reflection on 11-7-2011

Reflection on 11-7-2011


Sharon Wong (4S)

Today, we had our first lesson of mathematics. For the first part of our lesson, we did code breaking. It is a game with codes and clues, and we need to solve it in order to find out the place and answer the questions. Through this game, I learnt new code-solving skills and this also improved my critical thinking skills

For the second part of our lesson, the topic is ‘zero to infinity’ we learnt more about set and the teacher used lively examples to make us understand more. Since the level in maths lesson is higher than those in Hong Kong and at times, we came across difficulties in solving questions. The teachers and mentors helped us a lot to solve our problems. We had enriched our mathematical knowledge and this would help us a lot in our further studies. Moreover, we learnt that persisting and being calm is important in solving problems. We are looking forward to the next mathematics lesson.

Ruby Tin (4S)

Today is our first day of our mathematics lesson and we have a lot of “brain challenge games” in the morning. The games are interesting and introduce us to the brand new subject of our lessons.

Our mathematics lesson starts with a decoding campus quiz and through the quiz, we learn more cooperating with others and try to think flexibly. As the codes cannot be solved only by yourself, we need to divide our workload and trust one another. Also since there are a lot of decoding methods, the quiz requires us to think in different ways to get the clue.

In the afternoon, we have the chance to know more about the introduction of ‘zero and infinity’. We all think that the topic is rather difficult as we haven’t learnt anything related to it in Hong Kong. Luckily, the teachers and mentors are all very patient and are willing to answer our questions.

Similar to the week before, we have some ice-breaking activities at night. This time, we need to run around the campus to look for numbers that fit the clues. The clues are really tricky and we have lots of fun guessing them. The last activity of the day is to build a tower as tall as possible with the aids jelly-babies and raw spaghetti. We all agree that this is the hardest part among all as the spaghetti is very brittle and the jelly-babies are not strong enough. But, after all we think that the day is very fruitful and meaningful.

Hilda Fung (4S)

We had our first Chemistry lesson today. Jayne and Barnaby, our academic mentors, are very kind and helpful to us. They are generous to offer us guidance when we are in doubt.

We had a mini presentation on doing a chemistry demonstration. My group forgot which chemical was which, because they all looked similar. Eventually, our group had to think on our feet and made up what we had to say as the demonstration went on. After this mini presentation, we started to feel more comfortable with doing presentation.

In the evening, we had an ice-breaking activity which was about building something we could see in a fairground. Lots of creativity had to be used in this activity. We were impressed with other people’s work and we found lots of new ideas from their designs. There were lots to learn from and we all think that it was an interesting activity.

Janice Chan (4S)

Today we had a very interesting lecture on the Physics of a Cup of Tea. We were told about the various designs of the tea bag. The pattern made when milk is added to tea drop by drop. This was also demonstrated using water and ink. We were able to observe ring-like pattern when drops of ink were added into the water.

Moreover, we started our Chemistry course with the CEO of the Reach Out Lab, Alan West. We carried out many demonstrations in the Reach Out Lab with our new mentor, Jayne and Barnaby. We froze and hardened rubber tubing and flowers in liquid nitrogen which could then be broken easily as they lost their elasticity and softness.

Later on in the evening, we went to the Science Museum and looked at the science of motors, space and the human beings. However, we ran short of time and had to miss out on quite a bit.

After dinner, we played some games as group activities. We played the Photo quiz again which involved hunting for answers and locations based on clues and pictures given to us. It was a fun game and soon after that we headed off to bed.

Chaahat Gambhir (4T)

Today was our very firsts day to work in the Reach-out Lab with Mr. Alan West MBE. It was a fun day in which we carried out quite a lot of demonstrations such as freezing a rubber tube using liquid nitrogen and then banging it on the table so that it broke into small pieces.

We also conducted other experiments such as popping some pellets of dry ice(solid carbon dioxide) into a film canister and then waiting for the film canister to burst due to increased pressure.

Finally, we also used acidified potassium permanganate(purple in colour) to make ‘water’,’milk’,’milkshake’ and ‘champagne’. It was a really interesting experiment and has really aroused all of our interest in learning Chemistry.

Within the past week and today, I have come to realize that no matter how hard a task is, it is possible to achieve success through hardwork and dedication as well as persistence and self-confidence.

For example, up until today’s Chemistry lesson, I used to be very nervous doing experiments in the lab because I used to constantly fear that I would break the apparatus. However, after doing today’s experiments, I have gotten rid of my fear and am now looking forward to doing many more experiments in the lab.

Last but not least, I made some new friends from Scotland and the UK, both of whom are very friendly and nice.

Yammie Lam (4S)

Today is the day that we will have new mentors and new lessons after an enjoyable weekend. Although we like the mathematics lessons and our mentor, Dawit, was very nice, we are still very looking forward to our chemistry lessons and new mentor. After the morning meeting, our cute new mentor, Barnaby, took us to the Queen’s lawn to have lunch. It was so comfortable and relaxing! It was a very different experience because we do not have such extensive lawns in Hong Kong.

We made a polymer in our first chemistry lesson. After that, we had some ice-breaking games again. We had so much fun and we were all tired out. We then went back to our rooms and took a rest to prepare for another fruitful day.

Patsy Lau (4S)

Today is our first Mathematics lesson since we arrived at Imperial College.

After breakfast, we took part in the “Continuing Students Activity” in groups of five. In this game, we had to build a model car. However, the one who built the model may not look at the finished model. The leader had to coordinate the building process. Through this game, we have learnt that co=-operation is very important when doing group work.

After lunch, we had our mathematics lesson. The first part of the lesson is code breaking. I found this fame really fun and interesting. We have to break those codes in order to find the right place in the school campus. Although it was really tired for us to run everywhere, we all enjoyed ourselves and have learnt to think in different ways. If we just think in one way and don’t try other methods, we won’t be able to solve problems.

After dinner, we played some ice-breaking games. We built roller-coaster models using Lego and a motor. I found this game really interesting as this game allowed us to learn how to think out of the box. I will certainly share these experiences with my family and friends.

Tammy Law (4L)

Today is the start of a brand new week which marks the end of our Chemistry lectures. Throughout the last week, we got the chance to deepen our understanding on Chemistry and broaden our horizons by visiting historical monuments like the Buckingham Palace and the Big Ben. We learnt a lot and that was a great experience for our growth.

In the morning, after breakfast, we formed groups and played a game constructing cars using out teamwork. We co-operated, communicated and were patient in order to accomplish the task given.

At noon, we sat for a guest lecture on the topic “The Physics of a Cup of Tea”. That was very inspiring and we learnt that the slightest things on Earth matters.

In the afternoon, we attended our first Mathematics lesson. We first filled out a quiz by having a coded tour of Imperial College. We used our talent to complete different sorts of decoding work. That was very challenging and we enjoyed ourselves. After that, the teacher taught us on the topic “Zero to Infinity”. It was quite difficult and we learnt to be patient to understand it.

In the evening, we used lego pieces to construct games seen at a funfair. It was a new game for us and we learnt to be innovative, cooperative and communicative.

Today is an unforgettable day and we hope to learn more about Mathematics in the following days.