Global Voices in Education

Global Voices in Education

Oon Seng Tan Hee Ong Wong Seok Hoon Seng Editors Global Voices in Education Ruth Wong Memorial Lectures, Volume II 123

Editors Oon Seng Tan National Institute of Education Seok Hoon Seng Hee Ong Wong ISBN 978-981-10-3538-8 ISBN 978-981-10-3539-5 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3539-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961331 Springer Nature Pte Ltd. 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover photo from Ruth Wong: Educationist and Teacher Extraordinaire, 2013, with permission from Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Nature Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #22-06/08 Gateway East, 189721,

Preface This book, together with the previous published volume (Tan et al. 2015) form a complete compilation of the annual Ruth Wong memorial lectures from 1983 to 2008. The chronological order in which the lectures were given is recorded in the Appendix. Ruth Wong Hie King 1918 1982 (Ruth Wong: educationist and teacher extraordinaire, 2013, with permission from Strategic Information and Research Development Centre) v

vi Preface The decision to compile the lectures for publication as a memoir for posterity took root with the discovery of transcripts left behind by the late Dr. Wong Poi Kwong, brother of Ruth Wong. These transcripts were those of the Memorial Lectures instituted to commemorate the missionary zeal and rich legacy left by the founding Director of the Institute of Education, Dr. Ruth Wong, a trail blazer in the field of education (Wong 2013). Internationally renowned professors and leading experts in education were invited as orators. The educational themes dealt with in these lectures were that on teaching and learning, children and learning and education as a profession. They represent the many ways Ruth s vision, ideas and innovation elevated the training and education of teachers, and improved the learning experiences and education of children in s journey to a world class education system. In compiling these lectures the first difficulty encountered was to trace the missing transcripts. After many attempts and great patience, Dr. Seng Seok Hoon, the chief organizer of the lectures was contacted. We soon discovered that the transcripts were kept in one of 40 boxes! Although help was at hand to open the boxes one by one; by divine guidance the fifth box she opened, much to our delight, contained majority of the transcripts. However, miraculously (one was discovered in a library and another fell out from a dust laden cover) we were able to trace all. It was with much faith that this task was undertaken to its completion the search for original transcripts, contacting the speakers for permission to publish, the choice of publisher, the permission for reproduction from publishers, and the editing of scripts. The synopsis of Julian Elliott s lecture was compiled from a slide presentation. It is amazing how the three co-editors came together each time to reflect on the influence of Dr. Ruth Wong. We actually span some two generations. Hee Ong is Ruth s sister whom she impacted as a family member, role model and mentor. Seok Hoon was Ruth s protégé and associate. Oon Seng was a teenager and undergraduate who was deeply inspired by Dr. Ruth Wong s philosophy of life and call. Despite all our tight schedules, there was much enthusiasm and passion amongst us for the simple reason that we have been touched by the faith, vision and commitment of Dr. Ruth Wong and the fruits of her labour for education and humanity. For Prof. Tan Oon Seng, Director of National Institute of Education (NIE), Dr. Ruth Wong s work continues to influence teacher education till this day. The seeds of her ideals see fruition at NIE in the influence of preparing all teachers and school leaders in. NIE s teacher education has been a global influence today in terms of policies, programmes, practices and research in education. In his first and several investitures of graduating cohorts of teachers, Prof. Tan repeatedly mentioned and quoted Dr. Ruth Wong to illustrate the call and care of the teacher. In the Foreword of Ruth Wong: Educationist and Teacher Extraordinaire, Prof. Tan wrote that one key lesson he learned from Ruth was that God has a calling for each of us in a vocation where He will make us a blessing to others (Tan 2013, p. xi). He recalled vividly how Dr. Ruth Wong exclaimed the day he told her he was going into teaching: Wow, you are going to be a teacher and a math teacher (Tan 2013, p. xii). And how in that one afternoon she shared

Preface vii passionately what it meant to be a true educator with the love and concern for the children of generations to come. Dr. Ruth Wong indeed sowed the seeds of almost all the important aspects of education from the holistic care for the learner and preparing teachers grounded in values and competencies to building teacher education informed by research and investing in every child in education. Seok Hoon was Oon Seng s teacher and mentor when he was pursuing his Master and Ph.D. studies. Their professional relationship reflect very much the relationship between Seok Hoon and her mentor Dr. Ruth Wong. Both mentor and mentee understand how important this link is between the teacher and the learner. Seok Hoon s professional career was very much influenced by Dr. Ruth Wong s foresight in her quest to improve the academic standing of the academic staff in NIE; under her tutelage and guidance, many NIE staff were sent overseas for doctoral studies. Educators, education leaders and policy makers interested in uplifting and flourishing education for their next generation of learners reading these two volumes, should feel the inspiration, as well as find benefit and challenges from the experiences of global renowned educators. The editors are also delighted to share that all the royalties of this volume will go to fund the Ruth Wong Professorship inaugurated in June 2015. Oon Seng Tan Hee Ong Wong Seok Hoon Seng References Tan, O. S. (2013). Foreword. In H. O. Wong (Ed.), Ruth Wong: Educationist and teacher extraordinaire (pp. xi xiii). Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. Tan, O. S., Wong, H. O., & Seng, S. H. (Eds.). (2015). Global voices in education: Ruth Wong memorial lectures. : Springer. Wong, H. O. (2013). Ruth Wong: Educationist and teacher extraordinaire. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre.

Acknowledgements Global Voices in Education: Ruth Wong Memorial Lectures, Volume II bears the imprint of many individuals who have come to appreciate the legacy of Dr. Ruth Wong. Our thanks to all our distinguished speakers: Marie M. Clay, Ungku Abdul Aziz, Lucrecia R. Kasilag, Gungwu Wang, Awang Had Salleh, Paul Min Phang Chang, Jasbir Kaur, Hon Chan Chai, Warwick Elley and Julian Elliott. Our thanks to the organizing team for the memorial lectures especially Dr. Ho Wah Kam (a close colleague of Ruth Wong, whose personal contact with the speakers brought them from foreign shores to contribute their voices in education), Dr. Seng Seok Hoon and the late Dr. Wong Poi Kwong, brother of Ruth Wong. We would also like to thank Mrs. Wan-Yeoh Seok Kwan, Head of NIE Library for superbly co-ordinating this project and her staff especially Ow Tsin Li Stephanie. A special thanks to Mr. Paradijs van Harmen, Mr. Lawrence Liu and the great editorial team from Springer. Our acknowledgement and thanks to the National Institute of Education, for permission to reproduce copyright material pertaining to the Journal of Education (now known as Asia Pacific Journal of Education). Our acknowledgement and thanks to Taylor & Francis and Springer for permission to reproduce copyright material. Our acknowledgement and thanks to the Strategic Information and Research Development Centre for permission to reproduce copyright material. ix

Contents 1 Beginning Literacy in Two Languages... 1 Marie Mildred Clay 2 A Vision of Education in the 21st Century... 21 Ungku Abdul Aziz 3 Music Education for National Development: The Philippine Experience... 31 Lucrecia R. Kasilag 4 National Education and the Scientific Tradition... 37 Gungwu Wang 5 Approaching the Next Millennium: Education at the Crossroads... 51 Awang Had Salleh 6 Breaking the Cycle of Literacy Disadvantage in the 21st Century... 61 Warwick Elley 7 Education Administration: Analysis, New Challenges and Responses... 71 Paul Min Phang Chang 8 Education and Human Resources Development for the Knowledge Economy: A Personal Perspective... 85 Hon Chan Chai xi

xii Contents 9 Women and Leadership in Institutions of Higher Education.... 99 Jasbir Kaur 10 Motivation, Engagement, and Educational Performance: International Perspectives... 119 Julian Elliott Appendix... 121 Index... 123