Assoc Prof Heng Tang Tang
Heng Tang Tang (邢丹丹) completed her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. With a B.A. in Geography (University College, London) and M.A. in International Educational Development (Teachers College), she studies what happens when people or ideas move across borders. Specifically, she documents how students' and teachers' interactions with pedagogy are cultured and recultured amidst permeable borders. Consequently, she unveils how differences are perceived, talked about, and responded to. Her research inquiries are situated at the intersection of pedagogy, culture and diversity.
In her line of research around student mobility, Tang has studied how Chinese low-income immigrant preschoolers and international Chinese undergraduates navigate schooling in the U.S. Her work points to the importance of understanding students’ agency, assets, and sociocultural experiences. Tang’s research on Chinese undergraduate students was featured in Inside Higher Education, 星岛日报 (Sing Tao Daily) and 羊城晚报 (yang cheng wan bao). In recognition for her work, she was conferred the NAFSA Innovative Research in International Education Award in 2021, Comparative and International Education Society’s Study Abroad and International Students SIG Early Career Award in 2019 and the NIE Excellence in Research Award in 2020.
Tang’s other line of research around educational change and borrowing examines how Singapore teachers interpret and implement learner-centred approaches borrowed from abroad, like differentiated instruction, as well as how contexts shape the opportunities and constraints teachers face. Concurrently, she studies how teachers engage in teaching practices addressing learner diversity and equity in Singapore schools. Her research findings are integrated in the Masters-, executive-, and professional-level courses she teaches, like MCT913 Differentiating Curriculum and Teaching for Diverse Learners and MLS013 Leading Differentiated Instruction in Schools. Tang was awarded the NIE Excellence in Teaching Commendation Award in 2019 and 2020.
Tang's work has always revolved around education, be it in the non- or for-profit world. Locally, she taught Geography in secondary schools in Singapore, prior to joining the Singapore Ministry of Education. At the Ministry, she oversaw the national Geography curriculum for gifted students and provided professional development support to teachers. Overseas, she consulted for Plan China and the United Nations Development Program in the area of international educational development. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Tang designed curricula for Edison Learning and Amplify Education in the United States. During her doctorate, she was involved in a large-scale curriculum evaluation project with the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching.