Transformative Learning
I’ve been a reserved person for most of my life, who wouldn’t speak much during group discussions in high school, but this class has allowed me to build my leadership skills and become an active contributor to discussions and group work. In the podcast project, our group was experiencing difficulty in establishing an overarching theme that would answer the course question, and for roughly one week, we were lacking any progress. I had to take initiative and brainstorm the theme, which became the homogenization of gender roles, and ask the group for their opinion. I also discussed the idea with Dr. Haas for her input. During group meetings, I made an effort to take charge and lead the team through coordinating roles, plans, and meetings. I also served the role of the podcast host, which required intensive interaction with my group mates throughout the podcast, and helped me become comfortable with public-speaking. Looking back on this course, I will remember how it enhanced my teamwork and management skills.
Due to the asynchronous nature of the course, I had flexibility in my schedule to work on assignments as I pleased, and while I initially enjoyed that freedom, I came to realize that I needed structure for optimal productivity and learning. I tend to work best at night, so I’d start my work around 8pm, one night before the due date, and work till most of the assignment was complete. I’d gauge the amount of time necessary to complete the remaining portion in the next day, and begin working at the time accordingly so that I could submit before the midnight deadline. The class taught me the importance of time management and scheduling.
I’ve learned to overcome procrastination and idleness through finding motivation, such as the drive for academic success, in order to turn in quality work. There were times when I was definitely lacking the energy and passion for writing because it’s an exhaustive and thorough process, but I had to engage with the content and find interest in it to gain the desire to write with excellence. I can apply the skills to other classes that may seem monotonous, so that I can learn and succeed the most.
Problem Areas
I’ve always struggled with time management, especially in writing assignments, as it takes me significantly longer to brainstorm and write out my ideas then it should take. Also, I strive for perfection, which causes me to constantly revise and change my work, which slows down my progress and flow. I’ve definitely improved in my time management skills over this quarter, and I’m still working to further develop those skills. One effective tactic was to set a timer and concentrate on the assignment for a duration of 30 minutes, to then take a 5 minute break, and repeat. I will continue to use this strategy and search for others online.
Navigating through my Wix site and developing my own webpages was somewhat challenging because I’m not incredibly experienced with creating sites. A substantial amount of time was dedicated to structuring pages adequately, as my images wouldn’t appear in the right size, which caused me to manually design my page rather than use templates. I was confused how my classmates were able to create such elegant and complex sites and pages, while I struggled. To improve this problem, I’ve decided to learn more about web design through YouTube tutorials and possibly take an online course.
I also need to enhance my self-review skills because I am not able to see my own work through an objective lens. Others’ feedback is more constructive because they see my ideas and structure from a fresh and new perspective. I can effectively proofread my own work, but revisions are difficult without suggestions from others. To strengthen my ability to self-review, I need to gain a new point of view, which may require some time away from the piece, but reading others’ work can help with bringing new ideas.
Hi Ray! I also have the same problem for time management. I like your idea about how we can control our thinking and action when writing. Also, the website creation is really challenging for me at the beginning. But with exploring and studying from other’s design, I gradually learned how to create a beautiful web page. Hoping you can achieve your goal in the future. Lastly, it is very happen to be in the same group with you!
Hey Ray! I get you, when creating my own Wix website I found it quite difficult imputing certain images into this website. I quite lost motivation, I feel like only classes have been one of the reasons for my loss of motivation but I like taking breaks in between assignment to let myself breathe and not feel like Im over working myself. Im glad that you came out of your comfort zone and played such an important role within your group. Good luck on finals weeks!
It is true that making a website is not a very easy task, but it also taught me a lot. In this course, I think the biggest gain for me should be to understand other ways to express my ideas besides writing. Another key you mentioned is time management. Indeed, this is also a very big problem for me. I am also trying to make plans so that I can use my time more effectively. Finally, I want to thank you for the suggestions you gave me in Introduction Assignment. They helped me a lot when modifying the article, and they also allowed me to find some problems in my writing skills.
Hi Ray! I totally understand your struggle with wix. Honestly, I had a lot of trouble with the site as well and I would spend more time than necessary trying to work on my site. I like how you see this as a weakness and are hoping to improve on it by using youtube as a guide. I also wrote about one of my weaknesses is self-review because I think seeing the flaws within your own writing is often more difficult than finding it in other people's writing. Your website looks great and best wishes at UCI.
Hi Ray, I totally understand your feeling of lacking in passion for study and it often occurs to me, but glad to see you overcome it by finding movivations. I am a little shocked when you mention you are not an active student in the high school since you did an excellent job in group discussion and being the host of the podcast. Also, thanks for your thoughtful and insightful suggetions for the essay and wix pages. Hope you enjoy your future learing in UCI.