IdEas@Work in Nanyang

Department: Art Unit Leaders: Wang Mo Members: Michael Chang 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing?  The existing Mac Lab was no longer aligned with current teaching and learning needs. It was designed primarily for individual, screen-based work and lacked the flexibility, infrastructure, and environment required for creative, collaborative, and project-based learning. Furniture layout was fixed, storage was insufficient, and the space did not support emerging digital practices such as multimedia production, design thinking, or hands-on experimentation. In addition, ageing flooring, lighting, ventilation, and safety provisions limited comfort, efficiency, and sustained use of the space. While students were expected to develop digital creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration skills, the physical environment constrained these outcomes. There was therefore a clear gap between curricular goals for future-ready digital learning and the capability of the e...

Department: Art Unit Leaders: Wang Mo Members: Nicole, Soi Mui, Mike 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? Traditionally, the AEP initiatives tend to be more inward-looking, with learning opportunities largely designed to benefit AEP students within school. While these programmes are effective in developing students’ artistic skills, they often have limited impact beyond the immediate AEP community and do not sufficiently contribute to the wider art fraternity or nurture early interest in the arts among non-AEP students. This AEPF initiative sought to address this gap by extending meaningful art learning and collaborative opportunities beyond AEP students alone. Through Urban Tapestry: Weaving Community Through Murals, the programme was intentionally designed to be inclusive and outward-facing. It provided structured exposure and authentic learning experiences not only for NYGH AEP students from Secondary 1 to 4, but also for 100 primary school students from 9...

Department: Aesthetics Leaders: Nicole Ning Members: Jane Hoe 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? Students’ engagement with school artworks was largely passive, with limited opportunities to observe, interpret, and appreciate the meaning behind the works. Traditional approaches to art appreciation did not sufficiently motivate students or sustain their interest, resulting in shallow engagement. There was also a lack of meaningful connection between artworks and the school’s culture, values, and identity, which limited students’ understanding of how art reflects the school’s history and ethos. Additionally, art learning experiences were often static and one-directional, offering little real-time interaction, feedback, or personalised pathways to support deeper inquiry and reflection. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? The approach was experimented and enacted through the design and implementation of an interactive Art Scavenger Hunt powered by...

Department: GCP + IDS + HUM Leaders: Aloysius Foo Members: Norazlina binte Abdul Jalil, Liew Chiat Siang, Woon Hsiao Hui, Clarence Yeo 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? 1. Lack of breadth and depth in cross-cultural and global learning Students were interacting with Malaysia at a surface level in previous trips. Pre-trip preparation was minimal, leading to missed opportunities for breadth and depth of knowledge and cross-cultural competencies. Pre-trip activities in earlier years were largely logistical; students were not told what to observe as there was no main inquiry question. 2. Limited understanding of Malaysia’s contemporary landscape Students struggled to connect their experiences to bigger issues such as sustainability and Singapore-Malaysia relations. 3. Inconsistent interdisciplinary learning Industrial visits were ad-hoc and not clearly connected to Humanities, Geography, or CCE curriculum. 2.  How had it been experimented and en...

Department: CLC Leaders: Cai Yifei Members: Sun Heyu 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The project aimed to address the limited school-wide engagement with bicultural issues and the relatively low awareness of contemporary China, East–West cultural differences, and global current affairs among students. Although BSP scholars had valuable perspectives, there was no consistent and accessible platform for them to share these insights with the broader student body. The gap lay in making bicultural knowledge relevant, appealing, and visible to all students—not just those in the BSP programme. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? In 2025, the team implemented five bicultural sharings throughout the year, each lasting 3–4 minutes and delivered by two Secondary 4 BSP scholars. Students selected their own topics—ranging from current affairs to East–West cultural contrasts—and created short, engaging presentations. Compared with the previous year, this...

Department: CCE Leaders: Annie Koh Members: Tye Seck Moy 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? During the examination period, students experienced heightened stress levels while their usual support structures were disrupted. Students were skipping essential meals (breakfast and lunch) to focus on last-minute studying, missing out on both proper nutrition and food as a source of comfort. Concurrently, the absence of regular classroom lessons meant there were fewer natural opportunities for teachers to provide encouragement or check on student wellbeing, though students could still seek out their teachers individually. This created a gap where students were most vulnerable - dealing with peak stress whilst lacking adequate nutrition and reduced touchpoints for pastoral support - precisely when they needed these resources most. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? The initiative was implemented through a student-led approach in partnership...

Department: Chinese Department/Reading Committee Leaders: Tay Soo Eng Members: Qi Yan Ping, Tye Seck Moy, Zhou Jingwen, Juliet Tang Yang Jing and other co-opted members 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The current need/gap we were addressing was the general lack of interest and habit in reading Chinese books among students. Many students are not intrinsically motivated to read Chinese texts, resulting in limited exposure to the language outside the classroom. This gap affects both their language proficiency and their long-term appreciation for Chinese culture and literature. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? These new initiatives were experimented and enacted through three key approaches: Whole-school morning reading during assembly 南中好读音: We introduced a structured routine where the entire school reads a selected Chinese text together during morning assembly. Texts were chosen to align with current themes such as Total Def...

Department: CCE Leaders: Annie Koh Members: Aloysius, Eliza, Delphine Tan 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? Students view International Friendship Day merely as cultural celebration rather than understanding its strategic importance to Singapore's national interests. They fail to grasp how meaningful international relationships are essential for Singapore's survival as a small nation, requiring active diplomacy, cultural diversity embrace, ASEAN crisis assistance, and global collaboration on issues like climate change. Students also lack awareness of how cross-cultural competencies and global outlook directly impact Singapore's economic growth through international trade, talent movement, and idea exchange, while missing the commemoration's deeper purpose of cultivating friendship, cooperation, and respect that underpin substantive diplomatic and economic partnerships crucial for national prosperity and security. 2.  How had it been experime...

Department: CCE Leaders: Annie Koh Members: CCE Team and Benny Koh (Environment) 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The current need we were addressing was the critical gap in students' understanding and engagement with Singapore's Total Defence framework, particularly in preparing the younger generation for an increasingly uncertain security landscape. With students often viewing Total Defence as abstract or irrelevant to their daily lives, there was a pressing requirement to make national defence concepts meaningful and relatable to their experiences as digital natives facing evolving threats from cyber attacks to misinformation campaigns. The programme aimed to transform Total Defence education from passive classroom learning into an engaging, interactive experience that empowers students to recognise their active role in national resilience, ensuring they develop both the awareness and practical skills needed to contribute to Singapore's secur...

Department: CCE  Leaders: Annie Koh Members: Tye Seck Moy, Eliza and co-opted CCE members 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The school identified an inclusivity gap in their SAF Day commemoration practices. Previously, only active NSmen teachers received recognition and tokens of appreciation, while past/non-active NSmen teachers were excluded from formal acknowledgment despite their contributions to national service. In 2024, the school addressed this gap by expanding recognition to include all past and present NSmen staff, ensuring comprehensive appreciation for everyone who has served the nation. However, this created a new challenge where no physical tokens could be distributed (due to the larger, mixed group), requiring the school to find alternative meaningful ways to show appreciation - ultimately settling on a collective round of applause from students as the token of recognition. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? This ye...

Department: Chinese Department Leaders: Yeo Peck Hong Members: Luo Ziwei, Sun Heyu, Tang Ya Jing, Qi Yan Ping (class observation) 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? how to guide students to explore topics related to Chinese society and its social evolution by incorporating literary works and simultaneously cultivating core value of harmony, social awareness and critical thinking. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? Discussion within group had been conducted to ensure 1) whether to use ancient literary works or contemporary works 2) students' activities and slides of previous literature teaching were shared for reference. Two sessions (1.5hr per session) were conducted and students were guide to understand the literature works as well have discussion of further understanding and analysis related to the social changes and related topics, such as the imperial examination system and issues of talent selection and social mobility, a...

Department: Science Lab Leaders: Racher Lim Members: Siti Suyati, Lena Lim, Jamie Rim and Koh Huey Ling 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? There was no structure for Science practical examination preparation process in the past. It was unorganized and often time, may miss out critical task e.g like checking of the AVA system in all the exam lab venues before actual day of Science practical exam & Inspection of glassware. To make things better, the team identify that this was the problem so Racher gathered the team members for insights and work to plan and execute the Practical examination. Every cycle of the year, the planning consist of reusing the first draft which was done from the previous year. (Refer to attachment Slide 1 to slide 26 on the Science practical examination guide). 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? Racher realised that the draft from the previous year revealed a consistent structure in our planning—almo...

Department: Drama team (English Department) Leaders: Kristine Oehlers Members: Jason Tan, Angeline Seet 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? Every Sec 2 class collaborates on a culminating project together, practicing 21CC skills and nurturing strong school spirit which which stays with them for their remaining years in NYGH. For previous years, this achievement was commemorated by a common class certificate. The certificate served as a record of contributions within the class, organised by production roles. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? We polled Sec 3 and 4 students to find out about how they value and use the Dramafest certificate. We decided to use the class posters to differentiate the designs. By making use of the reverse side, we incorporated the functionality of an "Autographs" page, for students to express their gratitude for one another. 3.  Which group(s) had benefited? Students (Entire Cohort) 4.  What...

Department: CLC Leaders: Yeo Hwee Yanne Members: Qi Yanping, Sun Heyu, Cao Jinghua, Yang Liu, Ni Qing 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? Students lacked depth and confidence in oral and essay writing. Inquiry-based learning cycles often exceeded available curriculum time, resulting in uneven progress across classes. Root causes included the need for sustained practice beyond lesson time, varied levels of digital literacy, and inconsistent metacognitive habits. Some students tended to rely on AI for quick answers rather than deeper inquiry, signalling a need for clearer structures and differentiated support to strengthen both engagement and independent learning. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? Across the year, the Sec 3 HCL team piloted an AI-integrated learning model to extend learning beyond the classroom and enhance engagement. SLS was used as the central platform and supported by complementary ed-tech tools aligned to differe...

Department: CLC Leaders: Cai Yifei, Ni Qing, Xue Lanfang Members: Zhang Bo, Yeo Hwee Yanne, Yang Liu 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The ACC curriculum, which serves all lower secondary students, required a significant update to ensure relevance, coherence, and alignment with evolving pedagogical standards. Previously, the programme was heavily anchored in the SOW without a strong conceptual foundation, resulting in fragmented learning experiences and overlap with other subjects. There was also a need to strengthen interdisciplinary connections, reduce repeated content across levels, and provide a smoother progression towards upper secondary Bicultural Studies. Furthermore, certain components—such as the Secondary 2 micro-film module and translation unit—were not effectively meeting student learning needs and required rethinking. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? From late 2024 onwards, the team undertook a comprehensive two-ye...

Department: Chinese Leaders: Xue Langfang, Cai Yifei, Ni Qing, Yeo Hwee Yanne Members: All ACC subject teachers 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? The existing ACC translation unit mainly emphasized the technical mastery of translation skills — accuracy, linguistic transfer, and textual equivalence. However, students often lacked deeper awareness of the cultural frameworks underpinning language use. They could translate words correctly but struggled to interpret why certain expressions, tones, or imagery differ between East and West, or how cultural assumptions influence linguistic choices. This revealed a key pedagogical gap: students were proficient in literal translation but not in cultural mediation. They needed structured opportunities to explore how values, thinking patterns, and communicative norms shape meaning in both English and Chinese. Furthermore, with the increasing use of AI-assisted tools, there was a need to guide students in unde...

Department: Infrastructure & Physical Education Department Leaders: Andrew Ong, Thomas Law 1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing? In view of the impending loss of venues for PE lessons and CCA sessions at the Boarding School, it is important to look at possible replacement venues within the campus or beyond to address this need. This is to reduce the possible impacts and ensure continuity of school processes, programmes and events. 2.  How had it been experimented and enacted? At the school track, the former pole-vaulting rubberised area has been extended to cater for the high jump mat from Boarding School. At the rooftop hall, reflooring and removal of old cupboards have been done. Additional renovation work has also been looked into to allow the rooftop hall to be converted to a venue for multi-purpose usage (e.g. Judo CCA venue, PE lessons, ad-hoc use). 3.  Which group(s) had benefited? Students (Selected Groups), Students (Entire Coh...