Lecturer

About The Job

Singapore University of Social Sciences is one of Singapore's six autonomous universities and its mission is to provide lifelong education that equips learners to serve society. Home to more than 15,000 students, SUSS provides an applied education that targets both fresh school leavers and adult learners, with a focus on the social sciences. It adopts a flexible and practice-focused learning approach and offers more than 70 degree programmes in various disciplines. Applications are invited for an open-rank faculty position in the area of Early Childhood at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

The successful candidate will join the Early Childhood cluster in S R Nathan School of Human Development and will be expected to teach and conduct research in Early Childhood and closely related fields.

Since 2010, SUSS has been offering Singapore's first and only locally awarded Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (with Minor) programme to part-time, working in-service teachers. Moreover, since 2017 with a government mandate, it started a full-time Direct Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Minor programme to cater to a mix of fresh A Level holders and beginning teachers with a polytechnic diploma.

This 4-year programme is currently the only locally awarded full-time early childhood education undergraduate degree in Singapore, a significant milestone in the Singapore early childhood teacher education landscape. The programme is anchored in socio-cultural perspectives, an inclusive approach, a strong belief in child agency, and children's meaning making and inquiry. More importantly, the programme aims to bridge the nexus between theory and practice for pre-service and beginning early childhood teachers. The programme offers field-based research and collaborative work with teachers in the field to develop child-centric learning experiences. The programme is delivered in a blended combination of online and face-to-face experiences, with an emphasis on teacher learning through regular placements in local kindergartens, child care centres and other relevant settings.

In addition, and in tandem with developments in the local early childhood sector, our university is growing a postgraduate Master of Early Childhood Education programme.

Required professional, teaching and/or research areas include:

• Child development for application in early childhood classrooms (infancy through age 6)
• Supporting children's meaning making through play-based, inquiry-based experiences
• Inclusive pedagogies
• Teacher leadership, classroom coaching, and inquiry for pedagogical improvement

What You Will Be Doing

Essential responsibilities:

• Develop course materials and assessments to support a diverse range of pre-service and in-service early childhood teachers
• Teach interactive courses in both face-to-face and online environments
• Write research grant proposals (mixed-method studies that can inform programme evaluation, teacher education and preschool practices)
• Work with the team to shape a research agenda to support practitioners and inform practices in the EC workforce
• Mentor students both on campus and in their placements in the partner preschools/childcare centres
• Help build a network of partner preschools and organisations for forging collaborative partnerships both locally and overseas
• Engage in national initiatives to improve the quality of early care and education in Singapore
• Serve on internal and external committees
• Perform other duties as assigned

Job Requirements

Applicants should have earned a doctorate (PhD) in early childhood education or a closely related field and preferably, obtained some teaching and research experience at a university (e.g., teaching and research assistantships). In addition, we are looking for candidates who:

• Have a global outlook
• Are keen to develop an innovative university teacher education programme that addresses the theory-practice nexus and issues related to human agency, social equity and cultural diversity
• Have successful experience teaching in teacher education and/or professional development programmes
• Have successful working experience with children, birth through six years, in diverse early childhood settings
• Are able to engage in collaborative work