Reflective Journal 5

Just before starting on this final reflective journal entry for Term 2, I went back to my very first post dated 17th January. Time has passed really fast.

To be honest, SES is actually the subject I enjoyed most. There is a lot of discussion time during SES lessons for everyone to voice his views. This gives us the chance to see things from different angle and learn from one another.

At first, some of us were skeptical with this approach because we thought that it may end up with the blind leading the blind. But it turned out quite well. Personally, I think that SES is not very content-heavy which leaves much room for debates. Since we are peers, we speak up more freely whenever we disagree. If it were the teacher, we would have to think hard before asking. This learning method suits the subject because the content is not too difficult to understand and what we really want to get out of it is debates and discussions to show the different perspectives.

I must admit that preparing for the lesson is extremely time consuming and also taxing because the readings are usually pitched at a higher level. At times, we have to read it more than once before we can comprehend all of it. The tasks are also challenging although they are not impossible to do. It is one subject everyone will prepare before each lesson which is good because at least we know what is going on during lesson and the discussion can go a lot faster and are more fruitful.

I feel that the reflective journal is an appropriate form of assessment. Reflective journals give us the chance to consolidate what we have learnt in class. It makes us think through the points that were raised in class and reflect as we pen down our final thoughts. Most times, we are made to think of how we can apply what we have learnt to the real life. I think this is good as it proves to us that we are learning something useful and not just some theories which we are forced to know for the sake of passing and doing well in examination.

However, I am not convinced about the purpose and the need for the Research Paper.

I feel that the term presentation, term report and the reflective journals are more than adequate. Personally, I do not see the difference between the research paper and the term paper. They both have the same structure and the same word limit. The only difference is the discussion topic. I can understand the research paper is there to make sure we listen in class when our friends are presenting but I think there is a better way to do this other than the research paper.

I suggest that instead of the research paper which can be very taxing for us as the topics only came out in the middle of the term which is the test period, we should include the option for students to do mind maps of the lesson on top of the reflective journal.  This is less taxing because it is presenting the points from the student presenters or Ms. Yeo in point form. This helps to achieve the same objective at only a fraction of the workload.

Actually, as I have pointed out earlier, the structure of the research paper and term report is not very different. If we can just modify the format of the term report slightly, we should be able to use it as a research paper. The term report can be the main tool to train the students to put up a proper report.  

That is what I feel about the research paper and I apologize if I did not grasp the objectives of the research paper correctly.

As a whole, I feel that the topics in the curriculum are very relevant. The topics did not appear inter-connected the first time we looked at it but as we went along, I was able to see how they were linked together. I guess we can achieve even more if the teacher can spend one lesson per term to show us how all the topics are inter-connected. Some of us might not get it and I was one of them at the beginning but I managed to gradually find a way to piece up the topics to get the bigger picture. It was a lot more enriching when I was able to see the big picture.

In conclusion, I feel that SES has been very useful and I look forward to SES in semester 2.

776 words

Reflective Journal 4

In the last two lessons, we went through some of the societal problems, economic problems and political problems in America and China.

Societal problems that are prevalent in America are teenage criminals, teenage pregnancy, drugs abuse, prostitution and obesity. China also has its fair share of societal problems which include high teenage suicide rate and corporate misbehavior.

I would like to comment on America’s societal problems first. I think the three main causes are firstly, the lack of emphasis to inculcate values in the children from a young age; secondly, I think that the Western perception of self and the way the society sees certain behaviors also played a part. Lastly, I feel that media also has a big role in influencing the youths.

I believe the teaching of morals and values to children at a young age will help to bring down the crime rate in America. I want to quote what Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia said at the opening ceremony of the nation’s Good Values to Prevent Crimes programme in August 2010, “In ancient China, Confucius praised highly moral education and thought it as a core idea. And Confucius’s book written down the values pertaining to politics, history, ethics, education and arts, which I believe will serve to reduce crime rate.” In essence, Confucianism may not be what America needs, but it is clear that it needs to emphasize civic and moral education in its education system.

I also think that the Western perception of self has contributed to the problem. The Americans are strong advocates of human right. They think that they have the freedom to do anything they want. In some ways, this thinking has led the youths to do what they want without thinking much about whether it is morally right or the consequences on the society or themselves. A good example is teenage pregnancy. Pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy are not a taboo and quite readily accepted in America.

Another contributing factor is the way the society sees such behaviors. In China, peddling drugs and teenage pregnancy are unacceptable to the society and rare. In a way, this works as a psychological barrier for anyone who contemplates to do it. On the contrary, this is more common in America and not a societal taboo. Changing how the society sees these problems is a mindset change which will take time but it can be done through the teaching of morals and ethics.  

Lastly, media also plays a big part in influencing the youths. For example, Jay-Z, a famous songwriter, often brags about his criminal acts. In his song “Empire state of mind”, he wrote: “I used to kop at Harlem…” He was actually saying he used to peddle drugs. This song reached the top in the charts shortly after it was released. Can you imagine how many youths have listened to it? This song would have given them the wrong impression that peddling drugs is alright since their idol also did it before.

MTV now has shows featuring young mothers. While some hope that it will help to forewarn the youths, it may also produce undesirable results. It gives the impression that help is always there when they need it. If the youth really think there is no problem or someone will solve the problem for them when it happens, then it may not deter them at all. The media must recognize that it can play a role in educating the public the right social values. Instead, it can run commercials and programmes to portray the right values.

For China, I think the main reason for the high suicidal rate is the lack of resilience among the youths. China’s one child policy has resulted in parents being over-protective. Children have better life now and many cannot take the hardship and setbacks in life. To solve this, parents must be prepared to let go.  They should let the children make mistakes and let them learn from it. And parents must not place too much emphasis on academic grades. They need to be sensitive to the emotional needs that the children have in their growing years.

Finally, I think the low ministerial pay is the cause of the recent scandals that happened in China.  It is actually not difficult to understand why all our three prime ministers, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Goh Chok Tong and Mr Lee Hsien Loong have advocated high salaries. One reason is to discourage corruption. Mr Lee Kuan Yew said he has “always held to the belief that public servants need to be paid well, or they will succumb to corruption”.  I believe that if China pays their ministers well, they will not be enticed by bribes so easily. 

(792 words)

Reflective Journal 3

In the last two weeks, we explored the Chinese and Western perceptions of self. In summary, Chinese perception of self stresses on loyalty and respect for seniors which often leads to a top-down hierarchy. On the other hand, Western perception of self emphasizes liberty and freedom, regardless of social standing.

Personally, I prefer the Western perception of self but I cannot deny that the Chinese values impacted my life most.

My behavior and personality are very much shaped by the Chinese perception of self. Since young, I was taught Chinese values at home and in school. To a large extent, these values have influenced me to be the person I am today.

I tend to be more Chinese in my approach and thinking. Let me illustrate with an example. I respect my teachers, listen to their instructions and do what I am told to do. I do not question unless when necessary. Even with my friends, I refrain from arguing with them as I feel that we should respect one another, not just those more senior than us. I am a product of the Chinese teachings from my parents and teachers.

Also, peace which is another Chinese value is the motto in my life. I have met people who have been unpleasant. Some were verbally abusive and when you let them off, they came back and hit you even harder. While most people would flare up easily and retaliate, I choose to give them a second chance. I think fighting back is not going to solve the problem. It may even aggravate the situation. I deal with such people by keeping a distance from them. I like to settle things in a peaceful way. I practice tolerance which is what the Chinese preaches.

While the Chinese perception of self has influenced me so far, I feel that as I grow older, the Western perception of self appeals to me more.

I feel that Hwa Chong is making conscious efforts to encourage the students to speak up. We are give oral participation marks and at secondary 3, we have new subject like Socio Economic Studies. Personally, I enjoy SES lessons the most. It is one lesson you feel free to voice your opinions and have no fear about being scolded by the teacher. As students, the freedom to say what you want is a privilege and I appreciate Hwa Chong’s efforts in this area.

With freedom of speech, some of us may even ask for more freedom to do what we want. However, I feel that the freedom should only be given when we are more mature.

I think that giving too much freedom when we are not ready for it can be disastrous. “The Google Way” portrays freedom as a wonderful thing which allows workers to work in a less stressful environment and come out with innovative products. However, what it fails to show is the undesirable consequences that come with it.

A common misconception that some of us have is more freedom means less stress. In fact, having more freedom may create more stress. This is because there is no standard protocol to follow and you have little guidance.

So not all of us are ready for more freedom, you need a lot of self-discipline. There is no doubt that some are good enough but I also feel that we should accommodate those who are weaker. At the end of the day, the stronger ones will survive in a system with less freedom but the weaker ones will struggle in a system with a lot of freedom. Therefore, I feel that the current system meets our needs and we should remain status quo.

While I like more freedom in the years to come, I must say that the Chinese perception of self will still be the cornerstone in my life. I believe you need both to balance up. When you have more freedom, you must not forget the respect for others. We must always remember that words hurt more than action and we should not do onto others what we do not want others to do onto us.

In conclusion, the Chinese perception of self has played a big part in my life and will remain to be so. I look forward to more freedom as I mature and can take responsibility for my own actions but I will remember the importance of respect for others and loyalty to my family, friends and country.

Done by : Alastair Pang (3S2 19)

(745 words)

Comments for Reflective Journal 2

Comment 1: Aik Yang (3s218-2012.blogspot.com)

Comment 2: Quek Yong Jie (3S220-2012.blogspot.com)

Reflective Journal 2

For the past two lessons of SES (19/1/2012 and 26/1/2012), Ms.Yeo went through the management styles at three different companies, namely “The Google Way”,  the Apple’s management style and “The Lenovo Way”.

These three companies have vastly different management styles. “The Google Way” created by Sergey Brin and Larry Page allows workers more liberty to decide different aspects of their working life. For example, they can decide what time to report for work and what they want to do “20% of the time”. On the other hand, at Apple, the CEO, previously Steve Jobs, decided almost everything, the employees have no autonomy. Lenovo is a hybrid, they give freedom, but only the executives have this privilege.

To some extent, the management style and working culture do tell us a little about the society. For example, in America, the people advocate freedom of speech and tend not to follow the typical hierarchy where the bosses decide and the employees just do as told. Sergey Brin and Larry Page are influenced to a large extent by such Western cultures and values that explain “The Google Way”, which emphasizes freedom.

Likewise, for Lenovo in China, the management style is linked very much to the Chinese values. Lenovo gives freedom to only the top executives. This is not surprising because in the Chinese society, those at higher ranks or are more senior have a lot of power and are accorded a lot of respect. Chinese are also more conservative and submissive. Such values and thinking is reflected in the management style at Lenovo.

However, to a large extent, I feel that the management style is the choice of the CEO rather than what the society believes in and how the people behave.  

For example, since Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin are influenced by Western cultures, they tend to run Google in a more open manner. On the other hand, Lenovo is the way it is because Yang Yuanqing is a Chinese national with strong Chinese beliefs. At the end of the day, the CEO sets the culture of the company.

Let’s look at Apple. Steve Jobs resided in Silicon Valley since young. Because he was influenced by the Western Culture, we think Apple and Google should be run in about the same way. However, this is not the case. Contrary to what we think, Apple adopts a more autocratic management style. This is because Steve Jobs, according to Walter Isaacson (2011), likes to be in total control of everything, ranging from customer experience, to how the employees work and what they do. This goes to show that management style does not completely reflect the society, it is what the CEO believes in and how he wants to run the company.

I personally prefer “The Google Way” because I believe that the brain works better when people are more relaxed and then great ideas will come. I believe that if you want people to be innovative and creative, you cannot set too many rules and dictate the way they work. Even if it is a routine piece of work, there is always a better way to do it. But this is only possible if people start to think and try to make things better. So, I like “The Google Way” not because of the facilities and the massages, they are nice to have but I value their 20% time rule more. I like the freedom to dream and try out new things.

However, I am mindful of the two key assumptions that Sergey Brin and Larry Page made when they came up with “The Google Way”. Firstly, they assume that the people who work in Google actually enjoy their work. If the people like their job, they will do things related to their work and that is when new product ideas can happen. The reverse is also true.

Secondly, they assume that the employees like the management style. We must accept that there are people who prefer a more top down approach. Thus, “The Google Way” is not foolproof and will not work for all.

At the end of the day, management style is never one size fits all. The danger is to copy wholesale without any regards to the type of people and their aspiration. The important thing to note is not every company needs innovation and some jobs may only need efficiency and accuracy, so “The Lenovo Way” may work equally well. Also, there is no one management style that is better, neither is there one best model that suits most companies.  The right style is one which fits the job and suits the people.

These two lessons went on very well compared to the earlier ones. The class is more participative and I am learning a lot from my friends.

In conclusion, I feel that the two lessons were fruitful and I hope that the class will continue to be spontaneous in expressing their opinions. I am looking forward to the next SES lesson.

Reflective Journal 1

CSE SMTP has many surprises for many of us. There are more subjects to handle, different teaching methods and mode of assessment to adapt to and many more. One of the many things I have to adjust fast is to try to get a hang of the new subject, Socio-Economic Studies, SES in short. SES is a new elective that is specially designed for CSE SMTP students.

In the first SES tutorial last week, Ms.Yeo introduced the subject and explained the objectives to us. She also went through what we will cover in Terms 1 and 2. She also explained how we will be assessed and did some administrative matters.

I have some apprehension before the lesson. Being new to the subject, I really do not know what to expect and wonder if it will be difficult. I have many unanswered questions in my mind before the first lesson. Will it be difficult? What does socio-economics cover? How different will it be from the Integrated Humanities subject?

If I were to make a guess from just the name, I guess the bulk of the syllabus is on the implications of social changes and social behavior on economic growth. While I do not know what to expect, I am curious to find out more and I hope it will be as interesting as the economics and social studies I did in Secondary 2.

Fears aside, my only consolation is my interest in Economics. I like the social and economics related topics I studied in Secondary 2. I was often intrigued by how economics is affected by factors such as social cohesion, geography, infrastructure and many more.

Ms. Yeo’s first tutorial addressed most of my questions. I am relieved to know the topics for term 1 and 2 because topics like China and America economies interest me a lot. I never thought Confucianism and Western Values would affect the economy of a country.

With the advent of Internet and aviation technology, the world is all linked up in a network. Gobalization makes us more inter-dependent. As Jacques Yves Cousteau once said, “However fragmented the world, however intense the national rivalries, it is an inexorable fact that we become more interdependent every day." To shine in the twenty first century, we need to know more about other cultures, learn their languages and be socially sensitive. I am sure that I will learn a lot of useful information from this subject that would prove very useful when I join the work force.

As for the mode of assessment, I think it is fair for SMTP students like us. Instead of test and exam, we have to do class presentations, research papers and reflective journals. Good presentation and research skills are important now and in the future. When we start working next time, we need to know how to present well and do a proper research so this mode of assessment although new to us is definitely relevant and fair. Reflective journals also force us to think about what we have learnt during the lessons. It helps to reinforce what we have learnt in class as we reflect and ponder through the issues to give our views.  

The topic for the second SES lesson on Monday (16/1/2012) is Cultural Intelligence. We learnt how it is defined, how to measure it and the advantages of having high CQ. During the lesson, we got to discuss interesting questions like “Do you find doing online research before every trip overseas necessary?”

The lesson format was different from the usual Mathematics or Science lesson. Ms.Yeo told us that before each lesson, she will upload the reading materials on Google site. We have to read up, do our research and come prepared to discuss. During the class, we will have mini “debates” and discussions facilitated by Ms.Yeo.

The lesson on cultural intelligence was an eye opener. The lesson format is refreshing and something we have never done before. I enjoyed it. We are not just listening to what the teacher has to say. We get a chance to speak our mind and learn from one another. There are different viewpoints among us and it is interesting to know what each of the 31 of us has to say. 

However, I think there is something we can do to improve and maximize what we can get from the discussion. I think it will benefit all of us if everyone comes prepared for the lesson. In this way, the discussion can be more fruitful. I think we just need time to get used to it and as time passes, we will do better.

I think the class can be more spontaneous when answering questions that Ms.Yeo posed to us. I can understand that we do not know each other well and therefore not speaking up as much. I guess we will fare better as we get to know one another better. It would really help if everyone shares their views more freely so that we can learn and tap each other brains.

Before reading the articles and doing the CQ quiz, I thought the topic was just common sense. I never had any problem relating to people from different cultures, so CQ to me is not an issue. However, after reading about what the professors said about CQ and after taking the CQ quiz, I begin to realize how important it is to have high cultural intelligence and it should not be something we should take for granted.

Not only does it help in doing business and management strategies, it also improves our inter-relationship skills. I was indeed surprised that I did not score as high in the CQ quiz as I expected. I got a mere 13 out of 20 marks. This shows that CQ is not as simple as I thought, and there were still many things I can learn and should learn about other people’s cultures that will help me to improve my inter-relationship skills.

Overall, I have gained a lot from the lesson on CQ. I have learnt many concepts which I was not familiar with, I also learnt the importance and limitations of CQ. Through the thought-provoking questions, I was able to gain deeper understanding of the topic. It turned out that I have many misconceptions about CQ, one of which is the definition of CQ-Action. I thought that it meant that we would have to change who we are to fit the other party’s culture, which I strongly disagree. However, I learnt that it is about avoiding offensive behavior or social taboos, and respecting different social or cultural norms.

All in all, I am very happy with how the lesson is going. I am looking forward to the next lesson. I am sure that by the end of term 2, we would have gained many useful and practical tips that will help us in future.

Alastair Pang Xian Xun

3S2 19