Author: XiuYu ZHANG
HS Introduction to iOS Programming Reflection 2
Programming has always been an enjoyable task for me with the only exception being debugging. As this activity moving forward, the difference and similarity between Java and Swift become clearer to me. Both of them are Object-Oriented Programming language, so I will be able to reuse the OOP concepts I learn from Java to Swift. Although the syntax of Swift is very different from Java, it is not really difficult to pick up. This is like if one can explain physics in English, he/she will also be able to explain physics in Chinese, provided that he/she can speak Chinese. The theory behind the code is what really matters. The same concept can also be applied to myself, what I really learn from the two years of study matters more than the IB Grades which is only a representation of my learning but not learning itself.
LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for grows.
HS Table Tennis Reflection 2
I really like the HS Table Tennis activity as it gives me the opportunity to play sports with people from all grades (high school students). Unlike other sports that were very intense, table tennis allows us to chat with each other while practising. I reckon myself to be better than the majority of us in playing table tennis, so I also taught many others how to play. For me, this coaching experience actually is more fulfilling than playing table tennis itself. However, due to the rearrangement of the activity schedule, HS Table Tennis is terminated from next term. I have to adapt to this change although it is not in favour of me. There are several table tennis tables near my house, so I have decided to keep playing table tennis with random people who happen to be there. The termination of table tennis in school does not mean that I will cease my practice as well.
LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for grows.
EE Viva Voce
I really enjoyed doing this EE although it is challenging and I made a few mistakes. When I found my research question was too narrow to provide a valid study of the impact of the policy, I changed it after submitting the first draft of my EE. This was very risky as I would not receive further feedback from my supervisor on the second draft, yet I chose to do that for not the grades but the research itself. Being willing to take risks when necessary is what I learned from this experience. Another really important learning point for me is to be open-minded. When I was doing research, as I already had a positive impression of the MRT policy, I tended to only include data and articles which were supportive towards my pre-existing opinion. However, I realised that to be unbiased in researching is really crucial for producing valid essays. I then studied the MRT commuter survey which suggests the MRT policy decreases overall satisfaction and discovered that there was no causality between the policy and decreased satisfaction. The cross-referencing of resources makes my research more objective and thus I were able to write a more valid analysis of the policy. (202 words)
HS Introduction to iOS Programming Reflection
I have had programming experience using Java, but Swift (the programming language which is used to create iOS applications) is completely new to me. However, although the format of different programming language varies, the computing concepts behind them are the same. This helps me to develop a clearer and more concrete understanding of computing. For example, the format to express a loop in Swift and Jave is different, but they all follow the basic concept of looping which is repeating the selected procedures until a certain condition is met. It is really nice to put what I have learned into practice.
LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for grows.
HS Table Tennis Reflection
I used to play Table Tennis when I was in primary school and switched to other sports afterwards. This table tennis event provides me with the opportunity to gain back the skills and further develop them. Besides the feeling of reassuming my skills, I can also sense the growth in my mental strength which is the willpower and self-control to allow me to concentrate at each point. Furthermore, play table tennis with my friends in school is a great fun. It helps me to release the stress I have in academic studies. Unlike me, my partner is a real beginner who has no experience in table tennis before. Thus I also tried to teach him how to play this sports through our “matches”; I was not trying to defeat him but wanting to collaborate with him to teach him the rhythm of hitting the table tennis ball.
LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for grows.
LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.
HS Finding Your Voices Reflection
In this workshop, I not only learn how to write an application essay but also how to write generally. I am not a fast writer and I have never tried before to write an essay or a chunk of the essay under less than half an hour. Forcing myself to think fast and write to capture that instantaneous thought enhances my writing skills and boosts my confidence as a writer. Maybe as a result of the education I have, I form the habit of planning before writing. After every writing exercise, we would read our write-ups to each other and by doing so to help others to improve. It is always very beneficial to consider the opinion of others as they have read my essays from a completely different point of view. The comments sometimes may be a bit harsh and discouraging and I knew they were sincere and very helpful.
But after all, writing should be an enjoyable experience, not torture.
Example of writing in the workshop (finished within 15mins):
Visit to a waterfall in a national park. This line has stayed in my planning doc for project week since the first time I included it. I imagined it to be a standardised and traditional way of visiting a waterfall, stopping there, standing right in front of the waterfall and contemplating the beauty of nature while moist wind waves my face softly to melt me in the warm humidity of reflecting shining sunlight. It was thought to be a nice relaxing and easy appetizer for our intense cycling activity in the afternoon.
This tended out to be absolutely wrong. It all began with a little disappointment. The waterfall was not as striking as others of the same kind I have seen before in terms of size and noise of falling water. Feeling bored, I was thinking about to move fast to the next activity and then my attention was attracted by the strange behaviour of my local tour guy. He bent his back and took a quick glance at each of our’s shoes. He smiled and then said, “Now you can remove your shoes.” Being quite confused, I took his advice to remove my shoes and socks. Following the direction he pointed, a tiny path appeared to all of us in a surprising way. A thought comes to my mind which extinguishes all my boredness, yes we were going to clamp down the waterfall!
Walking on a road with small rocks anywhere with barefoot was really not a pleasant experience, especially when it was muddy, especially when people who were walking on it those so-called city boys. The gradient of the ramp we walked become deeper and deeper, walking gradually became clamping. For the weakness of being an IB student, I couldn’t control myself to not think about the change in gradient and conversation of energy. In a positive way, I was not discouraged by the difficulties I was encountered. Feeling the decrease in gravitational potential energy of my, my friends and I reached the lowest point we could possibly go. A little lake shines brightly, reflecting and refracting lights.
LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.
Interim Reflection
During the research, I have found that many sources have their own limitations and biases which affect the quality of the data provided. It is then crucial to choose the relatively more reliable and objective sources and compare them. I also realised that my focus on only consumer demand is too restrictive. It only shows the impact of the policy on MRT commuters. I then discussed with my supervisor and decided to refine my research question to include more aspects of the impact. I restructured my plan to integrate the impact of the discount on MRT pricing on the Singapore society and government. I learned that during the preparation to write an essay, the original research question may find to be too narrow or not accurate enough to summarise the real intention of the research. Refinement of the research question is then necessary and should not be ignored. (148)
Project Week Final Group Reflection
LO4-Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experience.
LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.
LO6-Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
Memoirs of the Pioneer Generation with Lion Befrienders 2
The actual experience of engaging with elderlies in the Lion Befrienders is more positive and successful than I expected. Different from other “elderly home” I have visited before, elderlies in Lion Befrienders do not have to live there and they just come to Lion Befrienders to make friends and have fun. Due to that, as all elderlies there are willing to be there, they are very open to our weekly visits and would like to chat with us. In my past experience with elderlies, being friend with them has not been that natural and easy.
I used one of the takeaways from my previous service which is that never position yourself as a saviour or helper. With the mind of making friend, I then become friend of some of the elderlies. They have all sorts of life path, which reflects in their way of talking and reacting. Being the Pinnioor Generation of modern Singapore, they were born before the nation itself. Due to that, the majority of them are unable to speak English, which makes my ability to speak Mandarin useful. We usually play poker with them first to break the ice, but with our self-made simple rules. Along with the playing of the game, we then get the chance to listen to their stories. One thing I learned from their story is that there will always be ups and downs in one’s life, which are not avoidable. One of the really friendly-looking gentleman there was a gang leader in the past, he can now talk about his past in a normal and peaceful tone without proudness or regret. Doing the best thing with the best ability you have in that moment, that is the only way to really live a life.
LO3-Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.