CRITICAL SOCIAL INQUIRY & MEDIA LITERACY
as part of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School's Applied Learning Programme (ALP)
Developing students into critical thinkers, confident communicators, and effective and discerning users of media
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
A DIGITALIZED DRAMA ON FOOD SUSTAINABILITY – BEYOND JUST FOOD
For Secondary One Students
Secondary one students were given the opportunity to learn more about the topic on food sustainability. The skit explores the role each generation of Singaporean plays in ensuring that we will remain to have sufficient food to survive through the pandemic.
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ALP FIESTA!
The ALP Fiesta is the prize-giving ceremony for the Sec 1 & 2 students. In ALP lessons this year, they worked on creating infographics and docu-dramas to raise awareness about societal issues, so as to urge others in society to take action and make a difference. The theme for this year is technology and the societal issues that arise from an (ab)use of technology.
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“IN MAI OPINION” TALK: THE MIDDLE EAST AND MEDIA LITERACY
In July 2021, our Secondary 3 students had the great privilege of listening in to Assistant Professor Koh Choon Hwee from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) History Department, as she shared how Middle Eastern conflicts are often framed in the media from an angle that may not always reflect the true complexity at the heart of these issues, and thus the importance of media literacy.
Hosted by students Bazil Khalaf Bin Basir and Glenda Claris Ng, the workshop was a collaboration between the Humanities Department and the school’s Applied Learning Programme (Critical Social Inquiry and Media Literacy). It marked the school’s first “In mAI Opinion” Talk, a platform for students to lead discussions on issues they feel strongly about.
Through these sessions, we aim to widen our students’ perspectives and help them develop a more nuanced understanding of the world so that as informed citizens, they too can one day make a difference to the lives of others.
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SOCIAL ISSUES THROUGH THE LENS OF A DIRECTOR
On 20th October 2020, the Secondary 3 Cohort had the opportunity to know more about film-making from one of AISS alumni, Ms Ang Geck Geck through her interviews and films. She was unable to be present for the event but has graciously shared some of her short film clips. Following the mass session, our Secondary 3 students were able to have discussions with their friends regarding social issues that are still prevalent in the society.
EXPLORING SOCIAL ISSUES THROUGH DOCUMENTARIES
On 13 Mar 2019, the whole Secondary 2 cohort listened to an ALP-CSI talk on Exploring Social Issues through Documentaries. We invited a speaker from the Asian Film Archives to share on 7 documentaries that highlighted social issues. Following the mass session, our Secondary 2 students partook in an in-depth discussion, facilitated by a team of teachers.
FEEDING OUR IMAGINATION WITH FORUM THEATRE
Forum Theatre is a type of theatre created by the innovative and influential practitioner Augusto Boal, one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with the performance as both spectators and actors, termed ‘spect-actors’, with the power to stop and change the performance. As part of TO, the issues dealt with in Forum Theatre are often related to areas of social justice with aims to explore solutions to oppression featured in the performance. Forum theatre is also a great tool for developing critical thinking and analytical skills.
In May 2018, a group of students went to watch Drama Box's 'Trick or Threat!' at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. The performance explored the intricate dynamics of inter-racial relations in a multi-cultural society, in particular racial biases surrounding terrorist threats. Throughout the performance, our students participated and tried out different ways of solving the problems presented in the play.
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SOCIAL STUDIES ISSUE INVESTIGATION PROJECT
In developing students into critical thinkers and confident communicators, all Secondary 3 students will embark on a Social Studies Issue Investigation project. This project provides students with an opportunity to examine a societal issue critically. In 2017, the main inquiry question was “Have the integration efforts in Singapore been successful in integrating immigrants?” Through this year-long research, students develop a wide repertoire of lifelong skills such as conducting surveys and analysing data. At the end of the year, students consolidate their learning and present their findings in the form of infographics.
FEATURED WORKS
