Science

About the Department

1. Aims

The Science Educators aim to:

a) Enthuse and nurture all students to be scientifically literate, so that they can make informed decisions and take responsible actions in their daily lives; and

b) Provide strong Science fundamentals for students to innovate and pursue STEM for future learning and work.

2. Teaching and Learning Approach

a) Learning Science@SMBSS should be coherent and meaningful, organized around ideas central to Science (Core Ideas)

b) This is supported by hands-on, authentic learning to experience how intricately related the cognitive, epistemic, and social aspects of Science are (Practices)

c) Learning Science@SMBSS also equips students with the ability to share their ethical stand (Values, Ethics and Attitudes) as they participate in discussions about socio-scientific issues that involve ethical dilemmas.

Learning Opportunities

3. Key Programmes
   

Key Programmes

a) To inspire all SMBSS Science students, the Science Learning Journeys aim to provide broad based exposure in the areas of:

i) Appreciating Science in everyday life.
ii) Behaving like a scientist.

b) Celebrating successes of fellow SMBSS students.

Students collaborating in problem-solving.

c) Inspired SMBSS students are then invited to build on their interest through:

i) Deeper understanding of the inquiry process.
ii) Engagement by Science researchers in their endeavours in their respective fields.
iii) Gaining deeper understanding of their own skills and dispositions towards Science. 

Students participating in subject specific learning journeys to gain deeper understanding of the scientific discipline.

d) Passionate SMBSS students will then:

i) Go through the process of innovation, where top-tier competitions allow them to exhibit and
ii) hone their skills and dispositions, culminating in sharing of their Ideas, processes, and findings.

Students working together to build a filtration prototype.

Students’ achievements

Science Learning@SMBSS is committed to provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and achieve excellence in the sciences. Beyond the curriculum, our caring team of science educators are also dedicated mentors to our students taking part in various multi-level competitions.

a) Elementz

The annual Elementz fair and conference provide a platform for our students to apply and sharpen their skills in the conduct of Science Inquiry. They conduct investigations to prove their hypothesis and defend their projects against professionals in the field. To any student who is interested in Science, this competition is an invaluable opportunity to learn what it truly means to be a Scientist.

Students carrying out their research and planning their presentation to defend their scientific findings.

b) IgnITE Skills Challenge

The IgnITE Skills Challenge is an annual competition that introduces students to technical skills and fosters a deeper understanding of courses offered by ITE. Challenges are designed to be engaging and fun, so as to make learning enjoyable and memorable, as well as providing opportunities for students to hone soft skills. The following are some challenges which SMBSS students participated in.

In the “X-Bots” Challenge, students assemble various components of a robot and apply fun coding to control its movement.

Skills developed include:

• basic data science

• Artificial Intelligence

• block coding and block construction skills

• creativity

• critical thinking

• problem solving

• decision making

• time management programming,

• creative thinking,

• problem solving skills, and

• teamwork

Students attending challenge workshops and troubleshooting their robots

In the “Data Escape Room” Challenge, students solve a series of data challenges that requires analysing and solving a series of dataset to reveal the location of a hidden treasure.

Skills developed include:

• data preparation and analysis

• creative thinking,

• data storytelling,

• problem solving skills, and

• teamwork

In the “Mobile Robot” Challenge, students learn to program and control robots to complete missions accurately in the shortest possible time.

• Skills developed include:
  assembly of robot components,

• programming,

• creative thinking,

• problem solving and

• teamwork

c) SSEF

The SSEF (Singapore Science and Engineering Fair) is a national competition organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Science Centre Singapore (SCS). The SSEF is affiliated to the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is regarded as the Olympics of science competitions.

This competition is an excellent platform for budding scientists and engineers to showcase their passion in their respective fields by communicating their findings to industry experts.

Students sharing their findings and fielding questions from researchers and visitors at SSEF.

d) ICAS

The ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) provides an opportunity for students to further stretch their abilities, think beyond the classroom, identify their strengths and weaknesses to improve their individual study skills and identify talent for further enrichment.

The ICAS provides students with a ready-made analysis on their skills, attitudes, and dispositions, which can be used for early-admission interviews and other similar purposes.

Students are tested on a plethora of skill sets such as interpreting data, scientific investigation, reasoning and problem solving. Students are also exposed to interdisciplinary content stretching from Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.