PERSPECTIVES: MY ENGLISH JOURNEY
GENESIS GUAGCHINGA ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM LEVEL 6
YACHAY TECH, ECUADOR
PERSPECTIVES: MY ENGLISH JOURNEY BY GENESIS GUAGCHINGA ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM LEVEL 6 007 TEACHER: MATTHEW MACKEY JANUARY 9, 2017 IMBABURA, ECUADOR
TABLE OF CONTENTS *PORTFOLIO LETTER *RESPONSE ESSAY *INTERPRETATION (COLLABORATIVE) ESSAY
*ARGUMENTATION ESSAY *FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT ESSAY *THANK YOU LETTER
PORTFOLIO LETTER
Genesis Guagchinga Yachay Tech University Hda. San JosĂŠ s/n y Proyecto Yachay, Block B, B2-3 department
January 9, 2017
Dear Portfolio Reader,
My name is Genesis Guagchinga, and I am truly happy because you want to read my English Language Portfolio. It is a collection of my principal and best works made during my last English Course, and they demonstrate my abilities as an English language learner at Yachay Tech. My portfolio is shaped by three essays and a research project. These essays show my strengths and weaknesses in grammar and writing, and what I need to improve on. Anyway, I am very proud of my whole work during level six, and I hope that it is interesting for you. At the beginning of my first English class in level 6, I was very nervous because I thought my teacher was not a friendly person, so I was afraid. However, he was very kind and funny with us. In addition, I met my new classmates who were nice to me and the teacher. My personal skills in writing and speaking were not enough, and I needed improve several things such as grammar and vocabulary. It represented a challenge for me My writing work had some problems in grammar at the beginning because I did not check carefully my essay, and several words were misspelled. However, I thought that all were correct, and I did not change anything. As a result, my first grade was not excellent. For example, in my first essay, I wrote my sentences with verbs with wrong conjugation time, and I used many prepositions. Particularly, the major problem was
translated my ideas in Spanish to English because our grammar is different from English grammar. My second essay was not only my work, it was done in group. We described “The Gleaners” painting by Jean-François Millet. However, at the beginning, my group did not have idea what painting choose, and it was difficult because we have different ideas. Interpretation essay allowed me be more descriptive and improve my vocabulary. Finally, my third writing work was a challenge because was supposed to write an essay in class of seven paragraphs in two hours. I took time to write my thesis, and I felt nervous. About speaking, this always scared to me because I could not pronounce some words as English speaker. As a result, in my first exposition, my teacher and classmates did not understand some of my ideas, and they looked confused. In addition, I could not have a conversation with my teacher However, nowadays, I improve my pronunciation and my classmates understand my expositions even when I have some problems with words end with –ed. Finally, English level 6 allowed me improve some of my personal abilities, and I am proud of my progress with English language. Although, English program is ending, I want to continue learning and being a good English speaker like my teacher. In this way, thank you for reading my portfolio. I hope that you find it interesting, and in certain way, it could be helpful for you.
Sincerely,
Genesis Guagchinga
RESPONSE ESSAY
University Education and Human Capital Genesis Guagchinga Experimental Research University Yachay September 30, 2016
University Education and Human Capital Do you believe that if you study a university career for getting a degree in the future, your success in the labor market will be guaranteed? Nowadays, some people are studying in universities, and some of them have already graduated from collage and gotten a degree. All of them thought that going to university was a good idea because in the future they would have many labor opportunities. However, not all of these people did develop their human capital and improve their academic knowledge because they only thought that collage was a place where they get a “key” for their professional future that does not need any effort. On the other hand, there are people who did not go to university, but they had more opportunities than others who went to collage because they have developed their human capital. In the article “Don't Buy The Hype, College Education Is Not An Investment”, George Leef says that people should remove from their mind the common thought, which was created in recent years, that a university education is the best investment that people can do if university graduates or any person wish to have a good professional future. However, people do not consider the human capital that each one have and the importance that it has. Truly, Leef’s idea is interesting because he proposes a new way to consider university. First, the article show us the reality that some people with a degree are living for finding a job in their fields, and the human and academic preparation that they have. In addition, George Leef give us a clear example of one of many texts that talk about the educational value of college which advocate people should study in a university due to the fact that it is a good inversion. In fact, all of these reports are based on dates collected several years ago, where college graduates conditions (academic formation and labor market) were not the same than is today.
Second, the article, “Don't Buy The Hype, College Education Is Not An Investment�, analyzing the academic preparation and the human capital of three different students A, B and C who have been developing during their university student years, and he faces them with labor conditions that they have today. In this way, student A has an excellent academic foundation and the university was a way of increasing his human capital. Student B developed his skills through activities that interested him, but she did not go university. Finally, student C went to university, but he did not pay attention to academic preparation and the development of their capacities. As a result, students A and C got jobs in their major field, but the labor situation of student B was different. First, Leef’s idea about changing the opinion that university education is the best investment that people can do if university graduates or any person wish to have a good labor future is interesting because it lets us consider the real results that people suffer when they decide between study or not in college. In fact, higher education boosters (people who defend university education mention that university is necessary, and it is a good investment for getting a job. However, there are large numbers of unemployed who are college graduates, and there are people who did not go university, but they have a job (Leef, 2013). In other words, the university is not a synonym of job success, so success depends on people. Nevertheless, some people do not consider the last idea because they listened to their family or friends that college education was the unique way for becoming an excellent professional. In addition, they listened to people without a high education, who do not have labor opportunities. Therefore, they considered college like another stage of life and not like an opportunity of personal growth. For this reason, nowadays, people with academic knowledge do not find a field in the labor market, and higher education boosters are wrong.
Second, people must consider who important human capital is an. For example, George Leef considers three examples of different people who studied in the university and a person that did not study. In this way, student A has good academic preparation, and university was a way for increasing his level of knowledge and human capital. Later, when he graduated, he had some labor opportunities the student B was not a model person, so he has little interest in or aptitude for academic preparation. Then, he got a degree, but his labor opportunities were deficient. Finally, the student C finished high school, and she participated of some academic activities that like her. As a result, she won many certifications. Later, she did not go university, but she work in an important company (Leef, 2013). In effect, all of these experiences show us that human capital is important as long as people want or try to develop their human skills. Due to the fact that, labor markets search for people with abilities for solving different types of problems, and they do not look for people who had studied by inertia. In the article, student C did not go to university, but she increases her abilities through personal activities. Then, human capital is important because it is a part of a set that form human (abilities that people have). If people know the importance of human capital, they will have the power of change their life because they look themselves like human potential. Generally, it article has a good organization because all the ideas are connected. In addition, the main points have their support ideas, which are analysis of reports and academic experiences of different people. Then, language and vocabulary that use the author is clear and technique. Moreover, the credibility that has this article is high because was published by FORBES, a respectable company. Then, Leef’s article is aimed at students that be in high school, parents and education field. Finally, the essay is a way for distinguishing between university value and human capital that today is important for the professional future of people who studied
or not in a university. In fact, “Don't Buy The Hype, College Education Is Not An Investment� motivates us to have a new idea about university and personal skills that everyone has. In this way, we should change our idea about education and the importance that it has because education is not only academic knowledge, on the contrary are many areas that interact for forming it.
References Leef, G. (2013). Don't Buy The Hype, College Education Is Not An Investment. Forbes.
INTERPRETATION (COLLABORATIVE) ESSAY
Interpretation Essay: “The Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet Genesis Guagchinga, Steven Gaona, Joshua Sanmartín, William Trujillo Experimental Research University Yachay November 18, 2016
“THE GLEANERS” BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET
Some painters use art like a mirror that reflects the social reality in which they live! Over time, art has been used as a way through which people express particular ideas. Especially, artists like painters who use art for expressing through painting personal stories and historical events. For example, in 1857, the French painter Jean-François Millet painted the painting “The Gleaners”. The painting is a depiction of three-peasant woman gleaning stray wheat grains of land after the harvest. In fact, Millet painted peasant people because they were considered the lowest ranks of French rural society, and he wanted to express social exclusion of poor people by rich people. As a result, Millet show us the French social reality of 19th century in which he lived. Nowadays, the painting “The Gleaners” is located in “Orsay” Museum, Paris, and the picture dimensions are 83.8 cm × 111.8 cm (33 in × 44 in). In this way, the painting “The Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet show us that poor people suffer discrimination due to fact that some people of high status have social prejudices because they believe that their opinions or actions are more important than other people opinion. First, the colors and textures in this painting are soft and muted, which shows us their low social class. The painter uses earth tones in this painting to show how close the people are to the
earth. In other words, the people are close to the earth, much like people in poverty. Furthermore, the gazes and faces of the three women are obscure, which shows us that they do not have a good life, therefore, they are suffering due to the fact that their low social status. It is interesting the dissonance of the colors in the painting. On the one hand, in the bottom, there are tall stacks of grain, which means abundance, and it is painted with the softest colors. On the other hand, in the foreground, there are the three poor women with waste grain in theirs hands, which means poverty, and it is painted with a little lighter colors. Another important characteristic is the color of ground and grass in the foreground. The predominant brown color in the floor shows us that it does not matter the effort of the poor people, in many cases they do not progress. Second, according to Musée d'Orsay webpage, the painting was painted in 1857 after the French revolution of 1848. Millet was son of peasants and lived in France (Musée d'Orsay, 2006). Therefore, the artist was a poor man in a difficult situation, and he tried to show the world how difficult it is to live and work in the field. When Millet painted “The Gleaners”, people of middle and upper class were against him because they did not care about low class people life. The artist tries to show us the realism of fieldwork, this is not an easy job and women used to be in charge of this. The artist himself lived in poverty because that is the only way in which he could paint the reality of the poor people around him. In other words, Millet tries to describe the discrimination that peasant people suffered everyday for their social status. Third, the painting “The Gleaners” is a way to express the personal point of view of Millet. The author show us the true face of rural work in its hardest aspect. In fact, the picture presents three women in full task, crouching to pick up the ears, represent a realistic work with its vivid colors and accentuating volumes (Musée d’Orsay, 2006). In addition, we can see the three phases of these repetitive movements imposed by this work: bending over, picking up the
ears of corn and straightening up again. The wish of the author is criticize the hard condition of the gleaners. Finally, the painting “The Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet show us that there are some people who underestimate other people such as peasants because their social status. In this way, Millet expresses the social condition of French peasant people 19th century through representation of women picking grain of wheat from the ground. In other words, "The Gleaners" is a realistic vision of French society post Industrial Revolution. In addition, Millet made a social critique because the painting was a way for reporting hard and long hours of work in the countryside. However, the message about discrimination that show us Millet thought his painting is a significant fact. Because nowadays, we continue to live in a society with prejudice towards minorities. For example, in Ecuador, some people who live in cities discriminated to indigenous people who arrive to these cities for working in bad and dangerous jobs such as candy street sellers. Social discrimination is a reality that affected some people in the last centuries; however, we can avoid it, accepting people as they are!
References MusĂŠe d'Orsay . (2006). Jean-Francois Millet . France: Gran Palais .
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
English like a Foreign Language and Children Moral Judgment Genesis Guagchinga Experimental Research University Yachay November 30, 2016
English like a Foreign Language and Children Moral Judgment Many times people believe that their moral convictions will not change until they find themselves in a different social context! Our way of thinking and talking change everyday; even if we manage two different languages, we do not think the same things, or we do not have the same opinion in both tongues. All of this information is related to morality that defines our behavior. In addition, morality allows us distinguish what is good or bad. For example, a child between 4-5 years old does not distinguish moral judgments until another person teach about them. In addition, if the child learns about moral judgments in his native language and in a foreign language when he will be teenager his thoughts will not change. Due to the fact that he learns about something without differences in two languages such as Spanish and English. Also, his opinions will not be different between two tongues. In this way, all children should be made to learn English at an early age because it allows them do not change their opinions when they are talking in two different languages, and they have formed their moral judgment. First, if children learn English at an early age, they will not change their opinions about something when they talk two languages because people think about their moral convictions that leaned when they were children. According to Julie Sedevy in her article “How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language�, people who has confronted with moral dilemmas respond differently when considering then in a foreign language than when using their native tongue (Sedevy, 2016). In other words, if these people might have learned a foreign language when they were children, now they will have the same opinions in both languages. For this reason, children should learn English to early age to 4-5 years, and in this way avoid some problems of moral judgment.
Second, if children learn English at an early age, they will not have difference between native and foreign tongues. In fact, according to Julie Sedevy in her article “How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language�, childhood languages vibrate with greater emotional intensity than do these learned in more academic settings. As a result, moral judgments made in a foreign language are less laden with emotional reacts that surface when we use a language learned in childhood (Sedevy, 2016). If children learn English as another native tongue, they will feel the same emotional intensity in both languages. As a result, their moral judgments will be same with similar emotional reactions, and these reactions will not change. Third, if all children are made to learn English of easy way, children will develop their capacities for thinking more deeply about a moral judgment. According to Julie Sedevy, in a recent study published in the journal Cognition, using a foreign language makes people think more deeply about moral judgments because other research has shown that careful reflection makes people think more about the intentions that underlie people’s actions rather than less (Sedevy, 2016). In other words, if children learn English as their native tongue, they will develop abilities. For example, children will analyze things from another point of view. It means that they will think carefully all the information that they have. However, there are people who believe that children should not learn a foreign language like English because it means to change: their moral judgment, their identity, and lose a part of their native language. In addition, the differences between the native and the foreign language are too big. As a result, there is a possibility that children confuse what is good or what is bad. Also, children are not prepared for learning two languages because they do not know enough information about the world.
The last point of view is interesting, but I do not have the same opinion. In fact, moral judgments involve two separate and competing modes of thinking: one of these, a quick, and the other, careful deliberation. In other words, if people learn English, which is a foreign language, and their native tongue, they will have two ways of thinking about something, and analyzing a moral judgment will not be hard. In addition, learning English is not easy task, but children can learn it because it will be similar like to learn their native language. Finally, people should learn English since they are children because it allows they have their moral judgment defined. In addition, they will not change their opinion while they are talking in two different languages, they will not differentiate between the native and the foreign tongues, and they will think more deeply about the information that they know. Also, native and foreign languages allow people such as children know more about the world, and determinate their own moral judgments (what is good or bad).
References Sedevy, J. (2016). How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language.
FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT ESSAY
The Relationship between the Education and the Economic System in Ecuador Genesis Guagchinga Yachay University of Experimental Technological and Research November 28, 2016
Abstract Ecuador is a country that needs to improve its economic system. However, reaching its goal Ecuador requires changes in several fields; one of them is the education system. First, nowadays, teachers continue using traditional education system for teaching in class. Second, the educational laws have not been reformed to involve technology. Finally, students need ethical and moral education for being people committed to society. Keywords: traditional education, laws, moral and ethical education.
The Relationship between Education and Economic System in Ecuador The best way that Ecuadorian people have for improving their economic system is to change the traditional education system that nowadays molds the minds of young students. Through history, Ecuador has had many periods in which its economy has been constantly changing. For example, according to Luis Jacome, an economic researcher, in his article “The Late 1990s Financial Crisis in Ecuador: Institutional Weaknesses, Fiscal Rigidities, and Financial Dollarization at Work “, in 1997, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis. As a result, the bank system collapsed, and there were simultaneous currency and public finance crisis (Jacome, 2004). In the same way, the Ecuador education system has been marking by serious problems. In fact, according to Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada webpage, in 1988, there was a teachers' strike called by the National Union of Educators of Ecuador to protest among other things educational reforms and higher salaries (Research Directorate, 1993). Under those circumstances, it is important understand that nowadays, education is necessary in all senses. For example, education allows people to achieve better levels of social welfare, improve employment levels and raise the cultural conditions of the population. Nevertheless, what about is economy? Education allows economic progress through knowledge that people can give of society. However, meeting the above idea is not easy when there are deficiencies in the education system. In this way, there are three main reasons why Ecuadorian government should change: the traditional education system, the outdated education laws and promote ethical and moral education that students get in schools for achieving economic development. First, the Ecuadorian government should improve its traditional education system. Due to the fact that nowadays, the Ecuadorian economic system is affected by the little capacity that students have to solve and give solutions to common problems
such as poverty. The root of this problem is the traditional education that many Ecuadorian students receive each day. In addition, the traditional education system is focused on rote learning and memorization which does not allow students develop their cognitive abilities such as creativity. As a result, if they do not develop their abilities, in the future they will not be productive, and they will not develop economic resources. In fact, according to David Rattray, a writer and teacher, in his article “Traditional Education”, the traditional education is focused on transmitting to a next generation skills and facts that people think that is necessary for having a degree. In addition, traditional teacher-centered methods focused on rote learning and memorization (Rattray, 2016). In other words, the traditional education is a way to repeat the same things without thinking the abilities that students need develop. For example, creativity is an ability that people have since childhood, but it needs to be developed. If we change the traditional education by a modern education, the children will develop their skills. In fact, according to Graziella Bertocchi and Michael Spagat, scientific researchers, in their article, “The Evolution of Modern Educational Systems”, modern education is aided with the internet, and diverse knowledge is being spread among the people. In addition, skill-development and vocational education are important in students (Bertocchi & Spagat, 2002). In other words, modern education is focused on developing abilities that each student has. For example, the internet allow people to access academic information that sometimes is hard to find, and it is necessary for knowledge development. The relationship between modern education system and economy is strong because if students learn to manage different kinds of resources that modern education gives them, in the future students will develop some ideas that will be productive, and help economic development.
Second, the Ecuadorian government should change out outdated education laws to others that involve technological development because world is changing everyday, and the technological development applied to education is necessary. In addition, Ecuador is a country with deficient laws about education and technology. However, it is important that it fact hanges because the way how teacher teach class is not the same that 50 years ago, where students learned with wooden boards. In fact, according to Sahah Kessler, a scientific writer, in her article “8 Ways Technology Is Improving Education�, technology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways (Kessler, 2010). In other words, technology is important to Ecuador because if the Ecuadorian government improves educational laws depending on technology, students will use some technological resources for learning. In addition, they can learn information of other countries, so students can contribute to economic development because they have access to more ideas which means creation of new products, which can be marketed. Moreover, according to Ecuadorian Organic Law on Higher Education, the Ecuadorian state must promote among other things the technology and allocate money for the development of it (N/A, 2016). In other words, Ecuador is a country committed with develop of technology; however, not all education laws are relationed with technology. Ecuadorian education should promote technology in their classrooms because technology is an essential part of industries, and there is not way to avoid it. In addition, it is part our life, and students understand that people who know about technology will be a winner in in business world. In other words, technology is an important part in our education because is a new way for interacting and learning in classrooms. As a result, technology could be a lifestyle.
Third, Ecuadorian Government should promote ethical and moral education in schools because economic development is not depend only on quality of education. It also depends on the quality of people that schools mold. According to Smriti Chand, a writer, in his article “Factors that Influence the Economic Development of a Country”, the economy development depends of human resources, technical Know-How and General Education and ethical and moral education (Chand, 2016). In other words, nowadays it is necessary to be an ethical and moral person committed to other people. In addition, people who have ethical and moral commitment to society should manage of a better way economic resources, and avoid corruption that sometimes has been an obstacle for economic development. In fact, according to Nur Yeliz Gülcan, a writer, in her article “Discussing the Importance of Teaching Ethics in Education”, in our present age, ethics has an important place in all areas of life. Ethics has also become important in education, because education is a fundamental process of human life, which provide people ability to make decisions by their free wills. Furthermore, education helps students to become more civilized human individuals (Gülcan, 2015). Ethic and moral in education is necessary because they help students to be honest and responsible with decisions that they make. Also, ethic and moral is important in business world because they let people do things of the best way, attending their humanity and not personal interest. Everyone should have a good behavior with society analyzing good and bad things, and in this way, we do not harm people around us. Some people believe economy is the future of a country. Similar to the Cornell University , in the article “Restructuring Local Government”, the base of all economic development of a country is economic public and private inversion intend for exports, productivity and sustainability ("Government Restructuring", 2016). The last three words are the economic principles for economic development. In this way, the
exportations have motivated a big part of the economic boom years ago. In addition, productivity is necessary for global economic competition between countries. Finally, sustainability is important to protect natural resources that are using like raw material. However, the last information is wrong because the economic development of a country not only depends of economic public and private inversion in exports, productivity and sustainability. On the contrary, the economic development as too depends of other factors like education. According to Joshua Wright, in his article “The relationship between Education and Economy� mentions that higher educational attainment and fewer dropouts can use education to be more creative and build wealth, which will ultimately help the economy (Wright, 2010). In many ways, higher educational attainment and fewer dropouts, countries will necessarily have betterskilled, more autonomous workers. For example, workforce can use its education to be more creative and build wealth, which will ultimately help the economy and take pressure off government programs. In addition, a more productive and independent workforce will produce increased tax revenues through increased earnings, consumption, and property values. In other words, education is one of the principal factors that let us produce economic sources, which means economic development. Finally, there are three main reasons why Ecuadorian Government should change: the traditional education, the outdated education laws, and promote ethical and moral education for improving economic system of the country. First, nowadays, traditional education is unnecessary because students need develop creativity for finding new solutions to different kinds of problems. Second, improving economic technological laws in education is important because students need new ways to learn such as internet. Third, ethical and moral in education is fundamental for molding students committed to society. In addition, changing the Ecuadorian education system is
a way to avoid repeating many of the educational and economic problems of Ecuadorian history that affect Ecuadorian students. Furthermore, it allow us progress as a country and mold people with good academic background. Education is a poweful weapon that everyone must have.
References Bertocchi, G. & Spagat, M. (2002). The Evolution of Modern Educational Systems (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.511.1303&rep=rep1& type=pdf Chand, S. (2016). Factors that Influence the Economic Development of a Country. YourArticleLibrary.com: The Next Generation Library. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/economics/factors-that-influencethe-economic-development-of-a-country/5942/ GĂźlcan, Y. (2015). Discussing the Importance of Teaching Ethics in Education (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815005418 Jacome, L. (2004). The Late 1990s Financial Crisis in Ecuador: Institutional Weaknesses, Fiscal Rigidities, and Financial Dollarization at Work (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2004/wp0412.pdf Kessler, S. (2010). 8 Ways Technology Is Improving Education. Mashable. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from http://mashable.com/2010/11/22/technology-ineducation/#x1OXkukdZkq1 Organic Law on Higher Education. (2016) (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=15366 Rattray, D. (2016). CanTeach - First Nations. Canteach.ca. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/fnations.html Refworld | Ecuador: Information on a teachers' strike and the government's reaction, 1988. (2016). Refworld. Retrieved 30 November 2016, from Wright, J. (2010). The Relationship Between Education and the Economy - Emsi. Emsi. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from http://www.economicmodeling.com/2010/08/12/the relationship-between-education-and-the-economy/
THANK YOU FOR READING MY PORTFOLIO. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE ENJOYED WRITING IT. SINCERELY, GENESIS GUAGCHINGA