Pamela's Reflection

1.1.1
My chosen design is the race car my group built for Physics 11, Cardboard Racecar Project. This was a project that lasted for about two months. There were four people in my group and we all meet and worked together to build a sleigh for our race car. The model itself was based on Santa's Sleigh. We chose a Christmas theme since the holidays were coming soon. Behind the sleigh, a small trunk of gifts could be seen to add to the Christmas effect.

1.1.2
The unique features of this design is that it is not like any other race car. It's not built for speed but more for a show. It was themed for the Christmas season and our group decided to build a sleigh instead of a race car to make it more fun for us and interesting to build. Instead of a wheel, we put in reins for the sleigh. Behind the sleigh we built a mini trunk to put some presents like Santa would do.

1.1.3
A problem we had on our testing day was that our sleigh turned sharply towards the left side. Fatima added some more cardboard tubing around the front axel so that the body would not have enough room slide so much. It worked a little bit. The car turned gradually to the left instead of sharply. Emotion communicated I hope was one of joy, cheer and the feel of giving more to people. Christmas brings all these things and as Santa's Sleigh, our race car should produce these effects as well.

1.1.4
We didn't fully stray away from the goal of building a somewhat swift mode of transportation. We curved the front part of the sleigh like a normal sleigh would to reduce air resistance. When no-one was sitting on the sleigh, the reins worked somewhat. But when the weight is on the axel, it is difficult to steer or steer at all!

1.1.5
The design could have been better. We placed third but we were pretty far away from the first place cardboard in distance. I believe that, considering it's size and the distance it was able to travel to other cars our group did an awesome job!

1.2.1
Racecar is the created original work.

1.2.2
The point of our design was to build a car that had speed as well as a style different from other racecars.

1.2.3
The impact I would like our car to have on our audience is awe, amazement and appreciation to our group's hard work and effort. I chose these words because I am proud of the car my whole group made. We laboured through the nights to produce this wonderful race car. We thought through the designs and decorations and agreed together as a group what we were going to do. We all fully participated in the formation of this race car and the end product is what the audience will see. I hope they are able to realize the work we all put in together as a group.

1.2.4
The car turned to sharply to the left at first. We had to think of a way to make the car go straight so that we would be able to recieve a better mark. One of our group members Fatima, suggested that we put in an extension to the short tube already attached to the axel. The rest of the group, not able to think of any other better ideas ageed together to try Fatima's idea. The results were satifying because the car did not turn as sharply to the left as it did before.

1.2.5
To avoid embarressment and to save our own pride, Fatima added some more cardboard tubing around the front axel so that the body would not have enough room to slide so much. We also borrowed our teacher's Christmas bells to put onto our own race car to add to the positive Christmas atmosphere.

2.2.1

Five interpersonal required to communicate effectively are cooperation, participation, being attentive, being vocal of one's ideas, and organization.

2.2.2

In school, all of these skills are needed to work with other people to achieve a common goal. For example, in our race car group, all the members need to be able to work together as a team and participate fully. Being attentive and listening to the other members and offering ideas or strategies is great when they are balanced among everyone to be productive. Being organized also contributes to the success of a team. Knowing who is in in charge of what and knowing what to do is one less thing the group needs to worry about.

2.2.3

These skills are valued in these settings because first you need to be able to work well with the people you are with and then you can start to join into the group and participate. Listening first is the best way to gain information and have something to reflect on and then relay your opinions based on the topic of conversation. Lasty, when figuring out a solution, it is a good idea to be organized. For example, having a planner ready to record the next meeting perhaps or knowing the times you will not be able to come will benefit a person because then, they could ask for a change in the times.

2.2.4

I have used all of these skills when I was in the junior volleyball team in grade 10. I was the captain and had to have these skills in order to communicate with my team. I have also used all of these skills when in the racecar project. WIth my group I was one of the people in charge and had to use these skills so that I could plan out when it was convienent for everybody to meet.

2.2.5

Having these skills can have a huge impact in a person in highschool. This enables a student to meet new people and possibly make friends, develop a positive reputation among the staff, produce a postive attitude towards school knowing that you can have fun and recieve marks for it! This project helped me meet new people in class. I was the only grade 11 in my group and I didn't know the other two people in my group. I was able to get to know them more as a person rather than a classmate and now, as I see them in class and in school I am able to greet them. Being able to work together even though we didn't really know each other was visible in class when the group members had to prepare. The teacher could see the bonds formed between strangers and the positive outcome the resulted from the long project.

4.4.1
This race car project is one of my group projects that demostrates teamwork skills and strategies. We had to work and plan our race car together.

4.4.2
Some specific teamwork skills required for working on the project are being flexible, respectful, open, enthusiastic, and supportive. These skills would also be important when playing a sport such as volleyball where everyone has to be optimistic and give everything they have to try and win the game.

4.4.3
Being flexible meant that everyone in the group had to give up some of their time to be able to attend to the meetings. We had to be respectful to each other, knowing when to listen and when to speak out loud so that everybody was able to have their two cents put into the project. Being open to different ideas is important because that is how we were able to create a unique design. This also made the project more fun since it enabled everyone to suggest new thoughts and bring anything they thought might fit in. Nobody felt out of place or unsure because everyone new everybody wouldn't criticize it but instead, add something to make it even better. With being open, everyone was in a good mood and enthusiastic about coming to the meetings to work on the project. This produced a positive, comfortable environment around the room and progress was greatly made. Throughout the whole duration on making the project, every group member was very supportive in lending a hand and bringing materials to use for the race car.

4.4.5
Overall, I believe that without these teamwork skills and strategies, our racecar would not have been completed. Either that, or our car would have not looked as appealing in design and structure. All of these skills are related and together, helped enable us to produce a wonderful racecar that we are all very proud of because of the time, work, and effort we put together as a team. A part of us can be seen in the car, even if others cannot see it, each of us can relate a part of the car to a member in our group. We have grown closer in some degree and I'm sure that if we had to do this project again, we would choose each other as a team and tackle the work together.