Social studies is a compulsory subject in Secondary school and in it is taken up with another humanities subject as an elective such as English literature, Geography or History.
The format of this subject is very similar to History and Geography as students are required to analyse sources and case-studies and rely on their content knowledge to answer essay-based questions.
Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-celebrates-unity-in-diversity
The aim of the subject
The subject requires students to read about everything from the past till the present that defines Singapore and its success. The challenges, the decisions, the struggles, the policies, the hardship and the victory encompass Singapore’s story and it is of utmost importance for students to know about it all.
Students often struggle to perform well in Social studies when they are unaware of how to memorise content, as well as being unequipped with essay-writing skills.
So, here are some ways students can conquer the subject!
COHERENT THOUGHT PROCESS
When analysing a source, it’s important to extract the high-yield information and recall the associated concept, analyse the embedded meaning as well as sense satirical sense of humour being used. Some pointers that students can keep in mind to have a structured thought process is,
- Enquire: Ask the necessary questions to analyse and weigh the information presented
- Analyse: The credibility of the source, the intention of the author/illustrator, the message of the source are some things that need to be analysed and sorted out in the mind before proceeding with writing.
- Point of balance and Point of argument: Take a stand but also provide counterargument to acknowledge the scope for different perspectives
- Unbiased opinion: Personal sentiments should not show its shadow in the essays that your craft; your opinions should be non-judgemental and only based on facts that you have learnt.
- Substantiated arguments: Avoid sweeping statements and ensure that you quote the appropriate words from sources provided to add value and credibility to the arguments.
DISCUSSIONS
Talking about what you’ve learnt in social studies with a friend or parents will make the arduous learning process much simpler. All you need to do is to read a chapter like a story, maybe make a couple of flashcards to remember the dates and talk about what you have read and learnt.
Discussions enable faster encoding of information in the brain and it helps with easy retention and recall of it as well. This are particularly important skills to do well in exams!
TUITION
The first step to success is to admit that you need help when you are struggling; dwelling in denial will never solve the problem. Home tuition has become a popular option for students to opt for in order to seek help when they need personalised approach in teaching from the tutor.
One-to-one tuition enables tutors to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the student and customise their teaching strategies to meet the student’s needs appropriately.
BOTTOM LINE
Tuition agencies have the best tutors on board to guide children in the best way possible. Learning humanities subject alone can be daunting and unfortunately parents don’t have the time or the much-needed expertise to handle such subjects for teaching. This is unlike sciences; the approach in teaching and learning is starkly different in fact complex.
Here are some related articles you may be interested in reading:
The Peaks And Troughs Of Studying Additional Mathematics – ChampionTutor (https://www.championtutor.com/blog/the-peaks-and-troughs-of-studying-additional-mathematics/)
The Anatomy Of A Perfect Study Session: For Secondary School Students – ChampionTutor (https://www.championtutor.com/blog/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-study-session-for-secondary-school-students/)