Hoh, Yin Kiong

Informal science education has become a key area of emphasis for providing students with learning experiences that complement or extend what is covered in the science classroom as well as in enthusing them about science in general. In Singapore, informal science education is recognized by schools to be an important aspect of enhancing especially the affective dimension of the learning process. A range of informal science destinations in Singapore are available to cater to the educational needs of students – for example, science center, zoo, bird park, natural history museum, and botanic gardens. Others include destinations where science and technology are used to come up with products for the marketplace – for example, semiconductor industries, soft drinks factories, etc. The wide availability of such destinations for informal science education within the small city-state is one reason why schools have been able to leverage on a diversity of such platforms to organize field trips for their students. This chapter explores the informal science education scene in Singapore. Some points of interest emerging from the establishment of key destinations for informal science learning are also presented.