The learning trail uses infocomm technology to “push” location-specific multimedia information to students.

A Samsui woman approaches and asks for help in finding her brother; he had come to Singapore to work as a coolie, she says, and she needs your help to find him.

This is not a scene out of a drama serial but rather one of the tasks you may be asked to undertake if you are on the Interactive Learning Trail in Chinatown, an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MOE) developed with support from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and operated by iCell Network.

Launched by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education on 27 February 2010, the Interactive Learning Trail in Chinatown takes learning of the Chinese language and culture beyond the conventional boundaries of the classroom by infusing fun and interactivity into the learning.

Said Ms Fu, “We can’t force the younger generation to have the same feelings for Chinatown (as the older generation does), but we can move with the times, and utilise today’s technology to give them a more in-depth knowledge of Chinatown’s past, so that they won’t just think of it as a place for buying Chinese New Year goodies.”

The learning trail aims to do just that­ – using infocomm technology to present location-specific multimedia information to students, thus blending technology with the historic Chinatown settings and the game environment in their handheld learning devices to engage them in an interactive role-playing game.

The students will be virtually transported back to the early 1900s, where they get to experience old Chinatown by assuming the identity of a coolie, opera singer, Samsui woman, or rickshaw puller. They then navigate the trail, making their way from one hotspot to the next.

At each designated hotspot, an introduction will be triggered, and the students will gain access to relevant cultural and historical information presented in the form of text, images, audio and video. They will also be given location-based missions and games to complete, gaining experience points and tokens when they do so successfully.

Teachers from Anglican High School, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Coral Secondary School and Victoria School were involved in coming up with this innovative learning concept, and students from these schools have been experiencing it first-hand.

Jared Teo Kiat Wee, a Secondary 2 student from Victoria School, felt that the trail was very refreshing as it gave him an opportunity to “experience what life in Chinatown in the past was like”. “Whilst classroom lessons can be interesting, the Interactive Learning Trail in Chinatown is experienced in real life, and so is more of a hands-on learning experience,” he said.

Billy Aw Jia Zhi, a Secondary 2 student from Anglican High School, agreed. “Through the learning trail, we get to experience things for ourselves, so the memories are unforgettable.”

According to Billy, he learnt a lot more about Chinatown from the trail because it revealed lesser-known facts about the place to him. For example, not many people know that Sago Lane was once known as “Street of the Dead” – where the sick went for treatment, but were often left to die as they had little chances of recovery.

“Having a narrator to read out the questions and text in Mandarin also helped to expand my vocabulary,” he said.

The teachers involved in the project made an extra effort to ensure that the students’ experiences with the trail were not diminished in any way by their proficiency in the Chinese language. There is audio support for the questions, pictorial depictions of the tasks to be done, and the level of the Chinese language used has been simplified to what the students are comfortable with.

“There is no particular emphasis on the learning of the Chinese language, but rather, the students will improve through sheer usage and exposure as the Interactive Learning Trail is purely in Mandarin,” said Ms Lee Su Huang, a Chinese language teacher from Coral Secondary School.

Ms Chua Sok Kim, who teaches at Anglican High School, agreed. “The trail allows students to experience culture and history “live” – much like doing a “science practical” – so the lessons stay with them longer,” she said.