I read an interesting chapter in Teaching of Social Studies by S.K. Kochhar. The chapter addresses the “Essential Qualities in a Social Studies Teacher”. Here are the various headings from the chapter:
1. Well-equipped in Human Qualities – worker in many fields, friendly with all manner of people, free from prejudice, possess an active social conscience and highly cultured.
2. Well-equipped in Academic Qualifications – Highly qualified, very well-informed, have sufficient knowledge of history, geography, civics, economics, sociology and anthropology. His training should include economics, political and cultural development, etc. Have broad understanding of the family, community, state, nation and the world.
3. An Expert in the Methodology of Teaching SS – Able to arouse interest, stimulate questions, encourage enquiry, promote deep thinking. Be conversant with use of IT equipment for lessons.
4. A Scientist and an Artist – As a scientist, non-biased, interpret values, etc. As artist, his culture should be wide in literature, arts & humanities.
5. Breadth of Outlook and Width of Understanding – Must have a refreshing outlook on life and should always have an open mind. His scope must not only be regional or national, but also international.
6. A Person of Integrity
7. A Person of Sound Professional Ethics
8. An Interesting Person
9. A good citizen
10. Widely traveled – Within country and overseas. In-country would include important, significant historical places and buildings, museums, art galleries, factories, etc.
11. A Man of Faith – Faith in self, SS subject and in the students.
12. A Person Who Grows Professionally
Kochhar summed up: In short, the SS teacher should approach as nearly as possible, the ideals of a skilful teacher, a student leader, a worthy colleague, a good citizen, a participant in community affairs and a scholar who keeps abreast of education.
At first, I was very skeptical and felt that the above was a description of an almost perfect teacher! However, nobody is perfect!
But as I ponder over the qualities, it does make sense that we are all of the above; perhaps, even more! However, we may not be perfect in each of the qualities, but we are working at getting there. The bottom line is that if we don’t have these qualities, then how are we going to transmit that to our students?
Like I said, we should possess a certain degree of each of the qualities, but will continue to improve ourselves. And if not for anything else, it’s useful to just ponder and reflect on these qualities and see how we fit into these qualities.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Students Blogging for SS?
I reckon it is useful to use blogs to teach and learn SS. To me, to write something on a blog requires one to be reflective. This means that I’ll have to think through an issue before I pen it in words. And even as I write, my mind is processing and thinking ahead – does what I’m writing make sense?, how can I better connect my ideas to make my writing coherent?, how can I better organise my thoughts?, etc.
Especially as a SS teacher, if I were to be careless in the way I use blogs to teach SS, I will have to be accountable should my students learn the wrong things from me.
But I guess there are three main issues that I’m concern with with regard to students’ blogs:
1. Not all students will have access to the Internet from their homes. I’m referring to poorer students.
2. In Singapore, I don’t think many students are used to writing blogs as a means of learning, especially for neighbourhood schools. So, teachers may have to go slow and not expect much, at least at the beginning. During our LTA at Jurong Sec School, when we asked how many of the students blog, there weren’t many at all. And I doubt for those who do blog, they’ve never use blogs for academic purpose.
3. In addition, even for face-to-face interactions, students are often limited by their ability to process information, be reflective and afterwards, express themselves adequately verbally. Again, I doubt that they will be able to produce much quality reflective writing on their blogs for SS.
It’s NOT because I don’t have faith in our students, but I’m merely stating a fact that they are weak in expressing themselves cogently. Just look at their compositions which can be rather shallow and even go out of point.
So if I want students to blog their SS thoughts, very much will depend on what kind of students I get, i.e. Express class, N(A) or N(T).
Especially as a SS teacher, if I were to be careless in the way I use blogs to teach SS, I will have to be accountable should my students learn the wrong things from me.
But I guess there are three main issues that I’m concern with with regard to students’ blogs:
1. Not all students will have access to the Internet from their homes. I’m referring to poorer students.
2. In Singapore, I don’t think many students are used to writing blogs as a means of learning, especially for neighbourhood schools. So, teachers may have to go slow and not expect much, at least at the beginning. During our LTA at Jurong Sec School, when we asked how many of the students blog, there weren’t many at all. And I doubt for those who do blog, they’ve never use blogs for academic purpose.
3. In addition, even for face-to-face interactions, students are often limited by their ability to process information, be reflective and afterwards, express themselves adequately verbally. Again, I doubt that they will be able to produce much quality reflective writing on their blogs for SS.
It’s NOT because I don’t have faith in our students, but I’m merely stating a fact that they are weak in expressing themselves cogently. Just look at their compositions which can be rather shallow and even go out of point.
So if I want students to blog their SS thoughts, very much will depend on what kind of students I get, i.e. Express class, N(A) or N(T).
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Pedagogic Creed for Teaching Social Studies
Personal Mission Statement
As a professionally trained Social Studies teacher and a curriculum gatekeeper, I aim to actively engage and help develop my charges into informed, critically reflective and independent individuals who are responsible and useful Singaporean citizens, capable of functioning optimally in a dynamic globalised world, but still remain intimately rooted in Singapore; and this shall be accomplished by vigorously exploiting an inter-disciplinary curriculum drawn judiciously from the social sciences, humanities and other related disciplines.
Rationale for this Creed
The words within my Teaching Social Studies Creed have been thoughtfully selected to reflect not just what I want to do and achieve, but also how the students - as active participants in my "teaching" process - will turn out. Here are my explanations for why I've crafted my Mission Statement as such:
1. Professionally trained – To let readers know that I’ve been adequately trained, especially pedagogically, to teach Social Studies.
2. Curriculum gatekeeper – Although I decide what and how to teach, but I won’t simply teach without being a reflective learner myself. So as a gatekeeper for the students, I will undertake to go through a process of carefully selecting materials and conducting activities that not only fulfill the requirements of the Social Studies syllabus and beyond, but will also meet the needs of the students.
3. Actively engage – My Social Studies lessons will be carefully planned and be well processed. They will be student centred so that students will be meaningfully engaged to enable them to learn optimally in a vibrant and conducive environment. The aim will be to help develop these students into individuals who not only possess good critical and creative thinking skills, but also be able to apply and use these skills usefully in the real world.
4. Help – The students must be willing participants and not feel like they have been forced to do something against their will. That way, they will be self-motivated and actively seek to fulfill their own needs as students.
5. Develop – Achieving the end result of good citizenry is a process that will take time and patience to cultivate.
6. Charges – I’ve been charged with the responsibility, and I am personally accountable for the children’s well being and growth.
7. Informed – Students must be provided with useful and relevant learning materials that have the necessary depth and carry the variety of views that reflect this world of diversity. They will also be trained to be discerning, in this Internet age of information deluge, to sieve through information and make sound decisions on their choice of what to expose themselves to.
8. Critically reflective – Students must become critical thinkers with reflective inquiry skills.
9. Independent – Students can think and decide by themselves, with a strong sense of personal efficacy.
10. Individuals – Each is unique, with their own talents, strengths and weaknesses.
11. Responsible – It’s no use that students have the head knowledge, but misuses it. So, they must want to use the knowledge and skills acquired for altruistic purposes.
12. Useful – Students must be purposeful in their endeavours, contributing back to society and actively participating in local functions effectively.
13. Singaporean – Students must be proud of their own unique national identity.
14. Citizens – Students are not just a mere dweller in Singapore, but they should treat Singapore as a home (base).
15. Functioning optimally – Students don't just exist/live in Singapore, but they should be able to contribute purposefully to society, to the best of their abilities.
16. Dynamic – Constantly changing and regularly presenting new challenges.
17. Globalised – What happens “out there” will surely affect Singapore. So, students have to be prepared to take up the challenge to “contain” what’s going out there.
18. Intimately rooted – No matter where students may end up in the world in future, their hearts will still remain in Singapore.
19. Vigorously exploiting – Using learning materials with multiple perspectives, and using the counter-socialisation process to invoke critical and creative thinking.
20. Inter-disciplinary – The very essence and nature of Social Studies.
21. Drawn judiciously – Carefully selected with the constant focus on the objectives and learning outcome of the syllabus, and the needs of the students.
As a professionally trained Social Studies teacher and a curriculum gatekeeper, I aim to actively engage and help develop my charges into informed, critically reflective and independent individuals who are responsible and useful Singaporean citizens, capable of functioning optimally in a dynamic globalised world, but still remain intimately rooted in Singapore; and this shall be accomplished by vigorously exploiting an inter-disciplinary curriculum drawn judiciously from the social sciences, humanities and other related disciplines.
Rationale for this Creed
The words within my Teaching Social Studies Creed have been thoughtfully selected to reflect not just what I want to do and achieve, but also how the students - as active participants in my "teaching" process - will turn out. Here are my explanations for why I've crafted my Mission Statement as such:
1. Professionally trained – To let readers know that I’ve been adequately trained, especially pedagogically, to teach Social Studies.
2. Curriculum gatekeeper – Although I decide what and how to teach, but I won’t simply teach without being a reflective learner myself. So as a gatekeeper for the students, I will undertake to go through a process of carefully selecting materials and conducting activities that not only fulfill the requirements of the Social Studies syllabus and beyond, but will also meet the needs of the students.
3. Actively engage – My Social Studies lessons will be carefully planned and be well processed. They will be student centred so that students will be meaningfully engaged to enable them to learn optimally in a vibrant and conducive environment. The aim will be to help develop these students into individuals who not only possess good critical and creative thinking skills, but also be able to apply and use these skills usefully in the real world.
4. Help – The students must be willing participants and not feel like they have been forced to do something against their will. That way, they will be self-motivated and actively seek to fulfill their own needs as students.
5. Develop – Achieving the end result of good citizenry is a process that will take time and patience to cultivate.
6. Charges – I’ve been charged with the responsibility, and I am personally accountable for the children’s well being and growth.
7. Informed – Students must be provided with useful and relevant learning materials that have the necessary depth and carry the variety of views that reflect this world of diversity. They will also be trained to be discerning, in this Internet age of information deluge, to sieve through information and make sound decisions on their choice of what to expose themselves to.
8. Critically reflective – Students must become critical thinkers with reflective inquiry skills.
9. Independent – Students can think and decide by themselves, with a strong sense of personal efficacy.
10. Individuals – Each is unique, with their own talents, strengths and weaknesses.
11. Responsible – It’s no use that students have the head knowledge, but misuses it. So, they must want to use the knowledge and skills acquired for altruistic purposes.
12. Useful – Students must be purposeful in their endeavours, contributing back to society and actively participating in local functions effectively.
13. Singaporean – Students must be proud of their own unique national identity.
14. Citizens – Students are not just a mere dweller in Singapore, but they should treat Singapore as a home (base).
15. Functioning optimally – Students don't just exist/live in Singapore, but they should be able to contribute purposefully to society, to the best of their abilities.
16. Dynamic – Constantly changing and regularly presenting new challenges.
17. Globalised – What happens “out there” will surely affect Singapore. So, students have to be prepared to take up the challenge to “contain” what’s going out there.
18. Intimately rooted – No matter where students may end up in the world in future, their hearts will still remain in Singapore.
19. Vigorously exploiting – Using learning materials with multiple perspectives, and using the counter-socialisation process to invoke critical and creative thinking.
20. Inter-disciplinary – The very essence and nature of Social Studies.
21. Drawn judiciously – Carefully selected with the constant focus on the objectives and learning outcome of the syllabus, and the needs of the students.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)