Beginning at the End: "Bilingual Education for All" in Singapore and Teacher Education

Abstract

The general view in Singapore is that bilingual education is "good for everybody," & its wide availability is noted. An overview of Singapore population & education statistics is provided, with focus on Singapore students' native languages & the prevalence of English as an instructional language. Language use trends in Singapore are traced, & it is determined that both English use in the home & literacy are increasing; use of English is highest among the young. This language shift has implications for teachers of English, & an evolution in teacher quality is indicated, with teachers becoming better-educated on the whole. The role of teachers is detailed with respect to classroom discourse & sociolinguistic & pedagogic awareness. Links between formality & proficiency are clarified, & it is held that teachers must be able to use "operacy" & "orientation" in their instruction. The requirements for pragmatic teacher education in Singapore, grammatical grounding, sociolinguistic sensitivity, discourse discernment, & pedagogic perception are detailed. D. Weibel.