PW - touch and go?

I've been doing discreet tracking of your academic progress so far and am pleased to say that many of you, by your industry, gratitude, sincerity and intelligence, have brought a smile to my days. Some encounters to share:

1. Several external partners / professionals whom you interviewed have given me feedback that they are deeply impressed by the amount of preparation you did before meeting them. Often they are heartened by your analytical approach to discussions and above all, by your sense of warmth, intelligence and decorum. A few of you were even given free luncheons by them! Record these moments on picture. They will bring special meaning long after your journey is over. By the way, many of them also commented they find you 'really cute...' It wasn't said with ambivalent intent but with genuine affection for your inimitable personalities & research endeavour. 2. Another group (ahem...a great soul in 6G) which unearthed solid secondary resources of his own for his group has asked me to share these materials with similar groups in greater need. It says alot about the values he lives by. I looked at this student from afar and know he will go even further in life. 3. Majority of groups are burning the midnight or 'late afternoon oil' to get their first draft in tip-top condition. I may not be always right but I also sense some groups are giving each other the mutual support everyone needs. The redrafts, stress, arguments and planning shared bear testimony to your capability to thrive in a working or professional environment in future where you will not always work with people you prefer. I acknowledge it is not always easy. Still, there is a quiet light beaming inside your lives amidst the templates, data, deadlines and the like. You'll have a chance to surface these imprints in a specially-tailored tutorial soon.

4. Some organisations have requested that you provide a transcript of the interview process. They have a right to do so as they do not wish to be misquoted. Do follow up. Beyond the all-important 'Thank-You' note, I would also like you to pass you to pass them a copy of your WR (CD rom?) once your mission is accomplished. Sadly, many still perceive PW as a touch-and -go subject full of armchair theorizing at work. Do correct this misconception. Others request for your report because they too believe in your task. Beyond the formal academic domain of this subject is a possibility that what you do may just be able to alter the environment or forward a cause in something that will benefit other lives. I believe in this cause. We walk the talk.

5. A handful have also received mild doses of sarcasm or the cold shoulder from respondents and interviewees. All this is part of real-world research. Do not be discouraged. Update me should you feel that your sources are 'drying up.' It is not the end of the road. No promises but I will see what I can do to help with my limited network. I encountered several obstacles in my research work as a undergrad and graduate student as well. I look forward to sharing these moments with you when time permits. I know what it's like to be there. I wish I had a group to lean on.

You need not look too far for yours'.

Beyond the WR, I want to say I am proud of your inner journey.

Keep at it. Don't lose heart.

Auspicium Melioris Aevi

Half of the Journey: 28 Jul

Communicate as Team:
Latest pointers on full WR draft (due 5 Aug 5pm) have just been emailed to your respective team resource member(s). See me if their identities remain a mystery to you. Some mails have bounced because mailboxes are left idle or are choked full. Looks like our early sessions on doves, eagles and other car parts (remember?) emerging in team work have become reality- bites for some, by now. Do look forward to a 'lesson' on EQ, self-growth (yes, it happens esp in PW) and group dynamics II soon.
Technical Matters:
In your first and full WR draft, kindly include the following to aid my marking

1. Declaration of word count at the close of each chapter.

2. In cases where pictures or images are used, acknowledge where source is taken from. Ensure they appear in the bibliography as well under the following categories. Books
-Magazines
-Research Journals
-Newspapers
-Internet
-Other sources

This excludes materials taken or developed by the group under which you acknowledge the source as your own eg RJ 123 etc.

3. Use of foot notes is strictly for citation of sources. In cases where you REALLY feel the need elaborate a point or define a crucial theoretical term, ensure you do not exceed two attempts per chapter. Examiners are irritated by groups that abuse footnotes in desperate attempts to conserve words in main text.

By the way, every group has been assigned an official group number by MOE. Ensure you receive yours' by this week. Your group number may be cited as a (copyright) source to accompany any original materials (pictures, graphs or templates) developed by the team for use in WR.

simply, animals

What might have been...if I majored in zoology or ethology....your projects and my vocational fantasies....

First I google. Next, I key in the name of the animal and 'conservation' plus 'pdf'...amazing...and this may only be the tip of the iceberg-

http://iucn.org/

http://iucn.org/?3522/Toothless-laws-fail-toothless-anteaters

http://www.waza.org/conservation/pfd%20magazine/Magazin%209/Carnivores%20and%20Pangolins.pdf

http://www.zoo.gov.tw/panda/english/documents/con_formosa_04.pdf

http://anthropology.tamu.edu/faculty/gursky/research/proposal02.pdf

http://www.careforthewild.com/files/slowlorisesflyer.pdf

http://msc.wcsindia.org/PDF/14_Swapna%20N.pdf

Enjoy!

Full WR: Before National Day

The FULL and COMPLETE draft for WR is to be submitted before National Day. We shall fix it at 5pm on 5 Aug 2009. Take the draft seriously, and treat it as a final copy you wish to submit for examination. This will result from less 'bloodshed' coming on my side. Some groups have been known to do very well by the time their second drafts are in . Enough credibility (high scores for SI, GI, EV and Org) has been achieved by the team. The feeling they get is immediate emotional relief plus deep intellectual satisfaction and team affirmation.

This means that intensive group consultations about argument, format & presentation, coherence, choice of pictures, graphs, analysis and citataions etc must be made way before the deadline. I am likely to reject last minute appointments during the second week of August as demand will be high. Priority will be given to groups on a first come, first served basis.

All groups are expected to come up with tight internal deadlines of their own to manage the pressure ahead. To obtain a distinction for PW as a whole, your score for WR must hit 20/24 at the very least. I am sure you want to do better than that. Enough samples are lodged in the library for your critique and inspiration.

Once again, all forms of data collection must end by the close of this month. Start working on chapters 2-5 from today.

Just 3 weeks more for the full report to be in.

Last minute work is always painful and you will get a shelling from me.

You know I dislike that.

Chapter One WR DUE 15 Jul Weds 2pm

Dear groupies

A necessary safeguard against procrastination.

A needed reward for groups itching to get on, now that their findings are almost done...

Deadline for WR Chapter One Draft

Weds. 15 Jul 2009. 2pm

Hardcopy. Duplex please. Font 12. Arial. Declare word count.

Follow rubric & guidelines (e.g. word limit and format) closely, as listed in notes, Raffles Connect and past year reports. This is an important chapter where key foundations are laid for the rest of your WR. Maintain high standards. Don't make me pick on any syntax or spelling errors or worse, conceptual flaws. Do it once and do it well. Continuous drafts can be draining on both parties.

Some groups have asked whether they are able to submit more than one chapter. Excellent. I like the spirit. Do it.

Pls consult your students' scheme of work very closely. You should not feel surprised about these deadlines as they have already been announced last term. And compromises have already been made on my part.

Team presentations will run in the same week.

The race has begun.Get organised. Pace yourself well...

work and run ahead for your desired distinctions,

together, as a team.

fresh updates: talk, advice and feedback

1. Sharing Session on Conservation of Historic Districts / Buildings

FRI. 10 July / LT 2.

3.30-5pm

I travelled to HK recently and took away some interesting pictures and reflections on conservation methods invested there. Do attend if you are keen.

2. Basic Expectations in Vetting and Consultation

Pls do not send anything to me (esp drafts to organisations) for vetting until you've done your part to revise the standard, format and protocol as listed in pw Raffles Connect. I am receiving bad drafts of very poor quality. Some even got the name of the college wrong! Please do not subject your tutor to these needless tasks.

3. Working with External Organisations

A complaint has been lodged by an external organisation about students' poor etiquette in making interview requests. Please be polite and learn to accept NO for an answer. Be gracious. Say thank you and look for an alternative source. This is real-world learning in the flesh. Safeguard the reputation of the college at all times. 'Thank-you...sorry...excuse me' are words with eternal value. Intellectual aggression and poor EQ get you nowhere.

WR consultations: what to bring

1. Each other.

You were placed in groups for a reason. It is a shared grade. And 5-4 brains are better than 2. A sign of commitment. My philosophy to 'teaching' pw:I look forward to learning something new about the topic from you each time we meet. Sadly, the reverse happens most of the time. Mutual engagement works wonders. Your brains will smile, not sulk.

2. Health check - your temperature readings

Sorry...this sounds legalistic but MOE has banned all large group meetings consisting of more than 30 pax. We are not affected. Make use of extra time on your hands now that CCAs have been temporarily suspended. Scramble to close any lapses which have occurred in your pw planning. Inform your team leader if you are feeling unwell and you are advised not to come for meetings. You don't want your entire group to be infected and put on home quarantine to continue your pw project.

2. Bring clear evidence of literature review

This refers to newspaper articles, excerpts from academic readings, case studies, reports (am ok with soft or hard copy) you will be using to score for SUBSTANTIATION of information used in your WR. Highlight sections (concepts, specific data or arguments) you wish to quote to back-up your WR or survey findings. Makes my job easier. I am trained in speed-reading. Don't worry. I want to be assured that your proposals and ideas are modified from interdisciplinary sources and real-world learning. Pictures are a bonus. 'Smoke-bombs' and superficial ideas get us nowhere.

3. Raw Data. This refers to summary of survey findings or interviews (transcribed for easy processing) which you may have completed.

Expect your proposals to evolve. For some, massive intellectual 'facelifts' will be made to push your groups to score well for WR. 40%. The As need to come from here. You will help me alot by doing your part to engage and sift your readings for good concepts and arguments. My role is that of a supervising tutor, not a team leader / member.

Items 1 and 2 are important. I understand that not every group has completed their data collection yet. I stress again that distinctions in PW are mostly determined by group effort followed by good literature reviews done on chosen topic. In terms of scoring, [GI, EV and Org] good grades for WR are always built on this foundation.

Book your appointments early. I do not favour last minute 'house-calls.'
I do not reside in college / bishan. Let us be fair & sensitive to all.

Pw cycle over the next 3 weeks will very intense for everyone. Some of you will be high-strung. A few groups may even panic while a strong handful will breeze through based on good effort put in over the last 4 months; minor touch-ups will do. Rejoice.

You reap what you sow.

You know where you belong.

You know what to build on.

What to avoid.

Third Week July: 5 min presentation per group

All groups are required to do a 5 minute presentation to update the class about the progress of their pw research. You may use pictures and key points (avoid chunky paragraphs) to showcase your raw data & insights. It will held during tutorials in the 3rd week of July (13-17 July). We are moving into OP preparation in some ways and this brief encounter will give me a good idea about your strengths or inadequacies as a speaker. No worries about the latter. We all started somewhere.

Restrict yourself to no more than 10 slides. Be succinct. You may cover the following areas.

• Conceptual Definitions to Topic & Rationale for topic chosen
• Links between TR1 and TR2
• Explain rationale behind proposal
• Preliminary Insights from data collection
• Strengths & Limitations

You may also use the format shown in Raffles Connect. This format is tailored to groups that have completed their data collection and are ready to present some aspects of their findings.

You may put your work in a thumbdrive or bring your own laptops.

On a gentle note, all groups are required to bring their own laptops for classes and consultations. As bookings for com labs are in hot demand this season, there is no guarantee that we can secure a lab for all lessons. This promotes ownership of your own work as well.

Kindly activate your floating slots for further consultations with me. This is the most intense period of pw where top marks need to be earned to secure your A grade for pwWR . 2 periods / week are insufficient due to the large number of groups / topics we are supervising. We seek your kind understanding on our workload.

You know your initiatives and spirit will be warmly appreciated.