Critical Reflection

 One of the goals I set for myself by the end of the module is to speak confidently to a crowd and also to improve my writing skills to be more convincing and professional. Entering university after 2 years serving my national service, my writing skills had deteriorated significantly. This was evident through the formal introductory letter and summary reader response assignments. 

When writing the formal introductory letter, I had to employ the 7Cs of communication and the Paul-Elder’s framework, identify language errors, apply academic language conventions professionally and also proofread my letter numerous times. I had not learnt the Paul-Elder’s framework before and that was a new skill I picked up along the way. There were also sentence fragments and run-on sentences throughout my letter. Through the feedback given by my peers, I managed to identify where my mistakes were and rectify them.

When it came to writing the summary reader response, I felt better prepared as I knew how to identify language errors and how to apply critical thinking principles from the Paul-Elder framework. However, there were still challenges faced such as how to quote accurately and cite in APA 7. Despite learning how to cite in APA 6 before, I had to relearn some of the techniques that I had forgotten and also learn the updated changes.

Initially, at the start of the module, I was soft-spoken and unable to project my voice when speaking to unfamiliar faces. However, through this module, I was often called upon by professor Blackstone to answer questions which made me more comfortable with speaking to my peers. This eventually helped me in my formal presentation during the group project.

During the group research project, I was grouped with people I had not spoken to before. I was worried that I could not work well with them and we might have conflicting personalities. I chose the role of the writer in the group as I felt that I had improved tremendously in my oral communication skills and hence, I wanted a chance to work on my written communication skills. Through writing the group meeting minutes, I had a better understanding of each member’s personality and had a good grasp on how to communicate effectively with each one of them. Throughout the project, there were times when each member had conflicting ideas or was working on a part of the project differently. We then had to organise a meeting to iron out our differing views and ideas so that we were on the same page moving forward. We also had to relearn how to not only give but receive constructive feedback from our peers. Through the peer evaluation given for the mock presentation, my group was able to identify the areas we were weak in namely, our overreliance on our mobile phones during the presentation. To tackle this problem, we practised frequently before the actual presentation and as such, it went smoothly with minimal hiccups. 

Critical thinking skills were also crucial during our presentation. The ability to think on our feet and respond to questions posed after the presentation not only highlights our understanding of the research topic but also demonstrates our critical thinking skills as we had to formulate solutions or explain concepts differently in a short time. 

In conclusion, I am grateful to have completed this module as I had the opportunity to interact and work with some of my peers. I also attained the goals I set out to accomplish at the start of this module which will benefit me during the Integrated Work Study Program or even at the workplace in the future.