First Reflection Session:
Today Ms. O'Carroll and I talked over my outline and how I could best go about the beginning of the writing process. While it is typical for most papers based in science to be research papers, it is not usual for them to have the format of an essay and the research done by several other people. Yet, in this peculiar mix I have found in the Extended Essay, it is also a space where I can comment on the research available, as well as extrapolate from multiple sources to make one argument. It will be difficult not to treat this paper as a typical science work, but one way I can avoid this is by focusing more on the meaning of all the science, rather than the results of studies. Another topic addressed was that a variance in sources is excellent in doing my research, especially over the local incident, Power Forests. We also discussed that I needed to further split up my categories into paragraphs, in order to include all the data I have collected, so that my commentary is more specific and relevant.
Second Reflection Session:
Meeting with my supervisor has helped me to get back on track with my essay so that I can get past the wall I’ve hit. My research is bounteous, but I will need to weave together more implications with my data to improve the argument. Because I am so engaged with this topic, it is difficult not to make it into just a report-type project full of interesting facts. One thing that which is currently going well is that my writing is clear with little typos, although I have not created section headers yet. This will help get more points in Criteria C and D. After our last meeting, I had planned to use a Power Forest in Korea as my local example. However, the person I was going to interview about it was unable to comment and I cannot find reliable sources on it, so I am looking for another local instance. Ideally, I will find another Power Forest, because this concept dovetails with my argument.
Third Reflection Session:
After completing my EE, I am proud of the work I did to gather the various data in types of nature immersion, and my creation and consolidation of the four different types. Although I can still see areas where I struggled to implement my voice, I hope to be able to continue this investigation I’ve started, and to discover more ways that I can implement the results I’ve found in my own life and in my community. While I succeeded in finding relevant research, I could have improved as far as arguing for the utilization of these various levels of nature immersion. If I could add something to my Extended Essay now, I would explain that separating nature exposure into these categories is critical because it makes an elusive idea quantifiable. Once people see nature in this way, it can be used effectively to reduce mental illness.