HTHCV XONR8
In collaboration with the California Innocence Project, we were assigned different cases to analyze and determine if the case should be approved or denied on a presentation for the Lawyers.
Before reading the case files, we had to inform ourselves about the topic, as we did with our Forensic Presentations. These presentations consisted on researching different topics and presenting them to the rest of the class to teach each other. I was part of the Forensic Psychology group and you can find our presentation here.
After this self-preparation, we received the case files from the cases that were assigned to each group. As soon as I started reading the case files it seemed as if I went through a mental block because I just did not understand any of it. Maybe it was because of the language or the case was fairly complicated, but as much as I tried to understand it I could not fully comprehend it. My teammates seemed to have the same problem as I did so we decided to build a crime web together which made everything 10 times easier, but still not a piece of cake. Another thing that personally helped me organize my thoughts and the facts was printing everything out and annotating every single relevant thought that crossed through my mind. Researching the applicable penal codes also helped drastically.
Making the final decision as a group (that is, if the case should be approved or denied) was not a struggle as it was to most groups. The real struggle was organizing the presentation, since we took a lot of time reading the case files and we had lesser time to create the presentation. After all, the presentation was a total success and I am very proud of our work.
Exhibition night was both interesting and scary at the same time. The lawyers did not see us as just High School students, but as individuals fully capable to do this work. Some groups did great, others did poorly. When it was finally our turn, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous even though I usually enjoy presenting. In my opinion, the presentation couldn't gone better and the lawyers agreed with our final decision.
Before reading the case files, we had to inform ourselves about the topic, as we did with our Forensic Presentations. These presentations consisted on researching different topics and presenting them to the rest of the class to teach each other. I was part of the Forensic Psychology group and you can find our presentation here.
After this self-preparation, we received the case files from the cases that were assigned to each group. As soon as I started reading the case files it seemed as if I went through a mental block because I just did not understand any of it. Maybe it was because of the language or the case was fairly complicated, but as much as I tried to understand it I could not fully comprehend it. My teammates seemed to have the same problem as I did so we decided to build a crime web together which made everything 10 times easier, but still not a piece of cake. Another thing that personally helped me organize my thoughts and the facts was printing everything out and annotating every single relevant thought that crossed through my mind. Researching the applicable penal codes also helped drastically.
Making the final decision as a group (that is, if the case should be approved or denied) was not a struggle as it was to most groups. The real struggle was organizing the presentation, since we took a lot of time reading the case files and we had lesser time to create the presentation. After all, the presentation was a total success and I am very proud of our work.
Exhibition night was both interesting and scary at the same time. The lawyers did not see us as just High School students, but as individuals fully capable to do this work. Some groups did great, others did poorly. When it was finally our turn, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous even though I usually enjoy presenting. In my opinion, the presentation couldn't gone better and the lawyers agreed with our final decision.