Science Society – Reflection 1 (LO: 1)

LO: 1

Joining high school science society this year has been a great experience that has allowed me to learn many new and interesting things about science. Given that I take two sciences as part of my high school course, I find that this activity is a good way of exploring how my knowledge learned in school translates to more real-world applications. Additionally, we also explore many areas of science that I am unfamiliar with, particularly in physics and computer science. I find this quite refreshing as I am then able to see how the sciences that I take and do not take link together to form a larger web of information.

One aspect of the activity that I particularly enjoy is the discussions we have with other group members. Being able to talk to other people about their thoughts and ideas regarding new scientific advancements provides me with more perspectives and frames of thought. After learning about something new in the activity, I have found it beneficial to try and work through my newfound questions with another member to develop our understandings. Additionally, my skills in communication and the ability to work through an idea with new information have benefitted from this activity. As such, many prominent concepts and ideas in modern science have been introduced to me through this activity.

I have found this activity to be a wonderful experience of learning that has helped me realize both my strengths and identify my areas for improvement. In the future, I plan on joining another activity of this sort where I can explore science in the real world with other passionate students.

Table Tennis – Reflection 1 (LO: 5)

LO: 5

This year’s season of table tennis has been an enjoyable experience that has allowed me to learn new skills and form new relationships. My favorite part of this experience would certainly be the collaborative and competitive atmosphere when members played against each other. Since I had only played table tennis for a short amount of time prior to joining the activity, there were many areas of play that I could have improved upon. I found that playing against and working together with the other students was a major contributor to this, as we would suggest ways to fix errors and mistakes after each game. Additionally, we would also sometimes play doubles which required us to communicate and work together to face the opponent. Over the course of the season, as I attended more sessions and played more games, I found that the collaboration between members grew stronger and made it easier to help each other and play as doubled as our skills developed.

While the season may have ended, I still find myself applying the skills in communication and collaboration to other situations in my life. This experience has made me realize the importance of teamwork and how it becomes easier over time as we learn more about each person. In the future, I aim to find another activity where I will be able to apply these skills and develop them further.

Tabitha – Reflection 4 (LO: 7)

LO: 7

Helping Tabitha has been one of the highlights of my high school experience, as I have been able to meet and work with so many people towards a common goal. When I first joined Tabitha, I did not have a clear idea of just how many families in developing nations lack access to shelter or decent housing, or how much of a difference I could make as an individual. Upon joining the global concern at the start of grade 11, I have been able to recognize the many different ways that people living in different countries can still help these families. Despite not living in the same area or being able to interact with them physically, we are still able to contribute to their well-being. One of the most fulfilling things about working together with others in the global concern would be the planning and running of fundraisers. By raising awareness throughout schools and our local area, we have been able to draw attention to this issue in Cambodia and on the global scale.

The issue of a lack of shelter is not isolated to Cambodia, but also affects many other families and children around the world, most commonly in developing nations. I have been able to feel a sense of accomplishment by contributing to this global concern. Something that I am very fond of about this global concern is that we aim to help the families help themselves as well, educating them on health and safety while also marketing the products that they wish to sell to people in Singapore. By empowering them and also providing them with support, I have been able to contribute to the reduction of this global issue with the help of my fellow students and supervisors in Tabitha.

Drumming With Hougang Center – Reflection 5 (LO: 6)

LO: 6

My participation in the service group Drumming With Hougang Center has helped me gain a better understanding of the importance of student-led activities that give back to local and global communities. My time spent each week coming together with a group of students to plan activities aided my learning and helped me develop various collaborative skills. Continued participation in the service group made me more interested in exploring the different service groups that provide global support to mentally disabled people. We made sure to plant the activities so that they provided mental and physical exercise while improving motor skills. The prevalence of such disabilities and the impact that they have on the lives of individuals and the difficulties it poses for many families. By helping service groups such as Drumming With Hougang Center, I have been able to contribute to this global issue. I have been able to gain skills and recognize the global prevalence of supporting people with mental disabilities, through the help of students and fun activities. My participation in this service group has been a valuable experience and I am sure to continue helping such global groups in the future.

Project Week – Reflection 2 (LO: 7)

LO: 7

My Project Week experience has given me the opportunity to learn more about a new culture and demonstrate the skills and values I have developed over the year. Our planning phase for Project Week was very thorough, as we aimed to minimize our wastefulness during our time in Taipei. A major part of Project Week were the hikes organized with Taiwan Adventures, one of the major concerns was identifying how we would reduce our waste and pick up trash we saw along the way. We wanted to make ethical choices and take action to help the environment when we were on our hikes. Another choice we made was to reduce our use of taxis as we opted to walk to our destinations to reduce carbon emissions. We remained mindful of our behavior around the locals of Taipei and ensured a respectful presence.

A big part of our plan for Project Week was the development of a documentary on the history of Taiwan, however, when gathering footage for our video we made sure not to film anybody without their consent and considered the ethicality of using certain videos over others. Our visits to historical sites were very intriguing as we were able to learn a lot about how Taiwan’s culture has developed over time. We made sure to capture this development from various perspectives while carefully considering the choices we made.

Project Week was an excellent experience that allowed me to learn more about a new country while also ensuring I made ethical choices as a respectful visitor of the country.

EE Reflection 3

Many of my ideas and plans for research have been realised in writing this EE. Finding relevant data was difficult and proved there were risks in continuing this research, but I believe that my skills as a critical thinker and researcher have grown because of it. Learning about the circumstances and perspectives of different socio-economic classes in Hong Kong has been a highlight for me. My understanding of how economic factors impact the housing market in Hong Kong has grown along with an appreciation of the present cultural influences. Conceiving reasonable ways of measuring the effectiveness of the government’s housing initiatives had proved to be more difficult than I had initially thought. It was also a challenge to keep my ideas continuously clear and concise throughout the paper, but it pushed me to be a more effective communicator. It was a rigorous process to evaluate each of my sources, but it made me acknowledge the need for varied and reliable sources of information in a research paper. I have been able to develop skills and gain knowledge that I am sure to use in the future.

The Role of Intertextuality in Language and Literature

How does intertextuality contribute to meaning within texts?

Intertextuality is the relationship that two texts have with each other, often times the use of intertextuality enhances the meaning and range of interpretations that can be gained from a single text. The use of intertextual references is very dependent on a reader’s knowledge and understanding of both the context and ideas of the text being referenced. An author may choose to use a specific text to reference because it is widely known by a range of audiences or has a significant meaning to their target audience. Intertextual references are often grounded in a significant aspect of culture or religion for an author’s intended audience. For example, in Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife, the poem “Little Red Cap” has clear intertextual references to the old folktale of Little Red Riding Hood. Given that the old folktale is about a little girl riding through the woods to see her grandmother and her chance encounter with a wolf, the folktale has many connotations with the ideas of innocence and naivety. However, Carol Ann Duffy uses the reader’s understanding of these connotations to create a greater level of nuance to her own version of the story, putting greater emphasis on the ideas of a loss of innocence and adventure as one grows older. Carol Ann Duffy is able to use this old folktale and its connotations to give her own text a deeper meaning without having to explicitly explain everything because the reader already has an understanding of the text being referenced. Meaning within texts can be greatly enhanced with the help of intertextual references and can make a reader resonate more strongly with a text. The cultural, religious, and political significance of a text often plays a large role in either strengthening or weakening a reader’s appreciation of a text, but it almost always contributes to the intended and unintended meanings of a single text.

What is gained and lost through the use of intertextuality?

Intertextuality is a powerful tool in literature that allows an author to create another level of meaning in their text, however, it can also result in the creation of many unintended interpretations and understandings depending on a reader’s personal context. Intertextuality often contributes to a reader’s understanding when they know about the text being referenced. For example, in Obama’s eulogy for a Charleston pastor following a mass shooting, he made many intertextual references to god and the bible. These references were effective given that his main target audience were citizens of the United States, who are mostly of Christian upbringing or have lived in the culturally Christian United States. By using these biblical intertextual references, Obama was able to provide a sense of hope and security to the viewers following the tragedy, because their interpretation of these biblical references is associated with what Christianity means to them. Similarly, people living in the United States who are not Christian or familiar with Christian values and ideologies would not have the same level of appreciation or the same interpretation as Christians. What is lost is a sense of connection between Obama and the citizens of the United States who are of different religions and cultural backgrounds. Their interpretation of his speech would most likely result in an understanding that was unintended by Obama. Intertextuality can provide many things to a text, however, it is important to consider the context of a text’s creation before choosing which texts to reference, as intertextuality can contribute to both intended and unintended interpretations of a text.

EE Reflection 2

For the past two months, I have focused my efforts on writing the introduction and deciding the methodology for my extended essay. While writing my introduction, it became clear that I would need to be creative in finding ways to link improvements in the housing market to economic productivity and wellbeing. I realised this would require some persistence in searching for and gathering the necessary data. I found that not many people were currently conducting studies similar to mine, which piqued my interest; however, this also meant that I will have to perform more extensive searches. There is an element of uncertainty on whether or not I will be able to effectively link available data regarding livable housing and worker productivity, given that there are other variables to consider. I am being a risk-taker as I am wholly responsible for collecting and linking a variety of data sets concerning the housing market in Hong Kong.

Summer Reading

What you read

Over the summer of 2019, I read many articles from The Economist. I read a number of different articles that delved into the economic statuses and political situations of various countries in the world. Despite reading different issues, I was always particularly interested in their sections on Asia and China given the current conflict in Hong Kong and the prominent trade war between the United States and China.

Personal response

From what I have read in these articles, I have found that both economic and political stability seems to be wavering around the region of Asia. Despite the ongoing trade war being between China and the United States, actions from both countries have certainly had an impact on other countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Similarly, the situation in Hong Kong has escalated greatly and is now having an impact on the lives of the few non-protestors living in Hong Kong. Personally, I think that reading articles on topics such as these ones over the summer has helped me maintain an understanding of current global events, enhancing my ability to formulate an opinion on such matters. Furthermore, reading articles from The Economist has also helped me exercise my skills in critical thinking over the summer and allowed me to apply the new textual analysis skills learned in English last year.

Literary/Non-literary features

Most, if not all, pieces of writing in The Economist are news articles and contain features that distinguish news articles from other types of writing. Images play a big role in the creation of an article in The Economist, as there is often a relevant image or comic/cartoon that is coupled along with the lengthy article to keep the reader entertained. These images often serve as tools to help the reader develop an idea of what a place or situation looks like when such a visualization is needed. There are always titles for new articles that give the reader a brief idea of what to expect from an article before jumping in, these titles often feature words or phrases that are designed to capture their attention and increase their chances of choosing to read the article. A short introduction is also often present to give the reader background information about the topic to be discussed later on. Structurally, these news articles are broken into two or three different columns on a single page, making it easier on the eyes when reading a long article and contributing to the look of a newspaper/magazine. Many of the articles present in The Economist revolve around providing factual information about global events without having a heavy bias towards liberal or conservative values. For the most part, persuasive techniques are absent within these articles and rather they focus solely on explaining to the reader the economic and political implications that current issues have on the world.

Concept

The Economist is a newspaper magazine that is made of up news articles, focused on delivering information about current global events. Over the summer I have spent the majority of my reading time on articles in this publication. This has been useful to me as it has ensured that I have applied various skills in English over the summer despite not going to school. Other benefits have come about from this reading such as being informed about a few issues the world faces today and being able to formulate opinions surrounding such issues. By reading these articles I have also gained a better understanding of the literary/non-literary features present in news articles and how an author might employ different techniques to easily deliver information to a reader.

Tabitha – Reflection 3 (LO: 6)

LO: 6

With the end of grade 11 approaching soon, I have had some time to reflect on my time in the Tabitha global concern. Overall, I have found this year to be a fulfilling and enjoyable learning experience that has allowed me to help people that I would not be able to otherwise. Some of my favorite moments from Tabitha this year would certainly be the times when we worked together in preparation for events such as The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Wavelengths, Aida, and the Family Fest. For each of the events, every member of the global concern spent their personal time baking goods for bake sales or spending time unloading swimsuits or selling swimsuits in the Family Fest. I quite enjoyed the time that I spent baking goods and unloading swimsuits as I felt that through these small actions I would be helping a much larger cause. I enjoyed these times because I was able to see the benefit of working collaboratively and I felt that we were contributing to the solution of issues of global significance. While we were ultimately unable to go to Cambodia to build houses, I believe that our actions this year in raising money will certainly help the Cambodian families in need of housing, education, and healthcare. In the end, we were able to raise over 2,000 Singapore dollars from all of the work we had done this year, money that will now be contributed to Tabitha’s cause in Cambodia. For me personally, I think my participation in contributing to this global issue has also helped me develop my own skills in creative thinking and commitment. I am glad that I have been a part of this global concern this year and hope to further develop these skills by contributing to other issues of global significance in the future.