Geography · Secondary 2

Active learning ideas

Challenges of Informal Settlements

Active learning helps students grasp the complex realities of informal settlements by moving beyond abstract facts into lived experiences. When students examine push and pull factors through maps or role-plays, they connect global patterns to human stories, making the topic more tangible and memorable than textbook readings alone.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Housing - S2

• 40–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 45 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Push and Pull Factors

Assign small groups case studies of cities like Mumbai or Manila. Each group creates a poster showing push factors on one side and pull factors on the other, with images and explanations. Groups then rotate through the gallery, adding sticky notes with questions or connections to Singapore.

Analyze the push and pull factors leading to the growth of informal settlements.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, post maps and images at stations so students physically move between push and pull factors, reinforcing spatial reasoning about urban migration.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a resident of an informal settlement. What are the top three challenges you face daily, and what is one immediate solution you wish for?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their responses, encouraging empathy and critical thinking about the lived experiences of residents.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Risks Analysis

Divide class into expert groups on environmental risks, health risks, or socio-economic issues using real slum data. Experts study evidence, then reform into mixed groups to teach peers and compile a class risk matrix on chart paper.

Evaluate the environmental and health risks associated with living in informal settlements.

Facilitation Tip

For the Jigsaw, assign small groups different settlement risks so they become experts on one topic before teaching peers, building confidence in complex content.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study of a specific informal settlement. Ask them to identify and list two push factors and two pull factors that led to its growth, and one environmental risk associated with it. Collect responses to gauge understanding of core concepts.

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

Activity 03

• Mystery Object
• 40 min · Pairs

Design Challenge: Solution Proposals

In pairs, students select a slum case and sketch sustainable upgrades like community toilets or skill centers, justifying choices against criteria such as cost and resident input. Pairs pitch ideas in a 2-minute presentation to the class for peer voting.

Propose sustainable solutions for improving living conditions in informal settlements.

Facilitation Tip

In the Design Challenge, provide a limited budget and recycled materials to force creative trade-offs, mirroring real-world constraints in informal settlements.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to write one sustainable solution that could be implemented in an informal settlement. Then, ask them to explain in one sentence why this solution would be effective. Review cards to assess students' ability to propose practical interventions.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Mystery Object
• 50 min · Whole Class

Role-Play: Resident Perspectives

Whole class divides into resident, government official, and NGO roles based on scripted scenarios. Groups prepare arguments on challenges and solutions, then debate in a town hall format, with observers noting key points on shared digital board.

Analyze the push and pull factors leading to the growth of informal settlements.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a resident of an informal settlement. What are the top three challenges you face daily, and what is one immediate solution you wish for?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their responses, encouraging empathy and critical thinking about the lived experiences of residents.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching this topic works best when you balance data with humanity, using case studies to ground abstract concepts like poverty or infrastructure gaps. Avoid presenting informal settlements as problems to be solved solely by outsiders; instead, position students as collaborators who must listen before acting. Research shows that empathy-based learning leads to more nuanced solutions, so let students grapple with trade-offs rather than rushing to simple fixes.

Successful learning looks like students moving between empathy and analysis, weighing evidence from case studies and personal viewpoints. They should articulate systemic causes of informal settlements and propose solutions that balance immediate needs with long-term sustainability, demonstrating both critical thinking and compassion.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students labeling informal settlements as problems confined to developing countries. Redirect by asking them to locate examples on a global map and compare historical cases, like early settlements in Europe.

  Use the Gallery Walk's worldwide maps and images to challenge the idea that informal settlements are only in developing nations. Have students mark known examples and discuss how economic crises or housing shortages create them everywhere.

• During the Role-Play: Resident Perspectives, watch for students attributing settlement residence to personal choice. Redirect by providing character cards with job losses or family debts as backstories.

  Assign character cards during the Role-Play that include structural barriers like layoffs or unaffordable housing, forcing students to consider systemic causes over individual choices.

• During the Design Challenge: Solution Proposals, watch for students assuming new housing alone solves all problems. Redirect by asking them to test solutions against affordability and community disruption criteria.

  Require students to evaluate their solutions in the Design Challenge against criteria like cost and community impact, using feedback sheets to identify flaws in single-factor fixes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Jigsaw
• Mystery Object