i ues exp orer ED EMBER 2022·
CONTENTS
Celebrating World Teachers' Day! Words of appreciation from students past and present
03
09
Resources for 2023 E/N(A) Syllabuses on OPAL2.0 and SLS Catalogue UP!
From all of us in the Social Studies (Secondary) Unit, Humanities Branch have not been receiving our e newsletters; or are not on our mailing list (especially Beginning Teachers);
CONTENTS 2
05
11 GLOW
Sharing by St. Margaret's Secondary School: Improving Students’ Engagement Using the Question Formulation Technique
Are there other topics that you would like us to cover? Suggest a topic to us at https://go.gov.sg/share with us!
Keying in of SS N(T) Grades in School Cockpit (SC) 2.0 12
Connect
Share with us!
Happy Teachers' Day and a fruitful Term 4 ahead!
If you know any Social Studies teachers who please drop us an email at SIM_Jie_Kai@moe.gov.sg with us!
Sharing by Xinmin Secondary School: Guiding Students' Response to Structured Response Questions VOICES!
Celebrating Teachers' Day - 5th October 2022
Indeed, the hard work and heart work of teachers extend beyond the school bell Designing rich and meaningful learning experiences to enable our students to become informed, concerned and participative citizens is certainly a call that our Social Studies (SS) fraternity responds to with a strong sense of pride and responsibility
We want to affirm each of you, dear teachers, for the good work that you do in the SS classrooms each day, and for continually growing together professionally as a fraternity to develop our subject mastery!
Koh Kai Ming, Outram Secondary School (current student, 2019 2022)
Happy Teachers' Day!
Teaching should be regarded as a profession: it is a form of public service which requires of teachers expert knowledge and specialised skills, acquired and maintained through rigorous and continuing study; it calls also for a sense of personal and corporate responsibility for the education and welfare of the pupils in their charge.
V3 OICES! TEACHERS' DAY SPECIAL!
SS was a very interesting subject for me as it touches on a lot of issues that are prevalent today My teacher encourages our interest in the subject as the skills and knowledge we learn in SS are very relatable to our whole lives
Did you know that World Teachers’ Day is an international commemoration day observed by UNESCO to celebrate all teachers and commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation [1] concerning the Status of Teachers (Guiding Principle 6).
[1]TheILO/UNESCORecommendationsetsbenchmarksregardingtherightsandresponsibilitiesofteachers,andstandardsfortheirinitial preparationandfurthereducation,recruitment,employment,andteachingandlearningconditions
World
Once again, HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY!
I appreciate how my SS teacher teaches the subject with dedication and how he would always go above and beyond to provide us with assistance in the subject.
V4 OICES! TEACHERS' DAY SPECIAL!
I am appreciative of how patient my SS teacher is towards us. Her patience and guidance has helped me to improve in SS Nabilah, Bukit Batok Secondary School* (message shared on the MOE Thank You 'Cher portal)
My SS teacher takes the effort to make lessons engaging for us by using a variety of online platforms such as Google Classroom, Student Learning Space and Padlet
Thank you for the effort, time and hard work in preparing for lessons so that our learning during SS lessons is rich! It takes a big heart to shape little minds, so thank you for your sheer dedication in making SS lessons a joy!
- Tan Geng Kai, Jurong West Secondary School* (message shared on the MOE Thank You 'Cher portal)
I like how my SS class is always a fun and enriching experience. I am always looking forward to SS lessons, thanks to my strict yet kind and fun SS teacher!
These dedication messages submitted on the MOE Thank You 'Cher portal have been edited for language, clarity and length
Our impact on students is not always immediately evident But overtime, we will see our labour bear fruit. We hope the sharing and words of appreciation from students past and present encourages you on in your journey as an SS educator!
- Vivian Lim, Outram Secondary School (current student, 2021 - 2022)
Anonymous, Bedok South Secondary School* (message shared on the MOE Thank You 'Cher portal)
I really enjoy SS lessons. They have allowed me to be more aware of the issues that our country faces, and at the same time, learn to consider the perspectives of others.
Tharrshene, Peicai Secondary School (graduated in 2021)
Prioritise three questions most relevant to the QFocus
THE CONTEXT
Voices!
Analyse the value of different question types in eliciting information on the QFocus
3 Improve questions
Draw upon findings to engage in a classroom discussion
THE LESSON: ENACTING THE QFT IN THE SS CLASSROOM
The QFT is a simple, but rigorous, step by step process (see below) designed to help students produce questions and strategise how they can use their questions to delve deeper into issues explored in the classroom [2] I adopted the QFT to encourage greater ownership of learning by my Secondary Three students.
Think metacognitively about using questions in learning
5 Discuss next steps (Action Plan)
Conduct research to answer priority questions
Reflect on new lines of thinking about the QFocus
VOICES! QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE 5
Set the context of the learning outcomes
1 Design and introduce question focus (QFocus)
2 Produce questions
4 Prioritise questions
Categorise questions into questions types
In many classrooms, teachers assume the role of the questioner while students see themselves as answerers of questions. [1] Interestingly, it is when students ask questions that it signals a higher level of engagement in discussions
6 Reflect on process and learning
Image source: Upper Secondary Social Studies E/N(A) Coursebook, p171
Sharing by St. Margaret's Secondary School
Formulate as many questions as possible based on the QFocus
In this article, Ms Esther Lau, Lead Teacher at St. Margaret’s Secondary School, shares how she utilises the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to improve students’ engagement in classroom discussions during Social Studies (SS) lessons.
To guide my students’ inquiry into the prejudice and misconceptions people may face in a diverse society, the image on the right was chosen as the QFocus.
The QFocus sets the focus for students to embark on the process of question formulation
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each question type
Step 3: Improve Questions
Ask as many questions as you can Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer the questions
At this stage, students worked in groups to formulate questions related to the QFocus
Step 2: Produce Questions
Students reflected on the list of questions produced and adopted a three step structure [3] to improve their questions
Questions formulated by students using QFT based on the QFocus
It can be a statement, phrase, image, video or oral source. It need not be a question
Why are the police officers located near certain counters but not others?
VOICES! QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE 6
Why are there different counters for different groups of people in the airport?
Step 4: Prioritise Questions
What might have happened that led to the airport scene shown in the image?
Change questions from one type to another (e g close to open ended)
Change any statement into a question
2
Students were instructed to prioritise three questions from the list of questions produced in Step 2 that would help them understand the reasons for the occurrence of misunderstandings in a diverse society. In their groups, students rationalised the questions they prioritised.
It should be simple and clear.
Why are the police officers so heavily armed?
Write down every question exactly as it is stated.
Students were also reminded of the four essential rules in question formulation: 1 2. 3. 4 This process encourages students to ask questions freely without worry of judgement
Categorise questions into close or open ended questions
Image source: Canva
It should be related to the content or intended learning outcomes.
Four important considerations when designing the QFocus:
1 3
b. Draw upon findings to engage in a classroom discussion on the QFocus
After completing the research, presentation and classroom discussion, students reflected on the insights they had gained into why misunderstandings arise in a diverse society
Students drew upon their responses to the priority questions and engaged in a classroom discussion about the reasons for the occurrence of misunderstandings in a diverse society.
Step 5: Discuss Next Steps (Action Plan)
Students proceeded to answer their priority questions by conducting online research in their respective groups
What did you learn? How did you learn it? 1 2.
Image source: Canva
Students also reflected on the entire learning process through the following questions:
As the teacher, I facilitated the discussion by supplementing discussion points with further examples or addressing students’ misconceptions whenever they arose.
VOICES! QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE 7
Step 6: Reflect on Process and Learning
a. Conduct research to answer priority questions
As they exercised their reasoning, they also drew connections to related concepts previously learnt
Related Concepts and Insights RGained elated Concepts and Insights Gained
Adapted from students' responses on the reasons for why misunderstanding arise in a diverse society and related concepts they had drawn to connect their reasoning.
Image source: Canva
If you have experience using QFT, do share with us your learning points that might be meaningful for other teachers who are intending to use QFT!
Using the QFT has allowed me to place my students at the centre of classroom discussions during SS lessons It was such a fulfilling experience to see that as students formed their own questions, it drove their learning!
the
I was heartened to see how the QFT built on my students’ prior knowledge of the concepts from Issue 2, Chapter 6, and deepened their understanding of the occurrence of misunderstandings in a diverse society I observed that an equity of voices was created among students when using the QFT, as they asked questions and were instructed not to “discuss, judge or answer ” each other’s questions. As the questions were the product of a group effort, students generally felt less inhibited about sharing their questions
VOICES! QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE 8
I learnt to come up with questions that helped improve my critical thinking
The thinking process of the whole QFT exercise made me realise that the image provided has more to it than we had originally thought Many questions that were raised by the other groups went beyond what my team had thought of, and it allowed me to think deeper about the picture and what it represents
As I heard different questions from my classmates, it helped me think from different perspectives
More information about the QFT can be found at Right Question Institute website
However, I also realised that being a facilitator of the QFT process was not an easy task, as some students relied on me to generate questions or phrase questions based on the given image. Subsequently, I refrained from answering students’ questions as they were formulating their questions As the lesson progressed, students were “forced” to jump start the question formulation process and their independence in crafting questions grew as they turned their focus away from asking the correct questions
Students' reflections about the QFT process
[1]J T Dillon(1988)“Theremedialstatusofstudentquestioning”,JournalofCurriculumStudies,20:3,197 210,DOI:101080/0022027880200301 [2]RightQuestionInstitute(2022) “WhatistheQFT?”Accessedathttps://rightquestionorg/what is the qft/ [3]TeacherscanreferstudentstotheCoursebookChapter12,pages392 394toguidethemincraftingquestions
MY REFLECTIONS AND WHAT I LEARNT USING THE QFT
The government’s use of TraceTogether App or token for contact tracing to manage COVID 19 was selected as the anchor topic as it:
The purpose of this learning activity is to develop students’ competencies to achieve Assessment Objectives 1 and 3 of the SS syllabuses:
Students were then asked to do the following:
is an authentic, relatable topic where students were able to draw upon their prior knowledge and personal experiences. helps students explore the inquiry focus, “Working for the good of society: Whose responsibility is it?”
Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ tracetogether app faq do i still need token 2647566
THE DESIGN
critically analysing a recent government policy; and constructing well reasoned arguments.
In this article, Mr Kevin Lu shares how a systematic approach was designed and implemented to guide students to respond to Question 6 of the Structured Response Questions (SRQs). This approach helped students in:
VOICES! EMPOWERING STUDENT VOICES 9
Voices!
Alignment to Assessment Objectives
To build a common understanding of the topic, students first read a brief that outlined the purpose of TraceTogether and how the data collected would be used by the relevant authorities This brief was accompanied by a set of questions to unpack and systematically develop students’ response to the topic.
outline reasons for the policy; consider the resulting impact of the policy on citizens; and suggest how the policy could be improved to manage the impact on citizens in society.
AO3: Analyse and propose recommendations for a societal issue
AO1: Demonstrate understanding of the issue
Selection of Topic
Sharing by Xinmin Secondary School
Question1:Whatarethereasonsforthepolicy?
Question2:WhataretheimpactsofthemandatoryuseoftheTraceTogetherAppandtoken?
We hope that the sharing from the SS team at Xinmin Secondary School inspires others to consider reframing their approach to developing assessment competencies in students. Let’s continue to endeavour to design authentic, relevant and engaging learning experiences to help students grow and apply their knowledge and skills to respond to societal issues!
Task: Responding to a Policy
VOICES! EMPOWERING STUDENT VOICES 10
The approach designed by Xinmin Secondary School helped students unpack SRQ 6 by first deepening their understanding of a societal issue Moving away from using templates, scaffolding questions were used to help students systematically develop their response to SRQ 6 Through the experience, students found responding to the SRQ less daunting; they had greater clarity of the demands of SRQs and had developed concrete tools to respond to these demands The impact of this learning experience was observable in the many innovative and original responses students provided in their responses to SRQs in later Weighted Assessments.
THE IMPACT
What is one reason for the development of the TraceTogether App and token? Explain your responsewithevidencefromthedetailsofthepolicy.
Prior to the App and token, visitors to shopping malls and other establishments were able to scan SafeEntrycodesusinganyQRcodescannerontheirmobiledevices
One of the worries about the TraceTogether App and token is the potential violation of privacy of individuals.
This process of constructive peer critique was valuable in enhancing students’ learning in the following ways:
Moving Learning Forward
What is one impact on citizens when restricting SafeEntry to the TraceTogether App and token? Explainyourresponsewithevidenceshowingtheimpactsoncitizens
Given this worry, what is one way to manage Singaporeans' concerns about the violation of privacy?Explainhowyourproposedmethodwillbeabletoaddresstheconcerns.
Students were exposed to a variety of perspectives and angles taken by their peers in responding to the topic as they analysed samples of well reasoned responses. Students transferred and applied their learning from the exemplars by actively thinking of constructive feedback to close possible gaps in the non exemplars.
Question3:Howcanthispolicybeimproved?
Extract from the set of questions designed to unpack and systematically develop students’ response to the topic identifying characteristics of a well developed response; and providing suggestions to improve and sharpen the responses
Teachers curated a selection of students’ written responses to serve as exemplars and non exemplars. Using these, students provided peer critiques in the following areas:
2023 Upper Sec E/N(A) Teaching and Learning Syllabus 2023 E/N(A) Syllabus Launch Slides 2023 E/N(A) Syllabus Launch Video Recording 2024 SS Exam Syllabus for O Level and N(A) Level 2024 SS Specimen Paper and Marking Guide for O Level and N(A) Level Go to https://go.gov.sg/slscatalogue sss or scan: Go to http://go.gov.sg/ssswiki or scan: On the landing page, click this banner! GLOW UP | RESOURCES FOR 2023 E/N(A) SYLLABUSES & SLS CATALOGUE 11 GLOW UP! Useful information for teachers Resources for 2023 E/N(A) Syllabuses on ROPAL2.0 esources for 2023 E/N(A) Syllabuses on OPAL2.0 SEARCH CLICK ACCESS Here are some of useful materials for teachers (draft versions for download) SLS SCatalogue LS Catalogue More information on the Interactive Digital Textbook (IDT) for the 2023 syllabuses COMING SOON!
The grades are Pass (PA), Pass with Merit (ME) and Pass with Distinction (DI) Students who do not attempt the PT should be given “Ungraded” in the reporting of assessment grades at the end of each semester.
Example of entering of SS N(T) grades in School Cockpit 2.0 for Upper Secondary levels
(SC) 2.0
Example of entering of SS N(T) grades in School Cockpit 2.0 for Secondary 1
GLOW UP | KEYING IN OF SS N(T) GRADES IN SCHOOL COCKPIT (SC) 2 0 12
“Term 2 Weighted Assessment” column for Semester 1; and “End-of-year Exam” column for Semester 2.
Grades for Secondary 2 N(T) students are to be entered in the:
Secondary 2 N(T)
“Mid-year Exam” column for Semester 1; and “End of year Exam” column for Semester 2.
Grades for Secondary 1 N(T) students are to be entered in the:
Teachers may refer to 2020 SS N(T) TLG pg. 95-96 for more details about Assessment Grade Reporting
(SC) K2.0 eying
Upper Secondary N(T)
Grades are to be entered in the “Overall” column
The SS N(T) grades should be reflected in the Holistic Development Profile (HDP) at the end of each semester for Lower Secondary levels.
Schools have the option of reflecting the SS N(T) grades at the end of the first or second semester depending on whether the syllabus is allocated double periods in the first or second semester
Secondary 1 N(T)
Keying in of SS N(T) Grades in School Cockpitin of SS N(T) Grades in School Cockpit
Example of entering of SS N(T) grades in School Cockpit 2.0 for Secondary 2