Teacher training and school guidelines for students with special education needs

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis, Sengkang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry provides guidelines to teachers and schools on the handling of children who may have or are diagnosed with special education needs (SEN); (b) what is the annual number of hours of SEN training provided to teachers; and (c) whether the Ministry conducts an annual review on the best practices across schools in providing support to children.

Response

1. The Ministry provides guidelines, information and video resources to schools to support students with special educational needs (SEN). Through Teaching and Learning Guides, all teachers are provided with practical strategies to support the learning of diverse learners, including students with SEN.
2. All new teachers undergo basic training covering how to engage students with SEN during their pre-service training. After they start teaching, they continue to deepen their SEN-related skills through workshops and Networked Learning Communities in areas such as inclusive pedagogy. Micro-Learning Units offer just-in-time learning opportunities to build teachers’ understanding of principles for supporting students with SEN and strategies for an inclusive classroom. Each school also has Teachers Trained in Special Needs who have completed a 130-hour certificate-level course conducted by the National Institute of Education. All mainstream schools have SEN Officers who work with school personnel to develop customised interventions to support the specific needs of students with SEN, particularly those with higher needs.
3. MOE facilitates systematic sharing of best practices among mainstream schools, as well as between mainstream schools and Special Education schools. MOE continually reviews our guidelines and good practices through monitoring international research, international good practice and local practice.