O Level: What is the role of co-curricular activities in education?

Imagine a school without co-curricular activities. Students only need to study and produce top grades. Would you like to enrol in such a school? Definitely, I would not. School would end up dull and dreary.

 

Although co-curricular activities are usually compulsory, they are offered to the students a wide array of choices such as sports, musical activities, debate, community service, religious study groups, entrepreneur projects, military cadet activities, drama, science clubs, and hobbies such as gardening, crafts, cookery and dance. These activities are not examined in the same way that the academic curriculum is, and most of them take place outside lessons. Even though such activities have less status in education than the main curriculum, they are often held to be very important to the wider education of young men and women. Co-curricular activities play an important role in providing students with a rounded education, a healthier body and a more balanced personality.

Firstly, co-curricular activities provide a rounded education for children. The normal curriculum can only teach and educate students about academic theories and concepts, but students whose only experience of school or college is one of rigid academic study may not be able to apply what they have learned in practice. So, co-curricular activities encourage a diverse range of skills and methods of learning that encompass the diverse needs of students. Through co-curricular activities, they can learn many skills like teamwork, practical business skills and valuable communication skills.

Co-curricular activities also have important health benefits. Most co-curricular activities are physically active and this is extremely important for general health. For example, sports clubs and teams train students vigorously to be physically agile and active. Therefore, participating actively in the CCAs will help to create physically fit individuals. Since schools have a pastoral duty to consider the well-being of their pupils which includes physical health and practical abilities, CCAs fit the bill of such needs .

Co-curricular activities can encourage interpersonal interactions that are good for building a strong civil society. Activities offered in school are vital in providing opportunities to learn the diverse skills that helps to equip young people with the civic spirit, initiative and organizing skills to help set up their own clubs and plan teams activities through social interaction. Proper communication skills learned benefit students greatly when they leave education. Thus, co-curricular activities have wider social implications than the academic curriculum.

In conclusion, every child and young person is entitled to experience a broad general education. A career is not the most important part of an adult's life. Schools need to make sure they have interests and skills that will help them in their family and leisure lives too. Through a balancing of academic and extra-curriculum, the students have the chance to exercise their rights to have a rounded education, a healthier physique and a wonderful personality.

 

Tan Zuxuan

How does technology help young people become entrepreneurs?

2/4/2012 Lower

How does the technology make it easier for young people to be entrepreneurs?

Introduction

Background	Today, technology has become a vital force in all businesses.
Detailed background	This can be seen clearly therough the way businesses use e-commerce, blogging, twitter and facebook to promote their goods and services.
THESIS	These have definitely helped young people to do business.
Outline	I shall now discuss how technology, via Internet tools, has provided this platform for the young to become enterpreneurs more easily.

Body Paragraph 1

Main Point 1	Firstly, the introduction of the Internet online market place has provided businesses a common marketplace to peddle their goods and services.
Example 1	The most common example is the e-bay, an online auction and shopping website.
Discussion 1	eBay's business is to give entrepreneurs and sellers a place to reach buyers, and to give buyers access to the world's largest collection of things for sale. Thus, youngsters who want to venture into the business world of buying and selling will be able to do so very easily.
Real-life example 1	For example, a 23-year-old Corey Kossack has founded a company that sold more than $1 million worth of products on eBay in less than 2 years.
Conclusion	Since the world is the market now, it is easier for youngsters now to locate the interested consumers far more easily now than before.

Body Paragraph 2

Main Point 2	Besides providing a ready marketplace for young entrepreneur, the online market has also reduce the cost of business operations greatly.  Rental of stalls or shops are also deemed unnecessary as a result.
Real-life Example	A good example is a Singapore online store, MotherNeeds.  It is started by a young mother who saw a niche market for breastfeeding mothers who need nursing apparel.
Discussion	MotherNeeds operates from home and does not operate from the traditional brick and mortar concept.  This saves the business owner a high amount of rental costs and enables the goods to be sold more cheaply.
Conclusion	Hence, it is clear that technology via the Internet has helped young people save high business costs and provides a good breeding ground for new start-ups.

Body Paragraph 3

Main Point 3	Furthermore, the introducion of safe on-line payment allow business transaction to be carried out with ease.
Example	An example is the Pay-pal.  Pay-pal is a money transfer site which allows an individual to make online purchases.
Discussion	Since consumers can now pay for items that they fancy on internet via such monetary arrangement, they can buy any product from anywhere in the world. Young people, as a result, also benefit greatly as there is a much wider market and do not have to worry about not being paid for the products and services.
Real-life example	Mr Valden Ulman, a IT student in Central Russian, can now provide his IT design services to his clients via a website called www.guru.com.   In fact, he now has so much business that he needs to engage more staff.
Conclusion	Thus, technology can help young people who can safely receive the payment for their good and services even if their consumers are across the globe.

Concluding Paragraph

Answer to the question	From the above analysis, technology has really helped young people to become business people better.
Summarize the 3 body paragraph	The introduction of a world-wide marketplace, the reduction in operating business cost and the ease of e-payment have caused a ballooning of young people doing business on their own, either as a sideline or as a full-time job.
Prediction/ Recommendation Afterthought	In future, there will definitely be more young people who follow suit and become businessmen.  Who knows?  One may even be the next Bill Gates.

Why Should Students Wear Uniforms?

In the past, only students at parochial or other private schools wore uniforms. However, more public schools in districts across the country have made them mandatory. There are many compelling reasons to keep this policy in place.

1. Policy Origins

   • Long Beach, California's Unified School District began testing a mandatory uniform policy during the 1993-1994 school year. Students in 11 grade schools participated in the pilot program, following a scaled-down version three years before in the same district. Administrators were pleased with the results. After two years, they claimed a 70 percent decrease in crime in district schools. Officials continue to analyze the program's effectiveness.

   Safety

   • One major reason for Long Beach's implementation of the program was gang activity. Clothing colors often indicate membership in a specific gang, so eliminating that element could be one reason for the decline in school violence. Sexual assaults have also decreased in the district, which some attribute in part to the absence of provocative clothing in the classroom. Uniforms also mean that crimes related to status-symbol clothing are a thing of the past.

   Focus on Learning

   • When everyone wears the same clothes, students have one less distraction in the classroom. Students can focus more easily on the lesson, which means teachers can stay on track as well.

   Focus on the Person

   • When students wear uniforms, more energy is directed toward the internal and away from the external. Uniforms allow children to focus on classroom discussions, rather than what they and others are wearing. When they can no longer rely on clothing as an identifier, students might realize that they have more to offer than wearing the "right" clothes.

   Equality

   • While some children use clothing to boost their confidence, others' self-esteem suffers because they can't afford nice clothes. Uniforms remove this social barrier, putting everyone on equal ground. Uniforms help children whose parents can't afford, or simply don't want to buy, expensive clothes. Almost as importantly, uniforms de-emphasize clothing as a means of conformity.

   Economic Benefits

   • Although an initial output is required for the purchase of uniforms, the burden of buying multiple outfits for everyday school use is removed. Additionally, schools sometimes provide financial assistance to families who need it. Uniform recycling among students is another way families can save, especially because grade-school children can outgrow clothes quickly.

   Simplicity

   • Uniforms are easier for the student and the parent. No thought needs to be put into what will be worn the next day. Additionally, most uniforms are machine-washable, and often made from wrinkle-resistant fabrics such as polyester blends.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_5438649_should-students-wear-uniforms.html

The curse of the beauty quest

Filipino Herbert Chavez (centre) has undergone a series of surgeries to look like his idol, Superman. (AFP file photo)

By Deborah Choo | Yahoo! Newsroom – Fri, Oct 21, 2011


As the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

But to first capture your beholder’s attention, multiple research studies have shown physical attractiveness remains a key component – especially the impression created in the first five minutes. Competition is high, and an increasing number of people are not hesitating to turn to cosmetic surgery to boost their chances in the dating game. A quick fix that promises supposed permanency.

Singapore’s medical tourism industry, widely known for its forte in cosmetic surgery and high-class health examinations, drew over 410,000 medical tourists annually.

Women, men and even teens as young as 14 years old are jumping on the bandwagon. According to The Straits Times early this year, a check with nine plastic surgeons and aesthetic doctors showed an increase of about 30 per cent in the number of clients under the age of 21 over the past five years.

Popular cosmetic surgeries include face lifts, Botox, double eyelid procedure, breast implantation, nose jobs, and liposuction. A brief check with renowned plastic surgeon Dr Woffles Wu’s website revealed that a double eyelid procedure could cost between S$3,300 to S$5,100, a nose job between S$5,300 to S$11,500, depending on the technique of your choice. Of course, the prices vary from clinic to clinic. For a Botox at David Loh Surgery Aesthetics Clinic in Singapore, it is priced at SGD $800 for women, but for men it costs about twice as much.

But is the phenomenal craze in the quest for “beauty” a curse or a saving grace?

In January last year, the death of 44-year old Franklin Heng, CEO of YTL Pacific Star, after a liposuction treatment stunned everyone. But of course, the issue at the heart of debate after his death was fixated on the fact that Heng did the procedure at a general practitioner’s clinic and not a plastic surgeon’s office. At the moment, licensed general practitioners are only allowed to remove 1-kilogram of fat.

In other cases, surgical risks that may occur include permanent scarring, bleeding, infection, nerve damages, and in the case of breast augmentation – sensory damage around the operation site, and discoloration of the skin to name a few. Sometimes in the case of facial plastic surgery, it can lead to noticeable tissue damage, unnatural looking features and premature aging.

Just last week, another glaring issue surfaced. Two plastic surgeons were found for professional misconduct for the use of injecting animal foetal cells to perform cell therapy. Both Dr Martin Huang Hsiang Shui, who practises at The Cosmetic Surgery Clinic at Paragon, and Dr Jonathan Lee Yi Liang, who practises at True 'Est in Ngee Ann City, were found guilty of the same charge and fined S$5,000 and S$2,000 respectively.

Yet despite the risks to undertake, and the dubitable reputation of certain medical practitioners involved, why is it then that this million-dollar industry is still thriving?

In fact, its business is proving to be unstoppable in this Internet age. When speaking to People’s Daily Online this year, Dr. Andrew George Tay, a plastic surgeon at Novena Medical Center, attributed this trend to greater awareness of plastic surgery.

One particular group that is highly credited for such endorsements are bloggers, some of whom are not hesitant to seek for sponsorships on a boob or nose job in exchange. Celebrity blogger QiuQiu and famous local blogger Xiaxue had both admitted to receiving sponsorships.

And why not? It’s a triple-win situation; the blogger gets a free surgery (and perhaps modeling and acting opportunities), the readers get to assess the results for themselves without any costs incurred, and the practitioner gets more customers.

To what end, one might wonder in our endless pursuit for what society perceives as “beauty”?

Filipino Herbert Chavez took it to a whole new level. A self-professed beauty pageant trainer living in Calamba Laguna, Manila, he had undergone a series of surgeries for his nose, cheeks, lips, from chin down to his thighs and most strikingly his skin color to look none other like his fantasy idol Superman.

Everyone wants to feel beautiful, and to be loved. Skin deep beauty, however, is only temporary against the works of nature. Like US-based author Kate Angell once said, “Outer beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates.”



Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/the-curse-of-the-beauty-quest-.html