Mr Damian Chee first joined the Ministry of Education in 2004 as a contract teacher at West Spring Secondary School. He was strongly recommended by his Principal then to the National Institute of Education (NIE) in the same year to start on his teaching course immediately. During which, he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) with a Merit after being recognised to have adopted various teaching methods during Practicum that has been proved useful and engaging.
Naturally, Damian was posted to a higher institution after his NIE and went into the National Junior College in 2005 and started his teaching career since then. The College provided him with classes of diverse background which he handled differently but efficiently according to the students’ need. Through differentiated teaching and learning, games and investigative lessons, Damian adopted a student–centred learning culture in his classes. He is proven to be a good teaching asset and was subsequently appointed to be the Level Coordinator of Junior High 3 and 4 (Integrated Program classes dealing with students 15-17 years of age) and the Senior High (Junior College Level). Within which, he designed the curriculum which best suited the students while ensuring that they learn with interest.
Damian was also appointed to be the Overall In-charge for the Mathematics Team-Project which he coordinated various Information Technology (IT) classes and programs within the Mathematics Department to further enhances students’ learning through the use of IT (e.g. Texas Instrument Navigator system and AutoGraph). Other different modes of assessment were also adopted such as AFL (Assessment for Learning), encouraging Critical Thinking and Questioning in students and Online Assessment to cater for current students who are getting IT-savvy and learning differently. Damian also used the idea of Parallel Curriculum in the teaching and learning, to help students see the relevance of Mathematics to Real-Life through projects and in-class assignment so that they can better appreciate what they learn and to learn with an engaged mind. To investigate how students learn, Damian and his team of Mathematics teachers adopted the idea of Lesson Study (or Kenkyu Jugyo) – a beneficial assessment as a learning tool for students that originated from Japan which garnered huge success then.
Damian is also a very active member of the Junior Colleges Mathematics Teacher Conference (JCMTC), which he meets up with the rest of the Junior College Teachers frequently to analyse the most current A-Level syllabus, shared teaching and learning pedagogies. He came up with ideas in bridging students who transit from the O-Level / IP to the A-Level and eventually returned to College to shared with his fellow teachers. He also organised Learning Journeys for teachers to further equip themselves in teaching and planning in the motivation to encourage his team of Mathematics Teachers to have continual learning for the benefit of the students. Younger teachers sought opinions in teaching through him as he is a natural mentor due to his patience and commitment.
Throughout his six years of teaching in National Junior College, Damian coordinated and is well versed in the curriculum for Integrated Program (IP), Higher 1 (H1) and Higher 2 (H2) Mathematics. Currently, he is also continuing his 1-1 tutoring of students in his free time which started as early as 2001, as it provides him with additional teaching experience and in which proves useful in classes and vice versa. Damian is also helping private candidates in the syllabus mentioned above and on top of that, the A/AS-Level 9709 Mathematics as an additional and continual improvement to his teaching profile.
Teaching aside, Damian was appointed to be the Assistant House Master from 2009-2010 due to his recognised commitment to students’ well-being at the National Junior College Boarding School. During the period which he is in the role, he exercises extreme effort to see that students under his care are coping well with their stay and academic. He also designed and pioneered the teaching and learning curriculum for students who are academically at-risk for Mathematics from the Boarding School so that students can get help even during the evenings of their stay. Damian was also the Level Coordinator in the College’s Guidance Committee which he designed the curriculum to ensure that students’ character is in place while helping students to learn strategies to cope with lessons and examinations. Most importantly, Damian recognises the importance that each student learns with the right motivation and mindset which helps to propel a student’s potential. He was eventually nominated to be one of the Most Caring Teachers in the College by his students and teachers for his relentless commitment to students.