Secondary School Archives

Index

Jason Seng Yang Sun

Secondary School

Developing Source Analysis Skills in Upper Secondary History Students: Incorporating RCC and IPSS into Structured Academic Controversy

Author/s:

Abstract This paper proposes an integrated approach to strengthen source analysis skills among upper secondary history students by leveraging Structured Academic Controversy. It synthesises principles from humanities education with two key frameworks from the learning sciences: the Information Processing and SEEKING System (IPSS) and the Readiness, Coherent Construction, and Consolidation (RCC) framework. This synergy is […]

Abstract

This paper proposes an integrated approach to strengthen source analysis skills among upper secondary history students by leveraging Structured Academic Controversy. It synthesises principles from humanities education with two key frameworks from the learning sciences: the Information Processing and SEEKING System (IPSS) and the Readiness, Coherent Construction, and Consolidation (RCC) framework. This synergy is designed to deepen students’ skills in analysing sources and enhance their appreciation for the real-world relevance of interpreting historical sources. The author argues that this approach fosters sustainable learning experiences by tapping into intrinsic motivation and structuring cognitive processes, leading to the development of durable and transferable critical thinking abilities.

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Beyond the PEEL: Reflections and Explorations on Instruction in Argumentative Writing in Singapore History Classrooms

Author/s:

Gavin Swee

Abstract Beyond investigating into the past and interrogating sources, the practice of History involves a significant communicative aspect – learners are also expected to read and write History. However, historical writing in Singapore schools is often subordinated to expedient writing frames, which often prioritise writing outcomes over the growth of student thinking processes. Through a […]

Abstract

Beyond investigating into the past and interrogating sources, the practice of History involves a significant communicative aspect – learners are also expected to read and write History. However, historical writing in Singapore schools is often subordinated to expedient writing frames, which often prioritise writing outcomes over the growth of student thinking processes. Through a survey of the literature in historical writing (and reading), this paper makes the case for focusing on historical writing in instructional design and discusses some of the instructional strategies that can help to bring that vision into the Singapore classroom.

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Reimagining and Transforming Cold War Education: Virtual Field Trips and the Berlin Wall Experience

Author/s:

Ezal Sani

Abstract Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are increasingly recognized as effective tools for engaging students with challenging and complex historical content. This exploratory case study demonstrates how a VFT focused on the Berlin Wall was implemented in a Singapore upper secondary history classroom. Drawing on studies in experiential learning, student motivation, and distributed cognition, this paper […]

Abstract

Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are increasingly recognized as effective tools for engaging students with challenging and complex historical content. This exploratory case study demonstrates how a VFT focused on the Berlin Wall was implemented in a Singapore upper secondary history classroom. Drawing on studies in experiential learning, student motivation, and distributed cognition, this paper demonstrates how VFTs can promote deeper historical thinking, inquiry, and authentic engagement, particularly in teaching Cold War content, such as the Berlin Wall.

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The Power of Conceptual Teaching in the Everyday History Classroom

Author/s:

Candice Yvette Seet Siew Yan

Abstract This paper discusses practical approaches that enable students to appreciate how individual historical events connect to form meaningful patterns and relationships. Through lesson examplesi and samples of student responses, this paper foregrounds the benefits of teaching for conceptual understanding and how it deepens historical understanding. While recognising challenges in adopting such pedagogy, the authors […]

Abstract

This paper discusses practical approaches that enable students to appreciate how individual historical events connect to form meaningful patterns and relationships. Through lesson examplesi and samples of student responses, this paper foregrounds the benefits of teaching for conceptual understanding and how it deepens historical understanding. While recognising challenges in adopting such pedagogy, the authors highlight the value of teaching conceptually as part of a four-year process and how it can be enacted through intentional lesson design to aid student understanding and cultivate a culture of inquiry in the everyday History classroom.

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Annex A

Annex B

Annex C

Playful Pedagogies for Future History Educators

Author/s:

Edward Tan Yu Fan

Abstract How can play serve as a powerful pedagogical tool for fostering joy and engagement in Singapore’s history classrooms, especially given the high-stakes and examination-driven context? Through insights from a study trip to Denmark and conversations with Singaporean student-teachers, this article examines the possibilities and tensions of adopting Playful Learning in the classroom as a […]

Abstract

How can play serve as a powerful pedagogical tool for fostering joy and engagement in Singapore’s history classrooms, especially given the high-stakes and examination-driven context? Through insights from a study trip to Denmark and conversations with Singaporean student-teachers, this article examines the possibilities and tensions of adopting Playful Learning in the classroom as a means of enhancing student engagement, promoting historical thinking, and nurturing 21st-century skills and competencies. This article proposes several approaches to developing playful teachers who view the classroom learning process as one that is rich in possibilities for choice, delight, and wonder – the key ingredients of play.

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Towards Powerful Knowledge in the Singaporean History Classroom

Author/s:

Suhaimi Afandi

Abstract This article examines how historical knowledge can be made “powerful” – to equip our students with knowledge that enables them to understand, engage meaningfully with, and act upon the world. By outlining the features of powerful knowledge—specialised, conceptual, epistemic, and ontological—and addressing key challenges in implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum, this article considers the avenues […]

Abstract

This article examines how historical knowledge can be made “powerful” – to equip our students with knowledge that enables them to understand, engage meaningfully with, and act upon the world. By outlining the features of powerful knowledge—specialised, conceptual, epistemic, and ontological—and addressing key challenges in implementing a knowledge-rich curriculum, this article considers the avenues in which historical knowledge can be made powerful for students. It then provides a practical framework for translating powerful knowledge into classroom practice. By offering both theoretical grounding and concrete exemplification, the article aims to support history educators in designing learning experiences that are conceptually rich, socially relevant, and enduring beyond formal assessment.

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Annex A

Annex B

Rethinking History Education in the Age of AI

Author/s:

Mathew Lim

Abstract The rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has raised questions about the relevance of history education. In response, this paper examines the limitations of AI, particularly its large language models (LLMs), and highlights the enduring educational value of historical thinking. While AI can generate plausible narratives, it often lacks empirical accuracy, interpretive depth, […]

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has raised questions about the relevance of history education. In response, this paper examines the limitations of AI, particularly its large language models (LLMs), and highlights the enduring educational value of historical thinking. While AI can generate plausible narratives, it often lacks empirical accuracy, interpretive depth, and contextual sensitivity—qualities essential to the discipline of history. Reaffirming history’s epistemological foundations, the article argues that the rise of AI amplifies rather than reduces the importance of historical literacy. Historical literacy equips students to interrogate sources, evaluate bias, and navigate content increasingly shaped by algorithms. To support this, four pedagogical approaches are proposed: fostering critical engagement of AI-generated content, using AI tools to support source reading, developing AI literacy through inquiry-based projects, and revisiting historical source work with renewed disciplinary purpose. Cultivating critical, empathetic, and contextually grounded historical thinking is presented as an essential set of skills for preparing students to navigate an AI-mediated world.

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Negotiating a sense of home: mainland Chinese student migrants’ childhood education migration experiences in Singapore

Author/s:

XinTong CHEN

XinTong CHEN Keywords children’s migration international student mobility home belonging national identity Abstract As part of the rise in international student mobility, more children are venturing abroad for pre-tertiary education. These children are often embedded in the transnational social field, forging deep and ongoing familial, social-economic, and political connections across borders. Yet, to date, […]

XinTong CHEN

Keywords
children’s migration
international student mobility
home
belonging
national identity

Abstract

As part of the rise in international student mobility, more children are venturing abroad for pre-tertiary education. These children are often embedded in the transnational social field, forging deep and ongoing familial, social-economic, and political connections across borders. Yet, to date, there have been limited explorations of young student migrants’ experiences of home during their educational sojourn. In this context, this paper draws on in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with 18 mainland Chinese student migrants who migrated to Singapore during childhood to explore how construction of home intertwines with educational mobility. I argue that student migrants’ complex transnational network has reshaped the geographies of their home, making it increasingly mobile and pluri-local. Their home is also associated with a set of meaningful relationships. However, this does not imply that they can produce a sense of home anywhere and everywhere. Emphasising the continuing salience of the physical qualities of a place in shaping one’s sense of home, I explore how student migrants’ home is simultaneously mobile, relational, and rooted materially.

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Immigrant Parents’ Articulation and Imaginings of the Singaporean Education System

Author/s:

Ariel Kit Yen CHUA

Ariel Kit Yen CHUA Lee Tat CHOW Peidong YANG Keywords immigration immigrant parent parenting education Singapore international school bilingualism Abstract Drawing on a study into immigrant parents’ influences on children’s education in Singapore, this paper presents preliminary and partial findings on immigrant parents’ discourses surrounding various forms of schooling or education systems, specifically the […]

Ariel Kit Yen CHUA
Lee Tat CHOW
Peidong YANG

Keywords
immigration
immigrant parent
parenting
education
Singapore
international school
bilingualism

Abstract

Drawing on a study into immigrant parents’ influences on children’s education in Singapore, this paper presents preliminary and partial findings on immigrant parents’ discourses surrounding various forms of schooling or education systems, specifically the local mainstream schools, international schools, education in their countries of origin, and shadow education in Singapore. The paper demonstrates how such discourses inform and are intertwined with the immigrant parents’ articulations of their parenting ideologies and educational philosophies. It is found that immigrant parents generally hold positive views on mainstream schools in Singapore, sometimes comparing these favourably with the perceived education and culture in international schools, as well as that of their countries of origin. At the same time, immigrant parents also pointed out the drawbacks of the Singapore education system in terms of its stressful nature, which has given rise to a pervasive shadow education sector. Through talking about and reflecting on these different forms of schooling/education, immigrant parents construct their notions of a good education. However, the paper cautions that the various characteristics attributed to different types of schools/education should be understood as immigrant parents’ subjective and imaginary constructs, reflecting not so much ‘objective reality’ as their ideologies and expectations pertaining to their children’s education.

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Cultural Heritage and Identity Formation: A Study of Second-Generation Immigrant Children through Parental Perspectives in Singapore

Author/s:

Yi Fei LOH

Yi Fei LOH Lee Tat CHOW Peidong YANG Keywords identity immigrant education ethnic cultures Abstract This paper explores how immigrant parents influence the development of their children’s identities in Singapore, drawing on qualitative interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds. A key focus is the balance between maintaining ethnic traditions and integrating into Singapore society, […]

Yi Fei LOH
Lee Tat CHOW
Peidong YANG

Keywords
identity
immigrant
education
ethnic cultures

Abstract

This paper explores how immigrant parents influence the development of their children’s identities in Singapore, drawing on qualitative interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds. A key focus is the balance between maintaining ethnic traditions and integrating into Singapore society, along with parents’ aspirations for their children’s national identity. It is found that immigrant parents play an active role in transmitting heritage cultural values and practices to their children, with a focus on maintaining a connection to their heritage while also promoting societal integration into the host country. This approach is particularly reflected in the parents’ discourse about their children’s linguistic maintenance and adaptation. This research adds more broadly to the understanding of the immigrant experience and its implications for social cohesion and multiculturalism in Singapore.

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HSSE Online

Index

Jason Seng Yang Sun

Authors List

Authors List

Developing Source Analysis Skills in Upper Secondary History Students: Incorporating RCC and IPSS into Structured Academic Controversy

Beyond the PEEL: Reflections and Explorations on Instruction in Argumentative Writing in Singapore History Classrooms

Reimagining and Transforming Cold War Education: Virtual Field Trips and the Berlin Wall Experience

The Power of Conceptual Teaching in the Everyday History Classroom

Playful Pedagogies for Future History Educators

Towards Powerful Knowledge in the Singaporean History Classroom

Rethinking History Education in the Age of AI

Negotiating a sense of home: mainland Chinese student migrants’ childhood education migration experiences in Singapore

Immigrant Parents’ Articulation and Imaginings of the Singaporean Education System

Cultural Heritage and Identity Formation: A Study of Second-Generation Immigrant Children through Parental Perspectives in Singapore

HSSE Online

HSSE Online