From classroom to curriculum: How one educator is rethinking teaching for today's learners
Two fellow students in the Master of Education (Curriculum and Teaching) programme – one from the military and the other from healthcare – shared a contrasting perspective. In their fields, strict adherence to instructions was often critical, with real consequences in life-or-death situations. This eye-opening insight into the need for different teaching approaches deepened Mr Lu's interest in education.
Mr Lu had enrolled in the part-time graduate programme at NIE after a conversation with his supervisor sparked a realisation: He wanted to better understand education policy, pedagogy and curriculum, and how he could better support lecturers in their work.
LEARNING FROM MANY, TEACHING FOR ALL
With over 30 graduate programmes and courses designed to sharpen critical thinking, enhance professional skills and open up new career paths, NIE attracts a growing number of students from a wide range of industries and countries. Their diverse perspectives and experiences enrich classroom discussions and learning for everyone.
This diversity mirrors the changing student population in polytechnics. Mr Lu observed that today's polytechnic students come from increasingly varied educational backgrounds and life stages. Many are working adults returning as full-time students or trainees, each with their own goals and life experiences.
As a result, polytechnic lecturers must adopt a flexible mindset and be equipped to teach both technical and soft skills. 'They need to design meaningful classroom experiences that inspire and motivate students from all walks of life and help them work toward their aspirations,' Mr Lu explained. 'At the same time, they have to balance a rigorous curriculum that builds resilience with an awareness of students' well-being.'
In such a setting, having a wide-ranging community of fellow educators is important. Mr Lu, who graduated in January this year, said that the diverse student body at NIE was his favourite part of the programme.
'I met classmates from countries like China and Vietnam, and others from fields like the military, nursing, human resources and private education. Each of them is an educator in their own way, and they brought very different yet valuable perspectives on curriculum and teaching.'
Mr Lu added that his NIE chat groups remain active. One of his classmates even works in the same polytechnic, though in a different school, and they've explored opportunities to collaborate.
For Mr Lu, the graduate programme at NIE offered more than just academic knowledge – it refined his understanding of the many factors and stakeholders involved in shaping curriculum decisions and education policy.
'The course on globalisation and curriculum reform gave me a broader view of Singapore's education landscape and helped me better understand why schools are structured and managed the way they are,' he shared.
He especially appreciated how classroom assignments encouraged students to apply what they learned to real-world contexts. Rather than working through fixed case studies, Mr Lu and his classmates were asked to explore how key concepts played out in their own workplaces. 'This pushed me to think more critically about my work and how I can better support both lecturers and students in my school,' he said.
Before taking on the role of director, Mr Lu led his school's transdisciplinary unit – a team focused on developing a curriculum that helps students build transdisciplinary skills. This approach encourages students to draw from different disciplines and integrate multiple perspectives when solving problems.
With insights gained from NIE courses on curriculum development, Mr Lu and his team designed a series of transdisciplinary studio projects, where students from different creative disciplines worked together to solve social issues and industry briefs innovatively. These projects received positive feedback from industry partners, who were impressed by the students' ideas.
Thanks to the research courses he took at NIE, Mr Lu was also able to collaborate with his colleagues on developing a three-year longitudinal study examining the impact of his school's transdisciplinary curriculum. The study has since been presented at both local and international academic conferences.
'Through the transdisciplinary curriculum, our students are becoming more comfortable with ambiguity and more willing to take creative risks – traits that are essential in any creative field,' Mr Lu noted. 'We're now working on developing our own instrument to measure transdisciplinary thinking.'
Enrolling in NIE and becoming a student again has reshaped Mr Lu's perspective. Once focused mainly on day-to-day teaching, he now views his work through a broader, more philosophical lens.
He is also keen to continue an educational journey that he finds deeply fulfilling. 'I believe continuous learning is a fundamental part of our work. We don't just teach for others to learn – we learn to teach, and we keep learning while we teach. Though I've completed my Master's programme at NIE, I am excited to learn more when I embark on my PhD in August.'
Applications for the January 2026 graduate intake at NIE NTU, Singapore, are now open. Apply by Jun 19, 2025, for coursework programmes, and Jul 24, 2025, for research programmes.
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GRIEF BEGINS BEFORE DEATH 'Grief does not start after a person passes on. It starts when he is not able to hold a conversation with you, hold your hands, sleep in the same bed,' Tay reflected. Peh was first diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer in 2010 at the age of 38, but recovered after surgery and chemotherapy. For four years, he was cancer-free. But in the fifth year, just before a long-anticipated family trip to Italy, the cancer returned. This time it was terminal. In 2015, Peh was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer. The doctor said the father-of-three had up to a year to live. 'We cancelled our trip. All our plans were shattered,' Tay said. For a while, Peh swung into depression. 'He knew my dream was to be with the kids and give them a really good childhood. He also knew I'd always wanted a complete family. Knowing he could not provide for us or be there for us anymore was really tough for him,' she added. But Peh picked himself up and decided to spend his remaining time well. He even proposed to Tay again, and the couple held an intimate renewal of vows ceremony in 2015 on Christmas Day. 'I was very, very happy,' reminisced Tay. Peh outlasted his doctor's forecast and survived for two years and three months. Over this period, he underwent radiotherapy, and several operations where he removed parts of his stomach, intestine and pancreas. However, during the last nine months of his life, his digestive system shut down and he had to be fed intravenously. This did not satiate his hunger, and he was always hungry. 'My children and I dared not eat in front of him, and hid ourselves to eat. We made sure to rinse our mouth before going near him,' Tay said. Her husband was hospitalised during this period and she stayed in the hospital with him the entire time; her children visited daily. 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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wicare (@ A year later, in 2019, Tay was invited to join the Wicare board. She and a few other board members set up a befriending framework and recruited befrienders. She also enhanced its Children Grief Support Programme, which equips children whose fathers have died to process their grief through counselling, group therapy, and psychosocial therapies like ceramic and puppetry workshops. This is an initiative under WiShine, a programme that supports widows and their children during their healing journey, and is funded by the Community Chest and SGSHARE, Community Chest's donation platform. Tay brought the spirit of volunteerism into her family as well. Since 2020, she has involved her children, who are now 17, 25 and 26, in Wicare activities and events where they care for and interact with younger children through games, arts and craft, and conversation. Because of her active volunteerism, Tay was appointed chairperson of Wicare in May. 'I used to be a very simple person. All I needed to do was to be a good mum to my kids. But after the loss, I see the world in a very different perspective. I now see that there are so many people who are going through losses. I also draw courage from every story I hear. 'Along the way, I am really glad to have come to this space where I can rediscover myself and do things that I would previously never do,' she said. But no matter how many years have passed and how much she has changed, Tay still misses her husband dearly and tears when she thinks of their happy times. What hurts, she said, is knowing that as her children grow up, she will walk the rest of the road without the man who had shared his life and built their family with her. In those moments, she is struck by a deep sense of loneliness, she said.
