Critical Reflection

Module Learning:

I have definitely improved after taking this module. It is human nature to continually adapt and adapt to our situation. The goals I had set for myself at the start of the trimester were to get more comfortable speaking in front of big crowds and lessen the stammer and mispronunciation during my presentation. I would say that the goals I had set at the beginning were successfully achieved. I already had communication skills that were sufficient to get me through presentations and writing skills that were passable. I knew my weaknesses but couldn't find ways to fix them.

However, through this module, I was exposed to various mindsets, frameworks, and techniques that helped to cultivate my skillset to another level. Being forced to write academic reports and research on topics that were very hard to obtain in-depth information demanded much more from me than I had expected. Nonetheless, I just had to change my mindset and expectations and work around what was required, making the module exhausting as it demanded a lot of time researching. Well, thanks to this module I now know the expectations of University reports.

Overall the module helped me reacclimatize myself to public speaking and proper speaking habits. I am now no longer nervous when speaking in front of crowds and based on the presentation I did for the module, my stammering and mispronunciation were almost non-existent.

Project Learning: 

For the team research project, I was the appointed leader or "president" as my teammates would refer to me. My main role was to delegate tasks equally to every member, make sure we did not miss any deadlines, and that work was being done at a pace that all members were comfortable with. I am already used to this role due to my NS experience where I was a Sergeant and had to lead my group during a turnout/operation.  However, this came with a slight twist. In NS I didn't have to care too much about who I was instructing but in class, I had to remember that we are all equals and it was important to take notice that everyone came from different backgrounds, and had different ideals and perspectives for every situation. 

It was pretty hard working with people I barely knew at first but we broke the ice pretty quickly within the first week. We all kept an open mind when choosing our topic project. Every member pushed for their former topic (research project) so it was vital we were all willing to be accepting of rejections and remarks from each other. But as the leader I had the final decision so it was very important to not be biased. Overall I suggested that we choose a new topic to research on that had everyone's interest in mind.

This experience will truly be beneficial for my future endeavors be it in for other modules in school or for work. Something that I have to keep in mind is that things may not go as smoothly next time as I will not know the cards I will be dealt with in the future.