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.