Finding the sweet spot in education

An internship at an educational technology (EdTech) company reinforced CHOW Yong Lam’s conviction to pursue a career as an educator.

The Year 4 student – who reads a Major in Applied Mathematics Major and a Psychology Minor – is equally convinced that the knowledge from his course combinations will prove relevant to this career pathway, especially when there are plenty of applications for both subjects.

He says, “Mathematics is a very fundamental subject with many uses in daily life, while psychology gives me a better understanding of human thoughts and behaviour, how they influence each other, and their applications in socialisation and education.”

For instance, Yong Lam believes that by better understanding his students and their learning motivations or difficulties, he can better engage them or even customise learning experiences for them.

He adds, “It can be uncomfortable to adapt to totally different learning approaches for different subjects, but do not fear it. With the correct mindset, the journey will be enjoyable and fruitful.” 

With these insights in mind, Yong Lam embarked on his internship to gain exposure to the soft skills required in teaching, such as public speaking, programme planning and problem-solving.

During his internship, he assisted in curriculum development matters, developed and vetted lesson plans for classes, and conducted weekly classes and live tutorial sessions for mathematics students in secondary schools. He also participated in the creation, editing and vetting of assignment questions, and mapped Singapore's SEAB (Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board) and Malaysia's KSSM (National Curriculum) mathematics syllabi.

He did not only come away with a better understanding of education behind-the-scenes and the potential of EdTech to advance the education sector. He now has greater appreciation of the rigour in planning and preparing for lessons and the importance of flexibility and “spontaneous” problem-solving in response to unforeseen circumstances at work.

Find out more about internships at https://chs.nus.edu.sg/current-students/.