https://padlet.com/evezet12/321 Learning doesn't stop en-us 2018-04-21 14:20:40 UTC 2023-05-08 09:31:02 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Folder.png evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254063335 Firstly, I would like to highlight the value this exercise holds for me; I consider it is very valuable for us to not stop learning just because we have reached a certain level of mastery in something, our language of study in this case. Plus, it is a challenge to sit and reflect on what one is strong or weak at.

To begin with, I consider I have good fluency and an ample lexicon to which I resort when it's necessary. Plus, I can get my message across when speaking and I try to use English as much as I can. However, I know I do not master the pronunciation features, such as stress and intonation to make my English sound more natural. As for writing, I have learned quite some  writing techniques that allow to develop a coherent text, though I need to continue practice in order to put into practice what I have learned. When it comes to reading, I find it very thrilling to read a good book, and one of my teachers from University taught me that when you read and you do not understand a word it is necessary to search for the word immediately, so that you know what you reading, I like reading all sorts of material, such as magazines, novels, and many more. Talking about listening, I have some good listening skills, I listen to all sorts of material, like podcasts, series, movies, talks, which for being natural language  enrich the lexicon and show the context in which words and expressions can be used. Lastly, I find grammar very interesting, and I have learned about how structures are formed and its rules, but there are some grammar topics which I use, that I do not know about, and I would like to explore more in order to be able to have an answer for my students when they ask me a question, not hide behind the "I don't know.
These are some of the strengths and weaknesses that I have identified in my English process. There are some resources that I already use to practice and continue to learn, and most of the content I access is mainly in English and it helps me learn new things every day. ]]> 2018-04-21 16:17:50 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254063335 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254097947 I like to read quite often, and reading in English is a challenge; in order to improve my reading skills I will read a book every two weeks, about topics related to education, or classic literature, to continue broadening my lexicon. ]]> 2018-04-22 03:20:53 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254097947 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098049 There are three ways in which I plan to continue developing my listening skills; that is, TED Talks, podcasts and content in general. TED Talks I find are a very interesting and useful resource to develop listening, they contain a wide variety of engaging topics from all fields of knowledge, psychology, math, science to name a few, of renowned people from all around the world. Which means it is not only one type of English that one is listening to, but to several with different accents, which challenges the ear. Also, podcasts are great, given that they are only audio, and there is no close caption it defies one to be forced to listen. In this case, there is one source I found convenient and it is the 60-second Scientific American Podcast, they have informative topics and they are effective and straight to the point. Lastly, general content in Youtube; there one can find all sorts of content, but there are channels that post high quality content, such as Clash Course History, which by being addressed to native people presents quite a challenge, because the presentors speak so fast, you have to pay close attention to really grasp everything they say, and help the ear get used to that speed.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/60-second-mind/]]> 2018-04-22 03:23:58 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098049 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098064 As for writing I have found some books in the library that can help me strengthen and learn my writing skills. As an example, Helping English Learners to Write by Carol Booth Olson is one of the new additions to the library that deals with this topic. Plus, I use an app to help me build and practice vocabulary, and explore different unfamiliar words, called Vocabulary building. 
I am using a book called Writing clearly : an editing guide. ]]> 2018-04-22 03:24:40 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098064 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098066 Pronunciation is one of the areas that I find myself more concerned about. I do not want to sound native-like, but yes master most of the rules and standards of pronunciation. I found a useful collection in the library to help me work with this. It is called Accent America! : pronounce English with an american accent 1. The collection has two volumes, and it can help me master some basic pronunciation standards.]]> 2018-04-22 03:24:41 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/254098066 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261001986 While working in the library I have found several books that deal with grammar specifically and have a good way of explaining grammar topics. Recognizing which grammar function I am using, is one of the things I need to improve, due to the fact that many times people ask you question about grammar, such as when to use all/everything and one must be able to give a good answer. There are two books that I am using; these are Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners, to review some topics that I've previously seen, and My Grammar Lab. which explains briefly the topic and then has some activities to practice, they have all sorts of topics, and these are classified by levels. I'm working with the intermediate and the advanced books. I choose a topic and make copies of it. Plus, I've used some websites to practice.

Excercise practice:
Subjunctive
https://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctiveexercise.htm
https://english.lingolia.com/en/grammar/verbs/subjunctive/exercises
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_67.htm
Clauses is a topic I am reviewing as well. It is difficult to retain all the information about this, though I've studied before. 

]]> 2018-05-15 19:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261001986 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261012429 2018-05-15 20:29:41 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261012429 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261015236 Reading and listening I consider are very important for understanding and continue learning. When it comes to reading, I've been using content such as newspaper, magazines and books. One of the hugest challenges when reading authentic material first it is to meet new words. Every time I've encountered an unknown word i've searched for it, clarifiying the meaning and getting examples and synonyms to be able to remember. Also, idiomatic expressions most of the times divert me from the actual meaning of a expression, so if I see one, I check and I try to understand what it is actually saying. For Listening I've watched many TED videos because they are very interesting to watch and the people who speak are from several parts of the world; thus, that gives me the chance of training my ear in other accents, which sometimes are challenging to understand. Plus, sometimes there vocabulary that they use, like psychologists, which is difficult to grasp, but really nice to learn. I listen to the news and to podcasts in spotify. I found a channel called Happy english podcasts. It has a plus, and it is that it has some pronunciaton episodes as well.


]]> 2018-05-15 20:42:12 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261015236 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261026363 2018-05-15 21:43:38 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/261026363 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/264382380 Studying the material there are several things that I was able to review from my classes at the University, which with time are forgotten. I must say that being in the library gave me the opportunity to find very enriching material, different books to consult in order to clarify my doubts, and gaps of information. Though still I struggle with improving my pronunciation.]]> 2018-05-29 22:28:37 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/264382380 evezet12 https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/266851621 I was able to review topics that usually with time you forget. I learned some strategies to apply to my writing. It feels very relevant to review and learn new things, and to put them into practice. I was able to grasp some new vocabulary and expressions that one usually finds in books written for native English speakers. The challenge is to continue learning.]]> 2018-06-12 16:03:06 UTC https://padlet.com/evezet12/321/wish/266851621