Sunday, November 14, 2010

Blog Post #6: Is this a waste of time?

As I sat down to write my reflection on the module ES2007S, the first question that came into my mind was how the module was relevant to me?

No doubt the skills that we learnt are relevant. However, don’t all of you agree that the module may seem to facilitate us in transition to the corporate world (ie. interviews, proposals, presentations) rather than our intended future?  For a budding biologist/conservationist, how was this module relevant? 

Or was 13 weeks of class a waste of time? My answer is a firm no.

It was through the mock interview that I understood myself in terms of personality and it was through the job application assignment that I started to find out what are the roles of being a conservationist.
Bring a conservationist does not entails in just protecting the natural heritage that we have, but on a more noble note, to get the mass population to appreciate what nature has to offer. This could only be done through effective communication! 

Blogging through ES2007S has introduced to me an avenue for knowledge sharing. In the past, I was conformed to the idea that blogs was only meant for individuals who wanted to keep like a personal diary but albeit one to show case to the public what their daily lives were. The purpose of a blog has not changed. It is still used as a platform for individuals to share their insights on issues. In this module, it was meant to discuss the different aspects of communicating. Theories and concepts that were inculcated to us during sectional teachings have made me weary of how content should be organised and presented to attract the prospective readers of my blog, who most of the time has a really short attention span. 

The need to seek attention within a short time frame has moulded me to be more clear and concise in the things I communicate in. The ‘elevator’ test and project discussion were good platforms for me to practice what had been learned. In the conservationist point of view, such skills are important. In my life science curriculum structure, we were often put into scenarios where we had to present data to pitch for the government to conserve a particular habitat. However, we are made to write things in a scientific manner which may not gain the understanding of decision makers who are not trained in similar fields. 

The building of skills was not just limited to assignments that were completed in class. Social interactions were encouraged in and out of class too. This helped in building my confidence when speaking in a group (cross reference to Blog Post #5). The interactions made discussions insightful as often we get diversification of knowledge due to differences in ideologies, culture and even sexes on the same topic. Collaborations in groups have also exposed me to a different set of skills not commonly exercised in my core modules. Respecting individual differences, the close working relationships between my group members have allowed me to get along well with others. Coupled with the varying individual schedules, I have learned to effectively managed, planned and organise key meet-ups to allow the team to progress effectively in the tasks that were assigned. 

The sensitivity I have gained in respecting the differences in individuals have allowed me to be more cautious about the information I would like to convey. Looking at past events, effective communication for the wildlife in Singapore was at its pinnacle during the fight to conserve Chek Jawa in Pulau Ubin (Wild Singapore). The use of blogs, public guided site tours, proposals and presentations to key government officials have led to the continual existence of Chek Jawa for all to appreciate.

This has further allowed me to be appreciative of what the module has to offer. The streamlined and strategic activities that I was “forced” to undergo were all catered to what I would eventually need to do. Just to put what I have practiced to my field of study, I made a poster to educate the general public about the diversity found in Punggol Beach. The skills that I have learned about communicating effectively were put into the assignment of my life science module. 

Ecological Poster for LSM3254 (Educational Poster for the General Public)

 
Even if one day I do not end up as a conservationist, I do believe that the skills that I have gained are still useful to my daily encounters. 

Is ES2007S a waste of my time? 

Definitely not! Period.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Jonathan, finally online again! Lolx. Well, ES2007S is not a waste of time for me. What you learn here are tools to make communication more effective via various platforms, be it spoken, non-verbal, even on the internet.

    Glad that you find this module interesting and relevant to you as well. Besides not being concise (which Brad is ok with as long as it is interesting), I feel that this entry is complete and clear and have been made concrete with the examples.

    I am sure the skills picked up in class will serve you well as a conservationist.

    Cheers

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  2. hi jon.

    well actually contray to stan i think it is concise in the sense that you had appropriately stated what you wanted to and had it backed up. Then there was also the application of the skills you've learnt. So i think that it is consice and definately complete and concrete.

    I'm glad that you've enjoyed that course. I have to say i've learnt quite a bit from you. You seem to be able to pick out the little details most would probably over look. I think your skill would come in most useful in your future endevour as a conservationist.

    All the best. Cheers. :)

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  3. I really appreciate this post for a number of reasons, Jonathan. First, you articulate very clearly how the assignments in ES2007S facilitate the sort of learning that will be beneficial to you in your speific field of study.Secondly, you mention particular skill areas, again relating those to the real world needs of a buddy conservationist. You do all of this within the framework of the rhetorical question about the course's value. That draws the reader in emotionally to the discussion. Of course, I'm also happy to see you back "online," as Stanley mentioned. You seemed to be MIA there for a while. With fine posts like this one, you could have stimulated your classmates even earlier in ways that would have been very helpful.

    All the best as you continue your learning journey!

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  4. Hey Jonathan,

    Welcome back!
    I would like to congratulate you on your excellent presentation last week. You appeared very confident and speak fluently without much of a hint of nervousness or trails or memorizing. You came forward and spoke in personalized manner which was both positive and embracing. You had good eye contact with the general audience and complemented it well with appropriate gestures. Your tone was pleasantly loud and suited to the pace and style. As experienced in your peer teaching, it was obvious with your nice usage of abbreviation for the slides and style. What finally complemented your excellently-executed presentation was your ability to improvise and adapt when you mentioned student's issue of the 7eleven's proposal in your closing very smoothly.

    I would vote you as the best speaker for our class!
    Keep up the good work. We have lots to learn from you!

    Cheers!

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  5. @Stanley: Hi, thanks for the comment on the post. It is indeed encouraging during the course to have such a great team mate and friend like you. All the best for the rest of the semesters and hope to see you again!

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  6. @Daniel: Hi, I have to concede the post is a bit long. However, there is so much that I would want to write about my thoughts of the module that this post is the really the essence of what I have in my mind. It was indeed enjoyable to interact with you in class, and I must say your language ability is really admirable. All the best for your internship applications!

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  7. Wow~At the very first point, I was a bit scared by the title....haha but after going through your blog, I finally get your point~
    I could not agree more about the transition point. I personnaly work as a career guide which in NUS Career Center--the transition of the NUS to the commercial world. I get some experience about how unprepared the students are when they graduate and how aimless when they step out of the uni. That is a part of reason why I wanted to take this module, because mock interview is actually provided as a free service in NUS Career Center. But it is still undergoing, so I want to learn more from this module about this career development and preparation.
    It is not a waste of time, but a way to open our eyes to the outside world. I think even if I forget all the norms and formulas from my core module, I will not forget what I learnt from this module.

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