INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Being on my first trip to China, there seemed to be a lot to expect for the trip but at the same time, knowing near to nothing about the country and making the decision upon going for this OIP trip makes one hungry for knowledge about the country we’re about to explore. I aim to learn about the different culture in a masculinity society like China and observe the differences in their behavior and lifestyle. Besides that, knowing the fact that China is somehow leading the World’s economy, I hope to learn how the respective systems in China (Education, Transport) are being managed such that the Country is pretty well developed. As a student going over to Tianjin for cross-culture interactions, not only should we gain new skills and knowledge, I think we should also find out how the students in Tianjin spend their daily leisure and Curriculum time. And whether is it similar to the life of a Singaporean student. From seasons, eating habits, power distance or even the simplest facts about Tianjin seemed so vague and unknown at the moment but at the end of the trip, I am sure all the doubts will be cleared. What motivates me to learn is not only the fact that in the near future, we might be working with a Chinese partner and such invaluable experience during the trip may be applicable when the time comes, but with the growing excitement within to learn new skills and gain new knowledge act as the driving engine to make me hungry for the upcoming learning experiences ahead. Not only can we use the skills and knowledge learnt from the trip to share my experiences with my fellow school mates, the process of learning will allow me to learn more effectively and explore new ways to improve my way of learning. Also, going onto such OIP trip allows me to be more independent and improve on my sense of responsibility. I hope to learn to prioritize my own tasks and manage my time in order to make the fullest use of my 5 weeks in china and make this trip a fulfilling and enriching one.

FOCUS OF INQUIRY

5 weeks in Tianjin may be too short to find out everything that I’m interested in. Thus, choosing particular areas to explore on would be a good and effective way to inquire about my area of interest. To be more precise, Culture of Tianjin, Tianjin’s students’ lifestyle, Transportation/Education systems would be the main area of exploration in these short 5 weeks of my OIP trip.

QUESTIONS FOR INVESTIGATION

- What are the main mode(s) of transport in Tianjin?

- Singapore have our main education system like Primary, secondary, poly or tertiary education.What about tianjin?(Is it very competitive to study in China since the population is so huge?)

- Do students in China have CCA like us?How many hours of commitments do they have to commit.

- What are some of the unacceptable behaviours in their Country?(culture& behaviour)

- Does parents have high expectations of their children since young?What kind of expectations does they set on them?

- Is there any ways they think that are not yet ideal about their managing systems in Tianjin?(E.g Transportation system not efficient enough?)

- Do they usually eat their dinner as a family(Since Chinese is very particular about values such as elderly respect and family bonding) or it’s alright for them to eat individually?

By getting the answers to the above questions, I will be able to extend my knowledge on Tianjin and will be able to work better in the future if I were to come into business contact with a Chinese Business man or even going over for any interactive trips. Understanding the culture and industrial operations of a foreign country will make work much easier.

DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL SKILLS

As for the global skills, I think being more open-minded, building up inter-personal skills and comfort level with strangers is the major areas to improve and acquire on. As one steps into the working society, or even at the current level where we will need to work together with different people all over the world to complete certain task, such global skills are essential. Being more open-minded will aid in you working in this modern society. Reason being, when you are partnering with a group of people, one should be more open to other’s views and suggestions on certain topics so as to not limit yourself to your own opinions. In this way, you’ll be able to explore and realize other innovative ways in getting a different result. Inter-personal skills play a major role in the working environment. The levels of success rely pretty heavily on that and thus, I find it really important for an individual to improve on one’s inter-personal skills so as to work better with my working partners. Lastly, comfort level with strangers have to be greatly improved on as we have to constantly step out of our comfort level and work with different groups of people. If one were to be comfortable working with anyone, this factor will works hand in hand with inter-personal skill and make it a more smooth-sailing journey when I step into the working industry. Being able to communicate well and building a good relationship within your working environment will definitely play a minor role in my day-to-day happiness in the future.

LEARNING STRATEGIES

There are lots of ways to learn but the most effective way is not only to learn hard, but to learn SMART. Prior to the trip, I went to research and discover a book about Tianjin’s history and local places of attractions. Despite of struggling a little while reading the book which is written in Chinese characters, the contexts in it allows me to have a brief idea of what to expect for the trip. Reading books is a way, but it can be really dry and boring at times. Different people learn differently and for me, I learn best when I get to hear, watch and do. Thus, watching videos of Tianjin from online websites and of course experiencing new things personally will allow me to learn more effectively. Picking myself up along the way will not only make me realize the right things to take note of but at the same time, allow me to learn more.

All in all, I am sure the whole Tianjin OIP trip experience will speak for itself and having the above learning plan will facilitate in my learning and constantly act as a reminder for me so that I won’t go off track of my learning objective.