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
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