Third Reflection For Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

For PBL, I have learnt that all problems can be resolved much faster and easier if we employ the FILA (facts, ideas, learning issues, action plan) chart. The FILA chart allows us to systematically analyse a problem by breaking it down according to the four steps towards resolving a problem. For facts, it is rather easy to come up with it although we should be careful not to assume things and treat them like established facts when they are not. For ideas, it would depend on our imagination, based on facts, to think of all the various situations that may arise as a result of the facts. Then, we would base our learning issues on ideas and ask questions to ourselves to broaden all the possibilities. Finally, we would come up with an action plan on what we need to do in order to answer all the questions raised at 'learning issues'. I have realised that each step depends on the previous step of the process. For instance, we come up with ideas based on the facts, and learning issues based on the ideas. 


I have used the PBL process in Internet Journalism and Advanced Journalism class and learnt one important thing throughout the course. If we do not use the FILA chart to approach a problem, we would tend to miss out certain considerations and ideas that are crucial for us to resolve the problem. 

CUBE Exhibition Showcases Urban Planning Ideas

CUBE 2011 Exhibition is now opened for public viewing till the end of February

From early February onwards, if you happen to visit Tampines Regional Library, you would definitely notice a huge exhibition that is on display on the first floor of the library. The Challenge For The Urban & Built Environment 2011 (CUBE) is an annual urban planning workshop and competition between tertiary-level students- involving 95 students from 13 local junior colleges and polytechnics- organized by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) as part of its yearly educational outreach. Its main purpose is to inspire the next generation to come up with new and exciting ideas to help shape the island’s urban landscape so as to make Singapore a better place to work and play in.

Participants were given a free hand in designing what they want to see in Singapore's landscape

The five day workshop and competition was conducted from 30 May to 3 June last year. During those five days, participants were educated on real-life urban planning issues and were equipped with the basics and skills on land uses and urban design. Participants were then asked to study urban planning cases at Fort Canning, Singapore River, the Civic District and Bras Basah to identify areas for improvement. The result was a series of models showing how students would like the places to look like in terms of land usage and mapping.

Madam Elizabeth Wong, who was one of the visitors to the free exhibition, believes that CUBE provides a good opportunity for youths to voice out their opinions on how they would like Singapore to look like by creating models of the island themselves.

“I like what I saw: the enthusiasm, creativity, the way those students took care of in terms of details…I find this a good opportunity for the young to convey to the relevant authorities on what they would like Singapore’s urban planning to be like in 5, 10 years down the road,” Madam Wong said.

Visitors to the exhibition were impressed by the level of detail of the models created entirely by students

“Initially when I first saw the models, I thought it was done by the URA or the HDB (Housing and Development Board). But when I read the details on the wall, I was amazed that all of these (models) were actually created by students from scratch,” said 26-year-old Gary Ng, a full-time soldier.

Visitors taking a closer look at the models.

For instance, Temasek Junior College (TPJC), one of the participating schools, came up with interesting ideas to revamp the Fort Canning area. The theme of their proposal is ‘Rekindling Old Memories, Creating New Spaces’ and it involves the building of a street market before the Capitol Building, with shop fronts facing onto the alleyways to breathe new life into the area. The building of an ‘urban foothill’ at the former site of the National Library was also proposed. It would be linked to the Fort Canning Hill, with a library at the basement as a tribute to the demolished landmark. With sunlight streaming in through the top, the library can offer a special ‘underground’ reading experience. The desired outcome would be to have a vibrant urban setting that offers visitors both the tranquility of Fort Canning and the lively buzz of the city.

The exhibition at the Tampines Regional Library is open to the public until the end of February. 

Tampines Eco Green Gets Few Visitors

Tampines Eco Green- The Biodiversity Haven in the East of Singapore

Since its opening in April last year, the Tampines Eco Green park- which is located just adjacent to the Tampines Biking Trail and Sun Plaza Park- has had increasingly few visitors. The once barren piece of land went through a period of development at the cost of S$3 million and opened with great fanfare, and was intended to serve as a place of tranquility where residents can gather to better appreciate nature and to relax their body and mind.

Nature is everywhere at the Tampines Eco Green

In the first few months since the park’s inauguration, dozens of families, adults and children alike, can be seen strolling through the park, which is essentially a biodiversity haven. The park features various natural habitats such as marshes, secondary rainforests, and freshwater ponds. More than 70 species of birds, 32 species of spiders, 13 species of dragonflies and 12 species of butterflies can also be found in various spots across the park. Key features such as a viewing platform, vegetated swales, and bird hides also helped to attract many visitors to explore nature in the park in the first few months since its opening.

However, in recent months, there has been a noticeable drop in visits to the 36.5-hectares park. During daytime, in which most of the visits occurs as there are no lighting in the park at night, there are frequent scenes of emptiness in the park, with barely a few people exploring the park.

54-year-old Alfred Lim, who exercises daily at the nearby Sun Plaza Park and often drops by the Tampines Eco Green, believes that although the park has lots of attractive sites, not many residents are interested in visiting the park for more than once.

“I love the park, but I don’t think many people shares this sentiment. Who would really visit the park after they had gone through it once and seen it all, besides me and a few other uncles?” quipped Mr Lim.

“This park is a very good place for me to go to after my morning exercises. I can stroll through the park, get intimate with nature, and cool down. There isn’t many people here too so I feel even more relaxed,’ he added.

Scenes like these- with few people strolling in the park- are common these days

Joyce Liew, an 18-year-old student who visits the park at least thrice a week, also believes that the reason why there are less visitors to the park these days is because the park lacks features that would attract multiple visits from the same group of people.

“I think the park has standard features and attractions which would pull people to visit and explore, since they may be curious. But I don’t think people will visit the park again and again, because they could get bored looking at the same things after the first few times,” she explained.

“But for people who just wants to relax and those who are deeply passionate about nature, they would frequent this park for many times,” she added.

Located conveniently for residents living in the East, Tampines Eco Green is expected to retain a core group of visitors

The attractions may not pull people to visit the park for multiple times, but its main purpose- as a place of tranquility where residents living nearby can gather to appreciate nature- remains attractive to selected groups of people, such as photographers and nature lovers, says Jessie Toh, a 26-year-old working mother of two children aged 4 and 6.

“I have noticed that there are few people in this area whenever I visit. I live nearby and I visit the park about twice a week with my husband and two kids. But I think there will still be a core group of people interested in coming to this place over and over again. People such as photographers…they may visit the park to take photos of the freshwater ponds and birds to add to their collection, and nature lovers may also visit this place numerous times considering this park is quite rich in biodiversity,” she explained.

Despite the fall in visitor numbers, Tampines Eco Green, which is located conveniently for residents living in eastern Singapore, is still expected to remain an attractive place for the foreseeable future.

How Much Do Singaporeans Know About Total Defence?

The Total Defence logo, with the five arrows representing the five aspects of Total Defence

Singapore will mark its annual Total Defence day on Feb 15, amid tighter security around the world in recent years due to fears of terrorism. Introduced in 1984, and drawing inspiration from countries such as Switzerland and Sweden, the concept of Total Defence provides the answer for a comprehensive and integrated national response to all types of national security threats and challenges. So how much do Singaporeans actually understand about Total Defence? According to a public survey of some 30 people, only 40% of respondents actually know the basics of Total Defence.

 Mr Tan Shao Han believes every Singaporean can play a part in the defence of Singapore

When asked what the five pillars of Total Defence consists of, only half of the respondents managed to name 3 or more pillars of Total Defence. Among those who have the right answers is Mr Tan Shao Han, a primary school teacher. “Well, Total Defence is a campaign that is for the defence of Singapore. It is intended to make Singaporeans prepare for any eventualities or threats that we as a society may face in the future,” he says.

However, not all respondents actually understand the significance of Total Defence. Ms Tiffany Poh, a secondary two student, believes that Total Defence is an annual event that begins and ends on Feb 15 itself. “I think Total Defence…we have one day that we celebrate it, it happens every year. We have to prepare for war on that day,” she said.

So what are some of the things that an individual can do to contribute to Total Defence? According to Mr Tan, each and every Singaporean has a role to play in safeguarding Singapore’s wellbeing.

“We can take up specialized skills such as first aid, fixing broken things. All these little things can help Singapore to manage and survive and emerge well after a disaster, whether it’s man-made or natural. This complements what our army is doing, and that is to protect our borders. We can do a lot as individuals,” said Mr Tan.

The army cannot be everywhere at the same time

“We should be vigilant when we are in public, look out for suspicious people, and bombs. You’ll never know what’s going to happen. The army cannot be all over the place at the same time, so we as members of the public should be vigilant and report anything suspicious to the authorities,” said 48-year-old housewife Ong Mei Feng.

‘Singaporeans should visit the community centres more often, so that they’ll know about the latest happenings in their community. Staying updated about what is going on around you is one way to contribute to national security,” said Melvin Ng, a self-employed 30-years-old.

The five pillars of Total Defence includes military, civil, economic, social, and psychological defence. Every year, NEXUS, a government agency previously known as the Central National Education Office, would organize a Total Defence Campaign on Feb 15 to promote public awareness and support for the Total Defence of Singapore. The date is specially chosen to remind Singaporeans of the dire consequences they face should Singapore fail to defend itself like it did on the same day in 1942 when it fell to the Japanese. At noon, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) would sound the Important Message Signal via the island-wide Public Warning System (PWS) sirens and through all local radio stations. Residents would then listen in on what to do for the three different types of PWS signals.  

Sources of photo(s):


- 'The Total Defence logo, with the five arrows representing the five aspects of Total Defence'
http://www.ne.edu.sg/images/TDlogo08.gif


- 'The army cannot be everywhere at the same time': http://sgstb.msn.com/i/BA/B3A73B911027CA73119D7017731E.jpg

Second Reflection For Problem-Based-Learning (PBL)

I have learnt that problem solving requires a certain degree of analysis that goes beyond just understanding the facts of a problem. Understanding the facts is the first important step towards resolving the problem, but one also has to generate ideas and ask questions, taking into consideration all the aspects of a problem. One should look at the problem from different perspective and generate ideas. More importantly, one should open up his mind to all the possibilities regarding a problem so that it would be easier to resolve them.

First Reflection For Problem-Based-Learning (PBL)

After the first tutorial session on PBL, I have learnt that in order to solve any problem, one has to
break down the facts into short and concise points so that one can easily and systematically analyse 
the problem. I have also realised that the PBL process makes problem-solving easier and the solution more balanced by allowing one to look at the problem from different perspectives, as was the case of Andy and Yummy Bakes, where I had to look at the problem from the viewpoint of both Andy and the bakery shop, and ask questions to both parties. I have also learnt that the PBL process can be applied to other everyday problems, and is therefore very relevant and beneficial to me now and in the future.