Reader Response Draft 2

In Picardo’s article “Why Students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures”,  he advocates the development of a deeper global awareness and understanding of diverse cultures amongst school students (Picardo, 2012). Hence, students can uncover new ideas and perspectives that help them grow into mature, well-informed individuals. To facilitate the development of global awareness, Picardo asserts the importance of “contextualized learning” to complement the experience of character building amongst students. Furthermore the article highlights the idea of introducing modern technology and social media, such as Twitter and Skype, within classrooms to encourage learning. Finally, international partnerships across schools are encouraged so as to build an enriching education for both students and teachers alike. 

As a staunch advocate of contextualized learning, I believe in constructing meaning from experiences derived from experiential learning. To aid the development of a well-learned, mature individual, education should take place not only within classrooms, but through a myriad of settings such as internships or overseas school trips. Personally, I find interacting with various personalities through experiential learning taught me to understand different thought processes in which people operate through. In addition, new perspectives and divergent worldviews can be revealed through continuous engagement with the global community via contextualized learning. Several examples of contextualized learning were highlighted in this article, including cultural trips to Andalusia and a history trip to Berlin.  I recall, in particular, a 10-day study trip in 2010 in which I embarked on to understand the differences in social issues faced by people with disabilities in Singapore and Cambodia respectively. After I learnt about the social issues faced by the people with disabilities, I became motivated to engage these individuals once again through a Youth Expedition Project to meet their basic, social needs. 

Through contextualized learning my cross-cultural knowledge of social issues expanded, in particular the difference in social needs within Singapore and within Cambodia.  I also believe that contextualized learning serves as a impetus for further learning and personal development. Recently, I travelled to Cambodia as part of FASSTrack Asia’s summer school. There, I learnt about Human Trafficking as well as the underlying social, economic and political issues. My theoretical knowledge of Human Trafficking would not have sufficed, if not for the field trip to complement my understanding of human trafficking. Not only did the trip increased my knowledge of human trafficking, my classmates, mostly whom were honours students, also played a role in facilitating my understanding of political science as a whole. In retrospect, I was genuinely ignorant of issues pertaining to the social, economic and political aspects of the world. As a relatively nescient, apathetic student the field trip has, coupled with my peers’ teaching, transformed me into a  concerned, learned individual. In fact, the field trip has motivated me to pursue political science as a exposure module in my university education. 

Within a highly contextualized learning environment, cultural exchanges through communication between people of different backgrounds are inevitable. Upon reading “the awkward dinner conversation of foreign exchange students with their German host families…” (Picardo, 2012), it reminded me of the awkward conversations I had with exchange students from Canada, the U.S. as well as Australia during the field trip. However, the informational exchange of cultural practices and language through our daily meals has further enriched my knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, people in British Columbia, Canada use the term “pop” whereas people in the United Kingdom and Singapore prefer the term “soda”.  These cultural exchanges has indeed enriched my learning process and facilitated a greater global awareness. 

Picardo’s “Why Students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures” has reinforced my belief in the importance of contextualized learning. Through experiential education, I became more resourceful and independent. Moreover, it has precipitated opportunities for my professional growth. For instance, I have obtained the contacts of several Non-governmental organization within Cambodia which will aid in my educational route as a social work major. To conclude, contextualized learning will benefit students from all walks of life. Be it primary school children or an adult learner, everyone will learn, develop and grow as an individual under a highly contextualized learning environment.

References

Picardo, J. (2012, September 25).  Why students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures. The Guardian. Retrieved from

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/sep/25/students-global-awareness-other-cultures