1. Cultural Diversity in our Social
Studies Syllabus
Vani | Bernard | Zinc | Winnie | Priya

2. Quiz
1. What is the significance of Vesak Day?
2. What is the difference between Hari Raya Haji and Hari
Raya Puasa?
3. Why is Christmas celebrated?
4. Why can‟t the Muslims eat pork?
5. Why can‟t the Hindus eat beef?
6. Why do Hindus wash their feet before they enter the
temple?
7. Why do Christians celebrate Thanksgiving?
8. Why do Muslims wear „tudong‟?
9. Why do Chinese celebrate Mooncake festival?
10. Why do Sikhs wear „turban‟?

3. What is cultural diversity?
Definition:
-To have a diverse range of culture in a common
shared space, to take pride in one‟s own culture, yet
respect, accept, maybe even celebrate other‟s
cultural uniqueness.

4. What do some student teachers say?
Chinese respondent:
 Cultural diversity is about different culturally
 Differences in ethnicity, language, religion, customs and beliefs
 Messages of the importance of racial harmony and being
tolerant of other ethnic groups was taught to her when she was
a student
Indian respondent:
 Cultural diversity is something whereby you get to experience and learn each other‟s culture, tradition and practices and why
they do things in certain ways and why festivals are celebrated
 When she was a student: Racial harmony, IFD, different festivals to teach them
 In contract teaching: NE camp for P4 students, 2D1N camp, Incorporate cultural
diversity aspects in camp (meals-breakfast, lunch n dinner from different groups) and
practices (sitting on the floor, sharing plates etc)
Malay respondent:
 Cultural diversity was explicitly taught and modelled as a student, through school celebrations during festivals, through
curriculum (maths problems has representation from diff ethnic grps)
 In contract teaching: Students in other ethnic grps join CCAs that are not of their
own ethnicity

5. What do you think?
Video:
http://www.google.com.sg/webhp?source=search_app

6. Why do we need to think about cultural
diversity?
National Day Rally Speech 2012, PM Lee Hsien Loong

8. In Schools: 21st Century Competencies

9. Inquiring Into Our World: P2
Bernard & Zinc

10. Development of P2 syllabus
P2 Syllabus
Chapter Chapter 1: New Girl in Town
Key Concept Cultural Appreciation
Guiding Question Who are the people living in Singapore? How do we
practise our customs and traditions?
Chapter Chapter 3: Things so Singaporean
Key Concept National Identity and Shared Experiences
Guiding Question What makes us people of Singapore?
Chapter Chapter 6: Show some respect
Key Concept National Identity, Shared Experiences and Harmony
Guiding Question What makes us people of Singapore?
Total no of chapters 3 out of 6 chapters

11. Critique syllabus with regards to
teaching Cultural Diversity

12. Approach
 The three stories to cover
 New Girl in Town
 Things so Singaporean
 Show Some Respect

14. Our Diversity Makes us Unique
New Girl in Town
Learn about different celebrations in
Singapore through Noi, a transfer student
and appreciate other races‟ cultures and
traditions.
Cultural Appreciation

15. Block of Study: Our Diversity Makes Singapore Unique
Concept: Cultural Appreciation
Guiding Questions:
(1) Who are the people living in Singapore?
How do we practice our customs and traditions?
Generalisation:
Pupils will be able to know that we have diverse
communities in Singapore and to appreciate the many
customs and traditions of the communities in
Singapore.

16. Content of Story
Positives
Encourages locals to be open and receptive towards
foreigners, and vice versa.
Ending teaches students to look at one another as
individuals. (Good ending ++)

17. Content of Story
Cons
Only Noi was demonstrated acceptance.
Examples shown are poor representations of races
Lack of meaningful participation

18. Activity Book
Positive
4 major races
Educates students on basic information of major
races.

19. Activity Book
Cons
Traditional Costumes
Christmas
Merely feeds students knowledge without
promoting cultural understanding and
acceptance.

20. Visuals
Look at the faces of the children.
What do you think they are trying to indicate?
Appreciation
Participation Acceptance
Amount of Interaction?

21. VISUALS
Look at the various communities depicted.
How do you think they are being potrayed?
Traditions and Customs Traditions and Customs
of a community of a Community
Traditions and Customs
of a Community
Variety of Positive
communities Amount of Interaction? Representation
portrayed

22. Activity
(Public Holidays in Singapore)
Look at the various PH and festivals.
Can you organise them into the various
communities that celebrate them?
Holidays
New Year’s Day Hari Raya Pussa
Chinese New Year National Day
Good Friday Teachers’ Day
Labour Day Children’s Day
Vesak Day Hari Raya Haji
Youth Day (School Holiday) Deepavali
Christmas Day

23. Rationale of Activity
Gain awareness that
Different festivals are celebrated by various communities
Communities can also involve different race and religions
Unique communities makes Singapore Unique
Each community can enjoy or share traditions and customs

24. Recommendations
 Discuss various festivals celebrated by different
communities
 Show pictures of how different communities
enjoy and interact with one another

25. Recommendations
 Sharing of our own experiences
 Up to 2 chapters could be used instead
 Students can learn more about the finer aspects of
each others' culture:
 Their lifestyles, recreations they like, preferences for food

27. Our Common Identity, Shared
 Things So Singaporean
Think about what makes Singapore Singapore,
and in turn, makes us Singaporean.
Induces pride and belonging through facial
looks, the cultures they originate from, their
festivals and foods.
Celebrates uniqueness whilst reminding us
our togetherness.

28. Block of Study: Our Common Identity, Shared
Experience and Values Unite the People in Our Country
Concept: National Identity, Shared Experiences
Guiding Questions:
(1) What makes us people of Singapore?
Generalisation:
Pupils will be able to understand that shared
experiences bind us together as a nation.

29. Content of Story
Positives
Promotes racial pride
Reminds students to enjoy our diversity is a
strength, not a weakness.

30. Content of Story
Cons
Multi-culturalism is a characteristic trait of
Singapore, but it does not correctly define
Singapore.

31. Activity Book
Positive
Serves as a possible branch to inculcate the value
of Gratitude

32. Activity Book
Cons
Is that all students can love about
Singapore?

33. Visuals
Look at the faces of the children.
Are all the 4 races (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Others)
depicted accurately?

34. Visuals
Look at the pictures of the each community.
Do they show interaction?
Do the different communities interact in reality?

35. Activity
(Who are my friends?)
Can you name some of your
friends?
Why are the two (few) of you
friends?
How do you interact with each
other?

36. Rationale of Activity
Points out that Singapore is a place where
we can find many communities living
together
This makes Singapore Unique

37. Recommendations
Make use of the diversity that pupils can
observe around them
Example:
Observe our canteen, what kinds of food are
there? Why are there so many different kinds of
food?
Pupils need to know that all races have their
rights to live in Singapore. They share many
things with other races.

39. Our Common Identity, Shared
 Show Some Respect
Looks into how easily our harmony can be
destructed, and, sometimes even by ourselves
The best protection is respect, sensitivity and
personal maturity.

40. Block of Study: Our Common Identity, Shared
Experience and Values Unite the People in Our Country
Concept: National Identity, Shared Experiences
Guiding Questions:
(1) What makes us people of Singapore?
Generalisation:
Pupils will be able to share that common values on
racial and religious harmony based on consensus and
not conflict.

41. Content of Story
Positives
A reminder of a possible future, and reinforces the
need to maintain cultural harmony.
Forgiving and Respect is the value taught here.

42. Content of Story
Cons
It‟s always the same song.

43. Activity Book
Positive
Encourages students to get to know their friends‟
culture through their friends, and not using a
stereotypical template.

44. Activity Book
Cons
Given our food culture, how successful is
the activity?

45. Visuals
Look at the costumes of Mrs Joseph.
Can you tell what she is wearing?
Mrs Joseph willing to accept the cultural
costumes of the other communities

46. Visuals
Look at the pictures.
What do they tell about how communities interact?
Cultural diversity exists across
generations and this should be

47. Inquiring Into Our World: P4
Priya & Winnie

48. Let’s Look at the Syllabus!
 Can you pick out the chapters that you
think show / teach cultural diversity?
 Chapters 1-4: Different people who contributed
to Singapore‟s early growth
 Chapters 5-8: First-Gen political leaders‟
contribution (included people of different races)

49. Let’s Look at the Syllabus!
 However…
 Covers breadth but not depth
 Content is “history”- heavy
 Isit enough to learn about cultural
diversity of people in the past?

50. Let’s Look at the Syllabus!
History-heavy  Job stereotypes? Race
Stereotypes?

51. Let’s Look at the Syllabus!
History-heavy  Job stereotypes? Race
Stereotypes?

52. Let’s look at the Textbook!
The PAST “Mascots” for textbooks

53. Let’s look at the Textbook!
The CURRENT “Mascot” for textbooks

54. Why did they change the “mascot”?
 More than 4 main races in Singapore!
 Influx of foreigners
 Singapore as a country
 But… has Sir Stamford Raffles ever become a
Singaporean? Is he a good representation?

55. REPRESENTING INDIA

56. REPRESENTING INDIA
 P.31: More exposure given to India.
 In Singapore, being Indian has come to being Tamil,
which is wrong.
 For a long time, the representation of Indians in books
has been largely been influenced by Tamil/South Indian
culture.
58%
Tamils
42%
Non-Tamils

57. Representing India
Differences amongst a race
of people who have been
forcefully misrepresented for
the convenience of textbook
writers/educators!

58. REPRESENTING INDIA
There is now a detailed description of where Indians
come from and that they speak more languages other
than Tamil and Hindi (which are the languages people
would associate Indians with, in Singapore).

59. REPRESENTING INDIA
Spot the error on page 30!
(clue: Something wrong with the languages)
*It is also great that Indians are depicted as more than
coolies shown carrying heavy sacks of goods upon
emaciated bodies.

60. REPRESENTING MINORITIES WITHIN
MINORITIES
 P.38-41: Excellent coverage for minorities within
minorities groups such as the Jews and Chitty
Peranakans
*Children of today are ready to hear more about greater
diversity of people such as the ones mentioned in these
pages.

62. REPRESENTING MINORITIES WITHIN
MINORITIES
 Interesting! Did you know that David Marshall is a
Jew?
 He has always been mentioned in the SS textbooks
when teaching students about the political aspects of
Singapore

63. REPRESENTING MINORITIES WITHIN
MINORITIES
For example: There are synagogues around in
Singapore, but no heritage tours (learning journeys for
s/s) made to them.
Were/Are we too comfortable
with sticking to the FOUR MAIN
GROUPS?

64. REPRESENTING MINORITIES WITHIN
MINORITIES
 Personal experience: Never knew who Chitty
Peranakans were until I was 14 & my mother told
me about them.
 Recommendation: Include more variety in
heritage tours. Move away from the usual Hindu
temple and church visit during learning
journey...go to Jewish synagogue and Sikh
temples.

65. REPRESENTING MALAYS

66. REPRESENTING MALAYS
How well do we know the people of our region?

67. REPRESENTING MALAYS
 Malays from Malacca
 The Javanese
 The Boyanese THE MALAY
 The Bugis
ARCHIPELA
 The Minangkabaus
GO
What is the meaning of
‘archipelago’?

69. Recommendations
Problem Recommendations
• Content is too • Teacher can plan a
„history‟ heavy. consolidation
There are minimal lesson to tie
links to the present. everything up
• Strong focus on the together.
past can lead to • Link what they have
students forming learnt in the past
stereotypes. chapters to people
in the present.

70. Recommendations
 Chapters 5-8: How our first-generation
political leaders have contributed to
Singapore
• Make a link to present-day people: President
SR Nathan, etc

71. Recommendations
Problem Recommendations
• Sir Stamford Raffles • We still need to build our
“Mascot” for textbooks national identity – so the 4 races
are still important.
may not be a good • However, have more different
representation of representations of the 4 races in
Singaporeans Singapore!

72. Recommendations
Problem Recommendations
• SS learning journeys focus • For heritage-based
more on sites which have fieldtrips, Include more
to do with the four main variety!
races • Break away from the
usual hindu/ chinese
temples.
• Instead, go to Jewish
synagogue and Sikh
temples

73. Conclusion: The Vision….moving forward
• To see commonness and
togetherness beyond the
cultural sphere.
Mdm Nisa Understand and respect
one‟s identity, cultural and
religion
• Students must be more
sensitive to others than
before as you will definitely
Mr Arbind find more mixed races
around nowadays

74. Video: Colours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULIBHiQ19h4