Yesterday I had fun in the Melbourne Show at showgrounds which is a fantastic carnival for all the people in Melbourne. I found that a good way to practice my oral speaking and listening as well is to participate public events like this as much as possible. Because our teachers always try to speak clearly and slowly to make sure we can understand all what they say. It's quite good for the class indeed. But it's impossible to ask everyone we meet to adjust their speaking speed for us. So I have to improve my listening even with some accents and my speaking also. Anyway, the show was so so so...great !!!
Return back to my study, we mainly focused on critical analysis writing this week. I suddently found that maybe I began to realise a little bit what a critical analysis is. It always took me appoximately 2 hours to finish whereas now maybe I can get the idea quickly although there are still several problems in it.
This week I did rarely on listening skill but watched soap opera every day which was helpful as well. I found quite a lot information about my oral presentation but it also needs to be organised. One thing which could be the most difficult for me is to relax and be natual when I am giving a speech in front of my classmates. I remembered the last time when I gave a presentation in E6A, I was really nervous and within an inch of forgetting everything I prepared. That's really a terrible memory for me but also a lesson to me. So I have to do a good preparation and practise enough.
Today is going to be the history while tomorrow would be a present. Go to bed and have a sweet dream, then welcome the next exciting day even there will be much tough...
E7 has gone through over one week which already made me feel so frustrated and stressed. I finished my homework at the weekend. That's my first time to try how to write a critical analysis essay...totally different from the ones before.
Today (20/09/10) I trudged to the school with such a sleepy body in the morning. Acutally I could not concentrate on my study at the begining. But I know it's quite hard and should be followed step by step. So with the tutorial and patient guidence of Mario, I began to know a little bit about the important elements of critical analysis wirting which are argument, bias, evidence, logic and tone/language as well. I will not lose my confidence to learn although it really...really confuses me.
I think the writting is the most difficult one for me because we have practised discurssive, argumentitive or cause & effect essays for a long period. All of these made me quite familiar to them. Then I have to overcome several troubles of critical article which are what is critical analysis, how to find the important elements which could be cirticized, and how to aviod the same errors with the original article writer.
In addition, I will carry on my research of oral presentation. Actually I thought the topic would be quite easy at the begining, but now after a serious of research, I found it was difficult because there was not a huge mount of information which i can use. However, I still do not want to change my topic, I will pay more attention on it. Hope everything will be OK...
Anyway...the new week is coming...try to overcome all the difficulties even though they are hard...because no pay no gain...(be written on Sep 18, 2010. but so late to update...)
E7 could be a long journey even though it will last for 5 weeks because I really felt it is tough and quite different from the study in any other levels. I think I have to concentrate on my study especially the weak areas and think about some strategies which could be helpful.
1. Listening could be my weakest area among the 4 skills. I want to get at least 5% higher than the last mark I got which was 80%.
- go to the ILC and use the resources at least twice a week.
- try to have some extra listening practise out of the class and talk with others who have different accents.
- access some good websites (eg: TED or ABC) to listen to some updated news and try to take notes.
2. Speaking(Oral presentation) is also the area whick I should pay more attendtion to. I want to get at least 5% higher than the mark I got in E6A which was just 70%.
- get really good preparation before the week 4 whick might help me feel not so nervous in the exam day.
- practice body language and eye contact within the presentation in the limited time.
- try to speak with intonation and control the volume appropriate.
- communicate with friends in English as often as possible which could help me to speak much natural.
Hope my English skills would be improved through my hard hard hardworking~~~~~~~~~hahaha O(∩_∩)O~
