Critical thinker:
When I did tasks like Prison Experiment or Biased News I considered all sides of the story and looked at the evidence to make a balanced decision. For instance, in the ethical dilemma, I considered the researchers’ intentions and the harm caused to the volunteers, and in the news analysis, I found biases like spin and emotional language by comparing them to the website. I collect all information, ponder consequences, and focus on a balance of ethics or fairness when solutions are not clearly stated. To make sure that all views have been considered, I check evidence, look at the people’s perspective, and review the instruction to be sure the analysis is thorough and complete.
Collaboration:
During the apprenticeship, we did the zoom activity. I had to hold a picture and get in line in order of being zoomed in and I had to find out what other’s pictures are without looking at them. I needed to stand in the right place to ensure the success. When I disagree with a teammate I normally try to not argue. If it doesn’t really matter I will just let others do what they want otherwise I will try to persuade them. I can asses my contribution to group projects by considering how much work I did compared to the other members and if I put enough effort an time. I can also ask the others if they think I contributed enough.
Creativity:
I am not very confident when I am drawing, and I am normally critical about my work. I can use it to improve and try to get better every time. Whenever I get feedback from others, I try to improve next time based on what they said. Instead of failure, mistakes are opportunities for me to do better next time. Anytime I experience creative blocks, I try to identify what may be wrong. I f I feel stuck, I may go look at other’s work for inspiration or switch to a different approach. I’m critical, but I am learning to love the progress and how far I have come, since it’s my biggest motivator. I try to continue to grow my creative sill by keeping open to feedback, learning from challenges, and finding what new ideas work best for my creativity.
Communication:
I think that communication expectations are higher now because I am in high school. Also I am new this year so I don’t know people well. At time when I need to listen to people if I wasn’t listening actively I wouldn’t know what they are talking about and there might be problems later. I can probably know if I have successful communicated my ideas to am audience when the audience look like they understand instead of looking confused. Sometimes, I am critical over myself but it can also push me to improve and think more carefully about how I present my ideas.
Resilience:
Since coming to the 9th grade, I have learnt that perseverance is the heart of overcoming challenges. Previous to this, I used to feel sad when things didn’t go my way, but I have since learnt that setbacks are all part of the learning process. If I failed a test, I would analyze where I had gone wrong. Instead of sulking, I made sure to study those parts I didn’t understand and take help whenever it was required. I learnt that failing does not mean I am incapable; it is simply an opportunity to do it better. Actually, when facing setbacks, I remind myself that mistakes are not the end; they provide opportunities to try again. I overcome setbacks with positive thoughts and a strategy for doing better the next time. My resilience shows how I handle failures and try to focus on gaining strength from them rather than dwelling in disappointment. I know I am growing when I can stand strong through tough situations, learn from them, and move onwards. These lessons will come in handy in the future, as I know challenges will come, but with the knowledge that I will be prepared for them and surely move on.
Academic classes:
In science class, we had a drag racing car project, where I used the skills in the ttgs. Firstly, I had to use critical thinking. I had to be very thoughtful in deciding how to design the car and what the best propulsion method would be in order to make it accelerate quickly. I had to think of many different designs, and I had to use a lot of critical thinking to find a solution. There were ttgs which I used, skillful communicator and effective collaborator. My teammate and I had to brainstorm solutions and agree with each other in order to get to the best design. We had to make sure that we all contributed to the project. I also used creative learner as I had to find creative ways to improve the car, and find ways fir it to go faster for a longer time. Overall, during the science project I used all of the ttg skills in various ways.
Non academic experience:
A non academic experience where I used the ttgs was when I went to a robotics camp. At this camp I had to build and program. One of the ttgs I used was critical thinker. To build the robot and write the code for it I had to think carefully about what parts to use and how to put them together. I had to think step by step and solve problems when things didn’t work as planned. I also had to be a creative learner. There were many times when I had to come up with unique solutions to make the robot work. For example, if the robot wasn’t working the way I wanted, I had to try different designs and change the code until I got it to work. Another ttg I used was resilience. Building a robot was time consuming and many times parts of the robot would break or the code wouldn’t work. I had to be patient and keep trying many times. This meant I had to use resilience when things were going wrong. I also had to use skillful communicator to communicate my thoughts clearly to the other people. Talking and listening to each other helped me improve my robot and get new ideas. Overall, I used many ttgs in this experience.
