To reflect, my first EE meeting with my supervisor was productive as I received very useful information in terms of the procedure of this extended essay experience, as well as information that can help in refining my topic question. My supervisor gave me insightful advice regarding the sources for the research of my topic and whether some authors are less credible than others. Specifically, my topic with prime spirals and coming up with formulas is very difficult because of two reasons. Firstly, it would be very difficult to draw the connections between equations found through prime spirals and equations found just regarding prime numbers. Secondly, the topic seems very superficial as many of the research is already done by mathematicians, and wouldn’t make the best EE topic. My supervisor as well recommended me to buy a book called “The Music to the Primes”. Hopefully, this would help me come up with ideas that can refine my topic question.
Author: sarao51056@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg
Computer Skills Development with Hougang Care Center Reflection #2
It’s been approximately a few months since our service started entertaining the members of Hougang Care Center; teaching them basic techniques of using a computer. So far, the project has been quite successful. Being the first group to present, we were able to effectively communicate our message of operating emails, as well as making sure that every member of the community understood what was being taught. Today, I would like to reflect on LO3(Effectively initiating a plan) and LO4(Showing effective communicating skills).
Learning Outcome 3
My partner, Suhaas, and I were able to create a presentation and a booklet for each member, so that they can keep the knowledge that they learned with them from the lesson. In turn, each member received information from the presentation, as well as the booklet, which will help them make sure they understand what was taught in the lesson. When it came to presenting, everything ran smoothly as our clients were able to understand what was written on the presentation, and were able to follow instructions from us very well. Some had trouble, but we were able to assist them one-on-one.
Learning Outcome 4
Our presentation skills were done in a way so that our clients can clearly understand what’s being said as well as being able to communicate our message effectively. It is difficult to communicate in an efficient way so that they can understand them, but over time, they were able to understand us and it was easier for them to understand us as they expanded their learning on the subject at hand. Additionally, it was hard to use simpler language because of the fact that the terminology for some of the platforms we used was complex, meaning that it was hard to communicate the skills to quite a few of them. Fortunately, we were able to use simpler language to more effectively communicate our ideas to the members of the Hougang Care Center, who weren’t the most proficient at the English Language.
Overall, teaching these members has been an enjoyable experience and I am looking forward to the last few months!
“Beyond Snapshots” Photography Reflection
Try4Cambodia Reflection 1
Student Council Reflection 1
Model United Nations Reflection 1
Computer Skills Development with Hougang Care Center Reflection 1
PSE Term 1 Reflection
I came into PSE this year thinking that the course would be a waste of 40 minutes of our time. Though, after 8 weeks, I can easily retract my statement and say that PSE has been enjoyable and insightful. The course has made me become more aware of myself, my potential to succeed, and my behaviour towards people in my community. I really enjoyed learning about positivity and the attitudes when approaching a problem. Beforehand, I felt like I was a bit of an optimist as I would always try and look at problems in a positive manner, though was always bombarded by the negativity of others when I tried to display my optimism. Now, I understand very well that I cannot succumb to criticism and that I must always see things in a positive light. For example, I always worry about the fact that I am dumber than my friends and that no matter how much hard work I put in, none of it will pay off. After bringing the idea of optimism to me, I am now aware that there are several factors that impact the performance of a test and that I must be more prepared for next time. Don’t be afraid to fail, as it is the biggest learning that you can take from anything.
Emotional Intelligence
How will I apply my knowledge of identity, personality types, emotional intelligence and grit to your journey through the IB?
So what are my goals? I feel I need to be more of an approachable person when I have conversations with people. A lot of the time I find myself eavesdropping into conversations as many people wouldn’t approach me to have a conversation with me:(. But this year, I’m hoping that I can make the effort to approach others and be more open with my peers. I feel that honesty is extremely important in friendship as it brings you closer to one another. I feel if I am more honest with people, they will have more respect for me because of my integrity. I have had bad experiences when it comes to telling the truth as many either take it the wrong way, or I lie to them. To sum up, I’m hoping this will all change this year.
What does language say about us and our culture?
Language is always constantly changing amongst many social groups. Many teenagers find themselves using different language today than what their parents used back in the day. This idea of “code-switching” is being used regularly by everyone in our daily lives. We tend to speak in different ways when we are with different people. Let’s take former president Barack Obama for example. During his elections, Obama was able to efficiently change his use of language when he was with different communities. When he was with more well-established communities, Obama was able to present himself in a more formal and professional way, using jargon that many understand within that community. When he was with more poorer communities, he used more informal language and argot that only people in that specific community would understand. What does that say about him? It shows that he understands the people around him very well and that he is flexible with the language that he uses. It shows he is well educated and understands the diversity around him. If you take someone like Mitt Romney, who screamed “Who let the dogs out”, in front of a black community, we feel as if it’s inappropriate and that it was uncalled for. It shows that he doesn’t understand who exactly he’s talking to and what exactly he is saying. Therefore, we can see the difference between cultures in both these politicians through their language. One is able to understand the people around him very well, and one doesn’t know what he’s saying in front of others.