Day 1 Reflection
First time going into the Incheon Airport. The staff at the airport were kind and helpful, greeting all of us with smiles. However, the immigrations took quite a long time as there were some problems with the other passengers. We met Jason, our tour guide, here as well.
Street view of the place where we had dinner. Jason and Mr Tan shared with us some history of the place, Line 38 where it used to be a swampy area and was a turning point in the war, I felt that it was really interesting to see a whole new place build from swampy ground.
For dinner, we sat down in a seafood restaurant, where unlike Singapore, they used heaters instead of air conditioners. We also had an interesting experience of watching them cook a live octopus right in front of us, it was an eye-opening experience.
Day 2 Reflection
Our Korean buddies presented to us about their interesting findings from their year-long research. I felt that they really put in a lot of hard work and lots of effort into trying to make a difference and contributing to the world by coming up with creative ideas to solve difficult problems.
We joined our Korean buddies for their computer lesson. In there, we enjoyed ourselves a lot as we collaborated together to build up a Lego Mindstorm car. In that lesson, the teacher also taught us a bit about coding and how to use the Python coding language to control the car. Lastly, we put our skills to the test by completing a maze.
This is a photo of a moon through a telescope. In the evening after dinner, our Korean buddies brought us to the rooftop where we observed different kinds of stars, as well as learn how to operate a telescope. We also had a bit of a lesson where we learned about the different stars and their special characteristics.
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When/where did the experience take place?
The experience took place in IASA, Incheon Academy of Science and Arts.
What did I do? What did others do?
Today was very eventful, my friends and I built robots, watched the stars, as well as tried Korean food. My Korean buddies were great hosts and welcomed us with great hospitality.
What happened that was significant?
I feel that the welcoming ceremony was significant as I could see that they put in a lot of effort into the performances as well as the speeches that they gave.
Process
How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)? How did I handle my emotional reactions?
This experience made me feel positive as it made me feel very welcomed into the school. In response, I bowed in greeting when the different teachers walk by me. I also always thank my buddies for helping me.
Do I believe I should have felt differently than I did?
I feel that I could have been more active in engaging and stating more conversations with my buddy to get to know them better.
What assumptions or expectations did I bring to the situation (including my assumptions about other persons involved) and how did they affect my actions?
I assumed that everyone in the academy could speak English, but not everyone could, hence I tried to speak with simpler English and at a slower pace so as to better help them understand me.
What personal skills did I draw on in handling this situation?
I learned that we should be empathetic and be more understanding as well as have an open mind when meeting up with different people.
What personal skills would I like to have had I order to have handled it better and how might I develop them?
I would like to have more initiative and pro-activeness in starting and engaging in conversations. I can develop them by putting them in action more often.
Generalize
How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept?
This experience enhances my knowledge about the different kinds of problems that our world is facing and the creative solutions to it.
Does it challenge or reinforce my prior understanding?
It reinforces my prior understanding.
Apply
I learned that…
Express an important learning, not just a statement of fact
I learned that lampposts can be innovated and be improved to increase the visibility of pedestrians.
Provide a clear and correct explanation of the concept(s) in question so that someone outside of the course can understand
For instance, I learned that there is a negative contrast, as well as positive contrast on a pedestrian as he crosses the road.
Explain your enhanced understanding of the concept(s), as a result of reflection on the experience
There are optimal conditions for a pedestrian to be most visible to the driver, such as the glare of the light, or the height at which the lamppost is placed.
I learned this when…
The Korean buddies presented their research project findings with us.
Connect the learning to specific activities making it clear what happened in the context of that experience so that someone who wasn’t there could easily understand i
The Korean buddies did an experiment where they placed their prototype on the street, and they found out that their prototype made pedestrians more visible.
This learning matters because...
It can make a great impact on our world.
Consider how the learning has value, both in terms of this situation and in broader terms, such as other organizations, communities, activities, issues, professional goals, courses, etc.
This learning allows more communities to have better safety and could prevent accidents from happening.
In light of this learning…
I feel that everyone should play their part in contributing to the world.
Set specific and assessable goals, consider the benefits and challenges involved in fulfilling them
Tie your learning back to your original goals
Day 3 Reflection
In the evening, we got the chance to have dinner with our Korean buddies. We grouped up into groups of eight and set off into a mall. I managed to try some new Korean food which was delicious and managed to stop to look at some of the beautiful decorations that had been set up.
In the afternoon, we visited the Hyundai Motor Museum, where there was a tour guide that was very friendly and welcoming, and he was showing us around the place and teaching us everything about cars. There were also lots of fun activities planned out for us at the Museum.
Today at the Incheon Academy of Science and Arts, our Korean buddies and we conducted a public forum debate, where eight different teams went up against each other in a heated debate about weather Singapore and South Korea should administer a ban on the use of plastic bags.
Today in the Incheon Academy of Science and Arts English room, we were divided into eight groups. The Korean buddies helped conduct a public forum debate, where we were all put into different rooms to get into a heated debate with one another. My job for this debate was to be the researcher and judge. Being the researcher really helped me to learn a lot as I had to look up and dig through many different pieces of data, and as a result, I ended up learning a huge amount regarding plastic bags in our world today. In addition, I also learned a lot about teamwork with my Korean buddy. For instance, due to the language barrier between my buddy and I, we often had times where we did not understand what the other party was talking about, however, we did not give up or get angry at one another, but instead, we were patient with one another and eventually got the research done,During the actual debate, I listened and judged two groups. The points that were brought up by both teams were really interesting and was an eye-opening session for me as I always had a fixed mindset that plastic bags were only non-biodegradable substances and brought about all the negative impacts to our environment. However, during the debate, I learned that removing plastic bags from our lives might actually have adverse impacts instead of benefitting our world. In light of this learning, I hope to understand better that, when working together, we should all put aside our differences and work towards a common goal.
Day 4 Reflection
Sadly, all good things have to come to an end. Before seeing our Korean buddies for the last time, we had one student from both schools each play a beautiful piece of music on the piano in front of everyone. It was sad and touching as the thought of never being able to see my buddy again made me feel reluctant to leave.
In the evening, all of us were all gathered in the seminar room where we spectated the grand finale of the heated debate between the two groups. I could see that every member of the group really put in a lot of effort into writing their scrips and using critical thinking to quickly come up with rebuttals for the other team.
In the morning, we spent most of our time in the classroom listening to the Korean students present their Biomedical research papers regarding a lot of interesting topics. I was truly fascinated by all the interesting topics that they decided to research on, and I was really in admiration of all the hard work that they put in.
Today in the afternoon, in the Incheon Academy of Science and Arts, we were gathered in the Chemistry lab to attend a Chemistry lesson conducted by the Korean teacher. During that lesson, I feel that I had really learnt a lot. Before the start of the lesson, I expected the lesson to be boring as when I was told that it was about titration, I thought that I already knew everything about it as I had done it before in school, however to my surprise, it was the first time that I discovered about back titration. At first, I was a little confused about how it worked, but after assistance for my Korean buddies and the Korean teachers, I eventually managed to complete the 3 tasks of titrating sodium hydroxide into aspirin and antacid in an excess of hydrochloric acid. Some other challenges that I was faced with were the language barrier between my Korean buddies, as there were some scientific terms that we did not understand while explaining to one another. It was fun as it was a hands-on experience, and I also saw a new piece of equipment that was a magnetic bar that was used to mix solutions. Afterwards, I realised that the equivalent point was not the same as the endpoint, where the indicator changes colour. In the light of learning, I hope to improve my practical skills and my scientific concepts so as to learn more and achieve more in the future.
Day 5 Reflection
Today in the evening, we took the bus up the mountain to a very tall tower called Nam Sam Tower. At the top of the tower, I walked on a “love bridge” where families and couples would lock a padlock on the frame of the bridge, it was truly an interesting and spectacular sight to witness. As the sun started to set, we also got the chance to view the beautiful evening sunset.
In the morning, we paid a visit to the SCIPIA, an interactive science museum, where we could play around with the exhibits. In the museum, I learnt a lot about Physics and Chemistry from the different informative signboards, activities and some even had games to play with. Overall I found that the visit to the place was really beneficial to me as I learnt a lot.
In the afternoon, our tour guide, Jason, brought us down to a narrow but long stream in Seoul. We walked along the stream, admiring its tranquillity and looking at the well-detailed sculptures of different legends or movie characters such as Kung Fu Panda and The Lion King. It was a memorable experience as not only did we get to look at beautiful sculptures, but we also got to learn a bit about the history of Korea.
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When/where did the experience take place?
The experience took place in Seoul.
What did I do? What did others do?
Today, I spend the day with my friends as we visited the SCIPIA museum, the stream and a tower upon the mountains.
What happened that was significant?
I feel that the learning journey to the SCIPIA museum and looking at the “love bridge” on the tower was significant
Process
How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?
This experience regarding the learning journey made me feel more interested in the field of science.
How did I handle my emotional reactions?
I paid a lot of attention to the different exhibits to learn as much as I can.
Do I believe I should have felt differently than I did?
I believe that I could have had this time of learning attitude towards learning even before the learning journey.
What assumptions or expectations did I bring to the situation (including my assumptions about other persons involved) and how did they affect my actions?
I expected the museum learning journey to be plain and boring, however, I ended up having a lot of fun interacting with the displays and learning a lot.
What personal skills did I draw on in handling this situation?
I learn to have an open mind whenever we are doing something new.
What personal skills would I like to have had I order to have handled it better and how might I develop them?
I would like to have better time management so as to have been able to look at more exhibits and learn more. I can better develop them by planning and creating a timetable.
Generalize
How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept?
It enhances my concepts of Chemistry in the topic of activation energy, as well as Physics, on the topic of pressure as there were interactive displays for both topics.
Does it challenge or reinforce my prior understanding?
It reinforces my prior understanding.
Apply
I learned that…
We should keep an open mind whenever we go trying new things and not have certain expectations or stereotypes toward a certain thing.
Express important learning, not just a statement of fact
I learnt to also have better time management and not to spend too much time on only one thing but also to plan more and correctly spend the time.
Provide a clear and correct explanation of the concept(s) in question so that someone outside of the course can understand
I suggest that we should ensure that we are always aware, be it our surroundings or our time, this would prevent mishaps from happening.
Explain your enhanced understanding of the concept(s), as a result of reflection on the experience
We should not be reluctant to try new things and we should always have a good preparation before doing anything.
I learned this when…
We were given all the free time today and I could have better spend all my time doing even more stuff which would have benefitted me.
Connect the learning to specific activities making it clear what happened in the context of that experience so that someone who wasn’t there could easily understand
When we visited the museum, I did not manage to cover all the exhibits within the given time, and could hence better planned out my time and visited more exhibits.
This learning matters because...
I feel that it is a really important skill to have in life.
Consider how the learning has value, both in terms of this situation and in broader terms, such as other organizations, communities, activities, issues, professional goals, courses, etc.
In light of this learning...
This learning would help me to achieve more in the future which could possibly benefit all the different people around me, be it my family, friends, colleagues.
Set specific and assessable goals, consider the benefits and challenges involved in fulfilling them
I would like to make more timetables and not procrastinate my work in the future.
Tie your learning back to your original goals
Being more prepared and being more proactive.
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