WEBITE

Academic English	uefap.com	Good website for academic English, useful in many aspects such as skills and criteria.
English listening	www.bbc.co.uk	Helpful in listening, some good resources in this website, pure English pronunciation.
English reading	www.economist.com	Good reading practice website, help to improve reading skills if persist in reading articles everyday.
English study	english-zone.com	Divide English study into special subjects, clearly in every zone, such as grammar zone, idiom zone, pronunciation zone and so on.
English reading	www.newscientist.com	Some interesting news in science, pay more attention in environment. Standard English in articles.

REFLECTION WEEK 4

    This is the last week we study in REW. Next week we will have the final examinations, which are the challenge for me. I feel a little nervous, but I will try my best to do that. And hope everyone will pass!

    On the first day of this week, we analyzed two article of Standard English and discussed the exercises about both articles. We want to practice more about reading and writing. It is so hard to finish writing in 90 minute. I need to speed up. At the same day, I received the score of the essay written last week. The teacher pointed out some advantages and disadvantages. I will do more practice to improve the quality of my essays.

    Listening is one of the most difficult thing for me in learning English, so I practice my listening everyday in this level. Usually I listen to the ABC broadcast on the way to school, which, in my opinion, is very effective way to improve ability to listening. At the beginning, I just can catch the main ideas, but not some details. The speed is a little fast for me, especially some unfamiliar contents or words. Depending on doing more practices, I can listen much better than before. For example, I can catch many details. Sometimes I can understand the whole contents. I also want to improve the ability to notes taking. I listened to the lecture from ILC and tried my best to write down more contents. I found that, sometimes, I just remember many unimportant details, but miss some key information. Fortunately, I can analyze what important details are and do it much better with more practices now.

    I also do some research on oral presentation for the final examination.

DISCUSSION BOARD 3

Subject: RE:What you think E7H?   
Author: Xiaopeng HE
Creation date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 11:54:24 PM EST
Date last modified: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 11:54:24 PM EST
Total views: 2  Your views: 3
 Previous Post 

The word “can” might include the people who willing to learn English, who require to learn English, who have the ability to learn English, and who have the opportunities to learn English. The word “everyone” might means that the people who will be benefits if he or she learn English, it will be an advantage for them if they learn English, it will be an disadvantage if they do not learn English. For instant, that will be an advantage for an economist if he or she possesses great English skill which enable he or she to read the latest economic journals, in the contrast, lacking of English skill will limited his or her connection in the mainstream economic domain. In this situation, this economist have the ability to learn English and will benefits from English skill, therefore this economist should learn English. In today’s globalization world, most people will get more information, promotion, advantages and meet more opportunities if he or she has learned English. On the other hand, someone who will not involve into the global context, will not benefits from his or her English skill, do not have the opportunities to learn English or not have the ability to learn English will become the one who “cannot” learn English. However, follow by the development of the society and globalization, those people become less and less.

DISCUSSION BOARD 2

Subject: The language of the dominant power      
Author: Xiaopeng HE
Creation date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 11:59:35 PM EST
Date last modified: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 11:59:35 PM EST
Total views: 1  Your views: 2
 

There are more than thousands of languages in the world; however nowadays it is the English exposed its dominant power around the global.  As a result of the trend of globalization English culture has the significant impact to the world, that which never happened before. Firstly, English is widely used by many important and powerful countries: United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, some Caribbean countries, and South Africa as a native language. Also English is the second language or foreign language for most countries in the world. Secondly, the English speaking culture leading the world in most aspects, Hollywood exportation American culture to all over the world. Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford leading the academic domain telling people what should do and what to do. In fact, English is the lingua franca of science, technology and economic that most high quality information and papers are all write in English, therefore English is essential for who want to acquire better achievement in most domains. Thirdly, English is the language of international cooperation, international trade and transport, people using English to communication in the global context. Due to the reasons above, English is the reasonable and rational global language.

DISCUSSION BOARD 1

Subject: English language and culture    
Author: Xiaopeng HE
Creation date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 12:00:26 AM EST
Date last modified: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 12:00:26 AM EST
Total views: 1  Your views: 2
 

There are some significant and variety influences that western culture changed today’s China. Nowadays, most children will start to learn English in their third years in primary school, which when they are approximately nine or ten years old. Moreover, there is a tendency that some parents will sent their kids to an English training course in the nursery school or teach their kids at home, that means some kids in China will learning English during their childhood.  Chinese believe that the capacity of English learning determines one’s competitive advantage, who could master the English skills then he or she will possess a better job. English also modify the behavior in Chinese daily life, people will say English words such as “hi, hallo, thank you, bye, and I love you” to greeting or communication with each other but not their own words in Chinese. In addition, the words like “GDP, CPI, NBA, BBC, and ABC” have appeared in most mainstream and even the most seriousness newspapers or other media and official or government departments. That seems like the people in China never thought about to use Chinese words to instead those English words. Due to the huge impact from the western culture, Chinese particularly the teenagers share the some behavior with western people; they wear T-shirt and jeans, celebrate Valentine's Day and Christmas, taste steak and fries. People become more willing to expression personal and individual feeling and emotions, which quite different with the tradition Chinese culture. As a result of the impacts of the western culture and globalization, Chinese culture has changed dramatically in almost every aspect.

Reflection week 3

It is so quick to the end of the third week of course. It is an exciting week because we have the first writing exam on Wednesday.

In the first day of this week, we join to a big class to learn about how to analyzed a article which just like what we will have in the exam. Through discussions, I not only share my ideas with others, but also have many new ideas which are advised by my classmates. While it is a good opportunity to practice my English expressive power.And at the same time, we also talked about what we had learned in the class to find out the different. After class, my oral presentation topic had finally passed by Carla and Sara.

Tuesday is a public day, with a lot of homeworks. The most important thing is getting ready for the exam.

On Wednesday, we had a writing test. Through this examination; I found some details not being noted previously.  These should be developed with more practices. In the remainder of this week, we focused on the listening and writing. We learned how to write the critical response essay of two articles which is as similar as the critical response essay of one article. We, however, need to compare the arguments of two different authors. It is a little more difficult than one article.

week 1 & 2 REFLECTION

Through this two-week studying in RMIT English Worldwide, I realized that E7 course is not only fun, but also no shortage of challenges. E7 course is different from the previous courses, which have higher requirements in terms of reading, writing, listening and speaking, while giving us more opportunities to adapt to the future university courses.

While studying in the classroom, I tried to understand the teachers to explain the whole content. Initially, because there is a lot of new knowledge, sometimes it is difficult to understanding all of them. It is much harder than E6. However, after the first week studying I find some role of that and some time I can catch the piont now.

 I learned how to take notes. It is very difficult to do it without any clues, especially when meeting some unfamiliar words. I tried to use the methods which be taught by teachers. However, I still used some Chinese to help me remember the informations. Through constant practice, I improve the ability to take notes. I also learned how to write critical response. At the beginning, it just focus on one argument of author and write a separate paragraph about this argument. Then we practice to write a whole essay. Now I have basically understood the skills of writing of this kind of article.

Discuss with classmates is a significant way to practice my speaking ability, how to express my opinions clearly is very considerable. I am afraid that I am not good at it, sometimes I can not remember the exactly words to describe the thing, especially on some unfamiliar areas. Maybe discuss more with classmates will help me a lot on improving my speaking ability.

Although I thought it would have a hard course. I have to work hard to pass it.

ALL BEST

LEARNING JOURNAL

READING

A To get a wide vocabulary.

1. Take vocabulary book, write useful words down and remember them.

2. Try to understand unknown words without dictionaries.

B Improve reading speed.

1. Do Time-limited read 5 minutes each day for reading faster than before.

2. Time every reading when I read.

C Read articles more effectively.

1. Read newspaper，magazines and something which written by English and ask myself some questions about articles.

2. Analyze the materials that teachers handed out to us, study to analyze them in a critical perspective.

WRITING

A Learn to write a critical response

1. Understand the structure of critical response,

2. Learn to analyze and summary the arguments of author, then use reasonable counterarguments.

B Decrease the number of grammar mistakes.

1. Prepare a grammar book to check the grammar mistakes.

2. Rewrite every critical responds.

C Try to write faster than before.

1. Limit time to complete essays and do more practice on writing.

LISTENING

A Improve the ability to take notes more effectively.

1. Listen to the lecture and take notes at the same time, catch the main ideas and notice details.

2. Learn to use shortened forms of the words and ideas in taking notes

3. Catch the main ideas about conversations, especially happens in daily lives. 
B Catch the core ideas and important opinions when listening to a talk, and remember the key words.

1. Remember all possible key words.

2. After listening, do it like reading to get more understand.

SPEAKING

A Make the pronunciation better

1. Follow to read the English recording, imitating the speakers’ pronunciation and intonation.

2. Find more opportunities to talk with local people.

B Thinking in English way and try to express personal ideas as clear as possible.

1. Thinking in English way and try to express personal views clearly in the daily life.

C Improve the ability to oral presentation.

1. More practice , try to remember everything want to say.

2. Make PPT suitably, make sure it is easy to understand and acceptable, avoid jargon; use relative examples to make PPT better.

Kinaesthetic learners

Kinaesthetic learners prefer to being involved in activities. They need to apply the information and make it their own by constructing something or practising a technique or skill.

Characteristics of kinaesthetic learners

• Often they take notes or even draw pictures or doodle whilst listening
• Remember best what they did
• Memorise by walking and seeing
• Like ‘hands on’ activities and group interaction

Study hints for kinaesthetic learners

• Test your learning by applying it or transforming it to another form. For example use lecture notes or readings to draw a diagram, flow chart or even construct a model.
• Start or join a study group
• Relate facts or theories to your own experience
• Learn or memorise information by teaching or telling someone else
• When studying take frequent breaks. This is also helpful for the other learning styles.