I chose the topic of researching the results to modeling fishlike swimmers because I’ve been swimming for most of my life and I thought it would be interesting to see a school subject, physics, mix with an extracurricular activity. Initially, I was hoping for the article to explain and perhaps help my understanding of how fish and people can propel themselves forward in a more effortless and efficient effort, unfortunately, that was not the case. The article was very heavy on math, physics, and machines used to achieve the conclusion, which I still thought was interesting – just not what I was expecting. Through this project, something really valuable that I learned was where to find the sites shown by Mrs. Royle because now with the advancement with ai and social media, it’s hard to find reliable sources that can show solid proof of their conclusions. Lastly, I found that being able to sit down to read a 30-page paper to which 40% I couldn’t understand is also valuable because it required me to read something difficult, which I think is important for the improvement of my overall knowledge and something that I haven’t had the time to do in a while.
For my presentation, I think I showed growth in the core competencies of communicating, more specifically – focusing on intent & purpose and acquiring & presenting information. This is because I feel that I stayed on the topic of the project – which was to share with the class a research article linked to our passion – and present it in a smooth matter. This can be seen as a competence that I show growth by comparing my confidence and content at the beginning of this year to now – I was less confident and wasn’t as to the point compared to now. Additionally, I plan to further this competence by doing more to prepare for the presentations: reviewing and practicing the content. As well, I plan to participate more in in-class discussions and answer questions because this can also aid in practicing the skill of communication.