Primary School Archives - Page 3 of 3

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Sim Hwee Hwang

Primary School

Using Investigation and Discussion to Inquire about Issues in Primary Social Studies

Author/s:

Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore) Keywords Social Studies Primary School Inquiry Teaching Abstract This article begins with the inquiry teaching approach for primary social studies and the rationale for its inclusion in the 2013 syllabus by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. It compares traditional instruction and inquiry-based teaching and describes the two types […]

Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Keywords
Social Studies
Primary School
Inquiry Teaching

Abstract
This article begins with the inquiry teaching approach for primary social studies and the rationale for its inclusion in the 2013 syllabus by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. It compares traditional instruction and inquiry-based teaching and describes the two types of inquiry that can be implemented in the primary classroom – discussion and investigation. Three useful inquiry models for primary children – Colin Marsh’s (2001) investigation model and two discussion models – Diana Hess’ (2009) town meeting model (TMM) and David Johnson and Roger Johnson’s (1999) structured academic model (SAC) – are elaborated. The application of these models is illustrated in two issue-based, inquiry centred packages designed for primary children by student teachers from the National Institute of Education. The article also discusses the challenges teachers may face when implementing such inquiry-centred packages and suggests ways of how they can be overcome.

Inquiry in primary social studies teaching
In Singapore, the primary social studies syllabus produced by the Ministry of Education (MOE, 2013) advocates inquiry as a teaching approach in schools. It is understandable why such an approach is encouraged in the context of Singapore’s development. Singapore is a knowledge-based economy (Ngiam, 2011) with strong governmental emphasis on research and substantial resources are channelled yearly to the various universities, ministries and statutory boards in advancing the country’s economy as a knowledge producer (The Straits Times, 2016). Research involves inquiry and it is never too young to start children to inquire in schools. Moreover, all children have an innate curiosity about the things around them and their incessant questioning of whys (Parker, 2012) should be tapped to promote their learning in the classroom. Inquiry can enable children to gain an enlarged understanding of the topic, problem or issue in question, develop essential skills such as critical thinking skills to evaluate the relevance, quality and strength of evidence, and to distinguish between well-reasoned and balanced arguments based on solid evidence, and acquire dispositions such as respect for diversity, empathy and perseverance and resilience in the face of challenges. Such learning outcomes can contribute towards citizenship education and participation in Singapore now and in the future. In recent years, the government has been more open to its citizens’ views on policy matters and have tweaked several of its policies on health, social and economic matters by incorporating their views. It has also encouraged greater community involvement in partnership with it to make Singapore a better and a more inclusive home for all of its people (The Straits Times, 2014). Hence, children as future leaders of the country will be well prepared for their citizenship roles if they start from young to learn in an inquiring environment.

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Conceptual Teaching in Primary Social Studies: Teaching the Primary Three Reader,“Making the Little Red Dot Blue and Brown” in a Conceptual Way

Author/s:

Sim Hwee Hwang

Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore) Keywords Social Studies Junior College Secondary School Primary School Social Studies Conceptual Teaching Abstract This paper looks at what conceptual teaching is about, the differences between conceptual and traditional teaching and the advantages of conceptual teaching. Different deductive and inductive approaches for teaching the big ideas of subject […]

Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Keywords
Social Studies
Junior College
Secondary School
Primary School
Social Studies
Conceptual Teaching

Abstract
This paper looks at what conceptual teaching is about, the differences between conceptual and traditional teaching and the advantages of conceptual teaching. Different deductive and inductive approaches for teaching the big ideas of subject matter, that is, the concepts and generalisations, are described. The paper also focuses on the teaching of the primary three social studies reader entitled, “Making the Little Red Dot Blue and Brown” using some of the conceptual teaching approaches mentioned. The paper concludes with the importance of teacher subject matter knowledge in conceptual teaching.

A Paradigm Shift: Conceptual Teaching for Primary Social Studies
One longstanding issue which primary social studies teachers in Singapore schools face is the challenge of content coverage, especially in the upper primary, within a tight curriculum time. As it is, the time allocation for lower primary social studies teaching is a single period of 30 minutes per week; and for upper primary, it can range from a weekly of two periods of 60 minutes (Primary 4) to three periods of 90 minutes (Primary 5 and 6) per week (CPDD, 2013). Moreover, the upper primary periods are not necessary arranged back to back for uninterrupted teaching and the periods at all levels can be scheduled just after the morning school assembly, recess or physical education or music lessons. When such periods do not end on time, the amount of time for actual social studies teaching can be reduced as time is needed for pupil movement and settling down. Some teachers worry that if they do not teach the social studies textbooks produced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) from cover to cover, they are not doing their job as teachers properly. For these teachers, the “tyranny of content coverage” is a pressing concern.

To overcome the above-mentioned challenge, one needs to rethink the way primary social studies can be taught. The paradigm shift requires one to teach conceptually but what is conceptual teaching? According to Erickson (2002, 2007, 2008), conceptual teaching or concept-based instruction as she called it goes beyond fact acquisition. It is about teaching the big ideas of a subject matter using relevant content, information or facts to support that teaching. Teachers do not have to teach all the factual content in conceptual teaching. Instead they need to select and reorganise only the relevant ones to teach these big ideas. Conceptual teaching is best achieved through inductive teaching as pupils are guided to understand the big ideas rather than through direct instruction of what these ideas are. The insights they gain from such teaching can help them retain and better transfer their learning to other contexts.

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A Preliminary Study on the Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge among Economics and Primary Social Studies Student Teachers in Singapore

Author/s:

Siew Fong Ng

Siew Fong Ng (National Institute of Education (Singapore)) Oi Khum Karen Chan (Punggol View Primary School) Keywords Social Studies Economics Primary School Teacher Education Introduction In this preliminary study on the development of pedagogical content knowledge among student teachers in the National Institute of Education, Singapore, Economics and Primary Social Studies student teachers self-report their progress in […]

Siew Fong Ng (National Institute of Education (Singapore))
Oi Khum Karen Chan (Punggol View Primary School)

Keywords
Social Studies
Economics
Primary School
Teacher Education

Introduction
In this preliminary study on the development of pedagogical content knowledge among student teachers in the National Institute of Education, Singapore, Economics and Primary Social Studies student teachers self-report their progress in their professional development upon exit of teacher training using a survey instrument adapted from Ho’s (2003) pedagogical content knowledge development model.

The purpose of this study is to use data on the student teachers’ perceived accumulation of pedagogical content knowledge to throw light on the effectiveness in the teaching areas of Economics and Primary Social Studies in order to better develop pedagogical content knowledge among student teachers.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Pedagogical content knowledge is that unique professional understanding that allows teachers to integrate, transform and represent subject matter knowledge in ways that students can understand. Shulman (1987) defined pedagogical content knowledge as

Identify[ing] the distinctive bodies of knowledge for teaching. It represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction. Pedagogical content knowledge is the category most likely to distinguish the understanding of the content specialist from that of pedagogue. (p. 8)

Often, teachers develop their pedagogical content knowledge through their practical experiences. It is therefore important and necessary to provide teachers the opportunities, time, reasons and mechanisms for them to engage in dialogues and discussions that would help them to articulate their pedagogical content knowledge gained from their practical experiences. In essence, it is necessary to assess and measure the development of pedagogical content knowledge. For teacher educators, preliminary findings of how pedagogical content knowledge has been achieved by student teachers would guide in the design and implementation of teacher education for student teachers.

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Old Ideas Made New Again

Author/s:

Susan Adler

Susan Adler (University of Missouri-Kansas City) Keywords Geography History Social Studies Junior College Secondary School Primary School Critical Thinking Teaching Dewey I started teaching long ago. The air was full of new ideas about curriculum and teaching methods. In the United States and the United Kingdom we had the “New Social Studies,” “New Math,” exciting hands-on […]

Susan Adler (University of Missouri-Kansas City)

Keywords
Geography
History
Social Studies
Junior College
Secondary School
Primary School
Critical Thinking
Teaching
Dewey

I started teaching long ago. The air was full of new ideas about curriculum and teaching methods. In the United States and the United Kingdom we had the “New Social Studies,” “New Math,” exciting hands-on science projects, and the like. It was all about engaging learners in the “methods of the discipline,” in doing inquiry not just memorizing facts. This was a long time ago. Today we are hearing these old “new” ideas again.

In fact, we have been hearing for some years now that we have to do school differently; that teaching for the 21^st century cannot be the same as it was back in the old days (i.e. the 20^th century). The Singapore Teachers’ Growth Model (TGM) recognizes that teachers need to be equipped with the relevant 21^st century knowledge and skills so that they are better able to develop students holistically. Education in the past, we are told, focused, more or less, on memorizing a lot of information – learning and digesting a lot of facts. Today, we must think of education, the development of young minds more broadly, to include problem solving and creativity.

These changes in focus have come about because of the changing social and economic environment. Critics of the “old” education point to:

A “knowledge explosion” – what you learn now won’t hold for the rest of your life; we must be life-long learners.
The idea that today information is at our finger tips – there is no need to simply remember information when it is so easily retrieved.
A communication explosion which means we must be able to filter what we read and hear. How do we make sense of it?
Related to this is our interconnected world – we hear news about the world far more quickly than we ever did. And people use that connectivity to make news. Consider the kidnapped girls in Nigeria. Without Twitter the world might not have been concerned, at least not for very long.
Of course there are the demands of the economy – the post industrial age needs workers who are flexible, who are life-long learners, who are problem solvers and creative thinkers.

It’s a new world. Consider the movie Her. The protagonist falls in love with his operating system. And it isn’t absurd! Movies aside, young people today must deal with a world unlike the one I started teaching in; very unlike the one that existed when public schooling, schooling for everyone, began to be the norm. Once, you could get a few years of schooling, go out and get a job, raise a family, lead a good, productive life. But today, if you do not continue to learn, you lose.

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Designing Classrooms of the Future Now!

Author/s:

Ron Starker

Ron Starker (Singapore American School) Mark Baildon (National Institute of Education (Singapore)) Keywords Geography History Social Studies Junior College Secondary School Primary School Learning Environments Classroom Design In this article we showcase the work of three teachers in redesigning classroom learning environments to enhance student learning. Through short interview excerpts, a video, and classroom photos we feature […]

Ron Starker (Singapore American School)
Mark Baildon (National Institute of Education (Singapore))

Keywords
Geography
History
Social Studies
Junior College
Secondary School
Primary School
Learning Environments
Classroom Design

In this article we showcase the work of three teachers in redesigning classroom learning environments to enhance student learning. Through short interview excerpts, a video, and classroom photos we feature ten design ideas they used to redesign their classrooms. In the article we also argue that despite lofty rhetoric espousing pedagogical innovation and 21^st century learning, classroom design provides the most visible sign of what schools and educational leaders actually believe and value. We call for greater attention to the ways classroom spaces constrain and enable teaching and learning that can better support important 21^st century educational outcomes.

Introduction
Every year, thousands of educational studies seek to find the best methods and conditions under which students learn. As educators we are constantly looking for ways to adapt new approaches to teaching and learning and improve our teaching methods and curriculum. Many educational leaders call for classroom practice that is more student-centered, innovative, collaborative, inquiry-based or project-based, and for teachers who are empowered to help students develop 21^st century competencies (e.g., see MOE, 2014).

However, school culture can often constrain or inhibit new and innovative classroom practice. Cornbleth (2001) has described different school cultures that often interfere with educational innovation or make teachers reluctant to use innovative instructional strategies. She has described these school cultures as often highly bureaucratic (emphasizing order and control), conservative (to maintain the status quo), and excessively competitive with a great deal of attention given to student testing, accountability, and school rankings. This puts teachers in a sort of double bind in which they receive conflicting messages about the need for innovation while school culture and classroom environments remain quite conservative or place an emphasis on order, accountability, and stasis (Baildon & Sim, 2009).

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A Postmodern Analysis of a Primary 5 Social Studies Chapter

Author/s:

Brenda Ng

Brenda Ng (Rivervale Primary School, Singapore) Keywords Social Studies Primary School Curriculum Postmodern theory helps us examine how and why particular pasts are constructed, legitimated and disseminated (Segall, 2006). Postmodern theory includes deconstructionism, whereby meaning and values are constructed using binary oppositions that represent certain ideologies and the role of power in the society to privilege […]

Brenda Ng (Rivervale Primary School, Singapore)

Keywords
Social Studies
Primary School
Curriculum

Postmodern theory helps us examine how and why particular pasts are constructed, legitimated and disseminated (Segall, 2006). Postmodern theory includes deconstructionism, whereby meaning and values are constructed using binary oppositions that represent certain ideologies and the role of power in the society to privilege certain terms over others (Khezerloo, 2010). In this article, I use postmodern theory to analyze the Primary 5 Social Studies chapter, “Singapore’s Journey to Self-Government.” I focus on the binary opposites presented in the text, the relevant political and social contexts, and the language used to persuade readers.

The chapter discusses David Marshall’s government, its lack of full control over Singapore’s internal affairs, and the problems it faced due to the lack of support from the British powers and the Communist challenge. In particular, the chapter features the Hock Lee Bus Riots in order to highlight the seriousness of the problems caused by the Communists. The chapter goes on to talk about David Marshall’s quest to gain full internal self-government from Britain through the Merdeka talks. The next section of the chapter highlights Lim Yew Hock succeeding Marshall as Singapore’s Second Chief Minister and the strict measures he took against Communist-led organizations. His tough stand against the Communists pleased the British who granted full internal self-government to Singapore in the 1959 election. Subsequently, the PAP under Lee Kuan Yew emerged victorious with the most votes and formed the new government. The chapter then concludes by explaining the areas of responsibility of the Elected Government and the British Government.

Binary Opposites in the Chapter
A few binary opposites can be identified in the chapter, such as colonialism and communism, the British government and the Singapore government, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and other political parties, and lastly, an active government and its passive people. In this section, I focus on two binary opposites: (1) the idea of an active government and a passive people; and (2) the PAP and other political parties.

Active government versus passive people
Hong and Huang (2008) state that Singapore’s history is narrowly focused on leadership struggles that emphasize the triumph of the morally upright PAP over the communists. Focusing on Singapore’s struggle for government, the text presents the government’s perspective and highlights the actions taken at the bureaucratic level to achieve full internal self-government. It neglects the people’s voices and portrays voting as their only passive means of participation in the journey of self-government. The chapter, however, leaves out the issue of how self-government can affect and benefit its people. Notably, despite the absence of the peoples’ voices, a question appears on page 29 asking pupils to discuss how they think the people of Singapore felt during the election rallies in 1959. Given the omission of sources representing different perspectives, it is unlike that primary school pupils would be able to relate to the 1959 experience simply via the official perspective and conduct a meaningful discussion of this issue.

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“Their Minds Must Be Improved to a Certain Degree”: A Learning Cycles Approach to Inquiry

Author/s:

Walter Parker

Parker, Walter (University of Washington) Keywords Social Studies Secondary School Primary School Inquiry Introduction This article introduces a learning cycles model of conducting inquiries with students. It is based on the thinking of philosopher John Dewey (How We Think, 1910) and also on insights from contemporary learning science (e.g., John Bransford et al., How People Learn, […]

Parker, Walter (University of Washington)

Keywords

Introduction

This article introduces a learning cycles model of conducting inquiries with students. It is based on the thinking of philosopher John Dewey (How We Think, 1910) and also on insights from contemporary learning science (e.g., John Bransford et al., How People Learn, 2000). It is applicable in school settings from kindergarten through high school, college, and graduate school; it is also applicable in nonacademic settings: everyday life, at work and play.

This model takes inquiry seriously, which is to say it takes evidence, reasoning, and argumentation seriously. It lets inquiry be what it is: a rigorous, enjoyable, sometimes exhilarating, and, above all, useful process for anyone who deploys it. It is both an intellectual training and an intellectual tool: It is a sharp instrument we use to cut through a problem, but in the process we ourselves are sharpened, too. This is because inquiry is a particular way of being intelligent, a method of intelligence. Furthermore, it is also a literacy training and a literacy tool. This is because writing is its primary medium of communication while reading—close, interpretive reading—is its primary means of perception.

Thomas Jefferson, if I may draw a rough analogy, is the Lee Kuan Yew of American society. Jefferson is responsible for America’s independence from England and helped set the new nation’s early course. I mention him here because he was America’s first great advocate for public education’s role. He wrote, “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories. And to render them safe their minds must be improved to a certain degree. This indeed is not all that is necessary, though it be essentially necessary. An amendment of our constitution must here come in aid of the public education.”

Theory

To “do inquiry” is to use the mind well and, thereby, to improve it. To do inquiry is to read, write, and think critically about something. That something is a problem or curiosity: Why does she not like me? What sorts of people become religious zealots? How long will Singapore’s prosperity last? Will it become more or less democratic? Will the U.S. decline and fall as did Rome? When? Why are small nations so often strong nations? How do you find a ripe pear at the market? Is now the right time to buy an electric car? Can humans learn to live sustainably?

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Authentic Assessment in Social Studies

Author/s:

Janet Alleman

Janet Alleman (Michigan State University) Keywords Social Studies Primary School Assessment Introduction Just when the tendency to ‘measure’ entered education and the schools is not definitely known. We do know, however, that even early teachers including Socrates challenged their students with carefully prepared questions which undoubtedly were used to determine students’ intellectually capacity and abilities to […]

Janet Alleman (Michigan State University)

Keywords
Social Studies
Primary School
Assessment

Introduction
Just when the tendency to ‘measure’ entered education and the schools is not definitely known. We do know, however, that even early teachers including Socrates challenged their students with carefully prepared questions which undoubtedly were used to determine students’ intellectually capacity and abilities to exercise higher order thinking. No outstanding advancements in educational measurement were reported until about the middle of the nineteenth century. By the 1920s, quantitative measurement appeared in literature associated with educational tests and a little later the quality of tests became a part of the conversation. In 1922, the first edition of the Stanford Achievement Test was published. Initially the emphasis was on mastery, however, later attention was directed toward student strengths and weaknesses and the use of data for enhancing the learning process (Loeck, 1952).

Now fast forward to 2012. The discourse about assessment and testing has exploded, primarily due to standards and high stakes testing with a dramatic shift from almost exclusively student performance and accountability to include teacher performance and accountability. In some school districts, teachers have lost their jobs due to poor student performance and in other instances teachers’ salaries are determined, in part, by student performance. While this article will not enter the debate about where the emphasis should be or who is to be praised or blamed, this author advocates a balance and argues that attention to student ongoing assessment correlates with teacher performance if the assessments are multi-facets and aligned with curricular goals and if the results are used to inform planning and modify instruction.

Assessment: Integral Part of the Learning Cycle
Imagine assessment as an integral part of the learning cycle that takes multiple snapshots of each student. The teacher needs a host of data types in order to create a profile of each learner. Think of the profile as telling a story of each student – his/her assets/successes as well as areas that need attention. While the renewed interest in assessment seems to be based on the onslaught of standards and standardized tests, it behooves the teacher to avoid this narrow perspective and instead seize this opportunity to rethink assessment within the content of curricular goals. Consider it in terms of its potential for determining students’ progress in learning, for curricular improvements, for instructional planning, and for grading.

Assessment should be a natural part of teaching and learning with the student in the loop and acquiring skills to self-monitor. Assessment should be ongoing, frequently cast as preliminary formative, and summative. Different forms and times for assessment should be determined according to the purpose of the learning situation, the kind of information sought, and how the assessment will be used to accomplish the subject’s goals. Since assessment is ongoing, many instructional activities can be used as assessment tools. The key is for the teacher to realize the difference between using an activity for teaching (processing information, etc.) and for “testing” a student’s performance.

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Research into Practice: Tuning in to the “Chorus of History” Through the Use of Oral History in the Classroom

Author/s:

Brady Baildon

Brady Baildon (National Institute of Education) Kevin Blackburn (National Institute of Education) Keywords History Junior College Secondary School Primary School Oral History sing oral histories in history and social studies classrooms can highlight the fact that historical sources are authored and contain particular assumptions, biases, and perspectives about the world. They require critical evaluation to understand why […]

Brady Baildon (National Institute of Education)
Kevin Blackburn (National Institute of Education)

Keywords
History
Junior College
Secondary School
Primary School
Oral History

sing oral histories in history and social studies classrooms can highlight the fact that historical sources are authored and contain particular assumptions, biases, and perspectives about the world. They require critical evaluation to understand why people might have said what they said, why they might view particular events or issues in certain ways, the kinds of insights, emotions, and attitudes they have about what happened in the past, and the reasons they give for acting in the ways they did. Because oral histories have become more widely available and utilized due to electronic and digital means of preservation and access, they can be easily used with students of all ages. To learn more about the use of oral history in the classroom and consider how students can work with oral sources, I reviewed the work and ideas of Associate Professor Kevin Blackburn, a proponent of using oral histories in classrooms.

In Singapore, Kevin Blackburn is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Social Studies Education at the National Institute of Education (NIE). His ideas and experiences with the use of oral histories to teach history are of great use to teachers who are interested in having students work with oral history sources in their classrooms.

In sitting down and conducting an interview with Associate Professor Kevin Blackburn (a prime example of the process of recording and using oral history), he revealed that he first began working with oral histories with his education students at NIE during what he refers to as the “Big History Revamp” in 1999. This move by the Singapore Ministry of Education towards an inquiry-based approach to teaching history and towards using source-based material in history education required pedagogical change and seemed like an appropriate time to introduce oral histories in his history courses.

Blackburn was drawn to oral histories because of the way they allowed for what he refers to as a “democratization of memory” (Blackburn, 2012). He asserts that throughout history, a large majority of the historical sources we have access to have been written and created by those privileged few with money, publishers, and an education. Many people throughout history were without access to publishers, but still possessed interesting stories, opinions, and points of view about the world around them. Their memories – the memories of the marginalized, minorities, and those with an outside perspective – can be brought to light and to the public through the recording of oral accounts and histories (Blackburn, 2012).

As Blackburn (2012) sees it, “ordinary people do extraordinary things.” Those whom we would typically refer to as nothing more than the “common people” are far from just passive eyewitnesses to the events that have unfolded in their lifetime; instead, as Blackburn declares, these people are the “chorus of history” and regularly chime in to supplement the song of the past.

Within the classroom, Blackburn has had aspirant teachers work on a family history project, in which they interviewed family members in order to look at the way people have lived their lives and to examine both the challenges they have faced and the defining moments in their lives. With this project, Blackburn revealed how he thought that the interview process and recording of oral family history allowed his students to better understand cultural change within their families.

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Index

Sim Hwee Hwang

Authors List

Authors List

Using Investigation and Discussion to Inquire about Issues in Primary Social Studies

Conceptual Teaching in Primary Social Studies: Teaching the Primary Three Reader,“Making the Little Red Dot Blue and Brown” in a Conceptual Way

A Preliminary Study on the Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge among Economics and Primary Social Studies Student Teachers in Singapore

Old Ideas Made New Again

Designing Classrooms of the Future Now!

A Postmodern Analysis of a Primary 5 Social Studies Chapter

“Their Minds Must Be Improved to a Certain Degree”: A Learning Cycles Approach to Inquiry

Authentic Assessment in Social Studies

Research into Practice: Tuning in to the “Chorus of History” Through the Use of Oral History in the Classroom

HSSE Online

HSSE Online