Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Keywords
Primary Social Studies
Primary School
Primary Social Studies

Abstract
Geography is a subject that helps children understand and appreciate the world they live in. The subject enables them to make thoughtful decisions and take responsible actions towards sustainable living. This article focuses on the teaching of geographical concepts and skills in the primary social studies curriculum. Questions on what is geography, why teach geography, what are the key geographical concepts and skills in the primary social studies curriculum and how can these concepts and skills be taught will be elaborated.

What is Geography?
Geography is one of the several subjects that make up the primary social studies curriculum in Singapore. Like history, economics, sociology and political science, geography is not taught as a separate subject but is integrated with these subjects under the umbrella subject called social studies. The word “geo” means “Earth” and “graphy” means “writing” so geography is about the study of the Earth. Geography asks questions about places in order to understand where these places are as well as what makes them distinct from one another and gives them their unique place identities. It also asks questions about the interactions and relationships between places and the people living there, the impacts of these interactions and what can be done to ensure sustainable living for future generations. Such questions about places, ranging from local to global in scale, can be raised (Smeaton, 1998).

Why Teach Geography?
The purposes of studying geography (Catling & Willy, 2009) in primary social studies are many and they can contribute towards the development of children to be informed, concerned and participative citizens (MOE, 2012).

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Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Keywords
Primary Social Studies
Primary School
Primary Social Studies

Abstract
Stories are often used by teachers to transmit knowledge, values and dispositions, deepen understanding and develop critical thinking in children. The power of stories and storytelling is highlighted in this article which focuses on why and how stories can be used for teaching primary social studies concepts and generalisations, how to choose suitable story books for children, and how to use some of them in the classroom. Three teaching approaches, namely, the shared book approach, the integrated biographical inquiry and storytelling are featured along with ideas of how these may be applied during lessons.

Introduction
Since the beginning of time, stories have been handed down from one generation to another in various societies. Stories help to transmit knowledge, culture, traditions, beliefs, morals and values of a community.  They can make us laugh at ourselves, hold our breath, feel excited and be encouraged and uplifted in our spirit when we are down. Through stories, we can learn more about ourselves, the humanity and the world we live in (Sim, 2004). As stories are rich resources, they can be used for teaching and learning.

Why Use Stories for Primary Social Studies Teaching and Learning?
Generally, researchers have found that young students are able to recall and describe things that are crucial to them because of their familiarity with using narrative thinking modes (Bruner, 1990; Downey & Levstik, 1991; Egan, 1988, 1990). Stories are usually organized in a format that comprises a person/group of people with certain goal/s and who use/s particular strategies to achieve these goal/s which can lead them to certain outcomes. This goal-strategy-outcome format enables students to remember story details and bridge from the known to the unknown. When narratives about the past are used, students are able to see the time, place and situation through the eyes of the people in the stories. Such narratives can develop students’ empathy and combat their tendencies towards presentism when thinking about the past, and chauvinism when thinking about other cultures. They can be powerful tools to help them learn about different places and environments.

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Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)
P. Ananthi (Woodgrove Primary School (Singapore))

Keywords
Primary Social Studies
Primary School
Primary Social Studies

Abstract
One cannot assume that learning will necessarily take place just because children are doing group work. To ensure that productive learning takes place, there is a need to infuse elements of cooperative learning into the group activities. In this article, the key principles and structures of cooperative learning as well as the benefits of using cooperative learning are discussed. Some suggestions on the use of cooperative learning, together with classroom examples are also presented.

What is Cooperative Learning?
As a teacher, you might have observed that your students can get into groups naturally for interactive play during recess. They can display a high level of engagement and this may prompt you to think of introducing group work in your primary social studies lessons to maximise your students’ interest and learning. However, just by having students in groups and expecting them to work together do not mean that learning will necessarily take place. To ensure learning is productive, you need to integrate elements of cooperative learning into group activities. Cooperative learning is an umbrella term for a set of instructional models that requires students to work and interact together in small groups for the promotion of individual and group members’ learning (Kagan, 1994; Morton 2008; Slavin, 2011). Although such instructional models can vary in how cooperative learning is structured, all of them have common essential elements that make them cooperative in nature. According to Johnson and Johnson (1988, 1989, 1999a), these elements are positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face promotive interaction, social skills and group processing.

a. Establishing Positive Interdependence
For cooperative learning to work, teachers need to structure positive interdependence. Students need to learn that group success depends on the efforts and success of all group members. Teachers can foster positive interdependence through goal interdependence (“Make sure you and the rest learn the materials”), reward interdependence (“Each group member will get a reward if all the group members attain 90 plus for their test”), resource interdependence (“Each one of you will receive a part of the materials”) and role interdependence (“Take on the role of either a reader, a checker, an encourager or a elaborator in your group”).

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Sim Hwee Hwang (National Institute of Education, Singapore)
P. Ananthi (Woodgrove Primary School (Singapore))

Keywords
Primary Social Studies
Primary School
Primary Social Studies

Abstract
This article is a continuation of the previous article entitled, “Let’s have Cooperative Learning for Lessons!” In this article, how to plan, organize and conduct productive cooperative learning in the primary social studies classroom will be featured. Suggestions on managing challenging student behaviours for successful cooperative learning and the assessment and reflection of such lessons are also highlighted.

Planning Cooperative Learning Lessons
Cooperative learning refers to a set of instructional modes that requires students to work and interact together in small groups for the promotion of individual and group members’ learning. It is useful in the promotion of academic achievement and the development of thinking and interpersonal skills and dispositions such as appreciation of individual differences.  When planning a cooperative learning lesson, we need to take into consideration the content, lesson objectives, concepts and generalizations, unit questions, students’ prior knowledge or experience with the topic, task(s), cooperative learning models to adopt or adapt, and resources, time and space available. These considerations are generally no different from the planning considerations for other non-cooperative learning lessons. But the big difference is that for cooperative learning lessons, cooperative learning structures or models are integrated into the lessons.

For primary social studies teachers attempting to incorporate cooperative learning into their lessons for the first time, it is best to select a familiar lesson or topic so that they can focus on mastering the cooperative learning model and process and not the lesson content (Abrami, Chambers, Poulsen, De Simone, D’ Appolonia & Howden, 1995). Before choosing the cooperative learning model, it would serve them well to ask the question, “Would group work help my students achieve the academic goals and develop particular social skills?” If the answer is yes, then consider the appropriate type of structure or model to use. Alternatively, they can modify an existing structure or model. Refer to Strategy Example 1 in the article entitled, “Let’s Have Cooperative Learning for Lessons!” They should start with simple informal cooperative learning structures such as think-pair share, round robin or numbered-heads-together before moving to more complex models like the Jigsaw, Group Investigation and Structured Academic Controversy which require more planning, are more demanding and are more suited for upper primary students. When complex models are adopted, it is important to ensure that the content chosen is substantial and challenging to offer students scope for self-directed, independent and constructive learning with their peers.

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