Reflective Journal Example 1 PDF

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SCIE1001 Scientific Thinking Reflective Journal Assessment Task Writing a reflective journal entry each week of this course has helped reinforce our learning and see how we have developed as scientists and as people. We have looked in depth at the characteristics of highquality science and scientists, tools for maintaining scientific integrity, ways of thinking and reasoning, and perspectives on science that I had not previously considered. These components have contributed to my personal growth, as well as developing my academic and critical thinking skills, and the expansion of my worldview. Looking back on my week 1 journal and the understanding of science I had prior to this course, I had a fairly good idea of what scientists did and why I wanted to be one - “Scientists are crucial parts of our society, using their critical and creative thinking skills to make the world a better place” (Week 1 entry). I do still hold this romantic view, but this course has deepened my understanding of how scientists think, work and interact with the world. I knew previously that scientists share and build on others’ research, but now have a better understanding of how this process works. We have learnt about the importance of peer review, publishing in reputable journals, and maintaining scientific and ethical integrity in the face of fast media, ‘likes’, and a world ever-hungry for more knowledge. We touched on how potentially oversimplified indicators such as the ‘p’ index can cause problems for scientific integrity, as scientists make sacrifices in experimental design and reporting to raise this ‘statistical significance’ indicator (Week 8). We discussed how the scientific method, seemingly the foundation of scientific inquiry, is a strong model for scientific research, but may not fit all types of problems or investigations. This course has broadened my perspective of what high-quality science is, in many ways. In my week 1 entry, I recognised that both critical and creative thinking skills were important for scientists to possess. However, I was excited to discover just how much creativity is involved in science, such as in designing experiments and using divergent thinking (Week 6). This is an aspect I that don’t want to be lacking in my future career, but hadn’t realised before how it interconnects with science. Science “isn't just facts and procedures - there is innovation, problem solving and collaboration involved” (Week 6). This makes me optimistic about studying and pursuing science, and that it will help me shape a career that I can take great satisfaction from. It was interesting, in week 6, to consider how children are naturally better at divergent thinking, and that we tend to lose this ability with age, and possibly education, as our school system teaches us that there is “one right answer, in the back of the book” (Week 6). In recognising the value in collaboration for science and learning, it seems we need to change the culture of our institutions to focus on more than just marks and eventually making money. I am working on fostering my own creative thinking skills by practicing creativity often, being open to new experiences and ways of thinking and appreciating collaboration. One instance of broadening my perspective was in week 11: considering Aboriginal science, history, and teaching through storytelling. Having more Aboriginal perspectives in history and science is incredibly important; incorporating both Western science and the wealth of Aboriginal knowledge of the land into our understanding of Australia and the world would greatly benefit our society – in science (eg. agriculture) and towards reconciliation. “Using oral storytelling and collaborating with other groups as a learning exercise was a valuable reminder of how important this method of learning (and storytelling) is” (Week 11). Personally, I should remember to “be open to alternate (esp. Indigenous) perspectives, explanations and sources. This may require talking to those who have the knowledge, instead of looking in scientific journals.” It is through learning experiences such as these that I can develop my worldview and skills as a scientist. My awareness of my academic skills, strengths and weaknesses has grown considerably over this semester. I recognised in week 2 that it is important to develop my ability to “engage deeply and holistically with new information in each of my courses (think about detail and wider implications)” and to make the most of my study time (Week 2). Looking back on this semester and the study habits I am developing, I have surprised myself with how I have managed to engage with and focus on different courses’ content and complete most required tasks each week. It is motivating realising that these courses are an important foundation for my future studies and career, and also having like-minded peers and experienced teachers supporting me. While completing assessments on time is an ongoing area of improvement for me, I will continue to work on managing my learning to improve my success as a student. The assessment in week 5 was a challenge in creativity and time management - it took me a fair amount

to make the most of my study time (Week 2). Looking back on this semester and the study habits I am developing, I have surprised myself with how I have managed to engage with and focus on different courses’ content and complete most required tasks each week. It is motivating realising that these courses are an important foundation for my future studies and career, and also having like-minded peers and experienced teachers supporting me. While completing assessments on time is an ongoing area of improvement for me, I will continue to work on managing my learning to improve my success as a student. The assessment in week 5 was a challenge in creativity and time management - it took me a fair amount of indecision before I could stick with one idea and how to present it in an interesting and engaging way, but it was exciting “once ideas started flowing” (Week 5). While my feedback on this and our second assessment task was all positive, in the future I would do myself many favours by starting tasks earlier, even just by writing ideas down, having a plan to finish it ahead of time, and spending more time engaging with relevant course content and researching. A major theme of the course has been to identify and develop the qualities of high-quality scientists, and recognise the barriers to this. In week 7 we learnt about a process for critical analysis of sources, which is incredibly useful in spotting pseudoscience and poor scientific communication. It was also insightful to consider our inbuilt biases that can result in low-quality science (or interpretation) - we wouldn't normally realise these are affecting how we think and make decisions. Being aware of “our natural egocentric tendencies (cognitive biases) (eg. confirmation bias, outcome bias) can help us identify when we are making illogical or unscientific decisions/conclusions” (Week 9). It is important to “step back and consider our thinking, and other options (as our intuitive answer may not be correct); reflect on our emotions and harness them in our logical thinking; apply the steps of identifying bias in scientific analysis (check reliability of sources) and experimentation, to avoid biased results” (Week 9). Learning about these factors of high-quality science has greatly influenced my development of critical thinking skills, essential for science and beyond. The Q&A session, held in week 11, with five high-level (and high-calibre) scientists from our university was inspirational in showing us where we could go in our science career and how there is no ‘right’ way to get there. There are so many opportunities within each discipline, and for collaboration between them. This is especially relevant to me as I am studying a combined degree in Law and Science, and still feeling my way into what I want to during and after my studies. I’m interested to see what knew knowledge and opportunities will become available in the future. The panel also touched on, as we have done in the course, the frustration and disappointment that can come with scientific pursuit - be it having the research paper you’ve slaved over for months rejected or harshly criticised by reviewers, or putting two years of work and money into research only to come up with meaningless/useless results. This reinforces the characteristics of resilience and adaptability needed to deal with the frustration, ambiguity and risks involved in a career in science. This course has given me a strong foundation to launch into my studies and potential career in Science. It developed my understanding of what contributes to high quality science and scientists, and skills such as critical and creative thinking that, as well as being essential to scientific endeavours, will help my personal development. I also discovered the importance of reflection and self-evaluation in science and in broadening my worldview....