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The Master of Education (Early Childhood) from the National Institute of Education gave Ms Lynn Koh more insights into research methodologies
in her field

Jan 10, 2019

After giving up a decade-long banking career to care for her son, Ms Lynn Koh was prompted to rejoin the workforce when her young son made a remark about having a teacher for a parent.

Since then, she has been in the Early Childhood (EC) industry for more than 18 years.

Today, she is a centre principal at one of the centres under MY World Preschool, overseeing its entire operation.

She is also a 2017 graduate of the Master of Education (Early Childhood) programme at the National Institute of Education (NIE), an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University.

Ms Koh shares her thoughts about her learning journey:

What drew you to take up the Master of Education (Early Childhood)?

My years in banking taught me the need to continually upgrade my skills and knowledge to keep abreast with changing times.

I embarked on the master’s programme in 2015 under the Early Childhood Development Agency’s Teaching Award sponsorship. I was in my 50s then, working as a principal at another childcare centre.

What were some unforgettable experiences?

The rigorous process of learning about research methodologies and writing my own research paper was mentally, physically and emotionally challenging.

However, it brought about a new appreciation of what and how research may benefit our community.

With what I’ve learnt, I could even do an action research to improve the work practices for my teachers that will also benefit children under their charge.

How has the programme helped you?

Learning at NIE was an enriching experience that kept me informed of current research findings, other teaching approaches and good practices that can be used in my workplace.

This postgraduate programme helped me to explore trends and issues in EC, which are important for me, as a leader, to know in order to stay relevant.

It also provided a good platform for me to learn from other EC practitioners.

All these assisted me in achieving the Singapore Pre-school Accreditation Framework (SPARK) for my previous childcare centre at the first attempt without engaging professional help.

For more information on NIE’s programmes, visit the NIE Postgraduate & Continuing Education Fair on May 11.