에프엑스_첫 사랑니(Rum Pum Pum Pum)_Music Video

Post your timed-trial redrafts here

I hope that you girls will:

1. Re-look and think about your timed-trial response. Evaluate your response and think about what went wrong and what went right, and what you should do in subsequent trials.
2. Look at the error analyses sheets and my comments. Think about what would make a good response.
3. Try to craft the best response possible (it doesn't need to be the full response - at least one paragraph of good evaluation will do).
4. Go the the previous post and post questions if you still have outstanding queries.

Rest well and remember that SRQ is all about critical thinking and fleshing out a well-explained response to address the writer's argument.

Post your outstanding questions and queries on SRQ here

This is your space to post your questions.
Something along the lines, "Hi Miss C., I don't really know / understand how to ... (describe SPECIFICALLY, what your learning problem is) ..."
I cant help you if your question is ambigous. E.g. "I don't understand how to hedge an argument ..." <== How do you expect me to answer such a broad question like this?

On the other hand, if you ask me a SPECIFIC question, e.g. "Why can't I argue that the writer is generalizing that ALL foreign workers are dangerous?, I wont be hard put to give you a response. I would tell you, because you have to give the writer's argument a charitable reading and it is highly unlikely that any writer would be so foolish as to postulate that ALL foreign workers are dangerous. HOWEVER, you CAN safely assume that the writer makes the ASSUMPTION that BY AND LARGE, foreign workers pose a threat to his safety and security because he seems to harbour certain prejudices against them, for example, he perhaps thinks that because they are supposedly of a lower socioeconomic standing, and they are poor, they would be more prone to criminal behavior. This is where you can then go on to evaluate if he has good grounds to assume / believe what he does.

Post your questions here. I will respond to some (not all - such would be impossible).

Love,
Miss C.

Tricks of the Trade

One of the hardest things to do in analyzing an argument is determining which parts of the argument are pivotal and important, and which parts are details and support. If you think of an argument as a pulley-system, the key and most important quotes from the argument are the pulleys upon which the argument turns. You need to try and figure out, while reading, what the hinges of the the argument are. If you recall my pyramid analogy, the writer's conclusion is the pinnacle of the pyramid, and it is supported by layers of reasoning--the big picture reasons, which are supported by smaller reasons.

Block Test 2010 - Don't clear trays if you really want to help

Read the article and answer the question below.

Do you agree with the writer’s views?

Refer closely to the arguments in the article as well as your own opinions. You should write at least 350 words.




Don’t clear trays if you really want to help
Gladys Tan, The Singapore Morning Post, 10 Jan 2010

[1] A friend who recently returned to Singapore from the States after two years away remarked that graciousness is not in the Singaporean gene. “Why do we need signs reminding us of basic courtesy?” she asked, referring to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA’s) recent moves to encourage the public to clear and return their trays. She pointed out that we have domestic helpers to pick up after us at home, cleaners to clean up our mess on the streets and even after we eat. She ended her diatribe with the pronouncement that “Singapore is cleaned, rather than clean.” I meekly returned my tray to the rack but that was the exception rather than the rule. I did not want to end our dinner on a sour note, but I reject her view that we are ungracious just because we do not clear our trays.

[2] As a habit, when I eat out at food courts and fast food outlets, as a mark of courtesy to the cleaner who has to clear my tray, I make it a point to leave behind a clean table, but I do not go to the extent of clearing it myself or returning it to the racks. I am hardly alone; most Singaporeans do not. (From my observation, only one in ten patrons clears his tray─ most who do so are Japanese). There should not be any need for us, the majority, to justify our actions, simply because it is an accepted social norm in Singapore. Why don’t we clear our trays? Because there is no need for us to. There are cleaners to do the job.

[3] A more compelling reason for us not to clear and return trays is that it is the right thing to do. We should not return our trays because it would save the cleaners their jobs. If everyone started returning their trays, the cleaners’ jobs would become redundant. As it is, jobs like these are the last resort for the elderly who live in abject poverty. As cleaners, they work 10 hours a day and earn only $1000 a month. Depriving them of the means to earn even this meager salary would in fact push them into a corner where, unable to support themselves, they could do the unimaginable. We are all well aware of news reports highlighting the worrying trend of rising suicide rates among the elderly.

[4] I am not reassured by the NEA’s argument that returning the crockery and cutlery that one uses to designated areas will not affect the jobs of the elderly cleaners, since they have other things to do. Clearing the tables is their main job and once that is taken away from them, one can expect that the management, in order to cut costs, will soon begin firing some of these cleaners. Currently, with cleaners having other things to do on top of cleaning, these other jobs like sweeping and mopping the premises are done during the off-peak periods. The management of a fast food restaurant here was quoted saying that with staff being freed up from the task of cleaning up after patrons, they could “fetch sauce for patrons.” How many cleaners does it take to fetch sauce? Without having a core duty to justify their keep, many would be dispensable in the eyes of their penny-pinching employers. But as it stands now, these cleaners are essential for business. Dirty tables are not only an eyesore, they repulse customers. How many of us would sit down at a table littered with leftover food, with tissue paper strewn over it?

[5] The cleaners themselves are not convinced that their jobs are safe. When I asked one of them who came very promptly to clear my tray after I had finished my meal, she echoed my sentiments, and affirmed that I would not be doing her a favour. She even revealed that if her supervisor saw patrons clearing trays, the blame would fall on the cleaners because it would be taken as an obvious sign that they were lazy, slow and skiving on the job.

[6] I would also question the assumptions made by some that it is the culture of having domestic helpers in the home that contributes to people not returning their trays. We grew up returning our trays in primary and secondary school and my sons who do national service have to do it too. Clearly we do it when it is required and when there is a need to. There are no cleaners in these places; but food courts and fast food restaurants are different. There is a modicum of service that the patron at such places expects.

[7] Finally, I do not buy the idea that we should return our trays because it is the gracious thing to do. To be gracious, all the patron needs to do is to not leave a messy table, and thank the elderly ‘auntie’ with a smile when she comes by. Not clearing up after ourselves and calling it a gracious act may seem counter-intuitive. But we should not have to feel guilty about it. Rather, we should feel comforted by the knowledge that we have helped to protect the job of someone who really needs it.

[8] In order to be truly gracious, we should not blindly follow so-called “gracious” acts practised by Westerners. Instead of doing things to appear “gracious” in the eyes of others and pandering to self-serving vanities, we should truly have a sense of other-centeredness. When we practise graciousness, we show consideration for the weakest members of our society and that is the distinguishing feature of how we define it in an Asian society.

-- END OF PAPER --

Welcome Back 404 & 410!

Welcome back 404 and 410! It's the start of a new school term and the beginning of another phase in your learning journey! This term we will be doing the following to prepare you for the Block Tests:

1. attempt an SRQ based on the Serangoon Gardens foreign workers' domitory incident (2 lessons)
2. redraft your SRQ timed-trial "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" (1 lesson)
3. error analyze SRQ timed-trial (1 lesson)
4. reflect on SRQ skills - with 2010 Block Test Paper (1 lesson)

We might do a comprehension in between if necessary (hopefully not). More on this later.

For today, we'll engage in a Learning Lab session. You will be divided into 3 large groups and you will attempt to THINK about the materials and questions below. I have 3 groundrules for you to abide by for this activity, and for the rest of this term:

1. SPEAK good english (try to minimize Singlish)
2. THINK critically in multiple perspectives (don't be lazy and comfortable with your beliefs and assumptions; ask yourself, "do I have good grounds to believe what I believe?")
3. EXPLAIN why you believe what you believe as clearly and coherently as possible (minimize one-sentence claims and pronouncements) 

Group 1

Read and think about the incident where a UCLA student posted a racist rant on YouTube.
Scroll down to view the video first, then read the newspaper article from Associated Press.

Think about the following questions:

1. Does the UCLA student, Alexandra Wallace, have good grounds to believe what she believes? Are her stereotypical views on Asians fair and grounded in legitimate and good evidence?
2. If they are, what are the implications? If they aren't, why and how do you think Westerners (and people in general) acquire prejudices and assumptions about Asians and persons of different races?
3. What does the incident tell you about online social responsibility? What does it tell you freedom of expression online? 
4. Do you think that in some way, the aftermath of the video posting (save for the death threats) was more constructive than destructive? (Think in terms of the democratic processes of public, rational discussion of issues and ideas and the notion of freedom of expression leading to more enlightened opinions)

Larger Thinking Point: It is undeniable that stereotypes exist. Inevitably, we form ideas and perceptions about people based on what we perceive we observe. Are stereotypes fair and based on good evidence? Or are they not? When and why are they fair or unfair?

Group 2

Due to video copyright, the video to be viewed can only be accessed from my Facebook wall. Watch and think about what Workers' Party member and NCMP Sylvia Lim has to say about ministerial wages in Singapore. Do you agree with her point of view? Think in terms of issues of equity and fairness, and the concept of being a public servant - serving the nation and people. Or do you think there is merit in the argument that ministers' pays should be comparable to private sector wages?

Larger Thinking Point: What is public service, fairness and equity?

Group 3

A mum forced her son to stand on the streets to impress upon him the importance of education. Undeniably, her method was unconventional, but her message is one that we can understand. Education -- in all its aspects and forms -- is undeniably important. Have a look at the " New York Times' recent article - "Let Kids Rule the School", and tell me whether you endorse and like what the school in Massachusetts allowed its students to do. Do you think that the same can obtain in Singapore?

If you have time, have a look at Apple co-founder, Steve Job's commencement speech delivered at Stanford University. Re-think your beliefs and concept of education.

Larger Thinking Point: What is education and what does it mean to educated?

What's Wrong Here???

Attention Philosophers of 414!

Remember! Making SENSE of an argument and SEEING what's wrong or right with it takes TIME! STARE at your arguments, identify the CONCLUSION, THINK about how the various premises fit and link together to FLOW to the conclusion. I asked you to examine the following argument and think about what's problematic with it. Use this space to write down what you identify as the flaws in this argument!

"When prisoners under sentence of death are given the choice between life in prison and execution, 99% of them choose life imprisonment. 

This shows that they fear death more than they fear life imprisonment. 

Since one is most deterred by what one most fears,

it is evident that the threat of the death penalty is more likely to deter most potential murderers than is the threat of life imprisonment."

What say you? What's wrong here?

What is life? What is death? Is there such a thing as life after death? Or does death not mean the end of life?

Attention Philosophers of 314!

We set off on a little learning quest to think about the various ways to construe the above questions. We set off on different learning journeys to examine what various faiths have to say about these questions. Use this space to record your findings - what do Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity have to say?

Is it possible to have a concept of X, without knowing the opposing concept not-X?

Attention Philosophers of 314!

Today, we examined this question:
"Is it possible to have a concept of X, without knowing the opposing concept, not-X? For example, is it possible to know happiness without knowing what unhappiness is?"

We had a very fruitful discussion - many issues and ideas were thrown up. Use this space to consolidate your thoughts and opinions, state any issues or ideas that continue to to plague you. If you have possible answers to your fellow philosopher's queries, do feel free to help resolve them :)

Have fun!

Thomas Hobbes on why we need or created government and law ...

Attention Secondary Two Philosophers!

English Philosopher, Thomas Hobbes (1588--1679) once said:

"All human beings’ actions are selfishly motivated. So, for purely selfish reasons, a person is better off living in a world with moral rules than one without moral rules.
For without moral rules, we are subject to the whims of other people's selfish interests. Our property, our families, and even our lives are at continual risk.
Selfishness alone will therefore motivate each person to adopt a basic set of rules which will allow for a civilized community.
Not surprisingly, these rules would include prohibitions against lying, stealing and killing.
However, these rules will ensure safety for persons only if the rules are enforced.
As selfish creatures, each of us would plunder our neighbors' property once their guards were down. Each person would then be at risk from his neighbor.
Therefore, for selfish reasons alone, we devise a means of enforcing these rules: we create a policing agency which punishes us if we violate these rules—the government, the law."

What is Hobbes trying to say?
Do you agree with his point of view?

I think ...

Attention 404 and 410

Dear 404ers and 410ers, 

Behold the REVIVAL of the BLOG!!! *evil laugh*
For your 2-week assignment, pick ONE piece of news from TODAYonline. READ the article, ANALYZE the issue(s), WRITE:
a RESPONSE to the writer (~ a SRQ response) OR
a COMMENTARY on the issue(s) (~ an exposition).
Do make sure that you POST your comment on TODAYonline ITSELF, like so:

After you have posted your comment(s), PRINT out a copy of your post with the URL (either you print straight from the website or you copy and paste your comment along with the URL in a Word document).
Submit your printed post to your LA Rep.

Due date: 25th Feb, Friday, Before 2pm.

Have fun! Please use your real names and email addresses but be careful to exercise cyberwellness caution.

** DO NOT post silly, undesirable, disrespectful, inappropriate comments. It is a public forum and we must exercise due decorum. People might read and comment on your comments, so think before you write.
** DO post insightful, critical analyses or comments. Be measured, fair, objective in evaluation. Remember to think about the issue(s) critically and in different perspectives.

What does it mean to be Chinese?

There are various ways to go about this question.
What does it mean to be Chinese?
What is Chinese-ness?
Is there such a thing as Chinese-ness?
Is there such a thing as race?

Post your thoughts and comments here. Either offer a new idea, or respond to a friend's idea. The minimum word count (I hate having to place rules like this) is 350 words and your posts will be judged on two criteria:

1. Whether you have subjected your thoughts to rigourous scrutiny; and
2. Whether you have worded your ideas accurately and precisely (such that correct meaning is conveyed).

Have fun with it :)

Images and Sentiments

Dear 304 and 310,

Please go to this link, http://voicethread.com/share/1230848/ and do the following:

Select 5 or 6 photographs that speak the most to you.
They should be the most powerful photographs to you, the most poignant images, snapshots that evoke the most sentiment in you.
After you have made your selection of 5 or 6, roughly pen down words, phrases or sentences that come to mind when you view the photograph.
This is an exercise in raw writing so just write what you feel sans editing.

P.s. write down using the comment button and feel for the photographs.

Mirror, by Sylvia Plath

Post your comments here.

(A) Examine the NATURE OF THE MIRROR as conveyed in the poem.
(B) Explore the RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MIRROR AND THE WOMAN. In your answer, say what COMMENTS/CRITICISMS you think the poet is making about SOCIETY.

Mirror
by Sylvia Plath

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see, I swallow immediately.
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike
I am not cruel, only truthful –
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me.
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

Help with Unseen Poetry

A poem is NOT lots of bits.

1. Each poem should be read a few (or even several) times (preferably aloud). Even during a test :) !
2. Have a general idea, after reading, about what the poem is about. Talk aloud, talk to yourself, reason it out, try to paraphrase what the poem is trying to say! It helps! :)
3. Your general idea(s) should be based on what you see in the poem so try to locate and identify parts of the poem that confirm your guesses.
4. Mark out bits that puzzle you--you can't quite figure out. Use the parts that you DO understand, to inform the parts that you don't understand. 

Decoding a poem is a lot like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Just like we look for the edges and corners to get started on a puzzle, we look for parts that we do understand in a poem, before we look at parts that we don't understand. We try to "fit" in the bits that we don't understand within a context--our guesses about the subject, the purpose/message, the emotional undercurrents. Words are always intentionally selected for a purpose--to evoke feelings and thoughts in the reader. Think about how the different elements in the poem (SLIMS) enact the poem's meaning and impact, how they serve to convey the poet's message.

We Are The World 25 For Haiti - Official Video

Songs, like movies, are powerful mediums to convey messages, social commentaries about the state of the world. Like good poets, songwriters say their piece about society and humanity, through verses, lyrics, music. Think about the speech you wish to craft--in many ways, speech-writing is a lot like music-writing. Remember to think about the oral delivery of your speech when you're crafting your speech.

g

ALL STAR - What's Going On [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

How are songs and speeches similar?

CNN - Ex-President George W. Bush's Post 9/11 Speech

Okay. The Bushes--Junior and Senior--get a lot of flak for the things they say and the way they speak. Let's just try to suspend our pre-conceived notions about them, more specifically G.B. Jr., and evaluate this speech on its own, as objectively as possible. Does George Bush Jr. convey his message well? Are you moved, convinced, touched in any way? What rhetorical devices, language features does he use to convey his message? What could he have done better, in your opinion?

Pronunciation Aid

Macmillan Dictionary is an excellent dictionary for checking word meaning, pronunciation, grammar and synonyms.

Political Rhetoric: President Obama: Great Orator or Not?

Dear Ladies of 304 and 310,

Have a look at these three links (especially the 2nd and 3rd links):

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R83xMWtEp7k&feature=related 
2. "Words Don't Matter" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6NS9unm-OQ&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB1RJBuWYbA&feature=related

Do you think Obama is a good speaker? If yes, why so? If no, why not?
What do you think about political rhetoric and orators?