Not if but when pedagogy collides with culture in Singapore

Abstract

Recent curricula reforms in Singapore seek to cultivate knowledge workers for the global economy whereby critical and creative thinking are normative capabilities. Because it is believed that these national goals are best served by meaningful and constructivist ways of classroom instruction, student-centered pedagogies are being promoted as valuable strategies for local educators. Drawing on cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT) and the concept of contradictions, I describe, in general, some of the learning difficulties experienced by one fourth-grade girl as she attempted to navigate one of these pedagogies and science instruction over the course of a school year. The findings from this case study underscore some of the tensions in implementing student-centered pedagogies in East Asian contexts such as Singapore and index greater attention to cultural–historical issues during research on curriculum.

Keywords:

• cultural–historical activity theory
• knowledge building
• contradictions
• Singapore

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by research grant LSL 10/06 LYJ (R59801121).