“While the act of drawing cartoons may seem easy, drawing political cartoons also demands critical thinking skills. These are developed in the process as the students are having fun!” she explains. “As the students come up with their own political cartoons based on historical issues, these events also leave a deeper impression on them.”

Miss Thian uses political cartoons to look at pivotal historical moments such as the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. This, she says, enables students to have “a better understanding of the ‘purpose of source’, which involves looking at the intended outcome of the cartoons and going beyond the basic inference.”

Examining the Japanese Occupation

Before they start cartooning, the Sec 2 students are taught some common techniques that cartoonists use to convey their messages, such as caricature, sarcasm and irony. Keeping in mind the 3As - Action, Audience, Achievement - students work in groups to produce political cartoons. Working on tablet PCs, each group broadcasts their work on the big screen using a software called Virtual Classroom. Their classmates are then called upon to explain the “purpose of source” and suggest ways to improve the cartoons.

“Such exercises encourage co-operation, critical thinking and evaluation skills. Students have to display an understanding and mastery of the concepts taught, such as the way occupied people perceived the Japanese vis-à-vis the British, and how and why this changed radically when the Japanese created Syonan-to,” says Miss Thian. Other issues tackled include the subsequent fate of the Japanese, British and local people in Singapore; and the consequences of the Occupation.

Ang Tze Kai’s cartoon leads students to weigh the intentions and actual impact of the Japanese Occupation.

For example, when students looked at the juxtaposition of emaciated and plump soldiers in the cartoon submitted by students Yeo Zhishen, Kow Hanxun and Ho Wee Seng, they found themselves applying higher order thinking skills as they analysed, deconstructed and evaluated the origins, dynamics and outcomes of key milestones in history. As student Goh Koon Leong reflected, “When we draw the cartoons, we assume the role of the characters - so we get to see things from a different perspective.”

In their History classes, Catholic High students ponder the implications of former colonial rulers faring badly under Japanese rule.

Living Lessons from the 1932 German Election

Apart from political cartoons, ICT has also helped to facilitate learning and deepen Sec 3 students’ empathy during Miss Thian’s lessons on the 1932 German elections (which eventually led to the rule of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party). Using tablet PCs and wireless networks, the students researched the needs and interests of voters during that time as well as the electoral platforms used by different political parties.

In role-playing scenes, students assumed the roles of politicians and voters. Those playing political candidates had to persuade voters of their suitability and could be heckled by those classmates playing discontented citizens. As the latter group did not shy from expressing “hostility” towards these would-be politicians, those students who were playing politicians were really put through the wringer. In the process, they learnt to synthesise, assess and present their information convincingly, as if at a real election rally.

“We had to pretend we were political party members vying for votes,” explained student Joshua Goh. “It was a great opportunity for us to study in-depth the needs of the German people and, at the same time, bolster our knowledge of the reasons for Hitler's rise to power. Furthermore, we had tons of fun!”

ICT relieved students of mundane tasks such as vote-tallying and gave the class greater opportunities to engage in the electoral dynamics. With the Class Performance System (CPS) technology, “voting” could be carried out in a transparent manner in real time, replicating the excitement and anticipation of the electoral process. CPS also generated the voting results in a clear format that students could quickly use to compare their simulations with the actual historical records and discuss possible reasons for the different outcomes.

“Besides honing their thinking skills, such immersive lessons enable students to take ownership of their learning process,” Ms Thian reflected. Ultimately, it makes for more meaningful learning, not to mention the chance to relive a little bit of history.