Pedagogical Innovation

“Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.” -- Rabindranath Tagore

Elusive as it may sound, innovation as defined by Hargreaves (2004) is about “(doing) things differently in order to do them better, which can mean a modest adjustment to what one has done hitherto or a much more dramatic change in that one does something new to replace previous practice” (p. 65). As such, pedagogical innovation can take different forms in accordance with the contextual needs that it addresses.

One prime objective of the NET Scheme is to promote innovative practices that motivate, facilitate and activate English learning. To this end, different initiatives are implemented under the NET Scheme to develop effective and innovative ways to enhance learning and teaching at both the primary and secondary levels. These include collaborative research and development projects (also known as “Seed” projects), literacy programmes and competitions that support teachers’ professional development and networking while offering students more opportunities to use English in a purposeful, creative and collaborative manner.

Given the wide-ranging learning needs of our students, we need to explore multiple avenues to develop innovative practices and then identify and disseminate those that “stick” to benefit more students and teachers.

We hope the experience shared can inspire further and better innovations.

Reference:
Hargreaves, D. H. (2004). Learning for life: The foundations for lifelong learning. Bristol, UK: The Policy Press, University of Bristol.