iSSues Explorer (Sept 2023)

i ues explorer

We are all about making our voices heard in this edition!

Words of appreciation from us

Thinkpiece on the necessity of common space

Socratic Seminar in the Social Studies (SS) classroom

Making SS come alive

3 Words of Appreciation From Us to You

We hope you found the articles in iSSues Explorer useful! If you have feedback or ideas you would like to share with us, please click here or scan the QR code on the right.

Happy Teachers' Day!

From the editor's desk

Dear SS Educators,

Thank you for journeying with us to explore local and global issues related to citizenship, diversity and globalisation in our quest to mould our Social Studies students into informed, concerned and participative citizens. In doing so, we nurture our students to be locally confident and globally competent.

We applaud you and are ever inspired by your passion to deliver innovative lesson to make Social Studies come alive through inquiry and discussion.

We hope you have enjoyed your Teachers’ Day and had a well-deserved break over the September holiday!

M ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, SOCIAL STUDIES (SECONDARY)

Dear SS Colleagues,

A very Happy Teachers' Day! We know that it has been an exciting year for you with the rollout of new syllabuses syllabuses across the various Humanities subjects. Thank you very much for your efforts in making SS engaging for students I hope that the resources, such as the coursebook, IDT lessons, articles in iSSues Explorer and the e-TLG, have provided you with materials that is useful to bring the joy of learning to your students. Let us continue to walk hand in hand to nurture our students to be locally confident and globally competent citizens who understand their roles as citizens and work together with the government for the common good. Once again, thank you for your heart work and hard work. Happy Teachers' Day!

Sincerely,

Vikneswari

ENGAGE

WHAT ARE COMMON SPACES AND ARE THEY NECESSARY?

A common space refers to a physical location and/or a social space where different groups of people interact, cooperate or collaborate on projects or activities.

Speaking at OnePeople.sg’s annual Harmony Works! Conference in 2022, Deputy Prime Minster (DPM) Lawrence Wong spoke about how common spaces must be protected, given how they provide opportunities to bring people from diverse backgrounds together. This is especially necessary given that common experiences like watching television have become more fragmented and people connect largely with familiar groups on social media, thus reducing the diversity in our interactions.

If left unchecked

If left unchecked, this could result in people finding it hard to understand those who hold different views, leading to mistrust, a situation that Singapore hopes to avoid. DPM Wong mentioned that this has happened in the United States, where surveys indicate that trust levels have fallen over the decades, partly due to a lack of shared experiences and chances to bond

Thus, common spaces serve as a means of managing the challenges of living in a diverse society by increasing interaction, while at the same time providing a unifying platform for our people amidst media that is increasingly fragmented by globalisation.

WHAT MAKES A COMMON SPACE EFFECTIVE? Managing Potential Tensions

While common spaces can provide opportunities for interaction, they can be double-edged swords if not managed well.

Whilethetermoftenconjures upimagesofphysical locationslikevoiddecks, schoolsandhawkercentres, commonspacesdoexistin lessconcretesettingsaswell. Examplesofsocialcommon spacefeaturedinthe2023 Express/Normal(Academic) and2020Normal(Technical) 1Acoursebooksinclude initiativesbyorganisations, suchastheInter-Racialand ReligiousConfidenceCircles (IRCCs)andPeople's Association(PA),andshared experiencesfromschool programmesandNational Service. Bothalsohighlight schoolprogrammesas commonspaces.

GOING BEYOND PHYSICAL SPACES

An IPS-OnePeople survey done in 2019 found that neighbourhoods and common spaces can be potential settings for tensions to develop, for example, over issues such as loud events at void decks or neighbours cooking food with strong smells. Thus, social common spaces often have to be deliberately planned and sustained to minimise inter-racial and religious tensions. The IRCCs, for example, organise monthly events and festive celebrations with a mix of residents from different races and religions, and have community ambassadors present to help explain their practices. The IRCCs also help to arbitrate the use of common spaces, for example when religious organisations need to use them during religious events

AnotherexampleisRosesof Peace,aninterfaithyouth groupwhichpacksand distributesroses,eachwitha greetingcardwithmessages ofpeace,loveandharmony fromreligiousfigures,to engagemembersofthe public.Italsoorganises forums,conferencesand symposiumstoprovidesafe spacesforinterfaithdialogues. Throughthese,itaimsto createpositivesocial exchangesanddeepentrust andunderstanding,thereby reducingsocialfissuresarising fromignoranceandlackof understanding. Whilenottied toaspecificphysicallocation, thevariouseventsorganised byRosesofPeaceoffer multipleplatformsfor interactionforpeoplefrom differentbackgrounds.

Building Community

A well-designed common space encourages people to gather, interact and form connections to the area and one another. As common spaces are potential platforms for social interaction, their design should encourage use by diverse groups within the community and enable repeated meaningful interactions that foster strong connections that go beyond superficial exchanges. In Tampines, for example, community facilities like community cafes and community gardens used are intentionally integrated with commonly used linkways to create more opportunities for neighbours to interact and, consequently, build a stronger sense of belonging. 7

An example of a community garden in Tiong Bahru6

PLAYGROUNDS AS COMMON SPACES

Playgrounds have evolved to cater to the play and exercise needs of the elderly, adults and children all at once, and in doing so bring families and the community closer in a more inclusive manner. Most recently, thematic playgrounds have been designed to do the following:

Create a stronger town identity by taking into account the unique characteristics and historical background of the town in the physical design of the playground. For example, there are two military-themed playgrounds built at the Keat Hong Mirage and Keat Hong Quad HDB precincts, paying homage to the military camps that once occupied those sites. Enhance the play experience by encouraging role play and exploration through an immersive theme and a rich selection of play equipment

Build closer bonds between family members by adding features that encourage parents to engage in play and conversations with their children.

8

Encouraging participation

Reaching out to each other, communicating, 9

This reflects the idea of the citizens and the government working together for the good of society, where citizens also have an active role to play to maintain social harmony and build communal bonds alongside the government’s efforts.

Editor’s Note

This also serves as a timely reminder for us to not over accentuate, in our classrooms, only on what the government can do but to emphasise the importance of the complementary role that citizens play in society too.

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2. 3.

The challenge, then, is in creating spaces that people actively want to take part in. Other than creating physical spaces that spark interest, like the playgrounds mentioned earlier, common spaces could also be created to give ownership to the members of the public in engaging them. For example, The Lively Places Programme, a joint initiative between HDB and URA, supports community-led efforts such as neighbourhood art classes and art installations featuring works by residents. Such initiatives help residents form closer bonds to their neighbourhoods by providing them with a stake in their neighbourhood’s physical environment.

Ultimately, how effective a common space is as a platform for interaction and building harmony depends on how the people use it. As National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser shared in an interview with The Straits Times: “ once residents interact with one another or even do things together, they would tend to be more understanding and considerate”.

Questions for Classroom Discussions

1. What are some physical or social common spaces you have heard or taken part in?

2 How can citizens leverage on government programmes such as The Lively Places Programme to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to utilise common spaces more?

Editor’s Note

Q2 is framed to highlight the complementary roles played by both the government and citizens for the betterment of society. Students should not attribute sole responsibility to either government or citizens.

3. Based on what you have read and your own personal experiences, do you think that common spaces are needed or effective?

The Chapter 6 lesson idea on the teaching and learning of common space can be found on the SSS Wikipage.

Lesson ideas for Chapters 1 – 6 are now live on the site too!

[1]SocialStudiesExpress/Normal(Academic)2023Coursebook

[2]https://wwwmofgovsg/news-publications/speeches/speech-by-mr-lawrence-wong-deputy-prime-minister-and-minister-for-finance-at-theharmonyworks!-conference-2022-on-sunday-24-july-2022-at-ite-college-central

[3]https://rosesofpeacecom/

[4]https://wwwstraitstimescom/singapore/loud-noise-in-common-areas-burning-of-religious-items-could-lead-to-tensions-among [5]https://lkycicsutdedusg/blog/facilitating-social-mixing-in-public-spaces/

[6]https://wwwstraitstimescom/singapore/community/new-community-garden-to-provide-fresh-produce-for-tiong-bahru-residents

[7]https://wwwhdbgovsg/community/creating-vibrant-places/your-community-spaces

[8]https://wwwhdbgovsg/cs/infoweb/about-us/news-and-publications/press-releases/15042018-hdb-playgrounds-

[9]https://wwwstraitstimescom/singapore/recognising-common-threads-in-different-religions-key-to-harmony-in-spore-religious [10]https://wwwsg101govsg/infrastructure/case-studies/placemaking

VOICES! VOICES!

sharing by Orchid Park secondary school

Socratic Seminar in THE Social studies (ss) Classroom

In this article, the iSSues Explorer team sat down with Ms Anitha Ganesan and Mr Teo Ee Jun from Orchid Park Secondary School to understand more about their journey and experiences in carrying out a Socratic Seminar in their SS classrooms last year.

Why did the team decide to carry out a Socratic Seminar in the SS classroom?

The team was looking for ways to increase student engagement and to get them involved in the construction of knowledge. We did our research and various scholars pointed out that a Socratic Seminar helps to :

Enhance students’ learning through the active construction of knowledge (Shepard, 2000);

Create meaningful, personal links for students by tapping on their own contextual knowledge (James & Lewis, 2012); and Improve students’ critical thinking facilities (Griswold et al., 2017; Oyler & Romanelli, 2014).

We also hoped to nurture civic dispositions amongst our students, such as how to carry out a respectful discourse with others despite disagreement and we felt that a Socratic Seminar was the way to go.

What were some considerations that the team had when planning for a Socratic Seminar in THE classroom?

In preparing for the Socratic Seminar, we had to be mindful of the wide range of student abilities and disposition (introversion/ extroversion). We also considered if we could meaningfully weave technology in to enhance or aid in the execution of the Socratic Seminar.

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With the above considerations in mind, can you share snippets of your Socratic Seminar lesson?

We conducted a Socratic Seminar on casual racism in Singapore. This was carried out at the end of Chapter 6 for students to consolidate their learning on the experiences and effects of living in a (socio-culturally) diverse society. This also served as a launchpad to introduce students to Chapter 7 on how citizens and government can respond to diversity in society The issue statement/ topic of discussion assigned to students was “Has racial harmony failed in Singapore? What needs to be done to make racial harmony a success in Singapore?”

Before carrying out the Socratic Seminar, classes were assigned a pre-Socratic Seminar activity via the SLS dd

Snippet of the article that was given to the students You can find the original article that was referenced here

where students would have to answer a series of literal questions after reading the article. We used the SLS because we wanted to be able to provide automated feedback to their answers so that students could check for their own understanding We assigned one period for this pre-Socratic Seminar activity.

To execute the Socratic Seminar, we took a double period of 35 minutes each (Periods 2 and 3). We also used a fishbowl seating arrangement due to our class sizes (35 and 40 students).

Additionally, in executing the Socratic Seminar, high progress learners were given the autonomy to prepare their own questions for the Socratic Seminar. On the other hand, low progress learners were given a list of interpretative and evaluative questions, should they need help to move the discussion forward.

Outer circle comprises note takers who will jot down the questions and points raised by inner circle (discussants)

Inner circle comprises the discussants in the seminar, who will actively raise questions and share their views

We also incorporated a “hot seat” where we encouraged the outer circle members to tap into the discussion and assume the role of the inner circle if they wished to do so. To encourage participation from more members of the outer circle, a “live” Slido session was available throughout the duration of the Seminar for them to pose questions or comments.

The use of Slido facilitated interesting interactions between the inner and outer circle. We (as teachers) would share notable questions or comments found on Slido and sought responses from the inner circle members. This added to the depth and breadth of the discussion. At times when the discussion slowed down, we activated opinion polls on Slido to gather views on a particular issue mentioned in the article. The results of the polls then served as stimuli to drive the discussion.

We can see that there was active use of technology in your Socratic Seminar lesson. Why did the team choose to use technology in the way that you did?

We believe there were more benefits in offering a digital platform running concurrently as it provided an alternative means for students to voice out, respond to and refine ideas that some might struggle with in a physical, fishbowl setting.

(Left) Sample of interpretive and evaluative questions given to students and (right) example of a student’s note that was uploaded to Google Classroom

Taking in live questions using Slido

What are some key takeaways from the Socratic Seminar lesson?

From this experience, we learnt that Socratic Seminars offer opportunities to engage students and help them to make sense of the world around them. It is helpful to use familiar topics that you have taught to get students (and yourself!) acquainted with Socratic Seminar because it’s easier to generate questions/discussions/opinions from students. It is also important for teachers to prepare for Socratic Seminars, such as by coming up with additional questions and leveraging technology to help move discussions along. As both you and your students get more accustomed to Socratic Seminars, you will be able to nurture the desired traits and dispositions we hope to see in our Social Studies students!

References

Griswold, A. J., Shaw, L., & Munn, M. (2017). Socratic seminar with data: A strategy to support student discourse and understanding. The American Biology Teacher, 79(6), 492–495.

James, M. & Lewis, J. (2012). Assessment in harmony with our understanding of learning: Problems and Possibilities In J Gardner (Ed ), Assessment and Learning (2nd ed , pp 187 – 206) London: SAGE Publications.

Jerome, L & Lalor, J (2018) Revisiting subject knowledge in citizenship education: Understanding power and agency. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 15(2), 1–15.

Oyler, D. R., & Romanelli, F. (2014). The fact of ignorance revisiting the socratic method as a tool for teaching critical thinking. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(7), 1–10.

Shepard, L.A. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educatioal Researcher, 29(7), 4-14.

There is a Socratic Seminar IDT lesson as well! Click here or access Lesson A of the Chapter 7 IDT course on SLS to find out more.

VOICES! VOICES!

Sharing by Queensway Secondary School

Making Social Studies (SS) Come Alive!

In this article, Ms Grace Lee from Queensway Second she helps make SS come alive for her students by dr between current affairs and the SS syllabuses

“Ms Lee, why must we study SS? Is it even important for our lives?” a student asked as I started a lesson.

Applicability of SS in Daily Life

I understood where the questions were coming from and had the same question myself when I was a student. Many students have the initial impression that humanities disciplines like SS are boring and find it difficult to see the applicability and value of the humanities in their lives.

To challenge this perception, each SS lesson for the week begins with a short exploration of current affairs that are relevant to the three overarching issues in the syllabuses.

2023 E/N(A) syllabuses. I challenge my students to read the news and guide them to draw connections with what they are learning in our subject.

To start students off on this process, I summarise chosen news pieces into a few sentences, share these short snippets with students and draw direct links to the three issues in the SS syllabuses. For instance, the crisis in Ukraine provided an opportunity to explore the role of the government in Issue 1 as well as the concepts of interdependence and interconnections in Issue 3. We conversed about how the crisis had impacted our daily lives and the need for international

Snippets of the slides Ms Lee had prepared for the students on the crisis in Ukraine

cooperation between countries in an increasingly globalised world. Through learning about how the Singapore government has responded to the crisis through diplomacy and protected the national interest of Singapore, students also saw the interconnections of a globalised world when they witnessed how events in Europe affected Singapore and countries around the world.

Co-constructing Knowledge with Students

Although it was a teacher-led effort when I first introduced this segment in class, over time, I involved students in the process of reading and sharing about current events that they had seen or read about in the news. Guided by the SS inquiry approach, as well as guiding questions as a scaffold, students were scheduled weekly to take over this short current affairs segment.

Sparking Curiosity Sparking Curiosity

Teacher and students summarise chosen news articles and draw connections between the real world and SS syllabuses to show students the applicability of SS

Reflective Thinking Reflective Thinking

To wrap up their sharing, students were tasked to ask their classmates to share their thoughts using questions that they had crafted in relation to the chosen topic of the day.

The differing interests of the students, reflected in the myriad topics that they surfaced, has expanded the worldview of their classmates.

These discussions have piqued students’ interest in the world around them. I really felt the impact of this when, during the crisis

Gathering Data Gathering Data

Based on their scheduled date and topic of interest, students search for news pieces, summarise the content of the articles to provide context for their classmates.

Exercising Reasoning Exercising Reasoning

In their sharing, students draw connections between the articles they surfaced about their chosen topic and the SS syllabuses.

Snippet of topics proposed by students.

crisis in Afghanistan two years ago, two students put together a deck of slides to share what they had learnt with their class. Sparked by their curiosity about the situation in Afghanistan, they gathered sources about the situation, synthesised what they had found and shared it with their classmates, centred around questions ssssss

1. Using the 5W1H, summarise the chosen news event clearly. Do not plagiarise and copy paragraphs off the internet. (Max 250 words.) Possible sources of news include: articles, blogposts, commentaries and videos

What happened?

Clarify the facts and understand the background and context of the event(s)

2. What are the different viewpoints and contentious angles presented in the issue?

Identify the people affected/impacted by the event.

What emotions did the people have?

What are the reasons for the reactions?

What are the differing perspectives observed?

3. How does this relate to the issues covered in Social Studies (citizenship & governance, diversity and globalisation)?

Some areas of focus to help guide the connection to SS: global, national, community, self.

4. What is your opinion on this news event?

they had developed about the topic. No one had asked them to do this They took the initiative to find out more and raised many questions about the impact of the crisis on Singapore and the world. I felt so proud of them. It was also heartening to see them internalising the learning from SS and taking baby steps towards being informed and concerned citizens of the world.

Snippet of the deck of slides the students had prepared for their classmates on the crisis in Afghanistan

Some of these weekly sharing have also helped students in their source handling skills as they have had to interpret and evaluate whether the articles that they had picked for sharing helped their classmates to better understand the topic or issue that they were sharing on. In formulating their sharing for their classmates, the articles that they had chosen also guided them to reflect and develop their own opinions on issues. This helped students develop a sense of global awareness and social responsibility while demonstrating an improvement in their critical thinking skills.

Everyone can learn from a textbook, but the ability to ask questions and make sense of information will help our students thrive in the future. Cultivating a sense of curiosity in students will guide them to continue to explore complex ideas and ask critical questions. This is the basis of true understanding.

GLOW UP! GLOW UP!

growing as aN SS educator, thriving as one fraternity

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE

2023 E/N(A) Sec 4 & 5 coursebook

Dear colleagues, we have good news to share! The desk copies of the Sec 4 & 5 coursebook are likely to reach you by the end of October. You should have received an email from the publisher, Hodder Education, about the number of desk copies required by your department. Please note that a reply from the school is required to ensure that your department receives the required number of desk copies by end October.

CPF's New Digital Escape Game

CPF Board has recently launched a Digital Escape Game (DEG) for secondary and tertiary students. Through solving game challenges in the DEG, students will be able to pick up key CPF and financial literacy concepts

Click HERE to find out more about the DEG!

SLS RESOURCES SLS RESOURCES

2020 ss N(T) Syllabus

Sec 1 N(T)

Issue 2, Chapter 4

Book 1B - What are Some Integration Efforts?

Sec 2 N(T)

Issue 4, Chapter 3

Book 2B - Alternative sources of energy – Solar energy

Sec 2 N(T)

Issue 4, Chapter 3

Book 2B - What are some ways to protect the environment?