NIE Graduate Leads By Example Through Learning To Learn
Some of the best leaders are those who lead by example. They have clear visions and purpose, inspiring the people they work with as they strive towards a common goal. As the head of a military school in Singapore, Mr David Lee saw the strength in the commitment and quality of his comrades. The desire to provide them with the best professional training and education programme convinced him to first equip and update himself with the latest professional knowledge in learning science and organisational development before inculcating a culture of self-improvement and collaborative learning at his workplace.
With this as his motivation, Mr Lee enrolled in the Master of Arts in Professional Education (Training and Development) at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NIE NTU, Singapore) and prepared himself to set an example for his subordinates by first learning to learn.
The Master of Arts in Professional Education (Training and Development) (MAPE) prepares professional educators with a distinct set of skills to drive mentoring and coaching, innovative training, assessment and design practices by fostering an understanding of central issues in learning and development, education and training, and educational leadership in the various professional contexts.
Quoting Brian Herbert, “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” The learning journey at NIE has given Mr Lee new insights and broadened his perspectives on adult learning and organisational development. The deep professionalism and passion shown by the NIE professors and lecturers also greatly inspired him. Influenced by their unwavering professionalism and dedication, he too aspired to transfer his own skills and knowledge in adult education and training development to curate, design and implement the best possible training and education programme to be rolled out at his workplace.
With support from his professors, he was able to connect the theories to real-life applications. “MAPE has equipped me with professional knowledge and given me greater clarity and confidence in strengthening the instructional design and delivery of courses,” Mr Lee said. “It has also opened my perspectives and given me new insights on how I can help to imbue the right learning environment to support the learners at my workplace so that they can truly benefit from the training and education programmes.”
Having spent two years as a postgraduate student at NIE, Mr Lee felt that the other intangible part of joining MAPE as a student was the opportunity to get to know a group of like-minded students whom he could constantly draw inspiration from. “The friendship and fellowship forged with my classmates is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Mr Lee fondly quipped.
If you are looking for a university to sharpen your knowledge and hone new skills, Mr Lee has this to say, “If you are deeply interested and passionate about helping people around you to grow, there is no better place than NIE to nurture you professionally. Besides offering a rigorous education, the curriculum allows students to be grounded in theory and strong in practice.”
Interested in exploring a graduate education at NIE? Application for August 2023 intake will take place from 1 November 2022 to 13 January 2023. Visit nie.edu.sg/ aug2023 for more information.
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an autonomous institute under the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU, Singapore). It has been consistently ranked among the top 20 education institutions in the world and the top-3 in Asia by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking.