Thursday, October 2, 2014

Reader Response Final Draft

Reader Response final draft

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. Hence, students can uncover new ideas and perspectives that help them grow into mature, well-informed individuals (Picardo, 2012). 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, establishing international partnerships across schools are encouraged so as to build an enriching education for students and teachers alike.
Contextualized learning, defined  as “[individuals] constructing meaning through interacting with and interpreting their environment (CORD, 2012),  serves as an impetus for further learning opportunities and personal development.
As a staunch advocate of contextualized learning, I believe growth is evident only when education is provided not only within classrooms, but within a myriad of settings such as internships or overseas school trips.
Firstly, deriving contextualized education through overseas expeditions deepens our understanding of world issues. Through continuous engagement with the global community, new perspectives and divergent world-views can emerge.  Several examples were highlighted in this article, including cultural trips to Andalusia and a history trip to Berlin. I recall, in particular, in particular a study trip to Cambodia 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 came back from the trip with an increased awareness of the social issues faced by the people with disabilities within the rural villages in Baray district, Phnom Penh, I became highly motivated to go back and help meet their social needs. As such, I returned back to Baray district through a Youth Expedition Project trip for 14 days in order to implement programmes to meet their needs. The programmes include teaching sign language to help villagers communicate with fellow villagers suffering from hearing impairment, as well as helping to build a toilet for fellow villagers to use. Through these overseas trips I embarked on in which contextualized learning occurred, my knowledge of global social issues expanded. Moreover, I was able to use the propositional knowledge acquired in my first trip and translate it into procedural knowledge during my second trip. In particular, I was able to learn about the differences in social needs amongst people with disabilities between Singapore and Cambodia. 
Contextualized learning also provides interest and insights into academic topics that cannot be derived from textbook learning alone. In the past, I detested political science as I found it too abstract to comprehend. However, my recent class trip to Cambodia as part of FASSTrack Asia’s summer school changed my perspective on political science. I learnt about human trafficking as well as its underlying political issues. My theoretical knowledge of Human Trafficking would not have sufficed; the field trip complement my understanding of human trafficking. Not only did the trip increase my knowledge of human trafficking, my classmates, mostly who were honours students, also played a role in facilitating my understanding of political science as a whole. Before the trip vI was genuinely ignorant of issues pertaining to the political issues in the world as I could not relate to politics explained within textbooks. From a relatively nescient, apathetic student, I have transformed into a concerned, learning individual after the field trip. In fact, the field trip has motivated me to pursue political science as an exposure module in my university education. 
Within a highly contextualized learning environment, cultural exchanges between people of different background and cultures can facilitate global awareness. When Picardo states “the awkward dinner conversation of foreign exchange students with their German host families…”, it reminded me of the 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 other cultures. For example, people in British Columbia, Canada, use the term “pop” whereas people in the United Kingdom and Singapore prefer the term “soda”.  Additionally, I noted how students from the West tend to focus on talking about themselves, as compared to Singaporean students who prefer to listen and to talk about community issues. This certainly reflects some values of individualism amongst westerners as well as collectivism amongst asians.
Consequently, these cultural exchanges have helped me to understand the different thought processes in which individuals from other cultures operate through as well as facilitate 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 organizations 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 adult learners, everyone will learn, develop and grow as an individual within a highly contextualized learning environment.

References

Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). (2012). What is contextual learning. Retrieved from the Contextual Teaching and Learning at http://www.cord.org/contextual-learning-definition/

Picardo, J. (2012, September 25).  Why students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures. Retrieved from The Guardian Database atThe Guardian database at http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/sep/25/students-global-awareness-other-cultures 




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