During the dialogue session, Teachers raised questions on efficiency, competition, regulations and other economic applications to the transport sector.

Interactive learning

A highlight of the event was when the teachers walked through the 700-square metre gallery. One section was devoted to a brief history of public transport in the years before Singapore became an independent nation. A student taking the bus before 1965 would have waited at a bus stop in the sweltering heat, had no idea when a bus might arrive and eventually had buses belonging to different companies but heading to the same destination arrive in rapid succession, all competing for the same pool of passengers.

Other sections of the gallery focused on modern forms of public transport. Students might stand in a "train platform" area, hearing a familiar rumbling sound and seeing an overhead display screen indicate that a "train" is approaching. When the "train doors" slide open, they reveal not rows of seats, but exhibits depicting the various stages of Singapore's land transport development. As the students explore the gallery, aided by guided worksheets and led by facilitators, they would be immersed in an environment packed with images, audio and video clips, as well as interactive displays. The different sections - "Journeys", "Memories", "Formative Years", "Land Transport Today" and "Visions" - would help students to understand the different scenarios, challenges and policies that have been implemented in Singapore's public and private transportation and road management systems over the years.

Minister for Transport Mr Raymond Lim exchanged views with teachers at the tea session.

Bringing the transport world into the classroom

After visiting the LTA Gallery, Senior Teacher Ms Tee Lay Hoon from River Valley High School noted that such a contextualised learning environment can help students discover the "complexities of policy decision-making", a form of analysis that Economics students need to master. For instance, at the Challenge Theatre, students can have their say in choosing land transport outcomes by casting votes electronically in response to scenarios displayed on a big screen. Ms Tee added, "Students can see that most decisions can only be made after considering costs and benefits, and that they face a trade-off between what they can achieve in the short term versus a long-term period."

Ms Tee also sees the videos as a welcome addition to her teaching resources as it can be challenging to find suitable "A" level Economics materials. She lauds the language used in the videos because they would ring familiar to Economics students, since the same concepts are covered in the classroom. She enthused, "The videos open up e-learning opportunities when they are uploaded for students to do self-directed study. The videos can also be used for revision or summing up of concepts."

Seeing the value of the resources developed by MOE and LTA, Ms Tee says that they go a long way to help students to think of Economics as less "a set of abstract concepts" and more a tool to "understand the real world issues". She muses, "In fact, we hope that perhaps other ministries could start to do the same!"