Critical Reflection

At the beginning of this module, I have set two goals for me to achieve by the end of this module. In my self-introduction letter, I mentioned that I hoped to develop better presentation skills and to better consolidate my thoughts and feelings into words so I could articulate them clearly. I am confident to say that I have made improvements to reach my goals although I have not fully achieved my goals yet. For the past 13 weeks, I have learnt so much from Professor Brad and my classmates.

Throughout this module, I learnt about critical thinking skills and how to apply them in my everyday life. The critical thinking process is to be able to skilfully conceptualize, apply and analyse information by observing, experiencing or reflecting on them. Additionally, the Paul-Elder framework has impacted me in ways to think differently and critically. Part of this framework identifies the knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of a certain topic. Being able to understand the main topic is what consists of knowledge. Understanding the issue of the subject or topic means you can comprehend what the topic is about. The ability to analyze and link the information is the ability to apply your thought process. After which, I can analyse the problem by solving or investigating it. If I have the ability to mix my ideas and make the solution into a feasible plan, then I can finally test and evaluate the solution.

To put all the things that I have done and learnt in this module so far, I must critically reflect on whether what I have learnt is able to help me in the near future. For instance, I have done several presentations back when I was taking my diploma at Temasek Polytechnic. Till today there are still many pointers that I can improve on my presentation. Using my past experiences will definitely help me to improve in every aspect. In terms of communication and critical thinking skills, I can improve them by being more observant when talking to someone or an audience and taking notes of the key points of the conversation. Additionally, I am able to make the subject better by using my critical thinking skills to analyse, evaluate, solve and think.

For project learning, the presentation is what makes the whole project. Being able to understand what you have researched and the ability to convey the message to the audience shows that you are good at presentation. As Professor Brad always says, you must be able to capture the audience’s attention. My team and I practiced multiple times before the actual presentation. We adviced each other by giving pointers on what we can improve on and what to avoid. However, there are still some pointers that I can improve on based on the feedback that was given by Professor Brad and my classmates. Having good eye contact and voice projection are definitely things that I need to work on for my subsequent presentations. 

From the project, it has changed the way I work with my teammates. Doing the technical report really tests on our writing and grammar skills. We had to ensure that the citations and information we wrote were logical, accurate and grammatically correct. We also ensured that every point links to one another to ensure the smoothness of the report. I feel it is good to have a balance in group works. For instance, one person may have a vast knowledge about a certain topic, while the other person may have good writing skills. Communicating with each other during team meetings and working together to write the technical report would definitely make a great team.

In every group work, teamwork is the most important aspect. Be it whether you are more proficient than others in something, teamwork always makes the dream work. Within a team, there are different appointments and responsibilities. I took the appointment as the group leader as I wanted to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. It has been an experience working with my project groupmates; Aleeya, Amsyar and Raizan. Their hard work is greatly appreciated. Our strong communication with each other to get any work done was surprisingly easy.

In conclusion, this module has been very engaging and meaningful with the help of Professor Brad. Together with my classmates, I felt that I have made an improvement in communicating and presenting in class. One final key takeaway from this module is to be confident when you present ensuring you know your content and always think before you speak. Last but not least, I would like to thank Professor Brad Blackstone for this amazing journey throughout this module. Hope to work with you again in the near future.