Outstanding Educator Award

" Teaching is, for me, a series of intellectual, moral, and
aesthetic puzzles whose purposes must extend beyond the
technical mastery of academic subjects to the development
of an expanded mode of reasoning and judgement about
their appropriate, beneficial, just, and creative
application in the world. "


Assoc Prof Kenneth Paul Tan

PhD (University of Cambridge), BSc (Hons) (University of Bristol)
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

CURRENT TEACHING PORTFOLIO
  • Singapore politics, society, culture, and arts
  • Arts and cultural policy
  • Urban planning, policy, and politics
  • Political theory

TEACHING ACHIEVEMENTS
  • Served on committees in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), the University Scholars Programme (USP), as well as the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, with several focussing on curriculum development and change
  • Created opportunities for international students to interact with Singapore leaders from diverse sectors at weekly lunchtime seminars, dinner-lectures, and informal discussions, known as The Singapore Experience @ The LKY School
  • Contributed to shaping Singapore's educational landscape through significant roles in the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Research Programme and the Upper Secondary Social Science Instructional Materials Development Committee

TEACHING STRENGTHS
  • Introduced "service learning" mainly in the form of student attachments to civil society organisations, that enable students to bridge theory and practice
  • Conceived an innovative "Socratic method plus mind mapping" approach widely acknowledged by students to have made classes highly participative
  • Made innovative use of IT and multimedia, and authored Web resources
  • Designed classroom simulations and role play exercises for experiential learning

PUBLICATION CREDITS
  • Published 13 articles in high quality international journals such as Asian Studies Review, International Political Science Review, and positions: east asia cultures critique
  • Authored academic monograph Cinema and Television in Singapore (2008), edited a book Renaissance Singapore? (2007), and contributed several chapters in books
  • Published numerous articles on pedagogy and learning, including a groundbreaking article in the American Political Science Association's professional journal, PS: Political Science and Politics

INTERNATIONAL STANDING
  • Reviewer for journals including International Journal of Cultural Studies; and editorial board member of journals including Human Rights & Human Welfare
  • Invited speaker at many local and international conferences

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
  • Fulbright Visiting Researcher Award, Georgetown University (2008)
  • Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Teaching Excellence Award (2008)
  • FASS Teaching Excellence Award (2005/6, 2004/5, 2003/4)
  • Excellent Teacher Award (FASS and USP) (2004/5, 2003/4)
  • Excellent Teacher Award (USP), USP Teaching Award (2002/3)

TEACHING ASPIRATION
I design innovative curriculum and pedagogy to inculcate in my students a life-long habit of critical thinking; to sharpen their ability to engage at the intuitive, theoretical, empirical, and practical levels; and to raise confidence in their capacity to effect positive transformations in the world. I want to share with my students the struggles and joys of living a life of contemplation and action in the world.

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