Critical Reflection

Module learning

At the start of the module, the goals that I hope to achieve were overcoming public speaking and obtaining professional writing skills. I also aim to establish good relationship with my peers in class and team members to facilitate a fruitful learning experience. While attending Prof Brad’s lecture, I was given the chance to participate in the class activity as he encourages us to read out paragraphs and interact with peers. I realise that I had a bad habit of hesitating before I speak and did not have the confidence to interact with peers in a class. Participating in various class activity slowly builds up my confidence in speaking and I started to be more comfortable in communicating with a larger audience.

With the help of instructional unit 4 and the summary reader response, I learn and gain the ability to paraphrase and summarize text or articles. Although it is still not fully refined, it has aided me in becoming more acquainted with the correct format and avoiding typical errors when composing various written forms such as essays or letter. 

Furthermore, the assignments that focus on critical thinking and reflection such as Dewey’s and Rogers’s models proven to be useful for me as they provide structured guidelines to help me organize my thoughts in a clear and coherent manner before I think or write any essay or report assignments. With the new skills that I attained, I am able to practice and apply these techniques on other modules as well as for my future careers.

Project learning

During the technical report assignment, I gain valuable experiences on how to function effectively in a team, conduct research, analyze findings, and communicate effectively. It was also an excellent chance to meet new people and build relationships. Through our teamwork, we were able to identify each other's strengths and weaknesses while working towards a common goal. At the start of the assignment, we were brainstorming on the topics that we have chosen and each of us were voicing out our ideas and solution with one another. I felt that I was lucky as we were all on the same frequency which enabled us to assign responsibilities and collaborate effectively as a group.

Not only did I improve on communicating with my groupmates but also in my technical writing skills. I felt more confident in citing sources correctly and avoiding errors I had previously made. During the mock presentation rehearsals, I was nervous and struggled to remember my lines. However, my groupmates were supportive and gave me helpful advice to improve my presentation style. Although I didn't perform my best during the actual presentation, I learned a lot about refining my presentation skills e.g. body language and not relying too heavily on scripts. Last but not least, I appreciate Professor Brad for his guidance throughout this module and for making the learning experience wonderful.