Critical Reflection

The biggest takeaway for from this module was being able to accomplish the goals I have set for myself in the beginning of the trimester. My goal for this module was to obtain the necessary skillsets to become an effective and confident communicator since one of my greatest weaknesses was public speaking. On the first day of lesson, I remembered coming into class all nervous and not knowing what to expect from this module and Professor Brad asked me to stand up and share my thoughts/ views with the class. I was so nervous about being judged by everyone for giving answers that did not make sense because I was not able to put my thoughts to words and perhaps maybe they did. However, over the subsequent weeks, I was able to learn how to think critically with the help of tools such as Pyramid Principle of critical thinking and the Paul-Elder framework, unlearn the typical grammatical mistakes that I have been making and relearn my presentation styles. I was given countless number of opportunities to build up my confidence in public speaking by sharing with the class about the topics discussed in the Zoom breakout rooms. When it finally came down to the oral presentation, I was able to present confidently to the class and convey the idea of the presentation in a clear and concise manner with the aid of the presentation slides. The things that I have learnt, unlearned, and relearned were applied across all the other modules that I am currently taking, and it has helped me significantly in my writing and presentation skills.  

Another one of the takeaways from the technical report was relearning what is teamwork. I am rather a slow-paced person when it comes to completing assignments, I like to take time to digest what needs to be done and get things done nearing the deadline. However, when I was teamed up with my new classmates, I realized it would be very selfish of me if I hindered the team’s progress with my own working style or chicken out whenever I want to. I have come to realized that being able to be flexible to accommodate to my teammates’ working style do bring benefits such as being able to complete what is needed in advance and be able to enjoy myself more knowing that I have already completed what is needed to do. Being able to adapt to my teammates’ quick working styles has also helped me adapt to the fast-paced livelihood here in SIT. I struggled so much at the initial stages because I thought I could do things like how I did back in my Polytechnic where I could just play all day long and scrape through the academic period with last minute work. Through this technical report, I was also able to appreciate the art of peer review. Little did I know that peer review is a continuous cycle during the process of writing the report. Even though my team wrote every part of the technical report together, we still gave each other critical and constructive feedback on many aspects such the ideas suggested and on the language use. Through this process, I was able to learn from others the things that I might not have been able to catch in class or new tips and tricks on how to make my writing and communication skills better.

This module is by far the one and only module that amplified the definition of learn, unlearn, and relearn. The structure of the module has greatly enhanced the learning experience for students. I know for sure that the knowledge and skillsets learnt in this module are instilled into every student and we’ll continue to learn and appreciate the beauty of effective communications and grow as effective communicators. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Brad for making this learning experience an enjoyable and memorable one for the class, especially for myself. What a great way to start off the first trimester in a new school and I cannot wait to experience what is planned out for the rest of the years in SIT. Now that it is the end of the first trimester, it is time to have a cigarette and a beer!