Aline




 * "It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. "**
 * Ursula K. LeGuin **

Taking the Writing Course was a challenging experience. At first, I thought that writing essays would be less complicated that it actually was. Gathering thoughts and ideas is not always an easy task. On the contrary, putting them together can be a big endeavor.

In addition, there are some other aspects involved in writing such as the genre structure, the syntax and the transitions which need to be clear and well build. These important topics equipped me to improve my writing and to develop some editing skills, which are necessary to every writer.

However, I still need to consolidate this new knowledge and work on some grammar topics like verb tenses and clauses. One advantage of this course was to have some of my difficulties identified. Now, I am aware of the steps I need to take in order to improve my writing skills.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the great atmosphere in the classroom, where students and teacher could freely interact and exchange ideas. I also appreciated the precise and encouraging feedback given by peers and teacher.

In sum, I believe the course was an excellent opportunity for sharing ideas with my peers, learning important aspects of writing essays and building clear sentences and clauses, and becoming familiar with some of the tools available.


 * 1. What are the advantages of being bilingual in today’s society?**

In a world where distances have been shortened by technology, there are new standards to be followed and paradigms to be assimilated. Learning a foreign language can enlarge the knowledge pool of many students, professors and specialist s around the world in their respective areas, can open doors to better job opportunities, and can give access to a wealth of different cultures around the world. Nowadays, the English language is considered the “lingua franca” of this time, in which most of the academic information is published and compiled around the world.In this case, fluency in a foreign language allows people to get a hold of a k nowledge key and unlock broader possibilities in the educational area by exchanging ideas and gathering new ways of changing the world we live in.

In addition to that, access to a different culture, i.e. music, TV shows, literature and even to technology also goes through the filter of speaking a second language, in this case, English. Obviously, tools like Google Translator are absolutely useful, but limited. You might not need a translator to watch a video on //You Tube//, but in order to be able to fully understand a video content, you may have to go beyond that. Being bilingual nowadays will not only provide opportunities for cultural exchange or access to academic knowledge, but also better insertion in the labor market. Literacy in a foreign language has become a requirement for high positions in many companies and institutions around the globe. In many of those jobs, the applicant might need to speak two or three different languages, so they will be able to reach the demand of the globilized business field. In order to absorb some of the changes of the time we are living in, it is necessary to be fluent in the current “lingua franca”. This is a tool that provides access to knowledge, resources, and cultural features from different regions around the world. Besides that, knowing a foreigner language may promote better employment opportunities, once second language has become an indispensable requirement of today’s labor market.

**2. Socializing and becoming fluent in a second language: my journey in Australia** Learning a second language is a big endeavor. In order to apprehend a foreign language, it is necessary to learn the language structure, its phonemes, expressions, possible collocations, and other intricate aspects related to it. More than the mere linguistic aspect, cultural and social facets should be considered. Therefore, I was fortunate to have this opportunity to live in Australia for a couple of years. Being totally immersed in the Australian culture took my language acquisition journey to an unexpected level.

Joining Bible College in Sydney was a dream come true. Besides the fact that living in a beautiful English-speaking country is a life-changing experience, becoming part of an enormous Christian community like Hillsong College granted me the chance to develop my communicative skills in English. On a daily basis, I had the opportunity to be around hundreds of students from different countries. Most importantly, I was given the chance to be around some remarkable friends who were native speakers. They treated me like family and encouraged me to speak the language out fearlessly.

Those amazing friends, especially my roommate Kaitlyn, daily took the time to chat with me and gently correct me. These generous actions helped me to develop some of the conversational skills that were very limited at that time. Every night, a different visitor was invited over and the conversations went on and on, even when we all had classes in the following morning. Thus, as I interacted to various people with diverse backgrounds and accents, I assimilated the language without even noticing the process involved.

Therefore, I believe that it wouldn’t have been possible to become fluent in English so quickly if I hadn’t had these lovely people around me. Socializing can really contribute to the language acquisition process, once social interaction provides natural practice and it includes the values and behaviors of a culture. Living abroad allowed me both continuous practice and immersion in an English-speaking environment. After a few months, chatting with friends or talking about my life back in Brazil wasn’t really an issue anymore. I finally started to feel comfortable using my second language, finally reaching a point when I felt confident to give my opinion in class. I can clearly remember the day I had to perform a song to my class, as part of my assessment evaluation for the Worship Music course.

Singing a song in front of amazing musicians wasn’t a real challenge for me, but presenting the background of the song in English was. I slowly introduced myself to the class, explained the story behind the lyrics and announced the singer’s name. Then I described my interpretation of the song and the musical arrangements that were modified. As I saw the reaction of the audience, cheering and nodding their heads in agreement, it felt like reaching the top of a huge mountain. Finally, I overcame an enormous obstacle. Indeed, I was able to communicate my message in a second language, not only because I knew the right words, but also because I was acquainted with the culture.

Obviously, living in a country where you are exposed to English continuously can really contribute to the learning process of the language. However, what made my experience in Australia count was the colors, the flavors, the affection, all the cultural exchange that I got from living there. All of those aspects are incrusted in my memory, resulting in a natural and effective language production, which came out of a constant social interaction and practice.

**3. Why adopting a blended course at Casa Thomas Jefferson?**

Several English schools have embraced online courses as the main advantage that the Internet Era offers, academically speaking. Besides the flexible schedules, this kind of course provides an online environment for interaction, discussion and reflection. (On the other hand), In addition, the idea of a blended course brings forth innovation, once it makes it possible to have the advantages of both face-to-face and online environments concurrently. Therefore, I believe the TDC 2 course would achieve an even more efficient performance if Casa Thomas Jefferson provided a broader range of educational tools by adopting the blended form for the Writing Course permanently.

The blended course presents the advantage of an online environment where teacher and students can connect, share ideas and utilize tools which can facilitate the target subject’s learning process. Some of these tools are online forums, where students post their comments according to their availability and edit their contributions at the time the y find appropriate. In addition, students also benefit from face-to-face classes, in which there are features like eye contact, gestures and voice tones that help students to engage with the teacher. There were several situations where the teacher called my attention to details related to the essay structure that would not have been noticed in an online setting.

Furthermore, in a face-to-face class, many students are not comfortable voicing their opinions because of shyness. However, this issue can be easily resolved by the use of online media like forums, written tasks and portfolios, where students can post their ideas. (Correspondingly,) Conversely for those students who have a better performance by interacting with teacher and colleagues in person, face-to-face classes will meet their needs of socializing and engaging through hands-on exercises and group activities performed in the classroom.

Even though many people may think that a blended course can potentially achieve better outcomes than just face-to-face classes, some would say the latter is still the most efficient way of learning. Because of personal interaction, the possibility of clarifying doubts or misunderstandings on spot and the assurance of the traditional method that students are already accustomed to (fragment). On the other hand, students are able to co-participate in the process of learning by experimenting with the freedom of the online environment, where students dictate their own pace of writing, reflecting and receiving the teacher´s feedback on theirs doubts and questions. Social interaction is also possible through certain uncomplicated tools such as Skype or messenger.

Because of all these reasons, I believe the blended course’s adoption in the curriculum of the Teacher´s Developing Course should be considered. As part of the vision of Casa Thomas Jefferson is to empower students to fully develop their linguistic skills, this course can offer these future teachers the opportunity of exploring new pathways of learning by experimenting the traditional face-to-face classes and becoming familiar with the innovations available in the online environment.

**Process Analysis Essay**

**Second Draft**

**Dealing with adults difficulties in the acquisition of a foreign language**

Many adults face several difficulties when they are learning a foreign language. The reasons may vary: anxiety, unrealistic expectations, or academic background. In order to (deal with the learning ability of students) maximize students' learning, we provide some suggestions on how to help the adult audience to overcome ( with ) these issues. Nowadays, many adults enroll in an English course because their jobs or careers depend on it. There is a worldwide demand of learning a foreign language. Therefore, the goal of acquiring a second language in a short period of time increases students’ anxiety and can ( affects) affect their outcome in the classroom. For this reason, it is the role of the teacher to help students to get motivated as well as (providing) provide activities and exercises according to the student’s level. By doing so, educators encourage learners by showing their development in comparison to their level of proficiency in the language. Moreover, a way to demystify unrealistic expectations is to build rapport with students and to provide clear parameters to measure their learning progress. Once it happens, the teacher gains the student’s confidence and (they feel) he/she feels comfortable to engage in the learning process. In order to build rapport, it is necessary to connect with the student by being friendly, making eye contact and being attentive to their needs. Besides that, clarifying the purpose of the course and saying what is expected from students provides a firm foundation for adults to improve their outcomes in acquiring a language. Knowing the age group the teacher is working with is another crucial point in order to achieve better results in the classroom. As most (of) adult students have an academic background, many of them have already developed their learning style. Therefore these students have confidence in the skills that they have achieved in other areas. For this reason, the teacher should consider using activities that are focused on different types of learners, once reaching out to students’ previous forms of attaining information (and) keeps learners motivated.

As a conclusion, there are several issues teachers may encounter when teaching adults. This essay, however, focused on common situations * which occur e specially in the beginner levels. The purpose of this text was to assist the teacher in addressing common issues students face in the classroom, (like the one previously referred to )**.** Therefore, maximizing adult (learner´s) learners' outcomes includes considering their life experience in order to value the knowledge they already carry and (to deal) dealing with the peculiar problems they face when learning a second language. * The essay doesn't talk exactly about situations, but rather, about aspects that the teacher needs to consider. Not necessary.

Good job with the revision, but you still need to be attentive to some verb forms. Focus on this specifically when you revise your next essay.

**First Draft** **Dealing with adults difficulties in the acquisition of a foreign language**

What are the challenges adults face when learning a foreign language? Many adults face several difficulties when they are learning a foreign language. The reasons may vary: anxiety, unrealistic expectations, or academic background. In order to deal the learning ability of those students, we provide some suggestions on how to help the adult audience dealing with those issues.

Nowadays, many adults enroll in an English course because their jobs or careers depend on it. There is a worldwide demand of learning a foreign language. Therefore, the goal of acquiring a second language in a short period of time increases students’ anxiety and can affects their outcome in the classroom. For this reason, it is the role of the teacher help students to get motivated providing activities and exercises according to the student’s level. By doing so, educators encourage students by showing their development in comparison to their level of proficiency in the language.

A way to demystify unrealistic expectations is to build rapport with students and to provide clear parameters to measure their learning progress. Once it happens, the teacher gains the student’s confidence and those feel comfortable to engage in the learning process. In order to build rapport, it is necessary to connect with the student by being friendly, making eye contact and being attentive to their needs. Besides that, clarifying the purpose of the course and saying what is expected from students provides a firm foundation for adults to improve their outcomes in acquiring a language.

Knowing the age group the teacher is working with is another crucial point in order to achieve better results in the classroom. As most of those adult students have an academic background, many of them have already developed their learning style. Therefore those students have confidence in the skills that have achieved in other areas. For this reason, the teacher should consider using activities that are focused on different types of learners, once it values students’ previous forms of attaining information and keeps learners motivated.

There are several issues teachers may encounter when teaching adults. This essay, however, focus on common situations which occur specially in the beginner levels. The purpose of this text is to assist the teacher in addressing the issues of anxiety, lack of motivation caused by students´ high expectations. In addition, maximizing adult learners outcomes includes considering their respective experience as well as their previous education.

**Narrative Essay** **Outline of Narrative Elements****Setting:** Bible College in Sydney - Australia

**Main Characters:** Aline, Kaithlyn (roomate) and college friends

**Plot:** College friends helped me to improve my communicative skills in English. They contributed to my linguistic competency in English by including me in their college environment.

**Climax:** I become confident to express my thoughts in English and I did a brief intro in my song performance before the class.

**Ending:** Socializing was a natural and effective way to learn English.

Peer editing of narrative outlines by Gabriel (questions copied from the peer review on Gustavo's page)

** 1. Is there any aspect of the outline that looks unclear to you? ** No, not really.

** 2. Can you think of an area in the outline that needs more development? Do you have any specific suggestions? ** I think this will be explored in more detail in the first draft of Aline's text, but if I have to mention something, it would be about how exactly her friends included her in their group, and what the song performance thing was about - though I am not sure if I am just curious to read it.

** 3. If you have any other ideas and suggestions, write them here. ** I like your story very much! As for suggestions, uhm... I think becoming confident about your English skills would be a nice ending, along with the concept of socializing being a natural and effective way to learn the language (socializing played a part in my essay, too). However, I feel the climax should be the most emotional or stressful point in the story, like when Luke Skywalker, having already lost his hand in a life-or-death battle, hears Darth Vader say that he is Luke's father. Were you very nervous before your presentation, was it a challenge to you, like "your Darth Vader"? Because from the outline, it looks like you already had confidence in your skills at this point, and it was easy for you. If that is the case, maybe you could move this bit to the (happy) ending, and use a more critical/embarassing/dangerous moment in your learning for your climax? If it wasn't, then I think it serves as a good climax, your presentation proving that you could communicate well in another language.

(Gosh, I think that was too dramatic - it may look like I wrote a lot, but it wasn't because I didn't like your outline - quite the opposite, really!)

**Socializing and becoming fluent in a second language: my journey in Australia** Learning a second language is a big endeavor. In order to apprehend a foreign language, it is necessary to learn the language structure, its phonemes, expressions, possible collocations, and other intricate aspects related to it. More than the mere linguistic aspect, cultural and social facets should be considered. Therefore, I was fortunate to have this opportunity to live in Australia for a couple of years. Being totally immersed in the Australian culture took my language acquisition journey to an unexpected level.
 * Second Draft**

Joining Bible College in Sydney was a dream come true. Besides the fact that living in a beautiful English-speaking country is a life-changing experience, becoming part of an enormous Christian community like Hillsong College granted me the chance to develop my communicative skills in English. (In ) On a daily basis, I had the opportunity to be around hundreds of students from different countries. Most importantly, I was given the chance to be around some remarkable friends who were native speakers. They treated me like family and encouraged me to speak the language out fearlessly.

Those amazing friends, especially my roommate Kaitlyn, daily took the time to chat with me and gently correct me. These generous actions helped me to develop some of the conversational skills that were very limited at that time. Every night, a different visitor was invited over and the conversations went on and on, even when we all had classes in the following morning. (So) Thus*, as I interacted to various people with diverse backgrounds and accents, I assimilated the language without even noticing the process involved.

Therefore, I believe that it wouldn’t have been possible to become fluent in English so quickly if I hadn’t had these lovely people around me. Socializing can really contribute to the language acquisition process, once social interaction provides natural practice and it includes the values and behaviors of a culture. Living abroad allowed me both continuous practice and immersion in an English-speaking environment. After a few months, chatting with friends or talking about my life back in Brazil wasn’t really an issue anymore. I finally started to feel comfortable using my second language (up till **),** finally reaching a point when I felt confident to give my opinion in class. I can clearly remember the day I had to perform a song to my class, as part of my assessment evaluation for the Worship Music course.

Singing a song in front of amazing musicians wasn’t a real challenge for me, but presenting the background of the song in English was. I slowly introduced myself to the class, explained the story behind the lyrics and announced the singer’s name. Then I described my interpretation of the song and the musical arrangements that were modified. As I saw the reaction of the audience, cheering and nodding their heads in agreement, it felt like reaching the top of a huge mountain. Finally, I overcame an enormous obstacle. Indeed, I was able to communicate my message in a second language, not only because I knew the right words, but also because I was acquainted with the culture.

Obviously, living in a country where you are exposed to English continuously can really contribute to the learning process of the language. However, what made my experience in Australia count was the colors, the flavors, the affection, all the cultural exchange that I got (to live) from living there. All of those aspects are incrusted in my memory, resulting in a natural and effective language production, which came out of a constant social interaction and practice.

I have learned to observe the verb tenses more carefully. Besides that, I became more aware of fragments and unclear clauses. It is still difficult to identify some punctuation problems, but I can surely say that I more conscious of them.

Dear Aline, I really like the way your introduction and thesis statement turned out. They are really effective now. The thesis statement allows the reader to know very clearly what your narrative essay will be about. Eliminating the unnecessary words also helped make it more powerful. The changes you made throughout the essay, replacing words here and there, explaining more clearly what your peer reviewer expressed uncertainly about, and using more effective transitions certainly took your essay to another level. Your conclusion is also fantastic and truly expresses your voice, your feelings towards a life experience that is so dear to you. I can see you put a lot of effort towards rewriting this piece and I enjoyed reading your second draft even more than I had already enjoyed reading the first one. Both the rhetorical aspects and the structural ones were very well revised and I can see you learned a lot from this task.

* It's not that "So" is wrong, but a transition word, rather than a conjunction used as a transition, makes the writing much more elegant. The use of "until" here can be ambiguous. Until means "up to a the time that or when". It implies that what comes after until stopped what is mentioned before it. Thus, it would mean that you started to feel comfortable and then you stopped being comfortable when you gave an opinion in class.


 * First Draft**

**Socializing and becoming fluent in a second language: an experience abroad** Learning a second language is in fact a big endeavor. And, in order to apprehend a foreign language, it is also necessary to learn the language structure, its phonemes, expressions, possible collocations, and other intricate aspects related to it. But more than the mere linguistic aspect, cultural and social facets should be also considered. I believe that, in order to be able to succeed in such attempt, it is required a regular practice, a social and cultural immersion which happens when living in a foreign country. Joining Bible College in Sydney - Australia was a dream come. Besides the fact that living in a beautiful English speaking country is a life changing experience, becoming part of an enormous Christian community like Hillsong College has given me the chance to develop my communicative skills in English. This is because I had the day-to-day opportunity to be around hundreds of students from different countries. But most importantly, I had the chance to be around some English speaker friends, who treated like family and encouraged me to speak it out fearlessly. Those amazing friends, especially Kaitlyn - my roommate, daily took the time to chat with me and gently correct me, helping me to develop some of the conversational skills that were very limited at that time. For this reason, I believe that it wouldn’t be possible to become fluent in English so quickly if haven’t had these lovely people around me, once socializing can really contribute to the language acquisition process. This is because the social interaction provides a natural practice and it includes the values and behaviors of a culture.After a few months, chatting with friends or talking about my life back in Brazil wasn’t really an issue anymore. I finally started to feel comfortable using my second language, until the point that I feel confident to give my opinion in class.

I can clearly remember the day I had to perform a song to my class, as part of evaluation for the Worship Music course.Singing a song in front of amazing musicians wasn’t a real challenge for me, but presenting the song background in English was. I slowly introduced myself to the class, explained the song background, announced the singer’s name, and presented the personal arrangements I have done in the song. As I see the reaction of the audience, cheering and nodding their head in agreement, it felt like reaching the top of a huge mountain. Finally, I have overcome a huge obstacle. Indeed, I was able to communicate my message in a second language, not only because I knew the right words, but also because I knew the culture. Obviously, living in a country where you are exposed to English 24/7 can really help in the learning process of the language. However, the active engagement into the process also comes by building relationships with English speakers, and allowing yourself to be immerged in their culture, which will make the absorption of the language quick and effective.

**Third Draft** **Theme: What are the advantages of being bilingual in today’s society?** In a world where distances have been shortened by technology, there are new standards to be followed and paradigms to be assimilated. Learning a foreign language can enlarge the knowledge pool of many students, professors and specialist s around the world in their respective areas, can open doors to better job opportunities, and it can give access to a wealth of different cultures around the world. (I deleted the last "it" for the sake of parallelism. Good job adding the third argument to your thesis). Nowadays, the English language is considered the “lingua franca” of this time, in which most of the academic information is published and compiled around the world. (This should be only one paragraph; I don't know if it was only a formatting problem) In this case, fluency in a foreign language allows people to grab (I'd say "get") a hold of a k nowledge key and unlock s broader possibilities in the educational area by exchanging ideas and gathering new ways of changing the world we live in.

In addition to that, access to a different culture, i.e. music, TV shows, literature and even to technology also goes through the filter of speaking a second language, in this case, English. Obviously, tools like Google Translator are absolutely useful, but limited. You might not need a translator to watch a video on //You Tube//, but in order to be able to fully understand a video content, you may have to go beyond that. Being bilingual nowadays, (this comma is separating the subject from the verb, so it should be deleted) will not only provide opportunities for cultural exchange or access to academic knowledge, but also to better insertion in the labor market. Literacy in a foreign language has become a requirement for high positions in many companies and institutions around the globe. In many of those jobs, the applicant might need to speak 2 or 3 (you have to write out the numbers in formal writing ) different languages, so they will be able to reach the demand of the globilized business field. In order to absorb some of the changes of the time we are living in, it is necessary to be fluent in the current “lingua franca”. This is a tool that provides access to knowledge, resources, and cultural features from different regions around the world. Besides that, knowing a foreigner language may promote better employment opportunities, once second language has become an indispensable requirement of today’s labor market. Dear Aline, you did a good job improving your thesis so as to encompass the three ideas in your essay. You also added an explanation in the two cases that your peer and I asked you to elaborate on your ideas. Still, I missed further clarifications and examples, especially in the first and third paragraphs of your development. For the most part, your use of connectors is good. I noticed that you failed to correct some of the items I had pointed out and I suspect you might not have understood the symbols. Feel free to contact me for clarification when this happens again. **Second Draft** **Theme: What are the advantages of being bilingual in today’s society?** In a world where distances have been shortened by technology, there are new standards be followed and paradigms to be assimilated. Learning a foreign language can enlarge the knowledge pool of many students, professors and specialist around the world in their respective areas, and also open doors to better job opportunities. Nowadays, the English language is considered as the “lingua franca” of this time, in which most of the academic information is published and compiled around the world. In this case, fluency in a foreign language is taking a hold of knowledge key and unlocking broader possibilities in the educational area. In addition to that, access to a different culture, i.e. music, TV shows, literature and even to technology also goes through the filter of speaking a second language, in this case, English. Obviously, tools like Google Translator are absolutely useful, but limited. You might not need a translator to watch a video on //You Tube//, but to be able to fully understand the content of video, you may have to go beyond that.

Being bilingual nowadays, will not only provide opportunities for cultural exchange or access to academic knowledge. Literacy in a foreign language has become a requirement to high positions in many companies and institutions around the globe. In many of those jobs, the applicant might need to speak 2 or 3 different languages. In order to absorb some of the changes of the time we are living, it is necessary to be fluent in the current “lingua franca”. This is a tool that provides access knowledge, resources, and cultural features from different regions around the world, as well as promoting better employment opportunities, once knowing a foreign language as become an indispensable requirement of today’s labor market.


 * Original Text (Not found yet)**

http://voicethread.com/?#u2284218.b2516916.i13336900


 * Choose grammar material for false beginners carefully** (Teaching Technique 11, Page 297)

Firstly, it is important to notice the difference between false and true beginners placed in the same level. False beginners – they know complicated grammar points such as if clauses, but they cannot say very much in English. For this reason, they can make a teacher to misjudge a student’s level. True beginners – they have never studied English before. Tips for teaching: - With false beginners, the tip is teaching material beyond what you would with true beginners. In this case, it may be matter of re-awakening their previous knowledge or shoring up courage to use their prior knowledge. - With true beginners, keep the focus on the grammar point and make it as simple as possible, avoiding to add sub-topics to the explanations.

Let us take a look at the example below:

2. Serena Williams is 27 years old. 3. Maria Sharapova is a great player. 4. Roger Federer is in England now. ||
 * **TOPIC: Famous Tennis Players** ||
 * **True Beginners** || **False Beginners** ||
 * # Rafael Nadal is from Spain.
 * 1) Serena Williams is from the U.S.
 * 2) Maria Sharapova is from Russia.
 * 3) Roger Federer is from Switzerland. || 1. Rafael Nadal is from Spain.
 * Notice that just one pattern is keep in the exercise: SUBJ + is + from + country. || There are four different patterns here besides the SUBJ + is: origin, age, occupation and location. ||

REFERENCE Folse, K. (2009). Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners - a practical handbook. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.