Reimagining teacher education in Singapore for a changing international landscape

The uncertain future that the world faces has forced us to rethink our fundamental paradigms of teaching and learning. To meet new demands, students need to possess adaptability and resilience to thrive lifelong. In tandem, teacher educators need new dispositions, competencies, skills and knowledge to prepare pre-service teachers for such demands. This paper articulates key issues that international and Singapore teacher education faced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and what priorities were taken. It presents interview findings conducted on pre-service teachers and highlights some dilemmas faced, allowing for a critical evaluation of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme. The research aimed to gather insights on the aspects of the programme that participants found most relevant to their teaching role. Challenges posed by the pandemic on education in Singapore naturally surfaced. It will then discuss insights learnt and how Singapore and other countries may seize the opportunity to reimagine teacher education.