CDE reflections- Project presentation

We were tasked to do research on a few topics, as well as present them in class after researching that topic and thesis. I got "The China's Education System Definitely Has Its Merits". It seemed simple enough, I initially thought, till I met a few roadblocks, namely the fact that upon research, I found out that out of the many articles about china's education system that I have found on the web, most of them are negative and cons of the China's education system. In fact, there were only one legitimate website where I found a point on the Merit's Of China's Education System: Respect for teachers. I hence changed my topic to "The china's education system definitely has its merits, but its flaws outweigh its merit, how far do you agree". To have a better coverage of the China's education system, and find out why there are so many negative articles out there about the Chinese education System. 

Before we dive into the topic, lets find out the definitions and key words of the question: Education system generally refers to 

The term education system generally refers to public schooling, not private schooling, and more commonly to kindergarten through high school programs. I found out that 99.7 percent of the population area of China has achieved universal nine year basic education and there are Significant increase in number of international students studying in China, but I will not be covering about those private institutions or international schools because I will be focusing on public schooling due to the definition laid out. The next few chunks of words are summarisation of the china’s education system so bear with me first before we get to the analyst, because to understand china’s education system and point out the merits/cons we have to know the education system first.

Note: If you already know about china’s education system, and wish to see the analysis, scroll down to the “ *Analysis*” Part.

(A table I found on the web to allow you to have a better understanding)

Primary School

Primary School takes up to 6 years, 5 days a week, use Chinese as its main teaching language, it is from September to July. The topic are Chinese, Mathematics, Social Studies, Nature, Physical Education, Ideology and Morality, Music, Fine Art, and Labour Studies, while foreign Language is normally offered as an elective course. To graduate, students have to pass graduation examinations in the subjects of Chinese and Mathematics which are normally designed and administered by schools with guidance from local educational authorities

Secondary School

Takes up to 3 years. To graduate, students have to pass minimum physical requirement, as well as graduation exams. Exams are designed and administered by individual schools according to guidelines set by the provincial educational bureaus or by local educational authorities to obtain a certificate of graduation. These tests are designed and administered by individual schools according to guidelines set by the provincial educational bureaus or by local educational authorities to obtain a certificate of graduation. They are examined (Typically) in the following subjects for graduation: Chinese, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Foreign Language, and Politics.

Secondary School

Divided into Academic and Vocational.

For Vocational:

Vocational education programs are offered at both the secondary and post-secondary levels. , while Vocational senior secondary schools provide subject and occupation specific education and training. It is highly employment oriented and graduates normally enter the workforce. However, it does offer some access to further education, particularly in the technical/vocational specialties. Since the year 2000, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has allowed graduates of vocational secondary schools to take the NCEE and be admitted into higher education programs. Higher technical/vocational education is available at the zhuanke (专科) level, which require two or three years of full-time post-secondary study. It is possible for graduates of higher vocational education programs at the zhuanke level to obtain a "benke 本科" degree (Bachelor’s degree) certificate through an upgrading program, but in a limited number of fields. Vocational higher education institutions are currently administered at the provincial level. 

For Academic:

It lasts 3 years . Senior secondary school is known as (gaozhong 高中).Students wishing to continue their study in the general (academic) track must pass the entrance examinations for general senior secondary schools, which is also known as (zhongkao 中考) in China, which is designed and administered by provincial educational authorities, the entrance examination includes the same subjects as the junior secondary graduation examination.At the end of their final school year, graduates of senior secondary schools seeking admission to post-secondary education are required to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also called National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as (gaokao 高考) in China.

Tertiary Education

Higher education is provided by institutions of various types including general and technical universities, specialized institutions, professional universities, military institutions, medical schools and colleges, independent colleges, and adult higher education institutions of various types. Entry to university depends primarily on how well the students perform in the entrance examinations. Students with outstanding academic performance in their secondary schools can also possibly be granted an exemption from the entrance examination and be recommended directly to the University of their Choice through a method called (baosong 保送). In addition, some private institutions are exempted from the NCEE (gaokao) and accept all students who can afford the tuition fees. Prestigious universities (key institutions) maintain higher admission standards, and therefore require higher NCEE (gaokao) scores than other institutions. Entry to higher education in China is highly competitive.

*Analysis*

 After researching and talking to a few of my classmates from china about china education system, here’s what I have found out:

Flaws:

1)      Pressure

  Students face immense amount of pressure in china. According to a quote from Luo Mei Hua, a teacher at Xinhua No.1 Middle School in Hunan province, said that: “Children are pushed by parents but there is no help from Chinese media. They never provide supervision regarding how to relax children’s minds. Therefore when they take anything too hard they just commit suicide”.  And it is true. According to what I have found, Suicide’s ranking as biggest cause of death is 5^th in china, and about 500 students commit suicide each year. According to many parents and teachers who have seen cases of student suicide, it is said that suicide each year under academic pressure brought about by the examination-based education system. Chinese society is stressing test scores too much. Gao Kao alone determines the children’s fate, which university they will land in, whether they have a future. Students study at least 9 hours a day for Gao Kao, with some burning night oil and studying more than 12 hours. This is because Gao Kao is highly competitive, with millions competing to get into the few places in University. This creates a lot of pressure for students from ordinary families, especially from their parents. Those children have no other way to relax their minds, and this sometimes causes serious problems Also, according to the Education Blue book published by CCP authority, there is a low score of 58.28 in assessing public degree of satisfaction about local education, and 74.64 percent are dissatisfied with the entrance system from preliminary school to middle school. (That itself is a flaw, as if an education system has no flaws, there will be lower percentage of dissatisfaction). Most of the students who committed suicide are those who could not handle the immense pressure caused by the examination-based education system. The blue book also reveals that two-thirds of suicide cases occurred during the second semester of a year, when all kinds of examinations are coming. Furthermore, based on Nanjing (2013) survey which included 900 preliminary or middle school students who are asked on their consciousness of life, 4 percent of these students frequently think about suicide and 35 percent occasionally think about it, also, about 24.39 percent of Shanghai students have had the thought of ending their lives flash into their mind, 5.85 percent have planned their suicide and 1.71 percent have made suicide attempts. , 15.23 percent have seriously considered it. This is a very major flaw. This immense pressure can wreck a children’s life, take away his bright future, and his life, in just minutes or second. Pressure can also affect a child’s psychological development and develop insecurity. All these will affect the student directly, as well as their close ones.

2) Teaching to the test

China education system contains a lot of tests, which explains the high pressure. This itself is a flaw, because the large amount of upcoming tests forces teachers to solely teach to the test so as to prepare the onslaught of exams and have no other time for other curriculums. In a way, it can be said that The Chinese educational system produces millions of test-taking experts. According to –Zhao, author of <Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon?>   , who lived and had education in China, he said that “Chinese education produces excellent test scores, a short-term outcome that can be achieved by rote memorization and hard work, but like the Chinese government itself, it does not produce a citizenry of diverse, creative, and innovative talent.”  Jiang Yalin, parent of the “kidney stone baby” have also mentioned “Chinese schools use a forced-feeding fashion to educate students, regarding test scores as most important. Teachers are like bosses and do not allow any individual opinion from the students. This leads to fixed and patterned minds of all students “ All these shows that Chinese education is just a system which facilitates rote memorization. This is ultimately detrimental, because this hampers creativity in children, because they are passive in receiving knowledge, providing them with llimited vision, and are not able to  adapt well as they learn through rote memorization. Furthermore, test-centric system causes widening gap between the “good” and “bad. Students have to be able to learn life skills and have the ability to compete and succeed in the global arena should they want to survive in the society, but the teaching of the test hampers the needed abilities for survival in the society.  I have actually went to consult several of my classmates, 2, who has done a topic related to China’s education system. Their question is whether China’s education system sufficiently equips its students with the necessary skills to succeed in the global arena. So here are their responses:

(Yee Kiat, analyst)

Hence, this shows that the education system of china is unable to equip students with the necessary skills to succeed in the global arena, which is detrimental as students will be unprepared and will most likely succumb to the pressure that they have to withstand in the society due to the fact that they are not actually prepared, furthermore, the “teaching to the test” further hampers the students’ ability to think creatively, as well as cos them to not be as independent or have the ability to search for information or gain knowledge themselves since it is being spoon-fed to them.

3)  Elitist education

Education in China is essentially elitist. This is due to the fact that there are many Chinese students per class due to the large population. Shanghainese classrooms have about 40 students and in the countryside classes have over 60. The china education system feels that the most efficient way to organize all these children is by testing, categorizing and grading them –which is elitist. Students that excel in school are rewarded with prizes and encouragement, but struggling students are abandoned. I read up on an article on Guardian by Sanga Ringmar, and this is what he said “I once served as a translator for the principal of my school when seven Swedish principals came to visit Shanghai. The Swedes asked what the school did for students with "special needs" and the principal answered:

The special students who are doing well in class? We make sure to put a lot of focus on them.” This shows that china education system does not really care about the weaker students, due to them prioritizing over the better students and providing them with better education, the weaker students are being neglected. If china wishes to produce a knowledge based workforce and economy, as well as raise its literacy rate, it has to ensure students have equal attention and ensure that no one falls behind.

4) Rural education is neglected in China

š  This is an article I have found regarding rural education.  So in rural areas and countryside, there are growing numbers that are entering senior middle-school, but it is far less common. In 1990 just 7% of rural students did so. Today the figure may be just over one-third. Also, dropout rates are high at junior level. And a study of rural students in four provinces found that hey ranged between more than one-sixth to nearly a third.  The reason behind them being less educated is partly because of money, Senior middle-schools are often far away from villages, so students have to board. Including the cost of books, food., boarding, etc, the total amount of money students in rural areas have to pay is much more than a year’s income for poorer rural families, hence it makes having education extremely difficult. Also, Wages for low-skilled work have increased greatly in recent, so many students in rural areas believe that these are decent jobs, hence giving up their education for such jobs. Furthermore, about half fail the test to get into senior middle-school. Thus, If the country is to create the “knowledge economy” it says it wants, the government will have to change the way rural teenagers are educated and schools in the countryside are funded.

Merits: This are the following merits I have found about the China’s education system

1)      Solid foundation for future education

As education in china focuses a lot on tests, memorisation plays a big part in students life. This causes in general, students to have a hard work ethic, resulting in success of students, which are temporary. Due to hard practice, and days and nights of studying, it is very hard for china students to forget what they have learnt- Whatever they learn is permanently installed in their brain. This lays a good foundation for them when they further their education. Furthermore, these students also have the discipline to study hard, hence ensuring success in their studies should they further it. This aids them should they want to further their education.

š  2) 尊师重道- Respect for teachers

I found out that teachers in China are given a lot of respect. For example, teachers do not taxes on their salary, and they receive their own national holiday, Teachers Day, on September 29^th. Furthermore, according to Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Status Index, Teachers from China have a ranking of Number 1. Also, according to an extensive study conducted by the University of Sussex in the U.K. that examined public attitudes towards professional status, trust, pay and the desirability of teaching as a career, China topped the charts leaving many European nations and the U.S. far behind. In China, teachers are held in the same esteem as doctors. This is a merit, because respect for teacher is essential for a conducive learning environment. A teacher who is disrespected and not listened to cannot teach well, and the students are uncooperative.

Weighing

Education system focuses a lot on children. I have searched countless definitions of purpose of schools and all their answers revolves around developing children and students. Hence, I believe to weigh the merits and flaws I have to find out how significant impact will these flaws of merits have on the students.

For merits

For the solid foundation for future education, I believe this merit only provides short term benefits for the students. Students will only have a chance of experiencing such positive effects in their academic years and pursue. Once they graduate or stop their academic pursue, and enter the workforce, global arena, it will not affect the, anymore.

As for respect for teachers, I believe it will indirectly affect students. When teachers are well respected and students listen to the teachers, there will be a conducive environment for students to gain knowledge, and for teachers to impart their knowledge. As teaching in china is a well coveted job, teachers will be more qualified, and students will benefit from this- more experienced teachers-chance of imparting knowledge and wisdom is higher however, this does not directly affect the students. This Merit focuses more on teachers, and its effects directly affect the teachers, not the students.

For Flaws:

Pressure will affect the students directly. Pressure is a direct form of negative impact. It can have a significant adverse impact on a student’s life, leading to suicides, depression etc.

Elitist Education will affect students, mostly the under privileged, under achievers, and the students who don’t do so well in tests-resulting in them being neglected, and are not able to realize their full potential.

 Rigid teaching to the test will affect the students in the long run, after they graduate, when they are trying to enter the society, or find a job. They are not equipped with skills to succeed in a global arena.

Rural education neglected will affects rural students directly.

Viewpoint:

I have tried to go to both disagree and agree viewpoints to the thesis statement and this is what I would say to back up my disagree or agree:

Agree. Although China’s education system has its merits, the flaws definitely outweigh its merits. All the flaws have a direct effect and impact on the students, be it short term, or long term. Education system’s beneficiaries largely revolves around students, with the aim of schools being to develop and impart knowledge upon students. These flaws act as a road block to a students’ development, and impede them from being equipped with skills to survive in the society, as well as succeed in global area.

Disagree. Respect for teachers, as well as the qualifications and how professional the teachers are, plays an important role in the education of students. With professional, highly qualified, committed teachers, flaws such as pressure, neglecting weaker students, can be reduced to a large extent

My stand

I agree to the stand more, as the flaws do outweigh its merits. The merits only benefit students on the short term, in the long term students will actually suffer from it. Their ability to study will not provide them with the skills to survive in the society or compete in the global arena. Furthermore,  as much as teachers can help to alleviate a certain extent of pressure on students, the pressure mostly comes from the educational system and the large number of tests, in which teachers are not able to change, and no matter how good these teachers are, they still have to teach to the test, which will limit a good teacher’s capability to impart knowledge and differentiate a good teacher from a bad teacher as all teachers know how to teach to the test.

Personal evaluations: Summary (Essay)

I agree to a large extent to the fact that China's education system's flaws outweighs its merits, as the impact caused by the flaws of the system are more grave and serious as compared to what the merits can bring for the children.

China has two main major flaws, namely pressure, and teaching to the test-both affects every student in China, hence they are larger in terms of impact and is deemed as a major flaw.

Firstly, China Education System gives too much pressure to the students taking the tests. Each year, there are about 500 students who commit suicide, and suicide is ranked 5th as China's most common cause of deaths. This pressure stems from the large amount of tests students have to take, especially the gao kao. Gao Kao is a worldwide exam which determines which university you go, and is symbolically the students future- if they do well, a good future with a decent pay is more or less guaranteed, and vice versa.  This is also due to the fact that China's population is huge. This essentially means that although china has more universities than most countries given its abundant land, the university slots are still more limited and few as compared to those in other countries. The reason why gao kao is so pressurizing is because students are competing with thousands and millions of students worldwide just to get into the few university slots. Also, Luo Mei Hua, a teacher at Xinhua No.1 Middle School in Hunan province, said that: “Children are pushed by parents but there is no help from Chinese media. They never provide supervision regarding how to relax children’s minds. Therefore when they take anything too hard they just commit suicide”. This shows how pressurizing it is for students to study in china. This is a major flaw as this pressure is life threatening, if the pressure is not handled properly, students may commit suicide should they be unable to withstand the pressure, or in less severe cases they will have lower self esteem or depressions.

Secondly, China Education System teaches to the test. This is because there are a lot of tests to be taken throughout the school years, from the 9 compulsory years to secondary school and tertiary education, and lastly the fate-deciding gao kao. Teachers have no choice but to teach to the test because the schedules and tests are just too tight. This is a major flaw, as the teaching to the test will hamper creativity in children, because they are passive in receiving knowledge, have limited vision, and are not able to  adapt well as they learn through rote memorization. In this 21st century, where skills, creativity, communication, is valued in the global work force and society,  Students have to be able to learn life skills and have the ability to compete and succeed in the global arena should they want to survive in the society, but the teaching of the test hampers the needed abilities for survival in the society. This flaw is serious as it will affect the students in the long term run. Although students may not notice the side effects of this "teaching to the test", they will surely experience it when they enter the work force or the society.

However, it is undeniable that China Education System does have its merits. China Education system, albeit teaching to the test, and causing students to study long term hours for exams, lays down for students a good foundation for further studies. Because of the the intense pressure and days of studying, students are pretty much accustomed to it, and are used to rote memorization. This will allow students to easily further their education and pursue knowledge with ease, because they study very hard. They hence have better work ethnic and are able to takes on tests and exams readily, any where, any time.Furthermore, teachers in China are largely respected, akin to holding the position of doctors in China. This allows teachers to teach and conduct conducive learning environment in china, with students paying attention and listening to the teachers.

In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that the flaws of china education system outweigh its merits. The mentioned merits only affect students on a short term, on their academic life, and is most applicable only to students who wish to further their education, or enter tertiary education. The flaws however, can have immediate, as well as long-term devastating impacts on the students. Pressure affect every students, and it can be aggravated by external factors such as parents and teachers. Teaching to the test, will hamper students' creativity which will cause them to be unable to survive or succeed in the global arena, which is a long term impact that will affect their lives in a great way.

Reflections (What I felt after this research)

This topic was not easy from the start, as the original topic only asked us "China Education system definitely have its merits". Searching the web, you could find tons and tons of negative points and flaws about the Chinese education System, bu rarely do you find positive aspects on the internet. I tweaked my topic, because I felt that my scope was too limited and the question limits my research, so by changing the question I will be able to have more coverage on the education system of china. 

Limitations

Firstly, I am not a student who has undergone schooling in China. This means that what I have read, seen, are all from the web. And as we all know, websites are not always reliable, and some sources may be biased. I cannot experience firsthand China Education System , which limits my research and my knowledge about the topic.However, on the other hand, this limitation allowed me to have a balanced and neutral viewpoint on this topic. I am not inclined to defend or "demolish" China's education system, due to the fact that I have not undergone education there. This limitation was countered through asking more about the education system from my classmates who studied in china for a while. I tried to broaden and know more about the chinese education system by researching alot on this system, and hence was able to put up with a decent conclusion, and a better basis of comparison between flaws and merits.

Burning Questions

Why didn't I compare china's education system with other education system? This question popped up in my head when I was doing the research, and in the end, I still did not make a comparison. The reason why is because China has too many external factors and differences from other countries, which will hamper the comparison, as comparisons are best only when there are same factors given, but different results produced. Not one country is the same, and whatever that is implemented there and successful may not be so in another country. This can be seen from Finland. Although it has the best education in the world, not many countries are emulating its education system. This is because each country is different and not all education systems are appropriate and suitable for one another.  Hence, I did not compare china with other countries. 

Flaws as merits?

In a way, the merits can also be the flaws of Chinese education system. In China, teachers are being held with high regards, and are respected and valued in the society. Apart from meaning that teachers can teach more effectively and conduct conducive learning environment, teachers can also abuse that position. That being said, the chances are highly unlikely, as the qualifications for teaching is strict, given how highly regarded it is in China, and teachers are well trained and well qualified to teach the students.

I feel that China's education system can be improved tremendously if some changes were brought to china;s education system.  The most essential thing which would remove most of the flaws would be to reduce the amount of tests taken. The large amount of tests creates pressure and forces teachers to teach to the test due to the tight schedule. Removing this factor will allows students to have less pressure, and not "taught to the test" which will allow them to expand their curiosity and creativity, and allow teachers to equip students with lifelong skills and ability to succeed in the global arena. I feel that the fact that teachers are respected in China is very crucial, and other countries should all emulate china's respect for teachers. Teachers being respected is crucial for a conducive learning environment, and this also ensures the quality and professionalism of the teachers.
 

Sec 4 CDE reflections: Reflective Journal 1: Topic Youth in China and the USA:

Its been a year. Without further ado we'll jump right back into my reflections-What I have learnt, and my views throughout my first two weeks of Sec 4 CDE lessons. The topic that I will be covering about will be on youth in China and the USA.

China: The New Generation

The "ME" generation. Yup, that s what the new generation of youth in China is called. Why is it so? Firstly, they are not into politics at all- ""There's nothing we can do about politics,"....."So there's no point in talking about it or getting involved."". Secondly,  they are selfish, self interested, they live for themselves, e.g. for her sudden interest in skiing, Vicky bought gears worth $700. The reasons are pretty cleared, as stated in the Times News on this topic. 

1st: The one child policy

This is pretty obvious. China's one child policy, whose aims is to slow down the birth rates in China, as well as decrease the population in China, as there was a baby boom and influx of population back in the 1900s. The policy resulted in forced abortions, single children (duh) and the deliberate abortion and slaughter of children should they turn up to be a girl (Back in the 1900s, people favored male children over female). As parents had one children, they showered love and money on the child. And of course, China awoke as a sleeping dragon and rose up slowly in economy in 2000s, which allowed China to drown itself in prosperity. This allowed parents to allow their children to live a more comfortable life. Thus, these children, showered with love, protected, rich, became narcissists, self interested, self indulging etc.

2nd: Stable economy, Optimistic Ruling political party and General Secretary

People focus on materialistic life only when their basic needs are met. Obviously China's economy is roaring now. Hence, people are beginning to feel prosperous. Furthermore, with the rise of Xi Jin Ping as General secretary, who began his quest in hunting corrupted officials, people have more faith in the political party and thus, do not involve themselves much in politics, especially the younger generation. (This is also due to the fact that China's political party is not exactly democratic, bad mouthing or any suggestions or ideas to change or make the political party better can be seen as treason and can be taken away from questioning, hence further shunning people from politics.

Generation WE- US millennial generation

Compared to China's new generation, we can see the Millennial (Born between 1978 to 2000) Generation Millennial, the youth generation of US, are much more involved in Politics than most of us can imagine. An example would be Generation WE, which came out from Generation Millennial, whose aims is to become a powerful political and social force. So basically, Generation WE believes that they are living in a country that is in decline. Furthermore, Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe believe that each generation has common characteristics that give it a specific character, with four basic generational archetypes, repeating in a cycle, and they predict that this generation will be more civic minded (Civic minded means performing actions, activities or individuals that are motivated by or that show concern for the public good or humanity as a whole). 

Comparison:

So why are there such a huge difference between Generation Millennial and China’s generation ME? There are several factors which I believe plays a role in the emergence of Generation WE in Generation Millennial:

1^st: Democracy. US upholds democracy, where people are allowed to voice out whatever they want. Hence, empowered by this privilege, youngsters, generation Millennial in US have a sense that they can do their part in changing their country, they have a sense of commitment to US. Of course, in the video introducing Generation WE, we can see that US is not faring very well in the eyes of the youngsters, soaked in debts, morality rate, education etc. Hence, Generation WE arose due to the fact that there is democracy in US, which allows them to voice out and form a “powerful political and social force”. Now, imagine it in China, where everything source of information is strictly regulated, and you “freedom of speech” may land yourself in hot waters any time- the fact that China is not democratic, and the people are not entitled to freedom of speech, is already a major deterrence to the new generation should they even want to be involved in politics.

2^nd Prosperity-China’s rise: While US have stayed as No.1 in the world in economy (Which apparently has been taken over by China), as well as other aspects such as military force etc, China’s rise to throne is just beginning. If compared to as marriage, we can say that China is undergoing honeymoon period. Which means, the people are busy indulging themselves in China’s sudden prosperity, especially the younger generation. Hence, in the midst of indulgent, the new generation become narcissistic, self-centred, self-interested, not caring about their country’s politics. Whereas, USA, like a wizened couple, produces a generation whose earlier generation had already enjoyed the prosperity, and prosperity to them is a common thing. Hence, they look for something more rather than a materialistic life, they look for changes in their actual life, they pay attention to politics, news; things that will impact them. And with USA in decline, this gives them an urge to help USA, to make a better future for themselves, and the future generation, just like a couple sorting out their differences when their marriage is failing so as to protect the marriage.

Also, there comes the difference in education, China schools generally teach to the test, gao kao etc, whereas American Schools are pretty lax on that. In gao kao, millions of chinese students study day and night, just to get into the the very few places in university. Note that China is way bigger than Singapore, in terms of land and population, hence the places in university may seem ample for us but its literally striking a lottery there(but not through luck, through knowledge and skills). Hence, with so much time devoted to studying, these students do not have the time to be politically active, nor do they have time to even read up on political events or news. Whereas, teens in america are generally free despite the work, There's also a large emphasis on extra curricular activities , such as sports, etc. Furthermore, home schooling is also an option for kids in america, where kids can learn at their own place, whereas in China, homeschooling is not much heard of. American teenagers hence have more time to spare which can be allocated for news and their involvement in politics.

Reflective Journal 2

 In this reflective journal, I will be talking about my thoughts and reflection on Confucianism, the French Revolution, Chinese and Western Perspectives of Self, and how it has impact the beliefs in my life. 

Firstly, I will talk more about Confucianism. In LEP, Confucianism is part of our curriculum and I lean Confucianism both from CDE and LEP. So basically, Confucianism's system and its ethical thinking is developed by Confucius. The most important aspects of Confucianism are  忠，孝，仁，爱，礼，仪，廉，耻, which in English is "Loyalty, Filial Piety, Humanity, Love, Manners, Justice, integirty and being humble. This beliefs are actually essential in our life, if we want to be a gentleman of great values. The most important aspect of filial piety to me is probably filial piety. Filial Piety is one of the basic qualities that a gentleman and a normal and upright person must have. Examples of extreme filial piety can be found in the 24 paragons Filial Piety, which really shows extreme cases of filial piety and deep connections with the parents and son. Examples of the stories are Zeng Shen, a student of Confucius who felt a stinging pain in his heart when his mother bit her finger, and Wang Xiang who swam in a frozen river searching for carps for his mother, and Wu Meng who attracted Mosquitoes to suck his blood to prevent them from sucking his mother's. This examples are all extreme, honorable examples of filial piety. However, in Confucianism, it does not tell us to be blindly follow and listen to our parents, aka "Blind Filial". We have to know what is good for our parents and do things that will benefit them, and not blindly following their orders and wishes. One of Confucius's students angered his father, and the student actually allowed the father to hit him with a thick stack of bamboo wood(or some sort of ancient cane). Confucius was actually enraged by the students actions as his actions is not actually deemed as filial piety. Filial Piety is to ensure that our parents can live happily and have a carefree life. What the students did could have caused himself to lose his life due to the thickness of the rod, which would have hurt the father more, instead, he should have ran away. Therefore, as you can see, there are actually classifications within filial piety, and some of them are not actually really being filial. We have to know what is best for our parents and ensure that they will be happy. I am alos more interested in filial piety compared to other qualities as I have done a project in sec one on filial piety and I have found out that filial piety within the society is decreasing and it is important to inculcate filial piety in tenns nowadays. Alos, I do acknowledge the fact that integrity, justice, Love, Humanity, and loyalty are indeed also important aspects of a gentleman, but generally I believe that without filial piety and basic love for our parents, it is unlikely that we will be able to nurture other good qualities such as humanity and integrity.

Some videos to lighten up and crash courses in case you have no idea of Confucianism and hasn't been paying attention in class :P.

Another link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ximqppmkfc4

Now, Lets talk about the French Revolution. For the people involved, . They opposed absolute monarchy and religion and instead foresaw an age of progess, individual freedom, law and reason. The leaders of the revolution claimed to be inspired by the ideas of 18-century thinkers like Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquie and Rousseau and also by notions of reason and progress. They destroyed traditional hierarchical and social order, and replaced it with ideals of freedom and equality for all.This is due to western self consciousness, which originated in the 17 century, emphasizing on reasons and individualism. People in French were unhappy with the royal absolutism in French,and the privileges possessed by Nobles.  So basically French Revolution is to overcome monarchy and fight for individual Freedom, leading to equality. Though I have learnt more about the French Revolution, nothing much can be learnt from this French Revolution, nor has it impacted my life. I believe that we nowadays have basically enough freedom and we have no need for any more of this ideologies since society has "slackened" off and a large amount of freedom is actually given to us if you think about it. There's democracy, and in US, there's a freedom of speech, which I an sure is not possible in the past. Thus, what I think we should do is to cherish the freedom that we have now and not abuse it. Yes, we are allowed to have a freedom of speech and to express our feelings, but we should not use this opportunity to scold derogatory remarks and spread nasty rumors about politicians or people around us. We can give suggestive complains and feedback, and a certain amount of "language" which I believe the intensity of this 'language" should stop at a certain extent. Though many of us enjoy freedom, there are still inequalities in this world, namely gender inequality, racial discrimination and prejudice. These problems are still evident in our society and I believe more must be done to overcome this inequality in our world.

Also, we have learnt about eastern and western perspectives of self through our project mates; presentations. There are generally differences between the Western Perspective and the Eastern Perspective. Basically, Eastern=Collectivism, Western=Individualism. Individuals see themselves in a group instead of an individual to western culture where people normally see themselves as a unique individual. Also, one of the more dominant religion in the west is Christians and the more dominant religion in the east is Buddhism. There are also different ideals in western and eastern parts of the world. Eastern believes in karma, where what ever bad things you do will fall back on you one day, Also, stereotypes of perspectives of eastern and western self is that people in the east are actually much hardworking and deemed as"Asians", a slang used to describe "muggers" while western people are generally seen as slackers. Also people tend to think that kids in western countries are independent whereas kids in Eastern countries are not. Also, one would tend to think that eastern culture has instilled better moral values in teenagers and people such that their manners and their actions are gentlemanly whereas in the Western country their morals are pretty loose. These are common stereotypes which are actually false. Nowadays, according to research, people in the eastern parts of the world are not necessarily showing good moral values and following Confucianism which is China's main ideology. Examples of people lacking moral values and care are common, whereby someone just faints and nobody actually do anything. Two three days ago, a woman in china fainted in on a train platform due to low blood pressure/low sugar level. She lay there for 50 mins with passengers coming in and out and nobody actually paid attention to her, and those that did did little to help her, Eventually the ambulance came but by the time they arrived she was already dead. Another example is the famous case of the little girl who was run over by trucks two times in a row who was ignored by other people walking on the streets, only to be saved by a female lady cleaner. Thus, moral values, and the ideology of Confucianism is actually diminishing in the east, contrary to belief. Also, it is not that that the "Asians" are really born to be hardworking and are muggers for life, they are driven and pushed and forced to be hardworking, either by the school or their parents. Also another worrying factor is also that people in the east are getting older and the trend is in the direction of aging population due to depressing fertility rates in the East,


Thus, I believe that thanks to the peoples presentations on the French Revolution, I have absorbed more knowledge about the east and west, as well as knowing that some stereotypes between east and west are not necessarily true. I am also quite concerned that Confucianism is actually diminishing in china and I believe China's should focus more of its education in moral values  in order to bring back moral values to the east.

In conclusion, I have learnt alot from CDE presentations and I wish to hear more from the presenters. They have done excellent quality presentations and slides, which helped clarify some of the stereotypes, questions and doubts that I had in my mind.

Journal Entry 2: Relfections on Lenovo, Google, Apple, etc

  Hi! After many interesting case studies and presentations of famous and prosperous companies, I am now going to write my reflections and my feelings down. Firstly, I have learn the many ways of how to rule a company sucessfully, and I feel that this is beneficial to us as a CEOS are just like leaders, leading a group of team mates(company) and in order to be a good leader, We have to know how to be a good leaders. After reading the case studies on Google and Apple, I have found out two ways to successful in being a leader- the dictatorship way or the nice guy way.
  Basically, the foudation, the base of Apple's success is based on Steve Job's dictartoship in the company. in the Apple's comapny, whatever Steve Job says, its imperial, its god-like, eveyone has to do whatever he says, no matter how bad they think the suggestion is or how it can be improvised. Also, You have to be metiuculous- as Cordell Ratzlaff, a founder managaer charged with creating OS X interface, said "He would scrutiniz everything, down to the pixel level." Therefore, in order to be a sucessful dictator-leader, we will have to be meitculous, plan out every steps carefully and not commit any mistakes that may cause you your leadership roles or your company. But, despite being a dictator, one has to have the charisma to be successful. Steve Job's key factor to his leadership role is his charisma. Despite all the socldings, and having a dictator's attitude, he has the charisma to keep his followers under him, to cuase them to remain devoted. As his approval is hard to win, people try to please him in his work to get that god-like praise, and thus producing top notch quality products for the company. He stick to his manner of leadership and has thus prosepered, and thus I would see dictatorship + charisma is one of the key to a good leadership.
   However, I do not fully agree with Apple's way of ruling. I personally feel that despite the high pay, Apple's workers are subjected to high level of stress.i feel that Google would be a better company, as it has incentives and benefits that are attractive, packed with a decent salary. Contrary to Apple's motto "Be evil", Google's motto is "don't be evil". It treats its workers so nicely......causing the workers to feel that they're in enternal bliss......but it actually has a hidden agenda. By presenting such fabulous incentives and benefits for the workers, such as giving the workers 20 percent of their time to research things of their own interest, sleep pods,Stay healthy, save time,travel insurance and emergency assistance - even on personal vacations. They even get to try out new stuff which google has created and not opened to the public! With such eye catching benefits, there is no doubt that Googlers( Google's worker) will feel attached to Google and thus 's producing excellent Products. Apple's stringent ways and dictator ship are on the extreme left of the scale while Google's beenefits are on the extreme right.
    I personally feel that although Google's ways are better than Apple, and their "Governnig" skills in the company will attract more crowds, I believe that to be an even better company, we will have to be in between the extreme left and right. We have to provide great facilities, benefits and yet be stringent when it comes to products and services. Google just basically throws in every ideas it thinks its feasible, while Apple only listens to what Steve Jobs wants. I believe we should have a balance somewhere there: Selecting a handful of ideas from workers which you think is a hit and perfect it, launching it. This will ensure that the idea, carved into prefection, will be popular and a hit, and not invest in other stuff that may not be a hit. Rather, those money can be poured to more successfull products for advertisements and promotion for its top notch products. Also, if we mix high pay with high expectations and high forms of relaxations, it would be uotpia for many workers. Imagine getting at least 10k per month, and though you have to perfect whatever projects you're in charge of(or else you don't need to step in the company again), but yet, after the hard work, lots of benefits awaits you, nice food, massages, movies, sports, all specially catered to you. People will be attracted to the company with its high salary and benefits, and at the same time be fulled to excel just to get a praise from their picky and stringent boss. Thus I believe if we can strive a balance in between Apple and Google, we will be able to be more sucessful compared to Google and Apple. Also, after looking at Lenovo case study, I feel that for it to barge into Global market and thrash other competitors, I feel that it has to follow wys of Google and Apple, like what I said, incoporate the good and the bad. It can work out innovative and top notch gadgets which will satisfy customers.Also, it can follow Xiao Mi, which sort of copy competitor's products and modify them into its own.

           

Journal Entry 1: General thoughts on the course

My general thoughts can be simply described by this picture:

But as I have to write 600 words-worth of entry, I will have to elaborate further.

Firstly, yes, I feel that having CDE lessons are awesome. Here are some of the reasons why: 1) Its pretty slack 2) Presentations 3) The teacher is friendly- You do not get such friendly teachers in your school life. Mr Karplus is friendly and funny at the same time. Unlike some teachers who are very strict and picky, Mr Karplus is open to ideas, suggestions and always provide a fun platform for us to learn. Thus, I really enjoy his lessons, and I look forward to  CDE lessons as well.

Now, I shall talk about the pros of presentation, firstly, they are interesting and and creates an interesting platform for us to learn. Having presented countless of times in both primary and secondary schools, I can say that I am adept in Power points and Presentations. I have always been an outspoken boy, and thus presentation to me is more of a joy than a challenge. Furthermore, having the chance to work together with my group mates gives us the ideal platform to socialise, show our productivity and make better bonds with our friends. Presentations can also curb our stage fears and help us to be a more outspoken and vocalised person. Therefore, I always look forward to presentations as it can create a fun platform which allows to learn and have fun at the same time.

Also, CDE lessons are pretty much carefree and easy-going. Unlike other subjects which presents you mountains and heaps of papers and homework, CDE presents to you papers to read and absorb knowledge, which is easy, compared to having to write and answer questions. Furthermore, the case studies which CDE presents you with are fun and interesting. They present to you case studies on top companies in the world, such as Google, Apple and Lenovo. I am especially interested in Goggle, and its 20 percent rules, and its luxurious life which beholds for the employees( Sleeping pods, free food etc) and compare apple, whose sort-of –dictator whose orders are imperial and Apple’s world revolves around him. Its also fun to see Apple using the motto Be evil, in contrast to Google’s Don’t be evil. Therefore, CDE is not actually a lesson which forces us to seat on our seats, listening to the endless talks and lectures. It is more of an enrichment, whose case studies and presentations appeal to us, and I really enjoy CDE lessons and the content it has in store for us.

What I look forward to CDE us more of its fun-filled and enriching presentation. Presentations should not be taken as something dreaded and boring. It is actually very fun; if you commit yourself to doing a nice presentation. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow, if you give your best shot to the presentation, the end results of your presentation will be sweet and satisfying.

Also, I would like to participate in debates in CDE. Debates are also very fun and it gets us actively involved in the lessons. Maybe Mr Karplus can add Debate to be our tests for our oral particiaption this term, which will make the debate even more exciting. Or maybe he can slot in some time for debates here and now, which will no doubt have satisfying results with  killing-two birds with one stone effect- we look forward to CDE lessons, we learn more from CDE lessons. From my sec two experience in History, the teacher gave us debates on term two/term 3 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gained interest in History, and managed to score 81 marks for my end of year exams, which I think is impressive. Therefore, I really think that we should have debates in CDE and it will make the whole lesson more meaningful. I also look forward to the active participation of my class. It takes two hands to clap, so I think that in order for a CDE lesson to be successful, the students themselves have to take the initiative to actively participate in class and make the class more lively. Therefore, I look forward to more presentations, case studies and the active participation in our class. I appreciate the school for giving me such an enriching program for us to “open our eyes” to the world.