After the long holiday 22/04/2009

Well, this week I returned to college from the long Easter brake. As we say still have to step over the dog's tale, so it's not long left till the end of this semester.
My plan for this week includes:

1) Literature - to finish reading book on my personal study, for the free choice, so I will definately do that as this is very interesting.

2) History - to finish essay

3)Spanish - to do a homework for Monday as well as write an essay

4)French - to do homework and work on listening and writing.

5)Communication - polish my essay on Steiner school

These are the little bits I need to do this week as there are more assessments to come next week and after.

Plan of the week

Well, the first fabulous thing I discovered last week is english language support centre!!! I think I am going to be a regular visitor there now. I still haven't handed in my communication's assessments. I finished the first one and still have to work on the second one a little. So that is what I did last one and a half hours, I managed to type up the second assessment which is good and know I need to polish it a little bit more and add more to it. I just want to hand it in and forget about it.
And I have to do history essay I have bee avoiding for so long because I do not find the actual subject very interesting. I have to write that and go with it to language support centre. Hopefully my style and grammar in writing will improve.
These are my main problems that things I do not enjoy doing takes me a long time, I have to motivate myself.
That's about it this week.

Active and Passive learning

Active learning:

• Well for me especially when learning the languages is important to learn grammar and new words. So one example of active learning is what I do to learn new words. I cut a little pieces of paper (like little cards)and write the word in english and spanish, so I turn pieces of paper so I dont see what's written on them. I take one by one and say this word aloud in spanish and vice versa, if i take the piece with spanish word I say it in english. I found that this work for me very well. That was how I learned words in english as well.
• For essay writing in subjects like literature or history, I usually use given handouts and if the source is utterly boring and written so its hard to read, I conspect the text, I summarize paragraphs one by one in to smaller text and put it in the way I understand it easier.

Passive learning:

• I think that watching the films can be taken as passive learning. Film watching in french or spanish helps me to understand the structure of the language and although I do not get the most of it still, I have noticed that there are words repeating more or less.
• Listening to the music in spanish is helpful, melody helps to remember words.

Review and plans for the next week

I have handed in my literature essay and I already am thinking what book to choose for the essay which has to be done after April holidays.
History - I did hand in my essay last friday but now I have 2 days to do next essay which frightens me, because I find the subject utterly boring, so I will have to force myself to write this essay.
Spanish - Same thing, I have to do homework and revise. What I find useful about learning languages is watching films, so I will take films in my UBS home in both french and spanish.
Communication-have watched my presentation and realised what are the things I need to improve, its weird in a way to look at myself on video.
Thats about my studies so far.

After watching my presentation

Well, firstly I must say it was hard at the beginning to watch myself on video. It was a good experience and it is good to see myself and analyze mistakes. I think I used gestures too much and I noticed that I did not reply directly to question at the end of my presentation asked at one point, that is due to nervousness, but excuses, excuses :)
Powerpoint helped me a lot, but I realise that you can never be sure of technology, so have to take it easy and present even if there is no powerpoint available. I also had a little cards which I didn't really used, but it made me feel better.Overall I think I did good even I felt a bit nervous, but still comfortable in front of people talking as I knew the topic.

Study plan/review for week starting 26/01/2009

I have finished my history essay which was long due, Evan gave us title for the next essay which has to be done by this friday, the 30th, so I will try to finish it by then.

This week in Spanish we have looked at preterite tense, I am trying to revise all grammar bit by bit what we have done. And I will continue this in the future as well.

I did draft essay for literature and talked it over with my tutor, what has to be done better, so will finish it by next Tuesday.

I started french this week and I do enjoy it very much, lessons are very well structured and we are encouraged to speak, lessons are interactive and interesting. I have been given french grammar to look at till friday, also there is a homework to do, have to find out questions how to get to places.

Communication - I do have to think about my next presentation and about how to improve my essay on education.

This semester it seems it is going to be harder and it will take much more time for studies so again planning, planning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week starting 19th January

• I did Communication presentation.
• I have started my essay in history on Liberal Reforms so I HAVE to finish it this week!!!
• Same about the Literature essay, I have to start writing it.
• I have to go to library to write my essays it is easy to concentrate there
• I have to revise my spanish really urgently, because I feel i start to loose the little I know.