen collaborative teacher communities, reduce bureaucratic constraints, and integrate cultural responsiveness into leadership preparation. By foregrounding the voices of teacher-leaders working across diverse school contexts, the study offers an empirically grounded model for understanding and supporting teacher leadership in Philippine education. It contributes to research on teacher learning, identity formation, and school leadership by demonstrating how everyday practices—rather than formal designations—drive leadership emergence and pedagogical influence.

Keywords: Filipino teacher leadership, leadership identity, professional learning, sensemaking, communities of practice, PPCT framework, cultural reciprocity

Schools play a critical role in creating meaningful opportunities for students to build social-emotional (SE) skills and positive peer relationships. Research highlights that structured social interactions enhance friendship quality, empathy and a sense of belonging. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory emphasises that learning takes place through social engagement, while studies on peer learning show that cross-group interactions reduce social barriers and increase prosocial behaviour. Interventions that facilitate mixed-group dialogue and collaboration have also been found to strengthen relationship-building and reduce social isolation among children.

The aim of this project is to examine the implementation of cohort-level CCE (FTGP) lessons designed to strengthen peer relationships across classes in a primary school, and to explore how these lessons create authentic opportunities for students to apply SE competencies effectively. Check-in surveys revealed recurring friendship-related challenges and limited interaction beyond familiar class groups. While SE competencies are taught in FTGP lessons, students had few opportunities to practise these skills in diverse settings. The cohort lesson model addressed these gaps by bringing an entire level together for shared learning and encouraging students to engage with peers outside their usual circles.

The methodology involved designing and facilitating whole-level cohort lessons integrated at key points across the FTGP curriculum. These lessons incorporated videos, discussion prompts, case studies and mixed-group collaborative tasks to engage students meaningfully. They were supported by follow-up recess activities and class-based reinforcement to extend learning opportunities and provide platforms for students to apply SE skills. Data sources included check-in surveys, teacher observations and post-lesson reflections.

The findings indicate that students demonstrated increased willingness to interact with peers from other classes, greater confidence in expressing their thoughts in large-group settings and improved understanding of SE concepts such as empathy, communication and managing emotions. Teachers reported stronger level-wide cohesion and more consistent messaging across classes. Students also shared that hearing diverse perspectives helped them form new friendships and navigate social situations more effectively.

Overall, the cohort lesson approach shows promise as an intentional and structured platform to bridge social gaps, enhance SE learning and foster a stronger sense of community.

The world has seen the steady development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in all industries, and AI has also made great waves in academia and education. This workshop explores how AI technologies could be integrated into educational systems and the implications for students, educators, and institutions, by creating space to discuss the topic of using AI as an educational tool. We hold the assumption that learning is not only about the output; but it is also about the process of doing and learning the content. We realized that we cannot stop students from using AI, therefore we should adapt to and strategically use this new tool.
This workshop will be 1 hour and 30 minutes in duration.

(30 minutes) This workshop will begin by examining current applications of AI in education, such as intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, automated grading, and predictive analytics. These tools not only streamline administrative tasks but also provide tailored learning experiences that adapt to individual student needs, learning styles and progress.

(40 minutes) We will then delve into the transformative potential of AI, in supporting both teaching and learning. From assisting in curriculum design, to accessing knowledge retention in students, AI can be used strategically to aid in education. Presenters will share (1) techniques of using AI to create assignments, (2) how to guide students on such projects/activities, (3) how to evaluate these projects/activities, and (4) potential challenges and ethical issues around using AI for education.

(20 minutes) The remaining time in the workshop will be dedicated to an interactive activity of having participants create an activity using AI, and time for Q&A.
This workshop is designed for educators, administrators, policymakers interested in employing AI to improve teaching and learning. Participants leave the workshop with a clearer understanding of AI’s potential, limitations, and various resources like sample activity worksheets, guidebooks and grading rubrics, plus the confidence to know that they can successfully use AI to enhance their teaching and students’ learning.

We know that group work is a cornerstone of transformational pedagogy. The articulation, debate, and collaborative sense-making that occur in student discussions create learning experiences that truly stick. Yet, in the traditional classroom with a single educator, this powerful tool is often underutilised. The reality is that one teacher cannot facilitate multiple discussions all at once. The pace of instruction slows as we move from group to group, catching only fragments of conversations. We provide feedback that is often delayed, and we struggle to accurately assess the process of thinking, not just the final output. This fundamental infrastructure problem, a lack of facilitating manpower, prevents us from fully realising the potential of collaborative learning.

What if every group had an invisible facilitator to ensure they were paying the right kind of attention?

This workshop introduces AI(ttention), a tool designed to be that very resource. It listens intently to student discussions and processes them in real-time according to pedagogical needs —generating instant summaries or competency checklists. For the teacher, this moves beyond simple monitoring; it provides a window into the cognitive journey of each group, allowing for targeted, high-impact interventions (if needed). For students, AI(ttention) provides immediate metacognitive feedback, showing them whether their discussion is hitting the mark or skimming the surface, empowering them to self-correct and deepen their dialogue.

In this hands-on session, participants will move beyond theory to directly experience this shift. You will get to experiment with AI(ttention) and its different formats (summaries or checklist) to analyse your discussions. We will explore the dual perception of impact: the teacher’s relief at gaining actionable insights and the student’s empowerment from receiving instantaneous, objective feedback on their reasoning.

This workshop is ultimately about building a bridge. It connects our long-held knowledge that group work is a superior pedagogical tool with the practical empowerment needed to execute it effectively. Join us to explore how AI(ttention) can help redesign our pedagogy, not by replacing the teacher, but by finally making the collaborative classroom we’ve always envisioned a practical reality.

Applied learning enables students to connect classroom knowledge with real-world contexts, thereby strengthening relevance, motivation, and fostering a deeper understanding (Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984). This learning approach often requires an integrated lens, enabling learners to address complex problems through the meaningful combination of concepts, knowledge and skills across subjects, that is an interdisciplinary approach (Beane, 1997; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008).

This interactive 90-minute workshop equips secondary school teachers with practical strategies to design authentic, integrated performance tasks that move beyond traditional assessments. Participants will examine how such tasks can serve as meaningful alternative assessments, with the aim of developing students to be scientifically literate citizens who can think critically, innovate, and seize opportunities in the 21st century.

The session begins with SST teachers sharing their experiences with performance tasks and the transition from subject-specific assessments to integrated tasks, including a featured task collaboratively implemented by SST Secondary Three Biology and Chemistry teachers.

Participants will be introduced to the GRASPS model (Goal, Role, Audience, Situation, Product/Performance, Standards), a structured approach to developing performance-based assessments. Through hands-on collaboration, participants will be guided to use the GRASPS model to kickstart the co-design of real-world integrated tasks.

Participants will learn how students can be assessed through the aims and practices of science, as outlined in the science curriculum.

In the final segment, SST teachers will share how an evidence-based review guided the refinement of task design, leading to improved learner engagement and closer alignment with the requirements of integrated performance tasks.

By the end of the workshop, participants will:
1. Gain a deeper understanding of the aim and development of integrated performance tasks as meaningful alternatives to traditional assessments.
2. Leave with practical ideas for interdisciplinary tasks that can be adapted and implemented in their own school contexts.
3. Develop initial rubrics for assessing students against identified standards, based on the aims and practices of science outlined in the science curriculum.
4. Examine how iterative evaluation of task design can lead to better learner engagement and strengthen the alignment of integrated performance tasks to the assessment requirements.

This ninety-minute, hands-on, highly interactive workshop equips educators to strengthen design-driven, futures-oriented skills and mindsets in Applied Learning and project work across the primary and secondary levels. Co-facilitated by educators from Waterway Primary School and Serangoon Garden Secondary School, with strong support from Singapore Institute of Technology and DesignSingapore Council, the session demonstrates how Design Innovation can be embedded beyond signature Innovation Weeks into interdisciplinary programmes and lessons across subjects. Participants will experience a rapid design cycle using an authentic school-based challenge, practising facilitation moves that cultivate intellectual agility through disciplined questioning, empathy-based insight gathering, and robust problem reframing into clear and testable How Might We challenges. To stretch student thinking towards sustainable and responsible solutions, teachers will also practise a lightweight “alternative future scenarios” prompt that helps learners anticipate how needs, constraints, and behaviours may change over time, and refine solutions accordingly.

A key feature of the workshop is Glitch, a digital tool developed through a multi-stakeholder collaboration led by DesignSingapore Council, in close partnership with SIT Design Factory and Design Consultancy Chemistry. Glitch helps students practise five design mindsets, curiosity, optimism, empathy, tenacity, and courage, through self-guided real-world quests and weekly scenario quests that require reflective decision-making rather than one correct answer. Participants will learn how Glitch can function as a low-stakes practice layer that strengthens learner motivation, socioemotional growth, and iterative problem-solving, while generating evidence of mindset development over time.

Learning objective for participants: by the end of the workshop, educators will be able to design and facilitate a short design learning sequence for their own subject or programme that builds future-ready mindsets and leads students from empathy to prototyping and feedback, supported by Glitch routines that sustain reflection and iteration.

Practical takeaways include ready-to-use templates for personas, empathy mapping, user needs statements, How Might We framing, rapid prototyping, and peer testing, as well as sample implementation pathways drawn from Maker's education in Waterway Primary and from ALP design thinking at Serangoon Garden Secondary. Participating schools and teachers will be offered complimentary Glitch pilot accounts to support post-workshop experimentation and adoption within the school.

Early childhood educators continually seek practical strategies to enhance classroom management and support effective learning, particularly knowledge acquisition and retention. While commonly used approaches include call-and-response techniques, repetition, rote memorization, and experiential learning, these methods do not always sustain children’s engagement or address persistent classroom challenges. Storytelling—despite its deep roots in human learning and cognition—remains an underutilized pedagogical tool in early childhood education.

This workshop introduces the Tiny Mountains Methodology, a structured approach to integrating storytelling into early childhood classrooms as both a classroom management strategy and an instructional practice. Drawing on principles of narrative engagement and cognitive curiosity, the methodology demonstrates how storytelling can promote learner attention, support conceptual understanding, and improve instructional effectiveness. Participants will explore how narrative-based techniques can address common classroom management issues while fostering meaningful learning experiences.

Through concrete examples, the workshop illustrates how storytelling can be aligned with specific learning objectives and used to scaffold content in ways that are developmentally appropriate and engaging. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that involve crafting a short storyline aligned with an educational goal and presenting it within small peer groups for feedback. These activities are designed to support immediate transfer of learning into classroom practice.

By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with practical tools and adaptable storytelling techniques that can be readily implemented in diverse early childhood settings. The session emphasizes storytelling not only as a creative skill, but as a pedagogically sound method for enhancing classroom management, increasing learner engagement, and supporting durable learning outcomes in young children.

A mindfulness-informed socio-emotional program, Emotion Explorers, created for Singaporean preschool-aged children, aims to improve children's emotional understanding and regulation. It is conducted in preschools, across six weeks, for twelve sessions, with a 30-minute duration.

In the workshop, we conduct the introductory session of Emotion Explorers, which equips learners with foundational mindfulness skills. Participants will gain insights into the pedagogical considerations behind crafting developmentally-appropriate programs, and the importance of facilitators to embody core program principles.

Pedagogically, Emotion Explorers utilized SAFE principles (Durlak et al., 2011), namely: Sequenced, having a graded progression of skills, Active, prioritizing experiential learning, Focused, repeatedly practicing select skills, and Explicit, where learning goals are clearly identified. Furthermore, the curriculum was iteratively improved to be developmentally-appropriate during the piloting and conducting phases, based on feedback from mindfulness experts and facilitators who were experienced preschool educators.

After each session, facilitators reviewed children’s reception to the program using semi-structured questions. Facilitators underwent two supervision sessions to ensure program fidelity and consolidate their reflections. Reflections from the reviews and supervisions were transcribed and formed a rich data set, where thematic analysis was conducted using the Braun & Clerke (2008) framework, using qualitative analysis software (Quirkos, 2023). 23 themes emerged, with 171 instances of occurrence.

Common themes were ‘Children’s Receptiveness to Activities’ and ‘Emotional Expression’, 22 and 16 instances, respectively. Facilitators shared that “children were very excited and engaged”, being “very vocal in sharing [their emotions]”.

As Emotion Explorers was mindfulness-informed, facilitators were encouraged to embody and model mindfulness. In ‘Modelling of Mindfulness’, 21 instances, a facilitator feedbacked that “taking deep breaths alongside the characters in the story helped make [me] more calm”, allowing them to authentically model mindfulness for the children.

Interrelated themes arose, where 'Sequenced Sessions’, 9 instances, resulted in ‘Children’s Authentic Takeaways’, 14 instances. A recurrently practiced skill was a breathing exercise, and facilitators observed that such sequencing allowed children to “internalize Wave Breathing across the weeks”. Resultingly, “when one of the children had a meltdown, another child told him to use Wave Breathing”, proving children's successful internalization and application of emotional regulation skills.

Aligned to the theme of 2026 NIE RPIC “Education Research for Impact”, this workshop shares an inter-school team’s practitioner inquiry into the design and enactment of hybrid team teaching and learning to strengthen students’ 21st Century Competencies (21CC) and develop future-ready learners. Grounded in design-based research principles, the team iteratively designed, implemented and refined hybrid Mathematics lessons to enable meaningful collaboration between students from two schools through purposeful role assignment, differentiated data sets and structured collaborative tasks.

Participants will examine key design considerations informed by research and classroom evidence, including how the affordances of digital technologies such as the Student Learning Space (SLS), Canva and Zoom were leveraged to support collaborative sense-making and knowledge construction in a hybrid environment. The workshop will highlight how the lessons were intentionally designed to situate learning in real-world contexts and promote adaptive and inventive thinking.

The sharing will also focus on how learning activities were structured to provide students with opportunities to articulate mathematical reasoning, engage in group discussion, peer feedback and present their findings, thereby strengthening communication and collaboration. This sharing will showcase the adoption and implementation of a cross-school team-teaching approach that leverages teachers’ strengths. Drawing on multiple sources of evidence, including student artefacts, lesson observations and teacher reflections, the team will share findings on the impact of the hybrid approach on students’ 21CC, as well as key enablers and challenges encountered during enactment.

Participants will engage in hands-on activities to apply research-informed design principles in developing hybrid lesson ideas for their own contexts. The workshop will conclude with facilitated discussions on translating practitioner inquiry into sustainable practice, exploring how research-informed hybrid learning designs can be adapted, sustained and scaled-up within and across schools to achieve meaningful impact on teaching and learning.

This workshop introduces a focused, research-informed approach to using word clines as a practical scaffold for vocabulary acquisition among reluctant adolescent learners in the English Language classroom. Word clines - visual gradated scales that organise related words by intensity, precision or semantic nuance- offer an accessible, low-stakes way for learners to explore word relationships and construct meaning intentionally. Grounded in vocabulary depth theory (Nation, 2013), the workshop shows how word clines strengthen lexical mastery by helping students recognise shades of meaning, differentiate near-synonyms and select words with greater accuracy in comprehension and writing tasks. For reluctant learners who struggle with abstraction, word clines provide structure, clarity and opportunities for collaborative meaning-making. Aligned with Hattie’s emphasis on clear learning intentions and visible learning processes (Hattie, 2009), word clines make students’ vocabulary choices explicit and observable. The workshop comprises three components: (i) a conceptual grounding that introduces vocabulary depth, semantic gradience and the value of visual scaffolds for learners who lack confidence with nuanced vocabulary; (ii) a demonstration of practice using classroom-tested examples that integrate word clines into descriptive writing tasks through guided prompts, lexical ladders and peer negotiation routines; (iii) a guided design activity where participants construct a micro word-cline sequence while applying principles of cognitive load management, clarity of semantic gradience and justification of choices. By the end of the workshop, participants will know how to design word clines that promote deeper vocabulary understanding, how to integrate them meaningfully into writing lessons, and how to use them to build learners’ metalinguistic awareness and capacity to justify language choices. They will leave with ready-to-use templates, adaptable scaffolds and a practical framework for integrating word clines into sustained vocabulary development.

Grounded in constructivist learning theory, this study examined how a multi-modal learning design supported Primary 5 students in developing conceptual understanding of an abstract science topic on human systems. Our team of Science teachers intentionally designed and developed a suite of multi-modal learning experiences, including video animations, digital games, hands-on manipulatives, and collaborative tasks. These experiences enabled students to engage with complex ideas through visualisation, hands-on activity, group discussion, peer critique, and self-reflection. Working with multiple representations allowed students to strengthen their mental models and flexibly shift their thinking when making sense of scientific processes.

The learning experiences were also purposefully structured to embed opportunities for Assessment for Learning (AfL) through immediate feedback and teacher questioning, and Assessment as Learning (AaL) as students monitored their learning, compared interpretations, and verbalised their scientific reasoning to peers. Assessment of Learning (AoL) data showed consistent improvements across all ability groups from pre-test to end-of-year examinations, indicating stronger schema construction and enhanced comparison and interpretation skills. Students also demonstrated growing confidence in independently identifying key scientific ideas, alongside the ability to explain processes to classmates—early markers of metacognition and adaptive thinking.

Overall, the findings indicate that a multi-modal learning design—intentionally integrated with AfL, AaL, and AoL structures—can significantly deepen conceptual understanding while developing students’ adaptive thinking (CAIT 3.2). Our study underscores the potential of well-designed science lessons to advance adaptive thinking by making students’ invisible thinking visible through active learning, multi-modal engagement, and opportunities for feedback embedded within intentional assessment literacy practices.

Teacher quality is shaped not only by skill acquisition but by the beliefs that underpin professional practice. This workshop examines Teacher Efficacy as a key dimension of educator growth and demonstrates how deliberate, sustained conversations within psychologically safe environments strengthen both individual and collective efficacy. Anchored in insights from the TALIS 2024 Report and data gathered across multiple school-based engagement platforms, e.g. whole-staff sessions, TTT discussions, focus groups and surveys, the session distils actionable learning for school leaders, middle managers and professional learning teams.

Participants will be guided through an evidence-informed synthesis of these findings, highlighting how teachers’ sense of individual efficacy drives motivation, how purposeful inclusion of teacher voice reinforces collective efficacy, and how the interaction between these constructs shapes sustained professional growth. The workshop will surface patterns in teachers’ perceptions of support, self-belief and collaborative norms, offering a grounded understanding of the conditions that empower teachers to take ownership of their development.

A central focus is the role of continual, structured and psychologically safe conversations in enabling honest reflection, constructive risk-taking and the development of adaptive expertise. Through interactive segments, participants will experience facilitation strategies and protocols that promote authentic dialogue, cultivate a growth-oriented culture and strengthen professional trust.

By the end of the workshop, participants will:
1. Understand key insights from school-level engagement sessions on teacher efficacy;
2. Recognise how these insights can inform coherent, school-based teacher-development practices;
3. Acquire practical tools for designing and sustaining professional conversations that embed collaborative culture; and
4. Reflect on ways to create environments that nurture and strengthen efficacy beliefs within teams.

Ultimately, the workshop positions efficacy not as an abstract construct but as a practical, actionable lever, amplified by genuine teacher voice, that leaders can harness to enhance the quality and impact of teaching across their schools.

Last Spring we led a class on art methods and art integration techniques for early childhood education majors. We noticed many students were new to designing lesson plans and needed to learn about the ample resources that cultural institutions house which are available to them as future teachers. With a museum design and education background we recognized this untapped potential, developing assignments that guided students to discover local museums, galleries, and academic contemporary art spaces as sources of creative inspiration.

Through a storybook assignment, pre-service teachers were invited to go into the community, visit a local cultural resource, and create a narrative exciting enough to inspire wonder and connection in their students. This assignment brought to task more ways to use story, art, and local museums, galleries, trails, and bookstores into the future classrooms of our pre-service teachers, but it also left us wondering why these early partnerships are not formed. This session will work through two models of engagement we developed to map assets, develop curricula, and unite community resources into pre-service teacher education. Participants are invited to workshop ways in which these structures can be adapted within their institutions, addressing access, relevance, and collaboration.

Session Breakdown:
10 min: Presentation on the engagement model
15 min: Sample Activity: Entering the World of the Work
10 min: Guidelines, handout sharing, and introduction to asset-based mapping
30 min: Small group workshops to adapt the structure locally
25 min: Reflection/Share-out and Q&A

Learning Objectives / Outcomes:
Identify untapped cultural resources that can enhance pre-service teacher education and explore how storytelling builds belonging and cultural literacy in classrooms.
Brainstorm activities for future development programs between academic museums and galleries and their pre-service teacher education programs. ideas using museum and cultural institution collections.
A focus on asset-based mapping will help attendees identify practical, adaptable strategies for connecting pre-service education programs with cultural institutions.

Overall, our session addresses a critical gap– the underutilization of museums and galleries as tools for classroom learning. We demonstrate how academic museums can serve as hubs for arts integration while positioning storytelling as a pedagogical tool for all subject areas.

This workshop explores the effectiveness of Applied Drama, particularly the Teacher-in-Role (TiR) technique, as a facilitation tool to strengthen social–emotional learning (SEL) and personal development among youth.

Background:
The author has conducted this workshop with 2 groups of individuals: (1) a group of women with Daughters of Tomorrow, a registered charity organisation with IPC status, dedicated to empowering women from low-income families. The organisation focuses on facilitating livelihood opportunities, supporting women in achieving financial independence, and enabling social mobility for their families. (2) She has also facilitated it with a group of student leaders, focusing on themes of communication, life skills, and leadership.

Aims:
The workshop aims to (1) demonstrate how TiR can create emotionally safe and engaging learning spaces for youth; (2) highlight how narrative and role-based scenarios support SEL competencies such as empathy, self-awareness, and relationship skills; and (3) offer practitioners practical strategies to integrate applied drama into youth development, leadership training, and community-based programmes.


Methodology:
The TiR technique will be used in the workshop, where the facilitator will take on the role/persona of a fictional character, “Mei,” a young woman experiencing social anxiety while attending a networking event. Participants were invited to interact with Mei, respond to her needs, and collaboratively shape the unfolding scenario. This methodology draws on embodied learning, improvisation, and co-constructed storytelling to foster emotional engagement and reflective practice.

This workshop will invite conference participants to experience key components of the TiR method, analyse facilitation considerations, and explore adaptation for diverse youth contexts. By modelling an applied drama approach, the session demonstrates how story, embodiment, and role-play can deepen SEL outcomes and promote more human-centred development practices in youth work, as well as in educational and community settings.

Findings:
TiR is a compelling approach for engaging youth in complex emotional and interpersonal themes. The immersive nature of TiR allows learners to test responses in a low-risk environment, enhancing their confidence, empathy, and sense of agency. Reflections also reveal increased openness, stronger peer connections, and improved awareness of how personal experiences shape communication behaviours.

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has affected the higher education learning practices, specifically in science education where not just concepts are focused but also research – intensive tasks and laboratory works. This study investigated how AI is used by pre-service teachers in learning science, particularly on their strategies, AI application, and perceived benefits and challenges. Utilizing a descriptive qualitative research design, this study was participated by 67 science major pre-service teachers. Data were gathered from reflective journals, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews to obtain authentic and rich accounts of pre-service teachers experiences using AI tools such as Chat GPT, PhEt, etc. The data from three sources where triangulated and analyzed using Braun and Clarcke’s thematic analysis approach. The results revealed that pre-service teachers apply AI in various science learning, including conceptual modeling, laboratory simulations, scientific computation and problem solving, research writing, data interpretation, and visualization of scientific concepts. To maximize the usefulness of AI tools, students used smart prompt techniques, such as context-rich prompts, task-specific prompts, higher order critical thinking prompts and creative application-based prompts. These strategies significantly help pre-service teachers to obtain accurate and more relevant, and pedagogically useful outputs. In terms of benefits, AI tools integration in learning science was perceived to improve academic performance, improve laboratory preparedness, increase efficiency in academic tasks, support independent and self-paced learning, boost confidence and enrich visualization and creative outputs. On the other hand, pre-service teachers also identified challenges, including the risk of overreliance, accuracy and reliability concerns, cognitive overload, reduce hands-on skill development, ethical and academic integrity issues, technical and accessibility barriers, and limited contextual relevance. In conclusion, this study emphasized that AI tools can be a powerful learning support and a source of arising challenges. Thus, the findings highlight the need of science educators to guide pre-service teachers on how to properly used AI tools for their advantage.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence Integration, Science Major Pre-service Teachers, Conceptual Understanding in Science, Laboratory Simulations

The rapid rise of generative AI has introduced what may be called an “Aladdin effect” in education, where seemingly polished AI-generated answers can be summoned instantly, masking inaccuracies or unexamined assumptions. When such answers are accepted as learning without interrogation, they create an “illusion of knowing,” posing challenges for learners’ epistemic development. This workshop responds to the need for research-informed pedagogical approaches that strengthen students’ evaluative judgement and critical thinking in AI-rich learning environments.
Grounded in cognitive apprenticeship stages (Collins et al., 1989), the session introduces strategies for making reasoning visible and for supporting learners in critically evaluating AI-generated responses. Participants will explore how disciplinary criteria and tacit heuristics can be made explicit to help students interrogate the quality, assumptions and credibility of AI outputs.
However, the challenge extends beyond students accepting AI answers uncritically. Students are solving problems they did not choose, value or fully understand. Current curricular practices revolve around pre-set, teacher-designed problems that reward solution production rather than problem questioning. AI intensifies this pattern by generating polished answers to any prompt, even when the problem lacks meaning. Without agency in defining the problem, engagement becomes performative and learning reduces into efficient task completion rather than deep thinking. Zhao (2024) emphasises enabling students to identify “problems worth solving” as a foundation for meaningful learning.
An illustrative case study from an Innovation and Entrepreneurship subject will be shared, in which students identified meaningful problems and developed human-centric prototypes through design thinking. An online post-project questionnaire was administered to Year 1 polytechnic students enrolled in the subject to examine their perceived learning experience. Survey findings (n = 233) indicated heightened cognitive engagement and relevance. Students described the project as “more engaging and rewarding than hypothetical or textbook-based projects,” valued the “freedom and creativity to do what we want while solving a real problem,” and highlighted how the work helped them “empathise with people.”
The session concludes with brainstorming of classroom routines for subsequent exploration through teacher inquiry or action research. By linking research and practice, the workshop equips educators to foster more discerning, reflective and critically engaged learners.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools open new opportunities for augmenting creativity in training student designers. The potential of GenAI tools especially those that go beyond text to image such as Vizcom and Hypersketch offer huge possibilities as these tools could turn hand drawn sketches into photo realistic images. On the other hand, concerns have been raised about over-reliance on automation and erosion of important design skills if such GenAI tools are used in design training. This educational research is conducted to uncover pedagogical approaches which enable student designers to strengthen their creativity by tapping on GenAI while at the same time develop critical design skills. This study investigates the application of HyperSketch that is woven into a particular Maker elective module to support ideation and design development at [institution]. This paper examines the pedagogical affordances of GenAI in reshaping creative, technical, and reflective learning practices. It aims to shed light on how GenAI can enhance design cognition and reflection-in-action, and evaluate its impact on learner agency, creative confidence and adaptive expertise.

Mixed-methods research was conducted in an elective module, involving 2 classes of 20 diploma students over a 15-week learning cycle. GenAI was integrated as part of the ideation and prototyping workflow, supported by Human-centred Design Thinking to scaffold reflection and iterative development. Digital Design and Fabrication enabled translation of AI-augmented concepts into physical interactive lamps. Data was collected through pre/post creative confidence scales (using a validated metric), observational analysis of design iteration patterns, coding of student reflections and physical interactive lamps outputs.

Findings indicate moderate-to-large improvement in creative confidence (Cohen’s d = 0.69), increased tolerance toward ambiguity, and expanded ideation breadth. Qualitative themes reveal that AI-generated outputs encouraged re-framing of assumptions, supported iterative seeing–moving–seeing cycles aligned with Schön’s reflection-in-action framework, and fostered deeper engagement with design uncertainty. Students demonstrated increased design risk-taking, enhanced metacognitive awareness, and improved ability to synthesise AI-generated insights with human judgment. The study contributes to emerging discourse on AI-enabled pedagogy by positioning GenAI not merely as a design dispenser but as a reflective and dialogic learning partner.

Purpose: This study maps the international knowledge landscape of AI education and examines how the field has been reconfigured by the recent surge of generative AI. Methods: A Scopus search (TITLE‑ABS‑KEY) followed by PRISMA screening yielded 4,991 English journal articles published between 2016 and 2025 (initial retrieval N=7,320). Using bibliometric and science‑mapping techniques (bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer), we analyzed descriptive indicators, country collaboration networks, keyword co‑occurrence and thematic evolution, and knowledge‑structure evidence from co‑citation, historiograph, and bibliographic coupling. Results: The literature shows a clear shift from a gradual growth stage (2016–2020; <200 papers/year) to an exponential expansion after 2021, surpassing 2,000 papers in 2024. Knowledge production is led by the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India; international co‑authorship accounts for ~23%, forming a core–periphery collaboration pattern. Co‑citation results reveal four knowledge‑base clusters: (1) field‑defining reviews of AI in Education, (2) ChatGPT/generative AI applications and problem framing, (3) technology‑acceptance and SEM/PLS‑SEM methodological foundations, and (4) AI literacy and teacher competence frameworks across K–12 and higher education. Thematic evolution and coupling analyses indicate that, since 2023, GenAI/ChatGPT has rapidly reorganized research frontiers toward learning design, assessment and feedback, student learning experiences, and governance issues such as academic integrity and policy guidance. Conclusion: The field is expanding quickly and is increasingly shaped by AI literacy, teacher professional learning, and ethical/governance considerations, suggesting a need for more balanced international collaboration and reproducible research practices.

Keywords: AI education; bibliometric analysis; science mapping; generative A. New Taipei City AI Education Bureau

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, the application of AI tools in Singapore secondary school Chinese language classrooms has garnered increasing attention. In secondary school Chinese language teaching, students face challenges such as superficial comprehension levels and weak analytical abilities in reading, as well as improper use of expository methods and insufficient language expression skills in writing. To enhance students' reading comprehension and writing abilities, this study introduced the SLS AI assistant SALiS in Secondary Two Unit 5 and Secondary One Unit 3 teaching respectively. Through specially designed learning assistants and human-machine dialogue interactions, personalised learning support was provided to students, helping them master descriptive techniques and expository methods in communicative contexts.

The research subjects were Secondary Two G3 Chinese and Secondary One G2 Chinese classes from two Singapore government secondary schools.

Firstly, in reading instruction (Secondary Two G3), AI tools functioned as instructional scaffolds, guiding students to deconstruct complex textual features and helping them overcome specific comprehension barriers.

Secondly, in writing instruction (Secondary One G2), the AI assistant facilitated transfer of learning, assisting students in effectively applying conceptual knowledge acquired in reading lessons to writing tasks (i.e., "reading-to-writing transfer").

The practical results indicate that AI-driven feedback mechanisms significantly deepened students' reading analytical abilities and effectively bridged input (reading) and output (writing). This sharing will also explore how to achieve the aforementioned personalised learning experiences through effective prompt design strategies.

Keywords: AI-assisted teaching, Chinese language teaching, reading, writing, SLS

Developing students as self-directed, reflective learners is a key emphasis of E21CC framework. However, many Science classrooms continue to face challenges such as low student engagement, weak application of scientific concepts, and limited metacognitive opportunities. This classroom-based inquiry explores how integrating Think-Aloud pedagogy with AI-enabled feedback using the Snorkl app can strengthen students’ metacognitive thinking, self-regulation, and ownership of learning.
The aim of this study was to examine how making both teachers’ and students’ thinking visible, when combined with actionable AI-generated feedback, supports the development of Self-Directed Learning such as goal-setting, monitoring, and reflection. In this approach, AI functions as an enabler and catalyst, supporting students to act on feedback in timely and meaningful ways rather than merely receiving it.
Methodologically, the intervention was designed using a Capture–Construct–Consolidate framework. In the Capture phase, teachers presented scientific phenomena to surface students’ prior ideas and misconceptions. During the Construct phase, teachers modelled scientific reasoning through Think-Alouds, scaffolded using the I Do–We Do–You Do approach, while students recorded their explanations using the Snorkl app. Snorkl’s AI-generated feedback provided immediate insights into students’ conceptual accuracy, clarity of explanation, and use of scientific language, enabling teachers to identify learners requiring targeted support while allowing more able students to progress independently. In the Consolidate phase, students acted on the AI feedback through revision, peer discussion, and teacher-facilitated reflection, supported by a structured 3F feedback approach (Feed-up, Feedback, Feed-forward) and the use of exemplars.
Findings indicate improved student engagement, clearer articulation of scientific thinking, and stronger metacognitive behaviours aligned to E21CC. Students showed increased confidence in explaining their reasoning, greater willingness to revise work based on feedback, and improved ability to monitor their learning progress. Notably, learners were motivated to engage actively with AI-generated feedback from Snorkl to close learning gaps and work towards target goals, with several groups persevering through multiple cycles of revision. This iterative refinement reflects strengthened self-regulation, resilience, and ownership of learning. This session shares practical strategies and examples of how AI-enabled tools such as Snorkl can move students from receiving feedback to acting on feedback, nurturing self-directed and reflective Science learners.

This classroom-based study examines how generative AI can be meaningfully integrated into Chinese Language lessons to support secondary students’ metacognitive development in reading and writing. The initial assessments showed that students lacked structured reasoning and adequate argumentation when responding to open-ended reading comprehension questions. In writing, students frequently misinterpreted prompts, produced essays with disproportionately developed plot, and showed limited planning, monitoring, and reflective strategies. These gaps highlight the need for process-oriented scaffolds that make thinking visible and promote self-regulation.

Two classroom interventions were implemented in secondary classes. For reading, a generative AI (ChatGPT) guided students in identifying key ideas, organising viewpoints, and constructing coherent explanations. For writing, a 5C Metacognitive Writing Chatbot (Clarify, Challenge, Contextualise, Co-create, Confirm) guided students in clarifying task demands, examining reasoning, enriching content, and reflecting on revisions. The overall design followed the H–A–H model (Human Inquiry → AI Support → Human Empowerment), with the teacher playing the role as a learning facilitator - using a teacher-in-the-loop approach to design and monitor learning progress; and a teacher-over-the-loop approach to ensure the use of AI tool aligned with learning goals.

Data sources included classroom observations, AI–student conversation logs, student reflections, student writing drafts, and teacher reflections. Findings indicate that:
(1) Students demonstrated greater awareness of their thinking processes when tackling open-ended reading comprehension questions and were able to organise ideas in a more structured manner;
(2) Students exhibited clearer writing purposes, improved structural planning, and more reflective in the learning process; and
(3) Students shifted from focusing on seeking answers to systematically evaluating and improving their own reasoning processes, reflecting strengthened self-monitoring and metacognitive engagement.

The study highlights that with thoughtfully designed prompts from teachers, generative AI can effectively support students as a process-based thinking partner. They can enhance students’ metacognitive capacities and offer a scalable, sustainable model for innovation in literacy instruction.

Keywords:
metacognition; AI chatbot; AI-supported learning; teacher led; reading comprehension; writing development; generative AI;

Presentation Language: Mandarin

This paper extends the SEAGA 2025 research on the i5 Enhanced Inquiry Approach, which built upon the Humanities Inquiry Approach presented at SEAGA 2010. It argues that in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), pedagogy augmented by human intelligence, expertise, and intent is paramount. When integrated with the i5 Enhanced Inquiry Approach, AI Model Approach, and Place-Based Learning, AI pedagogy can significantly enhance learning by leveraging AI's capacity for feedback, personalisation, and self-directed learning, whilst empowering human intelligence to flourish through critical, adaptive, and inventive thinking. Much like a pilot mastering an aircraft to soar farther than a bird, educators who harness AI purposefully can elevate learning beyond natural boundaries.

The paper identifies five enabling conditions for education systems to thrive in the AI era: blending AI pedagogy with human expertise, such as i5 Enhanced Inquiry Approach; leveraging agentic AI tools with intention, including Student Learning Space Short Answer Feedback Assessment and Data Assistance Tools; aligning AI strategies with educational values—promoting self-directed learning and critical, adaptive, and inventive thinking; embedding responsible guardrails, such as the AI Model Approach and a "traffic light system" where AI is used (Green), conditionally used (Amber), and must not be used (Red), ensuring authentic skill acquisition; and maintaining complementary non-AI assessments to evaluate students' independent reasoning.

Supported by the OECD 2025 survey of 280,000 educators across 55 systems—showing one-third use AI in teaching and one-quarter in assessment—the paper highlights Singapore's leading adoption, with over 75% of teachers using AI.

Implementation of the i5 Enhanced Inquiry Approach, using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative assessment feedback data with qualitative feedback, with 72 Secondary 3 Geography students [PSLE Achievement Levels (AL) 9–22] showed encouraging outcomes—over 80% agreed it improved learning, compared to 50% with traditional methods. Results improved by 1 Mean Subject Grade, with 30% higher pass rates and 15% higher distinction rates.

Ultimately, this study demonstrates that AI pedagogy fused with human expertise and ethical intent, grounded in inquiry and place, cultivates impactful, future-ready learners prepared for a complex, AI-driven world.

Assessment as and for learning hinge on students’ ability to monitor their thinking, interpret criteria, and use feedback to refine their work. Yet in Literature classrooms, many students struggle with these self-regulatory processes. At the lower secondary level, students often rely on procedural structures such as PEEL without understanding how to expand their ideas meaningfully. At the upper secondary level, students who can produce full essays still find it difficult to judge the depth, nuance, and sophistication required to meet higher-band rubric expectations. These persistent challenges highlight the need for more immediate, consistent, and guided feedback loops that strengthen metacognitive awareness and foster greater learner agency.

A growing body of research shows that generative AI can match human judgement on foundational aspects of writing, such as clarity, organisation, and paragraph structure. Its immediacy and consistency position it as a powerful tool for strengthening students’ assessment literacy and sustaining their engagement throughout the revision process.

Drawing on examples from our Literature classrooms, this paper presentation shares how chatbot-based learning environments can be deliberately designed to support assessment as learning, guiding students through elaboration, iterative revision, and rubric-aligned self-evaluation. We explore how AI-mediated dialogues can prompt students to monitor the quality of their ideas, evaluate the sufficiency of their evidence, and adjust their writing strategies, thereby deepening metacognitive awareness and enabling more insightful, independently crafted responses.

Key Questions:
1. Scaffolded Crafting: How can AI chatbots support students in extending explanation and elaboration?
2. Guided Revision: How can AI-generated feedback prompt strategic revisions that enhance depth, insight, and sophistication in Literary arguments'
3. Guided Self-Evaluation: In what ways can chatbots help students develop self-regulatory habits by evaluating their drafts against rubrics, success criteria, and models of quality?

The growing presence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in education offers new opportunities to promote deeper learning and learner autonomy. This study examines an AI-enabled learning ecosystem designed to strengthen Self-Directed Learning (SDL) through reflection, feedback and evaluation, guided by the Singapore Polytechnic SDL Framework. The ecosystem comprises two distinct applications: AskWhatCher, which integrates a GenAI chatbot with a 3-2-1 exit poll to support structured, end-of-lesson reflection; and AskMeCher, a complementary quiz-based platform with gamified features that promotes inquiry, self-assessment and personalised feedback beyond the classroom.

A mixed-methods design combined pre- and post-intervention surveys, based on selected scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), with focus group discussions. Quantitative findings showed improvements in elaboration, metacognitive self-regulation and self-evaluation. Qualitative results indicated that students became more reflective, confident and proactive in identifying learning gaps, seeking feedback and extending their understanding. The combined use of guided reflection and AI-generated feedback fostered meaningful engagement and supported learners in taking greater ownership of their progress.

For educators, analytics derived from both tools highlighted learning trends and common students' misconceptions, enabling more responsive and targeted instruction. These findings suggest that when thoughtfully designed and ethically implemented, GenAI can complement teaching practice by strengthening reflection, enhancing feedback loops and developing learners’ capacity for self-directed growth.

This study offers an evidence-based model for integrating human-centred AI into pedagogy. It illustrates how purposeful design can use technology to extend the educator’s reach, enrich the learner experience and achieve sustainable improvements in learning outcomes.

Keywords: Generative AI, Self-Directed Learning, Feedback for Learning, Reflection, Metacognition, Educational Innovation

Learning analytics and self-regulated learning (SRL) highlight the importance of students’ ability to monitor, regulate, and evaluate their own learning processes. While Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) powered chatbots offer opportunities for personalised learning, the technology does not inherently encourage SRL. For example, the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) AI Learning Assistants (NALA) was designed with several pedagogical strategies including Socratic interaction and active learning. However, only 30% of the cohort in AY2025-2026 Semester 1 used NALA, partly due to the availability of alternative general-purpose tools such as ChatGPT. In addition, those who used NALA largely used it as a show-and-tell assistant much like ChatGPT. To enhance the existing NALA system and increase student motivation to engage in SRL, we developed NALA-Assess, a GAI-enabled learning assessment and analytics agent designed to support SRL. This module motivates proactive inquiry while supporting metacognitive, motivational, and behavioural regulation in learning. The proposed agent promotes autonomy and competence by analysing the cognitive complexity of students’ self-formulated questions and responses using the SOLO taxonomy. It then generates personalised scaffolded feedback to encourage student engagement that is aligned with higher taxonomical levels. Complementary learning analytics, including time-series progress tracking, norm-referenced performance visualisations, topic relationship maps, and targeted learning recommendations, are used to enhance students’ awareness of their learning strategies and support goal setting, monitoring their progress and adaptive regulation. This study intends to study and report the effectiveness of NALA-Assess through a pilot deployment within an existing undergraduate chemical engineering course, Process Controls and Dynamics in the January semester of 2026. Course materials would be parsed and indexed using an agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline to support domain-specific interactions. A within-subjects pre-post design (estimated n = 30) would be used to compare the existing NALA system (control) with NALA-Assess (intervention). Data would be collected through surveys, semi-structured interviews and student usage metrics to evaluate NALA-Assess’s impact on learners’ self-regulatory behaviours, and their perceptions of autonomy and competence across phases. Most importantly, the findings from this study would contribute to the fields of motivation, learning analytics, and use of AI in higher education and beyond.

Team-Based Learning (TBL) has long been a cornerstone of business education, fostering collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving skills aligned with industry needs. While effective, students previously relied heavily on various online information sources to progress through the stages of TBL, often finding the process time-consuming and cognitively demanding. Educators also faced difficulties providing timely and personalised feedback to each student or team. With the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), particularly ChatGPT, new opportunities arose to streamline the TBL process by offering instant explanations, guidance, and feedback. However, concerns were raised that excessive dependence on ChatGPT could undermine peer interaction, weaken critical reasoning, and reduce the social learning value embedded in TBL. At the time of this research, empirical evidence on GenAI’s role in business education was limited, which motivated the present study.

This study aimed to examine the impact of ChatGPT-integrated TBL on learning outcomes, satisfaction, and learning experiences among undergraduate business students, and to identify factors that enabled or hindered its adoption. A randomised controlled research design was implemented, comparing a ChatGPT-supported intervention group with a conventional TBL control group. Objective performance indicators, including customised Individual and Team Readiness Assurance Tests, burning questions, and application exercise scores, were collected and statistically analysed to evaluate learning outcomes. Students additionally completed validated 5-point Likert scale surveys to measure learning satisfaction, social learning, and engagement. Focus group interviews were conducted to explore perceptions of ChatGPT use in TBL, and thematic analysis was used to identify emerging enablers, barriers, and challenges.

The results provided critical insights into how GenAI could be integrated responsibly into TBL to enhance business education. Findings informed guidelines for balancing AI-assisted support with collaborative peer interaction and critical thinking. This study contributed to growing evidence on AI-enhanced pedagogy and offered meaningful implications for business schools seeking to adopt GenAI in active learning environments both locally and globally.

Aims:
Asynchronous online learning is frequently criticized for its passive nature, where learners experience “click-next” fatigue and engagement is often limited to Level 1 (passive content consumption) or Level 2 (limited interaction). Although subject matter experts advocate for Level 3 (complex participation) and Level 4 (simulation) strategies to foster Higher Order Thinking (HOTs), the development of such interactive learning experiences is constrained by technical and financial barriers. Creating simulation-based artifacts typically requires specialized coding expertise or expensive authoring software, leading many educators to rely on external vendors. This paper introduces the I.D.E.A. Framework (Intent, Design, Execute, Assess), a structured methodology that supports AI-assisted development workflows for non-technical lecturers who wish to create higher-level interactive and simulation-based learning resources.

Methodology:
The study adopts a Research-through-Design approach to develop and examine a Master System Prompt that operationalizes the I.D.E.A. workflow. The prompt functions as a governance layer that supports Large Language Models (LLMs) in acting as consistent and task-aligned coding partners. The framework applies structured constraints across four phases: (1) Intent, ensuring pedagogical alignment with learning objectives and Bloom’s Taxonomy; (2) Design, shaping learner experience with reference to Mayer’s Multimedia Principles and usability considerations; (3) Execute, generating standards-compliant HTML5 and JavaScript artifacts optimized for integration in Articulate Rise and LMS environments; and (4) Assess, embedding feedback logic and basic performance tracking. The paper also documents a “vibe coding” workflow in which educators use natural-language prompting to iteratively direct interface behavior, interaction logic, and technical refinement without needing to write code directly.

Findings:
Preliminary outcomes from pilot design and prototyping trials indicate that the I.D.E.A. Framework reduces variability in GenAI-generated outputs and enables subject-matter experts to consistently produce functional, reliable, and pedagogically aligned interactive simulations with low error rates. Participants reported greater control over the development process and reduced dependence on specialist technical support. The study offers a proof-of-concept for democratizing the creation of complex interactive courseware and suggests that pedagogically governed prompting can accelerate development workflows while supporting higher-order learning design intentions, even among educators without prior programming experience.

Artificial intelligence tools are rapidly entering educational settings. Recent research reveals a paradox. AI helps individual researchers publish more papers and gain more citations. However, these researchers collectively explore fewer research areas. AI automates established approaches rather than supporting new exploration. Studies document similar patterns in student work. Students using AI show increased productivity but reduced diversity in their outputs. This proposed study will examine how AI drives the homogenization of education.
The research will focus on how AI narrows intellectual diversity in educational contexts. Research identifies knowledge monocultures emerging in AI systems. These systems favour methods that are easier to automate over innovative approaches. AI training data predominantly reflects Western perspectives. This creates situations where voices from marginalised communities fail to register in AI systems. Data gaps particularly affect developing countries that lack resources for large-scale data collection. Existing research frames these as technical problems needing algorithmic fixes. However, the deeper question remains. How does AI shape what knowledge gets recognised and valued?
This study will use a qualitative literature review with thematic analysis. Peer-reviewed articles from education, philosophy, and computer science databases will be systematically reviewed. The analysis will develop a framework connecting AI characteristics to reduced intellectual diversity. Training data biases, preferences for familiar patterns, and system opacity will be examined for their contributions to narrowing effects.
Four key mechanisms will be analysed. First, how AI dismisses knowledge from certain groups due to biases in training data. Second, how AI creates the illusion of objectivity while actually reflecting specific cultural perspectives. Third, how automation leads students to rely on AI rather than develop independent thinking. Fourth, how data gaps systematically exclude perspectives from underrepresented regions and communities. These mechanisms will be examined through epistemic injustice theory. This means exploring how some groups face unfair barriers in having their knowledge recognised.
The study will treat AI homogenization as a socio-scientific issue requiring justice-focused approaches beyond technical solutions. It will provide recommendations for policymakers and educators to preserve intellectual diversity and critical thinking in educational systems.

As generative AI rapidly transforms educational landscapes, universities worldwide grapple with developing and implementing effective AI policies. This study examines the critical gap between AI policy intentions and their practical enactment, offering evidence-based insights that directly impact classroom practices and institutional governance. Drawing on in-depth interviews with students and teachers at a research-intensive Hong Kong university, this research employs Ball's policy trajectory framework to reveal how AI policies are interpreted, enacted, and sometimes resisted in practice. The findings expose urgent challenges, including false plagiarism accusations causing student distrust, inequitable access to AI tools creating new educational divides, and the "invisible labour" burden on teachers navigating ambiguous policies. The research delivers immediate practical impact through targeted recommendations.
For university leaders, it advocates for adaptive "liquid policymaking" with shorter iterative cycles and participatory input, moving beyond static guidelines that cannot match AI's development pace. For teaching development centres, it proposes AI resource libraries with localised case studies and discipline-specific examples, alleviating individual teacher workload. It also calls for the need for universities to offer long-term pathways to nurture education-focused academics with deep specialisations in teaching with AI, (inter)discipline-specific pedagogies, and for leadership. For educators, it highlights successful strategies like "failure experiences" that help students recognise AI limitations, and transdisciplinary assessments that develop critical thinking beyond AI capabilities.
The study proposes an AI Policy Lifecycle Framework to visualise how policies transform through material constraints, discursive constructions, and everyday practices, offering institutions a thinking tool to anticipate and address implementation challenges. Beyond immediate institutional applications, the research impacts broader educational transformation by reframing AI governance from compliance-focused approaches toward learning-centred policies. It demonstrates how contextual factors—from Confucian cultural values to competitive assessment cultures—shape policy outcomes, providing insights for cross-cultural policy adaptation. With AI capabilities advancing relentlessly, this research provides timely, actionable guidance for creating equitable, pedagogically sound AI integration. By bridging the gap between policy aspirations and practices on the ground, it empowers educators, protects student learning, and helps institutions navigate the AI revolution while sustaining integrity and flourishing in learning.

This paper employed One-Stage Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modelling (OSMASEM) to examine the applicability of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in understanding the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED). Integrating data from 25 UTAUT-based studies, the analysis assessed the predictive power of Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), and Facilitating Conditions (FC) within AIED contexts. Results indicated that while the UTAUT model effectively explains technology adoption, it requires refinement for AI systems in education. In the structural models tested, Behavioural Intention (BI) emerged as a strong predictor of Usage Behaviour (UB); however, when direct paths from PE, EE, and SI to UB were introduced, BI’s influence weakened, revealing the dual and direct effects of these constructs on user behaviour. PE, EE, and SI significantly shaped UB, underscoring the importance of perceived usefulness, ease of use, and social factors in AI adoption. The study highlighted the need to extend UTAUT by incorporating AI-specific attributes, such as interactivity, transparency, and human likeness, and improving methodological rigour through measures of actual usage. Future applications should adapt PE to capture advanced AI capabilities, enhance EE through user-centred design, strengthen SI via leadership and peer influence, and reinforce FC through robust infrastructure and ongoing support to better explain AI adoption in educational settings.

Introduction:
Group work is essential in nursing education for developing collaborative skills and teamwork that are necessary for professional practice. Peer evaluation (PE) is often incorporated into group work to assess individual contributions and provide reciprocal feedback. Its effectiveness, however, depends on students’ perceptions. This study examined nursing students’ perceptions of PE, focusing on fairness, effectiveness, impact on personal growth and group dynamics, implementation, and tutors’ roles.

Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 719 Year 1–3 Diploma in Nursing students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, aged 17–60 years and of diverse nationalities, enrolled in modules with graded group assessment components during the April 2025 semester. After completing the graded group assignments, students evaluated their peers and provided feedback using a standardised rubric assessing collaboration, communication, quality of work, and responsibility. An anonymous online survey was subsequently administered to capture students’ perceptions of PE, including its effectiveness, fairness, impact on personal growth and group dynamics, implementation, and tutors’ roles.

Results:
Students generally reported positive perceptions of peer evaluation. Students aged over 19 years perceived PE as fairer and more effective, with more positive group dynamics than younger students, which may reflect differences in experience and maturity. International students reported more positive perceptions of group dynamics and tutor support, which may relate to cultural and educational differences. Year 3 students perceived less personal growth compared with Year 1 and Year 2 students, highlighting the need for differentiated PE approaches for senior students. Across all years, perceived personal growth positively correlated with fairness, effectiveness, and group dynamics.

Conclusion:
Nursing students generally perceive peer evaluation as a fair and effective assessment strategy that supports personal growth and collaboration. The findings highlight the importance of scaffolding PE and tailoring its design to the needs of diverse learners at different stages of study. This presentation will share evidence-informed strategies to strengthen the implementation of peer evaluation to promote meaningful feedback, reflection, and student learning.

Open-ended tasks can serve as powerful instructional and assessment tools that deepen both teaching and learning. When used purposefully, these tasks engage students in constructive and creative mathematical thinking, offering multiple entry points, diverse approaches, and more than one possible solution. This openness allows students to respond in varied, meaningful, and personally productive ways.

As students work through open-ended problems, they learn to navigate ambiguity, refine their reasoning, and flexibly consider alternative perspectives. Such explorations not only promote higher-order thinking but also strengthen key 21st Century Competencies (21CC), particularly Critical, Adaptive, and Inventive Thinking (CAIT). Students learn to question assumptions, adjust strategies in response to emerging insights, and generate original methods or representations. Through these experiences, they also develop positive dispositions—including perseverance, curiosity, and confidence—essential for strong mathematical problem solving.

A common misconception among teachers is that open-ended tasks are suitable only for high-achieving students, as the non-routine nature of these tasks appears challenging. However, my work with students across a wide range of abilities shows otherwise. In my presentation, I will share how thoughtfully designed open-ended tasks can support learners at every level, and how they have significantly enhanced the problem-solving capacities of my middle- and lower-ability students in the two classes I worked with. By providing opportunities to reason, explore multiple strategies, and justify their thinking, open-ended tasks help students cultivate essential competencies that prepare them for future learning and real-world problem solving.

Signature pedagogies (Shulman, 2005a) refer to distinctive ways of teaching and learning that cultivate future practitioners’ (students’) ability to think, perform, and act with integrity in their respective professions. At NorthLight School (NLS), discipline-specific pedagogies underpin vocational programmes leading to the ITE Skills Certificate in fields such as Community Care Support (CCS) and Hospital Services (HS). These programmes emphasise skills development aligned with industry expectations and professional practice.

Would meeting industry expectations be a high bar for learners who are less academically-inclined? In our efforts to prepare students to be work-ready, the NLS team explored pedagogical and assessment approaches that move beyond knowledge recall and repetitive practice towards evaluating students’ “knowing, doing, and being.” To strengthen authentic evaluation and promote learner self-directedness, the CCS and HS courses designed competence-based, self- and peer-assessment instruments that actively engage students in the assessment process. This paper describes the design and development of these student-centric instruments, which translate industry and ITE-prescribed Skills Standards and Performance Criteria into Competency Checklists that students were able to use for self and peer assessment. These checklists support students’ understanding of industry requirements and enable reflective evaluation of their skills attainment and readiness for formative and summative assessments.

The paper also discusses the constructive alignment of these assessment practices with the signature pedagogies of the Care and Hospitality professions, including experiential learning, bedside teaching and apprenticeship, and reflective practice. In addition, the study examines how the assessment instruments guided students’ reflective practice, as well as their reflections on the processes of self- and peer-assessment.

Preliminary findings reveal that involving students in authentic self- and peer-assessment enhanced engagement in formative assessment, deepened understanding of the knowledge, skills, and values required for professional practice (knowing, doing, and being), and strengthened reflective practice. The approach also fostered a community of self-directed learners who demonstrated greater ownership of their learning. These findings offer insights for vocational programmes seeking to prepare future practitioners with the heads, hearts, and hands for their professions, and to enhance the alignment between signature pedagogies and authentic assessment of students’ “knowing, doing, and being” and their reflective practice.

This project examined a values-centred approach to teaching bioethics in secondary science classrooms, building on a lecture piloted during the SST Teacher Work Attachment to Busan Science High School and planned for adaptation in SST’s Upper Secondary Biology and Biotechnology programmes in 2026. While established bioethics curricula typically begin with ethical theories, stakeholder mapping, or structured decision-making models, this design inverts that sequence. Students first took instinctive positions on dilemmas like gene editing, digital health passports, data privacy, and lab-grown meat before receiving any ethical vocabulary or analytical structure.
They then engaged in a values-sorting protocol, a practice central to SST’s student leadership development, to surface and rank their personal values. Only after this introspective stage did students revisit their initial stances, often encountering peers who shared similar values yet arrived at different conclusions. This challenged the assumption that ethical disagreements arise solely from opposing logic. Instead, students discovered shared values can diverge significantly in application. The sequencing reflected Kohlberg’s developmental patterns, not as a strict stage progression, but as a pedagogical nudge from intuitive, self-referential reasoning toward relational and socially attuned moral awareness.
The session humanised science learning by fostering empathy, perspective-taking, and respectful dialogue. Whole-class values mapping and structured reflection operationalised Lickona’s dimensions of character education, moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral action, within a scientific context. Rather than producing consensus, the lesson cultivated a dialogic space in which students articulated reasoning, listened without judgement, and engaged across differing positions. This work offered a meaningful innovation: integrating leadership-based values clarification into bioethical inquiry to strengthen ethical literacy and constructive dialogue in applied science education.
Student responses further highlighted the impact. Many reported deep self-reflection as they narrowed their values, discovered mismatches between their stated priorities and initial positions. They also noted that peers holding identical values could reach opposite conclusions, consequently appreciating the complexity of ethical reasoning. Others described gaining new perspectives on scientific progress, recognising tensions between innovation and values. Taken together, these reflections suggest that a values-first approach nurtured thoughtful, open-minded dispositions essential for responsible participation in a rapidly evolving scientific world.

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is often framed as a transformative response to interconnected local and global challenges. However, its enactment within centralised education systems raises questions about teacher agency and the conditions under which transformation is possible. This paper examines a five-month pilot teacher capacity-building programme on GCED in Malaysia, facilitated by a community-based non-profit organisation, to explore how teachers operationalise GCED within existing structural constraints.

The programme engaged 30 public primary and secondary school teachers, as well as teacher educators, in workshops, coaching sessions, and the design and implementation of GCED projects addressing local issues. Adopting a qualitative, practitioner-inquiry approach, data were collected through teacher reflections, surveys, focus group discussions, facilitator observations, and project artefacts. Thematic analysis focused on teachers’ sense-making processes as they attempted to localise GCED within classrooms shaped by a centralised curriculum, heavy bureaucratic demands, and enduring exam-centric expectations.

Findings suggest that the programme functioned both as an intervention and a diagnostic space. It surfaced prevailing interpretations of GCED among teachers, which tended to prioritise issue awareness and action with limited structural analyses of injustice. At the same time, community-based GCED projects created important openings for teachers to reimagine their professional roles, shifting from syllabus delivery towards facilitating inquiry, ethical reflection, and engagement with local knowledge. These shifts resonate with principles of culturally sustaining pedagogy, positioning GCED as a moral and relational practice rather than a purely cognitive one.

However, persistent tensions were evident. While teachers were able to support action-oriented projects, many struggled to facilitate deeper critical engagement with power relations and justice-oriented dimensions of citizenship. Drawing on Freirean critical pedagogy and Andreotti’s critique of depoliticised GCED, these challenges are interpreted as reflections of systemic conditions that position teachers as technocratic implementers rather than critically conscious educators.

The paper therefore argues for a cautious reading of GCED’s transformative promise within formal schooling. It reflects on the implications of these limits for teacher capacity-building strategies and the role of actors outside the formal system, highlighting the need for more intentional spaces for critical reflection and collaboration among teachers to challenge conventional expectations for teaching and learning.

The development of citizenship in young people is an important concern for every society and has been a focal point in education for many countries. Considering the speed at which modern globalisation (i.e., increasing ease and volume of connectivity and movement of people, economic, and cultural goods along with its complex, disruptive and unpredictive rhythms) is contributing to the increasing diversification within societies, there is a growing recognition of the need to foster or strengthen citizenship in a bid to sustain a sense of belonging (specifically, national belonging) among an increasingly diversified citizenry through citizenship in practice. The role education plays in developing citizenship is inevitably vital given that the school, as a common platform young people spend a good number of their formative years, is essentially a primary site for socialisation and thus an ideal medium for nurturing citizenship. However, the teaching of citizenship education remains a challenge for teachers due to divergent pedagogical approaches, varying teacher interpretations of what citizenship and a participatory citizenship (citizenship in practice) entails within specific country contexts, and a lack of consensus on how best to teach it. This challenge is also observable in Singapore despite having a more centralised education system and a common syllabus on citizenship education (specifically, the Character and Citizenship Education) with an explicit focus to inculcate active citizenship. Drawing from the works of Jürgen Habermas and his intellectual interlocutors on deliberative and participatory citizenship, this paper explores the possibilities of a Habermasian approach in contributing to this citizenship education endeavour in the Singapore context.

This paper explores the relevance of ‘Normative Case Studies’ as a pedagogical tool for Character and Citizenship Education. As NCS has been predominantly used for teacher training in North America, the aim of the paper is to consider the extent to which NCS may be translatable and usable in the Singapore education context. We will draw on a range of evidence to argue that while NCS has much promise in helping to meet 21st century framework and learning outcomes, it needs to be adequately contextualised and scaffolded for the relevant Singapore classroom.
In Part 1, we will introduce ‘Normative Case Studies’ as a pedagogical tool designed to promote skills and dispositions for constructive dialogue (Geron and Levinson 2024; Reid and Levinson 2023). We will illustrate the relevance of NCS for CCE by providing two examples of a Singapore-based NCS. In Part 2, we will present quantitative and qualitative findings from a course taught at the National University of Singapore titled HS2927 Agree to Disagree Well: Disagreement in Singapore. In this course, students engage with NCS to develop skills and dispositions to dialogue on important social and political issues, such as inequality and the role of AI in education in Singapore. Students are also required to discuss and write NCS. In Part 3, both presenters will share observations from their experiences conducting workshops for MOE educators and students on this topic. We will also present results from a survey done with a group of educators who have implemented NCS in their own classroom. Finally, we will conclude by discussing some thoughts on the uses and limitations of NCS for CCE in Singapore.

References in Abstract
Geron, Tatiana, and Meira Levinson. 2024. 'The Ethics of World‐Building in Normative Case Studies', Educational Theory, 74: 293-300.
Reid, Ellis, and Meira Levinson. 2023. 'Normative Case Studies as Democratic Education.' in Julian Culp, Johannes Drerup and Douglas Yacek (eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge).

Values in Action (VIA) is a key student development experience within the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum, aimed at nurturing socially responsible citizens through meaningful contribution to community, greater student ownership, and structured reflection to internalise good values. This paper presents findings from a review of VIA in schools and outlines a refreshed approach to VIA. The VIA review drew on a large-scale mixed-methods review involving surveys, focus group discussions, school visits, and engagement with community partners, and synthesises empirical findings with research on service-learning, civic purpose, and youth civic development. The review found positive outcomes in student engagement and teacher belief, with schools demonstrating pedagogical innovation in designing VIA experiences for students. However, gaps exist in students' community experience and meaning-making, while teachers sought support to enhance their facilitation skills. Building on these insights, the paper presents a refreshed VIA approach to leverage aspects of the VIA experience that students find joy and meaning in, feature more authentic, community-based learning opportunities, and equip teachers to facilitate students’ sense- and meaning-making from VIA. Through the key features of the refreshed approach, students can learn 4Cs: to understand issues and situations in Singapore’s social context, (b) to appreciate who we are and what we each can contribute, moving from a deficit-based narrative to more asset- and strength-based engagement with communities, (c) to express and experience care and concern in different ways, focusing more on relationships and meaning-making, and (d) to make more informed and responsible choices on how to make a difference, balancing agency with social responsibility. Through the 4Cs, VIA aims to develop students’ ability and will to bring people together as a community for larger purposes. Finally, this paper also puts forth that the significance of VIA lies not only in its outcomes, but in the process of building the educator community in cross-pollinating insights from research, education and community practitioners, and policymakers. This is so that research and policy priorities inform curriculum development and practice in an authentic way.

Schools are crucial spaces where young people “become” — as learners, citizens, and members of the imagined community of Singapore. For students from lower-income families, however, the process of becoming is often shaped by inequities embedded within educational structures and social expectations. This paper examines how education in Singapore can better support the diverse ways young people come to know themselves and the world, using Biesta’s concept of world-centred education as a guiding framework. Biesta reminds us that education is fundamentally about bringing teachers, students, and the world into conversation — an invitation particularly resonant in societies grappling with questions of equality, belonging, and purpose. Against Singapore’s policy ambition of “education for all,” this paper identifies persistent disparities in how lower-income students experience schooling, transitions, and success. There have been much official efforts in “levelling up” those from less privileged backgrounds in terms of financial assistance, academic support, after school arrangements and even cross government ministries' collaborations to provide more holistic support. But lived experiences of these students suggest the pursuit of fairer opportunities needs a greater paradigm shift toward engaging students’ voice in teaching and learning.

Drawing on data from three separate but thematically connected qualitative studies conducted collaboratively over the past five years, we explore how young learners from lower-income families navigate their educational paths and construct meaning within their social worlds. The studies include: (1) an exploration of support models for families in early childhood education; (2) longitudinal interviews with Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students and graduates about their learning and work trajectories; and (3) observations and interviews examining the funds of knowledge and identity development among secondary school students. Data triangulated across the studies build a grounded understanding of how young people make sense of learning, opportunity, and recognition. Through this synthesis, we argue that educational equity in Singapore requires a deeper acknowledgment of lived experiences — not only addressing material gaps but understanding how students envision themselves as part of a shared world. The paper concludes by reimagining what it means to know our learners, positioning world-centred education as a dialogical, collective endeavour towards more equitable futures.

Building confidence and motivation is as important as teaching literacy skills for students with dyslexia. While dyslexia is commonly understood as a difficulty with reading and spelling, its impact extends far beyond academic performance. Many students struggle with reduced self-efficacy and lowered motivation, which in turn affects their resilience, emotional well-being, and long-term success. Addressing these factors is critical to truly build capacity and change lives for learners with dyslexia.

This systematic review, conducted using recognized review guidelines and drawing on studies published over the past decade, examined the self-efficacy and motivation of students with dyslexia. The review synthesized recent developments in enhancing self-efficacy and motivation, their effectiveness, influencing factors, and their impact on both academic achievement and psychological well-being.

Findings demonstrated that students aged 13–17 with dyslexia often experience diminished self-efficacy and academic motivation due to persistent literacy challenges, limited support networks, and negative educational experiences. However, the evidence also points to promising approaches: early intervention, strong family and peer support, and the use of digital learning tools and personalized strategies can foster self-belief and academic resilience.

Future research should continue to explore the longitudinal effects of these interventions and develop practical, evidence-informed approaches that strengthen motivation and empower learners. By addressing both literacy skills and the psychological aspects of learning, educators can create a sustainable change in outcomes for students with dyslexia.

This presentation highlights the synergistic integration of play-based pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to enhance grammar and reading comprehension skills in primary English Language (EL) learners. By combining play-based approaches with UDL principles in the lesson design, we create a holistic learning environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and inclusivity in two primary classrooms comprising of a significant number of low progress learners in two Singapore mainstream schools.

Leveraging the UDL framework (Rose & Meyer, 2016) on our lesson design, we investigate how play-based pedagogy can increase student engagement, accessibility, and understanding in literacy tasks. Our student-centered approach emphasizes flexible teaching, scaffolding, and creativity, supporting diverse learners and addressing the complexities of the 21st century (Smith & Jones, 2019).

Rooted in empirical education research, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience (Proyer et al., 2021), UDL advocates flexibility and inclusivity. Play-based learning, on the other hand, fosters learner engagement, joyful learning process and improves retention and understanding (Christison, 2005; Gartrell, 2004; Harste, 2010). This synergistic integration promotes sustained student engagement, potentially leading to enhanced literally success in language classrooms with diverse student needs.

This mixed-methods study employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection to provide comprehensive understanding of the intervention's impact. Pre- and post-assessments measured literacy improvements, whilst classroom observations captured engagement patterns and learning experiences. Results indicate significant improvements in both reading comprehension and sentence synthesis quality, with qualitative data revealing increased student motivation and participation.

Concrete strategies will be shared, including play-based reading comprehension activities and innovative approaches such as incorporating physical games and magic tricks in the lesson design. These methods demonstrate how play-based UDL reduces learning barriers and promotes literacy success across diverse learner profiles.

By harnessing play and UDL principles, educators can create more inclusive and effective literacy programmes that prepare students for 21st-century success whilst addressing the specific needs of low-progress learners in mainstream settings

This study examines a pedagogical experiment in Singapore Polytechnic’s Experience and Product Design diploma that reimagined the final-year capstone project as a laboratory for change rather than a showcase of polished solutions. The initiative explored how curriculum design can strengthen students’ ability to shape behaviours and mindsets. Positioning design not only as problem-solving but as an inquiry-led practice that uncovers friction, surfaces trade-offs, and reinterprets the systems that influence everyday life.

Structured using a logic model framework (input, output, outcome, and impact), more than 30 third-year students participated in a semester-long investigation into how design might influence human behaviour. Students applied behavioural science frameworks such as COM-B and Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) to analyse motivation and identify how everyday actions could be encouraged or disrupted. Instead of beginning with predefined problems, teams reframed their briefs around amplifying a desired change. They identified “Moments of Change” within areas such as sustainability habits, digital wellbeing, community interaction, and the growing influence of AI.

Students developed narrative-based interventions to explore how storytelling, emotion, and interaction might prompt reflection or shift perspectives. Data on the impact of these interventions was gathered through reflection journals, feedback walls, sticker voting, survey insights, quotes, and before–after reflections. These mechanisms were integrated into the exhibition so that data collection became part of the visitor experience.

Findings show a clear shift from output-driven solution-making toward a more outcome, process-focused approach grounded in behavioural insight. Students demonstrated stronger systems awareness, empathy, and the ability to justify decisions using evidence from their interventions. They also learned to work through tensions and differing viewpoints which is an essential competency when designing within real-world social contexts. The project broadened their understanding of design as a mean to influence change rather than simply produce artefacts.

This curriculum model offers a scalable approach for integrating behavioural design, reflective practice, and narrative experimentation into applied design education. It contributes to conversations on future-ready learning by showing how curriculum redesign can nurture learners capable of inquiry, influence, and transformative action.

Differentiated Instruction (DI) has been adopted by Singapore’s Ministry of Education to respond to the growing diversity in her classrooms brought about by the widening demographic variance in the Singapore society (i.e. increase in non-resident population, transnational and inter-ethnic marriages, and single parent households) (Department of Statistics, 2019). U.S. scholar Carol Tomlinson’s (2014) DI has been touted as the “leading model” due to its popularity, history and framing (Griful-Freixenet et al. 2020, p. 2), and her scholarship—premised on the pillars of philosophy, principles and practices—is the one most referred to by teachers in Singapore. However, given the differences between the U.S. and Singapore, the adoption of DI—with its attendant philosophies and principles, and not just its instructional practices and strategies—comes up against technological (structural), cultural, and political barriers (Heng, 2023).

Given that pedagogy cannot be applied in a vacuum apart from a country’s culture and history, this study examined how teachers in Singapore implement and interpret DI in their teaching practice. By understanding the localisation process and rationale, we sought to distill the unique East-meets-West, Singapore version of DI. Our qualitative study involved 11 public primary school teachers who have been implementing DI in Singapore for at least 3 years. They each completed one background questionnaire, three lesson observation cycles (which also include pre/post lesson observation interviews), one unit discussion interview, and three 60–90-minute interviews conducted at over the course of 1.5 years. Our findings unveiled that the hybridisation of DI within the local context reflects teacher agency and creativity in recontextualising educational ideas from abroad while still prioritising local considerations. We observed that in the implementation of DI, the learning environment often emphasises collective character building; quality curriculum is offered by leveraging and working within the constraints of the centralised curriculum; assessment to inform teaching and learning is constantly done informally, and is technologically enhanced; instruction tailored often leverages technology, while targeting general rather than individual interests and needs; and the students are led and routines are managed through establishment of seating plans and general routines that encourage peer support.

The School of Science and Technology, Singapore (SST) has refined its curriculum to strengthen interdisciplinary and applied learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics and Mathematics (STEAM) education. Performance Tasks (PTs), once largely monodisciplinary, have evolved to incorporate interdisciplinary elements situated in authentic contexts. This reflects ongoing efforts to enhance students’ 21st Century Competencies (21CC) through clearer alignment between learning outcomes, task design, and assessment, in response to educational shifts that emphasise interdisciplinary thinking, real-world problem-solving, and the integration of knowledge across domains.

A key aspect supporting this work is the Integrated Design Framework (IDF), developed by SST to support interdisciplinary applied learning. The framework combines design and engineering principles to provide teachers and students with a standard structure for planning, scaffolding, and executing design tasks. Its four stages—People, Prototype, Product Fit, and Presentation—provide a coherent process that guides students in understanding user needs, developing ideas, and refining solutions through iteration.

The Integrated Design Challenge (IDC) demonstrates how the IDF is enacted in interdisciplinary curriculum design. Within a shared interdisciplinary context, students from the applied subjects Electronics, Computing+, and Design Studies apply their subject knowledge to develop distinct yet interconnected outcomes that reflect the contributions of each discipline. These tasks provide an authentic context for students to apply STEAM while addressing problems with real-world relevance.

Assessment in the IDC includes both group and individual components. Group assessments focus on integration, communication, and demonstration of the prototype and design outcomes. Individual assessments examine the depth of subject understanding and usability considerations, and encourage students to articulate their process from ideation to completion. Reflection and peer evaluation are included to strengthen students’ metacognitive awareness and sense of ownership in the learning process.

Aligned with the MOE Science Curriculum Framework, particularly the practice of Relating Science, Technology, Society and the Environment (STSE), this curriculum work illustrates how purposeful task design and the use of a shared framework can strengthen coherence across subjects. It reflects SST’s commitment to applied and integrated learning, where interdisciplinary Performance Tasks progress beyond subject silos to support meaningful, authentic STEAM learning that prepares students to navigate complex real-world challenges.

Calls for education research impact increasingly foreground measurable outcomes, policy alignment, and efficiency in translating research into practice. Whilst this paradigm has produced technocratic gains, its underlying assumption, that impact is best conceived as demonstrable improvement, risks narrowing the telos of education to instrumental and economic ends. This paper argues that such a conception, when left unexamined, reduces human flourishing to productive capability and obscures education’s intrinsic ethical and developmental purposes.

Drawing on Aristotelian-Thomistic virtue ethics and Finnisian Natural Law Theory, this paper proposes a philosophical reframing of ‘impact’ grounded in the cultivation of phronesis and participation in the basic goods. Education, on this account, is not merely preparation for labour markets or skills pipelines, but a foundational practice for developing moral agency, practical judgement, and the capacity to pursue a life oriented towards truth, community, and eudaimonia.

The paper critiques the dominant policy discourse that prioritises efficiency, compliance, and outcome-based accountability systems, showing how these can create apparent goods, that is, metrics that stand in for, but ultimately eclipse, deeper educational aims. It introduces the concept of phronetic impact, defined as educational transformation measured not by instrumental productivity, but by its contribution to holistic human development, deliberative reasoning, ethical action, and civic participation.

Practical implications are explored through preliminary examples from teacher education and dialogic pedagogy, illustrating how virtue-centred frameworks can inform curriculum design, reflective practice, and school culture. In foregrounding ethical formation and intrinsic goods, this paper contributes a conceptual foundation for rethinking impact in ways that honour the dignity of learners and educators, and support education systems committed to cultivating wisdom rather than merely delivering outcomes.

In this paper, we map and critique the technical form of Singapore’s official curriculum documents at a time when competency-based guidelines for developing socio-emotional and 21st century competencies co-exist with subject-based syllabuses for examinable and non-examinable school subjects. We apply Allan Luke, Annette Woods and Katie Weir’s (2013) model for syllabus design to diagnose why Singapore’s abundant provision of curriculum guideline documents coincides with a culture of non-reading or limited reading of system-level documents. The confluence of detailed curriculum guidelines with increased number of documents and heightened demands for holistic education amid rigor in subject-based education makes the task of reading Singapore’s total curriculum difficult. We view the task of reading in terms of interpreting the words (signs) and the world/s signified by the official curriculum documents, guided by the purpose of translating curriculum intentions into educative encounters for diverse students in the world of one’s classroom/school. Informed by Gert Biesta’s (2022) World-Centred Education, we draw on our work with teachers and teacher leaders to present key aspects in how we create space for reading the wor(l)ds in official curriculum documents. We create space by: (i) provoking discussions on whether the educative potential of a syllabus or system-level curriculum document can exist at the classroom level if it remains unread, (ii) drawing attention to the inner work of changing the readability of documents by changing oneself, and (iii) offering intermediary texts or prompts that interpret and translate official curriculum visions into generic task structures for teachers to explore possibilities in what holistic/purposeful learning experiences might look like in their teaching of examinable school subjects. We hope to enliven our sense of need for active engagement with the authority of official curriculum documents, so that these documents do not merely exist in the worlds of those who wrote them. Every teacher needs to do our part in re/co-authoring the living forms of intended curricula because our classroom/school is the micro-cosmos (little world) where we call on students to participate in becoming a better self through interacting with others and the bigger world/s beyond oneself.

Blending Mathematics with English Language instruction can strengthen conceptual mathematical understanding and language competence, fostering deeper engagement and equitable participation across profiles (Educ. Sci., 2025), while promoting higher-order thinking and problem-solving (J. Intell, 2020).

Orchid Park Secondary School piloted a multidisciplinary approach to meet objectives above and cultivate emerging 21st century competencies - such as collaboration, communication and critical thinking - that are proven to be fostered if a mathematics curriculum is integrated well with language learning (Sarama, 2012).

Guided by Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of language-mediated cognition and disciplinary literacy (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008), English Language tasks supported students in articulating, justifying and evaluating mathematical ideas through purposeful speaking and writing. Aligning with the MOE English Language Curriculum, students developed their ability to listen, speak, read, write, view and represent ideas clearly and coherently for different purposes and audiences, particularly within authentic, data-driven contexts.

With the MOE Mathematics Curriculum’s emphasis on problems in real-world contexts, the theme of social media was weaved into our Mathematics curricula. Students were guided to use linear and quadratic models to predict statistical trends in social media. This allowed for an authentic application of math, while providing a transition for the theme to be covered in English Language lessons.

Alternative assessments were designed for students to interpret quantitative information and present insights using suitable language outputs. These included personal recounts with a financial lens, reflective and persuasive responses on social-media influence, and spoken and written explanations of math modelling choices, enabling students to apply narrative, expository and argumentative writing skills. The strand employed genre-based instruction (Derewianka & Jones, 2016), scaffolded academic talk and metacognitive routines to support students in moving from everyday language to subject-specific discourse.

Group debates were also conducted to allow students to collaboratively reason out different perspectives of various mathematical ideas. This encouraged logical development of lines of reasoning, critical thinking about both sides of an argument, leading to structured debate in multiple mathematical topics, deepening appreciation of the subject.

This presentation reports on the methodology employed, learning activities crafted, and findings that suggest positive gains in student engagement, clarity of expression and disciplinary understanding.

Aims:
This study explores how the integration of Lego brick construction and iconic (block-based) coding enhances confidence, perseverance, and collaborative discipline among weaker learners. The initiative aimed to transform passive, hesitant students into confident, self-directed problem-solvers through hands-on, structured play that links creativity with computational thinking.
Methodology:
Ten lower-performing students participated in a six-week intervention combining Lego mechanical building and simple coding using block-based software. Learning activities were scaffolded into three stages — See It (Building Phase), Code It (Programming Phase), and Own It (Reflection Phase) — aligning with Bloom’s Taxonomy and growth-mindset principles.
A Pre-Test and Post-Test Confidence Scale (10 indicators, 5-point Likert) was administered to measure growth across three domains:
Learning Task Confidence
Perseverance & Problem-Solving
Social Confidence & Collaboration
Qualitative reflections were also gathered to capture behavioural and affective changes.
Findings:
The Overall Confidence Index improved from 2.5 to 4.1 (+64%), demonstrating significant growth in self-belief and persistence.
Learning Task Confidence increased by +1.7 points (70.8%) as learners saw tangible success through functional designs.
Perseverance & Problem-Solving improved by +1.6 points (69.6%), as students learned to debug and rebuild without frustration.
Social Confidence & Collaboration rose by +1.5 points (53.6%), as learners became active contributors in teams.
Qualitative responses reinforced quantitative gains — learners reported “feeling proud,” “fixing mistakes calmly,” and “taking turns coding sensors.” Observations indicated stronger patience (sabr), responsibility (amanah), and striving for excellence (itqan).
Conclusion:
The integration of Lego construction and iconic coding serves as an effective pedagogical approach to empower weaker learners, fostering both confidence and disciplined learning habits. The study demonstrates that play-based STEM activities—when structured and values-driven—can transform classroom engagement, strengthen self-efficacy, and nurture 21st-century learners grounded in moral discipline and collaboration.

Early mathematical competence (MC) forms a foundational pillar for children’s long-term academic trajectories, socio-emotional development, and later economic mobility. However, systemic inequities disproportionately constrain opportunities for children from lower socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, contributing to persistent disparities in early numeracy development. Addressing these challenges requires innovative educational approaches alongside deeper investigation into the mechanisms that underpin early numeracy learning.
Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) has gained increasing recognition for its potential to promote children’s engagement, conceptual understanding, and equitable access to high-quality learning experiences. Grounded in the principles of PLL, this paper presents a Multi-Level Playful Learning Architecture (MLPLA) to systematically translate research evidence into scalable math-centric playful learning environments for preschoolers.
This framework conceptualizes outdoor playgrounds as intentionally designed learning environment that links theoretical mathematical cognition, curriculum-aligned playground activities and research-informed design building blocks to targeted learning processes. At the pedagogical level, playground activities are mapped onto two complementary modes of mathematical cognition: intuitive and formal mathematics. At the design level, installations incorporate multisensory interactive building blocks derived from research in neuroscience, developmental psychology and education. These design elements are intentionally configured to support mathematical sense making while simultaneously engaging executive functions and socio-emotional processes through goal-directed activities, collaborative problem solving, and turn taking. At the final layer, cognitive models of early mathematical development provide empirically grounded pathways for evaluating how design affordances align with intended learning mechanisms.
By articulating mathematical theory, cognitive processes, and design affordances are systematically aligned across layers, this framework offers a transferable approach of playful learning in mathematics education with tangible impact through democratizing access to specialized numeracy support. MLPLA provides the foundation for future empirical evaluation and supports scalable implementation of research-based playful learning interventions across diverse educational contexts.

Risky play (RP) is seen as an exhilarating and joyful experience and it is favoured highly by children. However, boundaries are often set by their caregivers in consideration of the children's safety and well-being. This study aims to ascertain preschool educators' perception on risky play for young children in Singapore.Data were collected through conducting a semi-structured, online interview with thirteen in-service preschool educators. The responses were collected and analysed through thematic analysis. The themes which emerged include educators' perceptions, understanding, and challenges faced when implementing RP in their preschools. The findings of this study revealed that while educators shared that there are barriers to promote RP, they also shared that RP is gradually gaining traction.
However, authentic RP has yet to be accepted and implemented widely in Singapore. Hence, this study will help open conversations and increase understanding about RP play in Singapore.

AIMS
The aim of the ‘In the Footsteps of Fonzu l-Fenek’ pilot project was to use a popular children’s mascot to design and evaluate an intervention with the goal of enhancing 5-6-year olds’ food literacy, and encouraging consumption of healthier foods.

METHODOLOGY
Teachers of Year 1 classes in one Maltese primary school were invited to co-create a cross-curricular food literacy project utilising the freely available Fonzu educational resources. After attending a 2-hour professional development workshop, the teachers developed a project where 4 food-centred themes were chosen to be implemented with the children during the scholastic year. Each theme involved a Fonzu story, a related offsite visit and a food preparation session which Fonzu also participated in. The project commenced and concluded with an edutainment event featuring Fonzu, and children were also given a Certificate of Participation. The children’s main eating habits were recorded before the first, and after the last, project session using a pictorial tool. An online parent evaluation was also conducted.

FINDINGS
A total 32 girls and 34 boys participated in the pre- and post-intervention test and their aggregated responses were compared based on different foods and drinks consumed. There was an increase in consumption in project-targeted healthier foods from all food groups (e.g. cereal + 5%; carrots + 19%; grapes + 7%; fish + 19%; ricotta + 11%; water + 16%); though there was also a decrease in a few healthier foods (e.g. wholemeal bread -21%; yoghurt -3%). Similarly, there was a decrease in consumption of some targeted less healthy foods (e.g. softdrinks -6%), but also an increase in some less healthy foods (e.g. luncheonmeat + 12%)

Out of the 26 parent survey participants, 69% were aware that Fonzu stories had been used for teaching and learning at school, 81% knew that the children had been on an outing related to a Fonzu story, 100% said their children mentioned cooking a healthy recipe at school, and 50% indicated that their children had started eating new foods, mentioning mainly vegetables and dairy products.

This pilot project will be refined and rolled out in further primary schools, building in a more robust evaluation.

The early childhood sector in Singapore continues to grapple with persistent challenges in recruitment and retention. While research has highlighted pedagogical differences and complementary strengths between male and female educators in teaching young children, male early childhood educators remain significantly underrepresented. Existing studies have largely concentrated on why male educators exit the profession, offering limited insights into the pedagogical practices and commitment of those who remain. This gap constrains how the sector understands sustainable pedagogical participation in early childhood education. Responding to this gap, this qualitative cross-case study examines how three experienced male early childhood educators navigated early childhood teaching within a predominantly feminised preschool context. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, the study foregrounds pedagogy as a lived practice - shaped by identity, relational dynamics, and societal expectations. Findings identified a pedagogically grounded 6R framework: Reinventing responses, Reframing mindset, Rebalancing relationships, Reconciling identities, Remaking masculinities, and Rethinking policies that influence classroom practices. These strategies illustrate how male educators actively negotiate individual and collective agencies rather than adapting to gender-based challenges. Strengthening pedagogical sustainability through a gender-diverse workforce not only supports retention but also enriches learning environments for young children. The study therefore offers implications for pedagogy-focused professional development and informs policymakers on developing supportive practices within the Code of Practice to retain dedicated male educators and attract aspiring men to the early childhood profession.

Intergenerational practice has gained traction globally and much literature has reported on the meaningful outcomes fostered through intergenerational programmes for participants, such as young children and older adults who participated in intergenerational programmes. Though there is increasing interest and uptake of intergenerational programmes, there is a need to further understand the current landscape of local intergenerational programmes to promote further development and impact of intergenerational practice.
This paper aims to present on the preliminary findings from a pilot study that explored the perspectives of stakeholders who will be involved in the co-design and implementation of an inclusive intergenerational training programme. Grounded theory was used to analyse the key themes. The presentation will highlight a preliminary analysis of stakeholders’ perspectives, including the enablers and barriers to intergenerational programming and the learning points gained from the pilot study. Additionally, the shared principles of intergenerational practice and inclusive education, the role of intergenerational practice on early childhood education as well as how intergenerational programmes can cater to the diverse needs of participants, including children and older adults for a more inclusive society, will be shared.

Introduction: Rapid technological and labour-market shifts demand adaptable, career-ready graduates. Understanding how students’ mindsets toward learning and work are shaped by institutional environments and career guidance systems is vital for fostering sustainable career readiness. Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), which emphasizes the role of self-efficacy and outcome expectations in shaping career goals and decisions, our work explores how institutional career guidance and early socialization experiences influence the formation of students’ career mindsets with the following research question: How are young adults’ career mindsets and learning orientations shaped by their engagement with in-school career development opportunities' Methodology: Twenty-eight students from a polytechnic in Singapore were interviewed about their engagement with Education and Career Guidance (ECG) resources, which integrate profiling tools, reflective exercises, and industry engagement opportunities. Through in-depth interviews with individual students, we examined how students interpret the provisions of ECG activities, linking institutional provisions with the formation of career agency and adaptability. Interviewes were transcribed and thematic analysis was conducted. Findings: The attendance and perception patterns suggest that students’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations are differentially shaped across the various dimensions of career readiness. Activities focused on self-understanding received relatively high participation rates from students with more than half of the participants expressing positive perceptions of the activities. Modules from the dimension of readiness and transition skills equipping students with digital/personal communication skills such as LinkedIn profile development, networking role-plays were associated with high positive perceptions, indicating students’ preference for concrete career readiness experiences and immediate feedback for supporting their career development. In contrast, developmental modules related to career planning and goal setting were perceived as lacking in near-term usefulness. Conclusion: Career development programmes can foster adaptive learning mindsets when they are thoughtfully sequenced, reflective, and responsive to students’ lived experiences. Rather than discrete interventions, guidance should be integrated across the educational journey through collaboration among educators, coaches, and curriculum planners.

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes widely accessible, schools face a pressing need to cultivate a responsible “AI use culture” that supports learning while protecting academic integrity, critical thinking, and digital wellbeing. Many students already use GenAI tools for writing support, translation, summarising, and problem solving, yet school guidance is often inconsistent and rarely grounded in measurable indicators that can be implemented at classroom level.

This study investigates AI use culture among school students in Tashkent and identifies practical levers for responsible GenAI use. The study addresses three questions: (1) What are students’ patterns of GenAI use across grades and subjects (purposes, frequency, and contexts)? (2) How does AI use culture relate to integrity-oriented learning behaviours and learning quality? AI use culture is operationalised through four dimensions: (a) integrity and attribution (disclosure of AI assistance, avoidance of plagiarism), (b) verification and accuracy (fact-checking and source evaluation), (c) critical thinking and reflection (use of GenAI to support reasoning rather than replace it), and (d) safety and etiquette (privacy, respectful use, and risk awareness). (3) Which school-level supports—clear guidance, teacher modelling, assessment design, and parent communication—strengthen responsible use and reduce risky behaviours'

A sequential mixed-methods design will be used. Phase 1 surveys approximately 600 students across mixed grade levels in Tashkent schools, measuring GenAI use patterns, the four AI use culture dimensions, academic integrity attitudes, digital citizenship, and self-reported learning practices. Analyses will identify usage profiles and test hypothesised relationships between AI use culture and integrity-oriented learning behaviours, with school supports modelled as moderators. Phase 2 conducts student focus groups and teacher/school leader interviews to clarify contextual drivers (assessment pressure, language support needs, peer norms, access, and parental mediation) and validate implementation pathways.

The study outputs include a measurable AI Use Culture Framework for schools and a practice-ready toolkit: student guidance, teacher routines for verification and attribution, assessment and rubric adjustments that reward reasoning and process evidence, and a parent communication brief. By translating research into implementable school practices, the study aims to improve learning quality while reducing GenAI misuse in GenAI-enabled classrooms.

Schools are perceived as playing a key role in promoting social-emotional well-being of students. Social-emotional well-being relates to social-emotional learning (SEL) which guides the students to act in the interest of self and others’ well-being. SEL is important as it inculcates the child into a socially responsible person who is able to manage and control his/her emotions as well as to act in a responsible manner that takes others into consideration when making decisions. Besides social-emotional well-being, motivation is also an important factor in supporting our students’ growth and development. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a macro human motivation theory that has been widely used in education research. SDT relates to the three basic psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Based on SDT, there is limited research in investigating the three basic psychological needs and social-emotional well-being. The purpose of this study is to examine how the basic psychological needs, motivational regulations and SEL constructs interact and influence one another other. The four types of motivational regulations are external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and integrated regulation. The four social-emotional outcomes are anxiety, stress, self-efficacy and resilience. It aimed to identify the relationships between SDT variables and social-emotional outcomes among primary school students. The results showed significant correlations between the SDT variables and social-emotional outcomes. Furthermore, the three basic psychological needs in SDT accounted for enough variations in social-emotional outcomes to be a significant predictor; suggesting that the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs could influence the social-emotional outcomes. This study contributes to the understanding of how types of motivational regulations could influence the social-emotional outcomes of students. Current findings extended the current SDT research and literature. Limitations of the study were included. Finally, practical implications for educators and education policy makers to consider were discussed.

Aims：Teacher quality is influenced not only through formal coursework but through how pre-service teachers are socialised into the norms, standards, and interactional routines of school-based practice. Drawing on communities of practice (CoP) and legitimate peripheral participation, this study conceptualises teaching practicum as a social participation process in which practicum mentors do more than provide feedback: through everyday interactions they transmit what counts as “good teaching”, the professional language used to interpret classroom events, emotion rules for coping with uncertainty, and participation boundaries that define legitimacy. We examine how such mentor socialisation practices shape pre-service teachers’ emerging professional identity, self-efficacy, and observable dimensions of teacher quality.

Methods: The study analysed audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews with approximately 60 participants involved in school practicum, including pre-service teachers and practicum mentors in middle school in China. Interviews focused on critical incidents, mentoring interactions, role expectations, and subsequent instructional actions. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed an empirically grounded coding framework for mentor socialisation practices. A dialogic lens on positioning was applied to trace how legitimacy, voice, responsibility, and decision rights were constructed in participants’ accounts of mentoring.

Findings: Five recurring mentor socialisation practices were identified: (1) standard-setting (defining valued outcomes and “good teaching”), (2) language-shaping (providing labels and interpretive frames for student learning and classroom events), (3) emotion-regulating (normalising, containing, or delegitimising emotions in practicum work), (4) boundarying and positioning (allocating voice, responsibility, and autonomy), and (5) modeling and guided participation (showing, co-doing, and gradually releasing responsibility). These practices produced contrasting participation trajectories. When mentors positioned pre-service teachers as legitimate sense-makers, participants reported stronger self-efficacy, more agentic planning, and more principled instructional decision-making. When mentors positioned them as temporary “helpers” or mere implementers, learning tended to narrow to compliance and risk-avoidance, constraining identity development.

Implications: The study offers a CoP-informed model of practicum mentoring that specifies actionable socialisation practices linked to pre-service teachers’ identity, efficacy, and teacher-quality-related learning outcomes. The resulting framework can inform mentor preparation and school–university partnership routines aimed at strengthening teacher quality through supportive participation.

For the students to be engaged and motivated to learn, teachers should plan to address learners’ different needs, rather than planning one lesson for everyone and adjusting it when it does not work for some students (Mitchell & Hobson, 2005). According to Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010), no improvement will take place if the student is presented with materials/tasks at or below his/her knowledge level; likewise, when it is far above, the student will be discouraged. When students are interested in what is being taught, intrinsic motivation is activated (Vansteenkiste, Lens, & Deci, 2006). As such, an effective differentiation must be proactively planned to be able to motivate diverse students’ learning. This study focuses on how differentiated instruction in the Music classroom can engage and motivate students to achieve the learning goals. The study was carried out using an action research spiral of ‘Plan-Action-Observe-Reflect’ (Lewin, 1946); a qualitative research and multiple case-study approach involving teachers from three primary and one secondary school. It involved professional learning and mentoring sessions with a Master Teacher, trialing the differentiation strategies and generative discussions. The teachers had addressed the students' diverse needs with various differentiation strategies. These included a tiering approach based on students' readiness levels, differentiating according to students' interest and learning profiles, use of Learning Menus, and Learning stations/centres. This approach had empowered the students through choice (with adherence to the learning goals), learned at their own pace/readiness/interest and enabling them to experience challenges that constitute meaningful learning. From the descriptive analyses of the data (lesson observations, reflections and interviews), it was observed that a positive learning feedback loop occurred in which differentiation supports the students to achieve the learning goals, which improves student self-efficacy, and in turn student motivation. With success and improved self-efficacy, it helped to sustain motivation. With an increase in motivation, students wanted to be further engaged with materials/tasks of higher level of cognitive complexity, leading them to experience improved achievement. In short, differentiated instruction provides an achievable way for teachers to teach such that it reaches each student, engaging and motivating them in their learning.

Healthy social and emotional functioning in childhood sets the stage for the development of resilience and well-being later in life. However, recent research indicates an increasing number of children worldwide experience heightened stress, and Singapore is no exception. Research also shows that mental health challenges are emerging earlier in the life course. Thus, it is critical that children be supported to develop skills and protective factors that can prepare them to face current and future challenges. Against this backdrop, we framed our study with the overarching goal of fostering resilience and wellbeing among children. In particular, our study aimed to provide baseline information on the resilience and well-being of children in Singapore. Secondly, we also aimed to examine the effects of a socio-cognitive intervention aiming to improve social resilience and wellness of primary school children. The intervention provides structured activities that are intended (1) to help children in developing social skills, (2) provide opportunities for the initiation and development of social relationships with peers, and (3) reduce negative perceptions of social situations. The intervention study adopts a quasi-experimental design, with one class being the experimental group who will undergo the intervention, and another class which will be the control group. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of deliberately designed social activities in cultivating children’s capacity to adapt positively to everyday stressors—particularly social stressors—and in enhancing their overall functioning.

Background: This practice-based study addresses persistent systemic challenges in writing assessment within technical education: including inconsistent manual grading, assessor fatigue, delayed feedback, and low student engagement. The Write eRubrics initiative was spearheaded and designed to translate assessment research into tangible classroom impact by integrating a customized, AI-enhanced digital rubric system directly into the institutional LMS (MyConnexion). It aims to standardize evaluation, provide immediate formative feedback, and fundamentally improve assessment literacy and learning outcomes for students.

Methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study was conducted within a writing module in a large cohort (n=386). Initial surveys and focus group discussions with five lecturers diagnostically mapped the inefficiencies of the manual grading process, feedback practices and student engagement. Write eRubrics was then deployed, strategically combining Turnitin feedback, digital assessment tools and online grading rubrics within the LMS workflow. This design facilitated real-time, criterion-based feedback and transparent assessments. Post-intervention data on grading time and assessment related costs were collected and analysed.

Results: The implementation yielded transformative outcomes for educators and learners. Grading time was reduced by 50–70%, with 40% cost savings on assessment resources. Comparative cohort quantitative analysis demonstrated direct impact on learner success: the cohort using Write eRubrics (n=386) achieved a 25.4% ‘A’ grade rate, a significant increase from the baseline cohort's 19.55% (n=360), while the overall passing rate rose from 88% to 94%. Qualitative analysis revealed that lecturers provided more timely and structured feedback, and students reported stronger engagement and clearer feedback pathways for improvement.

Conclusion: Embedding structured, AI-supported rubrics into an LMS standardizes assessment, reduces workload and improves learner outcomes. Write eRubrics provides educators with a scalable tool for efficient, high-impact formative assessment in technical education. Wider adoption, multi-cohort replication, and longitudinal research are recommended to further examine its sustainability, transferability across disciplines, and long-term impact on pedagogical practice and student achievement.

Keywords: eRubrics; formative assessment; writing pedagogy; digital transformation; Learning Management System (LMS); assessment for learning; teacher workload

This study investigates the transformative impact of Personal Learning Devices (PLDs) on Junior College (JC) students’ learning habits, attitudes, behaviours, and competencies, comparing their experiences in secondary school and JC. It explores the positive and negative effects of PLDs, their role in academic and collaborative learning, and students’ vision for future digital integration.
Focus group discussions were conducted with JC Year 1 students in two Junior Colleges who had used PLDs since secondary school. 33 participants shared their experiences, highlighting changes in their learning practices, digital literacy, and the challenges faced. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key trends and insights. Findings were triangulated across sources, and verified through peer debriefing, member checking, and reflexive journaling. AI-assisted analysis provided additional cross-checks.
The study revealed significant shifts in students’ use of PLDs from secondary school to JC. In secondary school, PLDs were primarily used for guided and scaffolded learning. In JC, students adopted PLDs as essential tools for self-directed learning, accessing lecture recordings, note-taking, and research. Students demonstrated increased digital literacy, mastering tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, and Padlet for collaborative and independent work. While PLDs enhanced accessibility, organisation, and convenience, challenges such as distractions and over-reliance were noted. Students expressed a desire for smarter integration of PLDs, envisioning interactive, customisable platforms to support self-paced learning.
This study underscores the evolving role of PLDs in shaping students’ academic experiences and digital competencies. It highlights the need for balanced integration of technology in education, addressing both its potential and pitfalls. The findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers to optimise PLD use, fostering a future-ready learning environment that supports both academic excellence and holistic development.

Thailand’s educational reform toward inclusive education and equitable learning aims to realize Education for All (EFA). Despite these efforts, significant challenges remain in educational quality, teacher preparedness, and student learning outcomes, particularly for students with special educational needs (SEN). Many early elementary students experience reading difficulties and low academic achievement, increasing their risk of long-term learning failure and school disengagement. Research indicates that foundational reading skills develop most rapidly during the first two to three years of schooling; without timely support, early literacy gaps are likely to widen in later grades. These challenges highlight the need for early identification and structured academic intervention in inclusive classrooms.

This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of an Academic Intervention Program for early primary students at risk of reading difficulties. The program was grounded in evidence-based practices and integrated four key components: 1) data-Based Individualization, 2) multisensory instructional approaches, 3) direct instruction, and 4) active engagement strategies. A risk assessment tool was incorporated to support early identification and guide individualized instructional planning.

Participants were five Grade 2 students from an inclusive primary school in Bangkok, selected through purposive sampling based on predefined reading-risk indicators. The intervention was implemented over 20 weeks, with two sessions per week lasting 45–60 minutes, and was delivered by trained special education specialists and supervised pre-service teachers. Students’ reading performance—including accuracy and fluency—was monitored throughout the intervention, along with observations of learning behaviors and academic engagement.

Using Single case design research, results showed that all participating students demonstrated improvements in reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Positive changes in learning behaviors were also observed, including increased attention, persistence, confidence, and sustained engagement in reading tasks. These findings suggest that the Academic Intervention Program effectively strengthened both literacy skills and learning-related behaviors among students at risk of reading difficulties.

This study highlights the importance of early, evidence-based academic intervention in inclusive education settings and offers a practical model that can be adapted by classroom teachers to support diverse learners and reduce long-term academic risk.

This study presents an innovative dual-method pedagogical approach designed for Chinese Language teachers working with Primary 3 and 4 students. By integrating teacher-produced video-stimulus materials with the SEO-ABC strategy (S: State your answer; E: Experience; O: Opinion; A: Agree or not; B: Because; C: Compliment/Correction/Conclusion), the study establishes a comprehensive framework for developing students’ oral communication skills.

The approach addresses two essential dimensions of language learning: contextual understanding and structured expression. Teachers transform static oral conversation pictures into dynamic, authentic learning experiences by reenacting the scenarios and recording them as videos. These videos provide rich language input, accurate pronunciation models, and visual cues that support comprehension. Research has shown that such technology-enabled resources enhance learner motivation, promote inquiry-based learning, and strengthen peer interactions (Schofield, 1995). Beyond motivational gains, video-stimulus materials reengage learners meaningfully in the learning process and contribute to improved academic outcomes (Rao, Dowrick & Yuen, 2009).

Complementing the videos, the SEO-ABC strategy offers a systematic scaffold that guides students in organising ideas and articulating coherent, extended responses. The structure supports learners in expressing viewpoints, building on personal experiences, and justifying opinions. As highlighted by Cotterall and Cohen (2003) and Hammond (2002), such scaffolding techniques are vital in enabling students to meet learning goals while sustaining motivation and confidence.

Leveraging the Student Learning Space (SLS) platform, teachers designed a suite of developmentally appropriate oral tasks to address students’ varied needs. These activities targeted multiple aspects of oral communication such as idea organisation, language accuracy, fluency, and confidence, while reinforcing students' ability to apply the SEO-ABC structure effectively.

This presentation will illustrate practical classroom strategies for implementing both video-stimulus materials and the SEO-ABC technique in an integrated manner. Participants will gain hands-on insights into designing engaging Chinese Language lessons that strengthen students’ oral proficiency, deepen contextual understanding, and support the delivery of detailed and engaging oral presentations.

This presentation will be conducted in Chinese Language.

Metacognition, defined as the ability to “think about thinking” (Flavell, 1979), is widely recognized as essential for effective learning. It comprises two components: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation (Brown, 1978; Schraw & Moshman, 1995; Schraw et al., 2006). Metacognitive regulation refers to learners’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning processes. Reflection is considered a central mechanism for activating these processes and promoting deeper learning (Tanner, 2012). Despite its importance, classroom practices often lack structured opportunities for reflection that actively support metacognitive regulation.

This study investigates how a student-centered, inquiry-based approach—augmented with embedded reflection questions and prompts at each step—can help students become more self-aware and gradually more in control of their learning in language learning contexts. The research was conducted in two upper primary and one lower secondary Chinese language classrooms, where lessons were intentionally designed to encourage students to monitor their thinking, evaluate strategies, and make informed decisions about their learning. Data were collected through lesson observations, analysis of students’ responses, and semi-structured interviews.

Findings indicate that reflection questions and prompts served as effective scaffolds, enabling students to articulate thought processes, set goals, and adjust strategies to meet learning objectives. Teachers also reported increased engagement and more thoughtful classroom discussions, suggesting that reflection questions and prompts encouraged students to pause, assess, and refine their approaches.

This study demonstrates that with intentional design, students can develop stronger metacognitive regulation and take greater responsibility for their learning. The findings offer practical insights for educators seeking to design language lessons that not only build linguistic proficiency but also cultivate essential learning-to-learn competencies.

Note: The presentation of this study will be conducted in Mandarin.

Background. Shared book reading is an important home activity for maintaining bilingual children’s mother tongue language (MTL) when a dominant societal language prevails. In Singapore, MTL shared reading (Chinese, Malay, Tamil) is positively associated with bilingual children’s language outcomes, yet frequency remains low. Understanding how parents conceptualize Mandarin reading—its value, effort, and responsibility—may help explain persistent low-frequency practices.
Aims. This study used Q-methodology to map belief profiles among parents who engage in low-frequency Mandarin shared reading (0–2 days/week). We asked: (RQ1) Within each subgroup (0, 1, 2 days/week), what distinct parental viewpoint profiles emerge? (RQ2) How do viewpoint diversity and content differ across subgroups'
Methods. 61 parents completed a Q-sort of statements about home reading (e.g., enjoyment, responsibility, barriers, child engagement, bilingual value, and digital resources), followed by brief post-sort interviews. By-person factor analysis identified clusters of shared viewpoints within each frequency subgroup.
Results. In the 0-day subgroup, two factors emerged. Factor 1 (Pro-reading optimists) reflected strong intrinsic value and relational motivations, high endorsement of bilingual reading and parental responsibility, and generally open attitudes toward eBooks. Factor 2 (Challenged instrumentalists) also endorsed parental responsibility and bilingual value, but framed reading more instrumentally and reported greater practical/interactional difficulty (e.g., limited time/energy, sustaining attention), alongside stronger preference for print and more ambivalence toward eBooks. In the 1-day subgroup, Factor 1 (Intrinsic enjoyment with routine) showed strong home reading routines and positive experiences, with relatively neutral views on digital resources. Factor 2 (Pragmatic, child-led; eBooks as a solution) emphasized educational purposes, child-driven book choice, and more favorable views of eBook narration as support amid time/energy constraints and lower Chinese-reading self-efficacy. In the 2-day subgroup, a one-factor solution indicated high consensus: Mandarin reading was valued as bonding and routine, bilingualism was strongly endorsed, and “school-only” views were rejected—despite reading occurring only twice weekly.
Conclusions. Low-frequency Mandarin reading is not always explained by low valuation of MTL literacy. Instead, distinct belief systems suggest different leverage points: supporting routine-building for “optimists,” reducing practical and interactional barriers for “challenged instrumentalists,” and tailoring digital supports for parents who view eBooks as scaffolding.

Background: Although much is known about bilingual language, less is known about bilingual language weaknesses, and even lesser known about how to reliably measure them. This presentation will share preliminary findings from Singapore’s first app to screen for language weaknesses in English and Mandarin.
Aims: To present (1) a demonstration of English and Mandarin apps and (2) results of reliability, validity and item difficulties
Methodology: The apps were administered to 312 preschoolers in Singapore. Quantitative analyses were run to provide estimates of reliability, internal and concurrent validity.
Findings: Quantitative analysis indicate these language measures to be reliable and valid. Cronbach alphas for all 8 measures were >.70, in the acceptable to fairly high range. Language measures showed expected pre-registered associations with language exposure, age and sex. Wright maps of item difficulties show that these apps are sensitive to measuring language in the weaknesses range.
Discussion: The stage is now set for exploitation of these apps in two directions. Namely, for further refinement for real world use in preschools, or for use in a follow-up study on how those with weak language can be more efficiently supported to advance Singapore’s human potential.

This study examines how short oral reasoning tasks, supported by Artificial Intelligence tools, can help upper secondary students improve their argumentative writing in Chinese Language lessons. The project is built on a simple idea: when students can explain their thoughts clearly in speech, they are better able to organise and express those ideas in writing. To support this process, we designed a “Speak, Review, Write × AI Collaboration” learning cycle.
The approach includes three main stages. First, students took part in brief oral rehearsal tasks to practise stating opinions, giving reasons and forming simple PEEL structures. Second, students worked on Padlet to compare examples, share peer comments and co-construct outlines. At this stage, an AI chatbot was also used to provide oral practice and simple feedback on clarity and relevance. The chatbot allowed students to test, refine and reorganise their spoken ideas before writing, and helped teachers observe the development of students’ reasoning more systematically. Third, AI feedback, combined with teacher guidance, supported students in identifying gaps in explanation and preparing for writing.
Findings show that many students produced clearer paragraph structures and more consistent reasoning after going through the cycle. They also became more confident in expressing their views orally and in writing. The use of digital platforms supported teachers in monitoring progress and offering timely guidance. However, several challenges were noted. Some students were unsure how to interpret or apply the chatbot’s feedback. Others struggled to transfer oral-thinking strategies to new writing tasks. Technical issues such as unstable speech recognition or overly long AI responses also affected the learning experience.
As the project progresses, we will continue to explore how to strengthen the connection between oral reasoning and written structure, and how to make feedback clearer and more usable for students. We also hope to observe how students apply these strategies to different argumentative tasks and to understand what further scaffolds may support diverse learners.
Overall, this study aims to develop a practical and teacher-guided learning cycle that combines oral practice, peer review and AI feedback to support students in writing clearer and more coherent argumentative paragraphs.

English-medium instruction (EMI) has expanded rapidly in higher education, yet its pedagogical foundations remain insufficiently theorised. While EMI is commonly defined in relation to non-Anglophone national contexts, the present study argues that EMI may also be understood as a cross-linguistic pedagogical practice shaped by the linguistic positioning of both lecturers and students. On this basis, this study adopts an exploratory qualitative design to investigate how EMI lecturers conceptualise and develop their teaching in multilingual classroom contexts. The research focuses on three UK university lecturers whose first language is not English. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations, with analysis focused on how these lecturers construct their pedagogical beliefs, develop their instructional approaches, and respond to students’ diverse linguistic and cultural learning needs.

Rather than treating EMI pedagogy as a set of predefined techniques, the study approaches pedagogy as a form of pedagogical reasoning grounded in teachers’ values, experiences, and contextual negotiations. Particular attention is paid to how lecturers make instructional choices as they navigate disciplinary expectations alongside learner variability. The findings indicate that the three lecturers did not perceive EMI teaching as the simple delivery of disciplinary content in English. Instead, they described their pedagogy as an ongoing process of negotiation between academic expectations, language accessibility, and student participation. Their teaching approaches were characterised by sensitivity to learner variability, deliberate adjustments to task design and interactional structures, and an emphasis on creating inclusive learning opportunities without compromising academic standards.

Preliminary engagement with the data suggests that the lecturers’ pedagogical thinking demonstrates conceptual affinities with principles commonly associated with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), especially in relation to accessibility, flexibility, and learner engagement. Without positioning UDL as a prescriptive EMI model, the study considers such affinities as a possible reference point for theorising EMI pedagogy as an emergent and context-sensitive orientation. By situating EMI within a linguistically diverse UK university context, this study seeks to broaden prevailing conceptions of EMI and to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how pedagogy is constructed in multilingual higher education classrooms.

This paper illustrates how social activists working in community education projects install sustainable social change within underserved communities. We highlight the presence of community leaders positioned within North American West Coast cities such as San Francisco and Oakland. Utilizing critical pedagogy (Gruenewald, 2003) and place-based learning (Wattchow & Brown, 2011) lenses, we outline grassroots community leadership strategies that challenge social inequities. Under the pervasive neo-liberal conditions in our research context, reflecting delimited government oversight of the environment, public health, and educational systems, we illustrate how non-profit leaders and their staff have emerged to enhance public life in communities where social inequities prevent sustainable health and wellbeing. We advocate for directly incorporating the narratives of influential community leaders with community-focused academic scholars, thus bridging the research-practice gap in educational research. Simultaneously, we argue that academic researchers and teachers can become immersed in community projects, bringing evidence-based practices as well as conceptual knowledge to formulate and sustain more equitable conditions in local communities. With an interest in extending Outdoor Education (OE) programming employing place-based approaches (such as those found in Singapore), we provide case studies involving community leaders serving youths who are disrupting dominant power structures around racism, gender and other forms of stereotyping to promote greater well-being. Methodologically, we encourage leader-participants to be creative when conveying their ideas reflecting both personal and professional expertise; various sources are important here, such as archival program materials, photographs, infographics, excerpts of one’s own writing, and interviews we conduct. Allowing for divergent methods of inquiry, the bricolage approach we employed portrays diverse theoretical and philosophical underpinnings (Kincheloe, 2011). Our aim is to clarify and extend how place-based learning and associated critical pedagogies can enhance knowledge of field-level practices and philosophies, by inviting those who regularly articulate these concepts via everyday community-based actions. Our aim is to eventually understand how critical pedagogies are transforming the social dynamics of place within urban settings and thus have implications for educators who enact place-based and/or community-based programs. This theoretical-practical approach takes up voices grounded in places to advance conceptual knowledge and practice.

This interactive 90-minute workshop explores how structured outdoor learning experiences effectively develop students' 21st century competencies whilst fostering deep connections with the natural world. Drawing from authentic student reflections and classroom research, participants will discover how nature serves as a patient, accessible teacher that instructs through presence rather than pressure, naturally developing MOE's 21st Century Competencies framework in social-emotional learning, critical thinking, and civic responsibility. The session begins with participants experiencing a brief solitude practice outdoors, mirroring the student journey from stillness to focused observation, followed by hands-on discovery activities using magnifying glasses and nature journals that reveal how direct sensory experience enhances learning beyond traditional classroom methods. Evidence-based insights from student voices demonstrate nature's unique pedagogical strengths: teaching through silence and stillness, offering respite from digital overwhelm, and cultivating emotional well-being through activities like nature journaling that help students develop emotional regulation, environmental stewardship, and reflective thinking skills. Participants will examine concrete strategies for implementing outdoor learning programmes, including effective facilitation techniques that honour student choice whilst maintaining clear learning objectives, exploring how minimal intervention and flexible structures create authentic learning experiences that engage even reluctant learners. The workshop provides practical applications for scaffolded outdoor experiences that help students develop core values of respect, responsibility, and care whilst building observation, reflection, and environmental awareness skills. Designed for educators, curriculum designers, and school leaders interested in holistic approaches to 21st century skills development and environmental education, this session demonstrates how simple outdoor activities can meaningfully replace screen time whilst providing mental rest and engaging educational experiences that foster interconnectedness and environmental stewardship.

Abstract
The rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education has entered a new phase: AI no longer requires coding expertise to be created or deployed. With no-code and low-code platforms such as Google AI Studio and Gemini Canvas, educators can now build AI agents and applications themselves, for example, tools that capture video of Pilates practice and assist with movement diagnosis. This shift significantly lowers the barrier to AI adoption and makes human–AI collaboration an everyday pedagogical reality rather than a technical experiment. Yet, empirical research remains limited on how such accessible AI systems should be meaningfully integrated into teaching and learning practices.
This study presents a year-long qualitative case study examining human–AI co-performance in fitness education through the lived practice of an experienced Pilates instructor working with GPT-4o. Guided by three research questions: (1) in what situations do humans perform better than AI, (2) in what situations does AI perform better than humans, and (3) in what situations do humans and AI perform better together—the research investigates how AI can function as a collaborative partner rather than a replacement for human expertise.
Data were collected through over 200 hours of participant observation, biweekly semi-structured interviews, and iterative reflective engagement with AI tools during lesson planning, movement analysis, and instructional problem-solving. The findings reveal a clear yet dynamic division of strengths: AI excels in rapid analysis, information synthesis, and generation of multiple instructional possibilities, while the human instructor demonstrates irreplaceable strengths in embodied demonstration, emotional attunement, contextual judgment, and ethical responsibility. Most importantly, effective pedagogy emerges through co-performance, where AI suggestions are continuously interpreted, adapted, accepted, or rejected through human professional judgment.
By situating these findings within the contemporary context of democratized AI creation, this study argues that human–AI collaboration—“working as one”—represents the future of both teaching and learning. For Pilates instructors and learners alike, AI can extend reflective capacity, personalization, and learning agency, provided that human leadership remains central. The paper contributes practice-grounded insights for redesigning pedagogy in an era where educators are not only AI users, but increasingly AI designers and collaborators.

Developing scientific argumentation ability is central to science education. However, primary school students often struggle with the substantial cognitive and metacognitive demands of argumentation practices. To address this challenge, this study designs, implements, and empirically evaluates a distributed scaffolding framework aimed at enhancing primary students’ scientific argumentation competence.
Grounded in theories of scientific argumentation and distributed scaffolding, the study proposes the Scientific Argumentation Ability-Learning Scaffold Design Framework (SAA-LSDF). Guided by this framework, a set of learning scaffolds (SAA-LS) was developed to systematically integrate cognitive and metacognitive support across four core components of scientific argumentation: claim, evidence, reasoning, and rebuttal.
A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 89 fifth-grade students from a primary school in Beijing. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: a control group with no scaffolding, an experimental group receiving cognitive scaffolds only, and an experimental group receiving both cognitive and metacognitive scaffolds. Students’ scientific argumentation ability was assessed using pre- and post-tests measuring argument structure and argument quality. Given the non-normal distribution of the data, non-parametric statistical analyses were employed.
The results indicate that students in both scaffolded groups significantly outperformed the control group in overall scientific argumentation ability, including argument structure completeness and argument quality. Both intervention groups showed significant improvement in evidence use and rebuttal. Notably, students who received the combined cognitive–metacognitive scaffolding demonstrated significantly greater gains in reasoning than those who received cognitive scaffolds alone, underscoring the critical role of metacognitive support in promoting deeper conceptual understanding and coherent argument construction.
Overall, the study validates the SAA-LSDF as an effective design framework and provides robust evidence that distributed scaffolding—particularly when integrating metacognitive elements—can significantly enhance primary students’ scientific argumentation. It offers a theoretically grounded and practically applicable model for embedding evidence-based argumentation support into elementary science instruction.