Here are the learning goals for our course.
Use the contents of your ePortfolio, your tracking sheet, and your Drive to reflect on your learning this semester.
Reply to this post with a multi-paragraph response using the following prompts to guide your thinking.
- What did I learn that was new? Familiar? In conflict with previous beliefs?
- To what extent did I succeed in completing the course goals (listed at the top of the post)?
- To what extent did I use course resources well? Less well?
- What would the teacher say were my strengths and weaknesses?
- What learning and study strategies did not work well or were not worth the effort?
- What will I remember/should I remember from the course in 5 years?
- What advice would I give a friend about how to get the most from this course?
- If I taught the course, what would I do differently?
- What have I learned about myself and how I learn in this course?
During this course, I learned quite a lot of new things through reading and thinking deeply about what I’m reading. I learned more about annotating than I knew did before, I learned about rhetorical devices which were really new to me. I learned how to identify rhetorical devices in texts and how to think more deeper in texts. I learned about what logos, pathos and ethos are and how they are used in different kinds of texts.
I succeeded in learning most of the learning goals that are listed. I learned a lot from this course. I also used the course resources that were provided,and used them well in this course to complete my work and to help me do the work.
I had some strengths and weaknesses, and I would say my weaknesses were annotating texts, using rhetorical devices in my own work, explaining my own thinking, using the academic vocabulary. I know I can strengthen these weaknesses I just need to practice more. My strengths were identifying rhetorical devices in texts that we read, using feedback and fixing my work.
The idea that this was an online course was a big challenge for me and it was a different kind of learning environment. I wasn’t used to being in an online course and this was my first time being in one. It turned out okay but I rather not be in an online course.
There is a lot I can take in from this class and there is some stuff I should remember in a few years or when I go off to school. I should still know how to do MLA format when writing a paper, how to annotate texts to get all the information out, being able to notice how the author of a texts uses rhetorical devices.
If I was to give advice to a friend about how to get the most out of this course I would tell them to listen, and to always do the work and practice because it can help for when you need to do the assignments or projects. Always add new words to your vocabulary and study them because you’re gonna need to know certain words. Take the most you can from an English course because it is a very basic study and you’re gonna wanna remember what you learned. If I taught this course, there is nothing that I would do differently, I think this course was well presented.
The thing that I learned about myself is that I actually like to read when I find a book that actually interests me, or any other texts that I read that I have an interest in. I find it easier for me to learn when there is a teacher at the front of the class telling me what I need to do, or explaining what the assignment is. I also find it easier for me to get my work done when it’s quiet.
What did I learn that was new? Familiar? In conflict with previous beliefs?
In this course I expanded my knowledge on many things including my vocabulary, understanding difficult texts, and annotating. The course was a bit familiar with some minor adjustments like more work load and more vocabulary. Although the workload was more than in grade 10 I liked the consistency of the work load. In grade 10 I felt that almost everything was the same text this year I felt we took on a variety of things such as presidential speeches,poetry, essay style exam paper and also a multi- genre paper. I last year I felt things were about notice and notes but this year I liked how we got to look deeper into our books and find themes and the meaning to the themes and expand our knowledge around a theme and apply it back to the book.
To what extent did I succeed in completing the course goals (listed at the top of the post)?
I think met most of these goal but for next I think I will try harder to meet them to the full extent. This year when meeting the learning goals I was a bit slow because I was slacking off this year but if I get more sleep I will be able to focus on my goals in all my classes for next year. Next year I will work harder meet my goals on time and also ask help if I need it to meet my goals. This year I wasn’t really focusing on my goals it was ore of “get it done” and I will not be going to the ENG4U class with that mindset because it didn’t work out this year.
To what extent did I use course resources well? Less well?
I feel that I could have used the resource more because I feel like I hardly used them because I thought i knew what I was doing. For next year I’ll pay more attention to the class resources so that they will help with my class work. The resources will help me understand my work and help me bring up my grade through every lesson i do.
What would the teacher say were my strengths and weaknesses?
I think my strength was coming to school everyday and my weakness was my moods wings and my immune system because there was point where i missed a lot of school because i got really sick. I really need to be in class everyday in order for me to do the learning and if i’m ever stuck i can ask my teacher for help when needed. My strength would probably consistency and determination since i’m always in class even when i’m not feeling well,
What learning and study strategies did not work well or were not worth the effort?
A learning strategy that didn’t work for me was planning sheet. I don’t know why but having planning sheets only increased my stress. Looking at the course tracking sheet kind of scared me and i always tried to refrain from looking at it but it did work at the same time because it told me what i got done and what didn’t. Another study strat would be quizlet i feel that i learn a lot more when i write things down so instead of using quizlet i’ll use an old fashion pen and paper study sheet when learning vocabulary.
What will I remember/should I remember from the course in 5 years?
I think vocabulary and annotation should be very important to remember because these will help understand certain things not only in school but in the workplace and at home. Vocabulary is very important because understanding different words will help you understand certain texts throughout the day such as newspapers or paper at work you need to do.
What advice would I give a friend about how to get the most from this course?
I think i would tell them to pay attention and to do the work and if you need you should ask. I feel that if you need help it’s better to ask then leave it for later because for i never tend to get back to it after i push it aside. Also to come to school every single day so you can get the best out of the education your teachers are teaching you. Also thinking to motivational theory i would definitely to get lots of rest so you are ready to absorb the information coming at you.
If I taught the course, what would I do differently?
I would bring in more poetry. I would get kids to write poems and to try and understand poems. I would also keep up the MGP but i would also let kids have the option to do an essay on their book instead. I say to have a choice because not everyone is good at making certain genres and thas they i like the MULTI-GENRE idea but i still feel like the genres are limited so i say a paper because some people can write a essay no problem.
What have I learned about myself and how I learn in this course?
I learned that i like writing poetry and also my love for a new genre of books. Poetry has always had my attention but i never really wrote it because and i liked how we learned more literary devices and also retric because it will help me write poetry. I like how many options you have for books and i’ve always stuck to one genre but this year i switched it up and found a new genre that i like.
Focus: What advice would I give a friend about how to get the most from this course?
What have I learned about myself and how I learn in this course?
What would the teacher say were my strengths and weaknesses?
Throughout the course I haven’t really handed in anything for marks. Honestly, I really didn’t hand in anything. With that being said, I would tell my friends that you should never slack and procrastinate in EN3U4U because you’ll get left behind and not know what to do. In this semester, I would always let my wonder off on an entire different subject like Math or History. So I wouldn’t get anything done in class. Not only in class but at home too. I would never work on anything at home because I didn’t find interest in it. Now, I understand that I really need this to get into post-secondary or elsewhere. If you look at my section on the ENG3U4U Tracking Sheet you will see that I haven’t handed much in. Another tip or advice for a friend would be that you should look at the Tracking Sheet for motivation and clarification on what assignments you need to be complete in order to pass. I know I can do the work but I just never have motivation to do so. That’s what I learned about myself in this course. When it comes to how I learn in this course. I would have to dial it down to on just reading the Assignments, Content, and Glossary folders over and over again. I would plan it in my head and overthink it. Making it more hard for myself. Advice, just try your hardest to get assignments completed and handed in on time. If you do so it would give you time to reflect on them and do better next time. Also planning is very vital part on completing assignments. It gives structure. As seen on my undertake multigenre paper, you will see that I attempted to plan and organize some of my genres. I know it’s not completed but I planned some of it and completed at least 2 genres (Dear Reader Letter, Wanted Poster). Furthermore, reading, writing and communication skills are great in ENG3U4U. To be fair, I’ve only read my two books once (the eye in the door and The Things They Carried). So I wouldn’t understand the book enough for Analytical and Syntopical notes. I learned in this course that I don’t like reading. I don’t know how to learn through reading books and/or short stories. I only know how to write about books and short stories. More advice would be make reading your at least top 10 hobby to do when you have no plans or something like that. It will strengthen your reading stamina. Being able to communicate your reading through writing really is a “Big Idea” in ENG3U4U. Most of the class did that on the discussion page. In conclusion, this was probably my worst semester yet because I slaked “TF” out of this class. So my mark wouldn’t be good for the post-secondary officials. Next semester and semesters afterwards, I plan to stop procrastinating so much and try my hardest. I plan to get the most out of my classes. To learn different skills, vocabulary and writing processes. Hopefully, I will see results.
Amber Smith
Ms. Balen
ENG-4U
21 June 2017
ENG-4U Summative Course Reflection:
I have learned a lot of different things as this course has proceeded till now, one of which is doing all the work online and having a class blog. I had no prior experience with having most of my work online, at my old school we had done mostly hard copy work but it was a nice transition. I prefer online work because then it is more difficult to misplace my work. Another thing that was new that I had learned this year was how to read to become a better writer and how to pace myself with completing work. The things that were familiar to me that I have learned before was reading and taking notes to better understand articles and other works of literature. All the things that I have learned are familiar with what I had prior experience with so it was a pretty good course and I am happy that I have gotten through it without any major disruptions.
I feel as though the teacher would say that my strengths are getting work in, even if it is late. I try my best to get work in for the mark and feedback, there is always room for improvement. I try to be diligent and keep on top of my work. But I think that teacher would say that I need to spend more time proofreading my work before I submit. Sometimes I skim over my work and miss some mistakes. Also I think that my work ends up not achieving the expectations of the teacher but I do try my best in the class. I just lack motivation to work sometimes.
Personally, I never had experience with annotating notes to better understand the piece of literature and I don’t think that that study strategy was not worth the effort and it did not work well for me. It may just be my way of thinking but the annotation just stressed me out because I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and I ended up just never handing them in and whenever I had handed my annotation in, they were never correct or what the teacher wanted. Maybe if I was taught how to annotate then I would see the point but as of the end of the semester, I didn’t see the purpose.
The things that I will remember from this course is how to read like a better writer and how to have empathy toward people. I know types of rhetoric that I can use in my future writing and how to keep people interested in my writing. I have a better understanding of writers and how I can keep on improving on my skills and that was only after taking a single semester of this course.
I would tell my friends that in order to get the full experience in this class is to be present for the majority of the class times and to be sure to read everything that you are told to. Everything in this course goes hand in hand and if you miss a day, your whole flow gets ruined. I would tell them to also try their hardest to keep up with all the work and get things in by the deadline. If I were to retake this class for a higher mark, I probably would spend more time on the projects and go over and beyond to try to get a level 4.
I have learned a lot about myself as a learner and as a person as this course has proceeded. I always knew that I liked having independence and not having people have to hover over me and check in every 10 minutes on what I’m doing. But during the course I learned that I like to learn that was too. I had learned that I like the fact that I was able to just read what I had to do and just do it. I also learned how much empathy I can have toward people and that was a great realization.
This year. I learned what the tone of a text is, and how diction and syntax effect it. I knew the tone of a text was purposeful, however, I learned how to find the tone of a text and understand how it fits in a piece. This showed me how to control, and create my tone to enhance my voice and thesis. For an example, the first version of my essay was cynical and repetitive due to my use of words like, “in fact” and “clearly”. The final version of my essay was cohesive, and more informative because of the diversity in transition words, and stopping of the use of “clearly”.
I also learned how rhetoric can add to a persuasive text to make it more interesting. This included things like, using rhetoric consciously and to analyze a text for rhetoric and its use. This is seen in my speech, where I was able to identify which rhetorical devices will add power to my message. I also was able to understand when to stop using rhetoric so my speech wasn’t over-simplified or preachy.
Through this learning, I completed most of the course goals, with the exception of “pulling apart media text” because I am unsure of what that means. However, this year I actually completed reader’s notes. This helped me to complete the goals of reading such as, using specific reading strategies, and to draw connections. I also completed the goals on bias and tone by finishing work in D2L. By completing the Pecha Kutcha, class discussions and the MGP 1 presentation I finished the course goals on oral communication.
On the last course goal, (use various stages of design and production process), I completed this in my second MGP. I made a planner and planned each of the pieces to create a piece that was cohesive, and easier to read. It showed me how to use the design process effectively, in my writing, and showed how it fit in producing large projects for class.
In English, I used most of the course resources well, with the exception of quizlet. But this was only because I have a hard time focusing on a screen (hence the textbook). Although, I did use the speaker’s toolbox, the list of rhetorical devices and academic glossary to improve my writing. I used them in my essay, and in my speech to make my writing better.
My teacher would say that my strength is in writing essays, and analyzing my texts as seen in my analytical notes (level 4) and my speech (level 4+). However, she would say my weakness is in weighing my work and prioritizing my class time. However, this is not due to self-regulation, but rather my attempt at initiative in class. In fact I tried to avoid cherry picking, however, that did not work out (I fell behind). My self-regulation is what saved me this course. Especially since I was constantly out of town, and I knew when I needed more time and wasn’t afraid to ask for help.
If I were to recommend anything to future students, I would recommend for them to just dive in head first and hope for the best. Ms. Balen’s English class is not earned by just memorizing facts, you need to prove you’ve earned her course.
However, I must be honest. I hated blended learning. It made it hard to tell if I missed anything in class, and what I missed if I did miss anything. It also made it difficult to see if I needed to talk to Ms. Balen or to look on the course blog, D2L or if I was just to continue with the lessons.
At the end of this, I learned that I am still a paper-based learner. I also learned that with a little push, my writing abilities are really good.
Throughout the course, I learned a lot more about rhetorical devices and different writing techniques that are used in many essays and everyday readings. I got to analyze more texts throughout the course and it was challenging but I persevered. I tried my best to get my work in and to try meet the expectations.
For the most part I feel as though I succeeded at meeting the expectations. I got a grasp of everything in the course and tried learn as much possible. The only thing I feel like I could of changed was pushing myself to think beyond and revise my work so I can think harder and understand more. I used the class resources to an extent, there were times I could of used to produce better quality work but didn’t make the time to do so.
My strengths would be my thinking. I could grasp ideas easily and make connections, think about texts deeply but have trouble communicating my ideas clearly.
The planning sheets for the projects we did. When planning for projects like the multi genre paper I prefer to write my ideas out on a paper and chose not to hand that in because my ideas are everywhere and feel like I’m the only one who could read the ideas on the page.
In five year I hope to remember to think about big ideas in text and make connections to other texts. To think about texts beyond. Annotating is something that’s surprising helped me in all my course and hope to continue to annotate and hope to improve.
The advice I’d give a friend in to practice, practice and practice. I feel like if I did more of the blue items on the tracking sheet my purple items would have been stronger. Ask for help when needed. Something I struggle with is asking for help when I need clarification so getting help when needed would make a lot of things in the course easier. I feel that in high school english is one of the most important subjects and found that it helps me in all courses my last piece of advice is to take as much as you can out of the course.
I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned that planning sheets don’t work well for me. I’ve also learned that annotating is something that works for me and found that I do it more and more even when it’s not necessary for an assignment.
This semester I’ve learned a lot more about myself as a learner and how exactly I respond to the resources provided to me. As I was a bit unpracticed with online learning, I did not utilize d2l or other resources well. My abilities to deconstruct media texts and their processes were limited.
One of the things we examined this course that was new to me was bias. I knew bias existed everywhere, but I never actively sought it within the media. I learnt the importance not only as an English student, but a civilian to analyze diction, compare articles, and checking for credibility. Because of that I was able to build upon my current reading strategies for textual comprehension and analysis.
One of the learning and study strategies that didn’t work well for me in practice (but in the end result was always nice) was attempting to break tasks into smaller tasks. I find that it slows me down, so I always need to make sure I give myself a lot of time to finish. My planning is always scattered I begin planning and the project at the same time because I keep wishing to just get it done. The planning and breaking up of tasks is worth the end result, despite my difficulty with sticking to it.
Another learning strategy I have a particularly stubborn amount of difficulty with would be annotating. When I stepped into English class back in grade 10, annotating was this alien academic practice to me. I was so used to reading through texts and doing the thinking later, rather than actively engaging and recording thoughts, definitions, or asking critical questions. Still I struggle with annotating.
The best advice I can give anybody about this course is to always ask for help or clarification wherever needed. And also that procrastination is your own worst enemy, It’s best to search and explore ways in which you can kick this habit before it kicks you. In the face. Like a raging bull of incomplete assignments.
I’d give myself a whopping level 2 in regards to the extent at which I “succeeded” in completing the course goals. And that’s being generous. I’ve always had this inability to effectively reflect upon my process of learning.