Reflective Writing # 2
[the italic words in green color are comment from the lecturer, Ivy Ho]

If reading more could improve our language skill, I prefer magazines and fictions rather than newspapers, academic reports, or others. In fact, I never feel reading is painful except for the academic reading and the assigned references. So you mean reading interesting materials are less painful. Good point　 Leisure reading is always interesting, I read with pleasure. However, those in the ILC are usually boring, both the reading materials and the software for which to test our reading ability is boring. Especially the software which test our reading speed, it puts too much stress on me, thought the target speed is self-assigned, it is supposed that we need to set the target faster and faster in order to boost the ability. It might be an effective way to improve the speed, and keep pace of progression, but I don’t think it is interesting to put forward myself in this stressful way. Do you see any good thing about the use of computer then? What does this feeling imply to your learning style?
　In the same track, doing exercises with others might put the same pressure on us. It is understand that we are expected to learn from the others, and benefit from the positively competitive environment. However, I don’t like it at all. I like to do exercise on my own, write on my own, Good to identify your learning preference　Good to identify your learning preferenc I like discuss with others but please do not involve our grades. It is appreciated that to have an approach to encourage reading and writing ourselves and not stress us, for example, learning by playing and learning by the discuss interesting things (for examples, pop stars, great movies).

　In the past few weeks, we have submitted a critical reading and a writing draft. Neither of them is easy. Critical reading requires a clear mind to identify the different fields of the paragraph, and to examine the projection hide behind. But yet, it is still easier than the writing project. How do you overcome the difficulties faced then?
　Writing aimed at presenting our own ideas, reporting others’ ideas, analyzing both sides of arguments and the integration of opinion. It is a way to show what we have learnt from experience and from others. Writing itself is not really difficult. Brainstorming is also not a matter to us. A person with certain level of education and who are not regressed in search sources would find that there are many points and arguments can help.
　But what really matters is the writing skill. Presenting approach, clearness of illustrating our ideas, and the language and word choices to persuade readers. Grammar usage problem is even worse, strategies might help, and this requires a longer time to improve. But the most important thing is our willingness to improve. Good point. How can you motivate yourself better then?　Good point. How can you motivate yourself better then I do believe that Rome is not build in one day, but we all have been learning English for almost 10 years starting from primary school, it seems that we are now still staying at the starting point. Some of us still have serious language problem. I believed that 10 years is enough for us to learn perfect English. After all, should we aim at perfect English, or using English effectively in daily communication?　in daily communication if we REALLY WANT TO.

　People would need a different schedule of learning in accordance to different ability. Therefore, a personalized learning strategy is important. You’ve got it! In order to check my improvement in the future, I would like to propose my own plan for self-directed language learning in the following way.

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Long term goal(s):
improve writing skills that would produce an attentive essay

Short term goal(s):
construct a data bank of words in different tone and part of speech

Material to use:
various kinds of fictions, CDs and their scripts, dictionaries

Activities to do:
listen to songs and revise them
Read different fictions and examine their writing approach

Frequency:
listening to songs, everyday and memorize words
Reading fictions for at least 20 pages once a week

Mode of learning:
learning on my own, sharing with friends

Mode of assessment:
self-check by dictate the scripts
text by participate in a writing competition

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In fact, I have joined a writing competition and a translating competition organized by the Lion Club during my secondary time. I think it is vulnerable to have feedback from the judges. Well done. Keep me informed of the latest development, Kane.

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