蔡昀庭 Self-learning log by 台師大蔡昀庭

Easy test - Toeic part 2 (2hr)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:23:03 UTC

Ted - The power of introverts | Susan Cain (15min)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:23:14 UTC

As an introverted person, after seeing the topic of the video, I clicked on it right away. In my past learning experiences, an introverted personality seemed like a bad thing. For example, in many classes, we need to participate in group discussions and share our thoughts with teammates. As an introverted person, it is really hard for me to talk about what I am thinking immediately because I need more time to think clearly. It's also weird that people often ask, "Why are you so quiet?" but no one asks, "Why are you so loud?" Susan Cain shares some advantages of an introverted personality, such as thinking carefully and looking at many things in detail. After watching this video, I borrowed the book also written by Susan, in Chinese title is 安靜就是力量, which is a great book that help me learn more about myself and my personality.

Novel - The wizard of oz(3hr)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:23:42 UTC

I have read The Wizard of OZ in its Chinese version, and I love the story. Since I’m familiar with the story, I decided to try reading the book in English during my free time (mostly when I was really tired of studying Sociology QAQ). I think the English version wasn’t too difficult for me because I had already read the book and knew what would be happening. Through the book, I learned many adverbs that describe the speaker’s emotional tone. It’s really interesting to see how the novel’s writing style in English.

BBC Learning English - six minutes English(listening) (2hr)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:24:53 UTC

I used to listen to BBC Learning English to improve my English listening skills when I was preparing for the General Scholastic Ability Test. In Six minutes English, there are two hosts discussing one topic, which is usually related to daily life or some trivia in the program. I chose it as my English listening training tool because I think the hosts' speaking speed is suitable for me. Moreover, it helps me become familiar with different English accents, which were really difficult for me to understand. Furthermore, every program contains a phone interview with an expert or news related to the topic, which is a good opportunity to listening to native English speakers' speaking speed. After the speaking and writing tests in the BESTEP test, I started listening to Six Minute English when I was eating breakfast to prepare for the upcoming listening test.

Easy test - Toeic part 1 (2hr)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:47:55 UTC

Ted - I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much | Stella Young (10min)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:49:00 UTC

This video was recommended by my teacher when I was taking the first class of Introduction of Special Education. It mainly discusses how many people view disabled people as always thinking positively, and their life stories are inspiring. However, Stella Young wants to tell us that disabled people are just like everyone else, with different personalities and different views of life. She shares with the audience that "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." Everyone can make their life different, depending on the attitude they choose to have.

Ted - How we’re priming some kids for college - and others for prison | Alice Goffman (15min)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 09:50:52 UTC

The video was recommended by my teacher in the Sociology class. It mainly discusses how teenagers are treated differently based on their race. For example, in cases such as fighting in class, white students might just receive a warning, while black students, however, might be sent to the police because many people believe that black people have a higher rate of committing crimes, which is a stereotype. Sadly, this issue is not only present in schools but also throughout society, where racial inequality might occur. Alice Goffman appeals to the idea that people should be aware of these issues that might happen in our daily lives, and we sometimes not even notice them.

Ted - My escape from North Korea | Huronseo Lee (12min)

41300132e — 2024-12-17 12:27:47 UTC

In this video, Huronseo Lee shares with the whole world what people in North Korea are enduring and they need for international help. She escaped from North Korea to China, crossing a river near her home, and then moved to South Korea to start a new life. During her escape, she was nearly caught by Chinese police several times. If she had been caught, she would have been sent back to North Korea, and the consequences would be unimaginable. But she bravely overcame these obstacles and even helped her family escape from North Korea.

The thing that impressed me the most in the video is when she hopelessly thought there was not enough money to set her family free from prison, a stranger came to her and asked what was wrong. Huronseo explained to the stranger in her broken English, and surprisingly, the stranger paid all the money for her, which saved her parents' lives. Now, she keep trying to help other people still living in North Korea and hopes everyone can live in freedom.