Revamping the ACC Curriculum

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-year redesign of the ACC curriculum based on concept-based teaching principles. The major experiments and enactments included: Secondary 1 Introduced a cross-disciplinary module using Fusion newspaper articles to help students understand the experiences of early immigrants to Singapore. Integrated this module into the 2025 SOW and aligned it with the Secondary 2 “Chinese pioneers/Nanyang migration” unit, creating a coherent historical and cultural learning arc. Strengthened links to the History curriculum taught in the latter half of the year, ensuring meaningful interdisciplinary transfer. Secondary 2 Reviewed and redesigned the translation module to focus on essential language skills: grammar, comparison of English–Chinese structures, and the role of cultural context in meaning-making. Considered designing SLS packages to support self-directed learning. Reviewed the micro-film module: shifted emphasis from technical filming/editing skills to storytelling, narrative structure, and message clarity after recognising that more than half of students’ past works were documentaries lacking narrative depth. Invited local film director Eva Tang to give a school-wide ACC talk for Sec 1 students, helping them connect Chinese identity and history with the craft of effective storytelling—benefiting both narrative writing and ACC learning. Added a new introductory module on contemporary China (geography, basic facts, and developments) to prepare students for the Bicultural Studies curriculum in Secondary 3. Assessment Reform From 2025 onward, ACC assessment moves towards the use of rubrics, emphasising conceptual mastery, skills, and thinking processes rather than content recall.

3.  Which group(s) had benefited?

Students (Entire Cohort), Teaching Staff (Selected Groups)

4.  What was the positive impact?

The revamped curriculum brought several clear benefits: Greater relevance and engagement, with topics and activities that better match students’ interests and contemporary contexts. Improved learning coherence, as students experience a logical progression from Sec 1 to Sec 2, with reduced repetition and clearer cross-level connections. Stronger interdisciplinary understanding, especially between ACC, History, Chinese Language, and upper-secondary Bicultural Studies. Broader cultural and global awareness, particularly through the new China overview module. Enhanced storytelling and narrative skills, supported by revised micro-film focus and the masterclass by Eva Tang. More efficient and meaningful learning, with concept-based design helping students understand “big ideas” rather than memorise fragmented content.

5.  What is a future need that this IdEas@work could meet?

Moving forward, the ACC curriculum revamp can continue to evolve to meet future learning needs and deepen student engagement. Several areas present opportunities for further development: Revitalising the Secondary 2 China History component by incorporating short historical narratives linked to values education (including the school values such as 勤、慎、端、朴). These stories can make historical content more relatable and meaningful. In parallel, the introduction of Essential Chinese Quotes—covering classical poetry and selected literary phrases—can strengthen cultural literacy and lay the foundation for future events such as a school-wide Poetry Showcase or Poetry Competition. Strengthening the Secondary 1 module on local Chinese culture by integrating learning about Malaysian/Melaka Chinese heritage. This would align well with the end-of-year GCP trip to Melaka and help students draw meaningful connections between Singaporean and regional Chinese cultural identities. Enhancing the Secondary 2 philosophy unit by reviewing how philosophical ideas are introduced. The aim is to make content more engaging and relatable, potentially through ICT tools, collaborative group discussions, inquiry-based tasks, or the use of selected Analects quotations integrated with translation activities. Planning for enriched learning journeys earlier in the school year, such as visits to Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, the Chinatown Heritage Centre, and the Peranakan Museum. Early planning would allow these experiences to be better integrated into the teaching units, deepening contextual understanding and making learning more authentic. Expanding self-directed learning and assessment through more SLS packages and further refinement of rubric-based evaluation, ensuring students continue to develop conceptual understanding and bicultural competencies. By pursuing these enhancements, the ACC curriculum can continue to offer rich, contemporary, and interdisciplinary learning experiences that not only broaden students’ horizons but also strengthen their appreciation of Chinese culture within both local and regional contexts.