Teaching with Empathy: Empowering Maple Bear Singapore Teachers through PDCP Training 2024

Maple Bear Singapore is committed to building a thriving early years education network through continuous Professional Development and Curriculum Planning (PDCP) Training. On 15 April 2024, about 800 Maple Bear teachers, owners, administrative and support staff across 53 preschools came together for a professional training session designed to expand our learning horizons. 

This year’s program focused on how educators can create a safe and joyful environment optimal for a child’s learning and personal growth. Taking the lead from two well-loved children’s books – Virginia Axline’s “Dibs in Search of Self” and Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s “Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window” – the sessions focused on supporting a child’s social-emotional learning by considering their unique experiences and individuality. Like Totto Chan’s headmaster who encourages students to follow their passion and learn outside the typical confines of a classroom, his teaching aims to foster individuality, creativity, and character development over a traditionally rigorous academic focus.

Mrs Patricia Koh, our Educational Ambassador, emphasises, “As Early Childhood Educators, we must continue to focus our attention on the child and not on how we have been ‘trained to manage children’. Some theories are written by those who do not understand children, by those who have not spent enough time with children understanding them.”

By emphasising the importance of empathy and understanding, the impact of love and acceptance, and the significance of childhood experiences, educators can better motivate young learners through cultivating mutual trust and security. 

At Maple Bear, we employ diverse and inclusive teaching practices that prioritise your child’s well-being and natural curiosity. Our Maple Bear teachers are lifelong learners with a passion for our educational mission – to inspire children, and to be continuously inspired by children, on our journey of learning and discovery!