Press Releases
President’s Award for Teachers 2008
Three exemplary teachers will receive the 2008 President’s Award for Teachers from President S.R. Nathan at the Istana during the Teachers’ Day reception on Monday, 1 September 2008. They are :
- Mrs Ong-Chua Li Ling Eileen, Haig Girls’ School,
- Mrs Lee Kok Hong, Temasek Primary School and
- Mrs Lim-Ng Yee Ping Diana, Coral Secondary School.
More information on the award recipients is in Annex A.
The annual President’s Award for Teachers recognises the commitment of teachers to the total development of students and to nation-building. This year’s recipients are outstanding teachers who have demonstrated inspiring passion, innovation and dedication in teaching. Not only do they infuse values education into the teaching of Maths and Science, they also take pains to make lessons come alive for their students, from tapping on cookie-baking to teach mathematical concepts to organising experiential learning journeys beyond the classroom so that students can learn more about Information Communications Technology.
This year saw a record number of nominations received since the Award was introduced in 1998. A total of 7806 nominations for the Award were received from principals, teachers, students, parents and former students, for the nomination of 2043 teachers who come from 225 schools. A Selection Panel, comprising prominent members of the community and senior officers from the Ministry of Education selected the three recipients. (Annex B)
Annex A
Mrs Ong-Chua Li Ling Eileen
Haig Girls’ School
For Mrs Eileen Ong, changing her pupils’ mindset towards Mathematics and maximising their potential are her greatest contribution to teaching and her proudest achievements yet.
Currently the Level Head for Mathematics and a dedicated teacher at Haig Girls’ School, Mrs Eileen Ong initiated the “A-Fractionally Yours” project where P6 students were given opportunities to design and create mathematics manipulatives to help their younger schoolmates learn and practise concepts on Fractions.
The idea for “A-Fractionally Yours” came about when she asked her P6 pupils to think about the difficulty they experienced in learning Mathematics and how the concepts could have been better taught - and her pupils’ creativity far exceeded her expectations. The project was subsequently supported by MOE Teach Less Learn More (TLLM) Ignite! as a School Curriculum Innovation in 2008.
As a key member of the Pupil Well-being and Development (PWD) team in Haig Girls’ School, Mrs Eileen Ong strongly believes in the holistic development of every student. She spends time to interact with her pupils and capitalises on stories and teachable moments to instil values.
Another project that she initiated was simply called “A Maths Game Project”, which infused Maths and values education. Through this project, P5 and P6 pupils were trained to be facilitators in visual games that enhanced pupils’ understanding of Mathematics concept. In turn, these facilitators will train the younger pupils to play the games and learn mathematics concepts in a fun way during recess time.
“Sometimes, the P5 and P6 pupils will give up being facilitators after a few days,” said Mrs Eileen Ong. “I will then talk to them and explain why they need to continue because they have made a commitment to cooperate with one another in helping the younger pupils and in showing care and concern for them. In this way, the pupils learned important values in daily-life situation too.
Mrs Eileen Ong is also a people-person who builds quality relationships with parents and colleagues. She conducts workshops on the teaching and learning of Mathematics for parents and colleagues and was selected to be the cluster representative in the Zonal Centre of Excellence for Mathematics.
Mrs Lee Kok Hong
Temasek Primary School
Ask Mrs Lee Kok Hong, Head of Department (Mathematics) of Temasek Primary School, what drives her passion for teaching after 29 years, and her reply is “I don’t know, but I am excited about coming to school and seeing my pupils progress and gain confidence everyday in the classroom.”
Indeed, Mrs Lee Kok Hong’s pupils share her excitement in and out of the classroom as they are allowed to experiment during some of Mrs Lee Kok Hong’s innovative lessons, along with the learning of important Mathematics concepts, self-reflection, teamwork and respect for their fellow pupils.
For example, in one lesson that integrated science and mathematics concepts on speed and averages, Mrs Lee Kok Hong’s pupils had to research parachute-making and then compete in teams to make the most efficient parachute. In addition to mastering their concepts effortlessly, the pupils got to learn not only how to be independent learners, but to make the best parachutes through sharing their observations and discoveries with one another, all amidst the excitement of watching their parachutes sail from the second storey of the school.
Other innovative teaching methods Mrs Lee Kok Hong has used include budgeting and writing cheques up to one million, baking cookies to teach the concept of numbers, ratio and proportion, using cartoon characters to teach the order of mathematical operations and literally getting her pupils to put on their thinking caps.
As a passionate advocate of holistic development of her students, Mrs Lee Kok Hong infuses social emotional learning principles and the school’s core values into her lessons. Mrs Lee Kok Hong also organises student focus group discussions and one-to-one conferencing to know her students and respond to their needs better. At these sessions, she coaches and motivates her students to refocus, reflect and review, and spurs them to achieve their targets. She also communicates frequently with the parents to keep them updated on the development of their children.
Mrs Lee Kok Hong’s passion for the teaching of Mathematics has also inspired her to conduct numerous sharing sessions at the school, national and international platforms. She has also attended overseas conferences and participated in overseas attachments to schools to improve her understanding of pedagogy and curriculum design. Mrs Lee Kok Hong’s commitment to innovation in teaching and learning, as well as her belief in interdisciplinary integration and enthusiasm in making her lessons come alive have earned her much respect among her students, colleagues and parents.
Mrs Lim-Ng Yee Ping Diana
Coral Secondary School
Mrs Diana Lim wears many hats in Coral Secondary School. She is the Head of Department for Information & Communications Technology while also teaching Biology and General Science and initiating innovative projects for teachers and her students. But just ten years ago, she was doing something entirely different.
Teaching is Mrs Diana Lim’s second career. Previously she worked as a money-broker. While it was financially and personally rewarding, she yearned for more. After seven years, she left her corporate job and pursued a new path in teaching, and she has not looked back ever since.
Mrs Diana Lim has a strong conviction that every child can learn and if properly guided and motivated, will achieve nothing less than excellence. This strong sense of purpose has led her to use innovative IT tools and Action Research in her lessons.
Mrs Diana Lim was instrumental in creating the school Student Action Research Programme (STAR) which involved students using a systematic inquiry approach of plan, act and observe, and reflect to investigate various issues that affect the school and the community. For its innovative and creative approach, the STAR programme was selected as one of MOE’s Teach Less Learn More (TLLM) prototypes.
Mrs Diana Lim also works closely with colleagues, parents and the community to develop her students holistically. She spends time to get to know every student she teaches and provides constant feedback to parents. She also seeks learning opportunities beyond the classroom for her students by organising experiential learning journeys and attachments to various organisations for her students.
For Mrs Diana Lim, teaching as a profession “rewards subtly”; it cannot be easily measured or quantified. She gave the story of how she met an ex-student a few years ago who revealed that she was the inspiration for the student’s decision to be a teacher as well. Many other ex-students also continue to keep in touch with her and update her on their life achievements. “These rewards leave indelible marks and life would never be the same again,” she explains.
Her teaching experience in the past ten years have been challenging and fulfilling, but Mrs Diana Lim is looking forward to more years of service to contribute. “I wish to pass the light, stirring my students to be flaming beacons who are resilient to the winds of change and uncertainty,” she says.
Annex B
President’s Award for Teachers - Selection Panel 2008
Chairman:
Dr Lily Neo
Chairman of GPC (Education)
Members:
Ms Yeoh Chee Yan
Second Permanent Secretary (Education)
Miss Seah Jiak Choo
Director-General of Education
Mr Alan John
COMPASS Member
Deputy Editor, The Straits Times
Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Mr Syed Ahmad
COMPASS Member
General Manager
Geolab Services Pte Ltd