CCE · Primary 6

Active learning ideas

Introduction to Globalisation and Interconnectedness

Active learning helps students grasp globalisation by making abstract connections concrete and personal. When students role-play trade negotiations or map their own cultural ties, they move from passive listening to active sense-making. These hands-on experiences build lasting understanding of Singapore’s place in a connected world.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Singapore and the World - P6
• MOE: National Education - P6

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 45 min · Small Groups

Trade Simulation: Global Marketplace

Divide class into country groups with product cards (e.g., electronics, spices). Groups negotiate trades using limited resources, recording deals on charts. Debrief on how barriers affect outcomes and link to Singapore's free trade ports.

Explain how globalisation has increased the interconnectedness of nations.

Facilitation Tip

During Trade Simulation, circulate with a checklist to note which student teams negotiate creatively versus those relying on price alone, redirecting the latter to consider supply chain disruptions like shipping delays.

What to look for

Provide students with a card asking them to list one specific example of globalisation impacting Singapore's food culture and one example impacting its technology sector. They should also write one sentence explaining how these examples show interconnectedness.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 30 min · Pairs

Cultural Mapping: My Global Connections

Students list daily items or media (e.g., K-pop, IKEA furniture) and trace origins on world maps. Pairs share findings and discuss cultural exchanges. Class compiles a shared digital map.

Analyze the positive and negative impacts of globalisation on Singapore.

Facilitation Tip

For Cultural Mapping, provide large chart paper and encourage students to use photos, stickers, or words to show how Singaporean dishes like Hainanese chicken rice blend local recipes with international ingredients.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine Singapore was completely isolated from the rest of the world. What are two essential goods or services we would lose access to, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their ideas and justify their reasoning based on Singapore's reliance on global trade.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 40 min · Whole Class

Impact Debate: Pros and Cons

Assign half the class pro-globalisation roles and half con, with evidence cards on Singapore (e.g., GDP growth vs. foreign worker issues). Pairs prepare 2-minute speeches, then whole class votes and reflects.

Predict the future trends of globalisation and their implications for small states.

Facilitation Tip

Set clear time limits for Impact Debate teams to research one Singapore-based example per side, such as the impact of hawker centres versus McDonald’s on local food culture.

What to look for

Present students with a short news headline about an international event (e.g., a trade agreement, a global pandemic, a technological breakthrough). Ask them to write down two sentences explaining how this event might directly or indirectly affect Singapore and its citizens.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Small State Strategies

Expert groups research one trend (e.g., AI trade, climate pacts) and its implications for Singapore. Regroup to teach peers and propose adaptations. Summarize in class mind map.

Explain how globalisation has increased the interconnectedness of nations.

Facilitation Tip

During Future Trends Jigsaw, assign each group a different small-state strategy, like attracting tech firms or developing niche exports, then have them present their findings using a shared template on the board.

What to look for

Provide students with a card asking them to list one specific example of globalisation impacting Singapore's food culture and one example impacting its technology sector. They should also write one sentence explaining how these examples show interconnectedness.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers anchor this topic in familiar contexts students already notice, like smartphones or fast-food chains, then layer on policy and economic concepts. Avoid overwhelming learners with jargon—instead, use Singapore’s FTAs or Smart Nation initiatives as recurring examples. Research shows students retain globalisation best when they see their own lives reflected in the systems studied, so integrate personal mapping and local case studies throughout.

Successful learning shows when students can explain how global flows shape Singapore’s economy, society, and daily life using specific local examples. They should move beyond vague statements to cite trade policies, cultural events, or technology choices. Evidence of critical thinking appears as reasoned pros-and-cons during debates or strategic moves in simulations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Trade Simulation, watch for students who assume larger countries always win negotiations because they produce more goods.

  Use the simulation’s resource cards to highlight how Singapore’s lack of raw materials can be turned into an advantage through FTAs and efficient ports—guide students to compare strategies like quality control or speed over sheer volume.

• During Impact Debate, watch for students who claim globalisation has no downsides for Singapore.

  Require each debate team to cite a Singapore-specific example, such as how global supply chains for essentials like medicine can face disruptions, and have peers challenge these claims with counter-evidence from local news.

• During Future Trends Jigsaw, watch for students who think globalisation started recently with the internet.

  Provide historical trade route maps alongside modern shipping lanes during the jigsaw, asking groups to compare ancient silk routes to today’s digital networks and explain how continuity and change both shape interconnectedness.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping
• Jigsaw