Critical Reflection - The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

“ENGLISH” module? The first thought that ran through my mind was, I was going to do badly in this module for English has never been my forte. Diagnosed with dyslexia (a learning disorder), English has always been a challenge to me and the teachers in my primary and secondary schools were of little help as they were not able to give me the individualised attention that I needed most. But thanks to my mother, I managed to clear my ‘O’ levels and move on to polytechnic. But then again, in the engineering course that I was in, obviously there was no opportunity for me to improve my language and I continued to make the same mistakes. No lecturers at the polytechnic gave me any feedback on the proficiency of my English and I sailed through the three years thinking proficiency in English was not so crucial to engineering course.   

Hence, when I was told that I had to attend the Effective Communication module, I was not expecting much from it. I concluded it would be another boring English language class. But I was astoundingly proven wrong. It was at this module that I realized how important it was to have good writing and communication skills and more so for engineers who have to put up technical reports in clear and good English. I am very glad that I took the Effective Communication module.

After an entire trimester of Effective Communication, I realized the importance of receiving constructive feedback from my peers and tutor in improving my language skills. Receiving constructive feedback is the best thing that has ever happened to me so far in my journey at SIT. It has made me more conscious of the mistakes I make in language and learn from them.

The comments from my peers and Brad, have helped me seriously realize my weaknesses and increased my willingness to learn from them. The feedback received has now made me more meticulous in my grammar and sentence structures. Even as I am writing this reflection, I am looking out for my grammar and sentence structure which I usually never bothered to before or did not even realize I was making those mistakes.

Giving feedback to my peers I am sure has also helped them in the same way as it has helped me. It has also helped me realize my own mistakes and hone my skills sign up for it. In the language though I might not be the best qualified person to give feedback. The first time I had to do peer evaluation, I know I did a poor job at it as it was my first time doing so. However, peer evaluation during the Effective Communication module has boosted my confidence level in the language. I am now able to spot mistakes made by my peers more easily.

Brad’s constructive comments and pushing us polish up our writing were what benefitted me most. Though I was annoyed that I had to keep editing my piece of work several times, it made me realize the importance of writing well and the self-realisation that I too can write well if I am more conscious of what I am writing. If there is a follow-up module for Effective Communication, I would certainly be the first to sign up for it.

Thank Brad for the all the time you spent with us believe that we can improve on our language proficiency. I am glad that I was in student in your class. Hope to work with you again.