Jacqueline Devine:
This semester I’ve noticed how much I need to work on my free-writing. I struggle with being able to put my thoughts into structured sentences in a limited amount of time. I am okay when it comes to actually writing an essay where I can clearly think out my ideas, and I have time to outline my strategies. But with free- writing, I have a difficult time because I become anxious about the time limit, and my thoughts start to become jumbled from stress. I hope to improve this as the class continues with our in- class writing practices. On the other hand, I think I have grown in my oral communication skills through our group discussions. I am getting out of my shyness a bit more as we discuss our opinions freely. I enjoy this aspect of our class, and it has helped me become better at speaking in front of my peers.
7 responses so far ↓
f.furca // Mar 23rd 2017 at 12:33 pm
This semester I believe I have improved in many weaknesses that I have dealt with in my past experiences in English classes. One of the top one are when it comes time for a class discussion, I am not as shy to just share my opinion. Also, when I comes tie to communicate with my group, either in class or outside of class I believe I do remain good contact with them. One of my favorite parts in class is when we can all discuss in a big circle because it does help me get more comfortable with all of my classmates. Besides my strengths I do have my weaknesses that I need to improve on and hope I do after the end of this semester. One of them is improving on my citing in my essays. I have to get familiar with the ground rules when it comes to citing. Another weakness is when we free write I do become very nervous because there is such limited time and I have a hard time gathering my thoughts.
j.devine // Mar 23rd 2017 at 9:27 pm
Francesca-
I definitely agree that you are great to work with in a group setting. You’re always on time and great with communication. With citing issues, there is a great website (citationmachine.net) that you could use to help you cite more accurately. I’ve struggled with this as well. I’ve also noticed you are a bit shy when speaking in front of the class, but you always have great ideas so definitely contribute more!
a.wang10 // Mar 23rd 2017 at 9:32 pm
Taking this course made me realize what I’m good at and what I’m struggling at. Honestly English isn’t my first language and it has been hard for me to write and speak in class. I’m a shy person and usually don’t like to talk in class and I like to keep thoughts to myself. As I kid, I loved reading but ever since I’ve moved, I haven’t touched a book. One of my weakness is not having the right words to use, but if I expand my vocabulary I believe I could do better. I am better at free writing then to have something structured because my thoughts are always all over the place. It’s great that in this class we are able to express what we think about a certain idea because it helps me get over my shyness and overcome my fear of public speaking. I hope to read more fun novels and being able to express my thoughts in front of my classmates.
j.devine // Mar 23rd 2017 at 9:37 pm
Annie-
I think you’ve definitely improved on speaking out and participating more since the first day of class. You also mentioned that your mind is all over the place sometimes, so it may help to outline things before you write your essay. I do this, and it helps me organize my thoughts so that I am able to write the essay much quicker and cleaner than if I hadn’t outlined. If you dont like outlining, sometimes even just brainstorming and putting random ideas down on paper can help clear your head.
f.furca // Mar 23rd 2017 at 9:45 pm
Jacqueline-
I think you do a great job in a group setting, and anytime we have a class discussion I do see that you sometimes do share your thoughts. I also, noticed that we struggle with the same situation when we have to free write in class. I think maybe we try to think to much and it doesn’t let our mind just go with the flow. So, next maybe one strategy could be to just write and speak our mind.
Annie-
I do see that you are very shy in class and I’m positive you have great ideas in mind. I don’t think there is ever a wrong answer and you shouldn’t be afraid to share your thoughts. You also mentioned that english isn’t your first language but just by reading can really help you. It will improve any problem that you do go through when it comes to writing or speaking the language.
j.yatcha // Mar 24th 2017 at 10:31 am
Jacqueline I understand where your coming from regarding the free thought. Many times your thoughts do come out jumbled and incoherent, but I think thats perfectly fine. Free-writing is a time where you can just let your ideas fly and just get them all on a paper. I feel like this sort of random assortment of ideas provide a valuable template to start a nice organized thought from.
a.wang10 // Mar 24th 2017 at 11:44 am
Francesca-
Thats great that you’ve seen improvement. In class I can see that you are open and have great ideas to share. During my first semester I also struggled with citing my sources but use Purdue owl and citation machine, those really helped me. You’ve definitely been great at communicating with us, you are always on top of your work.
Jacqueline-
Its good that you know your strengths and weakness. In class I see that your getting out of your shyness and contributing ideas. I’ve also struggled when I have to write in a short time frame but I try to outline and think ahead on what I want to say or write. This class is a great platform to practice our speaking skills.
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