Reflexive Summary
My first semester at Newcastle University has come to an end, and the time has flown by. Since I had never previously studied in this manner, blogging is a new task for me. At first, I was a little concerned about this and hesitant to share my posts with the class. But as I’ve gotten more used to my studies and life in general, I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of this kind of work.
Overall, writing three blogs and two comments helped me develop the self-learning, writing, and worldview abilities that I hope to develop in my study abroad career. First and foremost, I had to prepare for and review the module materials since in order to successfully complete the tasks, I needed to thoroughly comprehend what the lecturers had discussed in class. After choosing my blog’s theme, I had to read extensively to expand my expertise, which taught me how to find information and improve my writing materials. In addition, my grasp of urban planning in various cultural contexts also improved as a result of reading and discussing my classmates’ articles. In addition, With Dilan’s help and resources from the university library, I also made my first attempt at academic writing in English, which boosted my confidence and ambitions for my future studies. Last but not least, I must develop the skills necessary to communicate my ideas and vision to clients in order to succeed as a designer in the future. Blogging is undoubtedly a good form of exercise for me.
Although the lectures mostly focus on design theory, I quickly found applications for them in other fields, which thrill me. For instance, after hearing a lecture on neighbourhood planning, I decided to recreate China’s superblock neighbourhoods for my third blog. I’m familiar with the superblock neighbourhoods because they were read about and discussed in another class we took. I also read and reviewed other journal articles. It was really helpful to me to be able to combine knowledge I had gained both within and outside of the classroom when writing this post.
Of course, I also need to evaluate the weaknesses I have demonstrated throughout this training. In terms of planning my work content and schedule, I was a little pessimistic. We’ll be dealing with more posts and challenging course material the following semester. I must therefore increase my productivity and time management abilities. Additionally, I should look for more opportunities to speak the language so that I can interact with my teachers and classmates more effectively.
