This is a joint blog shared by 2 lazy pple - Ciping & Wilbur, who wishes to use each other to maintain the blog. Sadly, Ciping is the more inactive one and Wilbur does most of the work in the end. Feel free to post comments on the tag-board, it feels good to know pple are actually reading and responding to your posts. It gives motivation to write more.
Just 1 last lap to freedom.
1 last hurdle to cross.
1 last examination (this year only) to take.
PW.. Pointless Work.
I just felt an overwhelming sense of sarcasm today when my CT asked during our rehearsal, " .... so, don't you think your project is rather to pointless??"
Perhaps he wasn't refering to me. Perhaps he heard someone else refer to PW as pointless work. But as a computing teacher, he probably does read blogs.
So, whether be it for him, or for any pro-PW people that happens to chance upon this blog; I'd like to explain my rationale behind this 'pointless work' concept of PW.
Firstly, defining 'pointless work'. Pointless Work, cannot be taken in its full entirety of meaning. It is to a certain extent, an exaggeration, since there cannot be anything in this world that exists without any reason. But in saying, 'pointless work', I mean to say that Project Work is to a certain extent, pointless, otherwise, meaningless.
Firstly, let us consider the initial GRAND idea for PW. It is to teach students skills which they cannot absolutely learn through their normal academic subjects. It includes critical thinking, combining different skills, communications skills, how to work with others, considering and forecasting results before working on something...
But that is just the ideal situation. How many of us have seen groups which 'fake out' survey results? Or maybe.. exagerate results?
How many of us, if we conduct surveys, actually bother to analyse exactly how many people we should survey and how we should survey them?
How many of us will bother to carry on our project (if we believe it is for the greater good of society), if PW did not exist, or even after our PW?
We might have, at some point of time, believed in our project. But the concept of an examination.. simply may have just ruined whatever belief we had.
Too short and too long.
I've seen many groups who have implemented their project in some way or another, but I've yet to see any truly successful one. Every implementation has their own failures and limitations. Should the group do it again, it would most likely succeed the next time. But that means they'd need 1 more year - too short.
The group would probably have some leftover time after implementing in the 1st time, but not enough time to slowly revamp the whole idea to make it more suitable since they'd have to work on their written report etc. Therefore, they would have spare time hanging, waiting for PW to just quickly end. But unable to do much either - too long.
Those are my reasons for believing that PW is pointless. Of course, there is 2 sides to a coin. However, should you want to know the other half, I'm sure you can easily find out from any teacher, yes, very easily. But what's the use of singing along to the tune of the government all the time? Or in this case, the MOE?
But perhaps PW would have more practical usage than your academic subjects. But then, in Singapore, anything that can get you a cert, would probably be the most practical.
Ok, I've said my piece. Now, I don't believe I'm making a totally pointless accusation. At least I've bothered to explain a little about my claims. And my complaints are just a teeny weeny echo of the thousands of complaints about PW I hear perpetually.
Hopefully my life won't be made difficult just because I'm not pro-PW.
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