Assignment 3: can genetically modified food feed the world?

Summary

One if the main benefits if genetically modified food is that it can help alleviate world hunger. Genetically engineered traits make plants and animals more resistant to disease and grow more robustly. It is cheaper to grow, increase yield and extend the time food remains edible. Genetically modified food produce more food for the world. The development of genetically modified food help companies increase revenue. Genetically modified food can effectively solve the problems of third world hunger.

Reader Response 

We think that genetically modified food alone can solve the problem of hunger in poor nations. Genetically modified food(GM) is the fastest way to produce animals and plants with specific beneficial traits. This will definitely reduce hunger in poorer nations as they will be able to obtain food without worries. By having specific traits in certain plants or animals, consumers would have better nutritional value intake compared to those who does not. The article stated, 'many of the world's poorest countries have set up onerous regulations that prevent the growth and import of GM food and crops.' Regarding organizations who produce GM food, they are unable to export the food to the countries who rejects them. Many of which are countries such as Africa, who requires the GM food. We cannot be sure that GM food will definitely contribute to solving the problem of hunger in the poorest countries in the future. As of now, we believe that it does have the potential to do that. Mentioned in the article, 'No conclusive evidence was found that GM crops have so far offered solutions to the broader socioeconomic dilemmas faced by developing countries.' However, this is due to political issues, denying organizations the rights to deliver GM food to needy countries. Even so, as of current technology, we believe that GM food will indeed solve the problem of hunger in the poorer countries as it is a fast and easily accessible way as long as the other party is willing.

Assignment 2: school league tables "encourage the selling of souls"

Summary
When there is the presence of school league tables, learning is inhibited, breadth diminished and advantage embedded. The school league tables encourage teachers to adhere to a prescribed body of knowledge, often without hesitation or deviation. It also encourage students to focus on learning a prescribed body of knowledge, to accept that education is about adding exams and that nothing else counts. It complicates the parents selection of schools by looking for schools that can get results. This may lead to the growth of a predatory tutoring system industry which will give the extra help necessary. Schools league tables encourage the selling of souls for the sake of publicity and creating a market edge. It has had a considerable drip down effect on publishers as they play on the anxieties or a captive market. It also provides an inaccurate means of selection for universities and employers.

Reader Response
I agree with the author that schools should not be ranked. When schools are being ranked, it can have detrimental effect on the society as a whole. The teachers will only be teaching students things that will increasing their ranking in the school league tables. On the other hand, the students can only learn from this prescribed set of curriculum and nothing else. This will prevent the curious students from asking tangential questions and limit their quest for knowledge. With the schools league tables present, the test becomes the driving force in teaching and learning and the process of learning in inhibited. In Singapore, there was a system that announced the PSLE and O'level top scorer every year since 1992 but it was abolished in 2012. Even in Singapore, the harmful effects of having such a system is quickly recognized and abolished before more harm could be caused. Thus, I agree with the author that schools should not be ranked.

Cheryl Goh 4C Shernice Phuah 4B

Assignment 1: It's Time to Shed "Innate" - Shernice Puah(4B) & Cheryl Goh(4C)

SUMMARY QUESTION:
Under old wisdom, a person either has talent or does not. Child prodigies exist as
their abilities appear so early in their life, the first instinct from everyone is normally 'in-born gift'. Conclusions have been made that intensive training is necessary for the acquisition of expertise, but we do not rule out the role of innate ability. Studies have now shown conclusively that mindset, nutrition, parenting, peers, media culture, time, focus, and motivation all profoundly effect the development of abilities. Ellen Winner calls innateness "atypical brain organization" in talented children. This can occur "as a result of genetics, the in-utero environment, or after-birth trauma." People have extraordinary abilities due to physiological differences in their brains. However, such brain differences do not create the ability but the opportunity for the ability to develop.
READER RESPONSE QUESTION:To what extent do you agree with the writer’s argument that achievement depends on attitude, resources and practice.
I agree to a large extent that achievement depends on attitude, resources and practice. For every achievement, hard work is put in to ensure that one is able to perform their best and accomplish their task to the best of their ability. Even though talent may play a part in one's achievements, it is still largely dependable on the effort put in and one's attitude towards their work. It is not only talent that is responsible one's achievements, how one optimize their resources to bring out the best of their work is also a huge factor. If one was to only depend on their talent, they would not be able to bring out their full potential, and are likely to always be at a lower standard than those who try their best and their hardest in accomplishing the task. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci who was mentioned in the article. He was not born a prodigy, and was not labelled 'talented' as a child, but in his adult years, he managed to paint beautiful paintings, and his work is still very appreciated and studied up till date. It is no doubt Leonardo had talent, but his passion for art and the effort he put in throughout his life to achieve his fame today is far more important and significant than the talent that only appeared in his later years. Talent is not the basic of an achievement, attitude, resources and practice are.

Shernice Phuah assignment 4

Some may argue that exams are a curse as weaker students may be easily discouraged if they do not do well in exams. This is because they will feel inferior to the rest and slowly widen the gap between their friends and themselves, due to the lost of motivation to study. Daveson Beron was found with a gunshot wound in the right temple after receiving failing grades. A laptop was found with a message written on its screen: "I'm sorry, I quit." However, what people fail to notice is that these exams should serve to motivate students to do better instead of bringing them down. If a student did badly in an exam, they should not be demoralized, rather they should be paying more attention in class so they can do better for their next exams. Thomas Edison once said "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." Having bad results does not serve to bring oneself down but rather to remind one that there are always room for improvements. Academically weaker students should be working towards a goal of improving instead of being down just because of bad results. Only when one puts their heart to it and strive to achieve their goal with perseverance can they succeed in achieving it, and this will in turn motivate the teachers to help them achieve the goal as well. Therefore, exams serve as a blessing because it allows one to be motivated despite their results and for both teachers and students to work towards a common goal.