Humanities

The Humanities department aims to provide student-centric, values driven education based on key Humanities principles of critical thinking, empathy and sense of inquiry. We hope that through the Humanities programme in North Vista Secondary, we will be able to engage students with experiential and authentic learning experiences through which they will acquire knowledge and life skills. We also aim to empower students to be positive young leaders with the ability to lead themselves and people around them and in turn enrich our community through our students who will contribute as active and responsible citizens.

Through varied level programmes, our teachers aim to make History, Geography and Social Studies come alive in our classrooms. In turn, Vistarians make connections with what they have learnt in class and attempt to relate to real-life examples or case studies.

History

History lessons are inquiry based in nature. Lower secondary students are given the tools and lenses they need to discover the world and its past. As part of the experiential based learning experience, our students will also get to visit the National Museum and embark on the Artefactually Speaking Guided Tour.

**Our students visited the National Museum and had the opportunity to interact with various exhibits as they embarked on the Artefactually Speaking Guided Tour.**

To enhance their learning experience, lower secondary students enjoy live and interactive Historical Investigation lessons via the Historical exploration Google Site created by their very own teachers. Students also enjoy source analysis through authentic historical artefacts.

Upper secondary History students continue to see History come alive in their classroom where they enjoy Google Earth Tours of key historical sites. Students also enjoy further experiential learning by participating in the Istana Heritage Challenge and National History Challenge. Students with outstanding results were selected for the NUS Talent Development programme. The following students were shortlisted for the programme:

Ruiz Diego (2022)
Ryan Seah (2023)

Geography

As students prepare for a knowledge-based economy, they need to be digitally ready. That means having access to digital technology, knowing how to use it and being able to create with it. In NV’s Geography lessons, students are given opportunities to dip their toes into the water and experience the potential of Geographic Information System (GIS). They learn to read and create digital maps, and find out how and why information is represented as such. This helps them understand the geographical concepts of place, space and scale simultaneously. As part of the experiential based learning experience, our students also conduct Geographical Investigations (GI) on the topic of Water, Housing, and Tourism. Through GI, students are able to witness how Geography comes to life where they apply their learning in the classroom to the real world.

Our Secondary 4 students conducted a questionnaire survey with tourists at Chinatown for their Tourism GI. (Left) The Secondary 1 students visited Punggol Park and drew a field sketch for their GI on Water Resources.

In addition, learning journeys are conducted to further enhance the experiential learning experience for our students. For instance, our Secondary 3 students embarked on a learning journey to visit Science Centre Singapore, where they explored the exhibition ‘Earth Alive’, which showcases the elements of Earth Sciences and Earth Systems.

**At the Science Centre, our students worked in groups to tackle disaster management scenarios and experienced the wind speeds of a typhoon in a typhoon stimulator.**

Every year, a team of students would represent NV to participate in the NUS Geography Challenge. The following students with outstanding results were selected to join the NUS Talent Development Programme:

Don Koo (2019)
Izzy Lui (2021)

The Social Studies curriculum aspires toward the growth of our students as informed, concerned and participative citizens. At the heart of the Singapore Social Studies curriculum lies the preparation of our students to become citizens of tomorrow by aiding them in better comprehending the interconnectedness of Singapore and the world they live in, as well as in appreciating the complexities of the human experience. Drawing on aspects of society that hold meaning and interest for the students, Social Studies seeks to ignite the curiosity of students to inquire into real-world issues that affect their lives. This endeavor aims to assist students in gaining relevant knowledge and understanding of these issues and in developing critical and reflective thinking skills. Students engage in discovering the needs and concerns within Singaporean society and consider how they can contribute to making Singapore a better place for all. Through such inquiry and authentic learning experiences, students become capable of appreciating multiple perspectives and finding inspiration to demonstrate concern for the society and the world they live in.
Additionally, upper secondary students have the privilege of visiting the Parliament House, the epicenter of our nation’s democratic process. This immersive educational journey offers them a unique opportunity to witness governance in action. During their visit, our students had the chance to explore the hallowed halls where laws are debated and decisions are made, gaining invaluable insights into the inner workings of our democracy. This experience has not only deepened their understanding of civics and governance but has also ignited their inspiration to become proactive and well-informed citizens as an integral part of their Social Studies learning journey.

**Our students visited the Parliament House and learnt about gifts of appreciation exchange between country leaders through game play.**