Virtual Inquiry-Based Fieldwork for Primary Social Studies: A Collective Sharing of Experiences, Reflections, and Key Learning
摘要
In Singapore, primary social studies is an inter-disciplinary subject with history, geography, sociology, and economics integrated together for citizenship education. Field-based learning in primary social studies allows students to contextualize their learning experiences in a real-world setting, thus enabling their learning of big ideas, namely concepts and generalizations, in the curriculum (MOE, 2020). Inquiry-based fieldwork refers to the carrying out of investigative work at a fieldwork site to achieve learning outcomes for students. It requires students to actively find out or inquire about something or an issue on-site (Sim et al., 2005). In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, conducting in-person fieldwork was a key challenge to educators. It became apparent to them to leverage information and communication technologies (ICT) tools to create virtual inquiry-based fieldwork experiences for their learners. This chapter presents two cases of virtual fieldwork and the key considerations of designing such fieldwork. It also highlights some key challenges and opportunities in conducting virtual inquiry-based fieldwork in primary schools.