The Singaporean education system is undergoing many changes in order to develop schools and nation which cultivate learning
and education. A crucial success factor to these initiatives is the teacher. Singapore needs reflective teachers who can continually
reflect upon their own practices to find better ways of teaching as well as maintain their purpose and direction amid a sea
of changes. This article describes attempts during the years of 2002 to 2004 to develop trainee teachers into more reflective
teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE), focusing specifically on the experience of two revamped pre-service
teacher education modules. The experience suggests that a social constructivist approach, in which trainee teachers discuss
and debate critical issues impinging on their professional practice, is more successful than the traditional ‘tell and regurgitate’
approach, in developing reflective teachers.