The Possibilities of Students as Partners – A Perspective from Singapore
August 28, 2023
Associate Professor Huang Hoon Chng (NUS English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies) focuses on student engagement and the shift towards the transformational praxis, or process of treating students as partners within the learning process in ‘The Possibilities of Students as Partners – A Perspective from Singapore’ (Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education, 2019)
Within certain faculty such as Business and Law, A/P Chng notes the already changed paradigm of students viewing themselves as clients and consumers, rather than simply passive students. The expectation from these specific students is that Business and Law School offer a gateway into the lucrative job market. Consequently, these students assume greater control within their degree programme in order to ensure a greater probability of success. Entitlement, for all its negative connotations, has produced the positive outcome of an active student body that is demanding a more horizontal rather than top-down learning experience.
A/P Chng discusses the need to ‘consciously liberate’ all students along a similar path, by introducing new methodologies and pedagogies to current staff, as well as encouraging the students themselves to take a more active participation in their education. Both of these aspects would entail a significant culture shock, since at present everyday practice in Singapore is structured around teacher-centred classrooms and discussions, and breaking down the entrenched norms of deference from student to teacher would require a sustained and concerted effort.
The key to partnership in education, as A/P Chng articulates, is the need for teachers and instructors to sometimes take a step back, thus allowing the students to assume a greater role within the vacated space. Initial teething problems, doubts on effectiveness, and the overall stance on what constitutes teaching will have to be reassessed in this gradual shift from a vertical student-teacher relationship to a more horizontal partnership style of teaching.
Read the full article here.