Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The end of ES2007S

‘Congratulations! You have survived through a 13 week ES2007S ordeal!’

This was the very first thought that occured to me when I stepped out of the seminar room on the last ES2007S lesson. Indeed, these 13 weeks of learning were both painful (in terms of all the assignments and blog posts) and tiring for me. Nevertheless, I would still like to say that I enjoyed ES2007S!

To be very honest, my initial intention for taking up this module was not about improving my oral communication skills, but to reduce the total number of examinable modules for this semester. I had to admit that all along I was hesitant on whether I should enroll myself for any ES2007S class. The lack of confidence in my oral communication skill had impeded me from doing so.

As mentioned by Brad, those people who need communication skill modules will never consider taking them. However, I am glad that I have taken my first step in becoming a better communicator, and embraced the challenges along the way.

In ES2007S, I had learnt the proper way of writing a cover letter and resume. This was in fact a good headstart for me in planning my career path. Previously, I had no idea on how to construct a good cover letter and resume that could make me ‘shine’ and stand out from the other job applicants. Also I had gained an insight on how the actual job interview was like, through the two mock job interview sessions. During these sessions, I played the roles of interviewer and interviewee. When I was the interviewee, I felt extremely nervous and stressed up, and I could not answer most of the questions well. I was totally clueless on what the ‘interviewers’ were looking for in me. When I played the role as an interviewer, I sort of managed to see myself through the actions from some of my classmates - the uneasy facial expression, the not-so-confident look, the long and short pause filters within a sentence etc. These in fact had served as a reminder, telling me the importance of confidence in portraying onself in front of the employers.Also, I had a better understanding of the expectations that most interviewers had for the interviewees. I enjoyed myself very much during these sessions.

I had my first ‘public speaking’ through the peer teaching session. Though I had tried to prepare myself adequately the day before, my performance was still not up to my expectation. Through the valuable feedbacks that both my classmates and Brad had given to me, I became more aware of my weaknesses, and had tried to make improvements on it. Also, I had the chance to hone my interpersonal skills, by working with different people for the research proposal and oral presentation (OP). The OP had served as a second chance for me to conquer my ‘stage fright ‘problem and I was glad that I had managed to overcome it. This time round, I felt more comfortable and confident in standing and speaking in front of the class.

What I liked the most from this module was the dynamic class interaction shared between the students and Brad. Brad was an excellent teacher who had selflessly shared many insightful and interesting experiences with the class. Like what Diana (2) had mentioned, he was also not stingy with his praises and was very encouraging. This made everyone in group 8 to be motivated in mastering the ‘art of communication’ well. The classmates in group 8 were very open and receptive to feedbacks. This had in turn resulted a strong friendship being forged in group 8.
Before I end off for this entry, I’d to say a big thank to everyone in group 8 and Brad, for making ES2007S a fun, enjoyable and relaxing module for me. You guys had made every ES2007S lesson less scary for me to attend. Thanks for being a part of my learning journey. You guys are simply the greatest takeaway from this module.

All the best for the upcoming exams, and in your future endeavour, my dear friends!

6 comments:

kun lin said...

Hey Weiying!

Apa kabar! Great to know that there is someone else who took Bahasa Indonesia 2 in class!

It can be observed that you have improved much in oral presentations! I would also agree with you that our class' dynamics were fantastic! Ideas and feedbacks were constantly bouncing around in class. Nobody held their feelings back and were very open with them.

All the best for your future endeavors! It has been great having you in the class.

Brad Blackstone said...

Thank you, WeiYing, for writing this very detailed and appreciative post. It's good to know that you enjoyed the course even though you were hesitant at the start. As for the workload, what's the old expression? "What doesn't kill us should make us stronger." I realize that the tasks can be very taxing, but the effort you have made has paid off. I've seen lots of development in your skills.

What I really enjoyed in your post, aside from the reflection on your learning, was your comment about the greatest take away being the people you worked with. That is very true, a fine insight.

I also want to express my gratitude for your lively and active participation in the classroom discussions and the blog posting. You've done exemplary work.

With that, I wish you even more and grander learning experiences on the road ahead.

Anonymous said...

Hi Wei Ying!

So I am not the only one who chose to take ES2007S because there is no final exam. I also enjoy the teacher-student interaction between Brad and us. This is certainly non-existent in my other modules.

It was great working with you! Good luck for your exams too!

WeiYiNg said...

To Kun Lin, Jasper and Brad: Thank you for your comments! I truly appreciate it. Thanks for making this learning journey a wonderful one for me! :)

Glenn said...

Hey Wei Ying,

I’m sure you have improved in your presentation skills since the start of the course. It’s always encouraging seeing such things.

On a side note, your title seems to imply the end of Es2007s module instead of your course on first look.

All the best for your exams!

WeiYiNg said...

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for your kind comment!
I get what you mean. I do not really think that much when setting the title for this blog entry. Thanks for pointing out!

All the best, and stay in touch! :)