You have been accepted into NIE. You are training to become a teacher! You will be a role model, whether to young children or older teenagers. And first, you want to complete your undergraduate or PGDE programme.
NIE Library, as the largest education library in Southeast Asia, is well-equipped with the resources, both print and electronic, that you will need. As a member of NIE Library, you will enjoy access to a range of resources that you will be hard put to find anywhere else.
Instructional Materials
In particular, we would like to introduce the instructional materials (IM) collection to you. It is located on the right wing of Level 3, just across from the Café. Here we have over 7,000 locally published volumes to meet your teaching needs. All spot yellow stickers at the bottom of the book spines.
The collection comprises textbooks, activity guides or workbooks and critically, teachers’ guides which are not available outside.
Decoding Call Numbers
The textbook/workbook and teacher’s guide share the same call number so books on the same subject will be shelved together. An example of a typical instructional material call number is: QA107.2 Sm 2017 P5. “QA107.2” indicates primary mathematics, 2017 is the year of publication, and P5 means it is aimed at primary 5 level. The equivalent for secondary mathematics is QA39.3, and levels are indicated by S1, S2, S3, etc. Of course, of particular importance in mathematics is that the answers to problems can be found in the teacher’s guide! Other subjects may have the same base call number for primary and secondary levels, e.g., PE1112 is used for primary and secondary English titles, PL1109 for Chinese, PL4751 for Tamil and PL5105 for Malay titles.
Below is a select list of call numbers:
Primary level
H85 - Social sciences
LC314.8 - Moral education
MT7 - Music
N350 - Art
PE1112 - English language
PL1109 - Chinese language
PL4751 - Tamil language
PL5105 - Malay language
Q161.2 - Science
QA107.2 - Mathematics
Secondary level
D16.25 - History
G128 - Geography
N350 - Art
PE1112 - English language
PL4751 - Tamil language
PL5105 - Malay language
Q160.2 - Science
QA39.3 - Mathematics
QC21.3 - Physics
QD31.3 - Chemistry
QH308.2 - Biology
The books are largely published by the MOE Curriculum Planning & Development Division or published on their behalf by commercial publishers such as Marshall Cavendish. They will naturally follow the MOE syllabus.
If you need any assistance, just approach the staff at the Service Point on Level 2!