(Novia) Its a blog…I think you already knew that…

ESLR Journal

Novia Soo

Eng. H

This post acknowledges my past experiences and lessons from the third quarter.  As a brief overview, in English class each person created a personalized hand-made book from the poetry unit.  All our work was compiled at the end and presented during poetry night.  In the meantime, we participated in a Teen Life project, which is a program for teenagers to come together and contribute thoughts and ideas of the global happenings with each other and help widen their views.  In the process of all this, I have represented a specific ESLR for some of my actions.

During the Teen Life project, I exhibited being a critical thinker for I had to use my past knowledge and manage to share it with others for them to contribute to the thought, idea, etc. In other words, I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information. Furthermore, while sharing my ideas I was forming solutions and trying to find ways to solve the problems of today, meaning that I applied problem-solving skills to facilitate learning. Of course in the proceedings I had to search through sources such as the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and books again showing me to be a critical thinker for I had gathered and processed information from a variety of sources to solve problems using a choice of strategies, therefore using resources effectively for the purpose of problem solving.  Maybe if I had done more into research and found specific sites where there were solutions offered it could have resulted in better outcomes.  From this realization, in the future I will plan to be more thorough and strive for accuracy, so the information would be more valid and useful.  What’s more is that using books more would have been more accurate since the internet has not been checked by professionals and may have been altered where as books have been doctored by numerous professors and specialists. Being a critical thinker was mandatory for the Teen Life project for vague and unexplained answers would leave problems hanging in midair with useless solutions that offer no help. To conclude I would grade myself as an intermediate critical thinker who still has room for further improvement.

As for the poetry unit I used book examples in class to refer to and study for a better understanding on the structure and language of the specific poem introduced. For instance, the alliteration poem where a letter would be constantly repeated at the beginning of the majority of the words in the poem creating a sort of feel, for example the “s” sound is creepy and soft. Moreover finding a way to illustrate an image in words was a task that included extensive word choice to be able to paint your thoughts in a reader’s mind.  In order to do that a thesaurus is needed meaning a source would be in use, then again proving my actions to be one of a critical thinker.  Also meaning that I apply problem-solving skills to facilitate learning. Some things I believe I could have done better was that I should have been more willing and accepting to assistance and guidance therefore helping my poetry be more of a success.  If I had done that I probably would have gotten a better grade on my poetry book results for that was where my points were taken off from.  In summary poetry unit needed a critical thinker. In order to compose good poems you need to be able to think of things in different angles and ways to put it out on paper, so in conclusion mentions above should be sufficient to give you a clear idea of how my actions had proven me to be a critical thinker in the poetry unit.

Through out the Teen Life project I had demonstrated being an academic achiever for when ever I see areas in need of improvement I add and enhance to its quality and information.  In ESLR terms, meaning that I continually assess, evaluate and adjust work to maintain high standards. Independence is another vital point you need, at the same time must be able to collaborate with a team resulting in an academic achiever. In order to achieve this I created my own poems and posted ideas on how I would like the project to turn out and allow others to make edits and respond to my interpretation or opinion.  Being an academic achiever it helped me progress further with the teen life for I managed to get more out of it and strived for accurate information.  However some things I could have augmented was demonstrating progress in all curricular areas, although I was detailed in some areas I was not consistent in all, for example, there was a site for each project to take place in and I had not contributed as much as I really could have and doing only what I had been asked to do, therefore in that area I lacked being an academic achiever for I did not accent on any important points nor did I stress on anything else of importance.  So probably in the future I would plan to be less inconsistent and strive hard to fulfill each task with full efforts. In conclusion I assess myself to be an average academic achiever still in need of higher goals and greater motivations to be able to push forward and expand in my educational studies.

Amidst the poetry unit, I indicated an academic achiever because for every poem, thought was put in many angles and checked for better word choice in the internet thesaurus.  When an idea was unclear or foggy, or if word choice was in need of change the improvements were always made and if not improved it was completely reconstructed into something, which was a better fit to the poem. This showed that I continually assess, evaluate and adjust work to maintain high standards. As well as the use of the thesaurus meaning that I demonstrated technological literacy and the use of technology as a tool for the efficient and creative completion of a project.  However some things that I could have performed to higher standards is the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. I worked independently however to collaborate with others was one challenge I faced and cost some points off my grade from the poetry book. Cooperation and teamwork for the poetry book was a point, I was weak in and enhancement would be favored in that skill.  For future references I will be more accepting to other’s points of views and be more of a partner than working independently on the poems with no exception of help from others.  As a result I feel to be a work in progress for I do not cover all areas and my efforts are unevenly scattered through out the fields of an academic achiever therefore consistency is to be practiced.

Overall I view myself as an involved citizen during the Teen Life project because I had to converse with many teens around the world and share my ideas and merge thoughts with them in order for this project to be a success. I also had to involve myself in the global affairs to talk about them with others and so that I have a better understanding on the topics at hand. During the discussions, I kept a low accusatory tone and use a very welcoming and non-offensive language, which would encourage others to share and collaborate further with you.  This showing that I demonstrate awareness and respect for the rights of others, furthermore I make sure who my audience is and use the respective choice of tone to suit the targeted audience to make it easier to understand showing that I interact respectfully with people of diverse cultures.  With the teens I discuss the conflicts of the world and offered solutions, which might have made the world a better and safer place to inhibit. Some things I could have done better was to contribute in more detail to the page of the project preparations and ideas. I had not given much to that page and only minimal work which was asked for however points were not elaborated.  In the future I will input more facts and fully explain each point put out. Judging by my actions I find myself to be a self-sufficient involved citizen, but like everything else I am not perfect and improvement is always welcomed.

During the poetry unit I was an involved citizen because I would first think about who am I directing my poem too and what kind of an audience it is, so I know what words to use.  For example when I was doing the “Bagel Poem” I used simple words for the targeted audience would be kids.  Every word would be of my decision to see if its appropriate or not, this would be demonstrating responsibility in active decision-making.  Some things I could have been better in is probably by demonstrating care and concern for their environment by writing more environmental and problem solving poems. In the future I will write more things on how to improve life and more helpful poems rather than passive ones, which come of no use.  I believe that the ESLR involved citizen does not relate to poetry much for it is a practical thing to help and respect others where poetry is rather more towards abstract and fantasy.  Overall I believe that I was an exceptional involved citizen during the poetry unit and improvement would be of help.

The Teen Life project proved me to be an effective communicator for while I was having on going conversations with people I managed to convince them about many things and what directions the world was heading. At the same time they helped open my eyes to their world and how different we are, how diverse our cultures were. It was a learning experience, which helped everyone expand in their views of the current world. Some example of me convincing people would be that I believed that human trafficking was a very rich and ongoing market.  If this market was not to be stopped this would be the business of the future, this got many people concerned about this conflict, before when many were concentrated on famine, drugs, global warming, and smoking. This action demonstrates the skills of effective collaboration I also used the Internet to the best of my abilities for successful interaction to have clear communications and no misunderstandings, in other words I incorporate/utilize technology as a tool for communication.  I also wrote poems as a way to demonstrate creative talents to convey ideas.  Some things that I could improve on is not much actually. I do not do well in the media section, however that was not my job, so I believe that I had done my part and nothing was left undone so in conclusion I feel that I have done a satisfactory job in the effective communicator area.

The Poetry Unit made me realize that I was a very effective communicator.  This would be because I can say or convey ideas in many different ways, such as grammar, word choice, and structure. This meaning that I demonstrate creative talents to convey ideas. I also achieved understanding and conveying written, oral and visual information using appropriate media because I had recorded my voice in the poem “We are” and have created a hand made book from scratch and writing my work in it, then orally presenting it, in front of an audience during the poetry night. My details in the poems were very intricate and there for making it very clear in the reader’s mind. To be able to paint a picture in a mind is an art that an effective communicator and poet must have to be a success.  I believe that in the most part I have done what I needed to do above average in this area, but of course some of my work will still need editing.  In the future I will just work harder and that’s about it. On the whole I think I did a pretty good job and got sufficient work done.

A self-directed learner is an ESLR I have been during the Teen Life for quite a bit of it was voluntary and I did it. I participated in resourceful comments and met new people who shared the same interests and by doing this I am accepting responsibility for their own learning.  I also give the site that belongs to my project a check up every now and then to see how its going and clean up anything left affray.  This would be monitoring, adjusting and documenting work in progress.  Some things I could have performed to a higher standard is being more thorough and detailed with the research explanations rather than vague definitions of certain points which are left hanging and unclear to the public.  In the future I will stress and enhance certain points and on every point a clear and concise definition will be placed for it.  For an evaluation on myself I believe that I did not cover all areas of being a self-directed learner but I think its enough to call myself a good self-directed learner.

During the poetry unit I find that I was a successful self-directed learner for I would work on poems and find definitions or synonyms.  If something doesn’t fit I would take it out and put in something more worthwhile.  Weighting each of my words to be heavy and leave a heavy imprint in other’s minds.  Some ways I did this was to reread my poems and see how it sounds or peer edit.  Even though I tried to be as thorough as possible, room for enhancement is recommended for being better is never suppressed.  I find that I enjoyed the poetry unit making me to do extra things like writing them in my free time meaning that I accept responsibility for their own learning.  Another point I had shown is taking creative risks in developing untried ideas; a way I do this is by trying to visualize things in ways that people would usually find unusual or better yet, original.  Some things that could be improved upon is having ideas planned out first and main ideas. In the future, I will think and plan out the poem first before I start to have a better idea of what it will turn out to be. When grading myself upon this ESLR I find that I have done a good job on it and if improvements are to be made I will do my best to do them.

This post exhibits my knowledge of the ESLRs.  As a brief overview we studied the book, Lord of the Flies.  We learned a lot about symbolism and changes in a character.  We also took a Myers Briggs personality test to see what kind of a person we are.   During the studies, Mr. R tried to group and mix us properly according to our personalities respectively then to observe the results. We learned many things and these are some of my views and knowledge to share on the ESLRs.

I demonstrated being a self-directed learner because I accepted responsibilities for my own learning.  I strongly believe being a self-directed learner is essential for all learning, so that I can be independent and not to rely on others too often.  When Mr. R was talking to the class about LOTF I would record down what I have learnt on pieces of paper and keep them nicely in my folder for future references.  After completing my work as a normal practice I would self edit to make sure all my work is done correctly according to Mr. R’s expectations.  I also identify my needs and apply appropriate learning strategies. I have several ways of applying my learning strategies for example, first, I will take down all my notes during class, second, before starting my work I would have brainstorm session or draw a mind map.  I believe that I am lacking organizational skills therefore I utilize these strategies to manage information and structure my writing.  By doing this I am able to perform my best on all my assignments.  I also have an organized planner to manage all my homework so that I can hand in all my work on time.
However, I realize that I should be participating in more co-curricular programs and activities which develop social, emotional, and physical talents to further improve on my self directing skills.  A self-directed learner can multi-task and can do things proactively.  When in need for assistance they will not hesitate to ask to gain further understanding.  If you concentrate too much on one skill of being a self-directed learner you will not grow with the other ESLRs.  For example if you only focus on developing physical skills then you will not grow in social nor emotional.   Self directed learner is similar to the ESLR, academic achiever, for both means achieving the best and setting goals to improve themselves.  On the whole I believe myself to be a work in progress.  I would be a good self-directed learner if I put more effort into concentrating on my studies.  With this I can improve and manage to be an accomplished self directed learner.

I was an effective communicator during this quarter because I demonstrated creative talents to convey my ideas and concepts.  I have done this by making my journal creative and colorful so that it is interesting and will captivate the audience’s attention.  I also incorporated technology as a tool of communication, especially when I am in need of additional information I make use of MSN to ask my friend for assistance to scan and send some files to me for reference.  In addition I have demonstrated being an effective communicator when I exhibit the skills of effective collaboration.  During the group discussions of LOTF I would continuously participate and try my very best.   I contributed valuable points that would help the group to learn and flow with the topic, to do this I would create a more interesting learning session by putting in inspiring points of views.  I would then organize and convey my ideas appropriately to ensure no misunderstandings or misinterpretations of my comment or question.  A way I could improve on this ESLR skill is by working on respect and ask questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight.  I should listen and contribute more to other’s comments and questions. Sometimes I think a lot about what I am going to say next and then I end up repeating or saying something completely different.
In order to be a good effective communicator you also need to be able to be an involved citizen.  If you have really good points, but don’t know how to put them to use, because you are not so involved in many things your skills cannot be perfected nor heard.  I believe that an effective communicator will be able to express their ideas in many forms and to make it so that the audience will understand.  An effective communicator should also be aware of whom their audience is and so they will use the appropriate type of communication structure.  At the same time they must know what they are writing about so their formatting and language are well fit for the subject.  An example is that I wrote my journal to fit one of the characters in LOTF personalities. When I had to write for Simon, who was one of the characters in LOTF I would try to stand on his side and think how he would feel during the time where Jack killed the sow.  Over-all I think that I am a good effective communicator, however I just need to improve on not interrupting and respect the person who is talking by listening and thinking over what they said.  These are my thoughts on the ESLR effective communicator and how I have demonstrated being the effective communicator over this quarter.

I believe that I have been an academic achiever for this quarter because I would set high goals and put my best efforts into achieving them.  An example for this is when I saw my grade before the project and it was a B and since I needed an A I did my best on the project to get the best possible grade in order to get my overall grade boosted up.  Over the quarter I accessed information from a variety of sources.  Some examples of these sources are computers, I would surf the net for additional information and take notes on it to guide me through my work.  I would also look through reference books and try to improve on my vocabulary by reading books with a higher level of grammar.  Moreover I will ask assistance people who are good at that particular area to help me through my work or assignments.  The ESLR academic achiever is similar to critical thinker because both strive for higher marks and urges you to set higher and more challenging goals.  I believe that being an academic achiever is essential for improvements.  In summary I certainly need to be more of an academic achiever and motivated so that I don’t really have to revise my work so many times or in other words to avoid double work. These are the things I will do to be more of an academic achiever and these are my thoughts on this ESLR.  Over this quarter I think I have grown in this area and will continue to expand in this area to help my self be more of an academic achiever.

I feel that I have been a critical thinker this year because I would take a problem and really look into it.  I would also try to analyze and synthesize and interrogate it in different views, as opposed to just knowledge, comprehension, and application.  A way I have been a critical thinker this year is when I look at my work and try to edit it to see if there are any missing things that I had forgotten to add.  I will also keep improving my methods till they are ideal and when they are I will try to improve on other things too.  Some other ways in which I proved myself to be a critical thinker is when I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information.  I would think of all the discussions from the past and I would include them to what I currently had.  I would review my old work and see if any of it could be helpful to my work and so by doing this, I am using a source effectively, which will prove me to also be an academic achiever, for I access information from a variety of sources.  My old notes, work, and prior knowledge are the many sources, because of this, I believe that critical thinker and academic achiever go hand in hand and work well with each other.  One more way in which I am a critical thinker is how I apply problem solving skills to facilitate learning, for when I was reading the book I would replace the character’s names with symbols such as anarchy and intelligence.  By doing this I am viewing the book in a different way with the hidden meanings revealed.  Then colors also happen to play a role in this book for each color represents a meaning, for example black symbolizes evil, fear, and darkness where as creamy pink is innocence and femininity.  These are problem-solving skills for after I do this I understand the book more than before I knew about these symbols.  It is important to be a critical thinker so then you will be able to go far in life, for critical thinking is a skill that makes you think out of the box.  Therefore your knowledge will not be limited and you can do many things with the knowledge in the future.

In my opinion I have been an involved citizen for I constantly participate during group activities.  I also contribute ideas and help the group move on and frequently discuss what to do and what we will have to do in the future.  I also do my share of the job and if some members are unable to perform their part I will help to make sure it gets done on time.  Involved citizens play an important role in the ESLR’s for they help a group and the individual achieve what they want and help improve.  Being an involved citizen is when you work together and when you do you manage to make something successful. Being an involved citizen also means demonstrating care and concern for the environment.  I do this by recycling the paper and having my work printed back to back.  Another thing I do is demonstrate awareness for people’s rights for if they wanted to say something I would listen and if I notice there are others who hardly speak I will encourage them to share their ideas to the group.  Everyone should be helping each other and when something doesn’t work the group would discuss and come to a conclusion of which everyone agrees on.  Also an involved citizen would come up with ideas to help the group, not to take over the group.  Some other ways that I had been an involved citizen is when there are discussions of LOTF I participate constantly and share good points worth discussing and this helps discussions move on smoothly. This is was involved citizens would do they would cooperate and try to come up with the best thing to do in order to help the group grow, progress, expand, and improve.  I believe that this ESLR best relates to effective communicator for even though you are involved, to show that you are you should be able to present your ideas and try your best to make it clear, concise, yet still be able to capture the audiences attention and give them needed information. Overall I think I was a good involved citizen because I help out and respect my peers and treat them with equality and try my best to be understanding and respectful to them and their ideas.

I believe that all ESLRs are essential for helping a person go far in life.  If a person lacks in one ESLR they will tend to lack in other ESLRs and therefore a person needs all ESLRs to be a successful person.  Some people are weak at some ESLRs and therefore they are in need of practice.  To practice they will have to act more like an self directed learner set goals like an academic achiever.

6 Traits~
Word Choice-I changed word choice by changing (I think, I thought) to (In my opinion, I believe) to make it sound more definite.  I also changed my language into more literal form rather than verbal.

Conventions-I made my work split into more paragraphs, for example the self- directed learner when I talked about what I needed to improve on I did a separate paragraph.

Sentence Fluency- For the part in self-directed learner for the fragment “ , so to be ……” I just took out the comma and erased some words to make it so that there is on independent sentence and dependent sentence into one independent sentence.

Voice-For voice I changed my language into more literal form rather than verbal.  So I would use more words than I would usually not say when talking to someone.
Organization- For organization I would make sure I put in how I believed I was that particular ESLR then what is it to be in that ESLR and all these patterns follow in each of my paragraphs.

Ideas- For ideas, I let my ideas flow from one topic to another and keep them in order, I also try my best to keep them in an organized fashion.