Reflective Journal 5

Reflective Journal 5: Reflect on education. You may choose reflect on the necessary priorities of education, how far the ideals and realities of education converge, how the problems discussed about education in US and China can be resolved. You should explicitly explain how class discussion on education in US and China have influenced/shaped your views.

I personally totally doubt the practicality of the education system in the world today, no matter it is the US or China education system. The main purpose of education is to prepare the general population, the youth today for the future ahead of them when they would move into the workforce and play a part in driving the country’s economy.

From the class discussions and research done, there is a very distinct difference between the Chinese and American education system where one is deemed as designed to produce ‘mid-level accountants, computer programmers and technocrats’ and the latter coming up with bright and innovative minds. The reason behind China’s education system is very apparent, where it is designed to produce people who can drive China’s current economy which is primarily based on exports of products made in china. On the other hand, since America is already a developed country, the aim of its education would be to nurture more innovative minds so as to drive its creative industry.

From all that I have said, I would like to point out that a country’s education system is totally based on a supply demand basis, in a sense that it is made so as to cater to its current industry needs. Hence, it is very unrealistic to judge a country’s education level just by giving standardized tests to students in different countries and region.

Moving on, what I suggest as a replacement for standardized testing would be of a practical form of assessment. As what was mentioned in class of the university, I would suggest of something similar to that form. By doing so, it truly shows the understanding of the student in that particular subject as he knows how to apply the skills learnt instead of merely memorizing formulas without ultimately understanding them.

Also, I think that the education system should be shaped in a ability basis instead of age. For example, two people of the same age may have totally different learning abilities and intelligence. Hence, it is really unfair to trap someone of such great intelligence in the education system when he/she could be learning things far more advanced than of what he is currently doing. Also, I think that students should be given the chance to choose what they really want to be and just focus and specialize on that aspect through the stages of their education instead of taking up every subject when what he is really interested in is one.

` I used to really idolize the American education system, where the students are given the freedom to explore what they really like and prefer to further their studies in. Also, I really like the style of American education where it gives the students a chance to voice out their thoughts where it offers a great platform for students to exchange their views on a certain subject so that they would be able to have a more all rounded view towards the subject. This hence helps in shaping the child’s attitude and mindset, where he would be more open-minded and willing to take in new ideas, accept challenges to his own ideas and be able to accept other people’s ideas over his own if the other one is better.

I always thought the American education system was the ideal education system until I came into contact with the different problems concerning the American education system, especially when it comes to PISA. It showed me how the American education system has ill-equipped the students where the American students stand in the middle of the crowd in the tests. On the other hand, I learnt that the Chinese education performed the best with Shanghai topping the chart. This does show how the Chinese Education has successfully stood on top of everyone in producing students well equipped for tests, and notice I didn’t mention the brightest.

Yes, it is indeed a fact that Shanghai which represented China for the PISA test topped the chart. However, does this really show that the Chinese education is of the best quality in the whole world? No, I doubt so. It merely shows the world that China has produced yet another batch of students who are able to memorize and squeeze everything needed for an A+ into their brains. I don’t really understand why China’s education system is in the limelight when it merely produced people who are good are doing what the computer does best, copy and paste. The impact of China’s education system is very apparent where in China, unauthentic products that are made after well known products are everywhere. This merely shows how the Chinese education has failed.

(777 words)

Reflective Journal 4

Youth apathy. When I saw this topic, the first thing that came to my mind was the political activeness of the youths in both China and USA, a topic that we have been focusing for almost half of term 1. From the lessons, I came to realize that there are many factors which tend to affect the interests of the youth in politics.

I do not really know of how far I am interested in politics. However, I am definitely less apathetic than the Chinese youths today, who are totally uninterested in politics. However, if you consider not watching the rallies live and staying up late for the results of general elections as apathetic, then I am an apathetic youth indeed, and I believe that more than half of the youths in Singapore today are very much like me too.

Many for instance, would point their fingers at education for this situation. They would argue that education made the youths today believe less in politics, and have less faith in it. However, to be frank, education has taught me a lot about the political situation in Singapore, at least through it I know that Singapore’s political leaders need to be able to persist with policies which are for the greater good of the country even if it is greatly criticized by the public and many more. Through education, I got to learn more about politics and through it get engaged in politics where we need to conduct research and learn more about politics.

I believe that the most important factor which results in the youth apathy in Singapore is due to the political situation in Singapore herself, which is pretty much similar to the case for China. In China, the youths have no interest in politics as China is a communists country, where the people play no part in choosing who they want to serve them, as ultimately, even though it may seem that they are given the chance to vote, things are always done in the back scene with money, where the ultimate winner is the person who offers the highest price for the position. The ruling party also has a very big say in it as they can deny someone his position if they feel like it. Hence, the people see no need to participate in politics.

Similarly in Singapore, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has been in power since Singapore’s independence. Singapore is a democratic country, where the people are given a chance to vote for who they think should be in government. The people are forced to participate in the general elections and if they do not turn up for the voting, they will be unable to vote again in future elections and if they wish to vote gain, they will have to pay a fine of $50. To me, I personally feel that when you impose a rule, it is because you know that something bad is happening and you need to stop it. For example, late-comers in school will be punished because people tend to come late to school; robbery is a crime and will be punished for; drink driving is illegal and one will be jailed for it and so on. All these laws are put in place because all these tend to happen and hence there is a need to stop these things from happening. One does not simply pluck an apple for fun, he plucks it to eat it or sell it. Nothing is done for no reason. All these show us that there is this political apathy in Singapore and hence this law is passed to make people show up and vote.

Also like China, Singapore’s economy is also in a very stable state and the majority of the people are living a life of comfort. Hence, there is nothing that they desperately needs to see a change in hence unlike the youths in USA who are faced with high unemployment rates, the Singapore youth have not much to worry about as the government is doing a good job in ensuring that they have a bright future which contributes to the apathy of the youth in Singapore. The youths in Singapore are able to receive good education since young, where all are given an equal chance to primary schools, secondary schools and then to their pre-university studies. The government is doing a good job in crafting the lives of the youths and hence they see no need in changing the government which results in the apathy.

In conclusion, I do not think that I am an apathetic youth when it comes to politics as I do watch out for political news when general election comes.

Reflective Journal 3

For the past few weeks, we have been investigating on the changing roles of women in both America and China. Through the lessons, I realized that there isn’t much progress that was made through the years and that the women today are still deemed as second-classed citizens and are still receiving much stereotypes and discrimination.

Personally, as I have mentioned in class, it is pretty much impossible to change the views of the people on the discrimination that they have towards females. It is the traits in-born, such as where they get pregnant. This heavily affects their ability to work and contribute to the company as when they go on maternal leave, the company still has to pay them but yet they are no longer contributing to the company which is wasting the company’s resources. Hence, many companies refuse to employ females with this issue in mind thinking that employing female employees would put the company in the losing end.

Also, I feel that even the female themselves feel this as many refuse to marry or have children after marriage as they know that by getting pregnant or having babies would jeopardize their career as they would be unable to contribute actively during their pregnancy and that they have to take care of their children. Also, many resign after having babies which wastes the company’s time in training them as in the end they leave the company where if they employed a male employee, they would most probably not resign so the investment that they put into the employees would not go to waste.

To me, I believe that the only way to achieve gender equality is to change the whole nurturing process of the children since when their still babies. I feel that root cause of the gender inequality is caused by the fairy tales. I can still remember that the kings always get the bigger seat, the queen the smaller one. Servants are always female. The princesses are always waiting for their prince charming to rescue them from the wicked witch. Also, it is always the mother who takes care of the babies since young and the father works. All these creates a mentality in the kids since young that the male are of a superior being and that female are of a weaker being who needs the protection and help of the male.

By changing all these, hopefully the newer generations would no longer feel what most of us are feeling now, which is that male are of a superior being, and that they would start off in the society on equal footing.

I believe that Hillary Clinton is a strong modern day example that the female are slowly gaining power in the world, namely in the political sphere. However as we argued in class, she is successful mainly because of her husband’s economic power and political influence for being the former First Lady. However, she still is an example that female are able to be on equal footing with males. Also, another example would be the Germany Chancellor, Angela Merkel who with her in power, Germany remained unaffected by the euro zone crisis. This just shows how the female have the power and ability to achieve great feats but it is just the traditional stereotypes that are pretty much overshadowing their achievements.

Examples of successful females such as Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel send us a very strong sign that the female have the ability to do great things. I believe that this is merely the start, where more powerful females will come into the spotlight and do great things. Hillary is a role model to many of the female today, where it shows them just how it is possible for female to climb to great heights and achieve great feats and have great achievements. Hillary has proved to them that it is possible for the female to shine and even overtake males in their field.

However to me, I personally do not think that just by looking at the figures really shows us just how the roles of the female have changed. It is not like “Oh, now there’s 20% of female business women, their role has changed”. This merely shows that there are more female going into the work force but it does not show the change of roles of the female in the society. To me, I feel that the only way to see that the role of the female has changed is when we look at the family structure, of whether the father has the same power as the mother in the family, where they have an equal say in the family.

Reflective Journal 2

For the past few weeks, our scope of investigation of the American and Chinese society has brought us to the light of the youths of the two societies, namely in the aspect of their participation and the regard they give to politics.

To me, I do not look to the American society as the more progressive society of the two. Although the American youths are gradually getting more interested in politics, they are doing so because of the difficulties that they are faced with currently economically. They are becoming more engaged in the American politics, where it is evident in the big increase in the turnout rate of the American youths where it is reported to be the second highest turnout rate, second to when in 1972, the first year that 18-year-olds could vote in a presidential election. Also, the percentage increased by 1-6% from the 2004 elections.

All these statistics shows that there is an increasing trend where the American youths are becoming more active and concerned with politics. However, I do not look to this as the progression of the American society as it is the debt crisis that is giving the youths a push to be more engaged in politics. In July 2011, 4.1 million of the youths in America were jobless. The youths became engaged in politics as they saw it as a way that the problem could be solved, where they can vote for the person whom they think can solve the economic problems that is haunting the current youths in America, as they are the ones who are taking its impact the hardest. Hence, I do not see this as a progression.

On the contrary, the Chinese youths are becoming more and more disengaged from politics and becoming more and more ignorant towards it. From the readings that we were given, I came to realise that the Chinese youths today, unlike the older generations when they were young, no longer take any interest in politics and find no urge to ask for a change from communism to the all attractive democracy. The reading made me realise just how ignorant the youths of China today are towards politics as in one the reading, the writer described that to the youths today, Nintendo Wii is way ahead of democracy on their wish list, which just shows how politics has slowly faded away from the lives of the youths. I believe that the main cause of this degradation is the result of the comfort that the youths today are enjoying from as China is fast developing and the youths are benefiting from it, hence they see no need to challenge the ruling party now as it is bringing riches to both the country and the people.

However, I see the Chinese society as the progressive one as from what I understand, all country will ultimately progress to a better political system as the people get more educated and more become engaged in politics. Communism will not last long in China as when the day that the economy slows down, communism will lose its charm to the people and will ask for a reform. Also, I do not think that China will follow America’s footstep in becoming democratic as the educated in China has seen all the flaws in the American system.

Many argue that the American system is a very good system as it is a check and balance system, where there is the republicans and the democrats. However, I find this system, like many others a very unproductive system mainly in two aspects. Firstly, the two parties always contradict with each other where they vote against each other’s new policies, where an example would be Obama’s plan on higher tax on the rich so as to transfer the wealth to the poor, and it is heavily slammed down by the republicans as they themselves are the ones who would be affected by it. Also, the American party in power and the president changes now and then which causes their plans to be affected hence it is impossible to implement any major change to the system as it would be affected when the president or party in power changes. Hence, I believe that China would strive for a political system which would be of a balance between the goods of communism and democracy.

All in all, I believe that China is the more progressive society of the two as it still has a lot of room to improve whereas America would be stucked at the same situation for many years to come.

(765 words)