Critical Reflection

The 12 weeks of lessons was an enjoyable learning journey. Thinking back on the goals I had set for myself before the trimester: deliver contents fluently to my audience and improve written skills, I believe I have achieved those goals to a certain extent.

As a graduate from Republic Polytechnic, daily presentations was a norm. Those presentations, however, were delivered by me reading off the slides, stuttering and little to no eye contact with the audience. I have identified this as a weakness and also a goal to work on. To improve my skills, I had to leave my comfort zone. Through this module, I was given opportunities like small group discussions where I had to articulate ideas across to two to three random people in a clear and concise manner. I believe that this is a great steppingstone that spark improvements. Moving on from small discussions to bigger discussion groups like the mock presentation had me learn how to better compose myself and speak fluently. Peer feedbacks allowed me to better understand my flaws and were critical for my growth. Through my observations from both mock and formal presentations, I realized that one who is confident and comfortable in his own shoes, would able to present and engage better with the audience. Although I am able to see my very own improvement from past to present, I am regretful that I have yet to achieve that level of confidence portrayed by some of my coursemates on public speaking.

Unlike oral skills, I am proud that I have managed to achieve my secondary goal, an improvement of written skills. Through the guidance from the instructional units, I can now craft a short essay within a shorter timeframe as compared to before. One instructional unit contained the different types of errors one could make. I was able to identify two most commonly made mistakes in my writing namely, sentence fragments and run-on sentences. Identifying such errors allowed me to write better. To further enhance my writing skills, my team and I worked on a professional report which focused on the improvement of a medical system through the implementation of Artificial Intelligence. I have learnt the consequences of plagiarism and to ensure proper citations were made. Also, ideas presented through both oral and written have something in common, a systematic flow. Ideas presented in a systematic flow enables the reader to remember the pointers easily. This is critical especially in a professional report where only words can bring the ideas across to the reader.

Besides oral and written skills, I feel that I have grown in character as well. Understanding differences between members can negate conflicts and help spark better teamwork.

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