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What we focus our attention on can have a great effect on our life!

The American writer and lecturer Bruce Lipton states “the physical body can be affected by the immaterial mind”[1] indicating that the quality of our thoughts creates our reality. The human mind works in pictures. As soon as we have a thought or hear a word, the mind creates an impression of it.[2]

For example, hearing the word “chair” immediately will create a mental image. This image might look quite different from person to person; therefore, it will be helpful to specify it further. Speaking of a “wooden rocking chair” on the other hand assists in creating a similar image on the receiving end enhancing successful communication.

Furthermore, the German psychotherapist Matthias Hammer points out that the human mind does not think in negations (Hammer, 2010). Being told not to “think of a pink flying elephant” will immediately create said animal on our internal screen, ignoring the “not”.[3]

Applying this knowledge to the inner monologues has an immense effect on the way a person perceives life’s happenings. For instance, the phrase “I will not fail” has a different impact on the mindset as “I will succeed”.

In conclusion, aligning the thoughts in a positive manner and being very cautious of the wording of self-talk can have the potential to improve the way a person perceives life.

[1] Lipton, B. H. (2010). The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles. USA: ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited. Page 119

[2] Watzlawick, P. (2005). Wie wirklich ist die Wirklichkeit? Wahn, Täuschung, Verstehen. Germany: Piper. Pages 25-29

[3] Hammer, M., Plößl, I. (2020). Irre Verständlich: Methodenschätze: Wirksame Ansätze für die Arbeit mit psychisch erkrankten Menschen. Germany: Psychiatrie Verlag. Page 187

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The matter or right quotation and paraphrasing other people`s work to use it for the own academic papers is a very delicate one.

While I can easy-handedly write paragraph over paragraph about my own opinions, thoughts or specific topics in a fairly sophisticated way, writing academic papers with the right quotation is still immensly troubling to me.

On the one hand, there are differnt forms of quotation and for every paper one has to note down which of these forms is asked and stick to it.

On the other hand, there is a very thin line between paraphrasing and plagiarism. At least, it still seems so to me.

Furthermore, in a scientific paper, I am not supposed to write too much of my own oppinion, but instead gather scientificly proven facts and quote them. However, not turning it into a simple series of one quote after another strung together.

Hence, summing up my thoughts on paraphrasing and plagiarism, I find the issue highly challenging and am convinced, that dealing with this will take up most of my time when writing my papers in the next few weeks.

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In our last session we worked with arguments in an essay. Finding valid arguments is not too hard for me. Especially when reading academic texts, I always search for the source of an argument, otherwise I would not consider the piece very scientific.

Finding the right balance between impersonal and too opiniated will be rather more challenging to me, I suppose.

Using AI is a possibility I haven't yet perfected for myself, as I come from the analogue times. However, I find it very intriguing and will be working on perfecting my use of it as good as I can. I see great potential in it's use regarding the search for valid sources, for instance.

Furthermore, I am sure there are many other uses I haven't considered yet and will master in my professional development.

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Essay: Most tourists are unlikely to learn very much about the countries they visit

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Essay: Most tourists are unlikely to learn very much about the countries they visit

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Traveling has become a common activity for people all over the world. Ever since the 1950s commercial flights have been possible and affordable for the average citizens of all developed countries, and the prices for long-distance flights have constantly decreased. Tourists can visit almost any country they desire, and most middle-class citizens like to spend their holidays abroad. Even though people are now visiting many countries, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they gain much knowledge about the different countries they visit.

The American singer Sting referred to the cultural differences involved in traveling to a different continent in his song “Englishman in New York” in 1987. These differences are very apparent even when visiting a country which speaks the same language.

In this essay we want to fathom the average tourist’s interests when visiting a foreign country. First, we will reflect on the lack of necessity to learn the destination’s language and the impact of the time spent there. We will also cover the reasons for not visiting the same place twice. In the next step, we want to include the possibilities given to us through modern technology, making it easier to learn about foreign cultures. In our conclusion we will present the results of our findings concerning why most tourists don’t learn very much about the countries they visit.

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Today we discussed the issue of essays and the way in which they are structured. Basically, I got the impression that an essay has the same structure than a paragraph - it is just longer, and can consist of multiple paragraphs!

Usually, it also begins with a topic sentence, followed by supporting arguments, subsequently being concluded with a finishing sentence rounding it up. Opposed to the paragraph, in an essay the finishing sentence of one paragraph can also function as a linking sentence to the following.

The main theme of a good essay is the three moves, which guide the reader into the topic.

The introduction at the beginning gives a very broad idea and wide information about the general field of the topic using clear language and solid standpoints. It is followed by the body, which helps raise the reader's interest by making open suggestions, for instance.

Lastly, it is concluded by providing information about the aim of the study or paper.

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Today we dove further into paragraph structure, "sophisticated conversing" (a term I like to use, e.g. avoiding the term "I think" in a discussion) and detecting linking words and hedging within a text.

I must admit, having a conversation about a topic with someone, actually expressing my own opinion on the topic and NOT saying "I think" is a massiv struggle for me. However, considering my upcoming 40th birthday, it might be time to grow up already and start applying more sophisticated language to my every day conversations! This will need practice! A massive amount of practice! 😁

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In our analysis of this paper, we detected the following structures, stances and hedgings:

Every paragraph of the text has a topic sentence at the beginning (marked green here), followed by supporting sentences and explanations (marked yellow).

The author also used a number of linking words, stances and hegding (orange).

Linkin words found: furthermore, for example, however, whereas

Hedging: usually, not always possible, can reveal, may be/show, normally, conversely, the majority of, should be mentioned

Stance: clearly

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Thinking about stance and hedging was quite astonishing to me today, as it raised my awareness about consious use of wording as a teacher. Eventough I have been working with students already, I surely hadn't considered the stance in which I probably said many things. As my primory subject with the teens at the present time is sex education, I consider it especcially important to handle the topics at hand delicately and hedging can be a very usefull way of taking the edge off.

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What we focus our attention on can have a great effect on our life!

The quality of our thoughts creates our reality! The human mind works in pictures; as soon as we have a thought or hear a word, the mind creates an impression of it. For example, hearing the word “chair” immediately will create a mental image. This image might look quite different from person to person; therefore, it will be helpful to specify it further. Speaking of a “wooden rocking chair” on the other hand assists in creating a similar image on the receiving end enhancing successful communication.

Furthermore, the human mind does not think in negations. Being told not to “think of a pink flying elephant” will immediately create said animal on our internal screen, ignoring the “not”. Applying this knowledge to the inner monologues has an immense effect on the way a person perceives life’s happenings. For instance, the phrase “I will not fail” has a different impact on the mindset as “I will succeed”.

In conclusion, aligning the thoughts in a positive manner and being very cautious of the wording of self-talk can have the potential to improve the way a person perceives life.

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Stance plays a tremendous role in teaching as it can affect the way the students think. In talking to the students about various topics, the teacher has the ability to influence their opinions and view points. Being aware of this potential of impact on them is of great importance.

On the other hand, the possibility for the pupils to form their own opinions about various topics can be enhanced by being sensible to one's use of language within the classroom.

Hedging can be advisable when discussing delicate or contriversal topics. It can also be used to make a point, when lacking evidential proof.

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Today we rephrased informal sentences to make them seem more formal and played around with not using "I think" in discussions.

I found it quite interesting, how frequently I use the phrase "I think" and what effect it has, when avoiding it. In fact, I discovered it makes the speaker sound much more sophisticated, since he/she seems more convinced of the own statement.

Using topic sentences is also a very powerful tool for enhancing this effect. I plan to practice the use of it in my conversations from now on and am anxious to find out how it will change them!

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1. You can sell these goods on the Japanese market at a higher price.

These goods can be sold at a higher price on the Japanese market.

2. You couldn’t imagine how motivated the students were yesterday!

The students were incredibly motivated yesterday.

3. We have to develop a new vision for the school.

The school needs (the development of) a new vision. / A new vision for the school needs to be developed.

4. We should invest more time in analysing our pupils’ performances.

The analysis of our pupils’ performances needs more effort.

5. You did not advertise the product to the high schools in Austria.

The product has not been advertised to the high schools in Austria.

6. I think these changes will lead to more serious problems among pupils.

These changes will lead to more serious problems among pupils.

7. They proposed three things to increase the learners’ motivation.

Three things were proposed to increase the learners' motivation.

8. If a student wants to get better, ne needs to study harder.

Harder study is necessary for a student to improve.

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What we focus our attention on has a great effect on our life!

The quality of our thoughts creates our reality! The human mind works in pictures; as soon as we have a thought or hear a word, the mind creates an impression of it. For example, hearing the word “chair” immediately will create a mental image. This image might look quite different from person to person; therefore, it will be helpful to specify it further. Speaking of a “wooden rocking chair” on the other hand assists in creating a similar image on the receiving end enhancing successful communication.

Furthermore, the human mind does not think in negations. Being told not to “think of a pink flying elephant” will immediately create said animal on our internal screen, ignoring the “not”. Applying this knowledge to the inner monologues has an immense effect on the way a person perceives life’s happenings. For instance, the phrase “I will not fail” has a different impact on the mindset as “I will succeed”.

In conclusion, aligning the thoughts in a positive manner and being very cautious of the wording of self-talk has the potential to improve the way a person perceives life.

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In our last lesson we dove into details concerning propper paragraph structure. I was astonished at the possibilities there are of organising a paragraph!

I must admit, I have thought of myself as someone quite talented in writing as I have the feeling it comes easy to me - I know nothing! :D

A whole world has opened to me and will change the way I write!

I am quite excited about the effect, that the structuring and sentence linking has on a paragraph, so I will get right to it and rephrase my paragraph! :)

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Focussing on the right things

The fact, that the human mind works in pictures is the reason why our thoughts can be a powerful tool. For example, hearing the word “chair” immediately creates a mental image before us. This image might look quite different from person to person, therefore it will be helpful to specify it further. Speaking of a “wooden rocking chair” creates a similar image on the receiving end enhancing successful communication.

One of the most pivotal things to understand, is that our mind can not think in negations. Being told to not “think of a pink flying elephant” will immediately create said pink flying animal on our internal screen. Internalising this fact about our mind has the power to change our life, especially if we manage to apply it to our inner monologues. The focus of “I will not fail” has a different focus as “I will succeed”.

Aligning our thoughts in a positive manner will make all the difference.

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1. Things I already knew:

most reading is faster than the sporken word

2. The most usefull information to me:

the difference between scanning and skimming

3. The most interesting sentence that made me think:

If we are to operate competently in an academic setting, we need to be able to move up through the scale (titles, texts, paragraphs, sentences, individual words, wordforms)

4. The most difficult to understand:

regognising how a text hangs together from a functional point of view

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A biography is a written summary of the life of a specific person, mostly written by someone else. A special type of biography would be the "auto-boagraphy" in which a person summarises their own life.

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I must admit, I haven't tought much about genres in my life. :)

However, thinking and talking about different genres has made quite an impression on me. It was surprising to me how we are automatically able to characterise a text when reading it. Being able to identify specific texts, especcially academic texts, enables us to contextualise information we get.

Especcially in today's times of endless information and the difficulties with regard to fake news, I believe it to be an important ability to know how to identify scientific work.

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Paragraph Version 1: Focussing on the right things

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Paragraph Version 1: Focussing on the right things

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The topic I would like to touch on today, is the power of our thoughts.

Generally speaking, our mind works in pictures. As soon as we hear a word, our brain generates an impression to it. For example, when we hear the word “chair”, we immediately have an image before us. This image might look quite different from person to person. To make sure we are speaking of the same thing it will be useful to define it closer, as in “wooden rocking chair”. This way, we can enhance the possibility of being on the same page.

One of the most pivotal things to understand, is that our mind can not think in negations. This means, if I say “Don’t think of a pink flying elephant” the picture of a pink flying elephant will immediately appear on our internal screen. In my opinion, this realisation is one of the most important facts about the way our mind functions, as it has the power to change our life. Especially in our inner monologues. “I will not fail” has a completely different focus as “I will succeed”. Aligning our thoughts in a positive manner will make all the difference.

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Here we go on my padlet experience and welcome to my journal!

Since I come from the analogue generation, I am always very grateful when I learn about new tools and how I could use them, professionally as well as in my private life.

I am very much looking forward to this class!

As English is my mother tongue, but I grew up in Austria, pronounciation is not so much the issue. We speak English at home and also enjoy all English media and literature in the original language. Nevertheless, private conversations usually use rather basic vocabulary, so I wouldn't consider my language very academic.

After thinking about the different aspects of my writing and doing the self-evalutaion sheet, I would consider my primary goal for this semester to improve handling different sources of information (since I find the process of filtering very hard in this age of infinite information), and paraphrasing using more sophisticated vocabulary (as I have explained in the last paragraph).

Thank you for giving us the opportunity of deeper self-assessment. I look forward to doing so over the course of the next few months!