Three Educators, One Journey

Three Educators, One Journey

#oneSSoneJOURNEY

Three seasoned Social Studies educators, their paths intertwined by their passion for the subject, share their views on why Social Studies matters, their roles in developing the Social Studies curriculum, and the various ways they seek to spark joy in the classroom.

Without a doubt, Social Studies is uniquely multidisciplinary. Drawing on Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines such as Economics, Geography, History and Sociology, the subject aims to nurture informed, concerned, and participative citizens who are ready and confident to embrace the future.

Evidently, the subject has also been a connection point for many educators.

We speak to three Social Studies educators in Singapore who have been brought together by Social Studies – with a shared passion for the subject, as well as with serendipity.

To this end, students explore concepts such as citizenship, globalisation, diversity during Social Studies lessons.

These concepts provide students with an understanding of real world issues, how these issues intertwine, and how they affect the world we live in today.

Mrs Premaletha Gopalakrishnan (Mdm Prema), Ms Khairani Sufianna Junid and Mr Ng Ban Hock share a unique bond – their passion for Social Studies.

Integral to Social Studies is the nurturing of 21st century competencies.

After all, it is through this subject that students learn civic knowledge, skills and dispositions; regional and global awareness; cross-cultural skills to appreciate diversity; as well as communication, collaboration and information skills — all of which are necessary for them to make responsible and thoughtful decisions as future citizens in our fast-changing world.

And at the heart of imparting such competencies are our Social Studies educators. From one generation to the next, those who teach this subject have played a key role in helping students see the interconnectedness of the world we live in, and what binds us as citizens of the world.

Teacher, Mentee, Student

Their common thread is Mdm Prema, a Master Teacher with more than 30 years of experience. Today, she serves as a leading light for the Social Studies fraternity, and is instrumental in guiding Social Studies educators both young and old.

Mrs Premaletha Gopalakrishnan, Master Teacher, Social Studies

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One of her many mentees is Khairani, a Social Studies Lead Teacher at Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School. The pair first met when Khairani was a beginning teacher at Chung Cheng High School (Main). Their bond has since evolved into an enduring friendship.

Today, Mdm Prema remains a pillar of support for Khairani in her teaching career.

“She’s like a sounding board for me,” Khairani explains. “Even today, I’ll invite her to sit in during my lesson when I’m trying out a new teaching strategy.

She’ll then give me pointers on areas that can be improved.”

“From her, I learned the power of narratives,” said Ban Hock. “She brought lessons to life with her stories, and showed us that it’s not just about memorising facts, but about understanding different points of view.”

These three educators are connected to each other via different circumstances.

At the same time, all three share a common mission to prepare students to become informed, concerned and participative citizens through Social Studies – from primary to secondary levels.

Preparing future uncertain world

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Social Studies equips students with essential and relevant competencies to become future-ready citizens who can navigate the world confidently. For Mdm Prema, this is the essence of what it means to be in the teaching profession.

Ms Khairani Sufianna Junid (left) and Mr Ng Ban Hock

Another teacher Mdm Prema has inspired is Ban Hock, Head of Department (Student Management) at Waterway Primary School. Ban Hock’s connection to Mdm Prema dates back to his secondary school days when she was his teacher.

In 2020, the two met by chance again at the Academy of Singapore Teachers, and Mdm Prema was pleasantly surprised to find that her former student had followed in her footsteps.

And it is clear that for Ban Hock, Mdm Prema had made a lasting impression and influenced his own journey as an educator.

“As teachers, we want our students to be confident and ready to face the future,” she adds. “Students learn to understand our society, their identity as a citizen, and how Singapore is connected to the region and the world.”

Mdm Prema’s view is echoed by Khairani: “Our students will be entering a complex world filled with misinformation, uncertainties and changes we cannot foresee. Social Studies can give them the intellectual lens to balance the emotional lens, to guide them to think critically, connect the dots, and make intelligent decisions based on evidence rather than emotions.”

Similar to the inculcation of values, the development of such competencies should begin at an early age. This is why Ban Hock believes that Social Studies is no less important than other subjects in preparing students for life.

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Ban Hock explains, “Some of the relevance to real-world issues may not be immediately obvious to primary school students. So, it is important for teachers to help students make the connections.

Furthermore, Social Studies is their first touchpoint with the Humanities.

This makes it even more important that we grow their understanding of human society and lay a strong foundation for them in primary school.”

From design to implementation

Coincidentally, both Khairani and Ban Hock were actively involved in developing the Social Studies syllabuses as part of their earlier stints – both served as Curriculum Planning Officers in MOE’s Curriculum Planning and Development Division.

“In terms of syllabus development, Social Studies is really about getting students to grasp the big picture. As educators, you must understand why you’re teaching certain things and not just go through the topics,” Khairani advises.

For Ban Hock, having a hand in designing the subject’s instructional materials has profoundly impacted how he now teaches his Social Studies classes. For one thing, with his insights on the syllabus design, he’s always finding ways to make sure that his students truly grasp key concepts such as diversity, culture and heritage.

“You need to choose the right medium to interest the students, be it through the use of photos, videos, story-telling, or a graphic novel,” he says. “Once I get their attention, they can gather data, discuss, and exercise reasoning based on their findings. Students are also given the opportunity to reflect on their learning — it’s all part of the inquirybased learning process.”

Students engaged in a class discussion with Ban Hock.

It’s an approach that truly goes beyond the dissemination of knowledge to teaching students how to think. As Ban Hock elaborates: “Social Studies teachers cannot be mere information providers.

Instead, we play the role of facilitators.

You get students to explore, you challenge them, and make them share their perspectives.

Then, through conversations and reflections, you see them grow into youths who can consider multiple perspectives and take action for the collective good.”

Bringing Social Studies to life in the classroom

We live in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, where the lines between digital and physical spaces are blurred. Social Studies educators play a key role in helping students make sense of the information they consume in these spaces – to evaluate thoughtfully, make informed decisions, and engage in issues effectively. And many have employed novel approaches to equip their students with such future-ready competencies.

Khairani shares one such approach: “In Social Studies, students learn about multiple perspectives. So, in a recent Secondary Three class, I introduced the story of a bunch of Singapore girls who wanted to be K-Pop stars, who called themselves Beaunite.”

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Continuing the journey

Students from Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School gathering data on Kampung Buangkok and the surrounding housing estate as part of Issue Investigation

Initially, the class was ambivalent to the online criticism received by the group.

However, Khairani guided them to consider a different perspective: what if they were the ones being criticised online?

“The class began to question their initial perceptions and went on to check on how the girls coped with the backlash.

This shows the power of Social Studies in helping to develop empathy and critical thinking skills,” Khairani added.

Today, teachers such as Khairani and Ban Hock continue to build on the good work and foundation laid by veteran educators such as Mdm Prema. Khairani is one of only five Social Studies lead teachers in Singapore — a group Mdm Prema hopes to expand before she retires.

“She’s the only lead teacher in the East Zone, and it makes me proud to see her in that role,” beams Mdm Prema.

“It is important for Khairani and Ban Hock to continue on this journey in Social Studies. We need leaders like them to spearhead the Social Studies journey, to ensure that students reap the substantial benefits of a solid Social Studies education.”

At the primary school level, Ban Hock’s focus is to make sure his students enjoy the lessons as he lays the foundation for them to grow into globally competent youths, rooted in Singapore yet ready to embrace the world.

For example, Ban Hock uses simple analogies to help his students understand why being open to other cultures is important. “I tell them, ‘You know many things about your friends, such as their favourite food and colour.

Similarly, we need to learn about the cultures in other countries if we want Singapore to be good friends with them.’

“It is takeaways like these that help students to develop an appreciation of Singapore’s place in an interconnected world. Our hope is that they can then apply such skills, knowledge and values to help them thrive wherever they go, in subsequent stages of their lives.

#oneSSoneJOURNEY Do you have interesting stories about Social Studies? We want to hear from you! Share your teaching or learning experiences with us and your story could be featured in our newsletter or in a future article!

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