Module & Project Learning

Module learning

During the start of the module, my goal was to build up my confidence when speaking in front of others, to become a speaker that is not only confident but fun and engaging. Another goal of mine is also to learn how to communicate effectively with my audience and how to fully grasp their attention and interact with them.  

Throughout the span of 12 weeks, I am happy to say that I have achieved my goals. Activities in classes such as the pitch presentation, mock presentation, and the final presentation helped me boost my confidence.  

The pitch presentation had me presenting in front of a small group of classmates. It was very impromptu, and I had to present without a script on hand. However, I presented clearly about our project and I got positive feedback from my classmates. It made me realize that I could present without having a script, I just need to fully grasp the content of my topic. Before the final presentation, I was feeling the jitters especially when it was our turn to present. I practiced a lot at home, presented in front of friends and even my family members. As I presented, I felt less nervous and became more relaxed. I took time to pause and engaged my audience. Overall, I was really satisfied with my presentation even though I forgot to mention my concluding statement which I spent days crafting it. From the comments that Prof Brad gave, I think that I have achieved my goals and it has prepared me towards becoming a better and confident speaker in the future.  

In terms of building my communication skills, I try not to be hesitant when voicing out my opinion or thoughts especially during project meetings. I always try to make the right amount of eye contact when talking or listening to others. And I always let others speak finish before I start. In project meetings, when there is a heated debate between both of my group mates, I will always try to get one side to talk first before letting the other continue. Every day, I am still improving my communication skills. I am improving on becoming a better active listener. I try not to listen only to give my opinions after they are done speaking. I will also take note of my body language whenever I am speaking or listening as I do not want to give off the wrong message.

Project learning

Our project was focused on the elimination of single-use plastic in SIT. Throughout this project, we had actively researched the impact and consequences plastics have on the environment. A scene in the documentary, "Drowning in plastic", showed how the amount of plastic in the seawater bird is comparable to a human consuming 10kg of plastics. That really shocked me, and it made me realize that it is a global responsibility. We must all do our part to make the environment a better place. And schools are the best place to start. By educating students, bringing awareness and, making changes to the school, it will make a difference. Through the elimination of single-use plastic in SIT, we will be able to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. From this project, I will look at plastic differently now. I will try to reduce the amount of plastic that I use as an individual and even get my family to do the same as well.  

Before the project started, I did not really know who my teammates were. I only talked to them once or twice. But throughout this project, I became closer with them and we were not only teammates but also friends. In terms of presentation, I was proud of my team. We all did so much better as compared to the dry run. In terms of writing skills, we were more observant with our grammar, punctuation, structure, citations and even more. We had great teamwork and we were able to understand and compromise and also respect each other whilst having fun during the span of the project.