Reflective Journal Five

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.

Personally, I doubt the existence of an ideal education system, be it the Chinese or American education system, as any education system must have its problems. My version of an ideal education system encompasses the use of practical assessment for authentic learning, holistic development for students to be all-round achievers and lessons which allows for students to specialize in the subjects they enjoy, such that their true potential can be brought out allowing them to contribute their most to society. After all, it is quite useless if students are forced to take up subjects which they are weak in or do not like, a situation common in most schools around the world.

Generally, the purpose of education in any system is to equip the students with necessary skills and prepare them to enter the workforce to contribute to the development of the country and meet the needs of society. The more prominent skills required in the 21^st century workforce include flexibility, creativity and innovation, which aids in critical thinking in order to analyze information and apply it to real-world problems. Having said this, the Chinese and American education systems definitely are different, as the needs of the Chinese and American societies are different, thus resulting in varying priorities of both education systems.

The Chinese education aims to nurture a large pool of engineers, computer experts and accountants, jobs mainly required in the manufacturing and export industry, which drives a large portion of China’s economy. The Chinese education system has been associated with numerous stereotypes, which include the Chinese education system emphasizes too much on examinations like the “高考”, the mathematics and sciences grades are dominating other countries and that the Chinese education system has been incapable of producing the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, who are experts in the innovation-based industry. “An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't.” The above quote highlights the main flaws of the Chinese education system. Too much emphasis is placed on examinations such that whatever the students are studying is only aimed at achieving one sole purpose: to ace the college entrance examinations. Yet as a result of this, the students are given minimal opportunities to explore and develop their interests in subjects, and do not give them any real-world knowledge. Even though they are highly proficient in mathematics and science, as seen from the top rankings in PISA tests, most Chinese students are unable to apply this knowledge to real problems. Hence, their lack of innovation causes them to remain as average students.

The American education system aims to nurture leaders in the creative industry. The American system provides more room for students to think on their own as well as voice out their own opinions. It also gives students opportunities to explore and develop their own interests. This freedom has allowed American students to become much more creative thinkers than Chinese students and many praise the American education system for its ability to nurture talents like Mark Zuckerburg. However, American students have a weaker foundation than Chinese students in mathematics and sciences subjects. Also, with the American education system beginning to integrate standardized testing into the curriculum, I hope that it can help improve the grades of American students’ grades but not stifle the creativity and innovation they used to possess.

I used to think that the American education system was much better in the sense that the students are given more freedom and autonomy in their own learning. However, through the class discussions, I realized that though it may seem better, the American education has its flaws and is not as perfect as I had thought it was. For example, the PISA tests revealed that American students are much less-prepared for standardized testing as compared to Chinese students. Also, I previously thought that the American education system was more superior and should not model on the Chinese education, which I felt was very monotonous. However, the readings have influenced me to believe and understand that education systems should learn from one another in order to improve. As such, the American education system has implemented standardized testing in its curriculum as well. The Chinese education system has also been learning from the American education system to allow its students to have more holistic learning rather than just spending all the time preparing the students for tests and examinations. 

To end off, though no education has managed to become an ideal education system, I believe the Chinese and American education systems are slowly undergoing reforms to improve. I am optimistic that soon there would be the presence of an ideal education system.

[794 words]

Reflective Journal Four

Apathy is defined as the lack of concern for a particular subject matter. In the past few weeks, we have been discussing youth apathy in the political aspect. Hence, I shall be evaluating the political apathy in Chinese and American youths, before reflecting on whether I am politically apathetic as well.

Firstly, I will be talking about the political apathy of American youth. In my opinion, I feel that the American youths seem to be less politically apathetic as compared to Chinese youth. I think the most significant element why the youths in America are involved in politics as they had taken the brunt of the economic downturn and are now facing numerous difficulties, mainly economically. According to an article, numerous American youths are in debt and are also facing problems such as unemployment. According to statistics, as of July 2011, approximately 4 million American youths were jobless. With these problems, it is inevitable that the American youths’ political optimism is eroded and they are resentful and angered with the government. Hence, this boils down to their political involvement of the youths as they want a change in government policies as well as economic assistance, hoping for a better situation after the changes take place. However, despite this, most American youths still do not care about politics. According to statistics, the youth turnout rate during the 2008 Presidential campaigns hovered at approximately 50%. Though this reveals that American youths are not so much politically apathetic compared to Chinese youths, there is still a significantly large portion of them who are apathetic.

In contrast, I feel that Chinese youth have remained politically apathetic. This is perhaps due to the “ME Generation” of Chinese youth getting richer as a result of China’s development. It is now very common to see Chinese youth having ownership of designer goods and high-end products. I think the Chinese youth do not want to be involved in politics as they feel that their current situation is beneficial for them and hence they would rather let it remain status quo. A Chinese youth mentioned in an interview that a “Nintendo Wii comes way ahead of democracy.” This reveals that the youths are more concerned about their material comfort rather than the country’s politics. Thus, I believe that Chinese youth are mostly apathetic as a result of their satisfaction with their high standard of living. 

Personally, I find myself politically apathetic as well. I have never paid much attention to the major political events in Singapore such as the General Elections. I am still unfamiliar with some of the names of the cabinet ministers. I have only read up about politics through newspapers and the Internet during the period of the elections when it was the hot topic amongst adults and youths. Similar to Chinese youths, I myself and most of my other teenage friends are leading considerably comfortable lives and are satisfied with the social and economic stability in Singapore. We have little complaints about the PAP government. In fact, the PAP government has done a great job in crafting the lives of the youth as well as the other citizens. For youths in particular, all children are given equal opportunities to education and are well-supported by the government when they deserve it, such as through education subsidies. With the government helping them to pave their future, most youths thus feel that the government has done its job and they have nothing much to worry about, resulting in their political apathy. There is a saying: "If nothing is wrong with it, why change it?"

Not on the youth, there are also adults in Singapore who are politically apathetic. The phenomenon of compulsory voting shows that there are definitely Singaporeans who are apathetic about politics. If everyone is willing to vote in the General Elections of their own accord, there would not be the need to pass a law to force citizens to vote. It is because of the presence of citizens who do not care about Singapore politics which resulted in the government to have to resort to such measures.

In conclusion, the underlying factor for political apathy of the youths is the state the society is in. People living in a prosperous country would find no reason getting involved in political as they are happy with the current situation, whereas a country facing problems such as economic downturn would have a much larger group of political activists fighting for change in policies. I feel that political apathy might not be a bad sign in a society, but an indication of satisfaction with the political state in the country. However, I believe that there should be an equal balance of political apathy as well as involvement, such that change can constantly be made based on the opinions voiced out by some citizens to prevent the political situation in a society would not become stagnant.

Reflective Journal Three

 Reflective Journal 3: Reflect on the changing roles of women. You may choose to consider how the changing roles of women in society made an impact on you by drawing examples from China, the United States and/or Singapore.

The roles of women have been changing. I believe that the roles of women have changed in many aspects; hence one factor is not enough to evaluate the changes. Therefore, I will use economic and social factors to explain the changing roles of women. I understand that the roles of women have definitely changed over the past decades; hence I will be investigating the extent of which their roles have changed.

My first point is on how the roles of women have changed in the economic sphere. In the past, women were seen as caretakers of the family. This all changed with the onset of the Second World War, when most of the men in the population had to fight the war and unfortunately lost their lives. This resulted in women being recruited as workers in factories and other professions, thus they had played a vital role in the rebuilding of the economy and country during the post-war period. From this, it can be seen that the role of women then had taken a leap forward as they had played the crucial part in the economy. Today, it is undeniable that women have proven that they are not at all inferior to men anymore, which can be seen from how some women hold high-ranking positions in global corporations. I would like to use the examples of Miss Olivia Lum and Cher Wang, who are the founders of Hyflux and HTC respectively, which are multi-national corporations. Both being in the Forbes List of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, they are genuine examples of how women today have gained a better economic standing. Also, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 46% of women in the US held managerial positions in 2002, a huge leap from 18% in 1972. However, in my opinion, though I agree that women have become more involved in the economic sphere, I would like to note that these examples I have cited are only the rarities in society, as most of these top positions are still headed by men. This is mainly due to the presence of biases against women, mainly biological, such as their inability to work as a result of pregnancy. Hence, inequality between men and women still exists, but this margin is gradually narrowed.

Next, I will be talking about the change in the roles of women in the social aspect, which covers the political and family factors. In the political sphere, the role of women has definitely changed. In the past, women were not allowed to vote but this changed in the late 19^th century when they were given the rights for voting. Furthermore, there is increased involvement of women in politics. The example of Hillary Clinton’s participation in the recent 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections shows that women are gaining greater political power and control from the past. In terms of family standing, in the past, women were mostly associated with housework and taking care of children at home. Today, some women have become the breadwinner of the family and have a greater say in making family decisions. My family is an example. My grandmother and mother have played completely different roles in the family. The grandmother used to tell me that in the past, women and girls of her time had little opportunities; instead they were expected to handle household chores and take care of the family. I myself had been taken care of mostly by my grandmother. However, my mother’s case was totally different. My mother works full-time and also contributes to almost 50% of the family income. The time she spent taking care of the family is comparatively much lesser then the time spent by my grandmother. Thus, the difference between them, women from different generations, had illuminated the fact that the roles of women have changed over the years.

I feel that the changing roles of women have changed my views about women and their capabilities as well as made me gain more respect for them. The achievements of women, mainly economic and political, have proven to me that women indeed have the necessary qualities to head political offices and large corporations, despite their biological differences, and men are not the only ones with the ability anymore. I also feel that though the role of women has changed, they should still be given the freedom to choose what they want to do, be it a housewife, politician or employee in a corporation, whichever pleases them the most.

To conclude, though the roles of women have changed in society, it is still not significant enough as the men are still the dominant gender in most aspects of society such as the economic sphere. However, I feel optimistic about the progressing roles of women and I am hopeful that in future the influence and power of women would become much greater. 

[812 words]

Reflective Journal Two

Reflective Journal 2: Reflect on the progress in American and Chinese societies. (Hints: You can explore the notion of progress, which society/elements you deem to be more progressive)

In my opinion, I think that both China and America have progressed. This has been achieved through different methods by the two societies. In this journal, I will be evaluating the progress made by China and America based on two aspects: political involvement of the youth as well as education. 

However, I understand that both the Chinese and Americans have different perceptions on the notion of progress, hence it is important not compare the progress of both societies using a single fixed mindset. This simply means that I cannot use the American point of view to evaluate China’s progress, nor can I use the Chinese point of view to evaluate America’s progress. The Chinese may define progress as solving pertinent issues such as income disparity, while the American may define progress as improvement of a democratic political system. Henceforth, I will be using political involvement and education as specific aspects for comparing the progress of the Chinese and American society. I shall begin by defining what progress is. Progress is the movement toward an improved or more developed state.

Firstly, I will be reflecting on the political involvement and attitudes of the youth in both societies. In my opinion, I feel that the American youths seem to be more progressed in this aspect. They are gradually becoming more engaged and involved in political activities. Putting political interest aside, I think the most significant element why the youths in America are involved in politics is due to the fact that they had taken the brunt of the economic downturn and are now facing numerous difficulties, mainly economically. They are the ones who are carrying the heavy burdens upon their shoulders. According to an article I read, numerous American youths are in debt and are also facing problems such as unemployment. According to statistics, as of July 2011, approximately 4 million American youths were jobless. With debts to pay yet being unemployed, it is inevitable that the American youths’ political optimism is eroded and they are resentful and angered with the government. Hence, this boils down to their political involvement of the youths as they want a change in government policies as well as economic assistance, as they are hopeful of a better situation after the changes take place. Though this situation reveals that the youths are becoming displeased with the government, I feel that this is still progress as the youths choose to be more politically involved so that their voices could be heard. If you voice out your opinions, there is a higher possibility that that change you yearn for can take place. Hopefully, the situation would take a turn for the better and American youths could receive the glimmer of hope they wished for.

In contrast, I feel that the political involvement of Chinese youths has not improved. The youths in China have been rather apathetic towards politics in China. This is perhaps due to the “ME Generation” of Chinese youth getting richer as a result of China’s development. It is now very common to see Chinese youth having ownership of designer goods and high-end products. I think the Chinese youth do not want to be involved in politics as they feel that their current situation is beneficial for them and hence they would rather let it remain status quo. According to an article I read, an interviewed Chinese youth said that a Nintendo Wii comes way ahead of democracy. From this, we conclude that the youths are more concerned about their material comfort rather than the country’s politics. However, besides this reason, I think that youths are also unwilling to take part or get involved in politics as they are put off by past events in political history. In another article, a Chinese interviewee mentioned that youths are also put off by past incidents such as the Tian An Men Square incident, which are non-democratic actions taken by the Chinese government to prevent the people from rising up against them. Thus, I feel that politics in China has not made much progress as the people, especially the youths, are not speaking up enough, hence this just allows the government to think that they are very satisfied with the current political situation and no change is required.

Secondly, I would be reflecting on the education systems in both societies. The Chinese and Americans have very different viewpoints on how education should be carried out. In America, I feel that education aims to nurture the students into people who can think out of the box and interact with society very well. This can be seen from a typical American classroom. Most of the class discussions are lead by the students who are always actively participating and voicing out their opinions. This trains the students to be more sociable and outspoken. Also, the teacher may not always be right. Students are encouraged to think creatively to challenge the teacher’s views on a matter.

In contrast, in China, I feel that education aims to nurture students into knowledgeable leaders of industry. Hence, a great amount of emphasis is placed on academic work and results, resulting in intense competition amongst the students. I myself have had a personal experience. When I was in the BSC programme, during the immersion with the Chinese students, I realized that they are constantly reading their textbooks and doing their work, even during their free time. Having experienced this, I feel that the Chinese education system is simply imbalanced, as it fails to develop the students holistically. 

In conclusion, I feel that the American society still has an edge over the Chinese society in terms of progress in the areas of politics and education. However, these two factors are not enough to come to a comprehensive answer as to which society has progressed more, though I do acknowledge that both societies have made progress in their own ways, especially China in the past few decades.

[987 words]