Saturday 13 November 2010

Final Reflection

The English course here, as I had expected, was quite different from those in my home university. The classes were fun and more interactive. The workload turned out to be higher, but the good thing is that I learnt more.
Firstly, in the peer lessons, I learnt a lot from my classmates, not only the knowledge, but also the ways how they organized a class. When I reviewed my peer lesson after attending theirs, I got to know where I needed to improve for my peer lesson. After that, we practiced writing a resume and an application letter. Although I had written resumes before, I did not know what was good or bad about my resume because nobody had given me feedback about that. The comments given by Brad turned out to be very useful. Also, the mock interviews allowed me to practice interview skills in a half-real interview situation, which helped me to accumulate some interview experience. Then, in the project, we practiced writing and presentation skills again. I think I did better this time, especially in the presentation. The presentation video also helped me to know more about my own presentation. Moreover, the blogging activity forced me to continuously practice my writing skills. Although I know that continuous practice is vital for improving writing skills, I will not have the motivation to practice if it is not an assignment. Finally, I love the oral interactions in class. They did not only make the classes lively and interesting but also helped me learn some foreign culture and allowed me to share Chinese culture with my classmates.
In conclusion, there are many take-away points for me from this course. The above are just those academic or career-related skills. Apart from that, we learnt from each other from the interaction in every class. For example, the two main points Brad emphasized again and again about intercultural communication are definitely what we will take away from this course.

11 comments:

  1. Hi Liu,

    Yeah, we did learn a lot from the course; too many for me to list down in fact.

    Anyway, it is nice knowing you and working with you for our proposal and oral presentation.

    Good luck to you for your future studies, and have a pleasant trip back to Hong Kong! Keep in touch!

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  2. Hi Leo!

    You managed to summarize the entire course syllabus into your entry! Like Riyan, I found it too long to list down.

    This is also my first time having so many foreign students in my class, be it from China or Malaysia or somewhere else. It really helps when it comes to discussions about intercultural communication.

    Finally, hope you have enjoyed your stay in NUS and in Singapore as well!

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  3. Thank you, guys. Good luck to both of you. :)

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  4. Hi Leo :D!

    I agree with you that constant practice is vital for improving writing skills. So, don't stop writing although no more assignment from ES2007S!

    Yeah, like Riyan and Yong Feng, I found too long to list down what I have learnt. Yet I don't want it to be so lengthy which may bore our classmates. Hmm...

    Anyway, you have summarized most academic or career skills you have learnt into 227 words. It was the first instruction Brad gave us but most of us did not follow :)!

    Best wishes.

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  5. Hi Liu,
    You are right. The English classed here are quite different from that in China. We learn English in a more active way. We try to explore English by ourselves instead of being taught by others.

    You are going back soon right? Good luck with your furture studies and wish you all the best!!

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  6. Thank you, Hau. Thank you, Cosine.

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  7. Hi Leo,

    I agree with you that cultural sensitivity is very important. The world is becoming more interconnected and globalized. We need to be tolerant to each other's culture in order to build good relationships with each other.

    I enjoyed the lesson alot with you around.

    Keep in touched!

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  8. This post includes a very fine summary of our CAs and what you see as key take away areas. I appreciate the clarity and conciseness here, skills you've made an effort at honing throughout the term. Thanks for that, Leo. I want to add that I applaud your many efforts this term, coming in as you did as an exchange student. Some students in that situation might have treated the experience lightly, but you were very much involved in each lesson and in your team projects, and you excelled in offering comments during discussions and enlightening us as to the cultural dimensions of some of our topics. No doubt this experience will inform your continued studies. All the best for your future, Leo!

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  9. Hi Leo!
    No need to say more here, because we all know. See you in Hong Kong. Fighting with your final exams!
    Brooks~:-)

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  10. Thank you, Brad. It was a meaningful and interesting experience to learn with you.

    Best wishes to you!

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  11. Hey Long,
    I love thye take-home points. Actually for the peer-teaching, I do realized that we have insufficient preparation for that in terms of creativity and engagement. I should treat it more seriously and we have the ability to make it more perfect from content and presentation style. We are doing good in the projects so can the peer teaching. It is good to have you in this class and good luck with the finals.

    Best wishes,
    Neil

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