Role Play Lesson

Imagine that your team is part of an Education Psychology Team that is tasked to promote better stress management in schools and in young people.

Derive a role play product of your choice (e.g. skit, mini-documentary, TV advertisement, mini-dramatic play, reenactment, multimedia presentation, etc…) to highlight

a)      what are the problems and issues

b)      what are some steps to solve the problems

Through your planning and group work, use Problem Based Learning strategies to help you derive your product (searching, spanning, scanning, etc…)

Learn for yourselves! Taking charge of your learning! Ensure the following!

§      Analyse the problem, summarize it

§      Formulate your own learning objectives

§      Practice self-directed learning and self-study

Role Play Product

1)      2-3 minutes role play (in front of the class), AND

2)      Script outline (200-300 words: showing relevance to GP topics, outline the issues and solution involved)

§      No need for costumes or props,

§      No need for full scripts, just an outline would do. You can even ad lib parts

§      No need to film for multimedia, just act it out and describe the multimedia bits verbally.

§      You are advised to keep it simple. The creativity of the idea and execution is more important as well as the content and the novelty of your solution.

Does the government have the right to interfere in our lives?

Rachel Sawyer

The Good

§      The writer makes a good distinction between the public and private sphere and this divide defines what rights the government as well as the individual has.

§      The writer does well to mention specific issues like the Patriot Act, Section 377A and the teaching of creationism in school.

§      Also mentions specific encroachment like the invasion of privacy, choice of sexual preference, and imposition of religious beliefs,

The Not So Good

§      Yet, the invasion of privacy point does not seem to have much direct relevance to interference as compared to the issues of imposition of religious values. It is not as if the government is telling us what to do, what to belief, what to say, how to live, etc…

§      The point on blogs and Facebook also does not seem to have much relevance here as firstly, these do not seem to have much involvement of the government and secondly, if the individual so pleases to reveal whatever information about him or herself, then this information is no longer deemed as private.

§      The issue is only where private information is encroached upon and made public or looked at by parties without permission of the owner.

Tanita

The Good

§      The author does well to demonstrate philosophical knowledge of Hobbes.

§      A good point about the trade off between individual self-interest and collective interest is seen in the form of the individual trading some personal freedom for collective protection.

§      A specific legal precedent is mentioned in the form of the Butler Act and the ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ which show what is defined by law.

The Not So Good

§      The Hobbesian reference is rather outdated. After all, the published date is 1651. Hasn’t modern day society (of a first world nation) evolved enough to move away from the “life is solitary” model?

§      On the point about being outdated, the Butler Act is also rather old as it was passed in 1925. That was a whole different era when the world was far more conservative.

§      Other interesting points are only fleetingly mentioned, e.g. state instituted religious conversions.

§      The statement “we already let anyone who wants in” is a gross generalization. Not everyone has or wants to have a Facebook or online identity profile. Even if “we” did, we only selective allow the contents to be stated. Shared information is once again under the prerogative of the individual and thus has low relevance to government interference.  

Areas not covered

Health care: E.g. telling you not to smoke, what food to eat, means testing, etc…

Social: E.g. who to marry—need to have a certain income and academic qualification level to marry foreigner,

Housing: E.g. what kind of houses you are allowed to purchase, e.g. must earn a certain income level for certain types of housing

Internet: E.g. which websites to surf, some are blocked.

Authorship Problems

Note some authorship problems: Rachel Sawyer and Tanita seem to be the authors and that their viewpoints are being mentioned, however they are not the authors! Instead they are written by other people (who imagine themselves to be the aforementioned persons). As such, the viewpoints may not be authentic while the insights may not be genuine.

Definition Issues

It would be wise to define ‘a partner for life’ part as marriage. As marriage would offer more than an obligation to stay faithful to a partner, it would require a fixed commitment that is also protected by the law as well as by expectations of the society. 

The issue should be about the important and value of marriage, not on issues like polygamy/bigamy although signs of infidelity do demonstrate that marriage is not valued.

Do note that marriage is simply more than a couple saying “I do” on the altar and then living together. Marriage also entails legal implications such as changes in taxation structures, the various court and legal protection offered to partners in marriages (e.g. alimony, divisions of matrimonial assets in the event of a dissolution of a marriage)

A key focus should also fall upon the term “Realistic”. As such, points dealing with idealism should be balanced by points of pragmatisms and realism. 

Some bad arguments

Most people have premarital sex and are unfaithful during marriage so having a partner for life is not reasonable.

Do note that two wrongs do not make a right.

Reasons for partner for life

§      The principle of making a commitment and sticking to it. Couples who want to stay together should make a strong commitment to each other.

§      They should choose carefully first and when they find a person to settle down with, it should be a permanent situation just as they have promised in their marriage vows.

§      People who do not subscribe to the time-honoured concept of marriage do not need to get married. They can simply continue to have their casual relationships (and their multiple partners if they so desire)

§      A strong commitment and a high level of preparation should also ensure that couples do not make mistakes in choosing partners. The most pressing cases would involve marriages with children as now the children become unwitting parties to the pain of separation and the dissolution of the family structure.

§      Even in cases without children, divorces are painful and inflict a high level of trauma often involving legal proceedings and protracted contests in the division of matrimonial assets.

§      This is in addition to the huge social stigma attached to the failed marriage by society. Even without the role of religion frowning upon divorce, employers take note of such private affairs because one wonders how an individual can take of the company when one cannot even take care of household matters.

§      The sharing of troubles and difficulties between married couples should not be seen as an obstacle for remaining committed to each other, instead it should be seen as a celebration for love. Love entails sacrifice and the placement of the welfare and well being of the significant other over those of the individual.

§      Couples who divorce each other frivolously or when the first instance of trouble arises (as seen by many high profile Hollywood personalities’ marriages), simply have no love between them. Such people who keep changing partners only perpetuate a series of self-serving, selfish and hence temporary unions that only serve to produce more heartache and suffering all around.

§      Life long marriage imposes a beneficial morality to those involved. By having marriage, people are compelled to behave in a responsible manner. This gives structure and meaning to their lives which in turns makes the family unit a basic and stable unit of society.

Arguments against

§      Note that the operative term is ‘realistic’. Arguments calling for the steadfast and rigid adherence to a partner for life are more idealistic than practical and that the cost and effort needed to achieve an idealistic state of union may be more counterproductive and ultimately unattainable in reality.

§      The people change argument: Change is inevitable and a necessary part of life. Although couples can evolve together, there are times when this is not possible or practical. Differences may be irrevocable and as such, the married life becomes pointless.

§      This is especially so where there is animosity involved in the relationship. Sometimes the state of relationship has become so strained that staying together would ensure only more hardship for those involved.

§      Some may say that couples should stay together for the sake of the children. Yet children in a strained household would surely suffer more if they constantly witness their parents fighting. Here, it is by far better to have children in a stable and cordial step-parent or single parent household rather than a dual but quarrelsome household.

§      Changing expectations argument: Modern day societies in first world developed nations are no longer as conservative as in the past. There is less social stigma attached to divorces and separations. Employers are hardly in a possible to judge and they should know that people can keep their private lives separate from their professional lives.

§      This can be seen by the number of rising divorces. Hardly anyone batters an eyelid upon news of such statistics. People who divorce do not have their world crashing down on them permanently. In reality they have to pick up the pieces and move on.

§      Like it or not, marriage has become a major casualty of the cultural changes over the past few decades.  Modern life is more complex, lived at a faster pace, with more demands than in the past. Personal fulfilment has replaced economic security as the cultural basis for marriage.  Economic conditions have required most families to have both spouses in the paid workforce.  Legislation has made divorce easier to obtain.  Community supports for marriage have been weakened. The growing independence of women also means that marriages need not be economic shelters.

Things you can do on your GP blog

1) Practice writing

a) Paragraphs

§      Introduction paragraphs (attention grabber, thesis statement, how essay is organized)

§      Body paragraphs (Topic sentences and supporting sentences)

§      Concluding paragraphs (reiteration of claim, summary of argument, memorable last statements)

b) Practice Essay Outlines

§      Use the Toulmin Essay Outline/Structure

§      Practice specific parts of the outline, e.g. just focus on items like

o       Grounds

o       Warrants

o       Claims

o       Backing

o       Rebuttal

§      (Try to flesh out a paragraph or sentences that highlight these things)

c) Practice Vocabulary

§      Maintain your vocabulary journal online, list down interesting words (their definition and how they are used)

§      Practice sentences using these words/phrases

d) Practice a Whole Essay

§      Choose your own question or on some topic that you like and state your own points of view.

§      Choose a question from the ten year series

2) Practice Textual Analysis/Critical Reading

§      Provide a critique to an article that you have read (you can hyperlink your commentary/critique to that article)

§      Analyzing articles for usefulness in general paper issues (hyperlink such articles, state which GP topics do they correspond to, list down the points of view/arguments and other important information found in the article)

3) Research

§      List down all the interesting and useful points/facts/opinions/background information/statistics/evidence/testimonies/case studies, etc… on GP topics and issues (e.g. family, education, mass media, crime and punishment, etc…)

§      Establish a collaborative resource list with your classmates so that each can contribute to more information (such confidential information can be protected with a password)

4) Go and mark/comment on your friends work

§      Provide encouragement, positive comments, constructive feedback, etc… to each others blog.

Argument

Dealing with introductions

Working in groups

§     Revise among yourselves what an effective introduction should consist of. List down all the recommended items (think back to the lecture) 5min

§     Look thru a few articles (around 5, or one per person). Analyze the introduction. Is the introduction effective? What technique did the author use? Did the attention grabber work? (20min)

§     Look at the set of essay questions. Perform a QTK on a few questions (at least 3) (10min)

§     Select a particular question of your choice and write an introductory paragraph. (20min)

o       Start off with point forms first

o       Select an appropriate attention grabber

o       Include appropriate definitions

o       Attempt an argumentative stance (include qualifications if necessary, e.g. ‘…true to a certain extent’

§     Present your introduction (group presentation). Justify and explain the choices you have made for your introduction items.

Sample Questions on Family

50.       ‘Young people today have only desires but no ideals.’ Is this true of the     

 young people in Singapore? (YOUTH)

51.       Young people today know the price of everything but the value of nothing.  Discuss. (YOUTH)

52.       “Above all, be true to yourself.” How relevant is this advice to youths of your country today? (YOUTH)

53.       "Tiny tyrants who contradict their parents, terrorise their teachers and gobble their food." Why do more children in Singapore fit such a description and what can be done about this problem?  (YOUTH/PARENTING)

54.       Are children always a blessing? (YOUTH)

55.       To what extent do young people in your society take an interest in politics?

56.       To what extent are the young in Singapore favoured at the expense of the elderly?

57.       Is it true that the old must learn from the young?

58.       Consider the criticism levelled at young people that their only values are self-centred ones.

59.     How far would you agree that, in spite of all the changes in society, traditional values always remain the best?

60.       Discuss the view that children always suffer when both parents work.

61.       To what extent is a stable family vital for a successful society?

62.       ‘The family has suffered at the expense of career in Singapore’s society.’ Is this a fair comment?

63.       Is the idea of having one partner for life still a realistic one?

Some good introduction ingredients/attention grabbers

•         Provide some Factual Background

•         Open with an Appropriate Quotation

•         Share an Anecdote/ Story

•         Ask a Thought-provoking Question

•         Make a Personal Comment about the topic

•         Stress the Importance of the topic

Have you found good articles? Use the three step guide to make your assessment and evaluation.

Step one: Identify Arguments

1. Arguments deal with debatable issues
2. Arguments require evidence like statistics, empirical cases, experiences, values, beliefs and concepts
3. Arguments are generally complex and multi-faceted. Hence, don’t over generalise or be biased
4. Arguments require the use of logic

Step two: Relevance to GP issues

1. Understand better the world in which they live by fostering a critical awareness of continuity and change in the human experience
2. Demonstrate their understanding of the nature of knowledge by appreciating the interrelationship of ideas from across disciplines
3. Broaden their global outlook while enabling them to remain mindful of shared historical and social experiences both within Singapore and regionally

Step three: suggested topic areas

• Historical, social, economic, political and philosophical topics

• Science including its history, philosophy, general principles, current developments and applications

• Mathematical and geographical topics

• Literature and language

• Arts and crafts

• Topics of local interest and national concern.

Questions will not necessarily be set on every topic area. They will be general in nature and require candidates to draw on their knowledge from across disciplines as well as to show an awareness of current, global and significant local/national issues.

 (Taken from the A Level Syllabus)

Look at the article: “New Media: why young can’t tell good from the bad”. Read it carefully.

§    Use the handout “How to write a Critique” to help you in your reading.

§    Try out the steps listed (write it down during group discussion)

§    The most important part of the critique is the “Review and Evaluate” part. Spend the most time on this section.

 Additional Questions

§     Does this article spell out what “critical thinking skills” are?

§     What are the incidences of young Singaporeans not being able to discern from the ‘good, bad and ugly?’

§     Are there any statistics or figures to back up this claim? Where is the evidence?

§     Are any examples given? Of how young people are not able to discern? Of how there are not able to defend what they say.

§     Is it just that young people are unable to ‘discern’ or is the problem extended to older people as well?

§     What are the problems and risks created? Are they mentioned or elaborated upon?

§     What is the purpose of the conference “New Technologies and Social Change?”

§     What is the meaning of “growing atrophy” mentioned by Prof Lim? Is a definition given? Is an example given? Is it a fair statement?

§     Why aren’t any young Singaporeans mentioned or quoted? Why haven’t they been given the chance to defend themselves?

§     What is the point of mentioning the hiring of a blogger, Mr. Brown in this article? Does the hiring of one blogger justifiably bridge the distinction between ‘authenticity’ and ‘informality’

Application questions

§     How can such critical thinking skills be taught to the young in the area of the New Media?

§     Whose responsibility should it be for the teaching of such skills?

§     What can young people do in helping themselves?

§     How can we avoid ‘erecting a firewall between mainstream and alternative media’?

§     How can we increase the flow between the two?