“Why are my students paying more attention to TikTok than to me?” Ms Ynez Lim, a secondary school English teacher, thought to herself.
“I felt like there’s some magic recipe about TikTok that engages teenagers,” she says. And she wanted in on it.
So, in 2020, she downloaded the app to see what made TikTok tick for her students.
Today, you could call Ms Lim a sort of ‘influen-cher’: An educator who creates curriculum-aligned content for social media to engage students.
And she’s not alone. There is a growing community of teachers cum content creators who are learning the social media game. Their goal? To interrupt students’ doom scroll with educational, curriculum-aligned content.
The following three ‘influen-chers’ are school teachers who create educational online content as part of their suite of learning resources and lesson preparation. They not only get nods of approval from their school leaders and colleagues, they are also part of an MOE initiative known as @Knowgets (short for “knowledge nuggets”), which runs a channel on education content on YouTube and Instagram. What unites them? A desire to adapt teaching methods to engage today’s digital natives, make learning accessible, and help students see the significance of their studies in their lives.
1. Everyday Science in a minute
Since 2016, Mr Jansen Tan has used YouTube as a repository of lesson videos. Missed a class? You can access it online and learn at your own time. Now, his YouTube channel boasts over a million views.
“I’m also encouraged that other Chemistry teachers, both in and outside of my school, have told me that they use my videos in their class. I’m glad others can benefit from my work,” he says.
Who he is
- Name: Mr Jansen Tan
- Instagram/YouTube handle: @mrjansentan
- Subject: Chemistry Teacher
- School: Gan Eng Seng School
What’s his content
- A series of short videos explaining Science concepts that are observable in everyday life.
- Longer-form videos of Chemistry lessons, which students can revisit to review the material on their own.
Why he’s online
“Parents who want to excite their kids about learning Science can try the activities in my videos at home. Teachers can also use the resources I’ve made, without needing to start from scratch,” he says.
Mr Tan notices that his videos of practical lessons, like experiments for the Science Practical Assessment, perform significantly well. His guess is that others in the fraternity, or students themselves, appreciate being able to watch and rewatch the experiments.
2. Multiplying impact through social media Maths
Ms Chew remembers a student who jokingly asked if she could clone herself. “That’s where the idea of creating videos and recording lessons came from. I agree with what Minister said at the recent Work Plan Seminar, that teachers can’t be everything, everywhere, all at once,” she says.
“I’ve found that creating bite-sized videos and redirecting my students to online resources – whether made by me or other teachers – has been effective.”
Who she is
- Name: Ms Chew Kai Qing
- Instagram/YouTube handle: @getmathatchew
- Subject: Math
- School: Last taught at Serangoon Garden Secondary School; currently posted to MOE HQ
What’s her content
- ‘Edu-tainment’ videos explaining Math concepts and how they’re applied in real life.
- Currently with MOE’s Educational Technology Division (ETD) to co-create content with other ‘influenchers’ and students through social media channel @Knowgets
Why she’s online
Many parents mentioned that following Ms Chew’s content helped them relearn concepts from school and better answer their kids’ frequent question: “How is this useful in real life?”
Teachers could also add Ms Chew’s videos to their bag of tools for lessons. “As a teacher I struggle sometimes searching for relatable, localised, relevant resources. It’s better having content made by Singapore teachers, for Singapore classes,” she says.
Many of Ms Chew’s videos are hosted on Knowgets’ YouTube channel, which allows seamless integration into Student Learning Space (SLS) lesson packages. “We aim to provide ready-to-use packages to help teachers save time and engage students in a more comprehensive learning experience,” she says. “Teaching is a team sport and we are working with ‘influen-chers’ and interested teachers to build a community of content creators.”
3. Language learning on the go
When Ms Ynez Lim joined a learning circle of English teachers, her groupmates encouraged her to expand her social media work to more students. “They found my videos useful in engaging their students,” she recounts. After getting the support of her school leaders, she made her page public.
Who she is
- Name: Ms Ynez Lim
- Instagram/TikTok/YouTube handle: @grammar.nezi (Instagram), @missynezlim (TikTok)
- Subject: English
- School: Last taught at Northland Secondary School; currently posted to the Academy of Singapore Teachers
What’s her content
- Videos sharing tips for various components of the English and Literature paper, common grammar mistakes, and resources to boost students’ vocabulary.
- Study tips and motivational videos
Why she’s online
“For students to learn English effectively, they need to see it used in situations relevant to them,” she says, “And social media is a great place for that.”
As for fellow educators, Ms Lim sees social media as a space for collaboration and mutual learning. “I would love for more in the fraternity to be open to the possibilities of video-making as a way to engage our students.”
During parent-teacher conferences, parents also thank Ms Lim for putting up content that advocates online safety. “I hope to show how the online space can be used safely and meaningfully. It’s a place of possibilities for education.”
