Reflections

If I could summarise the whole course / term into one word, it would be ‘Feedback’. Never have I taken a module in NUS that offered so many opportunities for students to give and receive feedback. Most science modules that I had taken did not even go through answers after a test, rendering students unable to learn from mistakes. ES2007 had been very different. From the beginning of the module, all the way to the end, there had been a constant stream of feedback. I remember the first feedback that I received from Brad: Using unrealistic examples to illustrate points does not value add to the strength of an argument. I would remember this for life, and would subsequently use this principle to teach my students. 

Essentially, this module IS the biggest learning point for me. As a to-be teacher, I have seen through this course that grading is but a necessary evil, instituted by higher authorities. What is beyond  grading is that which is more important in education: giving an indication to students on how they have done, their strengths and weaknesses, how they could improve, and to encourage them. All these can be done through feedback. So I hope that 3 years from now, as I step into the teaching world, I would be able to remember this ideal- to give my students feedback instead of solely grading them; to be fixated on the lives that are in the midst of the fire.


(245 words)


p.s- this is my first ever post in which I kept to the 250 word limit. Looks like I've learnt something else! =)

PPT: Post-Presentation Thoughts

I liked our presentation.
I liked the way we presented.
I liked how our slides looked simple.
I liked the chemistry between our group members.
I liked how we spurred each other on to speak confidently.
I liked how we candidly pointed out to each other our weaknesses.
I liked the way things worked out as we imagined ourselves as salespeople.
I liked how we did not deliberately keep time but instead presented free-flow.
I liked the three-straight-days practice and the hours driven individuals gave.
I liked how Jac was initially petrified but emerged victorious over her fears.
I liked how Faizal systematically devised his simplified explanations.
I liked Kenneth's hard work and amazing efforts.
I liked my formal office dress code.
I liked/ like my group members.
I still like our presentation.

Well, since we're almost arriving at the end of the module, I figured that I had to get creative, hence explaining the queer shape you see above. Hopefully, my message conveyed there can be as clear as what our oral presentation was said to be. Buf if it's not apparent, here's the gist of what the queer shape says: Edwin liked the presentation.

Some things I felt we did well were to:
1. Relate the presentation to URA,
2. Make simple yet understandable slides,
3. Not to put too much focus on how we obtained our research but instead made periodic references to them,
4. Portray the problem faced clearly by relating to many real life examples
5. Focus firstly on the WHY, then HOW and WHAT. We managed to psyche ourselves to think in terms of WHY we WANTED to present, instead of what we had to present.
6. Divide the workload / airtime quite equally.

But of course, our presentation is not perfect. There are many potential areas for improvement. For starters, I find myself to be hesitant in my speech, and my diction heavy as I watched the video recording of our presentation. Somehow, my thought processes slow down greatly when I stand before a crowd, resulting in momentary pauses peppered throughout my part. This is one aspect that I would hope to improve on before I start to go into the teaching world, to organise my thoughts quickly and to package them smoothly to allow simple understanding. Also, I feel that even though the group has been trying not to do so, most of us are still relying on quite a bit of memory to bring us through the presentation. This is in spite of us being clear of what is going on and what we have to convey to the audience. Perhaps we have to learn to trust more in our abilities to speak in front of a crowd impromptu.

Overall, I enjoyed the whole course of the presentation, from the preparations to the wrap up. Now, I am totally convinced that we need Study Rooms in residential clusters.

Inter-cultural situation

For the past 3 years, I had been to a place in Indonesia called Jember for mission trips with my church cell group. Everytime I was there, I learnt something new about the Jember Home kids. It was only last December that I learnt something new about their neighbours.

This Jember Home is a Christian home, positioned right in the middle of a street well known for a great mosque it led to. We had heard from the caretaker that their presence in that street had caused some unhappiness around the area, and as a result, the kids were sometimes exposed to hostility as they made their way to school.

We had a spirited activity called the 'Toast for Change', somewhat like a New Year Resolution that fateful night last year. It was only 9.30pm, early for Singaporean standards. As such, we decided to wrap up the event with a traditional chinese 'YAM SENG', which we had taught to the kids earlier. Enthusiastically, everyone stood around in a circle and toasted for the change they resolved to make for the new year. The "yaaaaam" went on for half a minute or so, and the 'seennggg' ended just in time for us to hear the first of many 'thunks'. Initial puzzlement slowly turned to fear as the the caretaker explained that the neighbours were hurling rocks at the Home. The metallic noises that we heard were that of stones riddling the aluminium roof. While the older boys left us to take up different 'defence' positions, we huddled at the corner and prayed.

Of course, this whole issue could have arisen because we toasted 'late' at night, being rather unmindful of Indonesian culture and their abhorrence of noises made late at night.  Yet, I believe that the situation was exponentially compounded because the Home was not a part of the in-group in their community. This experience was novel for me, being constantly sheltered in Singapore, where Christians face no persecution nor scorn. But it has led me to this question: Have we thrown metaphorical stones at members of out-groups where we are in Singapore? Whether we have or not, it is good time to reflect and reconsider on the way we behave towards different sub-cultures in Singapore.

Second Draft of Application Letter (Edited)

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First Draft of Application Letter

Dear Mr Samuels,

As a recent graduate from the National University of Singapore, I am extremely pleased and excited to read about the job opening for the Endocrine Analyst that was publicised recently on the Zoo’s website. It has been a childhood dream for me to work in the zoo, and this dream has shaped my choice for my course of studies in NUS. This being my area of passion, I believe that my contributions to the Zoo will be substantial, both in the arena of research and in public education.

A few of my significant capabilities make the job of Endocrine Analyst especially suited for me:

·         As a Life Science biology major, I am experienced with lab work, being trained in lab skills, handling animals and test assays. I did a 6 month long stint in South Africa for my Student Exchange Programme, where I took a module on Mammalogy and had first hand experiences in handling large mammals like giraffes and the African Elephant. I am also trained in biochemistry, which will be useful in interpreting results derived from hormonal tests.

·         Outside of the research role that the Endocrine Analyst has to play, I am also adequately equipped with people skills. My leadership stint during NS days allowed me to experiment with various forms of leadership, learning to work with difficult men and to handle manpower effectively. Also, being heavily involved in the re-capture of the fugitive Mas Selamat, I had been given responsibilities over a large amount of controlled logistics like ammunition and comms sets that assisted my soldiers in the operation. I managed to keep track of all the equipment that was under my charge and returned all of them to the stores after the operation was over. Hence, I have confidence that maintaining an inventory will not be a problem to me in my course of work.

·         Being an avid volunteer for many events, I get to interact much with people, both young and old. In my experiences as a volunteer with teaching roles, I managed to understand how the minds of young children work, and how to effectively communicate with them both verbally and non-verbally. Therefore, I believe that I can value add to the role of the Endocrine Analyst by giving lessons to interested members of the public regarding conservation of animals as a professional. This service can be extended especially to students so that our message can be targeted at an audience which can potentially make a difference.

Given my experience in handling animals, conducting tests, doing lab work, juggling manpower and logistics, and my close contacts with people, I believe that I will be a valuable addition to the Singapore Zoological Gardens in both research and public relations. I will be calling you in a week's time just in case you have any further questions. Thank you for your consideration, and I am looking forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Khoo Wei Lun Edwin

Post 2: 2's a couple, and couples conflict. (Edited)

All through my life, I have tried to be a peacemaker, an avoider of conflict, and the bringer of harmony. It was only after I met my girlfriend that I became aware of how susceptible I personally was to conflicts. Don't misunderstand me. My girlfriend is no quarrelsome woman. She is a wonderful wonderful person! The conflicts to now arose only because she is wired differently from me.

Perhaps it's through some anomaly in natural selection that the phenomenon of PMS is still present in our current society. PMS refers to Pre-Menstrual Syndrome. These three letters spell out a period of increased emotionality, increased illogicality and increased demands from me in my girlfriend. And it is during the period (N.P.I) when PMS is exhibited by her that I am the most vulnerable to conflicts.

At this time of the month, funny and seemingly unreasonable demands come flowing in.

"Why are you going out with the same friends two times in the same month?" 

"Why are you calling me and not smsing me?" 

(Two months prior to that, it was, " Why are you smsing me so much and not calling me?")

One particular incident that I remember took place in church. It was just after service and I was talking to a friend who brought his girlfriend to our church for the first time. I was trying to give him and his girlfriend some attention when my girlfriend, who did not really like him, came over and tried to tell me something. And because I was giving listening to my friend who was still talking, I told her to wait. Then, she started shaking my arm and said really loudly, "LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN!" With that, I turned around furiously and asked, "WHAT?". (pause) You have to understand. I have a thing with politeness. So, I absolutely hate it when people are unnecessarily rude to me, or even worse, asking me to be rude. At that time, she was doing both, being rude to me, and asking me to be rude by talking to her while my friend is talking to me. I was so angry because I felt that her outburst was uncalled for. She was almost like a spoilt kid who wanted something from a busy dad! (play) She said, "I'm going off", and walked away. Apparently, she was having the 'spoilt child' syndrome because of PMS, and I kind of knew it. But because of another anomaly of natural selection called Pride (the irrational male type), I decided not to chase after her and continued chatting with my friend as if nothing happened. It was just a small conflict, but that morning was the catalyst for a bigger fight in the evening which I shall not bore you with. The only things that you have to know is that she managed to link this event with several other seemingly unrelated ones, and used all their combined weight to accuse me of never standing on her side during arguments. With that, she also coerced me to say that I would back her in any arguments with people, which leads me to the next point.

Sometimes, even if it could settle arguments, I would hesitate to agree to certain conditions set by my girlfriend during PMS if I know would put me at a disadvantageous position in the future, or which makes little sense. Conditions like  "You cannot high five girls when you play sports," or "You cannot lift up your shirt to wipe your sweat when you play sports" have been easy to adhere to. But I find others like, "In the future when you become a teacher, you cannot give your students your phone number. If they want to ask you questions, they have to do so by email" hard to comply with. By agreeing to such demands, I would be able to pacify her. But in the long run, it would set the stage for more conflicts.

I love my girlfriend, and I do not only want to learn how to bear with her on a temporal basis. So if ANYONE has any insights to how to handle PMS and PMS related requests (for the long run), feel free to post your comments on this!

Edit:
Thank you all for your comments! I must agree that many of your comments are wonderful, and they reflect the stance that I have adopted in response to PMS. From my girlfriend, I understand that at the onset of PMS, sometimes girls do not see illogicalities in their arguments. So, I'm taking steps to learn how to stop my rational breaking down of situations during PMS, and to talk with my girlfriend on an emotional level. I had learnt much from all your comments, and I would strive to apply what I have been taught in real life. Thanks! =)

Effective Communication

Consider a firefighter. His job is to fight fires. Yet, the firefighter who hears a screaming voice in the midst of the fire, yet chooses to carry out his job of putting out the fire, has by default failed. Why? Because even though the role of the firefighter is to put out fires, his most fundamental purpose is to save lives. By ignoring the call to save a life, he is shown to have lost sight of the fundamental purpose of his job. 

We can draw a parallel to communication. The most fundamental purpose of communication is to inform, to educate and to enlighten. People communicate so that their ideas and thoughts can be understood. Many think that professional communication involves using complex words which will awe the listener, and to somehow subconsciously convey the impression that one is competent (in whatever he does). This is not a problem, unless it comes to the point when his words prove to be so complex that they confound. In that situation, he has already made the mistake of putting out the fire at the expense of saving lives. 

To me, effective communication is a necessity because my bread and butter depends on communication. As a to-be teacher, I see an evolving role of teachers. A competent teacher now no longer solely imparts knowledge. That's Wikipedia's job. He also has to impart the love of learning, and the only way that he is able to do so is through effective communication. To let the students know what is interesting about the topic they are learning, and to be able to illustrate complicated concepts in a simple way that they can understand and will therefore be interested in. This ES2007S curriculum which includes peer teaching, learning of 7Cs, interpersonal skills, communication skills will surely enhance and upgrade my abilities as a communicator, and ultimately, as a teacher. I hope that through the course, I will not lose sight of the initial reasons in which I have chosen ES2007S, but be fixated on the lives that are in the midst of the fire.