Humanities Department

Head of Department
Miss Azeanni Binte Yasni
Email: azeanni_yasni@moe.edu.sg

Teachers:

Social Studies
Mdm Zaleela Zakariah
Mrs Suzanne Gomes
Ms Ng Zhao Ying
Miss Shermin Chee
Mr Gemmon Wah

History
Mrs Joy Moreira (SH/History)
Mr Fabian Lim
Mr Tan Yik Zhen

Geography
Mrs Jenny Yoong-Goh Jia Yee (SH/Geography)
Ms Verine Yeo
Mr Joel Sng
Ms Nor Hazimah Mohd Hanafi
Miss Rachel Koh
Mr Jeremiah Loke

Department Goals / Objectives:

Springfield’s Humanities Programme seeks to engage our students in an appreciation of the real world issues that impact their lives. It aims to encourage students to investigate the past, help them make sense of the world they live in, and equip them with the skills to envision the future. In so doing, the programme will not only cultivate critical and creative life-long learners but ultimately young citizens who are active, responsible, socially-aware and possessing a global perspective.

Curriculum:

Foundational Years (Secondary 1 and 2)

The first 2 years of the programme are aimed at giving students a broad overview of the world as they know it, both from a spatial as well as a temporal perspective. Through the study of Geography, students will learn about natural and human phenomena and their related issues. At the same time, the study of History will enable them to understand significant periods, communities and characteristics of history. In addition, students would have had a good experience of the demands of both History and Geography, which will enable them to make an informed decision on their subject choice for the Specialisation Years. Whatever the choice, the programme ensures that they will have the necessary foundational content and skills needed for a smooth transition into the Specialisation Years.

Specialisation Years (Secondary 3, 4 and 5)

For the later years, in addition to the study of Social Studies, students will choose their preferred area of specialisation and concentrate on working towards their N or O level certification. They will also be provided with in-depth training in the skills of the respective disciplines through the inquiry-based learning and geographical investigation approaches.

Geography syllabus

History syllabus

Department Programmes:

Springfield employs an inquiry-based approach to learning. Focusing on the appreciation of enduring understandings through essential questions, instruction takes a hands-on approach, incorporating field studies or historical inquiry as a compulsory part of the curriculum during the Specialisation Years.

Our pupils are trained to be skillful thinkers with the ability to assess sources of all nature in an objective manner. Pupils are introduced to source-based case study skills which will enable them to develop thinking and process skills essential to lifelong and independent learning.

Assessment is also aligned with this mantra, with authentic tasks featured alongside the more traditional pen and paper assessments. This not only allows students to see the relevance of their learning, and in so doing, enthuse them further in the subject; but also encourages students of differing abilities to showcase their varied intelligence so that our assessment of our students will be accurate and holistic.

It has long been the department’s belief that the Humanities is an excellent vehicle for the transference of values. Thus, at every level and through every discipline, there is a deliberate infusion of the teaching of values. Through the study of Geography, students learn values such as Gratitude for Singapore’s efficient transportation system, and Civic Consciousness through the understanding of climate change concerns. The study of Social Studies enables students to develop Respect and Graciousness as key ingredients in the maintenance of societal peace, as well as Grit and Innovation when facing challenges. By studying our own History, students appreciate the value of Diligence as portrayed by the immigrants who helped build Singapore, and see the importance of Empathy when learning the plight of minority groups throughout the world.

Last but not least, learning journeys and participation in competitions are organised to take learning beyond the confines of the classroom and to help students see how their knowledge can be applied to the real world.

Department achievements in 2022

To commemorate Springfield Secondary School’s 30th anniversary as an institute of learning, the Humanities department helped lead students through key world events:

1. The Kyoto Protocol (1998) and its relation to International Friendship Day;
2. The devastation caused by the 9/11 incident (2001);
3. The demise of our first Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew (2015);
4. Singapore’s response to Covid 19 (2020 – present) and;
5. The War between Ukraine and Russia (2022).

Through lessons carefully prepared by our teachers, students were able to learn about and discuss the impact of these significant events on Singapore as a nation and on themselves as individuals.

The Social Studies unit allowed for students to carry out an issue investigation on experiences of the Covid 19 pandemic. Through the use of posters and videos, our students helped raise awareness of how Singaporeans could stay safe during the pandemic.

By taking part in competitions such as the NUS Challenge, our Geography students created videos and discussed how Singapore’s push for electric vehicles would help our country achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

And finally, through the research of Singapore’s traditional foods, games and folklore, students of History learnt about the different cultures of our people as part of Racial Harmony Day.

Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) Challenge 2022

The Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) Challenge is an annual contest conducted by the National Library Board (NLB) and supported by the MOE’s CPDD Humanities Branch (History Unit). Since its inception in 2015, the contest welcomes Lower Secondary History students to participate in in-depth research on a given historical inquiry.

170 teams from 82 schools participated in this year’s installment of the HSI. Amongst them were two teams from Springfield’s Secondary 2E and 2F who took up the challenge to research on the historical significance of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore (1942-1945), in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore.

The team from 2E, comprising Hao Chenyi, Tay Gabriela, Tan Shermaine, and Nurul Batrisyia Mawasi, did Springfield proud by clinching overall 1st place for HSI 2022 and being accorded the Young Historians’ Award by the MOE!

Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) Challenge 2020

2E History enthusiasts, Nur Adiibah, Dinie Erina, Anis Farhany and Riesya Qusyairah, did Springfield proud by clinching a GOLD Award in the Historical Scene Investigation (HSI) Challenge 2020 organized by the National Library Board (NLB) and CPDD Humanities Branch.

In response to the historical inquiry question: ‘What public health-related incident or movement did Singapore experience in the period from 1900 to 2000? Compare and Contrast the challenges faced and the ways they were overcome by the people in the past to the present day’, the team produced a poster on “Tuberculosis in Singapore (1945 - 1979)”.