Academic Enrichment

Academic Enrichment

Economics

Economics Week

This is a week-long event organised by the Economics Department for both the JC1 and JC2 cohorts. Students are provided with opportunities to carry out research to solve real-world problems, applying the Economic concepts and principles they have learnt in the classroom. This provides opportunities for students to engage in authentic learning while honing their problem solving skills. At the end of the week, the top 3 teams that provide the best analysis of the problem and solutions will be rewarded while being given opportunities to share their learning with the other students in the cohort.

Where possible, external organisations are invited to value-add to students’ learning experiences in the classrooms. In 2019, the ‘CPF Roadshow’ provided students with a fun and educational way to find out more about the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and the importance of personal finance, through Kinect gamification. The creative use of Linoit helped make explicit links between personal finance and the decision-making model in Economics; with many students considering the aims, constraints, benefits and costs of putting aside more money for the future.

The Economics - General Paper Academic Immersion Programme

This is an exchange programme that allows students from Catholic Junior College visit countries like Hong Kong and Thailand, enabling them to appreciate the real-life applications of Economic concepts and General Paper (GP) topics they have learnt in the classrooms through seminars and visits to relevant organisations. Through interactions with academics and industry experts, students get to understand the complexities involved in decision making by firms and the government. 

This programme aims to enrich students’ knowledge of the world as well as stretch their thinking to consider challenges and opportunities that different countries face, in comparison with Singapore. Additionally, students are also involved in school visits and a service-learning project as part of our college ethos to build Thinkers with a Mission and Leaders with a Heart.

Literature

Literary Evening
This enrichment programme is held annually for all Literature students. Through an authentic learning experience, students engage intellectually with key themes taught in their texts and put into practice their understanding of dramatic techniques and effects, as they create their own plays and stage their own performances.

Mathematics and Science

STEM Fest

The STEM Fest is a collaboration between the Mathematics and the Science Departments to help all students recognise the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and appreciate its use in addressing real-world problems. The week-long event also serves as an important platform to provide learning experiences for science students to acquire and apply their knowledge and skills from H2 subjects on STEM. It also allows Mathematics and Science student leaders to hone their organisational and leadership skills.

From Escape Room to Pi Day commemoration to attending workshops conducted by Science Centre Singapore, several activities are held to cater to students’ different levels of interest in Mathematics and Science. House points are also awarded to inject an element of fun and competition.

Science Enrichment Activities

Our students embark on a range of science activities, competitions and research programmes, on top of their core science H1 or H2 subjects, to further equip themselves with essential skills and knowledge necessary for higher education. Some of these programmes provide students with the rare opportunities to work with research institutes and universities so that they can make well informed decisions in their choice of study or careers after junior college.

Our students have participated in a host of programmes, activities and competitions in recent years. These programmes have been categorised into 5 CORE Areas.

Creativity & Innovation
Students develop their creativity and construct scientific knowledge through the development of ideas/products (e.g. Greenwave Environmental Care Competition, Singapore Space Challenge, STEP Environment Camp etc.)

Academic Competitions
Students’ knowledge of content beyond the syllabus is assessed and they develop their critical thinking through these rigourous cognitive competitions (e.g. Astrochallenge, Biology, Chemistry & Physics Olympiads, Lee Kong Chian Anatomy Challenge, International Biomedical Quiz, Elementz Research Competition etc.)

Research Programmes
Collaborations with local universities and science research institutes (e.g. Science Research Programme with NUS, Nanyang Research Programme with NTU, SUTD Research Mentorship Programme etc.)

Enrichment (Local & Overseas)
Our students gain greater clarity of what they want to do in future by exposing themselves to these enrichments related to various scientific areas (e.g. Work attachment wit NanoBio Lab, stretch academic trips to various overseas universities, Materials Exposition at NTU, STEP NUS Sunburst Brain Camp, Nara Senior High School - CJC Science Exchange Programme etc.)

Servant Leadership
Our science students develop their leadership skills as they develop and facilitate science programmes for their college & larger community (e.g. Facilitating CJC STEM Fest programmes and morning assembly reflections, Collaboration with Science Centre to teach the public about chromatography etc.)

“My journey through the STEP Environment Camp was an enriching and enjoyable one. I was exposed to the different natural biodiversity Singapore has, such as the marine and mangrove environment, and learnt about the devastating impacts of improper waste treatment on these fragile ecosystems. Additionally, the camp has given me the opportunity to meet new friends from 12 different countries and work with them for our end-of-camp presentation, for which my group was awarded 1st place. Although the camp was draining, it definitely helped me gain more knowledge about other countries and grow to appreciate our natural environment even more.”
Reflections by Sherna Cahyadi, 1T32, 2019

Mathematics Stretch Programmes

“Success is no longer about reproducing content knowledge, but about extrapolating from what we know and applying that knowledge to novel situations.”
Andreas Schleicher, head of OECD PISA

We believe in maximising the potential of every student and offer intellectually stimulating learning experiences for students who are ready to go deeper and further in the subject, thereby igniting a passion in them and preparing them for a digital future. 

The stretch programmes target mainly the science students pursuing H2 Mathematics.
The department offers a suite of co-curricular programmes that cater to students of diverse talents and interests:

Our partners include Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Mathematical Modelling Singapore, Cyber Security Agency Singapore, IMDA, Science Centre Singapore, Texas Instruments, NUS, NTU and SMU.

The following are our Niche Programmes

1) International Mathematical Modelling Challenge
Organised by Mathematical modelling Singapore, the Challenge seeks to promote the teaching of mathematical modelling and applications of Mathematics to all ages. This is based on the belief that the use of Mathematics is helpful to better understand, analyse and solve real-life problems that are seemingly not related to Mathematics.

The competition is open to students in the second year who are shortlisted based on their JC1 performance and recommendation from tutors. The shortlisted students are mentored by a teacher advisor who will prepare them for the challenge.

WOW Factor: Real world problems require students to integrate knowledge from different topics of Mathematics for their analysis and solution. Real problems take time and teamwork. The IM2C provides students with a deeper experience both of how mathematics can explain our world and what working with mathematics looks like. The participants have to be resourceful, do independent research as well as work closely as a team. One of the team members must have knowledge of Python programming. Students also have the opportunity to hone their Scientific Report Summary writing skills.

2) Data Science Competition
This is a team-based competition open to students in their second year. Organized by the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability of the NUS, the annual competition encourages students to explore creative data displays. 

WOW Factor: Mentored by a tutor, participants are challenged to apply research skills and perform statistical analysis using concepts that they learnt from H2 Mathematics to create a poster of an authentic social issue of their interest. Students also have the opportunity to hone their skills in data collection, statistical report writing and design.

3) Design using Graphing Calculator
The competition is open to all students studying in a Junior College / Centralised Institute or a Secondary School in Singapore or the equivalent in Malaysia.

WOW Factor: Participants are challenged to do independent research and use the Graphing Calculator to create artwork based on a theme. They get to appreciate how to apply knowledge of the different graphs of H2 Mathematics to design!