Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) aims to inculcate values and build social and emotional competencies in students. This in turn is to develop them into good individuals and useful citizens in a fast changing and globalised world. It develops students through an understanding of the values that define society, inspiring them to show concern about the world they live in, and demonstrate empathy in their relationships with others.
Students will learn values through three overarching ideas, namely (Identity, Relationships and Choices in six domains, starting with self and extending to the family, school, community, nation and the world.
The diagram below shows the Core Values (R3ICH) , the 3 Big Ideas and the Expanding Domains:
The Big ideas, Identity, Relationships and Choices, are core concepts of the syllabus. They are interconnected and impact one another. Students need to know who they are in order to relate positively with others. Relationships they forge shape their identity and influence the choices they make. The ability to make good choices impacts on their understanding of their own identity and the relationships they form.
Questions are crafted to unpack each big idea and to stimulate discussions in the classroom. They serve to guide students to think about the habits, values, attitudes, competencies and skills that they should equip themselves with to handle diverse life experiences. The table shows how the questions relate to the six
domains:
Example 1
Student’s daily experiences are used as context in the new syllabus to make lessons meaningful and relevant. For example, experiences such as “Adapting to changes on first day of school” can be used for Primary 1 and 2 students whilst “Settling in my new school” can be used for Secondary 1 students. Hence, students will be able to relate and learn the CCE content better
Example 2
How the big ideas are fleshed out in a learning context of taking public transport is elaborated in the table below:
Teachers will use teaching strategies such as storytelling, role play, experiential learning, classroom discussions and reflection to instil values, and equip students with social and emotional competencies and skills related to citizenship. In role play, students learn to take others’ perspectives and develop empathy for others.