The BDS Humanities Department believes that all our students have the capacity to hold the world in their hands.

In line with the school's Teaching and Learning Framework, we seek to nurture creative and critical thinkers with the skills to excel in the 21st Century world, the heart to empathise with our fellow man, and the spirit to appreciate our diverse heritage and environment. The subjects under the Humanities Department are Geography (Core and Elective), History (Core and Elective) and Social Studies.

The BDS Humanities programme approaches the teaching of the Humanities via experiential learning through interactive, interdisciplinary learning journeys (e.g. archaeological dig, LJ to the Parliament, National Museum, East Coast beach). Students are also regularly presented with real-world, authentic case studies to see relevance and apply what they have learnt.

The BDS Humanities Department adopts an Inquiry-Based Learning approach to investigating issues (e.g. Historical Inquiry/Geographical Inquiry/Issues Investigation). Differentiated teaching and learning as a strategy is adopted in the classrooms to cater to students’ learning needs. Additionally, the department has been offering alternative assessments through the conduct of investigation projects to complement the traditional pen-and-paper tasks. Collaborative learning, supported by the use of ICT, is key as students construct and co-construct meaning from knowledge and experiences during their daily classroom learning.

Secondary 1 Archaeological Dig

The Secondary 1 students took the history lesson to the outdoors when they performed a simulated archaeological dig to learn and empathise with the work of archaeologists and the significant role they play in supporting the study of history. From the lesson, they learned how to make inferences based on evidence.

Participatory Citizenship in Action- Geographical Investigation (GI) in the Neighbourhood

Sec 2 students Matheaus, Lloyd, Kenn, Khai Zer and Yan Qi looked into the inclusiveness of Simei for their Geographical Investigation. Using data, they shared with Changi-Simei constituency MP Ms Jessica Tan and her team ways to improve the neighbourhood and foster a greater sense of bonding amongst Simei residents.