It seems as
though we just embarked on the new elective yesterday. But the truth is that as
the term comes to a close, so will this elective. However, this elective has
not been for naught. My perceptions and conclusions about China and America
have been changed with the new knowledge that I have obtained, and I can now
better discuss pertinent issues regarding the two superpowers.
The
curriculum of SES was actually surprisingly refreshing. Since students, instead
of teachers, were the ones who facilitated the discussion, speaking up in class
felt somewhat less intimidating. Another plus point about the curriculum of SES
was that it nurtured the ability of students to think on their feet and
articulate their thoughts well, especially during their term presentation. Most
importantly, I felt that this actually helped me to see the flaws in my
argument more clearly. Of course, the
downside was then that there is increased burden on students, which I felt
quite acutely during the first term of the year. The assigning of questions to
each student was quite the lifesaver. Overall, the curriculum and the method of
teaching were effective and interesting.
I mentioned
in my first reflective journal that the mode of assessment was the most
daunting. However, I now understand what the mode of assessment aims to
achieve. Crafting my argument for the term presentation, although tough,
offered me a brief insight into what humanities research entails. Sorting
through all those books and online journals for relevant information was hard,
but I realized there was still much knowledge to be uncovered, compared to what
schools teach us. I understood that what we do in schools is just the tip of
the iceberg; what we really need to do is to explore the iceberg ourselves.
Even though I probably did not get a good grade, at least I took away an
understanding of what learning really is.
I did face
difficulties during the elective too, and I think my main difficulty lay in
writing reflective journals. Probably my thought structure and organization is
not up to par; I have never been able to write good expository essays. But
coming through the elective, I was able to improve gradually on my reflective
journals and grasp the concept of a reflective journal well. From the first
graded reflective journal to this one, I think I have come a long way. But
there is still a longer road to travel.
Looking
back at this elective, I realize that indeed, I have gained a lot. It might
sound cliché, but it is true. I have learnt about the context of Confucianism
in China, and what it means to both the people and the government. I have
learnt about the various revolutions in the Western world, and how they shaped
the laws which govern us today. I have even learnt about how Singapore might be
affected by these two cultures, or how Singapore completely defies these
ideologies.
And looking
forward to the future, I think that SES will help us to do our own research on
various countries. By going through the elective, I think that we actually
gained research skills such as knowing where to look for reliable information
about a country, and how to analyze its ideology and look at its society or
economy in the context of the ideology. Such skills will be needed for a
globalised economy, and in this manner, SES actually helps quite a lot.
My goals
for SES at the start of the year were to 1) gain new insights and 2) achieve a
passable grade. Although 2) could be improved upon, I actually surpassed my
expectations for 1). Not only did I learn about China or America, but I also
gained other skills like researching, and speaking up.
Of course,
SES could be improved further. One point I noted was that for some tutorials
that were more difficult in nature, I thought that more elaboration and
background information would be needed for students to better absorb the
knowledge. Some of these tutorials included the topic Western ideology. Another
important downside was the very prominent lack of time. I think that we should
be given more time for SES lessons, instead of having to stay back in school
for extra lessons. This will also aid in helping students understand the topics
better.
Although
the elective was just two terms long, I feel that I have learnt a lot of
things. It was an enjoyable elective. And for that, thank you, Ms Yeo.
(Due to an overly long comment, this has to be divided into two halves. Sorry for any inconveniences caused.)
ReplyDeleteDear Nathan Teo,
On a lighter note, I would like to point out that there will still be a continuation of Socio-Economic Studies in Semester 2, to my pleasure (and probably, yours, too).
Your reflective journal is structured in such a coherent and clear manner such that readers are able to effectively grasp your main points, which I feel is no mean feat, and that you have done it well. It is also pleasant to hear that you have grown much over the span of the SES module, which proves its success amongst the students, because it has opened our global perspective and expanded our knowledge about both the stronghold of the East and the powerhouse of the West.
I agree that a student-led pedagogical approach has been quite successful, although I initially questioned and was doubtful about how effective it would be, as I felt that the students would most likely adopt a nonchalant attitude and not see the lesson as important. However, reality has proven these concerns unfounded, as we have done a reasonably good job as a class to develop such a conducive learning environment where we form a learning community and teach each other a specialised topic that we have been assigned to. The point on intimidation and fear is also valid, because we often see teachers with connotations of strictness and fear, but replacing them with students makes the discussion much more natural.
However, I disagree with the point on the division of questions easing our workload. Rather, I believe that the main cause for our more relaxed pace of learning is that we were not required to complete all the readings but rather, a handpicked few that we were given the right to choose. This helped us reduce the quantity of resources and directly eased our workload. However, dividing the questions did not help at all, because we were still expected to know how to answer all of them, since we had supposedly read all the resources and they sufficed to provide an answer, just as Miss Yeo had said in class during the lesson on panacea when we had to submit a term paper each. Thus, this translated into our inherent need to prepare for all the questions, which I am still doing till today. Notwithstanding, it helps narrow the scope of study for students so that they may focus on the smaller circle of knowledge that they are expected to ‘specialise’ in for that tutorial.
--- cont'd ---
(Continued)
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear that you have improved in your reflective journal quality as well, which is a benefit of the SES module. It encourages intrapersonal reflection that allows students to think about how much they have learnt and this motivates them to want to learn even more to self-improve. Your writing capabilities have also risen significantly, proving the success of SES once again! The skills you have listed such as researching and exploring the globalised economies of the world will also definitely help you in the near future when you step into the corporate world, when you will discover how applicable SES is, besides only stating that it is beneficial for us students.
Your conclusion with a close through the a brief summary of the syllabus and how you linked it back to our Singaporean context was well done, as it brought to our minds that our local setting had not been thrown aside during the module, but has been incorporated to portray somewhere of an in-between of America and China through sectors such as ideologies and cultures.
I agree on your point of narrowing the scope of study for SES as well. As I have also mentioned in my journal entry, this will boost efficiency and levels of understanding in students, because we require time and concentration to truly comprehend the meaning of these resources. With such a wide scope and yet so little time, it is definitely difficult to complete the syllabus in time, just as we have seen in our own lessons. We had wanted to continue extensive discussions and additions to the topics provided, but time was not on our side, causing a delay in all the topics and presentations, resulting in us having to stay back for lessons. However, this is most likely a one-off thing as SES is a new subject and tweaking is required to improve this module. I believe planning will be made much better to allow a smooth lesson flow, causing students to absorb a maximal amount of knowledge.
Your ending was sweet and it was definitely nice to hear that you thanked Miss Yeo for her patient guidance and conducting this module with us, as you have exemplified the Hwa Chong value of being grateful (饮水思源).
Overall, your journal was extremely well-written and I truly enjoyed reading it!
Best Regards,
Nathan Ang 3S117
Dear Nathan,
ReplyDeleteYour journal apparently has a coherent flow of ideas and is very captivating, leading me to wanting to read on further.
I do not really agree that it is less intimidating to speak up in class as is a student led discussion and not a teacher carrying out the discussion. Personally, I feel that the audience is the crucial factor that determines if it is intimidating and not the person leading the discussion. As you can see, from the first SES lesson till now, more and more of our classmates have been speaking up, even those introvert ones. I believe this is attributed to us, as classmates, have grew to know one another better, hence the psychological barrier is being removed, making us feel more comfortable and confident to air our views and opinions.
I totally share your sentiments that the term presentation allowed me to identify the flaws in my argument and presentation. I think this is more valuable than getting high marks as we get to know our own mistakes and we can learn from there, which is precisely what education is all about.
I would not really say that assigning the questions is the lifesaver but rather a "reducing agent". It does reduce the quantity but the quality must not be sacrificed. Thus we still have to put in our best effort and go for depth and not breadth.
SES really do provide us with a platform to hone our research skills especially on the humanities side as we SMTP students usually focuses on science and math research, neglecting the humanities and the arts.
I have to agree that there is really much to cover in the curriculum and yet SES isn't being allocated enough timing to cover all the tutorials. As a result, we have to kind of rush through a little as there are some holidays that unfortunately fall on days that we have SES. Hopefully, the school will allocate more time for SES in the future, letting us students and the teachers to be able to enjoy the process of learning of this subject.
Regards,
Yong Hong :)