Ubin Connects - Learning Symposium

Pulau Ubin

updated 17 June 2023

The theme of this learning symposium is ‘connectedness’, highlighting cultural, historical, geographical, natural and sustainable aspects of Ubin. This holistic and interdisciplinary experience seeks to connect the younger generation with nature, the community and cultivate a sense of national pride. The learning symposium also aims to foster partnerships between Pulau Ubin villagers, educators, schools and researchers, through a series of Discovery Guided Walks on the island, followed by a discussion on Pulau Ubin as a learning classroom.

For an interdisciplinary experience, each strand would be co-led by a resource person and1-2 educators who have been involved in many projects in Ubin. A few of the villagers will also be present to welcome you into their homes and share their stories.

The sound clips are excerpts from the production, UBIN, Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International Festival of Arts First Performed at the Singapore International Festival of Arts in 2022.

We believe that this creates an immersive Ubin experience and showcases the island as a place that can connect future generations to Singapore’s biodiversity, culture and history.

Here is some pre-symposium reading material and introduction to expert resource personnel who will be joining us for the Learning Symposium.

See you soon!

*refer to the programme sent via email

Learning Symposium Programme

*Synopsis of each strand

Landscapes and Mindscapes: Connecting the Dots of Ubin

Kok Heng Leun & Khong Weng Keong

To the untrained eye, Ubin appears as a motley collection of quaint sights. This trail uncovers varied perspectives and contemporary interpretations of some of the island’s cultural markers. By exploring what Pulau Ubin means at different times and space, we will begin to appreciate what Ubin has to offer to enrich one’s geographical imagination and critical thinking skills in order to further a sense of civic and cultural awareness in our students.

Connecting with Ubin villagers

Dr Vivienne Wee, June Wong &Pillay P Krishnan

Pulau Ubin is the last inhabited island of Singapore with what is left of kampung life. The former population of some 2000 people before 1992 have dwindled to less than 150, with only 38 or so persons there every day. Nevertheless, the kampung spirit lives among the remaining villagers, as exemplified through their inherent trust of others, families helping each other through generations, neighbours sharing resources like their well water, sharing of each other’s special skills like building a kampung house, crab catching etc.

Connecting with Ubin villagers means connecting with the kampung way of life where sharing is a norm of everyday life.

Cycle of Our Landscape

Ethan Chung,Lim Cheng Puay & Tan Beng Chiak

Pulau Ubin provides a multi-faceted educational experience, and this trail covers the delicate cycle in the use of natural capital provided by Pulau Ubin and will discuss the changes seen in Pulau Ubin’s natural landscape over the years. This trail will first cover the granite quarries and its post-historical use such as the rehabilitation strategies to restore the natural environment. Secondly, the mangrove ecosystem in Puaka will be introduced with focus on its biodiversity and ecosystem services. The human and physical geography of mangroves will be highlighted, from its use as a prawn farm to its rehabilitation back to a mangrove forest. From a pedagogical perspective, this trail will explore options of organising field studies and field trips to Pulau Ubin with possibilities of inquiry-based learning focusing on the lifecycle of economic activities such as prawn farming and granite quarrying. Another possible project will be the geographical investigation on mangroves and water quality of quarry lakes. Schools can explore citizen scientist projects investigating cultural and ethnographic research for the remaining structures and kampung practices. Possible ways to frame the content to make it applicable for group investigation will be discussed.

Synopsis for Trail:Conservation Efforts for a Biophilic City

Dr Chua Ee Kiam,Philemon Foo & Jacob Tan

As one of Singapore's offshore nature sanctuaries, Pulau Ubin has been recognised as a refugia for species threatened elsewhere in the region which includes the red-jungle fowl, straw-headed bulbul, Sunda Pangolin and southern pied hornbill. And It still continues to yield surprises . Recently, a species of flower fly known as the wasp mimic that had not been sighted for almost 200 years was rediscovered here on Pulau Ubin.Ubin can certainly play a bigger role in biodiversity education and nature conservation and not merely as an island getaway for the youths. Participants would get to experience Ubin's biodiversity through the sights and sounds on this trail. They would also get to understand how the species recovery programme on Ubin targets endemic, threatened native species in Singapore through habitat enhancement projects such as the bat houses. The place can also foster a rich learning experience for students, not easily afforded elsewhere, in enhancing their understanding of ecological systems and even how they can play a role in Citizen Science.