Social studies are among the required subjects your child will have to take in Secondary Three. Thus, in order for you to counsel your Secondary 2 child of the option of Humanities subjects, ensure you find out more on the subjects.
By including Social Studies as a subject in the school curriculum from primary to secondary. It indicates the importance of this subject and its role in students’ life. Social Studies has been integrated into the school curriculum by combining subjects like cultural studies, history, economics, geography, Political Science, anthropology, sociology, psychology etc.
How can learning Social Studies help your child?
It helps inspire children to be aware of and interested in the society they live in. To help you, here are some tips you could use to support and help your children in learning social studies:
Social Studies
In secondary and primary classes, Social Studies helps students make out the interconnection of the environment they live in and Singapore as a whole. This will help them recognize just how complex human experience is.
Students are able to explore the complicated tensions that often characterize all the issues happening in the world and also in Singapore. Your child’s learning starts at primary classes and is pushed into greater depths at secondary school.
In Upper Secondary, the study of Social Studies centers on the definitive teaching of thinking skills that help manage and assess real-life data in more meaningful ways.
Also, it aims at building a deep sense of being rooted in the nation. This subject is by nature interdisciplinary, combining subjects like Economics, Geography, Political Science, History, and Sociology.
Ways You Can Offer Your Support To Your Child In Social Studies
In what ways can you provide support for your child in learning social studies? Below are some tips to get you started. Here goes!
• Encourage your child to read widely, particularly on current affairs, and also listen to/watch documentaries and news
Increase your child’s exposure to current affairs that are occurring both in Singapore and also around the world. Doing so will help heighten awareness and interest in development and events and developments that are happening in Singapore and in the world.
• Encourage Kids to ponder on issues they watch, read, or listen
Encourage children to digest what they listen to, read or watched. While trying to understand some of these issues, children will start to take note of their own assumptions and beliefs.
With this, they are able to reflect and come up with their view of the area they live in.
• Let children share their views
Have discussions about the current issues in the world and in Singapore with your child. Ask them for their first view before you discuss other possible positions. Encourage them to formulate their own opinions, and also explain their reasoning, after analyzing and understanding these perspectives.
Additional things that students learn in social studies
By learning social studies students are prepared to identify and propose insightful approaches to some of the societal issues. This gives them ownership of their contribution to societal outcomes in being creative citizens of Singapore.
• Helps in Enhancing the Social Understanding for Students
Different topics have been included in the Social Studies curriculum for the various age groups like the types of Families, food we eat, Clothes We Wear, Our Country, My Community, Socio-Religious Reforms, – help students to note, learn and be aware of human values, behavior, and attitudes and even the interrelationships that exist among various people.
They get to know of the different cultures and religions that exist in the world besides their own. Students also learn of the norms of society and why different governing bodies are needed and other institutions.
In turn, this helps students develop a bigger perspective of the society and human conditioning.
• Encourages awareness of the society they live in
Through learning about the many religions, cultural and social beliefs, nationalities and ethnicity, languages, values, food and clothing, festivals, types of families, etc.
Student become aware of the diversity and how multicultural the society they live in is, yet it is still inter-relatedness and interdependence between different families, people, cultures, countries, and religions. This assists students to notice the challenges and benefits of living in a society with multiple ideologies and cultures.
This helps them understand the value of democracy, freedoms and rights and the reality that for us to coexist and live peacefully everyone has to trust, respect, and balance the different opinions, attitudes, and values, lifestyles, practices, cultures, and ideologies existent in society.
• Helps kids Become Better Citizens
Subjects found in Social Studies such as history, economics, and political Science teach students on citizenship, political ideologies, rights and duties, constitutional laws, social code of conduct, virtues and morals, thus making students aware of their responsibilities and roles particularly as regards to civic and social affairs.
How can students benefit by learning social studies? By giving applicable information and skill, knowledge and attitudes, studying Social Science prep students to become responsible, active and thoughtful members of society.
Also, it teaches them to handle global and societal concerns using technology, literature, and other recognizable community resources. Thus, it’s clear that integrating Social Studies in school programs ensures the students have a well-rounded education.
In closing
For you to be in a position to counsel your Secondary 2 child as they select their Humanities subjects. It is advisable that you take time to know more about the subject – look at subjects like history, literature, and also geography.
The addition of Social Studies in the school program beginning from primary level to secondary classes simply shows the importance this subject has and the part it plays in the lives of students.
By learning social studies students are prepared to identify and propose insightful approaches to some of the societal issues. This gives them ownership of the contribution they make towards societal outcomes and being creative citizens of Singapore.
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