-NiE ,
INTERMEDIATE Respect
29 MARCH 2017
9
Minding your P’s and Q’s HAVE most of us forgotten how to be polite to each other, and how to be courteous to people we meet and serve? Is the current generation guilty of not teaching the millennials the simple rules of minding their P’s and Q’s? Forget about giving another a “smile”. Do you agree that we seem to have forgotten how to say “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me”?
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking
● Identify ● Reason
Creative thinking
Problem solving
Communicating
● Brainstorm ● Connect ● Invent
● Question ● Research
● Aural
● Oral
In groups of five, cut pictures from The Star depicting different people participating in a variety of activities that show respect. Then, glue these pictures on to a manila board. Next, share as a class, the types of activities or pictures your team has found. Mount the posters under the heading “Ways We Show Respect”.
NiE Activity 2 Creative thinking
Problem solving
● Identify ● Reason ● Organise
● Imagine ● Brainstorm ● Connect ● Invent
● Question ● Research ● Recreate ● Present
Communicating
Collaborating
Critical thinking How easy was it to complete the NiE activity above? Do you think we Malaysians have lost our sense of courtesy? Read the following article by Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye that was published in the Views section of The Star on Jan 31, 2017.
● Oral ● Non-verbal ● Written ● Aural
● Listen ● Contribute
respectfully
● Compromise ● Attain goal
Malaysians are not minding their manners
NiE Activity 3 Critical thinking
● Identify ● Organise
Creative thinking
Problem solving
● Connect ● Invent
● Present
Turn on the radio these days and you can hear many of these non-commercial ads dedicated to promoting basic social etiquette, ranging from minding our P’s and Q’s, to obeying simple traffic rules and, yes, even flushing the toilet after every use. Write a non-commercial ad for the skit your group portrayed in NiE Activity 2. End your skit with this non-commercial community message to encourage respect.
Communicating ● Oral ● Non-verbal
Based on my observations, courtesy, politeness, patience, humility, tolerance and respect have yet to become our way of life. Many schoolchildren these days are not even prepared to say “thank you” when they are presented with rewards in recognition of their achievements. Many do not seem to practise courtesy despite learning it in school. I have on several occasions given out certificates or awards to students to recognise their academic achievements and, with the exception of a few, most of them just walked away without saying “thank you”. They seem to take things for granted. It is not unusual to see inconsiderate drivers obstructing yellow boxes on the roads and parking in areas not designated for them, such as parking spots for the disabled and near fire hydrants; and people littering in public places, vandalising public property, jumping the queue and not saying “sorry” even when mistakes are made. Other discourteous behaviours include smoking in non-smoking areas, spitting in public and not giving up seats to the elderly, disabled and pregnant women. The list can go on and on. With the integration of digital technology in our daily lives, people have also become more selfabsorbed and not interested in those around them. Family members engrossed with their mobile phones or tablets over family meals is a normal sight in restaurants and homes in Malaysia.
In groups of five, develop a short skit about respect. Pick one of the situations depicted in the article where Malaysians are not minding their manners. Each skit should show the group portraying both sides of the coin. One skit will show the unruly behaviour; while the other will show the situation in a respectful manner. After the designated preparation time, each group will take turns presenting the skit to the class.