Week 5

1.How do people learn best? You can talk about learning in general, or one specific type of learning. Use examples and your own opinions to support your answer. You need to be specific about the definition of learning of your own words, as well as how to do it best. (For me, learning is best by doing it. However, everyone thinks differently.) - 200 words required.

I think not only input, but also output is important for learning in general. When we have a class, we only listen what teacher says, and take notes. Taking notes is a kind of output, but I think it is still a part of input. My idea is that output means practicing to act actually. Taking notes is not a practice, but just a memo. Practicing is acting by ourselves. By doing not only listen, but also speaking, and not only seeing, but also writing in our words, we can acquire knowledge more and more. For example, when I study for the small exam of history, I hide the answers and look at only questions, and I answer. Also, I repeat to answer and write them. To memorize the spelling or kanji, I have to write them down many times. Sometimes I say the answer and study with my friends. I question for friends, and they answer or they question me and I answer. I cannot remember the answer only by looking at the textbook. To study with repeating is exactly equal meaning with practicing. Practicing is connected to learning directly. In my word, learning is practicing actively and repeating.

 

2. We talked about the differences between "strategy" and "skill" in class on Wednesday. However, I didn't have a chance to hear from every of you. I would like you to write about this again and give supporting details. Explain how you think these two terms might be similar or different and justify your answer. You may give examples to help us understand. - 200 words required

In my idea, “Strategy” is a basis, and “skill” is an addition, so they are different terms. Strategy is like a framework of thinking or proposal of all. When we do something, we usually plan for doing it at first. This plan is a kind of strategies. In other words, I can say strategy is a fundamental of all things. At any time, we might be able to change strategy, and we can express it the way of visualizing like writing to paper. However, I think skill is different from strategy. Skill is not there first because it is what we have. We use our skill following the strategy. In short, we add our skill to the strategy. We can improve our skill only by practicing. There is no framework in our skill because we can expand it. Moreover, there are a lot of ways to show our skill such as reading and writing, but we cannot see it definitely because it is an ability to do something, I think. As an example of showing strategy and skill, in reading class, strategy is the way to read like Scanning and Previewing. However, skill is like how I read the passage fast. If I practice, I can read the passage faster and faster. Therefore “Strategy” and “Skill” are different.

3. Propose a several topics for your final presentation and explain them in a little bit detail.

At this point, I want you to brainstorm 3 possible topics for the presentation. (No word limit for this quesiton)

1. How to use GOs in other subject

Can GOs be useful for other kind of studies like math, P.E. and art?

2. Differences of GOs among many kinds of language

Japanese, English, Spanish… When we create GOs from foreign language, are there differences? [The source of passages is different each country, so…]

3. Many kinds of diagram of GOs

From one topic, how many GOs can we create? What unique types of GOs possibly can we find? –not usual one

To create many GOs from one topic
EX: from one topic, two types of compare and contrast, one opinion, and one description – 4 GOs
What are the advantages and disadvantages each GO?

Week 3

1.    New things that you learnt from any of your HELP classes.

I learned plagiarism, citation and paraphrasing in writing class. Plagiarism is using other people’s words or ideas in my writing without citation. It is a stealing. For example, when I use the information from the site in the internet, I have to mention it right after that sentence. Moreover, in the last of the writing, I have to write about the source. For instance, the name of article, the address, the date when it was modified and when I checked. Also, there are two ways to cite other people’s words. They are “Direct quote” and “Paraphrasing.” Direct quote means that I use other people’s words exactly as it says. I must not change the words, grammar and order. It needs a quotation mark. Paraphrasing means that I write other people’s words in different way, but still it has to be same meaning. In other words, I have to change not only the words using synonyms, but also the grammar. I can change the length of sentence, but I must not change the meaning from original passage.

 

2.    New things that you learnt outside of HELP.

I learned “PBJ” from my host mother. When I had lunch with my host family, she told me about “PBJ.” This is a shortened form of “Peanut Butter Jam.” It is maybe one kind of sandwich. I was surprised, so I introduce you how to make it. Ingredients are two slices of bread, peanut butter and jam. You can use any kinds of jam like strawberry, apple, blueberry and apricot. First, you prepare a slice of bread. Second, you spread Peanut Butter on it. Third, you spread jam on it. Lastly, you put another slice of bread on it like sandwich, and eat. She said it was very popular among American kids because it was easy, cheap and delicious. However, I could not believe it. I do not know why they put both peanut butter and jam. She made me it with apricot jam, and I tried then. The taste of peanut butter was much stronger than apricot jam. I thought jam did not need. I only could understand why many American kids were big.

 

3.    Apparently, there are certain steps for creating GOs. What are your steps when creating GOs? Try to recall what you do (step by step) while creating GOs for readings.

First, I have to read the article and make sure what this is talking about. If I find the words which I do not know, I guess the meaning or look up in the dictionary. Second, I find out the signal words and identify which type of the article it is such as listing, comparison, contrast or sequence. Third, I find out the main idea, thesis statement or topic sentence. After that, I look for some details. These should be important information to understand the article. Finally, I create GOs. I draw a picture with many kinds of circles, rectangles and arrows. Also, I write important information in that picture. It is included main idea, details and signal words. Each pattern has many kinds of way to create GOs. GOs have to be created simple and easy to see, but organized. When other people can understand and recognize what that article is about from only looking at the GOs, it is very good GOs.  

4.    After reading part of the article "Graphic Organizers in Reading Instruction" by Jiang and Grabe (2007), explain what the questions are in GOs research in your own words (p. 35). Also, according to Jiang and Grabe, what are the merits of GO instructions suggested by researchers (p.35)?

There are four questions. First, there is no evidence of experiential research that GOs are technical ways to understand the readings easily. Second, there are many kinds of understandings and designs to create GOs per person. Third, the research of GO about English learner as a foreign language is not enough. Lastly, there is not enough time to research GO. On the other hand, there is also merit to learn GOs.  GOs support understanding and memorizing of the readings because all readings have patterns, and GOs show them and important information to visualize.

Week 2

1. One New thing that you learnt from any of your HELP classes.

I am taking the Advanced Pronunciation class which the instructor is Sandy. This week, we started to use textbook, and I learned some syllables and pronounces. In Japanese language, each vowel is followed by consonants, so there are a lot of syllables, unlike English. Therefore, it is difficult to find out how many syllables are there in each English word. In the textbook, there were many words. We had to divide them to four categories: one syllable, two syllables, three and four. For example, “please” has one syllable, and “dictionary” has four syllables. Also, there were the word “chocolate” and “video.” First, I thought “chocolate” had three syllables, and “video” had two syllables, but it was wrong answer. Actually, “chocolate” had only two syllables, and “video” had three syllables. Syllables are not related to the word lengths. Also, we practiced pronounce, but R and TH sound such as “cereal,” “with” and “authority” are really difficult. Sandy taught us a lot of difficult pronounce like “hot, hat hut,” “I won’t want it” and “I won one.” English pronounce is interesting, but hard for me.

 

2. One New thing that you learnt from outside of HELP classes.

This week we had a big event: Halloween. I learned about what local people usually do in Halloween. They do a lot of things like wearing special costume and go trick or treating. Also, they do pumpkin carving and I write about it. I tried pumpkin carving in HELP activity with two other students: Lin and Kaori. First, we cut the top of the pumpkin and emptied inside of it. There were a lot of seeds, and I thought these pumpkins were only for Halloween, not for eating. Then, that top part became a lid. After that, we designed and carved the pumpkin. We wanted to make not scary, but cute one, so we made the ears from eye parts. Also, we could make crown from the mouth part by chance. Next to the left eye, we carved star. At the back side, we carved “C J K.” It means that Lin is from China. I’m from Japan. Kaori is from Korea. “C J K” is an initial of each country, so we named our pumpkin “Global Jack o lantern.” Next day, at lunch time, pumpkin carving contest was held, and we won! We got movie tickets. I have not decided which movie I will watch yet, but anyway, I learned about pumpkin carving.

 

3. Are there any reading strategies in reading in your L1? (For this question, just write as much as you can. It does not have to be 200 words.)

You know that Japanese grammar is completely different from English one. The order of Japanese sentence is a subject, objects and a verb; unlike English is a subject, a verb and objects. Sometimes, Japanese does not have any subjects. By the way, it may differ from reading strategy, but Japanese has some technical ways to express and emphasize something. First is an inversion. Intentionally, it replaces the order of the phrase to impress. Second is to stop the sentence with noun. English is usual, but Japanese sentences usually finish with verb, but in this expression, they finish with noun to impress. Third is repeating. It is easy for you to understand because it only repeats same sentences or phrases. Like these, Japanese has a lot ways to emphasize their expression.

4. Do you have any questions about creating GOs so far? Anything you would like you know at this point?

GOs class has just started. We learned not so much. I think I could understand what I learned this and last week. For example, why the chart of contrast and comparison use two areas which connect the part of each area, and why the chart of sequence use arrow. Also we learned eleven categories of signal words. I have to remember them, but I could understand. Therefore, anyway I have no question at this point.  

Week1

✿One new thing that you learned in week 1 in any of your classes at HELP.

              I learned differences of English pronunciation among students from non-English country. In Advanced Pronunciation class, each student did speech about each hometown. There were students from Japan, Cambodia, Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Taiwan. Depending on the countries, the number of vowels and consonants, intonation and accent are different, so speakers spoke English differently. Non English speakers’ English are strongly influenced by their native language. When Japanese students pronounce English words, they tend to pronounce all syllables equally like “Ja-pa-ne-se.” Moreover, Japanese students are not good at sorting “l” and “r.” However, others have different problem like Vietnamese English does not have ends. For example, they pronounce Japanese “Ja-pa-ne.” It means that maybe when Vietnamese talk, they do not say “s” of plural or the third person singular because it always comes in the end of words. In pronounce of Portuguese English, “to” sounds like “chu.”  Like these, there were a lot of differences, I noticed. They were hard for me to listen, and probably, other students also thought so about my English pronunciation. Therefore, I want to improve my English pronunciation through this class.

✿One new thing that you learned in week 1 outside of your HELP classes.

             I learned the importance of Scanning. Actually, I had lost my passport last week. It was very serious problem, but finally, my passport was found! However, it was in the Big Island's airport, so I had to open my account of FedEx to get it back from there with shipping. I tried to do that with office worker of HELP this week. I typed my personal information and my credit card information into the form, but I could not open my account. Then, office worker called the FedEx, and we noticed that we needed the credit card in America. Few days after, I borrowed the American credit card from my friend and tried again, but I could not open that. We were confusing, but then, the friend noticed that under the blank which had to be typed the credit card information, there was the notification that told the reader it was important to read. I did not know that. When I read it, it said the credit card information and the personal information had to be matched.  Actually, I typed my personal information and my friend’s credit card information… It was because I could not open my account. Anyway, I learned Scanning was very important anytime.

 

✿Tell me what you think about language learning and other types of learning. Is there any difference?
 

I think language learning is similar to other types of learning. I compare language learning with learning from my part-time job. When I was in Japan, I worked at cram school as a teacher. I taught English to junior high school students who usually study the basis of English. At cram school, I taught and learned the grammar of English at the same time. It means that when I was teaching English, I could reconfirm the basis of English. By knowing the foundation perfectly, it is easier to understand more difficult English. Generally, it is often said that not only input, but also output is important when people study something. I agree that. I think teaching is a kind of output. Also, if I only attend a lecture of English, my English skill will not improve. Only such input, I will forget soon what I learned. To try to speak and write English is good practice and the way to improve English because we can review with action. Acting impresses something in the mind more than seeing. Of course, acting is an output. Thus, output is essential to learn language same as to learn others.

 

 ✿Why do we need learning strategies?

Actually, even if we do not know learning strategy, we can use English in daily life. However, it may take a lot of time. If we know learning strategy, it becomes easier to find out the way to think about. I introduce with the example of Scanning. Most people may do Scanning when they read magazines or newspaper. Before reading the passage, perhaps we look at title and pictures first automatically, but not carefully, and read same sentences again and again to understand completely. It takes a lot of time. Moreover, when people think it does not have to read even if it is important, they will make a mistake like me. It often happens in the situation of reading manual or writing application. However, if we know what is Scanning and the way of Scanning, we can concentrate to look at title and pictures first, and then read the passage consciously to find out keywords or important information. It makes us read faster with understanding. If we can read the passage faster and faster, we can use time efficiently, and may study more. It is a good chance to improve English skill. Hence, we need to know learning strategy.