Monday, 14 November 2011

Final Reflection on Learning


Being in my third year of school, I figured learning some resume-writing and job interview skills would come in handy. That was how I ended up taking ES2007S. I took the class not knowing what to expect, except having heard that the workload is really heavy. It turned out to be a great experience as I realised that there was still a lot more room for improvement in terms of my communications skills.

The open discussion style planned by Ms. Lim, who often chipped in with her own experiences and knowledge, was extremely conducive to learning communications skills. The environment encouraged people to give their opinions and this was evident as people in the class started to open up and soon every class was a lively sharing on the topic of the day. The various activities from the peer teaching to the mock interviews to the oral presentations were all good activities to put what we learnt into practice. What was best about this module was the fact that we got plenty of opportunities to speak. Contrary to my prior expectations, I learnt a lot from everyone in the class and not just from Ms. Lim alone. The open feedback and criticism were refreshing as they served as constant reminders that there was always more to learn and improve on.

My first major takeaway from this class is on writing resume and application letter. I realised how important it is to use keywords and a “you” approach in writing formal documents. I learnt that writing a formal document - be it a resume, a cover letter or a proposal- is not merely presenting the facts. Rather, it is more important for the writer to write it by considering the expectation of the reader(s).My second important takeaway is the oral presentation. I have revisited the basics of holding a meeting, building the team dynamics, liaising with external agencies, proposal writing and presentation management. It is very rewarding to synthesize a project that could really worked in the actual cooperate environment. My final takeaway is the interpersonal skills I may have inadvertently acquired through the formation of great friendships with everybody in the class. I am really glad I met all these people and I hope everyone had a great experience just as I did.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Mei,

    My comment just got deleted because I accidentally clicked on the "backspace" and the page refreshed!!

    Anyway, I was saying, I can really relate your blog post and it really sums up how I felt before and after taking this module! Like you, I took up this module not knowing what to expect (except for the heavy workload). Despite knowing that, I was still quite taken aback after embarking on this module and finally realising what the others meant by the "heavy workload". It was quite insane, wasn't it? Nevertheless, through the past 13 weeks, I have indeed learnt a lot and it was a great experience for me too!

    Also, the opportunities to speak in front of an audience and the various activities planned up by Ms Lim gave us the chance to apply what we learnt during the lessons on the various skill builders. The most memorable I would say, was the mock job interview I had with you and Siyuan!

    All the best for exams!

    Cheers,
    Qianwen.

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  2. Hi Mei!

    You have summed up your takeaways from this module very well! It seems that you are very clear of what you have learned from each components from the module =)

    It is very true when you mentioned that writing resume and application letter is not merely presenting the facts. It has to cater to the target readers, which can be very different when they are being sent out to different agencies.

    I think you have a good skills for oral interactions and presentation. By working along in proposal preparation, you have been a good teammate and held meetings effectively. That must have been your accumulated experience in being a CCA leader. =)

    Congratulations for completing the module and all the best for the upcoming exams!

    Cheers,
    Edward

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  3. Hey Mei!

    I have to agree with Edward that you are very clear of what you have learnt from this module. I would like to add on that you have learnt how to utilize the 7Cs in writing well as your takeaway paragraph was well summarized. I really enjoyed working with you for peer teaching. Thanks for being so cooperative and understanding even though there were minor hiccups. Your presence definitely made it more comfortable for me to share my ideas, be it during activities with you, peer teaching or towards the end of the semester.

    It has been a pleasure knowing you Mei! All the best for exams and see you in the library tomorrow (if you are going, haha)! :)

    Best regards,
    Samantha

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