Reflective Journal 1

Reflective Journal 1

Feelings about SES before attending the first lesson

Before attending the first lesson of SES, I was very puzzled about what this subject is about and also wondered why the others have their IHE subjects while I don’t. I went to the internet to do a brief research on SES and found out that SES generally refers to the “use of economics in the study of the society” in a very general term. Well, I began to worry about what lies ahead as this topic seems to be really, really broad and it is no longer like the Sciences where I can just study and get my straight As.
However, what strikes me most is that this is a very unique subject, not because it is only offered to CSE-SMTP pupils, but because it enable us to really link what we have learnt in school to what is happening around the world and somehow understand how some things work. This made me look forward to my first lesson of SES.

Introduction

Socio-Economic Studies (SES) is a subject introduced to CSE-SMTP students who are believed to be stronger in Math and Science. I feel that the reason behind introducing this new subject into our curriculum is to raise our maturity level on how we view both local and global issues, so that when we become leaders next time, this set of skills can come in handy.

Syllabus

After going through the first tutorial, I took a glance at what we will be learning for the year and found out that it will mainly be discussing about the East and the West as they are expected to be the world’s two major economic powerhouse, with China (East) developing very quickly now and so, I feel that studying this subject would definitely put me in a better position when it comes to looking for a job, or even clinching business deals.

Expectations

With regards to my expectations, I must admit that I do want all my A grades which will prove that I understand what is going on in class. However, I would also like to broaden my horizons and really understand how economics and the society are inter-linked, and also I hope that through this year’s study of this subject, I would be more skilled and abled in analyzing different case studies critically. Lastly, I hope that the lesson would not be too dry but instead, have a lot of group work or discussion carried out so that the lesson would be not only enriching, but also captivating as well.

Mode of Assessment

Firstly, 20% of our SES marks comes from class discussion. For this component, I feel that it isn’t really a worrying issue for me as I just have to get used to my new Secondary 3 environment, before I start speaking up in class. However, I feel that this component really requires everyone to do their homework before coming to class, so that they have something to say and discuss with the class. Also, to score in this component, I feel that it is important to listen what others I saying so that you do not repeat what others have said.
Moving on, there will be a five minute presentation which I feel that if proper research is done, it should be quite OK as I suppose everyone has experience presenting a speech in Secondary two for language arts which is three minutes long, where most people complain about the lack of time for them to present. Then, we have to do a 1000-word assignment to be submitted after the presentation. This 1000-word assignment should also pose no huge problem as it is mainly just putting whatever that was presented into words.
However, my main concerns would be with the 10-minute presentation where we have to lead the class in a discussion and also the research paper, which till now, stays a mystery. As I have never led a class in any discussion, I am extremely worried whether what I would have prepared for that day is sufficient and also whether it is captivating enough. As for the research paper, it really seems to be very hard and tedious and I hope that before I do the research paper, I would already be equipped with the necessary skills to complete the paper.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as I missed the first “proper” lesson, I am still not really sure what will be done for SES but I hope that it is going to be very interesting and although I am very worried about the syllabus and the mode of assessment. However, I believe my teacher, Ms. Yeo would be able to offer me great assistance when I am in need so that I would not be lost and I look forward to my next lesson!

Word Count: 791