Social Studies · Primary 6

Active learning ideas

Defining Globalisation & Its Drivers

Active learning works well for this topic because globalisation often feels abstract to students until they see its direct impact on their lives. Moving beyond lectures lets them examine real objects, maps, and examples, making the concept concrete and memorable. Hands-on activities also address common misconceptions by giving students space to test and revise their thinking.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Globalisation and Its Impact - P6

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Globalisation in My Life

Students spend 3 minutes listing personal examples of globalisation, like foods or gadgets from other countries. In pairs, they compare lists and select top three to share. Whole class compiles a shared list on the board, discussing connections to drivers.

Explain the key characteristics of globalisation in the modern era.

Facilitation Tip

For 'Think-Pair-Share: Globalisation in My Life', provide a mix of classroom objects (e.g., a banana, a toy, a textbook) to anchor concrete examples during the pair discussion.

What to look for

On a small card, students will write: 1) One key characteristic of globalisation. 2) One specific technology that speeds up globalisation. 3) One example of globalisation they encountered today.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 40 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Key Drivers

Divide class into expert groups, each focusing on one driver: technology, transport, trade policies, or migration. Experts study provided cards with examples, then regroup to teach peers. Class creates a shared poster summarizing all drivers.

Analyze how technological advancements accelerate the process of globalisation.

Facilitation Tip

During the 'Jigsaw Activity: Key Drivers', assign each expert group a driver card with a clear definition and two modern examples to ground their teaching.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How has the internet changed the way we experience globalisation compared to 30 years ago?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to share specific examples and compare different perspectives.

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Modern Examples

Groups create posters showing globalisation characteristics, using news clippings or drawings. Class walks around, adding sticky notes with questions or examples. Debrief identifies common themes and links to technology's role.

Identify examples of globalisation in your daily life.

Facilitation Tip

In 'Gallery Walk: Modern Examples', post images of global items (e.g., a smartphone, a shipping container) with labeled origin points to guide observation and note-taking.

What to look for

Present students with a list of items (e.g., a smartphone, a local newspaper, a foreign film, a cup of coffee). Ask them to classify each item as either primarily a product of globalisation or primarily a local product, and briefly justify their choice.

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

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Map the Flows: Goods and People

Provide world maps. In pairs, students draw arrows for flows of goods, services, or people, labeling Singapore examples. Pairs present one flow and explain a driver behind it.

Explain the key characteristics of globalisation in the modern era.

What to look for

On a small card, students will write: 1) One key characteristic of globalisation. 2) One specific technology that speeds up globalisation. 3) One example of globalisation they encountered today.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by starting with the familiar—students’ daily lives—to build background before introducing broader trends. Avoid rushing to define globalisation abstractly; instead, let the activities reveal its meaning. Research shows that concrete examples and local-to-global connections help students retain ideas better. Time the activities so students connect technology and trade to real flows they can see or hold.

Successful learning looks like students confidently linking everyday items to global flows and explaining how technology or trade connects places. They should articulate clear examples of globalisation and describe at least one driver with supporting details from the activities. Discussions should show they can compare past and present connections.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During 'Think-Pair-Share: Globalisation in My Life', watch for students assuming globalisation only affects businesses or countries far away.

  Guide students to list items in their own homes and classify them by origin, like bananas from Ecuador or T-shirts from Bangladesh, to reveal personal connections to global flows.

• During 'Jigsaw Activity: Key Drivers', watch for students underestimating the role of technology in speeding up globalisation.

  Have expert groups compare pre-internet examples (e.g., letters taking weeks) with modern ones (e.g., video calls) using the driver cards to highlight the difference.

• During 'Gallery Walk: Modern Examples', watch for students viewing globalisation as a recent development with no historical roots.

  Prompt students to look for links between historical trade routes (e.g., Silk Road) and modern examples (e.g., silk scarves from China) posted on the walls to uncover connections.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Jigsaw
• Gallery Walk