the published and unpublished works of angeline koh

I wrote this in response to requests from friends for help with their project papers
© Angel’s original . Written 21 December 2003

Sweating over your course project paper? Here are some helpful steps you can take to make the writing process an enjoyable one.

A. Planning

A1. Start early . I can’t emphasis this enough. Most lecturers give out their project topics early in the course. Know what is required of you. Ask your lecturer to clarify if necessary. Pace yourself out to ensure that you meet your deadline.

A2. Pick a topic that you are personally interested in or passionate about . Remember, you will be stuck with the subject for some time. An interest in the subject helps.

A3. Establish the purpose of your essay . What are you trying to say or prove? Can you state this in a sentence or two? No amount of padding can rescue your paper if you are unclear about your objective.

A4. Brainstorm . Jot down everything that comes to mind. I find mind mapping a helpful tool at this stage.

A5. Draw out an outline or framework for your article . Decide on how much space you will allot to each point, depending on its importance. At this stage, it would be helpful to show your proposal or draft to your lecturer to ensure that you are on the right track. I have found lecturers extra helpful when they meet with conscientious and interested students.

B. Perspiration

B1. Do your research . Be an expert in the subject, almost to the point where you feel you can teach it. Find more material than you need as it gives you a wider range of what to use when you finally put your paper together.

Search the Net. Check out the library. Talk to people in the field. Personally interview experts on the subject. Draw from your own or other people’s experiences. Write them down!

A word of caution here – beware of plagiarising. Lecturers and experienced readers can easily spot a cut-and-paste job. Some telltale signs include inconsistent writing styles, tenses and disjointed flow of thought.

B2. Take time to process the thoughts and ideas you have come up with . Look at them from a fresh angle and rephrase them in your own words. Keep the ideas flowing. Keep writing and don’t stop to edit your first draft. Leave that for a later stage.

C. Patience

C1. Allow the thoughts to incubate . When I think I am done with my first draft, I like to leave my article aside for a few days. Our amazing brain is capable of organising information in our minds to make things fall into place. Fresh ideas and perspective often surface after a break. It would also be helpful to allow your lecturer to comment on your work at this stage.

C2. Do several rounds of editing to ensure that there is a logical flow of thought from sentence-to-sentence and from paragraph-to-paragraph. Make sure that your article aligns with the objective of your paper.

C3. Eliminate (or at least minimise) typographical and grammatical errors .

D. Presentation

D1. Get someone to edit and proofread your work . Writers are too close to the article to spot mistakes. Attach all necessary appendices and references.

D2. Give your paper a nice finesse. It should look neat, readable and ecstatically pleasant. Select a clear and readable font size (11-12 point size is good). Check your margin setting, paragraphing, pagination, line spacing and colour. Conform to specifications given by your lecturer if any. The quality of your work is a reflection of you. Take pride in yourself and what you do.

I trust you these pointers will help take some of the sweat out of writing and make the process more enjoyable for you. All the best in your paper!

Never let school interfere with your education — attributed to Mark Twain
© Angel’s original . Written 21 March 2003
Published in Horizons, May-June 2003
Magazine of The Management Development Institute of Singapore

How fun it has been to go back to school! In less than a month, I will be completing a year of Diploma studies in Mass Communications at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). The last time I engaged any formal education prior to MDIS was when I took my G.C.E. “O” levels more than 20 years ago!

Back then, my parents and teachers had to push me to take my studies more seriously. I was young, a slow starter and enjoyed playing more than studying. I did not see the value of education and so was not motivated to give my best to it. The fact that my learning style did not match the way things were taught in school also did not help the situation.

I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “Never let school interfere with your education.” Since I leaving school more than 20 years ago, I have not stopped learning! I am very grateful to have a second go at attaining further formal education. MDIS is just another building block in my passion for lifelong learning and personal development.

Studying still is hard work. But what a difference a change in attitude and motivation makes. I would like to make my life count, education is one way I can better develop myself for this end.

Here are four paradigms that have helped me:

A # Paradigm 1: Accept responsibility for your own learning
No one can do our learning for us. No matter how well (or how badly, I might add) a teacher might teach, the responsibility of learning always falls on us as students. Ask and keep asking if you do not understand something.

B # Paradigm 2: Build a network of friends
You can learn better with others. One of the many things I have especially appreciated from my year at MDIS are the friends that I have made along the way. Our lecturers are not the only ones we can learn from. As adult learners, our class comprise people from all walks of life and professions. They each open up a new world for me.

The study group that I am a part of is an unusual one in that our members are big hearted about sharing helpful websites, information, notes and resources with each other. We are sparring partners, discussing our lessons, keeping pace and mutually encouraging each other. The members tap on the strengths of each other and help the weaker ones along. We read each other’s assignments, giving feedback and sharing resources whenever we happen to stumble upon topics relevant for our friends.

For me, success is not just about me making the grade, but also seeing my friends make it too.

C # Paradigm 3: Concentrate on growth, not merely on grades
While good grades are important, the process by which we acquire them are even more important. This process includes for instance, the private discipline of reading, research and review. It also means attending and participating in class activities. These disciplines help us to understand and have a better handle of the subjects we are studying. There are no short cuts or substitutes!

When scoring “A’s” is all that matters, our tendency will be to study only to do well for our exams and nothing more. This I believe is short sighted and short-changing ourselves. Education is not about being able to regurgitate facts that we have memorised for our examiners. Rather, it is about acquiring and applying knowledge, understanding and wisdom for our lives.

D # Paradigm 4: Develop character
Seven of the eight subjects that we covered for the Mass Communication course had a topic that dealt with ethics. This is very telling indeed! In the marketplace, it is not often that we find people who are not only skilled, but who are also honest and compassionate in their dealings with other people.

Student life is a microcosm of the big-fish-eat-small-fish business world. Cheating, cutting corners, or plagiarising are some of the common temptations students face. To make our lives count and to be a well-rounded person, I believe that we need to be people who are honest, upright and compassionate. Student life is a good time to develop these character traits in order to better prepare us for the marketplace and for life.

“Never let school interfere with your education!” Happy studying and may you enjoy your lifelong learning and development and excel in all your pursuits at MDIS.