IT IS the Chinese High School's plan that all its teaching staff will be holding at least a master's degree in five to 10 years' time.
Aiming at world-class status with strong emphasis on scientific research, as pointed out by Principal Koh Yong Chiah, the school will require that all the instructors have a good grasp of the necessary know-how before they can help their students properly. Hence the need of further studies for them.
The vision of Chinese High is no doubt in line with the anticipated growth of Singapore. Presumably, as society is advancing towards a knowledge-based economy, the more impressive credentials or degrees a teacher possesses, the better.
Yet education concerns the human mind. It involves cultivation and moulding of people's inner selves. So, it is open to dispute whether knowledge and degree alone will “automatically” make a good educator, particularly for primary and secondary schools.
Or, put another way, is the master's degree a must for effective teaching？ I have consulted a number of friends, and here are their views.
One of them, who teaches at the National Institute of Education, believes that the master's degree is but a means to an end, namely, an encouragement for educators to upgrade themselves continuously.
In the knowledge-economy era, he thinks, a teacher out of touch with the changing world would not expect to perforn properly in an education system striving to compete with advanced countries globally. So, there is no other way for teachers to remain relevant except to keep on studying, perhaps with a master's degree as an optional bonus.
Another one, a secondary-school teacher, applauds the Chinese High's plan particularly because it would save the teachers time, money and travels by introducing into its campus the degree programme offered by the University of Western Australia.
But he also notes that further studies at postgraduate level should be an all-round experience. This includes adapting to unfamiliar environment abroad, interacting with foreign students who think in different ways, and benefiting from the library facilities in other schools — much more than poring over the teaching materials in one's own school along with familiar colleagues.
An electrical engineer maintains that, with a bachelor's degree, a secondary school teacher can do a good job so long as he is capable of logical thinking and analysis, which is more important for his students.
As knowledge ages fast in the new economy, he believes, one must refresh oneself incessantly to remain a good educator. In his view, a master's degree is not a must since what it stands for will soon become dated.
Rather, a teacher must be caring and patient in helping students fully develop their morality, intelligence, physique, esprit de corps, and aesthetic sense. A teacher's time would be better spent with his students rather than on studies towards a degree, said the engineer.
A teenager secondary student told me frankly that his friends at school just don't care what degrees their teachers hold, as long as they show a keen commitment to education.
（The writer is Executive Reporter of Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Allen Zhuang）
良師必備碩士學(xué)位嗎？
潘星華
華僑中學(xué)要爭(zhēng)取在五至十年內(nèi),讓全校教師少擁有碩士學(xué)位資格。
許永正校長(zhǎng)說,因?yàn)槿A中要成為的學(xué)府,重視科學(xué)研究,很多做研究的程序,教師要先掌握,才能指導(dǎo)學(xué)生,因此有這個(gè)再進(jìn)修的必要。
華中的宏愿,當(dāng)然配合了新加坡未來發(fā)展的需要。在過渡到知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)的過程中,能夠擁有代表教育程度的文憑、學(xué)位,當(dāng)然多多益善,越高越好。
只是教育是一“心件”工程,是塑造靈魂的事業(yè),當(dāng)教師的,都擁有高級(jí)學(xué)位是否就“必然”是一位好老師呢？文教界人士有不同的看法。
一位在國(guó)立教育學(xué)院任教的朋友說,要求教師都擁有至少碩士學(xué)位,只是要求教師不斷進(jìn)修的一個(gè)手段。在知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)的時(shí)代,倘若一名教師對(duì)外在的變化一無(wú)所知,如何推動(dòng)一個(gè)要與先進(jìn)國(guó)家競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的教育系統(tǒng)呢？
他認(rèn)為教師只有通過不斷進(jìn)修,才能把學(xué)生教得更好,能夠擁有碩士學(xué)位,當(dāng)然好。
一位在中學(xué)任教的教師則認(rèn)為,好鼓勵(lì)教師到外國(guó)深造。既然華中要成為學(xué)校,那么教師應(yīng)該到外國(guó)親身體驗(yàn)其他國(guó)家的教育情況,擴(kuò)大視野。再說異鄉(xiāng)環(huán)境的適應(yīng)、異族同學(xué)思想的撞擊,對(duì)他們回校后更能勝任教導(dǎo)在校的外籍學(xué)生。
一名代表家長(zhǎng)的電機(jī)工程師認(rèn)為,教師重要的素質(zhì)是培養(yǎng)學(xué)生德智體群美的愛心和耐心。他說,與其把時(shí)間花來讀碩士學(xué)位,不如花更多時(shí)間與學(xué)生在一起,以身教與言教琢磨學(xué)生。
一個(gè)來自的學(xué)生很坦率地表示,學(xué)生根本不在乎老師有什么高級(jí)學(xué)位。任何一位老師能讓學(xué)生愛上他所教的那個(gè)科目,能夠讓學(xué)生把他當(dāng)朋友般親近、尊敬,就是好老師。
這名中學(xué)生說,中學(xué)跟大學(xué)不同,中學(xué)生所學(xué)的,都是入門基本知識(shí),中學(xué)老師的重任是用盡各種方法來引起學(xué)生入門的興趣,是一個(gè)向?qū)А２幌翊髮W(xué)教授那樣,好比一個(gè)金礦,有淵博的學(xué)問,能讓學(xué)生挖個(gè)不停。因此,中學(xué)教師并不需要有太高的學(xué)位。
幾位朋友,對(duì)同樣的問題,提出了不同角度的看法,引人深思的是家長(zhǎng)和學(xué)生的意見。他們都就切身的“利益”,提出了對(duì)教師的殷切期望,他們的要求顯然跟校長(zhǎng)、甚至教師都很不同。
我當(dāng)然同意教師不斷進(jìn)修,繼續(xù)深造。校方能夠想方設(shè)法地協(xié)助教師,把大學(xué)講師請(qǐng)到校園來開課,免去教師長(zhǎng)途跋涉,費(fèi)時(shí)、費(fèi)力、費(fèi)錢的苦惱,當(dāng)然更是好事。
但是從家長(zhǎng)和學(xué)生對(duì)教師的期許,他們更重視教師扮演“良師益友”的角色,而不單是“百科全書”,由此可見大家對(duì)中學(xué)教師的定位,看法不一。
的確,在先進(jìn)科技的年代,學(xué)生已經(jīng)能夠通過冷的、硬的機(jī)器獲得各種各樣的知識(shí),從知識(shí)的層面來說,他們是不愁沒有的。但是,如何才能引起他們熱愛知識(shí),從而熱愛生命、熱愛國(guó)家、做個(gè)好公民呢？
他們需要一位長(zhǎng)輩點(diǎn)鐵成金,把“生冷”的知識(shí)、“疏離”的人情、化成璀燦斑爛、翩翩起舞,能讓他們興致盎然,在后面追逐樂趣無(wú)窮的花蝴蝶。
這個(gè)能耐是對(duì)中學(xué)教師大的考驗(yàn),碩士課程有教這個(gè)嗎？
Aiming at world-class status with strong emphasis on scientific research, as pointed out by Principal Koh Yong Chiah, the school will require that all the instructors have a good grasp of the necessary know-how before they can help their students properly. Hence the need of further studies for them.
The vision of Chinese High is no doubt in line with the anticipated growth of Singapore. Presumably, as society is advancing towards a knowledge-based economy, the more impressive credentials or degrees a teacher possesses, the better.
Yet education concerns the human mind. It involves cultivation and moulding of people's inner selves. So, it is open to dispute whether knowledge and degree alone will “automatically” make a good educator, particularly for primary and secondary schools.
Or, put another way, is the master's degree a must for effective teaching？ I have consulted a number of friends, and here are their views.
One of them, who teaches at the National Institute of Education, believes that the master's degree is but a means to an end, namely, an encouragement for educators to upgrade themselves continuously.
In the knowledge-economy era, he thinks, a teacher out of touch with the changing world would not expect to perforn properly in an education system striving to compete with advanced countries globally. So, there is no other way for teachers to remain relevant except to keep on studying, perhaps with a master's degree as an optional bonus.
Another one, a secondary-school teacher, applauds the Chinese High's plan particularly because it would save the teachers time, money and travels by introducing into its campus the degree programme offered by the University of Western Australia.
But he also notes that further studies at postgraduate level should be an all-round experience. This includes adapting to unfamiliar environment abroad, interacting with foreign students who think in different ways, and benefiting from the library facilities in other schools — much more than poring over the teaching materials in one's own school along with familiar colleagues.
An electrical engineer maintains that, with a bachelor's degree, a secondary school teacher can do a good job so long as he is capable of logical thinking and analysis, which is more important for his students.
As knowledge ages fast in the new economy, he believes, one must refresh oneself incessantly to remain a good educator. In his view, a master's degree is not a must since what it stands for will soon become dated.
Rather, a teacher must be caring and patient in helping students fully develop their morality, intelligence, physique, esprit de corps, and aesthetic sense. A teacher's time would be better spent with his students rather than on studies towards a degree, said the engineer.
A teenager secondary student told me frankly that his friends at school just don't care what degrees their teachers hold, as long as they show a keen commitment to education.
（The writer is Executive Reporter of Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Allen Zhuang）
良師必備碩士學(xué)位嗎？
潘星華
華僑中學(xué)要爭(zhēng)取在五至十年內(nèi),讓全校教師少擁有碩士學(xué)位資格。
許永正校長(zhǎng)說,因?yàn)槿A中要成為的學(xué)府,重視科學(xué)研究,很多做研究的程序,教師要先掌握,才能指導(dǎo)學(xué)生,因此有這個(gè)再進(jìn)修的必要。
華中的宏愿,當(dāng)然配合了新加坡未來發(fā)展的需要。在過渡到知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)的過程中,能夠擁有代表教育程度的文憑、學(xué)位,當(dāng)然多多益善,越高越好。
只是教育是一“心件”工程,是塑造靈魂的事業(yè),當(dāng)教師的,都擁有高級(jí)學(xué)位是否就“必然”是一位好老師呢？文教界人士有不同的看法。
一位在國(guó)立教育學(xué)院任教的朋友說,要求教師都擁有至少碩士學(xué)位,只是要求教師不斷進(jìn)修的一個(gè)手段。在知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)的時(shí)代,倘若一名教師對(duì)外在的變化一無(wú)所知,如何推動(dòng)一個(gè)要與先進(jìn)國(guó)家競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的教育系統(tǒng)呢？
他認(rèn)為教師只有通過不斷進(jìn)修,才能把學(xué)生教得更好,能夠擁有碩士學(xué)位,當(dāng)然好。
一位在中學(xué)任教的教師則認(rèn)為,好鼓勵(lì)教師到外國(guó)深造。既然華中要成為學(xué)校,那么教師應(yīng)該到外國(guó)親身體驗(yàn)其他國(guó)家的教育情況,擴(kuò)大視野。再說異鄉(xiāng)環(huán)境的適應(yīng)、異族同學(xué)思想的撞擊,對(duì)他們回校后更能勝任教導(dǎo)在校的外籍學(xué)生。
一名代表家長(zhǎng)的電機(jī)工程師認(rèn)為,教師重要的素質(zhì)是培養(yǎng)學(xué)生德智體群美的愛心和耐心。他說,與其把時(shí)間花來讀碩士學(xué)位,不如花更多時(shí)間與學(xué)生在一起,以身教與言教琢磨學(xué)生。
一個(gè)來自的學(xué)生很坦率地表示,學(xué)生根本不在乎老師有什么高級(jí)學(xué)位。任何一位老師能讓學(xué)生愛上他所教的那個(gè)科目,能夠讓學(xué)生把他當(dāng)朋友般親近、尊敬,就是好老師。
這名中學(xué)生說,中學(xué)跟大學(xué)不同,中學(xué)生所學(xué)的,都是入門基本知識(shí),中學(xué)老師的重任是用盡各種方法來引起學(xué)生入門的興趣,是一個(gè)向?qū)А２幌翊髮W(xué)教授那樣,好比一個(gè)金礦,有淵博的學(xué)問,能讓學(xué)生挖個(gè)不停。因此,中學(xué)教師并不需要有太高的學(xué)位。
幾位朋友,對(duì)同樣的問題,提出了不同角度的看法,引人深思的是家長(zhǎng)和學(xué)生的意見。他們都就切身的“利益”,提出了對(duì)教師的殷切期望,他們的要求顯然跟校長(zhǎng)、甚至教師都很不同。
我當(dāng)然同意教師不斷進(jìn)修,繼續(xù)深造。校方能夠想方設(shè)法地協(xié)助教師,把大學(xué)講師請(qǐng)到校園來開課,免去教師長(zhǎng)途跋涉,費(fèi)時(shí)、費(fèi)力、費(fèi)錢的苦惱,當(dāng)然更是好事。
但是從家長(zhǎng)和學(xué)生對(duì)教師的期許,他們更重視教師扮演“良師益友”的角色,而不單是“百科全書”,由此可見大家對(duì)中學(xué)教師的定位,看法不一。
的確,在先進(jìn)科技的年代,學(xué)生已經(jīng)能夠通過冷的、硬的機(jī)器獲得各種各樣的知識(shí),從知識(shí)的層面來說,他們是不愁沒有的。但是,如何才能引起他們熱愛知識(shí),從而熱愛生命、熱愛國(guó)家、做個(gè)好公民呢？
他們需要一位長(zhǎng)輩點(diǎn)鐵成金,把“生冷”的知識(shí)、“疏離”的人情、化成璀燦斑爛、翩翩起舞,能讓他們興致盎然,在后面追逐樂趣無(wú)窮的花蝴蝶。
這個(gè)能耐是對(duì)中學(xué)教師大的考驗(yàn),碩士課程有教這個(gè)嗎？