The week of October 16th was a time for our English class to display the hard work we put into our Unit 2 Projects. On top of this, fall break began on Thursday!
On Tuesday, October 18th we tested our public speaking skills by giving a class presentation. This was a unique experience in which students rotated between five speakers. These speakers presented at the same time. I enjoyed this aspect because having other people presenting took some of the attention off of me. This made it easier to look listeners in the eye and speak confidently.
I could see myself becoming more confident each time I presented. During the first run-through I made little eye contact and fumbled on many words however by my last run it flowed smoothly and I was even able to add hand gestures. Overall, having to engage my audience while describing my research was a great way to gain public speaking skills.
Also, the class grew from watching each other present. My favorite presentation was one in which the speaker gave theirs by memory. In this way, the speaker was able to consistently engage the audience and leave a lasting impact.
The next part of the Unit 2 Project was to submit an explication of our research. This assignment helped us develop interpersonal skills by conducting interviews and interacting with the community that we chose to study. For example, from the interview, I learned that the best results are produced when being transparent and showing respect. In doing so, the interviewee seemed comfortable speaking and opening up about experiences. The interview experience was really enjoyable because I could connect with people and learn from their stories.
Another enjoyable part about the explication of research was that as the authors, we could make the paper more descriptive than concise. Unlike the presentation, this gave us the opportunity to add interesting details that did not contribute to the main research aspect. I found this part most enjoyable because it let me emphasize my favorite details, putting the project more in my perspective.
Next, in the Unit 2 project, we had to create citations, which helped us grow as writers. At first glance, this may seem like a tedious or unnecessary step, however, after conducting research of your own, it becomes an utmost priority. Knowing all the hard work I put into it with the research and creative thinking, I would hate if anyone used my work without referencing me. So, in our final projects, we added APA citations of the sources we used in our research.
Lastly, we grew as students by learning to pace our essays. When writing out the presentation script and explication of the research, we were given many days to mull over details and tweak certain aspects. This week I learned that by taking breaks in between a writing project, you can develop more ideas and cultivate them into a better representation of your thoughts.
In conclusion, this week in class we gave presentations on our research and finalized our Unit 2 Projects. From this, we grew as students, writers, and people by using interpersonal and critical thinking skills while presenting and writing.
After such a busy week, it will be nice to relax during fall break and prepare for Unit 3!
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