My English Portfolio IVÁN LÓPEZ ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM LEVEL 6 YACHAY TECH-ECUADOR
MY ENGLIS PORTFOLIO BY IVÁN LÓPEZ
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM YACHAY TECH Level 6 001 TEACHER: MATTHEW MACKEY
JANUARY 9, 2016 IMBABURA ECUADOR
Table of contents Portfolio Letter Response Essay Interpretative Essay Argumentative Essay Final Research Project Essay
Iván López Ecuador – Urcuquí - Yachay campus December 9, 2016 Dear Portfolio Reader, My Name is Iván López and this is my Portfolio Letter. Throughout this semester in level 6 of the English program at the University, many essays, expositions, debates, talks, etc. were made, and each one was truly a challenge for me. I think at the beginning of this course, I only had one ambitious goal, to become in someone that maybe do not dominate English perfectly but that would be able to defend itself calmly in any subject both talking and writing, after all this is the last level of English in the University. This goal still remains, and little by little, although there is still much to improve, is been reached. I can say that this was a semester to test you, to demonstrate everything that you have learned in the lasts levels, and through works and projects improve them. Through the effort made in this level I can say that one of abilities that I improve more is the auditory understanding of what others say, although it is true that I am not able yet to understand everything I hear, in a special context I am now able to understand almost everything. My writing skill has also improved, in the pass in order to write something I always had to use some external help. Now I am capable of write almost everything without using any kind of external help which is very important to me, I think this is one of the goals of everyone when starts to learn English, and it was my goal too since I started to learn. Even when my writing, speaking and listening have improved a lot this period I am not still completely satisfied with these, which is good because this motivates me to continue learning the language by any other method, because is definitely something that does not end here. One of the
things that I have to expand the most is my vocabulary, for example when I was doing the expositions or the essays in this semester there was always something that I did not know how to express because of the lack of vocabulary, and this has always been an obstacle to overcome. If I want to dominate perfectly English I have to continue practicing and there is no doubt that I will not rest until I get it. After all the way that we are all traveling in this University, forces us to have an excellent domain of the language and not to consider it as an obstacle, but rather as an ally in our battles. In all the works I made in this level, the subject in which I focused the most was the education, although there were subjects of science and art. Education is a subject of great interest for me and one that I consider very open, makes us interprets things from many points of view. My purpose was to frame my point of view and explain it through the different essays and works. Here, it should be noted that an important weapon to improve these essays, was the group revisions of the essays, because the opinion of my classmates was always important; to ask my classmates and teacher about doubts and suggestions for both, essays and expositions, as well as corrections that the teacher towards, that made me analyze my strengths and weaknesses to improve them. Finally I would like to relive a good experience, which I enjoy the most during this semester, when we hold the debate. I had a mixture of emotions, concern because your part could be decisive for the team, and emotion to see how much had I improved my skills both speaking and listening, because refuting the ideas of others in another language is not easy. All of this activity was great, the preparation phase was great, but the most rewarding thing was the moment of truth, at the moment of my intervention I think I managed it quite well proving that
throughout the English program and of this level my skills as English speaker have improved remarkably. Sincerely, Ivรกn Lรณpez
University as a good option to increase your knowledge and skills Ivรกn Lรณpez Yachay Tech University September 30, 2016
University as a good option to increase your knowledge and skills Currently, by whatever method, education is an extremely important part in the life of human beings. Education is able to define people as individuals, and without a doubt, set the course that could take our life. In most of the planet, the initial education (Elementary school, Middle school and High school) of children is determined by established models within a society, and although these may vary within this by various factors such as location, economic capacity and ideologies, those are reformed in a way in which supposedly at the end of this stage, mostly of young people should have the same abilities and skills. Although for most, the real challenge begins only after completing this stage. After finishing High school, there is not really a specific method or model to increase your knowledge, skills and abilities. This is where everyone should really decide what they want to be or do in the future and to choose the means or method to achieve it. But, there is a better method than another to increase our abilities depending on what students follow? Go to college has been and is considered one of the most effective ways to increase our knowledge. Then, you could say that investing in a university is a good thing, is not it? George Leef shows that obtaining a college degree does not promise a good job or salary in future, and even worse, it is no guarantee of having increased our skills or abilities; however, that does not mean that going to college will be a bad decision or investment. In his article Don´t Buy the Hype, College Education Is Not an Investment, he tries to convince students that after all, invest in going to college may not be a good idea or that definitely cannot be the best of all. Leef’s article shows that: “these days the data showed currently that the large numbers of graduates are either unemployed or employed in jobs
that don’t call for any academic preparation and that more than a third had coasted through without adding anything to their human capital.� (Leef, 2013) Is shown in the article that there are problems in graduates obtaining works in their different fields, but the author never specifies the reasons. Is college the problem? He never mentions that this happens because of college, or because the university did not prepare their students properly for the future. There may be other reasons that he does not mention about why today there are so many unemployed or people working in jobs that does not require any preparation despite having graduated from college. And this is the main reason about why his article is not so shocking. University may not be the best method for increasing our skills and abilities and it is definitely not the only way, but it is the most established method to increase your abilities. Anyway, everyone is free to choose their own path, and if you are sure that this is the best way to enhance your human capital, then university might not be a good investment for you. Then, if you choose another path outside the university, how will you know the method or items you will need for the future with the objective of getting a good job and salary? How to know if you are giving the necessary steps to meet the needs of the community and not just yours? Perhaps, this may be one of the most obvious reasons about why college is a good investment, for the fear of getting lost, of not knowing how to plan a way to achieve a goal, or perhaps because a good college serves you as a good reference to open doors to whatever you want.
So saying that university as an institution is not a good option could be a bad statement. If going to college may not be the wisest decision. How else can you be sure that you will increase your knowledge and skills? How to know that if you do not go to college, you are picking the best way to achieve your dreams? After all, universities are designed to train people in different branches based on what these as institutions believe is what students most need to meet the current needs of society. Because as institution, are constantly innovating and improving their teaching methodology. The problem may not be the university itself; if not, we as humans because, first get a degree does not mean acquiring knowledge, it does not mean being smart, does not mean that your abilities have increased. But are not all these requirements to get one? In theory, a person should have all these abilities to acquire a title. But is that humans are so different! And systems so "corrupt" and poorly planned, that after all, the fact of have been graduated, in the end may or may not guarantee a good learning. These, will depend on the types of students and they desire and commitment that has put in their college preparation. Or maybe, the problem is the society as a structure because today there are too many graduates and the work offer so low that is virtually impossible for everyone to access a job of their interest. In the end of your academic preparation, there are many reasons about why even after getting your college degree you cannot get a good job, and this may or may not be related to college. It is true that if you are able to correctly choose another path, the university would not be the best way to increase your skills. Since the end of everything, which all seek to achieve is to increase their abilities and knowledge, and the method or
model used is only a tool. But the university, because of their already implemented models and for the opportunities that this can open to you in the future, definitely is not a bad investment.
References
Leef, G. (2013, June). Don't Buy The Hype; College Education Is Not An Investment. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/06/12/dont-buy-the-hypecollege-education-is-not-an-investment/#5958acc37ee6
Cristina Mina, Iván López, Ángel Rojas Matthew Mackey English Level 6 Interpretation Essay November 18, 2016
Guernica “In the picture I am painting — which I shall call Guernica — I am expressing my horror of the military caste which is now plundering Spain into an ocean of misery and death."(Picasso, 1937) Guernica by Pablo Picasso is one of the most important paintings of all time. The meaning of Guernica is not trivial because of its binary colored background. This picture is based on Guernica town in the province of Biscay in Basque country. During the Spanish civil war it was regarded as the northern bastion of the Republic resistance movement and the epicenter of Basque culture. The painting is a message that tells us all people suffered during the war. Guernica is replete of symbolism, hidden messages and emotions. Although the picture is very difficult to understand at first glance. But, observing with a little of care is noticeable some scared aspects. The image background sets up a room in black and white filled of pain because of the expressions of people and animals. Animals, adults and children screaming and dying are the ways that he used to transmit the message of the barbarity committed.
The dead warrior on the ground with his arms mutilated from his body, besides, one of them holding a sword, symbolize the savagery and cruelty that the main characters experience during the War. These characters include soldiers, and reveals who accept the war as a way to solve their social conflicts. In consequence, they also had to agree that their ‘freedom’ will cost the death of someone of Guernica, including them. This agreement shows the coldness that can reach the human being with his enemies during times of conflict. Gestures of pain rooted by the death of innocents. An example is the mother cradling her dead baby with his face turned to the sky. His tongue is sharpened like a stiletto and his eyes have the form of tears. She holds in her arms his son without pupils, already dead. It represents innocent lives including children and babies taken during the Spanish Civil War as well as the suffering of the people who had to live and deal with these losses. The animals, both the horse and the bull, make us see that not only human beings suffered during this conflict. These animals are used as "tools" during the battling to achieve the war’s objectives. However, according to another interpretation, the bull "can mean the panic of people as well as the collapse of Spain as a country and the horse alludes to the thousands of people who suffered and lived devastating damage."(Aguirre) This as a symbolism focused only on humans leaving aside animals. The foreigners are spectators of a war’s violence. The painting reflects this message. Its setting, a darkness room, has a door in which a person is looking amazed through the
light of his lamp. His incredulity is vanished when, with his extended arm, tries to illuminate the whole room and observe clearly the war’s sequels. His amusement noticed by his open eyes and his open mouth demonstrates the magnitude of the war on the people involved on it. Guernica’s inhabitants are pressed by the war. They cannot continue their normal lives and are in the expectation of peace. In the painting, the pressure is demonstrated with a kneeling person and his sight towards to the light of the room. His back inclined trying to get up or pushing to let him crawl. This posture reflects the weight of the war in his humanity trying to survive and desiring the end of his suffering. The agony produced by fire is not extinct by screams. A continuous suffering is an allusion described in Guernica. A jail with a small window let see a person asking for help while he is burning alive. The destruction of the war burns the expectation of life. In consequence, elements as fire and desperation jail innocent people with a unique consolation, shouting or crying. However, they could not have continued without hope. Hope is the last thing you lose. Although the entire picture means pain and sorrow, there are some small symbolisms that can mean a ray of light, a life expectancy. The light on the ceiling of the room is a representation of the village ideals and a goal to achieve. Light can means a hope to a new change and start over. Also the flower means life, this little flower means a new beginning; it is to say after all the suffering is possible to create a new society.
In conclusion, the picture represents pain in different scenarios. The author transmits all these messages and feelings with each character. He uses the black and white colors as a background to focus the serious mood on his artwork. Also the appearance of adults, children and animals to show that nobody was exempt of the suffering of this civil war is a reflection of the social consequences in the whole Spanish society.
References Aguirre, A. (n.d.). Retrieved on November 15, 2016, Retrieved from: http://home.moravian.edu/public/eng/writingCenter/prize/2014_FYS_Aguirre.pdf
Iván López Matthew Mackey English level 6 001 Nov 22, 2016 English in childhood as way to shape our sense of morality In Ecuador English is taught in schools since children are around 6 years old. This happen because English is considered a scientific and universal language, so learn English could help them in the future. According to the article “How Morality Changes in a Foreign Language”, the sense of morality of a human being changes depending if he is talking in their native language or another and this change in a more rational way. So, letting children learn English is a good idea. The sense of morality define what is good or what is bad, and this idea is shaped in our mind according to experiences and memories of each one, because what is considered good for someone wouldn´t be considered for another. In that way, if human have defined their sense of morality for each one supposedly that should be the same, without matter the language we speak. But there are studies that have proved that this might not work in this way. Studies published in the site web Scientific American proves that humans judgments are regulated by two ways “a quick level felling” when human judge is in their native language and other “careful deliberation about the greatest good for the greatest number” when humans judge in foreign languages.
In this way if humans just speak one language the majority of their judgments should be making according to their feelings, shaped by their experiences and memories. In adults this don´t happen because they usually think more and judge using their rationality, but this happens with less frequency in children because they don’t usually analyze much their answers, which means that their answers are more spontaneously, and judge just with their feelings or experiences. So, apart that learning English could help them to develop their brain could help them to be more rational at the time there are facing questions or problems. The, teaching English should be a good idea, but the problem is that according to this study our emotions are intertwined with our native language. In that way learning another language would help children to be more rational just if the way in which this is learned does not involve emotional activities because if involve emotional activities would become like another kind of native language making children use only their feelings in all their different situations. That could be true, but for example in Ecuador even when English has been taught for decades in schools, high schools and colleges is not a very common language outside classrooms, been more specific, outside of the English classrooms. In that way children do not have enough time to intertwine their emotions with the way in which English is learned, making that children learn this language be a good idea. There exist two ways to judge in deferments situations, one shaped by our feelings (native language) and another more rational (foreign language). As children have not
developed their rational thinking too much they usually face their problems and questions using only their feelings. So, let children learn English out of an emotional environment in addition to develop their brain could let them think in a more rational way.
References
A Methodology of Education as a Key to Learning Ivรกn Lรณpez Yachay Tech December 1, 2016
Abstract Presently there are many cases of people who, despite having graduated, have not been able to get a job or have much difficulty in getting one. The present essay explores this problem from the perspective of the transmission of knowledge, that is, how teachers teach their students as one of the most appropriate tools to truly ensure that what is studied is completely understood, and so, in this way not have many problems in the future. The essay is focuses on the fact that everyone is different and by this, interprets, sees and understands things in a proper way, that although they can or must conclude in the same answer, its construction can be completely different. Thus, knowledge is proposed as something that must be constructed to last a lifetime, in this way is proposed a study methodology that has students as main actors, making them construct the knowledge, and thus ensuring a true understanding of what has been studied.
A Methodology of Education as a Key to Learning In the article don’t buy the hype, college education is not an investment, is states that “a large number of college graduates are either unemployed or employed in jobs that don’t call for any academic preparation” (Leef, 2013), establishing that the fact of going to university is not a synonymous of an assured future. But, does this mean that the entire responsibility of this is only of the university they attended, or not only of this, but of any institution of academic preparation? The author does not focus on that; simply brings out this data. Surely there are many factors which currently make that any type of education does not guarantee anything, and one of these may be the methodology of education. That is to say the way in which knowledge is transmitted is always important to guarantee the understanding of what is being studied. Humans see and understand the world through their eyes, their experiences, and their problems. So, because everyone is different, because everyone understand things in different ways a study methodology that allows facing the problems to solve and to experience the theory to learn while you are studying, would be better in order to each one truly understand what they are studying The goal of every student is to fully understand what they are learning and that what is learned is not forgotten in the future Throughout student’s life many subjects are taught, some to the liking of the student and others not. This may make them more interested in some subjects than in others, but it is crucial to understand that no matter what they follow, there will always be subjects that are totally or partially disliked by them and which they will have to "learn" to pass anyway.
To transmit knowledge, there are many study methodologies, each one with its principles and their beliefs, all based on what these think is best for students; but as humans are different, depending on their abilities, one methodology will be better than another. The fact that we are different involves acting and seeing things from different perspectives depending on how we live and experience them. Experiences are those that form humans as people and make them interpret and act in front of the different challenges in different ways. For this reason, students need a study methodology that makes the learning process something totally natural. Learning something does not mean repeating something only when you need it and then forgetting it completely. When you truly understand something, it is learned forever and you truly learn something when you see it as something completely natural, that is to say you understand the reason of that theory or phenomenon. The fastest way to do something natural for humans it’s making them experience that. Thus, in the educational field this can mean seeing from where what they are studying is originates, and to experience the reason of these. When something becomes natural for humans they see, interpret and are able to do and understand it because they feel it as their own. So, to give an example, when someone learns to ride a bicycle or to swim, no matter how much time passes without doing these activities he can do it again intuitively. This is the ultimate goal of any study strategy, to make that what is studied "to become part of who studies" until the point of interpreting it as something natural, in order to no matter how long he or she does not use it, in the future, they should be able to do and understand it when they need it.
There is a methodology based on all this, and its name is Constructivism. This is founded in the main idea of an active education, in the belief that learning is much better for students when they are able to interact and relate with a problem, concept or anything that they want to learn. This philosophy motivates students by making them take a more active role in the learning process using interactive teaching strategies to create meaningful contexts that help students construct knowledge based on their own experiences. “In Constructivism students interact with the phenomena or problem that they are studying, students use the entrance and construct the meaning from what they perceive, stressing that education is not the passive acceptance of knowledge” (Hein, 1991) A lot of students learn or memorize what their schools teach to them when they are going to need or use those things. In that way, for the teachers maybe apparently they learn that subject. In some cases the truth is that students are selective, which means that they learn that subjects just for a moment, and a little bit after they don’t even remember what the subject talked about. What happened? Even if the students have a privileged memory or the subject that they learned is of their liking, if they don’t use those topics, the brain has no need to store it and soon after the brain forgets it. That is called a selective brain. This is how human brain works. In this way even if in the future students will need that knowledge, always is going to be something that they won’t remember, and in some cases they won't be able to remember many things, and they will need to re-study. This is a big problem in most schools and educational philosophies worldwide. Sometimes this happens because students receive the knowledge in a passive way, they “learn” and memorize things but really they don't even understand what they are studying, and this is
acceptable because some topics and discoveries took years, even centuries of researching to be understood in the way that it is currently seen, and sometimes, there are much more about subjects than as many times simply is presented in class. Teachers play an important role in student learning. They are always seeking to perfect their plans and strategies to teach focusing on what they believe is the best to inspire learning. (Johnson, 2015) Good teachers try to explain their topics to their students in the way that they think is the best, and sometimes it is, but that could not be enough. Even if their methodologies are great, always is going to be something that teachers for some reasons do not explain to their students because covering every aspect of each topic is very complicated. In those cases students will be obligated to research and investigate by their own in order to understand everything that was not explained by Professors. That is not so bad, students have to do their part in the education process, and in that way they could learn more. Even when students investigate on their own, there will be always something that they will not understand. So what can be done? A great alternative could be to let the students build their own knowledge because all that they are able to build is because they really were able to understand it is what Constructivism says. Constructivism is founded in the main idea of an active education, in the belief that learning is much better for students when they are able to interact and relate with a problem, concept or anything that they want to learn. This philosophy motivates students by making them take a more active role in the learning process using interactive teaching strategies to create meaningful contexts that help students construct knowledge based on their own experiences. “In Constructivism students interact with the phenomena or problem
that they are studying, students use the entrance and construct the meaning from what they perceive; stressing that education is not the passive acceptance of knowledge� Students see and interpret the world from their respective points of view. So if they face and are able to live directly what they are studying, they would be able to construct the knowledge for themselves, based on what they experience and understand. This is correct, but not everything that is imparted can be presented to the students in a way in which they can live or directly witness the subject or problem to be addressed either by resources or by the time it would take to live them. For this reason this methodology could only be reserved at certain levels, issues or problems in student life. Because of this, teachers are forced to engineer forms and methods that they believe are the most appropriate to impart knowledge, all based on many other philosophies of study founded in other methods to learn. It is true that not everything can be presented in a direct way, but the main problem with this is that as teachers explain issues with their methods, from their point of view; that is, from the way they see and interpret these. But, these can be seen or understood in a different way by their students, after all, we all think and see problems in a different way (from a perspective of our own). So even when not everything can be experienced directly, try that everything that can be experienced, be lived by students can be the key so that each one builds his own knowledge and truly understands the fundamentals of everything that they studies. So in this way, they would be able to even develop them more.
The way in which knowledge is learned and imparted plays an important role and can define our future. The learning process is a continuous process between students and teachers. Understanding well or not something can make a difference in how we deal with problems. And without a doubt the study must be established in a way that will last forever. A more active role involves greater participation increasing the interest of students for what is being learned, and building knowledge guarantees the understanding of what is being studied.
References Hein, G. (October 18,1991). exploratorium. Retrieved on October 15, 2016, from: https://www.exploratorium.edu/education/ifi/constructivist-learning Johnson, B. (July 17, 2015). Edutopia. Retrieved on October 15, 2016, from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-your-educational-philosophy-ben-johnson Leef, G. (January 12, 2015). Forbes. Retrieved on October 17, 2016, from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/06/12/dont-buy-the-hype-collegeeducation-is-not-an-investment/#78ddee177ee6
Thank you for reading my English portfolio. I hope
you
enjoyed
reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Sincerely, IvĂ n LĂ“pez