ST–LT Networked Learning Session 2025: Fostering 21st Century Competencies Through Creative Discourse in Physics Learning

On 15 May 2025, the Senior Teacher–Lead Teacher (ST–LT) Physics Chapter held a professional learning session at the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) as part of its 2025 networked learning series. The session featured a sharing by Dr Teo Chew Lee, Senior Education Research Scientist and Deputy Director at the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice, NIE.

Dr Teo’s presentation, “Fostering 21st Century Competencies Through Creative Discourse in Physics Learning,” explored how classroom discourse can be intentionally designed to nurture deep understanding, collaborative thinking, and core 21st century competencies. Drawing from her research in learning sciences and Knowledge Building pedagogy, Dr Teo shared how the principles of sustained idea improvement, epistemic agency, and community knowledge advancement can be applied in physics classrooms to engage students meaningfully in the learning process.

Joining her at the panel discussion was Mdm Lalitha from Broadrick Secondary School, an experienced practitioner in Knowledge Building. She shared concrete classroom strategies that support student-driven inquiry and knowledge creation in physics. Her examples illustrated how the design of learning tasks and environments can foster creative discourse and collective problem-solving among students.

The insights shared by Dr Teo and the grounded classroom examples by Mdm Lalitha illustrated how principles from educational research—such as those drawn from Knowledge Building—can meaningfully inform classroom practice. For Senior and Lead Teachers, such sessions serve as important platforms for translating research into practice, equipping them with pedagogical insights that can be adapted and scaled within their own schools. The session thus contributed to the professional development of teacher-leaders by supporting more intentional and innovative lesson design in physics education.