The scientist-practitioner model is one that I firmly believe in. It is a clinical psychology concept whereby empirical research informs applied practice in therapy. On the other hand, experiences gained during psychotherapy shape future research questions. I believe that academia and “the real world” have a similar bidirectional relationship. The newly launched Science of Learning in Education Centre (Solec) by the National Institute of Education (NIE) is a testament to the importance of neuroscience research in pedagogical practice.

To that end, I had the privilege of interviewing a Ministry of Education (MOE)-trained teacher who had, till recently, been teaching English to Primary School children for the past 7 years. The placid and rational Ms Lau describes her personal teaching philosophy as follows:

I believe that any child can thrive, given an unwavering faith that someone cares for them and believes in their ability to learn and grow.

Ms Jasmine Lau

What drew you to the teaching profession?

I wanted to work with children. Even when I was very young, that was something I was sure of. Initially, I was thinking about social work and I wanted to go to London, but I wasn’t earning money yet, so it was a timing thing. Still, I knew I always wanted to work with children.

What or who inspired your early interest in teaching?

I wanted to teach because I met a pretty life-changing teacher in Primary 4. He was the first teacher I met who didn’t tell me that I read too much. The first few teachers were always complaining about my reading habits and me not doing enough work.

(I later came to learn that this teacher introduced her to Roald Dahl, a starting point for Ms Lau’s love for literature! Click here if you’re need of her literary analysis of Enid Blyton…or don’t if you still want to keep the magic alive.)

After teaching my class, I was inspired by how he would lead the classes then labelled EM3 (an academic stream that has been discontinued), so he taught EM3 for years and years. This is why I decided to teach.

What does teaching mean to you?

Teaching is about preparing and readying children for the future, whether it’s language skills, mathematical skills, academic or non-academic. That’s why even as a teacher, I wasn’t uptight about results per se. It was about their ability to manage their lives.

What are some resources that inform your teaching process?

In MOE, we are restricted by the syllabus. I can’t veer too much from it. I can add on, but I can’t can’t replace.

How do you plan a lesson?

It depends on the needs of my children. I primarily work with those struggling academically so I will simplify the lessons by giving them concrete examples instead of abstract ones.

Every teacher has a customer, and my colleagues and I tend to customise our students’ needs

What does a successful student-teacher relationship look like to you?

I think that it has to be a comfortable relationship that doesn’t cross a certain boundary. The student must respect the adult as an authority figure and listen to them yet not be fearful. They should trust the adult and know that they can go to them for help anytime. Some teachers can lose control of their kids, and the interesting thing is that they can sense it. You have to be firm but very fair.I think it’s a fine line that teachers have to walk.

Okay let’s switch gears for a bit. Could you tell me about how you think neuroscience can benefit education?

I think educational neuroscience is a very new field. That being said, there are some well-written books. This one (Ms Lau holds up a yellow paperback book to the camera) is called “Wiring the Brain For Reading”. It’s one of my go-to books. It’s about how the brain develops language processes.

I think it’s important that teachers inform themselves, inform their decision making in the classroom. It’s not about this activity looking nice and using it with kids. It’s about being reflective of the process as well. It’s also a a big thing now in MOE.

Could you give an example of a takeaway from the book that you have perhaps applied in a teaching context?

Something that has stuck with me is the building of pleasant associations. It’s not so much an activity but a mindset. It’s about why children don’t like to read and why is it important that we associate reading to a pleasant feeling.It’s important to do this before we even attempt to teach them how to read because some of them resist the learning process.

It’s because they keep associating reading with work, and unpleasant words and unpleasant experiences. What we try to do is replace the negative experiences with pleasant, more positive feelings. Therefore, they’ll be more receptive to the learning process from the start.

There’s another book “The Read-Aloud Handbook” which explains why it’s very important for parents, or even teachers to continue to read aloud to their children.

It’s not so much about the words or the learning, it’s just about my mother sitting beside me and having happy feelings.

Lastly, if you could use brain imaging technology on your children, what question would you like answered?

The effects of “Reading Aloud” sessions on children’s brains.

I had a lovely conversation with Ms Lau. If you’d like to pick her brains about anything education related, you can contact her here.