In a commentary article on Lianhe Zaobao, Dr Connie Lum, Director of the Mother Tongue Language Curriculum at NTUC First Campus, shares her take on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) updated Nurturing Early Learners Framework. The framework emphasises the holistic development of children such as developing social-emotional skills and values in children to instill a positive learning attitude. 

According to Dr Lum, the pre-school age is an important period for the emotional development of children, and developing our children’s social-emotional skills has far-reaching impacts on their overall development and even life development. 

Teachers also play an important role in developing children’s social-emotional skills. When designing kindergarten activities, curriculum, and the classroom environment, teachers should consider the children’s experiences, and pay more attention to the children’s existing knowledge and experiences, as well as their level of cognitive development, to promote their cognitive and social development.

“The development of social-emotional skills is not a completely spontaneous process. While influenced by innate factors, teachers are regarded as an important factor other than parents who affect the development of children’s emotional ability. The interaction and language expression between teachers and children play a key role in helping children learn to properly express and control their emotions,” said Dr Lum.  

Media Coverage:

• (15 Mar 2022) Lianhe Zaobao, Page 23
• (15 Mar 2022) Lianhe Zaobao Online: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/talk/story20220315-1252382  

Lianhe Zaobao, 15 March 2022, Page 23.pdf