Authentic Learning through CJC Geography fieldwork

19 October 2023

Discover how CJC Geography students explore real-world issues through hands-on fieldwork, from flood risk assessments to service learning with the elderly.

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An elderly woman and students in navy uniforms smile holding butterfly button art crafts at a community activity table.

Our JC1 students took part in several out-of-school activities this year to investigate the needs of the elderly in neighbourhoods of their choice. The students crafted research questions under the guidance of their teachers and spoke with members of the public to conduct authentic Geography fieldwork in areas ranging from a study of elderly loneliness to understanding barriers to walkability. Inspired by their projects, a group of students initiated a service learning project with the elderly at the Bedok Active Ageing Centre.

A large group of elderly people and young volunteers doing a craft activity together at tables in a bright indoor hall.

Young volunteers help elderly women with a beading craft activity at a table in a bright indoor community room.

Students went to City Square Mall, Singapore’s first eco-friendly mall, to interview patrons and survey the mall’s surroundings to better understand the community’s responses to climate change.

Four students in blue-and-white uniforms stand under a covered entrance overlooking a busy urban street.

People in a mall near a Potato Corner store under a colorful "See You Again" banner with Japanese text.

In school, students also conducted bite-sized fieldwork and surveys to explore the feasibility of utilising solar energy in CJC.

A young girl in a light blue school uniform talks with two older men in a covered outdoor area of a school.

Students work on a large poster about solar panels in CJC, with hand-drawn pie charts and survey questions.

Even in the midst of a busy academic schedule, our JC2 students engaged in fieldwork at Bishan-AMK Park to conduct a flood risk assessment of the Kallang River.

A group of students in blue uniforms sit on cobblestones in a park listening to a standing instructor outdoors.

Students stand on stepping stones across a shallow river, using poles and a rope to conduct an outdoor water activity in a park.

Three students in blue uniforms writing notes on clipboards outdoors near green bushes.

The Geography unit in Catholic Junior College (CJC) makes use of inquiry-based learning to encourage students to be curious and self-directed in understanding the world around them.

A man holding a tablet addresses a group of students outdoors near a pond on a cloudy day.

Four young people stand on a bridge in a park, reviewing paper maps with green lawns and tall buildings behind them.

The CJC Geography experience continues to be anchored in authentic learning experiences to guide Geography students to think deeply about real-world issues.

In Veritate et Caritate