Essay Outline

Main Topic Area
Lower income group VS Middle/High income groups in Singapore.

Main Problem identified
Limited income groups have limited access to internet due to
1. Low income: Unable to afford
2. No time: Time spent to make ends meet (multiple jobs)
3. Have little education: Do not know how to use
and these underlying problems leads to
A. vicious cycle of poverty: Science and technology is important in this globalised world and in a developed country such as Singapore, many jobs require the basic knowledge of technology (eg. microsoft word, email). Without solving the underlying problem, lower income groups have limited social mobility.
B. Isolationism in the society: they don't have access to information

Proposed Solution
Similar to the implementation of building a mini lounge (Big TV and benches) for the elderlys under HDB flats, it is possible to build a mini computer room for the lower-income groups. A room with 5 computers and printers, only accessible to the lower-income group (create an exclusive access pass for the lower-income group to enter the room, so the middle and high income group will not make use of their privilege).

To solve the problem of having limited knowledge especially for adults above 40 in the lower-income groups, workshops could be held on twice a week so as to teach them the basic skills (microsoft word, email) and also the importance of technology (so that they will be keen to learn).

Thesis
Lower-income groups are isolated and stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty due to the inability to afford and understand technology, thus only by making exclusive privilege for them, they will be able to catch up with the rest of the society in the world of technology.

Reader Response (Final Draft)

In Ndrahutse’s (2011) article entitled “Speaking up for the mother tongue”, she asserts that 'English language skills' are beneficial only in the short-run and it carries unexpected ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run for the non-educated and survival of racial distinctiveness. The ‘negative consequences’ are the growing disparity between the educated and non-educated, social problems that will arise because of this disparity and restricting more people towards contribution to ‘larger development aims’. The difficulty faced in learning languages in schools still prevails in many countries. Many efforts have been made to promote “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” across school systems in an attempt to preserve and develop their unique cultural distinctiveness and at the same time encourage people to learn internationally recognized languages for economic and social purposes. Ndrahutse also points out that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fail because people do not see the need of preserving cultural distinctiveness. Ndrahutse lastly asserts that teachers, education and finance ministries should work together to emphasize the need to learn both Mother Tongue and English language and improve education standards.

In this increasingly globalized world, the exchange of culture and mobility undeniably pose a serious threat towards preserving cultural distinctiveness. I personally agree with Ndrahutse that Mother Tongue should be given more attention. However, I felt that the 'English language skills' that she discussed in this article mainly focused on the 'negative consequences' that prioritizing English encompasses. It could be discussed more positively. Therefore, while Mother Tongue language should be given more priority, English should not be totally credited for threatening the survival of racial distinctiveness and I hope that a country rich in racial diversity like Singapore, would uphold its unique feature of bilingualism.

I agree with Ndrahutse that we should ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ and her claim that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails mainly because its importance is not well understood. Learning mother tongue language is important because it preserves the unique cultural identity and the language itself. However, in this globalised world, cultural distinctiveness had been slowly eroding because only ‘prestigious languages’ such as English are prioritized.  In the case of a bilingual nation such as Singapore, even though mother tongue remains a compulsory language in primary and secondary school, her priority is more inclined towards English. This is evident in the difference in theimportance of English and mother tongue grades. It is important to pass English and less important to pass mother tongue. In fact, unlike English, passing mother tongue is not a prerequisite to enter tertiary institutions. It is hence important to ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ in Singapore because being bilingual is a distinct feature of our nation and we should work towards a more balanced bilingual education by inculcating the importance of mother tongue.

However, I disagree that ‘English language skills’ are only beneficial in the short-run and it carries ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run. English is a universal language and it has both short-term and long-term benefits. As mentioned by Ndrahutse, it is true that English is beneficial for economic opportunities. Many jobs require ‘English language skills’ and it is beneficial for those who are climbing up the social ladder by acquiring a better job overseas. It is not necessarily fully harmful in the long-run. In the article, Ndrahutse mentions that ‘English language skills’ would widen the gap between the educated and non-educated which would cause social problems. I personally think otherwise. I believe that learning a common language would improve social problems because many social problems arise due to misunderstanding between people with different backgrounds. Besides being able to better understand each other, learning English allows people of different backgrounds to have something in common. In the case of Singapore, I believe that English is important for social harmony in the long-run especially when it is a country filled with diverse racial and cultural identities. Without a common language, there will be a greater social gap between different racial group. Hence, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ would only bring harm in the long run.

In conclusion, this article brought up a social problem that prevails in many countries today. It definitely did its part in promoting the importance of mother tongue. I personally think that both English and mother tongue should be given equal priority as they are equally important. I hope that Singapore will continue to work hard towards a bilingual nation and inculcate the importance of our racial identity and distinctiveness to the younger generations.

Bibliography

Susy Ndrahutse, ‘Speaking for the mother tongue’, Guardian Weekly

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/feb/08/tefl-languages

Reder Response (Draft 2)

In Susy’s (2011) article entitled “Speaking up for the mother tongue”, she asserts that 'English language skills' are beneficial only in the short-run and it carries unexpected ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run for the people and nation itself. The ‘negative consequences’ are the growing disparity between the educated and non-educated, social problems that will arise because of this disparity and restricting more people towards contribution to ‘larger development aims’. The difficulty faced in learning languages in schools still prevails in many countries. Much efforts have been made to promote “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” across school systems in an attempt to preserve and develop their unique cultural distinctiveness and at the same time encourage people to learn internationally recognized languages for economic and social purposes. She points out that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails because people do not see the need of preserving cultural distinctiveness. Susy lastly asserts that teachers, education and finance ministries should work together to emphasize the need to learn both Mother Tongue and English language and improve education standards.

In this increasingly globalized world, the exchange of culture and mobility undeniably pose a serious threat towards preserving cultural distinctiveness. I personally agree with Susy that Mother Tongue should be given more attention. However, I felt that the 'English language skills' that she discussed in this article mainly focused on the 'negative consequences' that it carries. It could be discussed more positively.

I agree with Susy that we should ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ and her claim that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails mainly because its importance is not well understood. Learning mother tongue language is important because it preserves the unique cultural identity and the language itself. However, in this globalised world, many cultural distinctiveness have been slowly eroding because only ‘prestigious languages’ such as English are prioritized.  In the case of a bilingual nation such as Singapore, even though mother tongue remains a compulsory language in primary and secondary school, her priority is more inclined towards English. This is evident in the difference in theimportance of English and mother tongue grades. It is important to pass English and less important to pass mother tongue. In fact, unlike English, passing mother tongue is not a prerequisite to enter tertiary institutions. It is hence important to ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ in Singapore because being bilingual is a distinct feature of our nation and we should work towards a more balanced bilingual education by inculcating the importance of mother tongue.

However, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ are only beneficial in the short-run and it carries ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run. English is a universal language and it has both short-term and long-term benefits. As mentioned by Susy, it is true that English is beneficial for economic opportunities. Many jobs require ‘English language skills’ and it is beneficial for those who are climbing up the social ladder by acquiring a better job overseas. It is not necessarily fully harmful in the long-run. In the article, Susy mentions that ‘English language skills’ would widen the gap between the educated and non-educated which would cause social problems. I personally think otherwise. I believe that learning a common language would improve social problems because many social problems arise due to misunderstanding between people with different backgrounds. Besides being able to better understand each other, learning English allows people of different backgrounds to have something in common. In the case of Singapore, I believe that English is important for social harmony in the long-run especially when it is a country filled with diverse racial and cultural identities. Without a common language, there will be a greater social gap between different racial group. Hence, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ would only bring harm in the long run.

In conclusion, this article brought up a social problem that prevails in many countries today. It definitely did its part in promoting the importance of mother tongue. I personally think that both English and mother tongue should be given equal priority as they are equally important. I hope that Singapore will continue to work hard towards a bilingual nation and inculcate the importance of our racial identity and distinctiveness to the younger generations. 

Bibliography

Speaking up for the mother tongue Susy Ndaruhutse Guardian Weekly

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/feb/08/tefl-languages 

Reader Response Draft 1

In Susy’s (2011) article entitled “Speaking up for the mother tongue”, she asserts that even though 'English language skills' are beneficial in the short-run, it carries ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run for the people and nation itself. The ‘negative consequences’ are the growing disparity between the educated and non-educated, social problems that will arise because of this disparity and restricting more people towards contribution to ‘larger development aims’. The difficulty faced in learning languages in schools prevails in many countries. Much efforts have been made to promote “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” across school systems in an attempt to preserve and develop their unique cultural images and languages and at the same time encourage strong skills in important languages for economic and social purposes. She claims “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails because its importance is not well understood. Besides teachers, education and finance ministries should work together to improve education standards.

I agree with Susy that we should ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ and her claim that “mother tongue-based multilingual education projects” fails mainly because its importance is not well understood. Learning mother tongue language is important because it preserves the unique cultural identity and the language itself. However, in this globalised world, many cultural distinctiveness have been slowly eroding because only ‘prestigious languages’ such as English are prioritized.  In the case of a bilingual nation such as Singapore, even though mother tongue remains a compulsory language in primary and secondary school, its priority is more inclined towards English. This is evident in the difference in the importance of English and mother tongue grades. It is important to pass English and less important to pass mother tongue. In fact, unlike English, passing mother tongue is not a prerequisite to enter tertiary institutions. It is hence important to ‘speak up for the mother tongue’ in Singapore because being bilingual is a distinct feature of our nation and we should work towards a more balanced bilingual education by inculcating the importance of mother tongue.

However, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ are only beneficial in the short-run and it carries ‘negative consequences’ in the long-run. English is a universal language and it has both short-term and long-term benefits. As mentioned by Susy, it is true that English is beneficial for economic opportunities. Many jobs require ‘English language skills’ and it is beneficial for those who are climbing up the social ladder by acquiring a better job overseas. It is not necessarily fully harmful in the long-run. In the article, Susy mentions that ‘English language skills’ would widen the gap between the educated and non-educated which would cause social problems. I personally think otherwise. I believe that learning a common language would improve social problems because many social problems arise due to misunderstanding between people with different backgrounds. Besides being able to better understand each other, learning English allows people of different backgrounds to have something in common. In the case of Singapore, I believe that English is important for social harmony in the long-run especially when it is a country filled with diverse racial and cultural identities. Without a common language, there will be a greater social gap between different racial group. Hence, I agree to a small extent that ‘English language skills’ would only bring harm in the long run.

(to be continued...)

The one who shaped who I am today

The one who shaped who I am today

I went through many different phases in my life, from primary school to junior college, and the only one who never gave up on me was my mum. As cliché as it sounds, my mum was my motivation to study hard and become someone she would be proud of.

I still remember in primary school, while all my friends were stuffed with stacks of assessment books and had schedules filled with tuition classes, I was mentally and physically free. I was never forced into studying. I have never been punished or scolded for my poor grades. My mum gave me the freedom that many primary school students could not enjoy.

As I entered to secondary school, I abused the privilege that I had and the trust that my mum had in me. Just like other rebellious teens, I lived in my own world and I did things without thinking about the consequences. I skipped lessons, ran away from school, talked back to teachers and hung out with bad company. I quarreled with my mum almost every single day but she never gave up on me. I only stopped being rebellious when I saw my mum being laughed at in front of my relatives. My younger cousin laughed at my mum’s pronunciation of a supermarket name, Carefour. My mum did not have much education and she could only speak and understand Chinese. I was so angry because I felt that my cousin did not respect my mum so I told her off and cried afterwards (my loser moment and my mum laughed at me…).While I was telling her off, I was reminded how disrespectful I was towards my mum all this time. From that day onwards, I made a huge effort to maintain a healthy relationship with my mum and catch up on my studies.

When my O’ level results got released, they shocked my whole family. My mum did not expect me to enter a junior college. Before I went to collect my results, she told me “It doesn’t matter which school you go to, as long as you can get into one, I’m happy enough.” In fact, she expected me to go ITE. I remember during A’ levels period in JC crying in front of her because I felt that I was going to fail. She listened to me attentively and she cried too. She cried because she didn’t know how to help me academically and she felt useless. I cried even more. 

My mum guided me to the right track when I wandered off. She made me realize the importance of education. She motivated me to be an educated and independent person so that I can stand up for her and myself. Even though she could not help me with my homework, she taught me good values and morals that could not be learnt from textbooks. She taught me how to love and care for people when I had so much hate in me during my rebellious phase. Without her, I wouldn't be who I am today. 

[EDITED 11/9/2014 2.36PM]

WEEK 4 - SUMMARIES

1. Euromonitor post - Global Digital Divide Persists But Is Narrowing"

In a Euromonitor blog post entitled "Global Digital Divide Persists But Is Narrowing", it is asserted that developed economies still enjoy higher quality of internet access, due to their developed infrastructure, economy and higher government budget than developing economies, however, developing economies enjoy higher growth rates in terms of the increase in quantity of internet users. It also explained both positive and negative impacts on the economies' economy, politics and the people. 

2. Facebook fans do worse in exams

According to an article written by Leake and Warren entitled "Facebook fans do worse in exams", research shows that Facebook have a detrimental impact on university student's grades and studying habits. Students who are active facebook users neglect their studies and lose out by a full grade as compared to those students who avoided Facebook. However, Facebook might not necessarily be fully negative with better time management. 

Done by: WeiSiang and Xenia

My English Language Learning Journey

“You can’t study for language.” I am sure many of you have heard this statement from your friends or even said it yourself. I personally disagree with the above statement. Those people could say that because they were good in English and they could express their ideas in grammatically perfect sentences naturally. I, on the other hand, had to prepare and use artificial means to pass English.

In secondary school, my way of preparing for English papers was to memorise 2 perfectly edited essays word for word. This means that all I need to do is to twig and link the essay that I memorised to the question given during the exam day itself. It was the most effective way for me because I did not have to worry about my tenses, grammar and vocabulary which constitutes the most of my grades. This means that my English grades in secondary school is a reflection of my creativity and not my language. When I headed on to Junior college, I could not memorise essays word for word anymore because we had to do argumentative essays instead of narrative. I could only memorise case studies and hence I think that my GP grade was a true reflection of my language. Getting a D for GP woke me up and it finally hit me that memorization could only go this far.

I have always wanted to be a poet because I have a lot of stories and thoughts in my head but my inability to express my thoughts in words stopped me from chasing this impossible dream. I hope that ES1102 would open up a new journey for me and if possible, bring me closer to my dream. 

[Edited 04/09/14 11.57AM]