Reflections

If I could summarise the whole course / term into one word, it would be ‘Feedback’. Never have I taken a module in NUS that offered so many opportunities for students to give and receive feedback. Most science modules that I had taken did not even go through answers after a test, rendering students unable to learn from mistakes. ES2007 had been very different. From the beginning of the module, all the way to the end, there had been a constant stream of feedback. I remember the first feedback that I received from Brad: Using unrealistic examples to illustrate points does not value add to the strength of an argument. I would remember this for life, and would subsequently use this principle to teach my students. 

Essentially, this module IS the biggest learning point for me. As a to-be teacher, I have seen through this course that grading is but a necessary evil, instituted by higher authorities. What is beyond  grading is that which is more important in education: giving an indication to students on how they have done, their strengths and weaknesses, how they could improve, and to encourage them. All these can be done through feedback. So I hope that 3 years from now, as I step into the teaching world, I would be able to remember this ideal- to give my students feedback instead of solely grading them; to be fixated on the lives that are in the midst of the fire.


(245 words)


p.s- this is my first ever post in which I kept to the 250 word limit. Looks like I've learnt something else! =)

PPT: Post-Presentation Thoughts

I liked our presentation.
I liked the way we presented.
I liked how our slides looked simple.
I liked the chemistry between our group members.
I liked how we spurred each other on to speak confidently.
I liked how we candidly pointed out to each other our weaknesses.
I liked the way things worked out as we imagined ourselves as salespeople.
I liked how we did not deliberately keep time but instead presented free-flow.
I liked the three-straight-days practice and the hours driven individuals gave.
I liked how Jac was initially petrified but emerged victorious over her fears.
I liked how Faizal systematically devised his simplified explanations.
I liked Kenneth's hard work and amazing efforts.
I liked my formal office dress code.
I liked/ like my group members.
I still like our presentation.

Well, since we're almost arriving at the end of the module, I figured that I had to get creative, hence explaining the queer shape you see above. Hopefully, my message conveyed there can be as clear as what our oral presentation was said to be. Buf if it's not apparent, here's the gist of what the queer shape says: Edwin liked the presentation.

Some things I felt we did well were to:
1. Relate the presentation to URA,
2. Make simple yet understandable slides,
3. Not to put too much focus on how we obtained our research but instead made periodic references to them,
4. Portray the problem faced clearly by relating to many real life examples
5. Focus firstly on the WHY, then HOW and WHAT. We managed to psyche ourselves to think in terms of WHY we WANTED to present, instead of what we had to present.
6. Divide the workload / airtime quite equally.

But of course, our presentation is not perfect. There are many potential areas for improvement. For starters, I find myself to be hesitant in my speech, and my diction heavy as I watched the video recording of our presentation. Somehow, my thought processes slow down greatly when I stand before a crowd, resulting in momentary pauses peppered throughout my part. This is one aspect that I would hope to improve on before I start to go into the teaching world, to organise my thoughts quickly and to package them smoothly to allow simple understanding. Also, I feel that even though the group has been trying not to do so, most of us are still relying on quite a bit of memory to bring us through the presentation. This is in spite of us being clear of what is going on and what we have to convey to the audience. Perhaps we have to learn to trust more in our abilities to speak in front of a crowd impromptu.

Overall, I enjoyed the whole course of the presentation, from the preparations to the wrap up. Now, I am totally convinced that we need Study Rooms in residential clusters.