Critical Reflection

In my self-introductory letter I wrote in the first few weeks of this module, I mentioned that my weakness in my communication skills is that I often find difficulty in either explaining my thoughts and feelings in words, or by expressing them in the wrong manner. That is why at the beginning of my effective communication module, I set a few objectives for myself. They were to improve on my critical thinking and reflective thinking skills, such that I am able to convey my thoughts and feelings to others better. Throughout these three months, I learned many different frameworks and models that enabled me to channel my thoughts in a more systematic and productive way. This honed my verbal communication skills as I was able to put across my thoughts and intentions clearly to my peers. Not only did my verbal communication skills improve, I was also able to refine my writing skills, and I implemented elements of these frameworks to the many aspects of writing this module had. 

Today marks the last day of this module, and if you were to ask me if I have met my objectives, I would say that I am still in the process of learning. There is no limit to mastering the art of thinking and I plan to continuously improve on my critical and reflective thinking skills. This module has undoubtedly given me guidance and boosted me in the right direction to further improve my communication skills. To hone these skills, I plan to consistently implement the frameworks that were taught in this module, such as the Paul-Elder Framework and the Dewey's Model of Reflective Thought and Action, in my daily life. I also plan to continuously reflect on how I communicate to others and reevaluate my ideas and thoughts through rationale reasoning.

One aspect from this module that I learned a great deal from was the formal presentation where we had to pitch our proposal. Before this module, I had never presented a pitch before. Convincing others to implement our proposal seemed like a complex task at first. "Sell the idea", was what I constantly found myself telling when I practiced my pitch. However, what I came to realise was that in all my previous presentations, I was selling something. Whether its an idea, a product, or even yourself, all presentations require us to sell. Understanding this, when I practiced my pitch to my peers, everything felt simpler. I used my prior experiences in presenting and felt confident as I was able to formulate my thoughts, and articulate my words well. In addition, the constructive feedback I received from my peers helped me to enhance my pitch. This changed my view of understanding a difficult concept as I learned to use the knowledge from my peers as well as my past experiences, that were related to the situation, to help solve any problems. I also learned how to be aware of and control our learning by actively participating in reflective thinking.

All in all, I am grateful for this module as it changed how I think and overcome a problem. I will be holding on to these skills that I learned dearly and continue developing them to eventually achieve my objective of improving my critical thinking and reflective thinking skills, such that I am able to convey my thoughts and feelings to others better. Last but not least, thank you, professor Brad, for your guidance and the fun and engaging lessons.

(582 words)
Read: Thomas, Justin

Updated: 9 April 2022