The two goals I have set for myself at the start of the module were overcome my stuttering and my to improve my vocabulary and grammar. Throughout the 13 weeks, I have picked up skills such as writing a summary, paraphrasing, crafting an email, report writing and oral presentation through the resources that were provided. This module has allowed me to develop and improve my own form of communication through various sharing and pitching sessions in these 13 weeks. My stuttering has also decreased notably as I have learned to overcome my anxiety through these sharing sessions. These sharing sessions involve peer teaching which I believed it boosted my confidence as a speaker. My grammar has definitely improved but certain old habits due to 'Singlish' will occasionally happen subconsciously. To further improve my grammar, I have an effort to structure my speech with 'Singlish' so that when I am writing, I will not make the same grammar mistakes due to 'Singlish'. I have also learned how to cite information in APA style from the second assignment (Reader's response).
During the research project, I was most proud of my oral presentation. Presentation has always been my bane and I have low confidence in my presentation skills. For the mock presentation, I take it as a test to test our understanding of our research report. this result in me being complacent as I was confident I can present what I have done. However, during the mock presentation, my mind went blank several times resulting in me stuttering and breaking my flow. After the mock, I realized the importance of practice as I have to get used to the flow of my speech and to further understand my content. I became motivated to do have a breakthrough in my presentation skills and rehearsed daily before the formal presentation. Thankfully, it went very well as I can convey the information that I had planned. Slides were a challenge as I have to include as little words as possible which makes it hard as I will not be able to refer when I am stuck in the presentation. Back in my Polytechnic days, my slides contains several phrases which I would read off whenever I am stuck. This further proves that presentations require a lot of preparation. From this experience, I realized the importance of pitching and presentation skills as there is no point in writing a good report if one is unable to explain its content to different audiences.
Thank you, Justin, for this detailed and well organized reflection. You provide lots of supporting info as you review your work during the term. I'm impressed by the learning you mention in terms of you having achieved both goals that you had set at the start of the term. You certainly did well in terms of the research project and your oral presentation. It was heartening to see you command the stage as you presented with such confidence.
ReplyDeleteYou also mention in this post your developing language use. The Singlish might indeed get in the way at times, but at least now you seem to be aware of when that could be the case.
If there were anything you could add to this reflection, it might be on how any of your module experience might contribute to your work going forward.
In any case, I appreciate your enthusiam and willingness to work hard to improve during the term.
Best wishes as you continue your learning journey!
Brad