[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":209},["ShallowReactive",2],{"collection-essays":3},[4,146],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"description":133,"extension":134,"floatImageLeft":135,"floatImageRight":135,"heroImage":136,"images":135,"isAd":137,"meta":138,"multipleImages":135,"navigation":139,"objectPosition":135,"ogDescription":135,"ogTitle":135,"order":140,"path":141,"seo":142,"stem":143,"tagName":144,"__hash__":145},"essays/essays/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building.md","Enhancing Chemistry and Social Studies through Knowledge Building",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":130},"minimark",[10],[11,12,14],"article-layout",{":title":13},"title",[15,16,18,29,37,42,50,55,58,65,77,80,83,86,91,98,101,104,109,112,115,118],"template",{"v-slot:content":17},"",[19,20,23],"article-heading",{":level":21,":center":22},"1","true",[24,25,26],"p",{},[27,28],"binding",{"value":13},[24,30,31],{},[32,33,34],"em",{},[27,35],{"value":36},"description",[38,39],"article-image",{":image":40,":tag-name":41},"heroImage","tagName",[24,43,44,45,49],{},"Anglican High School (AHS) took part in the 3",[46,47,48],"sup",{},"rd"," Research-Practice Connection@East Zone, co-organised by the School Partnership Unit at the NIE, the Academy of Singapore Teachers and the East Zone Cluster. The engagement began with a research-practice sharing session, followed six months later by teachers presenting how they had applied the ideas.",[38,51],{":image":52,":tag-name":41,"color":53,"figcaption":54},"articles/essays/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building.webp","#fff","Mdm Noriff Elyn Mohd Ariffin, Mrs Chua Shu-Hui Audrey and Ms Tay Keng Wei.",[24,56,57],{},"On 8 March 2025, the AHS team comprising Ms Chua Shu-Hui Audrey, Mdm Noriff Elyn Mohd Ariffin and Ms Tay Keng Wei shared how learning analytics can support Knowledge Building (KB) discourse.",[19,59,62],{":level":60,"color":61},"2","rgb(250, 81, 162)",[24,63,64],{},"Mrs Chua Shu-Hui Audrey, Lead Teacher (Chemistry)",[24,66,67,68,76],{},"I am drawn to pedagogies that amplify student voices. KB complemented approaches I already used, such as Modelling Instruction. While Modelling engages students in scientific discourse and model construction, KB – through ",[69,70,75],"a",{"href":71,"rel":72,"target":74},"https://www.kbsingapore.org/knowledge-forum-1",[73],"nofollow","_blank","Knowledge Forum (KF)"," and principles like Idea Diversity and Rise Above – enables equitable idea development and avoids premature consensus.",[24,78,79],{},"Before introducing KB to students, I involved teachers as facilitators. We constructed a Knowledge Wall on “Facilitating Knowledge Building” and applied scaffolds such as “My new idea is…” and “I read and found out…” to sustain inquiry. Together with my colleague Noriff, we designed a KB workshop for teachers, trialled it with students and refined scaffolds based on feedback.",[24,81,82],{},"My Secondary 4 Chemistry students explored “What makes a reaction exothermic or endothermic?” They generated theories, tested ideas and connected concepts, guided by questions on the KB Wall. My Secondary 3 students posted ideas on KF to investigate reactant mixtures, prompting peers to rethink methods and move from rote formulas to deeper reasoning.",[24,84,85],{},"These experiences showed me how KB empowers both teachers and students. Facilitating alongside colleagues, we developed an AHS KB Starter Kit. For students, KB nurtures questioning, testing, refining, self-directed learning, confidence and meaningful contribution to collective understanding.",[19,87,88],{":level":60,"color":61},[24,89,90],{},"Mdm Noriff Elyn Mohd Ariffin, Lead Teacher (Social Studies)",[24,92,93,94,97],{},"I constantly seek ways to engage students and deepen learning. My journey with KB began with the goal of helping students develop Emerging 21",[46,95,96],{},"st"," Century Competencies (E21CC) and become active co-creators of knowledge. This was strengthened during the East Zone Research-Practice Connection, where Audrey and Keng Wei introduced me to KB and Dr Teo Chew Lee’s (Deputy Director of the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice) idea of shared improvement. Inspired, we incorporated KB into lessons and professional development, resulting in the AHS KB Starter Kit.",[24,99,100],{},"KB shifted my focus from “what I teach” to “what students learn and build together.” Lessons became dynamic spaces of inquiry, where students question, critique and improve each other’s ideas. In one Social Studies lesson on how diverse societies live harmoniously, students initially gave predictable answers. Reading peers’ posts on KF led a student to highlight that conflict is inevitable, and harmony depends on how societies manage it. This sparked rich discussions connecting ideas to real-world examples and shared values, demonstrating KB’s power to cultivate critical and collaborative thinking.",[24,102,103],{},"My vision is for KB to become a cornerstone of our pedagogy. I plan to dedicate time for students to engage on KF, fostering a culture of active, collaborative inquiry that prepares them for adaptive, real-world problem-solving.",[19,105,106],{":level":60,"color":61},[24,107,108],{},"Ms Tay Keng Wei, Covering Subject Head (Chemistry)",[24,110,111],{},"Audrey and I attended the East Zone Research-Practice Connection sharing by Dr Teo and were inspired by how KB aligns with 21CC. We decided to embark on KB, which emphasises co-construction of ideas and sustained inquiry, fostering richer learning, deeper thinking and student agency. Participating in KB has also strengthened my pedagogical leadership as a covering subject head, giving me new ideas to integrate KB into the curriculum and lead planning with a research-informed perspective.",[24,113,114],{},"Since adopting KB, I have used more open-ended tasks to help students co-construct explanations on chemical reactions. Students ask more questions, clarify peers’ ideas and build knowledge collectively. KB has also enhanced collaboration among chemistry teachers, resulting in exchange of ideas and refined lessons. This reflective practice has improved professional learning and will help anchor KB in the curriculum, supporting instructional consistency and shifting the department from content delivery to student-driven investigations.",[24,116,117],{},"Challenges include limited time for deep discussions and varying student readiness, as KB relies on collaboration and engagement. Nevertheless, these are part of the ongoing design challenge that drives continual innovation.",[119,120,121],"article-box-content",{},[24,122,123,124,129],{},"This ",[69,125,128],{"href":126,"rel":127,":target":74},"https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2025/10/09/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building/",[73],"article"," was first published in SingTeach, a quarterly publication by the NIE Office for Research (OfR) to bridge the gap between research and practice for teachers.",{"title":17,"searchDepth":131,"depth":131,"links":132},2,[],"NIEWS spotlights three inspiring women teachers from Anglican High School who harnessed Knowledge Building to transform Chemistry and Social Studies through collaborative, inquiry-based learning.","md",null,"articles/essays/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building-hero.webp",false,{},true,1,"/essays/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building",{"title":6,"description":133},"essays/enhancing-chemistry-and-social-studies-through-knowledge-building","Essays","1OOJhFQ5-AIu-vRRINNyJR2nmrkiSyWNkJDi1aPBxcY",{"id":147,"title":148,"body":149,"description":202,"extension":134,"floatImageLeft":135,"floatImageRight":135,"heroImage":203,"images":135,"isAd":137,"meta":204,"multipleImages":135,"navigation":139,"objectPosition":135,"ogDescription":135,"ogTitle":135,"order":131,"path":205,"seo":206,"stem":207,"tagName":144,"__hash__":208},"essays/essays/making-work-count.md","Making Work Count",{"type":8,"value":150,"toc":200},[151],[11,152,153],{":title":13},[15,154,155,161,167,169,172,175,178,181,184,187,190],{"v-slot:content":17},[19,156,157],{":center":22,":level":21},[24,158,159],{},[27,160],{"value":13},[24,162,163],{},[32,164,165],{},[27,166],{"value":36},[38,168],{":image":40},[24,170,171],{},"When I was interviewed by the NIE panel for an Overseas Graduate Scholarship almost two decades ago, I remembered the late Professor Lee Sing Kong asking me about my five-year plan. To my chagrin, I had not prepared for this standard interview question. I answered honestly that all I wanted to do was to use my talents well, to continue to teach and to be able to contribute to our education system.",[24,173,174],{},"That last-minute response has been my guiding force for the past 15 years at the NIE, where I grappled with becoming a teacher-educator and researcher while simultaneously learning to be a mother of two in my own personal life. Work had to count for me to persevere with the academic track. For me, that meant negotiating university demands with my personal goals for meaningful research and teaching.",[38,176],{":image":177},"articles/essays/making-work-count.webp",[24,179,180],{},"Academia evaluates success by the quantity of top-tier publications and demonstration of grantsmanship. However, as a former teacher and current teacher-educator, it was important for me to ensure that the research I did would have impact on education. My research should be perceived by policymakers and educators as something that they could utilise in their sphere of influence, whether in policymaking or shaping practice. For that to happen, I felt that it was necessary to consider how I would communicate and disseminate research findings to the various stakeholders and the public.",[24,182,183],{},"It was also vital for me to spend time engaging with stakeholders so that I can understand their perspectives and learn from them. These partnerships and dialogues strengthen my capacity to design meaningful research studies and to generate relevant policy and pedagogical implications from the findings.",[24,185,186],{},"At the same time, I have come to see that immersion in the scholarship helps to build the quality of the research and the strength of the findings, which contribute to my capacity to offer meaningful insights.",[24,188,189],{},"Making work count is not easy when time is limited and there is so much to be done. Many days, there is just too much to do and work-life balance seems a myth. Looking back, that unprepared answer to Professor Lee Sing Kong’s question has continued to guide me. It reminds me to focus on work that is purposeful, impactful and meaningful.",[119,191,192],{},[24,193,194,195,199],{},"Associate Professor Loh Chin Ee is an Associate Professor with the English Language and Literature (ELL) Department, and Associate Dean (Impact & Partnerships) at the Office for Research (OfR). Connect with her at ",[69,196,198],{"href":197},"mailto:chinee.loh@nie.edu.sg","chinee.loh@nie.edu.sg",".",{"title":17,"searchDepth":131,"depth":131,"links":201},[],"Associate Professor Loh Chin Ee reflects on her 15-year journey in academia, revealing how the pursuit of purposeful, impactful research has helped her balance rigorous university demands with a meaningful personal life.","articles/essays/making-work-count-hero.webp",{},"/essays/making-work-count",{"title":148,"description":202},"essays/making-work-count","BK2VpdtCRdN2HPbozfQS-Xh7ireh2s3TpKveRmoBres",1772594598292]