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Exploring Controversial Issues in the Primary Social Studies Classroom

Wang Yao Chang Melvin (Rosyth School (Singapore) Keywords>Primary Social StudiesPrimary SchoolControversial IssuesClassroom IntroductionThe curriculum is an inextricable part of what prolific author and cultural critic Raymond Williams refers to as the “selective tradition” of schooling (Williams, 1977). What this means is that through the very selection of what is taught in school, only certain knowledge and […]

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Taming “Issue Investigation”: Singapore Secondary Social Studies Teachers’ Accounts of Challenges Encountered and Strategies for Coping

Peidong Yang (National Institute of Education (Singapore)) Keywords Social Studies Junior College Secondary School Social Studies social studies education Singapore teacher professional learning Introduction The upper-secondary Social Studies (SS) syllabus (Express/Normal-Academic) released in Singapore in 2016 introduced a component called “Issue Investigation” (II). Speaking to the target learners, the SS textbook defines and explains II as

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Environmental Education in Singapore: An Analysis of Environmental Knowledge in the Lower Secondary Geography Curriculum

Yee Jie Ying (National Institute of Education (Singapore)) Keywords Geography Junior College Secondary School Environmental education Introduction Curricula Goals of Environmental Education Environmental education (EE) was first developed at a time when environmental degradation became widely prominent (UNESCO, 1976). EE becomes even more relevant today as we are ever pressured by pressing environmental issues such as

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Backtracking towards a Transformative Rizal Curriculum

Ysabel Julia M. Ortiz (National Institute of Education (Singapore) Keywords Junior College Secondary School Jose Rizal curriculum as political text critical pedagogy curriculum as autobiographical/biographical text Introduction Since 1956, Republic Act 1425, otherwise known as the Rizal Law, has mandated the teaching of the life and works of Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, in all public

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Where Literacy Meets Geography: Using Talk Moves to Engage Students in Geographical Data

Lin Yunqing (National Institute of Education (Singapore) Keywords Geography Junior College Secondary School pedagogy Student Learning Introduction The theoretical foundation of this study is social constructivism which believes that knowledge is produced and constructed in a social setting. This socialcultural perspective emphasises that literacy is shaped by social practices (Moje, 1996) and serves the purpose of

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Centering the Periphery: Giving Students’ Voice and Choice

Siti Dzhawieyah (Elias Park Primary School (Singapore) Keywords Primary Primary School education social studies education In April 2019, I carried out an action research study with a class of High Ability Primary 6 students to understand how to better engage students in a Social Studies class through discussion of controversial issues. Based upon my observations, these

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Commentary: Inquiry-based Learning and Teaching

Baildon, Mark (National Institute of Education (Singapore) Keywords Social Studies Junior College Secondary School inquiry base Why inquiry-based learning? Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is now considered the gold standard in curriculum and classroom practice. If we consider inquiry to be the methodical building of evidence-based claims and arguments, it is central to authentic intellectual work, disciplinary reasoning,

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Assessment for Learning in History: Maximizing Error Analysis to bridge students’ learning gaps in answering Source-Based Case Study Questions

Ong Daphne Rachel (Broadrick Secondary School (Singapore)) Keywords History Junior College Secondary School Approaches to teaching history Assessment Introduction Source-Based Case Study (SBCS) is a compulsory part of the formal history assessment in Singapore. It falls under Assessment Objective 3 which requires students to “interpret and evaluate source material” (MOE, 2013). Since this is an important

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Developing Formative Assessments on Evidence for Pre-University History

Celine Oon (Curriculum Planning and Development Division, Ministry of Education (Singapore) Bertrand Tan (Curriculum Planning and Development Division, Ministry of Education (Singapore)) Keywords History Assessment Introduction Identifying students’ learning gaps is often a challenge for Pre-University History teachers. Besides generic formative assessment strategies such as teacher questioning, think-pair-share and student reflection, formative assessments carried out at the

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Using Weighted Hinge Questions (WHQs) to Assess Students’ Causal Understanding

Bradley Soh Chun Ying (National Institute of Education) Sim Guo Chen (National Institute of Education) Keywords History Junior College Secondary School Approaches to teaching history Introduction Assessment in Singapore’s history classrooms has long reflected our teachers’ enduring focus on preparing students to meet examination requirements. The most common assessment practices revolve around assessing students’ proficiency in handling

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