REFLECTION

Throughout the course of MUIDS grade 10 Environmental Science, I have studied various fields
of Environmental Science as well as Ecology. In August of 2018, I knew nothing about Environment and
Ecosystem. As I am studying the course, I have obtained more information and knowledge from different
chapters. At the moment, we are now wrapping up the lessons and completing our final project. I am sure
that what I have taken away from this class was more than just science. I have developed my learning
process as well as the organization of my thought. Whenever I am curious, I always tend to study
differently than I what I usually did. Curiosity has shaped my to be a better learner. I could use my spare
time to start on further researches, which will then improve my knowledge on each specific topic. After
collecting information and sort them into an organized form, I could see a greater image of those chapters.
Moreover, I would be able to present my collected data to the audience by using different forms of
presentations as well as technologies. Based on my grade 10 learning performances, I have improved
quite a lot. One of my strengths is that I have become more of a detail oriented students. No matter if it is
just a reflection or a project, I would still check my work at least twice and make sure that I have done
enough research for the assigned topic. Still, there are some weaknesses that can be found on my
assignments. The major issues that I have found to be a problem was that I am always procrastinate my
work. It doesn’t matter if I have a period or a week to finish the task, I would still do it 3 days before the
due date. Personally, I believed that I was not lazy, it is just that I need a little push from the deadline, in
order to be as productive as possible. Procrastination is one of the worst study habits that can be found in
any project. However, I do not consider it to be a problem for me, since I am able to complete every given
assignment properly and right on time. So, if I wanted to change or fix anything on my learning process, I
would want to be able to manage my time a bit more wisely. Among the lessons we have covered in the
class, patience is known to be the most important thing I learned. I have always overthink too much about
my work and grades; and this class has taught me more about patience. In order to be complete each
assignment, I must be patient throughout each step of the work. First, I have to be patient about finding
research, otherwise I would be missing some details about my work. Then, it would be nice for the
collecting and organizing data part of the project take quite some time, without any hurry, so that I would
be able to check and see if my work is fully complete or not. Other than patience, I have learned to be a
better researcher. Before the school year begins, I usually have a hard time doing research. I often
struggle with how much information should I be inserting into the work, should I add this part in?, or
should I take it out? By studying in the course of Environmental science, I have known better of what to
search for and how should I arrange the formation of my data into a form that would be understandable
by the audience. Moreover, I have learned more about the reliability of the sources. By knowing which
source is reliable, which source is not, I could save more time in the research process as well as spend
more time on the presentation and product of that specific project. Throughout the course, I have
encountered problems. Still, I managed to sort things out in the end. Since I have mentioned that I often
procrastinate my work, my biggest problem is about time management. Personally, I believe that each
subject in MUIDS matters, and I am not able to pay attention to one subject more than the others. This is
why I have a problem with time. Usually, I would try my best for every assignment, whether it is just a
5-sentences reflection or a research paper. Sometimes, trying my best has caused me stress and tension
while doing the work, due to the lack of time management skills. If I am able to improve one thing for the
future works of mine, I would adjust my study habits with the amount of time given to me. Other than
time management, I believe that I have no problem with my learning process. So far, I have also
encountered many achievements too. During the course, I have known more about Environmental Science
fields, especially the threats. I believed that learning would take place the best at the school, where the
vibes are being produced, and the interactions among the students occurred.
 During quarter 4 of the school year, we have been assigned a project to complete. It is a group
independent project composed of 4 people. First of all, we have to pick 5 different Environmental science
topics. Each topic will be assigned to each member. Yet, there will be one topic that each member has to
research together. I chose to research about pesticides and the effects on farmland. Throughout the whole
research, I have known more about the following topics: the history of pesticides, chemical compositions
of pesticides, effects of pesticides on farming, which includes the soil, farmland, runoff, and the
atmosphere. Along with the updates of my knowledge on pesticides, I am able to make connections with
the knowledge from previous quarters. During the first quarter, we have learned about the Earth’s
geosphere, which includes the soil and rocks. In this project, I have learned about the effects of pesticides
on geosphere, which means that I have to connect the information with what I already know about the
structure of the sphere and how phosphorus and nitrogen cycle work. The second quarter was mainly
about the biosphere and ecology. During the project, I have to research about the effects of pesticides and
its history. Even though pesticides can have many negative effects on living things, I have done a little
research about the topic, since I believed that it was irrelevant. Furthermore, the previous quarter, quarter
3, I have learned about water system and farming. This topics covered the area of water cycle. In this
research, I have researched about the effects of pesticides, which includes the ruin of runoff and
watercourse throughout the farm. So far, I believed that my research could relate to any of the topics
covered in the courses. I have not noticed any information contradictions between my research and the
lessons being taught in class. All of the sources used for teaching in class and for my research are reliable,
due to the checklist I have completed. Lastly, if I am able to do any further research on any of the topics
related to pesticide I would choose to do further research on pesticides effects on living things, both plants
and animals.