Tansy Xu
English 101
Dr. Lauren Holt
Response 4
Reflection as A Communicator
Output including oral expressions and writing is usually more difficult than reading and listening for non-native speakers of English. However, one of the main incentives for people to learn a language is to communicate with others. Thus, I am always aware of the importance of improving my English communicating skills. Through the semester, I improved both writing and oral skills by various methods, while I also found some shortages to improve.
I improved myself during the enjoyable class. This class’s assignment and content of multiple forms broke the monotone and boosted the efficiency of studying. In terms of oral skills, I actively participated in class discussion and was frequently inspired by classmates’ novel ideas and perspectives. Also, the Pecha Kucha presentation was a new method for me to practice public speaking skills, because the twenty-second time limitation of slides pushed me to talk pithily, instead of merely memorizing the script and reciting it to the audience. I experienced different writing styles from reading of various sources like newspapers, books and blog posts. The book named As I Lay Dying by William Falkner impressed me most. Although I had had an inkling of stream of consciousness before, I had never tried reading this type of books in English. However, I found I start to think critically when trying to connect different characters’ monologues in this book. After reading As I Lay Dying, I am trying to form critical thinking as a natural habit in order to absorb more knowledge from books.
I also realize some of my weaknesses in writing. One of my main problems is I am concerned with word choices. When several words fitted at the same time, I tended to choose the seemingly more complicated one. Because I used to believe complex words help show the high quality of work, sometimes I struggled among a couple of word options; at other times, I looked for superficially more advanced words. I discovered this problem both in and outside class. By Dr. Holt’s comments on my works, I realized some words I chose led to awkward expressions, and the meaning of my sentence even became confusing due to the usages of those words. Outside the class, when I was working with the ESL tutor, the revising process sometimes staggered because I hesitated about which word I should use. Now, I understand that complicated words are not always better. Because the essential of writing is to communicate, the most prior thing I need to do is to clearly claim my voice to the audience first, ensuring them to know the information I would like to demonstrate. On other side, as I write and read more and more, I will better understand exact meanings of more words, which I can then apply them more properly. Above all, I should try to focus on the effectiveness of communication and accumulate more knowledge about writing by practicing and reading, in order to polish my work and gradually form my personal writing style.
In retrospect, I gained a bittersweet feeling during the class. The sweetness is that I explored the South from diverse perspectives, and I improved my English by various kinds of assignments and class participations. The bitterness is that I discovered my shortages of writing that I had not realize before. However, it is invigorating instead of demoralizing: had my weaknesses not been disclosed, I would not have been able to study new things. All in all, I learned a lot from this English101 class.
English 101
Dr. Lauren Holt
Response 4
Reflection as A Communicator
Output including oral expressions and writing is usually more difficult than reading and listening for non-native speakers of English. However, one of the main incentives for people to learn a language is to communicate with others. Thus, I am always aware of the importance of improving my English communicating skills. Through the semester, I improved both writing and oral skills by various methods, while I also found some shortages to improve.
I improved myself during the enjoyable class. This class’s assignment and content of multiple forms broke the monotone and boosted the efficiency of studying. In terms of oral skills, I actively participated in class discussion and was frequently inspired by classmates’ novel ideas and perspectives. Also, the Pecha Kucha presentation was a new method for me to practice public speaking skills, because the twenty-second time limitation of slides pushed me to talk pithily, instead of merely memorizing the script and reciting it to the audience. I experienced different writing styles from reading of various sources like newspapers, books and blog posts. The book named As I Lay Dying by William Falkner impressed me most. Although I had had an inkling of stream of consciousness before, I had never tried reading this type of books in English. However, I found I start to think critically when trying to connect different characters’ monologues in this book. After reading As I Lay Dying, I am trying to form critical thinking as a natural habit in order to absorb more knowledge from books.
I also realize some of my weaknesses in writing. One of my main problems is I am concerned with word choices. When several words fitted at the same time, I tended to choose the seemingly more complicated one. Because I used to believe complex words help show the high quality of work, sometimes I struggled among a couple of word options; at other times, I looked for superficially more advanced words. I discovered this problem both in and outside class. By Dr. Holt’s comments on my works, I realized some words I chose led to awkward expressions, and the meaning of my sentence even became confusing due to the usages of those words. Outside the class, when I was working with the ESL tutor, the revising process sometimes staggered because I hesitated about which word I should use. Now, I understand that complicated words are not always better. Because the essential of writing is to communicate, the most prior thing I need to do is to clearly claim my voice to the audience first, ensuring them to know the information I would like to demonstrate. On other side, as I write and read more and more, I will better understand exact meanings of more words, which I can then apply them more properly. Above all, I should try to focus on the effectiveness of communication and accumulate more knowledge about writing by practicing and reading, in order to polish my work and gradually form my personal writing style.
In retrospect, I gained a bittersweet feeling during the class. The sweetness is that I explored the South from diverse perspectives, and I improved my English by various kinds of assignments and class participations. The bitterness is that I discovered my shortages of writing that I had not realize before. However, it is invigorating instead of demoralizing: had my weaknesses not been disclosed, I would not have been able to study new things. All in all, I learned a lot from this English101 class.