Final blog

> What comments can you make about your experience learning English at university? What about the use of blogs?
> What aspects of your English need to be improved and how do you plan to do this?
> Outside the English class, how much are you using English these days? What for?
what would you say is the biggest challenge of learning English in a non-english speaking country?

- Wordcount: 260

English Lit.

I studied English Lit. at Pontificia Universidad Católica about 20 years ago and I not only enjoyed the experience of being a college student, but I also enjoyed my classes a lot. I studied at campus oriente which in my opinion, is the most beautiful campus that PUC has got. Now my program is in San Joaquin which is big, modern and convenient but it's not as beautiful as Campus Oriente.I was looking at the current curriculum design for English Lit. and it seems there haven’t been really substantial changes but it somehow feels like there are some areas such as aesthetics and arts which don’t seem to have the relevance they did when I was a student.



I know some people that work in ‘Letras’ in the English program and from what they have told me, there have been important changes in two areas: number of students and motivations for studying English Lit. at PUC.



I have been told that nowadays there are about three times more students per class and this obviously has an impact in teaching and learning. Classes are less personalized and are more like a conference or lecture, this means that the way teachers and students interact is also different; there is less time and opportunity for critical discussion about diverse areas related to linguistics and literature and in all, less development of critical thinking skills.

In terms of motivation for studying in the English Lit. program, I can say that this is the point that really disappoints me. A colleague said that the general profile of students in the program is people that come from bilingual schools that are studying at PUC to get a ‘prestigious’ degree, move abroad, and work in a fashion magazine or some trendy thing in the world of advertising. Others want to become teachers, which is a good thing, but very few are actually there because they feel passionate about literature, and I think that’s quite sad.

In all, in terms of curriculum design and faculty members, PUC has a solid English Lit. program, but a university program is a sum of things and an important part of the equation are the students. I think that if you’re not passionate about what you’re studying, and it tends to be the general profile of people in that program, then there’s got to be problem with the institution or the curriculum design. Luckily, when I studied there were few of us and most of us felt happy and thrilled to be part of the English Lit. program.

changes to my career

Write about some changes that could be made to your study programme (career)
Among others, think about:

• The curriculum (the subjects you have to study)
• Workload and length of studies
• Faculty facilities (buildings and infrastructure)
• Use of technology
• Teaching methods

what's the most urgent thing that needs changing?

- Word Count: 250

7- The coundown has begun

Summer Holidays

I am really looking forward to the holidays this year. Every day, is like a countdown and the idea that classes at my other university end in just two weeks is both exciting and terrifying!

It’s exciting because there are things that I’ll be able to do that I can’t do now because I don’t have time. On the other hand, it’s also stressful to think about the end of the semester at the other university because there is still so much to be done; I mean, the amount of marking and uploading is just abysmal! There are 27 grades per student and the average number of students per class is 30. It’s a bit insane really.

As I have said, I’m just really tired and what I really want to do is mostly sleep and do nothing. Yes, it’s not exciting at all but the thought of just getting up at any time and not thinking about marking, and all that, is just pure bliss.

I do want to get as much rest as possible, it’s true, but I also want to do some things. Now you’re going to think I’m an absolute geek but the prospect of being able to go to parks with my boyfriend and to watch old English series seems pretty sweet right now. A thing that I’m anticipating even more than that is doing knitting and crocheting. I am a yarn junkie and thinking about going into my yarn stash and working on different projects is enough to give me the last bit of energy to finish this semester.

I know most people would think my vacation plans are boring or geeky, but for me holidays don’t necessarily mean traveling and doing ‘exciting’ things. Vacation means time to rest and to focus on the things that make my mind and soul happy.

7-free themed post

What do you think will be the outcome of the presidential elections in Chile?

Today I'd like you to choose from three topics:
a) who do you think will be the next president? What changes do you think he/she will make?
b) what things would you change about your program(arquitecture) and your about your university?
c)what are your plans for the upcoming holidays? what would make your next summer vacations absolutely perfect?

Choose one topic

Mínimum Word count 220

PG

I have actually given this a lot of thought, especially after getting my master's degree. I would like to do a PhD in the UK or Canada.
I like the idea of conducting research and gaining more insight into issues related to identity and language. I couldn't do the PhD in Chile because there are no universities that offer a program in this área. I also think that doing a PhD abroad is better valued by people.
I would like to study in a f2f program because I believe that it's more beneficial to learn with others and through real time interactions wih others. I also think that knowing that I have to be at a specific place at a specific time helps me to organize my time more efficiently.
The idea of studying in a very old English university with a huge library and amazing architecture is a bonus in itself. If it were completely up to me I'd study at Cambridge or Oxford, but realistically speaking, I'd be happy at any of the traditional and old universities in the UK.
Cardiff university PhD program seems very appealing because they have courses on Culture and Memory which I believe are key in defining a people's identity.
If posible, I'd like to take some time off from work to seriosulu look into this and apply to a PhD program, until then, I'll be conducting research here in Chile with Haitian language learners. I'm not short of motivation but just short of time.

6-PG Studies

Write about a postgraduate course that you would consider taking in the future.
Include:

- Reasons to do the course
- Subject(s) you would like to study
- Where you would like to study (Chile or abroad)
- How you would like to study (distance learning, blended system, part-time course, etc)
- Any other relevant ideas

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post.

- Word Count: 220 words

5-future work

It’s not easy to think about where I see myself professionally in the future, but I know that I definitely want to get a PhD sometime in the near future. I would like to do more research on immigrant language identity and therefore, the kind of work I do would be related to that.

Ideally, I’d like to work in the Ministry of education because I believe we need to define policies to better integrate our immigrant learners. I also think that Chileans could better benefit from coming into contact with people from different countries and cultures if we find ways to make immigrants more active participants in education aspects as well as diverse social-cultural activities.

Another area that interests me is developing assessment material for young learners and adult learners. In public schools, much of the process of assessment has to do with just memorizing information and not really using the new knowledge in a critical way. It’s fundamental to teach young learners critical thinking skills because they are useful not just for learning a new language but for any area of life. Assessment in English at schools should better integrate the use of passive and active skills. Learners should be able to ‘do’ things with the language and not just show they’ve memorized things.

Regardless of what I end up doing, what I really need is stability. University teachers nowadays do not have contract so we work under precarious conditions with no job security. We have to work in different places and it’s really tiring and it takes time away from class prep. Sometimes I feel I´d like to do more things in my classes but sometimes I’m just really exhausted! So I guess the most important thing right now is to have work stability.

5-my future job

What kind of job would you like to have? How do you imagine it?

- Outdoors /indoors?

- Would you like to travel a lot in your job?

- What about the salary?

- What major are you studying / are you thinking of taking?    Explain why

- Add any other related ideas.

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post.

- Word Count: 210 words

blog 3- themed post

Themed Post 1

Weather
Ok I know this is kind of boring but today I want to talk about the weather. Don't you think te weather is a bit unpredictable in Chile and extreme in terms of temperatures? Well I think so and frankly, I think it's pretty inconvenient and annoying.
Just last weekend it was so cold, windy and rainy and two days before it had been sunny and hot. As a matter of fact, last night the rain came down hard in Santiago but tomorrow it's going to be sunny and warm??? At the end of the day, the seasons are kind of blurred into each other and anything can happen at any point in the year.
Another thing I don't like is that in one day there can be a variation in temperature of about 20 degrees! That means that in the morning it might be something like 10 degrees and it can go up to 27 or something. If you leave your house early like me, you've got to wear warm clothes but come midday, and you're hot and sweaty and you end upcarrying your jacket around the rest of the day.
Well as you can see, I just had to vent a little about the weird weather in Chile, but overall I think it's better than other places at least...






Minimum word count : 140 words

Post 2- Best concert ever!

The best concert ever: as told by Mr Z

In 1994 or 1995, I crossed the Pennines from my home in Sheffield to Manchester, to see Tricky supporting P J Harvey. Both had released career-defining albums that year - Tricky's Maxinquaye, and Harvey's To Bring You My Love. As my two favourite artists, I was thrilled to discover them on the same bill.

Tricky went on first. Maxinquaye is already a darker and more experimental album than the Trip Hop he'd pioneered with Massive Attack, and on stage he pushed further, creating a menacing, almost oppressive atmosphere. Excellent, atmospheric, kinda scary stuff.

... and then Polly came on and blew him out of the water. She was mesmerising, performing the material as though demonically possessed, and following every song with a soft, shy, child-like "thank you". She played almost everything off the new album, and her backing band easily did justice to songs as disparate as Meet Ze Monsta and The Dancer.

The highlight for me, though, was Yuri G. Rid of Me has always been my favourite PJH album, and her performance of that track was brutal and exhilarating. I can still hear it, more than twenty years later.

 

the best holidays I've had/Best concert I've attended post

Holidays:

- when was it?
- where did you go?
- how long was it?
- who did you go with?
- what things/activities did you do?
- why has it been the best so far?

 


 



>>Worcount: 170

Post 1- Happiness in the UK

Hey there,
Today I'd like to tell you about a country I'd like to visit and hopefully I will visit it some time soon. First of all, I have to say that there are many countries that I'd like to visit, but a country that I want to visit for different reasons is the UK.
I want to go to the UK because there are lots of aspects of their culture that I like. I'd really like to do a PhD there because they have some of the best and oldest universities in the world. They have a strong academic tradition and frankly, some of the old universities are just gorgeous.
The UK also has amazing sights in terms of landscape as well as constructions. I would obviously like to visit London because there are incredible monuments and buildings, for instance, Buckingham palace. I also want to go to the south to see Stonehenge and to the North of England to see the beautiful scenery and because a person I really love is from the North of the UK.
I really hope I'll be able to make this trip some time soon and if I'm lucky I might even be able to do my PhD there, fingers crossed...!
P.S. Ohhh and Brit music rules!!!!

POST 1- week 3 A country I'd like to visit

Post 1- A country I'd like to visit

  -Which country would you like to go to? Why?
- What do you know about it?
- What would you like to do there?
- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.
- Upload pictures
- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your        teacher's post
- Word Count: 160 words