Critical Reflection

This Critical Thinking and Communication Module has provided me with valuable insights into both my strengths and areas for improvement. Initially, I discovered weaknesses in my report writing and PowerPoint presentation skills, which I found to be lacking in engagement. However, through active engagement in this module, I have benefited from the guidance of my professors and peers, enabling me to continually enhance my writing and creative abilities.

 Module Learning:

Through feedback from everyone, I realised that what I thought previously was one of my major strengths which is public speaking and presentation skills was lacking in certain areas like not being able to capture my targeted audience's attention. I always thought that speaking well and not being nervous meant that my presentation was good. But I soon learnt that you have to capture the audience's attention as well and make the presentation as interesting as possible by making the slides less wordy and most importantly knowing your target audience.

One key concept I learnt from this module for presentations is the Monroe's 5-step Motivated sequence and that is what I tried and apply to my presentation. The majority of the feedback I got was positive and the constructive feedback that I got gave me a confidence booster to know that I am in the right direction and that as long as I constantly try and keep improving, I will be able to be better than I am now at presentation and public speaking.

Additionally, I have honed my writing skills throughout the module. Having not written reports for several years, I recognized the need for improvement and seized the opportunity to refine my skills. Familiarizing myself with writing formats such as PEEL and employing frameworks like the Paul-Elder framework for critical thinking has significantly enhanced the quality of my written work. Moreover, learning strategies such as the CRAAP test have enabled me to discern reliable sources for referencing in my reports.

Project learning:

From this experience, I've gained a profound appreciation for the significance of effective communication. Strong communication is pivotal for ensuring the success and productivity of a project. Throughout our group project, we maintained regular meetings and utilized online platforms like Zoom for discussions, ensuring alignment and progress.

Within the group, I assumed the roles of both speaker and researcher. As the designated speaker, I had ample opportunities to enhance my presentation skills by through updating our class on our project's progress. Meanwhile, as the researcher, I applied methodologies like the CRAAP test to identify credible sources, thus contributing substantively to our project's content.

This endeavour has been instrumental in my personal growth, imparting invaluable lessons in teamwork, meticulous research, effective communication, and strategic planning—essential components for undertaking collaborative research projects.

Conclusion:

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is to approach learning with an open mind and a willingness to continually expand my knowledge. Regardless of age or experience, the pursuit of knowledge is an ongoing journey, and I embrace the opportunity to learn and grow continuously. 

I came into this module thinking that it would be a waste of my time and it would be boring but at the end of 13 weeks I am left pleasantly surprised as this module has taught me so much and the stuff that I have learnt is going to be relevant in the future be it having to write my IWSP report/reflection or just writing a resume, self-introduction and report in my place of work in the future. 

I'm grateful that I got the chance to learn under Professor Blackstone as he definitely made the module more interesting and enjoyable and the knowledge that I have gained from him will be invaluable to my future endeavours.