Aesthetics & Design
The Aesthetics and Design Department offers Art, Design & Technology (D&T), Food and Consumer Education (FCE) and Music at lower and upper secondary levels.
General Art Programme for Lower Secondary
The curriculum aims to cultivate visual literacy and an appreciation for art and design.
A visually literate student will be able to observe, understand and make meaning of the world he is in. He will also be able to communicate his ideas through visuals.
A student who appreciates art will be able to recognise the relevance of art and find art valuable in his life.
Lower Secondary Curriculum
Acrylic Painting
Observational Drawing
Pencil / Coloured Pencil Rendering
Digital Photography
Study of Visual Arts (SOVA)
Co-curriculum
Arts & Design Festival for Lower Sec students
Hall Assembly Programme
Examples of students’ acrylic collage projects
Design & Technology (D&T)
The D&T unit aims to equip students with skills for research, design and innovation across multiple disciplines. In the course, students will learn to appreciate the correlation between design, technology and society, through various design activities. They will develop creative and critical thinking, using analytical skills to formulate innovative design solutions to solve tomorrow's problems.
Lower Secondary Curriculum
Sketching and Drawing using iPad
Research and Information Gathering
Ideation process
Cardboard Modelling
Basic Concepts and Applications of Mechanisms
Structures and Electronics
Working with Plastics, Wood and Aluminium
Sec 1 Project -Accessories Holder
Prototypes
Sec 2 Project: LED Clock Project
Cardboard Mock-up
Upper Secondary Curriculum
The Upper Secondary D&T curriculum focuses largely on design skills and hands-on skills that would prepare them to handle the coursework component of the national examinations. The students will go through the five processes namely; Research, Needs Analysis, Idea conceptualisation, Development of idea and Prototyping in their coursework project.
The coursework component consists of the Design Journal, Presentation Boards and Prototype.
Students will acquire the following skill sets:
Sketching and Designing
Planning and Monitoring a Project
Design Process: Analysing User needs and experience
3D Modelling: Concepts and Applications of Mechanisms
Structures and Electronics
Machine operations (Centre lathe, Wood lathe, Vacuum forming, Blow moulding)
Working with Plastic, Wood and Aluminium
Creating Computer Aided Design (CAD)
3D Design Process
In addition to the standard curriculum, students’ learning experience is enhanced through the following programmes which we organise throughout the year:
Goldberg mechanisms
Cardboard rapid prototyping
3D Pens to create 3D structure
Advanced Elective Modules (AEM)
Food and Consumer Education (Lower Sec)
The Food and Consumer Education Unit aims to enrich students’ experience in equipping themselves with the basic skills for independent living through the principles of nutrition, food management, and consumer education.
Programmes include:
Cooking Assessment
Practical cooking assessments are conducted during lessons for all lower secondary students. This is a good channel of assessment where students are assessed on their cooking skills. This is a student-centered lesson as students learn by exploring ways on how to meet their task questions. They also learn about the importance of good hygiene in the kitchen, simple housekeeping procedures and also time management skills.
Coursework Modules
Students will need to go through weeks of research, planning and decision making before proceeding to buy the necessary ingredients that they have planned to cook a meal based on an assigned case study (e.g. for a person with diabetes). The cooking is assessed during their practical lessons.
Integrated Project Work
To instil the joy of learning of FCE in our Secondary 1 students, we designed an integrated project work as part of the curriculum for the boys. From planning and baking to plating and presentation, the boys learnt about the nutritious values of ingredients that can be put together in a cupcake and can still taste and look good! Given a problem task at the start, the boys get to collaborate in pairs to design their cupcakes and eventually take photographs of their bakes using the concept of angles and lighting. Their works are viewed by the teachers and school leaders and the top three winners of the food photography competition would receive prizes for their good work.
Sustainability Project
To make the chapters in the textbooks come alive, the FCE/NFS unit designed a project that aims to encourage students to upcycle ready/ used materials in innovative ways. Students are tasked to use discarded materials and make them into aesthetically pleasing items. Students are given the flexibility to research and decide on an item that they intend to create. Some items that the students have created are wall mirror decoration, flower vase and pencil holders.
Nutrition and Food Science (Upper Secondary)
The design of the NFS syllabus is guided by the NFS Education Framework.
The upper secondary NFS curriculum focuses largely on applying principles of culinary science creatively in food preparation and cooking. This will prepare them to handle the coursework component of the national examinations.
Coursework should be completed for assessment by the end of July or early August of the examination year. The assignment requires a problem-solving and investigative approach, with an emphasis on investigation work. A total of 25 hours of curriculum time will be assigned to discuss, facilitate and carry out the investigation and practical work as required.
They also learn to appreciate the importance of using a variety of food commodities in food management and the issues of food security, including food safety and sustainable food consumption. In this way, they will be able to advocate nutrition and health for self, family and the community.
Enrichment Course
To further supplement the NFS curriculum, the Secondary 3 Nutrition and Food Science Students attend a yearly enrichment workshop that prepares them for the ‘Exploratory Study’ component of their coursework. In this 2-day workshop conducted by an external culinary expert, students learn how to conduct fair, accurate food experiments and carry out sensory evaluation. They also get to practise culinary skills such as baking, frying, steaming, and piping of the fillings into the tart.
Music Education
We believe that every Saint possesses innate musical qualities that could be developed. Here at St Andrew’s Secondary, we offer them varied opportunities to discover their interests and strengths through a variety of musicking activities and expression of thoughts and emotions. Through our Higher Music, O-Level, ‘N(T)-Level and Lower Secondary Music programmes, we aim to:
Expose the boys to a wide range of genres and styles to deepen their understanding of cultural diversity of music in Singapore and the world,
Nurture confident Saints who are able to listen, sing, play and create music, and
Develop good values, character and social-emotional well-being so that they are ready for the future.
In the Teaching & Learning of Music, we adopt MOE’s Key Music Pedagogical Principles in the design of our lessons to facilitate students’ learning to achieve the intended outcomes of the syllabus. These principles include: Experience, Concept Application. We create meaningful musical experiences where the boys engage personally with music and are later able to draw musical understandings from those experiences. Thereafter, the boys get to practise the learnt concepts through applying and expressing the ideas, creating and experimenting.
Yearly events:
Cultural Arts Appreciation Performing Arts Workshops for all Secondary 1 students
SYF Original Song Writing Competition for all Secondary 2 students
Participation in Aspire Music Concert organised by Arts Education Branch for Secondary 3NT Music Elective students
Southeast Asian Music Workshops for Secondary 3 & 4 Higher Music, O and N(T)- Level Music Elective students
External Concert (e.g. SSO) for Secondary 3 & 4 and Higher Music, O and N(T)- Level Music Elective students
School Concert performed by Saints musical talents for all levels of students
