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OUR STORY
Art and Music are taught in our schools as part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) provision of a holistic education, and serve as deep reservoirs to build our students’ 21st century competencies. Art and Music teachers are committed to sound pedagogy and artistic excellence to shape and mould our students, to develop better sense-making, connecting ideas that give purpose to life experiences, and to learn about perspectives that anchor their teaching and learning.
The setup of the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) in 2011 signals MOE’s commitment to quality teaching and learning of Art and Music in our schools. STAR is dedicated to building a teacher-led culture of professional excellence in Art and Music teachers within our MOE fraternity. STAR provides multiple modes of learning to meet the diverse professional needs of the Arts fraternity: workshops, courses, studio-practice, networked learning communities, blended learning, lesson observations, open class demonstrations, and learning journeys. Our extensive programmes support Art and Music teachers to employ appropriate pedagogical approaches, deepen their understanding of how the child is then able to express oneself confidently, think critically, work in teams, and be innovative and enterprising.
By building a strong community of excellent arts educators, we can shape the future of Singapore through quality arts education.
Note: These are snap-shots of PDs that STAR conducts and they may vary year on year
TEACHERS WHO WISH TO DEVELOP THEIR SKILLSFUTURE COMPETENCIES
FOR EDUCATORS (SFEd)
Kodály/Orff/Dalcroze Approach to Music Education (Introductory) Teaching ICT-based Music Making Milestone Plus Programmes
Professional development programmes designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of Art and Music teachers.
Music Supporting Programmes IN-PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMMES Teacher Work Attachment Plus (TWA+) @ External Organisations
NLC
Museum-based Learning NLC
Technology in Art NLC
Inclusive Art Classroom NLC
TEACHER-LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES
STAR Champions
Professional Dialogues with Master Teachers (Art/Music) 22
Professional Clinics
STAR Senior Teachers (ST) & Lead Teachers (LT) Programme
Teacher Work Attachment (TWA) @ STAR
Create Content Like A Pro - Equipping Art Teachers to be Creative Content Creators
Art Educators’ Developmental and Generative Explorations (aedge)
Art Supporting Programmes
MILESTONE PROGRAMMES FOR ART/ MUSIC BEGINNING TEACHERS
STAR Art/Music Beginning Teacher Programme
The STAR Art and Music Beginning Teacher (BT) Programmes are year-long programmes for newly graduated Art/Music teachers as they embark on their teaching careers. They complement the Beginning Teacher Orientation Programme (BTOP) organised by the Academy of Singapore Teachers.
The modules offered provide support in key areas of learning aligned with the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) such as creating a positive art/music classroom culture, encouraging learner engagement, and effectively carrying out art/music assessment.
Each module provides opportunities for discussions, online learning, hands-on workshops, learning journeys to schools and networking with other likeminded teachers.
Art BTs will learn and experience:
• Teaching Art in Singapore Schools and Fostering Positive Art Classroom Culture
• A Focus on Instructional Strategies - Learning Journey to Schools
• Building Community and Supporting Each Other in the Art Fraternity
• Art Learning and Development of Character and Citizenship (optional module)
Music BTs will have the opportunity to learn and experience:
• Positive Music Classroom Culture and Effective Music Classroom Management
• Music-related Pedagogies and Experience Lesson Enactment
• Music Assessment and Feedback
• Lesson Preparation and Best Practices in Music Classroom
• Instructional Strategies in action through Learning Journey to Schools
MILESTONE PROGRAMMES FOR ART/ MUSIC EXPERIENCED TEACHERS
ART
Drawing as Core Art Practice
Drawing is one of the core learning experiences in the primary and lower secondary art syllabuses. Short modular workshops are specially curated to expand art teachers’ repertoire of drawing pedagogies from the traditional approach of creating marks on paper to the 21st century approach of creating marks using various media and techniques.
Drawing is not simply a way to represent reality but a way to understand and experience the world. This workshop is designed to provide teachers with playful techniques and points of departure for creating their own visual journals on-location while at the same time improving their observation skills and creative drawing techniques that facilitate development of critical thinking and solving complex problems. Teachers will also explore using visual journaling as a mode of facilitating students’ thinking processes in the classroom.
ICT in Drawing
To widen teachers’ repertoire of skills in drawing, this workshop aims to build their capacity in infusing ICT purposefully in the art classrooms and gaining new ideas and insights on the effective use of technology for 21st century learning of art. With the implementation of the Personalised Digital Learning Programme (PDLP) in all secondary schools, art teachers will benefit greatly from this workshop that equips them with skills to use iPad as a powerful tool to teach art in their classrooms.
Experimental Drawing
In this workshop, teachers will be guided to uncover the potentials of turning materials into creative opportunities. Explore the use of unconventional objects like plastic cards, crayons or even our own fingers can be used as sketching tools to help us innovate and create expressive marks on paper.
MUSIC
Teaching Living Legends
Teaching Living Legends is a milestone programme that focuses on the teaching of living music traditions in Singapore with the context of the 21st century student-centric classrooms in mind. In these workshops conducted by our Music Master Teachers in collaboration with Singapore music practitioners, Primary and Secondary level Music teachers will deepen their pedagogical understanding and perspectives as well as enhance their music practice in relation to these traditions. Teachers explore how Singapore music traditions are kept relevant to students via the stories and narratives behind these music, thus providing engaging musical experiences and raising awareness of Singapore’s unique musical identity.
Kodály/Orff/Dalcroze Approach to Music Education
Kodály/ Orff/ Dalcroze Approach to Music Education offers an essential suite of music milestone programmes aimed to deepen participants’ pedagogical understanding, achieve professional renewal and gain transformation in one’s teaching beliefs and practices. Through workshops on the Kodály, Orff Schulwerk and Dalcroze approaches, these milestone programmes are purposefully designed to provide participants with insights into effective music instructional strategies that are student-centric and contextualised to the Singapore music classroom. Anchored in pedagogical principles and their application, these workshops focus on ensuring teachers’ ability to apply the pedagogical knowledge learnt (through micro-teaching sessions) and leave teachers with a rich musical experience.
Teaching ICT-based Music Making
Teaching ICT-based Music Making is a programme designed to support the use of ICT in teaching and facilitating music-making in the music classroom. Primary Music teachers will explore strategies to engage students using game-based strategies via web-based and mobile apps, and Secondary teachers will explore deconstructing music and collaborative music-making through ICT. Participants will also experience ways to assess ICT-based music making in conjunction with Student Learning Spaces (SLS).
The course contributes to teachers achieving the ‘Accomplished’ level for e-Pedagogy in SkillsFuture for Educators (SFEd).
Milestone Plus Programmes
Open to participants who have attended the above milestone programmes and applied the approaches in their own classrooms, Milestone Plus Programmes offer exciting extensions to deepen teachers’ understanding and application of these approaches. Teachers engage in deeper discussions to collaboratively construct pedagogical knowledge and support one another’s teaching practice.
ATPP and MTPP are designed for Primary level English-medium teachers who intend to upskill to become a specialist Art or Music teacher. The programmes equip participants with pedagogical and practical skills for classroom Art/Music teaching. Participants are developed in their Art/ Music practice as well as pedagogical practice through microteaching sessions and/or in-class lesson observations.
Upon successful completion of the ATPP/ MTPP, teachers will be better equipped to apply for National Institute of Education’s (NIE) full-time Advanced Diploma in Primary School Art/Music Education to upskill to be qualified Art/Music teachers. This initiative by STAR contributes to about one-fifth of qualified Art/ Music teachers at the Primary level.
Advanced Diploma in Primary School Art/Music Education
The Advanced Diploma in Primary School Art/ Music Education, offered by the National Institute of Education (NIE), is designed to build the framework of knowledge and skills in Art/Music and to apprise teachers of current thinking and practice in the disciplines. Applicants may be required to clear the auditions/interviews.
Upon completion of the Advanced Diploma in Primary School Art/Music Education, Art/Music will be listed as the teacher’s Subject Proficiency 1 (SP1). He/she will be deployed to teach Art/Music for at least 60% of the teaching load in accordance to the deployment guidelines for qualified Art/Music teachers.
SKILLSFUTURE
FOR EDUCATORS (SFEd)
ART
SkillsFuture for Educators is a professional development roadmap for teachers to improve art teachers’ competencies and encourage lifelong learning.
Inquiry-based Learning
Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) encourages teachers to explore ways to nurture inquiry dispositions through meaningful art tasks and well-scaffolded art inquiry experiences, including technology-mediated learning.
Inquiry-based Art Lesson Design (Proficient) focuses on levelling up art teachers’ competencies in lesson design by adopting concepts in inquiry-based practices that empower students to make choices and foster students’ 21st century competencies. Leading to Inquiry-based Art Lesson Design (Accomplished), art teachers will learn to adapt IBL strategies and integrate blended learning to cater to the needs of diverse student profiles. By reflecting on the planning, enactment and use of portfolio assessment in art, IBL empowers teachers to think creatively about enacting the art syllabuses and find new ways of engaging students in art learning.
Differentiated Instruction
Differentiated Instruction (DI) (Proficient and Accomplished) looks into deploying specific instructional strategies according to the students’ readiness, interests and learning profile to support their diverse needs. Art teachers will be guided to plan and enacted effective art lessons by adjusting the content, process and product, based on knowledge of the art curriculum, students and the different instructional approaches. By adjusting and readapting the instructional strategies including the use of scaffolding, teachers will be apt to think creatively to meet the diverse learning needs of the students and maximise their progress in learning. For Differentiated Instruction (Accomplished), it is conducted via Art Differentiated Instruction Networked Learning Community.
Art Critical Inquiry Project
Engaging in Critical Inquiry (CI) Project helps teachers become reflective practitioners of their classroom practices. Teachers will draw on their prior knowledge of IBL and/or DI to define the scope of their CI Projects.
CI provides the pedagogical frame for the teachersresearchers to put their teaching under the microscope to test out how their approaches/strategies impact student learning and behaviour. Apart from introducing teachers to the various CI methods, teacher-researchers will also be facilitated to identify learning needs and gaps, generate questions, develop ideas, examine strategies, gather evidences and analyse data to better
understand how artistic processes and thinking can be developed, and how teaching and learning can be improved.
Note: Participants should be teacher-leaders who have mentoring roles and sharing platforms (e.g. Art HODs, SHs, LTs, STs and NLC Coordinators) and had already attended STAR’s IBL and DI courses. CI Project is pegged at IBL/DI (Leading).
Assessment Literacy
Formative Assessment (FA) in art is an ongoing process used by art teachers and students for teaching and learning; to improve students’ understanding of the learning outcomes and help them become self-directed learners. FA focusing on ways to check for understanding and provide feedback deepens art teachers’ understanding of how to use various FA strategies that are integral to the art learning process in the classroom.
Support for Students with Special Educational Needs
Art teachers’ competencies can be enhanced to provide effective support for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in art-making and art discussion and to create an inclusive learning environment. Workshops and programmes will be facilitated via the Inclusive Art Classroom NLC.
MUSIC
Inquiry-based Learning
An inquiry-based learning approach focuses on both the music-making process and development of musical skills through inquiry. This process of musical inquiry grants ownership of learning to students and empowers them to be independent in their learning about music. The Inquiry-based Learning in the Music Classroom workshop(s) (Proficient, Accomplished and Leading Levels) allows teachers to gain an understanding of the underpinnings of inquiry-based learning and how it builds student motivation to learn, leading to a more positive experience towards continued learning of music. It equips teachers to apply the Music Inquiry Framework, which features the following modes of inquiry - Express, Experiment, Collaborate and Reflect - in the context of a music classroom to guide students to learn about music with increasing selfdirectedness and as according to their level of readiness.
Note: Teachers may continue to build their competencies related to areas in SFEd through critical inquiry projects.
For Teachers who wish to develop their Skillsfuture Competencies
Support for Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Teachers learn about and apply strategies for inclusive music education and how they could accommodate special learners through the SEN NLC.
e-Pedagogy
e-Pedagogy competencies are developed through our milestone programme ‘Teaching ICT-based Music Making’ as well as in select Supporting programmes.
Assessment Literacy
Strategies relating to assessment for learning in the context of music lessons are honed in our Beginning Teachers’ programme.
Differentiated Instruction
Planning Differentiated Instruction in the Music Classroom (Proficient, Accomplished and Leading Levels) aims to equip teachers to proactively plan and design lessons to what the students need to learn, how they learn it, and how they will show that they have learnt. This also includes sharing different pathways to engage and challenge learners of different readiness, interests and learning profiles with the intent to enable the students to work successfully towards achieving the learning objectives of the respective music syllabuses.
TEACHERLEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES
STAR Champions
The STAR Champions programme deepens Art/ Music teachers’ teaching and pedagogical leadership competencies, and nurture a teacher-led culture within the arts fraternity.
Nominated by their Cluster Superintendents, STAR Champions are acknowledged for their instructional leadership, dedication and passion towards their subject disciplines. They will attend a range of customised workshops that will deepen their understanding of student-centric strategies to nurture 21st century competencies. They will work with fellow STAR Champions to lead other teachers in their clusters and/or zones and advocate for the arts fraternity.
Professional Dialogues with Master Teachers (Art/Music)
These sessions are for teachers to find out more about the roles of Senior Teachers, Lead Teachers and Master Teachers in Art/ Music as well as to learn how to chart their own professional growth and development.
Professional Clinics
Teachers who aspire to be on the Teaching Track and are working towards being appointed can receive personalised guidance from Master Teachers for the preparation of their professional portfolio and appointment interview.
STAR Senior Teachers (ST) & Lead Teachers (LT) Programme
Designed for STs and LTs (Art/Music), this professional learning support programme aims to develop our teacher-leaders’ competencies as pedagogical leaders. The course focuses on deepening participants’ disciplinary thinking, and keeping them updated on emergent trends in arts pedagogy and professional practice.
The STAR ST/LT Programme is designed to complement the Academy of Singapore Teachers’ (AST) Teacher Leader Programme 1 and 2 (TLP1 and TLP2). It is strongly recommended that Art and Music STs and LTs attend both the TLP1/2 and STAR ST/LT Programme within the first five years of their appointment. Teachers can select the order of their professional learning sequence to better suit their own learning needs.
Teacher Work Attachment (TWA) @ STAR
STAR offers customised Teacher Work Attachment (TWA) for potential and appointed teacher-leaders who are keen to understand STAR’s work in advancing professional development for Art and Music teachers and on building the professional identity of the fraternity. TWA @ STAR can be once or twice a week over one term or a semester or a continuous period of weeks.
SUPPORTING PROGRAMMES ON ART/ MUSIC PRACTICE
ART
Art Supporting Programmes
ART
Studio-based workshops include:
Drawing
New Media: Digital Printmaking
Ceramics
Sculpture
Pedagogy-focused programmes include
Motivating Students to Learn (Primary Art)
MUSIC
Workshops may include:
Instrumental playing
Music arrangement
Music production
Teachers looking to deepen their artistic practice and expand their pedagogical repertoire can look forward to a variety of Studio-based and Pedagogyfocused Supporting Programmes offered throughout the school year. These multi-session workshops are conducted by practitioners and specialist instructors. Teachers can choose to deepen specific skills by taking multiple modules of the same artistic practice or expand their perspectives by signing up for different types of supporting workshops.
Studio-based workshops are mostly conducted inperson due to its practical component where handling of materials and making artworks is a core experience in the teaching and learning of visual arts. Pedagogyfocused programmes will largely be conducted asynchronously or blended mode.
IN-
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMMES
MUSIC
Music Supporting Programmes
The Music Supporting Programmes are tailored to enhance teachers’ and Allied Educators’ instrumental skills, as well as to extend their music competencies and pedagogical knowledge. Lectures on topical issues (e.g. assessment of music creativity, pedagogies for developing 21st century competencies through music) and masterclasses are presented by Outstanding-Educators-in-Consultancy and specialist instructors.
Teacher Work Attachment Plus (TWA+) @ External Organisations
Teachers can gain insights into Singapore’s art ecosystem through an exciting array of work attachment opportunities offered by public and private arts organisations. For more information, please visit http://intranet. moe.gov.sg/academy/ TWA/Pages/TWA.aspx
NETWORKED LEARNING COMMUNITIES
ART
Drawing NLC
Networked Learning Communities (NLCs) are small learning groups where like-minded Art/ Music teachers from different schools meet to collaborate, share and improve on their practice. Group size for the NLCs ranges from 10 to 30.
This NLC re-connects teachers to the joy and importance of drawing in art lessons. Various drawing concepts and approaches are introduced, and teachers discuss how these learning support teaching at various levels (Primary to Junior College).
Museum-based Learning NLC
Teachers in this NLC will hone their skills in leading open-ended discussions about works of art and gain different lesson ideas for museum-based learning. Sessions are held at various art museums so teachers will also get to look at art and be inspired by artists’ ideas.
Technology in Art NLC
This NLC provides the platform for interested teachers to experiment with the use of digital tools to enrich art classroom learning. Over time, this NLC will also explore ideas and approaches to shift to a new normal where technology-enhanced art learning is balanced with the much loved tactile and material experiences of art making.
Inclusive Art Classroom NLC
Experienced teachers who are interested in broadening their perspectives on Inclusive Pedagogy and to provide rich learning opportunities for all learners can participate in this NLC. Ideas and topics explored include positive classroom culture, collaborative learning, inclusive creative experiences and supporting students with special educational needs.
SUPPORTING PROGRAMMES ON ART/ MUSIC PRACTICE
MUSIC
Critical Inquiry NLC
The Critical Inquiry NLC serves to encourage collaborative reflective inquiry and so deepen pedagogical practice. Participants learn about inquiry approaches that they could use to investigate their classroom teaching practices. Guided by the MTT (Music), they will lead by generating new pedagogical knowledge which will be shared through presentations and a publication that will be made available to the rest of the Music teachers. Teachers are invited to submit their nominations to participate in this NLC.
SPECIAL PROGRAMMES ART
Create Content Like A Pro - Equipping Art Teachers to be Creative Content Creators
Modern learning is fueled by digital apps, tools and social networks. Teachers will learn how to curate digital contents in the forms of video, animated information, infographics, etc,. via mobile devices to bring about greater student-agency such as self-directed and active learning in the students.. The affordances of technology and new learning preferences have enabled students to take greater control over when and how they access content and knowledge-sharing collaboration tools.
This programme equips teachers with contemporary approaches of presenting and curating content digitally (e.g. bite-sized information, infographics or narratives) that will engage students meaningfully and inform teachers of the pedagogical considerations behind designing digital content to foster active learning.
Art Educators’ Developmental and Generative Explorations (aedge)
aedge is a biennial art exhibition featuring works created by our art teachers. The exhibition encourages teachers to hone art practices, enjoy learning, and find inspiring new ways to improve student learning. Since its inauguration in 2012, aedge has served as a platform to nurture the professional identity of Art teachers through supporting their artistic endeavours that will expand their pedagogical repertoire. It is also an excellent platform to cultivate teacher-agency and teacher-led culture where teacher-leaders take on the roles of curators, programmers and designers to mentor Teacher-artists, conceptualised and designed collaterals and curated resources and programmes.
MUSIC
Engaging with Songs
This programme takes on a unique whole-school approach for Primary school Music teachers, designed to deepen their understanding in leading singing in the Music classroom. Envisioned to establish a singing culture in classrooms and in schools, the programme also builds a repertoire of songs, including those of our multicultural traditions, to engender cross-cultural understanding through music. Learning how singing
can be a powerful bridge to learn music concepts, teachers participate in learning journeys, lesson demonstrations, collaborative discussions, reflections and a suite of workshops by pedagogues and Master Teachers. The programme participation is schoolbased where teachers learn together based on the levels they have been deployed to teach.
Friends in Concert
Friends in Concert is a platform featuring our Music teachers. This performance opportunity aims to provide a conducive and supportive environment for Music teachers to experience music-making in collaborative settings, to hone and remain active in their music practice and to expand their scope and skills as Music teachers.
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT ART/MUSIC TEACHING
STAR-Post
STAR-Post (Art/Music) are electronically distributed newsletters. These newsletters share pedagogical ideas, foster a teacher-led culture, and provide multiple perspectives on teaching and learning. They are sent to Art and Music teachers, school leaders and MOE HQ officers. STAR-Post issues can also be found on STAR’s website.
Highlights of Publications and Productions by STAR
ART
• Critical Inquiry: Perspectives on Art Education (2018, 2020)
• Investigating Art: National Gallery Singapore Collection (2018)
• Investigating Contemporary Art: Singapore Art Museum Collection (2018)
• Investigating Art: Ideas on Museumbased Learning (2017)
• Language of Art: Prompt Cards to Help Talk and Write about Art (2017)
• Making Art: An Interactive Card Game Created to Encourage Expression and the Spirit of Experimentation (2017)
• #arthacks! Tips for the Busy Art Teachers (Video)
• Art Modular Learning Units (MLUs)
• Growth Mindset Poster (2020)
• Studio Habits of Mind (2021)
• Art Inquiry & Digital Learning Postcard (2022)
• Generating Inquiry-based Art Lesson Ideas A Primer With 50 Examples (2016)
