Gabriel

Paragraphs on the six key factors:

**The factors I consider the least and most influential when teaching and learning pronunciation **

The key factor I consider to be the most influential in L2 pronunciation learning would have to be a sort of ‘aptitude’. In my opinion, only a student who is willing to pay attention to details like the /-s/, /-z/, /-iz/ third person pronunciations and absorb that information will actually acquire it. Students may learn or memorize what is taught to them, but they need to be attentive to these in other to actually put them into practice, otherwise these rules will be kept in their memory, but not necessarily be put to use.

The key factor which, in my view, would be the least defining when it comes to pronunciation teaching and learning has to be personality. The acquisition of good (or intelligible) pronunciation depends on a series of elements related to the student’s cultural and social background, exposure, age and others, but being outgoing or talkative does not imply being more apt at learning pronunciation. It may provide more chances to practice it, to be fair; however, a shy or introverted student has as much chance of acquiring good pronunciation in itself as a talkative one.

Note: Of course, these aspects refer specifically to the learning and teaching of pronunciation, and not any other skill.

Portfolio:

Introduction letter: Gabriel Keene’s writing portfolio

Dear reader,

This is a collection of some of my works from this semester’s tdc course in writing, and it encases three essays that display my progress and results, and how much I evolved from the first to the last one. I have studied writing in school and college before, and even though I enjoyed it, I had never really paid much attention to how it was done, often writing my essays instinctively and not being much concerned with structuring them. Some teachers said I wrote well, so I simply stuck to what I knew and kept doing more of the same. That is the problem with getting decent results: Sometimes, they fool you into believing there is nothing to improve, or if there is, it’s just not worth the trouble. Taking this course, I was pushed, actually catapulted out of my comfort zone. I was often forced to take a look at my works and edit (and later re-edit) them, identify (and admit) my mistakes, add supporting information where there wasn’t enough (or any at all) and others. All of these were things I had never done before. Unsurprisingly, after a few tries, writing became an easier and smoother process for me. I began to have a clearer understanding, and better control over punctuation and other formal aspects of writing. I believe these essays show my progress not only in this course, but in writing as a whole, for I am now forever changed by what I have learnt. The skills I have honed during this time will serve me as an amateur writer, as a teacher and a student, be it in TDC, or anywhere. Although speaking would be the most important skill for a language teacher, writing is a productive skill nonetheless, and underestimating it is hazardous to our minds. I hope you find this portfolio an enjoyable read.

First essay, final draft:

The advantages of being bilingual How many times have you been advised to do something in order to achieve a goal or objective of yours? It’s common for people to suggest all kinds of ideas and strategies to others, but here is one piece of advice that you’ll definitely need: Learn a second language. No matter what your dream or objective is, being bilingual will help you get there faster and more easily. Being fluent in other tongues opens doors for you.

For starters, it will double the amount of knowledge you can get on any topic, for any purpose. Whatever you want to learn about, there will always be more information available for you if you can look it up in another language. In case you are a student or scientist, think of all the scientific journals and articles you could be reading right now.

Is your objective professional fulfillment? Remember that companies seek people that speak more than one language. Bilingual candidates are more desirable. This is a globalized world, and companies want to keep up with it by having people that are more adaptable. When you speak two or more languages, it’s possible for you to take a position abroad. Foreign companies might want to hire you, or your current company may want to transfer you to an overseas branch, so the possibilities are numerous.

Also, speaking more than one language will help you meet new people and expand your social circle. Provided you enjoy using the internet for that, you can take part in social networks that work in other languages and meet new people online. Should you prefer real-life interaction, you can travel to or take student exchange programs in other countries and have a hands-on experience with other people and cultures.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, if there is one thing you should do to achieve your goal (regardless of what it is), it’s to learn a second language. It will broaden your horizons in terms of knowledge, professional opportunities and social interaction.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Second essay, final draft:

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Knowing your place… in Africa <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">As I sat in that impressive office and tried to keep up with my father’s conversation with the Glen High School’s headmaster, Mr. Wilcox, all I remember is trying my best to understand what that tall man was saying. I was so nervous that I could not think and process the words coming out of his mouth. It was like watching television on mute. An ominous feeling of impending doom leered over me; I was afraid I was going to need someone to translate everything for me for the rest of the year and leave that school having made no friends at all. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Within a few minutes of (mental) pain and suffering, I finally managed to make out something that my new school’s headmaster had said – that he was going to place me in a class that already had a Brazilian student (and many other foreigners) to aid me in my journey. A soothing feeling of relief came over me, as I now had a superhero to stand up for me and rely on. The headmaster then called one of the senior students and had him take me to the room where my group (1E) was supposed to be. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Upon my arrival, the teacher politely asked me to introduce myself to the class; something I hated doing even in Portuguese, due to my painful shyness. After five seconds that seemed to drag on for years, I looked for a seat, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, until I could find the Brazilian student. To my surprise, though, he was nowhere to be found. That was when my world came tumbling down. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Struggling to even write my name on the sheet that had been handed to me, nervous as I was, I decided not to talk to anyone for the rest of the day. Maybe the other Brazilian student had been absent that day, but on the following day he would have to show up, right? But such resolve would not last long. Soon I heard something being said to me – one of the other students was asking me a question! <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">He wanted to know what Brazil was like, because one of his father’s friends had been there a couple of years before. I fumbled with words for a while to answer him, and during that conversation learned the first of a plethora of new terms I would come to know in South Africa: “how come”. It took a few tries before I could understand what he wanted to know, but eventually the conversation took off and he introduced me to a few friends after the class. On the next day, the Brazilian student wasn’t there again, but I didn’t miss him, because (albeit with some difficulty) I had been able to make friends on my own. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Then came the third day: Afrikaans class with Ms. Schubart. She was supposed to be my form teacher (a teacher responsible for all the students in a particular class) and recognized my name. She told me I shouldn’t be in this group, this was 1C, and 1E was somewhere else. I was flabbergasted at knowing that I had been in the wrong place all this time, but it now made sense to me why I hadn’t seen any other foreigners. Parting with my new friends, I was sent to Mrs. Tiele’s room, an ethics/philosophy teacher who taught 1E every other week. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Reaching the room, I was once again forced to endure the ritual of introducing myself to the class. Mrs. Tiele told me to go to my seat and kindly asked me to remain standing while she talked to me. She asked a few questions, the answers to which my fellow students found very amusing, but everything changed when we came to a question by her that I couldn’t understand. Nervous to get the problem out of the way, I blurted out “What?”, and her face suddenly metamorphosed into something inhuman. I wasn’t sure how, but I had just insulted her greatly. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">“You don’t say what! You say I beg your pardon!” And all I could muster was “Okay.” But that wasn’t it. She wanted me to say it after her: “I beg your pardon.” Politeness is of the utmost importance in South Africa, I would later come to learn. “All right, Mr. Brazil, now that we know who you are and where you’re from, you may sit. And remember to be polite when you speak to a teacher, understand?” I definitely did. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">After that, I finally met the elusive Brazilian student. We became friends very fast as well, but now I knew I wasn’t going to need him as my crutch for anything. This, in hindsight, may have made our bond even stronger, there being only friendship, and no dependence, between us. I wonder how my learning and my personality would have turned out if I had been placed in the correct class from the start. I was surely very happy that the ominous feeling from three days before was now gone.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Fourth essay, second draft: <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">To blend or not to blend – There is no question <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">This year, a groundbreaking new class format for the second module in TDC – writing – was put into practice. It involved a blending of online and face-to-face tasks, with Monday classes being substituted for online activities such as reading, writing and researching, while Wednesdays retained the classic face-to-face format. As one of the few participants of <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">(said) the aforementioned experiment, I speak from personal experience when I advocate for this new format being maintained for the upcoming semesters in TDC.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">First of all, this module focuses on writing, and how to teach it. Writing is not an activity that depends much on interaction. In fact, sometimes too much interaction greatly hinders it: Students need some “alone time” in order to concentrate and write. Therefore, the online part of the course is a much more suited environment for reflecting on, thinking and producing a text than a busy, noisy classroom. Even in a traditional face-to-face class, a lot more work would be done outside the classroom one way or another, so why not focus on that and take advantage of it?

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Also, this is a course that aims at developing teachers. That means making them good, or better, at what they do. In this day and age, how can any such course turn its back on technology and its use? Having an online environment is of the utmost importance in this matter, as any modern teacher needs to be acquainted to and comfortable with new technology. TDC Students need contact with online environments, and they need to master them. The more opportunities they get, the better.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Not only is it necessary to any modern teacher in terms of knowledge, but the technology in this case also allows for something indispensable in the life of modern teachers: schedule flexibility. Many (if not all) of the students in this course are already employed, and job obligations often get in the way of class attendance. The possibility of <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">(transfering) transferring activities from one day to the next, or simply doing them during the night<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**,** is excellent for the students to participate more and better. As a result, very few students miss class, since the face-to-face activity only takes place once a week.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Obviously, enemies of this blended format may argue that it fosters laziness, allowing students to do everything at the last possible minute, and curbs social interaction by taking time away from human gatherings in a physical space, but this is obviously not the case. It isn’t so, for three reasons: first, sloth is a part of human nature itself, and whether the course is online or not, students who respect deadlines will behave the same way they do in a normal class, and students who don’t respect deadlines will do so, too. Furthermore, the online environment actually helps the interactions, on the one hand, as the less outgoing people are allowed freer reign to voice their opinions and participate equally, and on the other hand, as it allows for anonymity and better and deeper peer reviewing. The third reason is that, even if these accusations were true (and they are not), they would still fail to make a decent point, as the course I’m advocating for is supposed to be blended, and not exclusively online. Even if the online counterpart has its downsides, they are still outweighed by its advantages and there will be balance, based purely on the fact that face-to-face classes will not cease to occur.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, as long as the quality of the teaching is maintained as it was this semester, the students can only benefit from this model. It wouldn’t end the face-to-face approach (which is still the cornerstone of the course), but would complement it tremendously. There should be no doubt as to whether the course should be kept this way or not, as it has been a great experience for me and my classmates.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Process analysis essay - Second draft:

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">How comics help your English

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">When it comes to learning English as a foreign language, people usually think of books and trips abroad as the only ways to acquire it. However, they often forget that an extremely powerful tool is right in front of them, at the closest newsstand: comic books. Although not the primary source of language acquisition, comics may well be the best aid you can find in your learning of English. They can help develop your vocabulary, grammar and even pronunciation, all the while taking you into a new world of stories and characters. In order to take full advantage of them, this is what you should do when reading comics:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">First, just like in books and other media, you will be frequently exposed to new vocabulary. However, in comics, you have the unique juxtaposition of images and text that only works in this medium<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> and allows you more opportunities to infer the meaning of a word than any other means of communication. Comics allow you to learn and retain new vocabulary and collocations better because the images are complemented by the text, and vice-versa – one helps you understand the other. So, when you see the hero and the villain stop their fight, gather their breath, and continue it, it’s possible to learn from the caption <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> “And so they resume the battle!” that “resumes” is a synonym for “continue”, and not “summarize”.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Second, grammar points like question tags, embedded questions and others are often employed in comics, making readers used to them. The constant exposure to lines like Calvin’s father saying: “Calvin, you’re not jumping on the bed, are you? Do you have any idea what time it is?” help readers become accustomed to these structures much more easily. When in class or in an actual foreign-country experience, this exposure will have built a robust scaffolding for them to recognize and make use of <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">(said) conversational structures.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Also, as comics enjoy more freedom than books do in representing sounds and the way people speak, they tend to depict these graphically. This will often help your pronunciation and also your understanding of the sounds in the English language, as long as you can infer that when a certain character’s word bubble has “Ah see”, he or she actually means “I see”, but that’s his/her accent. The same goes for when you read a character’s line as “Howz’ it goin’?” It’s possible to infer that, in the pronunciation for “How’s it going” <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> the “s” sounds like a “z”, and the letter “g” isn’t pronounced by this character.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Therefore, reading comics will help your English in terms of apprehending new vocabulary and collocations, grammar points and even simplifying pronunciation patterns in order for you to visualize them. Lastly, of course, you will also have a good time and enjoy your studying, or reading, in English. Read more comics if you want to have fun and learn at the same time.

Not many corrections were necessary this time, other than a hideous memory lapse, some very bad punctuation and a few connectors here and there. A direct consequence of this course, I guess!

Yes, even though you already wrote very well from the start of this course, I'm glad it's helped you fine tune some aspects. Great job! I love the topic.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Process Analysis Essay - First draft:

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">How comics help your English

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">When it comes to learning English as a foreign language, people usually think of books and trips abroad as the only ways to acquire it. However, they often forget that an extremely powerful tool is right in front of them, at the closest newsstand: comic books. Although not the primary source of language acquisition, comics may well be the best aid you can find in your learning of English. They can help develop your vocabulary, grammar and even pronunciation; all the while taking you into a new world of stories and characters. And here are a few steps to take when reading comics in order to take full advantage of them.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">First, just like in books and other media, you will be exposed to new vocabulary. However, in comics, you have the unique juxtaposition of images and text that only works in this medium, and allows you more opportunities to infer the meaning of a word than any other means of communication. Comics allow you to learn and retain new vocabulary and collocations better because the images are complemented by the text, and vice-versa. One helps you understand the other. So, when you see the hero and the villain stop their fight, gather their breath, and continue it, it’s possible to learn from the caption “And so they resume the battle!” that “resumes” is a synonym for “continue”, and not “summarize”.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Second, grammar points like question tags, embedded questions and are often employed in comics, making readers used to them. The constant exposure to lines like Calvin’s father saying “Calvin, you’re not jumping on the bed, are you? Do you have any idea what time it is?” help readers become accustomed to these structures much more easily. When in class or in an actual foreign-country experience, this exposure will have built a robust scaffolding for them to recognize and employ said structures.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Also, as comics enjoy more freedom than books do in representing sounds and the way people speak, they tend to depict these graphically. This will often help your pronunciation and also your understanding of the sounds in the English language, as long as you can infer that when a certain character’s word bubble has “Ah see”, he or she actually means “I see”, but that’s his/her accent. The same goes for when you read a character’s line as “Howz it goin’?”. It’s possible to infer that, in the pronunciation for “How’s it going” the “s” sounds like a “z”, and the letter “g” isn’t pronounced by this character.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, reading comics will help your English in terms of apprehending new vocabulary and collocations, grammar points and even simplifying pronunciation patterns in order for you to visualize them. And of course, you will also have fun and enjoy your time studying, I mean reading in English. Read more comics if you want to have fun and learn at the same time.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Second draft - <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Knowing your place… in Africa <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">As I sat in that impressive office and tried to keep up with my father’s conversation with the Glen High School’s headmaster, Mr. Wilcox, all I remember is trying my best to understand what that tall man was saying. I was so nervous that I could not think and process the words coming out of his mouth. It was like watching television on mute. An ominous feeling of impending doom leered over me; I was afraid I was going to need someone to translate everything for me for the rest of the year and leave that school having made no friends at all.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Within a few minutes of (mental) pain and suffering, I finally managed to make out something that my new school’s headmaster had said – that he was going to place me in a class that already had a Brazilian student (and many other foreigners) to aid me in my journey. A soothing feeling of relief came over me, as I now had a superhero to stand up for me and rely on. The headmaster then called one of the senior students and had him take me to the room where my group (1E) was supposed to be.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Upon my arrival, the teacher politely asked me to introduce myself to the class; something I hated doing even in Portuguese, due to my painful shyness. After five seconds that seemed to drag on for years, I looked for a seat, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, until I could find the Brazilian student. <span style="color: #808000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But, to my surprise,* he was nowhere to be found. Then my world came tumbling down. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Struggling to even write my name on the sheet that had been handed to me, nervous as I was, I decided not to talk to anyone for the rest of the day. Maybe the other Brazilian student had been absent that day, but on the following day he would have to show up, right? But such resolve would not last long. Soon I heard something being said to me – one of the other students was asking me a question!

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">He wanted to know what Brazil was like, because one of his father’s friends had been there a couple of years before. I fumbled with words for a while to answer him, and during that conversation learned the first of a plethora of new terms I would come to know in South Africa: “how come”. It took a few tries before I could understand what he wanted to know, but eventually the conversation took off and he introduced me to a few friends after the class. On the next day, the Brazilian student wasn’t there again, but I didn’t miss him, because (albeit with some difficulty) I had been able to make friends on my own.And then came the third day: Afrikaans class with Ms. Schubart. She was supposed to be my form teacher (a teacher responsible for all the students in a particular class) and recognized my name. She told me I shouldn’t be in this group, this was 1C, and 1E was somewhere else. I was flabbergasted at knowing that I had been in the wrong place all this time, but it now made sense to me why I hadn’t seen any other foreigners. Parting with my new friends, I was sent to Mrs. Tiele’s room, an ethics/philosophy teacher who taught 1E every other week.Reaching the room, I was once again forced to endure the ritual of introducing myself to the class. Mrs. Tiele told me to go to my seat and kindly asked me to remain standing while she talked to me. She asked a few questions, the answers to which my fellow students found very amusing, but everything changed when we came to a question by her that I couldn’t understand. Nervous to get the problem out of the way, I blurted out “What?”, and her face suddenly metamorphosed into something inhuman. I wasn’t sure how, but I had just insulted her greatly.“You don’t say what! You say I beg your pardon!” And all I could muster was “Okay.” But that wasn’t it. She wanted me to say it after her: “I beg your pardon.” Politeness is of the utmost importance in South Africa, I would later come to learn. “All right, Mr. Brazil, now that we know who you are and where you’re from, you may sit. And remember to be polite when you speak to a teacher, understand?” I definitely did. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">After that, I finally met the elusive Brazilian student. We became friends very fast as well, but now I knew I wasn’t going to need him as my crutch for anything. This, in hindsight, may have made our bond even stronger, there being only friendship, and no dependence, between us. I wonder how my learning and my personality would have turned out if I had been placed in the correct class from the start. I was surely very happy for having that ominous feeling from three days before gone. (The "gone" is too far from the word it collocates with, "have". How about: "I was surely happy that the ominous feeling from three days before was now gone."

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Thank you, reviewer and teacher! Yes, this was an important episode in my life, and it was very good to write about it. Truth be told, I had never reflected much on it until now. I tried to follow the advice both of you gave me and hope the final version turns out okay. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Ah yes, as for the “and’s” and “but’s”, I tried to get them all out, but some of them either felt necessary, or I just couldn’t come up with better words. I still have to work on my connectors and punctuation the most, this is something I must pay more attention to. In general, not a lot changed from the first to the second versions, but it is true that I had told this story a few times before, therefore I had a good idea of what I was going to write. Maybe that helped me shape the text a little better than I did on my first essay.

* Okay, I respect your choice to keep the "But, ...". Allow me a suggestion, though: "To my surprise, though/however/, he was..." Do you think it would have the same effect?

Dear Gabriel Reading your text a second time, and now more free to focus even more on the content than the form, I believe that the greatest cultural faux pas was made by your teacher. You see, you were a student, but she, as a teacher in a school that hosts international students, should know that politeness is a cultural construct and that the fact that you said "what" didn't make you impolite. It just showed that you still lacked pragmatic competence in English. I don't think it was fair for her to put you on the spot on your first day with the second class.

Now speaking about the rhetorical features in your text, I think it's well written and effective. I couldn't find anything else I would correct.What I did find was two mistakes in my feedback on your first draft. Haste makes waste! I typed fast and was pressed for time. I apologize. I have already corrected them below by putting the wrong form in parentheses and writing the correct one next to it.

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'arial black',gadget,sans-serif; text-align: left;">First draft- Knowing your place… in Africa As I sat in that impressive office and tried to keep up with my father’s conversation with the Glen High School’s headmaster, Mr. Wilcox, all I remember is trying my best to understand what that tall man was saying. I was so nervous that I could not think, it was like watching television on mute. An ominous feeling of impending doom leered over me. I was afraid I was going to need someone to translate everything for me for the rest of the year, and leave the school with no friends.

But I managed to make out something that my new school’s headmaster said – that he was going to place me in a class that already had a Brazilian student (and many other foreigners) to aid me in my journey. A soothing feeling of relief came over me, as I now had a superhero to stand up for me and rely on. The headmaster then called one of the senior students, and had him take me to the room where my group (1E) was supposed to be.

Upon my arrival, the teacher politely asked me to introduce myself to the class; something I hated doing even in Portuguese, due to my painful shyness. After five seconds that seemed to drag on for years, I looked for a seat, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, until I could find the Brazilian student. But, to my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. And then my world came tumbling down.

Struggling to even write my name on the sheet that had been handed to me, nervous as I was, I decided not to talk to anyone for the rest of the day. Maybe the other Brazilian student had been absent that day, but on the following day he would have to show up, right? But not for long. Soon I heard something being said to me – one of the other students was asking me a question!

He wanted to know what Brazil was like, because one of his father’s friends had been there a couple of years before. I fumbled with words for a while to answer him, and during that conversation learned the first of a plethora of new terms I would come to know in South Africa: “how come”. It took a few tries before I could understand what he wanted to know, but eventually the conversation hit it off [IdFVB1] and he introduced me to a few friends after the class. On the next day, the Brazilian student wasn’t there again, but I didn’t miss him, because (albeit with some difficulty) I had been able to make friends on my own.

And then came the third day: Afrikaans class with Ms. Schubart. She was supposed to be my form teacher (a teacher responsible for all the students in a particular class), and recognized my name, and told me I shouldn’t be in this group, this was 1C, and 1E was somewhere else. I was flabbergasted at knowing that I had been in the wrong place all this time, but it now made sense to me why I hadn’t seen any other foreigners. Parting with my new friends, I was sent to Mrs. Tiele’s room, an ethics/philosophy teacher who taught 1E every other week.

Reaching the room, I was once again forced to endure the ritual of introducing myself to the class. Mrs. Tiele told me to go to my seat, and kindly asked me to remain standing while she talked to me. She asked a few questions, the answers to which my fellow students found very amusing, but everything changed when we came to a question by her that I couldn’t understand. Nervous to get the problem out of the way, I blurted out “What?”, and her face suddenly metamorphosed into something inhuman, I wasn’t sure how, but I had just insulted her greatly.

“You don’t say what! You say “I beg your pardon”!” And all I could muster was “Okay”. But that wasn’t it. She wanted me to say it after her: “I beg your pardon”. Politeness is of the utmost importance in South Africa, I would later come to learn. “All right, Mr. Brazil, now that we know who you are and where you’re from, you may sit. And remember to be polite when you speak to a teacher, understand?” I definitely did.

After that, I finally met the elusive Brazilian student. We became friends very fast as well, but now I knew I wasn’t going to need him as my crutch for anything. This, in hindsight, may have made our bond even stronger, there being only friendship, and no dependence, between us. I wonder how my learning and my personality would have turned out if I had been placed in the correct class from the start. I was surely very happy for having that ominous feeling from three days before gone. Questions: 1) Is the conclusion effective? I really like the way you conclude your text. The fact that you wonder how things would be different if you haven’t gone to the wrong room gave me the idea that you don’t regret having this experience and, in a way, you had a good feeling being able to manage that strange class for 3 days. Your feeling is expressed in your conclusion. I think this is the best part of it 2) Is the introduction working well? Should it be longer, shorter, more or less detailed? I don’t think it should be longer. From what I’ve read, your introduction is interesting and a bit mysterious, I would say. The way you used the words and ideas were well connected, which involves the reader to keep the interest in knowing what it is next. 3) Do the paragraphs show one central idea only, or do they show more? As I read your narrative, I couldn’t find a paragraph that would be confusing or would explore more than one central I idea at a time. The actions are being developed in a cohesive way.  4) Do the characters need more development? I believe that each character has its description and importance in the whole paragraph. I one of them is more developed in the text, I would probably question how much the importance of his/her actions in the plot is. This development would even take your main position and the main character in the narrative. I don’t think you should develop them more. 5) Are the connectors used properly? There are a lot of connector styles. Besides the main and obvious connectors like //after that, on the next day, soon, upon// you have also connect the ideas with clauses like //Parting with my new friends, nervous to get the problem out of the way,// which gives the narrative a fresh and flowing atmosphere.  I agree that the text is very well written and I really like the beginning, the way you set the context and the plot. Your thesis is also very clear: you thought you would need a crutch but ended up realizing you didn’t. It’s so nice. I enjoyed the opportunity to become familiarized (to) with an important part of your life.  There are just a few things to edit. Two are comma splices and two have to do with the fact that you don’t use a comma before “and” when it’s not connecting two clauses. I like your use of connectors but, for the sake of practicing a more formal style of writing, I would recommend avoiding the sentence-initial “and’s” and “but’s”. Since this is a narrative essay, it does (not) need a certain level of formality.

[IdFVB1] Can a conversation hit it off? I thought people hit it off.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Narrative outline

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Setting: South Africa, the Glen High School, beginning of the school year. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Main characters: Gabriel, Johnathan (friend), Mrs. Tiele (one of the teachers), Mr. Wilcox (headmaster). <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Plot: Newcomer Gabriel Keene goes to school in South Africa where he is put into a class that's supposed to have a Brazilian friend to help him out, but he ends up in the wrong group. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Climax: A teacher finds out about the mistake after two days have passed by and Gabe is taken to his regular class. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Ending: After he gets a lesson in manners from a teacher, Gabe learns he didn't need to have another Brazilian student in class to make new friends (corny, huh?).

I consider the parts to be general. From the description you know what the story is about. I think the outline sends its message.
 * . Is there any aspect of the outline that looks unclear to you? **

I think the climax could be more explained. Maybe I would add a piece of personal info about how Gabe felt whan he was caught by his teacher.
 * 2. Can you think of an area in the outline that needs more development? Do you have any specific suggestions? **

I believe the outline is well discribed. Certainly it will became a nice and interesting story after it'sbeen written.
 * 3. If you have any other ideas and suggestions, write them here. **

= ___ =

Essay drafts: First draft -

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Being bilingual in today’s society

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Communication is required everywhere, and every single morsel of it is indispensable for human knowledge and interaction. Being able to speak only one language may not be enough for you to play an important role in the world anymore.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Technology, finance, news, real estate; whatever field it is, communication is now an indelible part of it. All of them rely on communication to progress and develop, so a thorough understanding of the code through which communication takes place – the language – is of the utmost importance.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">If you add the fact that there is more than one (hundreds, even) of these codes out there, there will be little doubt that being skillful at one of them will not get you very far.

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In today’s society, in today’s world, there needs to be understanding of more than one code. For there is expression of more than one code. And this happens everywhere, in every field, in every area, every subject imaginable.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, it’s not about how being bilingual is an add-on or an advantage, as much as it is a bare necessity to human beings in our current day and age.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">(aside from it being too short, in retrospect I believe I simply didn't talk about the subject, changing it completely. So, I re-wrote it almost completely) <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Second draft:

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The advantages of being bilingual

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">How many times have you been advised to do something in order to achieve a goal or objective of yours? It’s common for people to suggest all kinds of ideas and strategies to others, but here is one piece of advice that you’ll definitely need: Learn a second language. No matter what your dream or objective is, being bilingual will help you get there faster and more easily. Being fluent in other tongues opens doors for you.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">For starters, it will double the amount of knowledge you can get on any topic, for any purpose. Whatever you want to learn about, there will always be more information available for you if you can look for it in another language. And if you are a student or scientist, think of all the scientific journals and articles you could be reading right now.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">If your objective is professional realization, remember that companies seek people that speak more than one language. Bilingual candidates are more desirable. This is a globalized world, and companies want to keep up with it by having people that can be more adaptable. If you speak two languages, it’s possible for you to take a position abroad. Foreign companies might want to hire you, or your current company may want to transfer you to an overseas branch, so the possibilities are numerous.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Also, speaking more than one language will help you meet new people and expand your social circle. If you like using the internet for that, you can take part in social networks that work in other languages and meet new people online. If you prefer real-life interaction, you can travel to or take student exchange programs in other countries, and have a hands-on experience with other people and cultures. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, if there is one thing you should do to achieve your goal (regardless of what it is), it’s to learn a second language. It will broaden your horizons in terms of knowledge, professional opportunities and social interaction.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(As was pointed out in both my peer and teacher's reviews, there are way too many "if"s. I tried to replace them, along with a few spelling and punctuation distractions on my part. I tried to write an extra sentence for the conclusion, but I wasn't satisfied with it.) <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Third Draft:

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The advantages of being bilingual <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">How many times have you been advised to do something in order to achieve a goal or objective of yours? It’s common for people to suggest all kinds of ideas and strategies to others, but here is one piece of advice that you’ll definitely need: Learn a second language. No matter what your dream or objective is, being bilingual will help you get there faster and more easily. Being fluent in other tongues opens doors for you. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">For starters, it will double the amount of knowledge you can get on any topic, for any purpose. Whatever you want to learn about, there will always be more information available for you if you can look it up in another language. In case you are a student or scientist, think of all the scientific journals and articles you could be reading right now.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Is your objective <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-decoration: line-through;">is professional fulfillment? Remember that companies seek people that speak more than one language. Bilingual candidates are more desirable. This is a globalized world, and companies want to keep up with it by having people that are more adaptable. When you speak two or more languages, it’s possible for you to take a position abroad. Foreign companies might want to hire you, or your current company may want to transfer you to an overseas branch, so the possibilities are numerous.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Also, speaking more than one language will help you meet new people and expand your social circle. Provided you enjoy using the internet for that, you can take part in social networks that work in other languages and meet new people online. Should you prefer real-life interaction, you can travel to or take student exchange programs in other countries and have a hands-on experience with other people and cultures.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Therefore, if there is one thing you should do to achieve your goal (regardless of what it is), it’s to learn a second language. It will broaden your horizons in terms of knowledge, professional opportunities and social interaction. (All in all, I think I went from a very bad to at least a decent text. Joking aside, I could really feel the evolution in my writing as I now sort of knew what I was doing)

I think you did a great job using a variety of conditional constructions rather than only one type. It afforded more sophistication to your text. I also appreciate the fact that you added your reflections on the process of rewriting your text.

//**Last year:**// //**Voicethread assignment**// Let's see if this works. Uhm, I wasn't satisfied with the quality of the pictures, but powerpoint only exports jpgs in one resolution, I can't change that (and the fonts I used looked great on my pc). And I still have to figure out how to make my presentation stay on the same slide for longer, they change too quickly. And finally, I regret putting one of the example sentences there, because it may be a bit confusing for students, but then again... This was an experiment, right?

media type="custom" key="11587636"

If it didn't work or if you think the font is too small, you can always try clicking this link:

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone!
Older stuff -

Gimmicks Help All Learners
You can consider any method of teaching other than only explaining the rule and making students memorize it a gimmick. Do you remember how you learned which months had 30 days and which ones didn’t? If you resorted to counting your knuckles and the spaces between them instead of simply memorizing which one was which, you used a gimmick to learn their pattern.
 * // What is a gimmick? //**

Gimmicks help our students greatly, especially if they can connect to the gimmick personally. One gimmick Keith Folse gives us is intended to help students take notice of and understand the rules for doubling letters for words with two (or more) syllables: to have our students circle the stressed syllable in words that end in C-V-C (Consonant – Vowel – Consonant):


 * To Commit ||< Com mit ||< commiTTed ||< double T, because we circled the last syllable. ||
 * To Open ||< O pen ||< opeNed ||< single N, because we didn't circle the last syllable. ||
 * To Prefer ||< Pre fer ||< prefeRRed ||< double R, because we circled the last syllable. ||

//** As another gimmick (now updated with a student’s suggestion), here’s another way: **// If you know CVC, the travel company, you know they always offer discounts, right? So, you’re about to give up, all stressed out (hint!), and then at the last place you look, they offer you a discount, and give you twice the consonant for the same price.

(Is CVC the last place you look? Yes. Is there stress at CVC? Yes. Then, double R for the same price!)
 * To prefer -> pre//**fer**// -> preferred

(Is CVC the last place you look? Yes. Is there stress at CVC? No. Then, no doubling the letter. Sorry.)
 * To pilfer -> //**pil**//fer -> pilfered

(Is CVC the last place you look? Yes. Is there stress at CVC? Yes. Then, double R for the same price!)
 * To deter -> de//**ter**// -> deterred

(Is CVC the last place you look? Yes. Is there stress at CVC? No. Then, no doubling the letter. Sorry.)
 * To master -> //**mas**//ter -> mastered

So, if CVC's the last place you look and you're stressed out when you get there, you get a free consonant! I hope this was helpful. //(please note that I don't really agree, I just find it funny)//
 * Descriptive vs Prescriptive grammar:**

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