Shaping Futures Beyond the Classroom
For the past three years, Stephanie has been one of the driving forces behind Star Learners’ quest for educational excellence. Over a decade ago, armed with nothing but boundless passion, she took her first steps as a teacher.
Fast forward to today, she’s not just building young minds; she’s constructing futures beyond the confines of a classroom. In this feature, she unveils her role’s ever-evolving landscape, including responsibilities that involve not only crafting curriculum, but also nurturing a culture of lifelong learning for both our children and educators.
Join us in exploring her vision for the future, where Star Learners becomes every educator’s dream destination, and literature-based learning leads the way in early childhood education.
Manager, Curriculum & Training
3 years with Star Learners
What led you to your current role as a Curriculum & Training Manager?
I began my career in the early childhood (EC) field 13 years ago as a teacher, even though I had no prior training or qualifications in early childhood education. My diploma was also unrelated to this field. However, in those years when I worked, I pursued an EC diploma and a degree.
My journey in this field has been interesting. I spent approximately four years teaching at a preschool before transitioning to the education department at the Mandai Wildlife Group. Subsequently, in 2020, I had the opportunity to join Star Learners as a Curriculum & Training Manager.
Tell us more about your role and responsibilities as a Curriculum & Training Manager?
My role is constantly evolving, which is why I never tire of my job (laughs). When it comes to curriculum development, my responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks. This includes crafting comprehensive lesson plans, meticulously selecting core books, conducting research, brainstorming ideas, writing and reviewing materials and designing worksheets and teaching resources. Additionally, my team conducts essential curriculum-related trainings such as structured focus groups and ad-hoc sharing sessions.
With training, I oversee the administrative aspects of various training programmes. Our team also takes charge of organising all our Professional Development Day training sessions for our educators. Furthermore, we diligently track and monitor the Continuing Professional Development hours of our educators, ensuring that they fulfil the required annual training hours.
This year, my team assumed the added responsibility of overseeing SPARK. As a result, my role has expanded to include visiting centres undergoing assessments to provide support and help bridge any gaps. We also meet with educators to guide and mentor them in refining their lesson execution during assessments.
Can you discuss any challenges you have faced in planning our curriculum and how you overcame them?
Designing and implementing curriculum is undoubtedly a challenging task. Beyond the extensive process of researching, writing and reviewing, there are several other critical factors to consider. For example, we must be mindful of our timelines to ensure timely delivery of curriculum materials to our centres for lesson preparation. We must also consider the teachers who will be tasked with delivering these lessons. Are our lesson plans overly complex? Could the amount of preparation required overwhelm them? Will our written instructions be correctly interpreted? All in all, the process is inherently demanding.
Though the journey has been marked by a series of obstacles, our team has worked together to find effective solutions. We have also been fortunate to receive invaluable guidance from Dawn, our Head of Curriculum & Training. Collaborating with such an exceptional team has made the entire journey an enjoyable and insightful experience for me.
What has been your proudest moment or most rewarding experience working here?
I feel grateful for the numerous opportunities presented to me at Star Learners that have allowed me to develop into the person I am today. As I reflect on my experiences, I recall many fulfilling moments, especially that of creating our Math Programme resources.
This included ideating and designing discussion charts and other learning materials from scratch. Besides ensuring they were aesthetically pleasing, we wanted to create resources that incorporated fun elements that aligned with our literature-based core books. Through that, we hoped to deepen the children’s love for learning and enhance their understanding of mathematical concepts. We also made sure that the resources helped streamline the logistic work for our educators. This entire process improved my thinking and approach towards designing lessons and resources for both educators and children.
I am proud to have grown professionally during my time at Star Learners and am excited to continue developing under the leadership of the organisation.
… Besides ensuring they were aesthetically pleasing, we wanted to create resources that incorporated fun elements that aligned with our literature-based core books. Through that, we hoped to deepen the children’s love for learning and enhance their understanding of mathematical concepts.
What are your well wishes for Star Learners as we celebrate 20 Inspiring Years?
My wish for Star Learners is that we become the organisation that educators dream of scoring an interview with, and for our literature-based approach to lead the way in the early childhood industry.
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