What is your course about? (for someone who knows nothing about it)
The big picture would be that we cover both the theoretical and the practical sides of early childhood development. In terms of theory, we cover child developmental theories and the early childhood landscape, such as its history and policies. Whereas on the practical side, we learn things such as classroom strategies and the different learning and behavioural stages of children. We also learn about very practical tips and strategies, such as working with families and other professionals in the industry.
DECISION MAKING
Did you go to JC/Poly? What subjects were you pursuing before university, and were they related to your university course? If you made a switch in your education path/choices along the way, share more about that!
I went to Ngee Ann Polytechnic and pursued Early Childhood Education (ECE). Before entering university, I worked as a full-time educator at a local kindergarten to serve my 3-year bond under the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Training Award. While working, I initially found it pretty tough due to the steep learning curve. But as I interacted with the children, I found myself learning as much as I was trying to teach them – it was like a learning journey with the children, and it gave me a sense of fulfilment and joy whenever I saw children moving onto the next developmental stage. Even though it may seem like any regular 9-6 job, everyday felt like a different experience since I’m able to work with children who are constantly growing and learning. To me, that felt really exciting!
What courses were you considering, and what were the factors that personally shaped your decision (from more important to not as important)?
Personally, when I received my O Level results, business-related courses and working with children were at the back of my mind as potential future career paths. However, I felt that business-related courses may be overly competitive and thought that a degree in early childhood would provide me with the essential skills to work with children. What really affirmed my passion for working with children right before the final submission of my poly course choices was this children’s artwork exhibition that I happened to come across at a library, so I would say it was a rather impromptu decision that turned out well.
How did you eventually decide on your course over other courses, especially those that were similar?
Other than ECE, there were similar courses such as child psychology. However, I felt that ECE is more general, and I will always have the opportunities to branch out or go deeper to specialise my skills if I am interested.
Which universities offered your course, and how did you decide on your school eventually?
Currently, the only local university that offers a degree in early childhood education is SUSS. I chose SUSS over the private universities due to financial reasons (e.g. subsidies for the programme) and reputation.
Alternatively, I heard that the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) newly came up with post-diploma courses – for those who took ECE in poly like I did or are considering a career path switch, this could be another option for consideration!
As a whole, how do you think we can advise our juniors to make the decision that feels the most right to them?
I feel that if you were to have a passion or area of interest, it would be good if you could pursue it. It helps to motivate you, and you can always fall back on why you started when it gets tough or challenging. Personally, for me, choosing to work full time before enrolling on SUSS helped me understand what the industry is like and if I’m able to commit long term. Internships/ fieldwork are good opportunities and platforms that provide you with a more complete picture of the practical side of what you study.
TEACHING CURRICULUM
How many modules / seminars/tutorials/lectures per week? By semester / term / month?
Like most local universities, SUSS has 2 semesters in a year, and there are two terms in a semester. Each term is 6 weeks long, followed by 2 weeks of break.
What are lessons like?
Our lessons are more seminar-style, and in between the professors’ teachings, we do have a lot of hands-on activities, such as interacting with children’s toys. The hands-on activities spark conversations in the classroom, for example, on how we can utilise certain tools to better interact with children of different age groups.
Since lessons are online now due to COVID, they have shifted to become more discussion-based. But depending on your prof, you might still get to experience hands-on activities in online classes. For this art module that I’m taking, the school prepared sets of art materials for us to collect from the school, which I think our prof plans to use in future online classes.
Regarding graded class participation in our current online class setting, I would say that it is quite minimal, taking up about 5-10% of our grade. Different profs conduct it differently – some require students to answer questions verbally, but some are okay so long as they see responses in the chat. We also have something called a class discussion board, which gives us class participation marks.
What is the format of your assessments?
For core university modules, there will be both individual and group assignments. ECE modules are mostly based on individual assignments. While we mostly have exams in essay format, where there is a descriptor given for individual assignments, some assessments are more application/practicum based, involving either observing children’s behaviours or attempting to implement a planned curriculum for a group of children.
What’s the ECE curriculum like for Year 1-Year 4?
In Year 1, as most uni courses go, we take more basic and general modules on theories and policies, with the more interesting ones being pedagogy. In a way, I think these modules are the ones that shape your mindset and perception of children. There are also modules related to different learning areas, ranging from facilitating children’s mathematical thinking to science inquiry and social studies. Since I took ECE in poly, I’m exempted from a few modules and am thus on a 3-year track, but I’m aware that some of my friends on the 4-year track also have modules on motor skills in Year 1 which are movement and music-related.
In Year 2, there is a buildup of content in the different learning areas. For example, I’m currently taking modules on art, children’s social and emotional learning, and supporting children with diverse and special needs. These modules cover things like conducting observation, assessment and documentation of children’s learning. We also have modules that involve learning about the curriculum for infants up to 3-year-olds, along with basic research modules which involve writing research papers as practitioners, aka teacher research. This is a buildup to Year 3, where everyone has a compulsory 3-month attachment and a research component.
Subsequently, the remaining time, whether in the 3-year or 4-year track, is usually spent clearing your remaining electives and core modules, especially if you are taking a minor in another course. Overall, I would say that the uni ECE curriculum is a lot more in-depth and challenges you to think deeper about your teaching philosophy than the more touch-and-go curriculum of a diploma in ECE.
How is a week in the life of a student in your course & school like?
In Year 1, Mondays and Tuesdays were blocked off for our full-time work attachment, with lessons on Wednesdays to Fridays. On days with tutorials, I would go to school to attend them. Each tutorial normally lasts for 3 hours, and I will meet my coursemates during the tutorials. There are study areas around campus, so there are times that my coursemates and I would grab lunch and do our assignments or study in school.
In Year 2, we have block attachments on certain weeks where we are sent to childcare centres for practicum, where we are required to write up a curriculum and conduct lessons accordingly. However, because of our unique timetable, even our general modules are only taken with our coursemates. While this kind of limits the number of people we can meet outside of our course, it promotes bonding amongst people within our course.
How heavy would you say the workload for your course is compared to an average student in your university?
I would say that the quantity of the workload is roughly the same since every course has its individual and group assignments. However, as mentioned previously, since our school does send us for practicum at childcare centres, there would be an additional reflection or work to help us understand and practice as future early childhood educators. The work is not tough since our assessment operates on a Pass/Fail system until Year 3. Yet, it can be tedious, especially during Year 2 block attachments, when other modules may have deadlines that overlap with our ECE attachment weeks. Furthermore, since lessons for our ECE modules get pushed back to other weeks, some weeks are packed with lessons every single day.
There are often certain skills or content knowledge that you learn in university that can be learnt outside of school independently. Would you say there’s a difference between learning this knowledge/skills independently versus in university? What knowledge/skills would you say can only be learnt from your course?
I think this is dependent on the skills/knowledge. It is easy to read up about certain early childhood theories online with today’s technological advancement. However, the main difference is how the modules are being planned. Each module links and builds on one another. In addition, the practicum allows us to apply what we have learnt in class, and there are mentors and field supervisors to observe and provide us with feedback on how we can improve our practices. It would be difficult to acquire this knowledge and skills outside of school.
Are there specialisations within your degree? If yes, when do you have to choose your specialisation, and what specialisation have you chosen?
No, there are no specialisations within my degree. However, you can always take on another advanced diploma to further your specialisation in specialised institutions. For example, there are many professional development courses available under ECDA.
Within SUSS itself, there are minor courses that we can take up, which I think is what comes the closest to specialisation. While I am currently taking business for my minor, I heard that there is a new minor in special needs that was introduced early last year, and most of the people who take it are in ECE.
How are the faculty / professors of your course like?
The professors are very friendly and passionate about what they are doing. All of them have rich and long experiences in the early childhood field. They have many stories and tips to share and are very approachable, and always try their best to answer our questions.
Are there any final year projects / capstones / thesis to do?
Yes, there is a research project in Year 3. We can decide on our topic, and the research will be conducted concurrently during our field practicum. I will likely conduct my research on children’s social-emotional development and learning.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE / PREFERENCES
What were your most and least favourite/interesting classes/part of your course?
I think all the modules I have taken and am currently taking are interesting. There are a lot of opportunities for hands-on learning and discussion in my course; hence classes are very interactive, and you can apply what you have learnt. My favourite would be this course that I took on literacy in a play-based curriculum, which broke down the different levels and stages of development that children progress through in language learning (e.g. phonics). Learning about the technical aspect of working with children really helped to reinforce the significance and meaning behind why I’m doing what I’m doing. The professor being very engaging was a huge bonus, and we were provided with a lot of resources to visualise what we could do with children.
What are some thing(s) you didn’t know/expect about the course before starting, and what are some things that surpassed your expectations?
I used to think that it was easy to teach children and there wasn’t much to learn. However, it amazes me to see so many aspects of it. The course provides a holistic view of what we need to know, from early childhood theories to classroom management, working with families and so on.
Are there any common misconceptions/stereotypes about your course that you would like to debunk?
Many people think that early childhood educators are like babysitters or we just play with the children in the centres. However, there is so much more to it. On top of the basic routine and caring for the children, we also plan meaningful lesson plans, set up the environment and work with the community and families to enhance children’s learning. As each child is different, there are many times when we have to differentiate or adjust our activities and instructions to cater to each child’s needs. I wish people could show more appreciation and understanding of what early childhood educators are doing and feeling and recognise that it can be a challenging job.
Were there times when you regretted your decision? / Is there anything that you didn’t particularly enjoy about your course?
I do not regret my decision as of now. I see the purpose and need for each module or practicum that the school and professors have planned, and I enjoy them.
Are there many people who switch out of your course? Is the student retention rate for your course high?
I have one or two friends who switched out of the course in polytechnic and some friends who did not stay in the field upon polytechnic graduation. Some of the reasons were that they wanted to pursue something else of their passion or work with other people of another group (e.g. elderly or children with special needs). However, most students do stay and follow through with their decision. I have not met or seen anyone switching out of the course at the university level.
What sort of student do you think would excel in / be suited for your course? Or what should one like (e.g. working with numbers, presentations) to enjoy your course?
I feel that if you have a passion for working with children, you would be able to enjoy and generally do well in the course as you are interested in what you’re studying. Although the assignments are in the form of essays, there is also the practical aspect during practicum. Having an open heart and mind and a ‘willing to learn and try’ attitude will be beneficial as you have to step out of your comfort zone to improve your teaching practices.
CAREER PROSPECTS
What are the career prospects like for your course?
Most people work as early childhood educators upon graduation. There would be opportunities to take on leadership roles (e.g. being lead/senior teachers or principal) as we work. One could also specialise in certain areas such as curriculum planning, classroom design or special needs.
What are your plans after university?
I plan to work as an early childhood educator after university to gain more experience working with different children and families, focusing on the social-emotional development of young children. Subsequently, I may become a centre leader or start my own business to work with children and families.
Did you have any internships/work experience related to your career (elaborate if yes), and did your school give you sufficient training & resources? Otherwise, where else did you find them?
SUSS sends us for practicum to different childcare centres, starting from Year 1, providing plenty of exposure and hands-on learning. During the practicum, we observe classroom practices and assist the class teacher in carrying out routines and activities. We are also given opportunities to lead routine care or conduct classroom activities with the children. Our practicum supervisors conduct field observations, and they give us feedback on how to improve our teaching practices. This helps to provide a 3rd person’s point of view, prompting us to further think and reflect on how we can make strong connections between theories that we study and the practical aspect.
STUDENT LIFE
How is the school culture like, and how would you describe the people? What should students entering your school take note of?
Since SUSS is a relatively new local university compared to other local universities, the school has a culture of being open to our feedback. One thing that students should note could be the way the curriculum is being planned and delivered. For example, in the case of ECE, we have our unique block attachments, which affect our schedule for the entire semester. It is also important to do their self-study before each tutorial to make the most out of it.
What were your CCAs?
There are only sports CCAs in SUSS, but the school is open to letting students start their interest groups. I do not have any CCAs as of now, but I have participated in the school’s Community Engagement (CE), which is like your CIP from secondary school. I like how there are opportunities in sectors that are more related to my course. For example, in Year 2 Sem 1, I was a classroom volunteer in Rainbow Centre, working with children with special needs.
What other opportunities have you made use of in university e.g. overseas exchange (can also include external commitments)? Which do you cherish most?
There are many overseas trips and youth expedition trips available for all to join. For example, there was a compulsory Shenzhen orientation catered by the school in Y1, where our entire cohort was split into multiple batches and sent for visits to companies and school campuses. I plan to go for an overseas exchange for my course in the future, if possible, hopefully to Taiwan or Japan. A pretty popular option for exchange in our course is the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada since you can map your ECE modules over during summer school.
On top of that, the school organises many industry talks or workshops for the students. I have been attending sharings related to early childhood to expose myself to different practices in different countries or centres. I find these sharing very interesting and valuable because there are many aspects when working with children. These sharings and workshops may cover things not covered in-depth in class, and I cherish them a lot.
Any parting words or advice for juniors? :,)
I think being self-disciplined and reflective is very important when pursuing your degree. There is less hand-holding from the people around you as you are at the degree level. Hence, you have to read up, digest and reflect on the things being taught or discussed in class. There isn’t the best or right way to do things at times, hence by being reflective, you will learn why certain things are done in a certain way. From there, you can form your views and stand! 🙂
Also, get to know like-minded friends that you can journey with, be generous in offering your help and bounce ideas off each other for more learning! They will also push you on and remind you of why you started on this path which helps a lot during the tough times. Remember that you are not alone in this; I’m pretty sure that the teachers and seniors are glad to help you too! All the best 😀