Continuing from Pre-service: Towards a Professional Development Framework for Mathematics Teachers in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Quality teachers have long been recognised as key to preparing the future generation for the nation. Hence, a robust teacher education system with collaborative support from major stakeholders is crucial. Singapore has adopted a complex yet integrated approach in teacher education thus far. This chapter moves on from an earlier report presented in 2009 on the Singapore teacher education system. To pave the way forward, the chapter introduces the visions of key stakeholders in the professional development landscape for teacher education in the twenty-first century. Various factors of influence are analysed before presenting the structure of professional development for mathematics teachers at the National Institute of Education. Current mathematics professional development courses are classified according to aspects of teacher knowledge derived from research so as to gain insights into the content, pedagogical and assessment focuses. Finally, a proposed conceptual framework amidst the multidimensional and multifaceted teacher education landscape is outlined to describe mathematics teacher professional development for the twenty-first century.