Critical Reflection for MEC1281

10 weeks ago, back in my letter of introduction, I mentioned two goals that I have set for myself. Firstly, it was to improve on my weakness, which is conveying my thoughts into words. Secondly, it was to make formal writing a second nature. One of the key points of effective communication is to be able to send out your point clearly, fluently, and efficiently, so there will be no miscommunications or misunderstandings. Hence, these were my goals for this course.

Looking back at these goals now that the module has ended, there is still room for improvement. However, I can confidently say that I’ve achieved these objectives to a large extent. One of the main contributors to these achievements would be “Dewey’s Model of Reflective Thought and Action”. Reflection isn’t a new concept to me, but when I encountered this model, I realized that reflection is a much more intricate process. The model breaks up reflection into 5 different steps. The first is being aware of an issue. The second is to find the root of the problem. The third is to study the details of the problem and come up with a working solution. The fourth is to find a reason for this solution, and lastly to test it out. If it doesn’t work, go back to the first point, else, you have a solution to your problem and full control over the actions. With that said, this framework has helped me to find out the root cause of my weakness. Very often, I speak without putting thought into it. By studying the conditions of the problem, I found that I can be very impulsive and hence the words come out before they can be properly filtered to express clarity. Secondly, I do not have a diverse vocabulary in English, which makes it hard for me to find the right words to use in a given situation. As such, I came up with a solution which was to listen before speaking. This turned into a habit of me pausing before I speak, giving me the time to think and construct my sentence. Throughout discussions inside and outside of class, I was able to practice this more and more until it became second nature. As for my vocabulary, it will always be an ongoing process where I read more books and articles to learn more words. As for my formal writing, Kolb’s experiential learning was the framework that worked the most. Through constantly experiencing writing, I was able to observe more about my writing and come up with better ways to do it. With so many drafts for assignments, as well as emails as a channel for communicating with professors, I was able to improve and make formal writing much easier than it was before. I am definitely no expert in this field yet, hence I will look to improve and work on this goal by writing more, such as emails or reports, throughout my time in SiT and further. 

As for my research project, I’ve learned about where I am lacking in terms of my teamwork skills. There are several times when I have failed to distinguish between personal feelings and being objective for the sake of the project, which causes me to cloud my judgement. When someone shares an opinion, suggestion, or idea, it is often important to address it objectively for the sake of the assignment. Personally, my key takeaway from this project would be to write down everything on paper to help myself visualize the situation better so I can make more informed decisions. 

Overall, this module has been an eye-opener for me. I have met new people and learned many things. I enjoyed every part of it, both the good and the bad, as it was these experiences that helped me grow as a person. Moving ahead, I will continue to learn and improve, and accept all challenges with open arms.