My second week as a Laidlaw scholar was off to a great start with the trip to see our stakeholder. This definitely help solidify our research group as more of a team and visiting the site, as well as getting more of an in-depth understanding of what the stakeholders were asking of us meant that we started to fully conceptualize what our final result might look like. I think communication has continued to be good and there is a strong reliance on one another which makes our group stronger. As a group we had to discuss stakeholder mapping, and everyone contributed in highly meaningful ways. I am happy that I am sharing my voice more and being more vocal about my ideas for this project the more I become confident with the research we are doing. I would say that my role this week was centered around that, as well as trying to coordinate putting all of the team's ideas together. There was also quite a bit of social impact that our cohort engaged in this week; helping out with a sports event for children centered around inclusion, and visiting one of the areas in Oxford. It helped me understand more about the Town/Gown divide and why the research and effort we are putting in is so important to try to bridge that gap. At this early stage in our research, it definitely gave me a sense of fulfillment. In this coming week, I want to work on my research skills and hone in on them, to be more of an asset in that sense for the team. That is all from me! I cannot believe that one third of this research summer is over already!
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Isabella, thank you for another thoughtful reflection. I particularly enjoyed your honesty about your own development within the team. Your observation that you are becoming more confident in sharing your ideas shows good self-awareness, and recognising your own growth is an important part of reflective practice.
You also identify some of the factors that contribute to an effective research team, such as communication, trust and relying on one another. These are important observations, particularly in a collaborative project where the quality of the team's working relationships will influence the quality of the final output.
One area I'd encourage you to develop is exploring your ideas in a little more depth. For example, you mention that visiting your stakeholder helped you understand the project more clearly. What specifically changed in your thinking? Similarly, you mention the Town and Gown divide — how did what you saw in Blackbird Leys influence your understanding of that issue? Expanding on these moments would make your reflection even richer.
I also liked that you finished by setting yourself a goal for next week. That's a really useful habit. As you develop your research skills, it might be helpful to think about which skills you most want to strengthen, for example, literature searching, critical reading, stakeholder engagement or synthesising evidence. Having a more specific goal will make it easier to reflect on your progress next week.
Overall, this is a positive reflection that demonstrates growing confidence, good teamwork and genuine engagement with the purpose of the project. I'm looking forward to seeing how both your research skills and your confidence continue to develop over the coming weeks.