Fact Sheet: SAF Learning Transformation

Impetus

The environment which the SAF is expected to operate in is an increasingly complex one.  Besides the traditional roles of protecting Singapore's territorial sovereignty, tasks such as international peace-keeping deployments; dealing with non-traditional threats such as piracy and terrorism requires the SAF to equip its servicemen with new skill sets, while maintaining traditional competencies. This requires the SAF to transform the way it teaches, and how its servicemen learn in order to optimize their training time in the classroom and during field training.

In addition, the profile of the new generation of soldiers which are accustomed to self-paced and self-directed learning in a networked environment also allows the SAF to leverage on new technologies and instructional methods to equip them with the required skills.

Key thrusts

The key to transforming training pedagogies is to encourage soldier-centric and team-based active learning. To that end, instructional methods and technologies would be customised to take into account individual learning maturity, instead of a one directional, instructor-centric, one-size-fits-all curriculum and training pedagogies.

Programmes and implementation

To facilitate SAF's review of the learning of its operational environment, the SAF has set up three institutional centres that coordinates the design and synchronization of learning initiatives and programmes in the SAF. These are:

1. The Centre for Learning Systems (CLS) is responsible for the transformation of learning pedagogies and for establishing a pervasive learning network that would support advanced learning methods.

2. Centre for Operational Learning (COL) leads in the efforts to create understanding from lessons servicemen have learnt from operations.

3. Centre for Leadership Development (CLD) prepares SAF leaders to operate in an increasingly networked and rapidly changing learning environment through facilitating training and education and monitoring the effectiveness of leadership development efforts and systems throughout the SAF.

As the quality of SAF's trainers determines the effectiveness of its training, the SAF plans to set up a trainer institute to nurture trainers in advanced methods of learning and instructions. In time, accreditation programmes will be developed to ensure that the trainers' qualifications are certified.

These efforts are aimed at transforming learning within the SAF, in line with the vision of "Learning SAF, Thinking Warriors".

More Resources

• SAF Learning Symposium 2012 - Learning SAF, Thinking Warriors

• Keynote Address by Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the 2012 SAF Learning Symposium, SAFTI-MI Warriors Hall

• Fact Sheet: LEARNet

• SAF holds inaugural Learning Symposium