Before I began this unit, I assumed I had a firm grasp on the English language. Throughout this unit I learned that I have much to learn. After reading Communications Toolkit, I opened my mind and was surprised at how much language entails and the principles for Written Skills. The KISS principle was interesting, as I learned about formal writing, using simple, direct language, avoiding redundant phrases and clichés, writing in active rather than passive voice and avoiding ugly English. Not having had much experience in formal writing, I was made aware of the fact that written language is just as important as oral language. I learned about the different styles of writing such as reports, narratives, recounts and many more that can help express points of view, …show more content…
I learned that many words we use in modern times have been adapted or taken from different cultures (gee and hayes). It was interesting to look at all the words we use, and find out their origin. I consider myself as a culturally aware person, however, working as a teacher’s aide in a very culturally diverse school, I did learn that some of the children from different cultures are seen as lazy or ignorant. In fact, this is because every culture is different and factors such as body language and eye contact mean different things. Non-verbal communication is just as important as written or oral, as it can assist in getting the message across when there is a language barrier. Anstey and Bull refer to ‘semiotic systems’ as the various ways in which meaning is communicated between people. As a teacher, my best approach to teaching will be to be aware of differences in children, and adapt lesson plans accordingly. I was made aware of multiliteracies which includes multimodal ways of learning through incorporating written, oral, visual, audio, gestural, tactile and spatial activities. I have enjoyed learning new ways to communicate, and realise that language empowers us and helps us to identify ourselves in
Upon entering Columbia College, writing was one of my weaker areas. It was very important that I gained the necessary knowledge and confidence to become a better writer. I didn’t know how to express myself and felt as though my writing was not my interest. As a result of taking English 101, I have gained a better understanding on how to properly research and build a satisfactory paper. Every paper that was assigned seemed like a struggle to complete. Before entering this class, I did not know the meaning of a thesis or why it was important, however, I obtained this skill quickly. I noticed that every paper has an argument and the thesis helps clarify the rebuttal. Now, I have a new outlook on writing. It’s a way to express my thoughts and allow others to see things through my eyes. There is no doubt that I still have a long way to go, but I know if I continue to write, I will get better. Just as I developed more skills in class, the various papers assigned helped to better structure the writer in me. In addition, the subject areas were not only interesting, but very informative and made it much easier to write about my experiences.
Communication in writing skills for the past six weeks were standards information on different sorts of sources for rapidly flowing needs of today’s writers. This form of writing shows the role of strategies in writing on subjects. It demonstrated contracts between oral communication and written communication. The main ideas in this course discovery, objectives, critical thinking, and tension, valuing course resources time management, and cooperating with others (Giordano 2012). However, the skills for effective writing produce volumes of master’s level for the required resources in this way.
A learner’s ability to communicate effectively through writing to his/her target audiences is a major prerequisite for academic success. It is also a major pillar of success in one’s career across all areas of practice. Even though, writing clearly is critical to one’s academic and career success, I have not always loved writing. In fact, for a long time I despised writing. At one point, I had a feeling that my writings skills were bound to remain stagnated throughout my life. However, time has proven that I was wrong. My attitude and outlook towards virtually all genres of writing has changed positively. The various helpful methods I have been exposed to by my English teachers through different grades have helped me
Life is a cycle of learning and the dissemination of what we’ve learned. In each day of our lives we learn something new to add to our list of skills and knowledge. When I first entered university, I thought the writing courses were useless and just a waste of time since we all can write. Later, however, I realized how those courses are beneficial in improving our critical thinking and communication skills not only the style of writing.
Proficient writing is an essential skill in all aspects of academic and professional achievement. English 101, Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric, provided the framework to good writing, teaching me composition and rhetoric fundamentals, polishing up my grammar and style, and expressing a clear message. English 102, Composition, Rhetoric, and Research, continued to build on the skills I learned in English 101, focusing on the subject matter research process and employing various rhetorical and literary devices to better express a clear message to the reader. The course also improved my critical thinking capacity, allowing me to culturally evaluate my target audience, present logically flowing arguments using appropriate language and structure, and critically reviewing my writing projects for content and expression. Every writer inherently knows there’s always room to improve and I hold fast to this mindset in all academic, professional, and personal writing projects. English 102 has both challenged and inspired me to grow into a much better writer than before I began the class, providing the necessary skills to be not just a good writer, but a great writer.
Writing throughout time has been one of the most essential ways of learning. To be good in many professions you must be able to articulate yourself in some form of writing. In class I had tools brought to my attention that would help me become a more effective writer. A few of those tools where the ten core concepts, conducting an interview and learning to write a research paper. All of which that I learned in class this semester has helped me become a more articulated writer.
When I discovered that BC’s core required a freshman writing class, I was irritated and dreaded the experience so much that I delayed taking the course to second semester. Very confident in my writing ability as my high school featured a grueling English department and having received high grades on my history and sociology essays in first semester classes, I presumed that I wouldn’t learn anything in FWS. Though I struggled with the drafting process, as my preferred method of essay writing involved writing the entire piece to perfection in one sitting and then turning it in, I figured that since I received good grades on papers, my writing did not need and would not undergo any improvements. Even with some experience with narrative writing in high school, I completely underestimated the breadth of and the strategies for different rhetorical situations. Lastly, I had little to no willingness to share my papers, my drafts, or even my ideas until I was certain they had been crafted impeccably. Though I had my reservations, FWS has been an invaluable experience in further honing my writing skills.
In order to be culturally competent, Educators must aim to be respectful of the ‘multiple cultural ways of knowing, seeing and living, celebrate the benefits of diversity and have an ability to understand and honour differences’ (EYLF, pg. 16). It’s not just the awareness of the variety in cultures but also the understanding and efficient communication and interactions between people from multiple cultures.
As a student entering my English course for the term I can admit I was a little anxious about the work I would be doing and the difficulty I would have due to the fact I knew my writing was far from perfect. Throughout the class I did see progress, but I still struggled with the writing process with my narrative draft and revision as well as my persuasive draft and revision. I used text resources available, but that still did not give me a complete understanding not at least until I used video resources as well. By looking at instructional videos provided on YouTube and other sites gave me a more visual understanding which I can say it has helped quite well.
When I first enter this classroom, ENG 3305, I consider myself a simple communications writer. I would simply read or study a situation, then write about it by stating the facts, narrating an event or idea, or simply give instructions on a task to do. I took this course with the notion of improving my writing skills by unlocking my intellectual mind and become more critical and analytical of the information I was to write about. My expectations for my writing skills was to become more assertive when explaining things in writing. I do not possess a large or extensive vocabulary as I would like to as a writer, however, I could compensate by becoming more creative with my writing style, and that is what my goal was when I decided to take
Overall taking this course has greatly improved the way I address writing. I learned so much about the importance of language and the inclusion of the proper building blocks when crafting a piece of writing. For instance, our exploration of the use of figurative language in the beginning of the course continued to be very helpful to my writing all throughout the semester. A second example would be the importance of establishing proper objective and obstacles when writing. While we made use of “objective” and “obstacles” in our work with fiction and character development, I was inspired by our exercise to think about the day in terms of what our day to day objectives and obstacles were. As a result I identified a larger connection with both
The basic requirement for any international non English speaking student is a proper reading and writing. Fairleigh Dickinson University has taken an initiative by starting a program named English as a Second Language (ESL) specially for non native speakers of English. The students are made to attend classes which consist of lots of activities and learning. Students are provided with certain tasks as research papers where the student has to analyze and write on several issues. The students’ writing skills are assisted by Metro Writing Studio (MWS) which focuses mainly on the writing skills of the student. MWS helps the students to focus on their writing by making them comfortable with the formats of writing and by guiding them whenever required. Students are given access to almost all the materials and research papers from experts regarding the field. These sources helps the students to redirect their research by presenting their ideas with the ideas of the experts.
Language is a necessity for everyday life. It gives us the ability to communicate, to express personalities and beliefs to build a more diverse, functional society. It is essential for children to have this ability to appreciate and experience multiple different cultures, as this presents them with many opportunities in later life. I am going to explore the ways in which effective pedagogy, professional understanding and personal insights have an impact to create and intercultural classroom and a class of children with a love for language learning.
ABSTRACT This study was to investigate which aspects of written communication should take priority, and to provide the appropriate recommendations to improve on National University of Singapore (NUS) students’ written communication skills. It was requested by NUS on 8th February 2013. The investigation was done by Eka Training Group, supported by Centre for English Language
There are a lot of cultures in the World. All of them have their own values. It is very interesting to note that the culture we belong to affects how we think, interact, communicate and transmit knowledge from generation to generation. The aptitude to ask and answer questions based on our own culture enables the process of making connections across cultures. It is worth pointing out that English teachers can assist their students to activate their “ cultural antennas” by making them aware of vital elements of their own culture and helping them to realize how their culture has shaped them. When we think of culture such artifacts as