MY EXPERIENCE AT ENGLISH COURSE VANESSA HINOJOSA ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM YACHAY, ECUADOR
Contents Portfolio letter ............................................................5 Response Essay ..........................................................8 Literary Analysis......................................................14 Interpretation (Colaborative) Essay........................19 Research Paper ........................................................25 Additional Material .................................................34 Thank you Letter .....................................................35
PORTFOLIO LETTER
Vanessa Hinojosa Universidad Yachya Tech, San Miguel de UrcuquĂ, Imbabura, Ecuador December 11, 2016
Dear Portfolio Reader,
An important part of learning is to share with others your experience. So that, I want to share w my experiences in level six of English Academic Program of Yachay Tech. I am Vanessa Hinojosa, and I thank you for reading my letter and my portfolio. In the followings paragraphs, you will know how my skills of writing, talking, and listening have improved. Also, you can find in my portfolio the essays that I have written along that semester. The learning process of a new language has been exhausting and frustrating sometimes. However, the satisfaction to finish the English program and to realize that my abilities have been improved overcome the bad feelings. I hope that you enjoy this text. At the beginning of this semester, I had some expectations of level six of English some of them was successful, and other was wrong. When I finished level 5 I thought that in level six I would be only writing and presenting expositions. I thought that level six would be very exhaustive and that I could not finish that level successfully. However, level six not was only writing and presenting expositions we could do other activities. On one hand, we did debates, analysis of literary works and art, and even we had a hallowing day. On the other hand, I was waiting to talk a lot at level six, and it was right. Every day, before to start classes our professor asked a question and all participated. In that manner, we could practice our talking abilities. So that, my expectation to talk was right, but my expectations of only to write were wrong. Nevertheless, I learn a lot about to write essays.
The most important think that I have learned about to write was to be organized and to do peer reviews. I always left my homework and especially my essays for the last time. In level six of English, we worked on our final research since the beginning of the course. In that manner, we worked first on the topic, then on the thesis, the opposing viewpoint, and on the outline, so when was time to finish the research it was only to follow the outline and to work on details. I want to say that, to plan helped me to write my essay in the minimum time and to do more organized my essay. Additionally, in the majority of essays, we did a peer review before to deliver it. In that manner, I could check mistakes that I did not realize before. Also, I could have another point of view of my essays, and my classmates helped me to add ideas in order to do better my essays. Finally, I want to say you thanks for reading my portfolio. It is the reflection of my work in this semester, and I hope you enjoy it. Something is sure, it is the beginning of a new stage because I have had class in English yet in my career, and English will be for four semesters more and in the rest of my life. Definitely, it was a wonderful experience in which I shared more than knowledge. I made good friends, and I enjoyed to go my English class despite the schedule.
Gratefully,
Vanessa Giselle Hinojosa Chasiquiza
RESPONSE ESSAY
A Complete Education: Self-Education and Formal Education Must Work Together to Maximize the Learning Process. Vanessa Hinojosa Level 6-002 Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research October 2nd, 2016
A complete education: Self-education and formal education working together to maximize the learning process Why do Harvard or Yale University have so many students who wish to begin to study there year after year? Why do they not develop knowledge from their home without pressure if information is available from internet? Despite the information on internet to learn, people still prefer university. On the one hand, one of the most important factors of this issue is that university offers a degree which is valued to get a job. On the other hand, many students fail at university or spend a lot of time at university. In order to reach successful the learning process, self-education has many advantages which can be useful in the formal education. For these reasons, people should develop self-education as a complement to their formal education to develop skills and to do the learning process more successful. Scott H. Young talks about self-education and formal education in his text called “Why Self-Educated Learners Often Come Up Short”. In his text, the author presents selfeducation as a viable way to learn general knowledge. However, this method is not good enough to have a deep knowledge. In order to develop a deep knowledge, the author bases his ideas in Ben Casnocha’s “T” model for learning new things. This means that at the top of “T” is the general knowledge, and at the bottom is the specific knowledge. For example, reading books about Biology gives a general understanding of life principles, so self-education works in this case. However, to be a specialist in Evolution or Genetics, it is not enough. Also, he argues that formal education has a guide which allows being oriented and that formal education force people to maintain focus through incentives such as assignments or exams. However, the author asserts that even in formal education it is necessary to develop selfeducation, and to keep in mind the application of the knowledge in order to maintain the student (Young, 2010).
Self-education is necessary to acquire general knowledge which helps to develop deep knowledge in formal education. According to the author, self-education is a powerful tool to learn about basics things. It could be achieved through reading. However, to be really good in something, it is important to have deep knowledge, and formal education allows it (Young, 2010). In universities, sometimes professors assume that students have enough knowledge to understand complicated things. However, the students do not have all knowledge due to the fact that they did not learn all things in the last subject or they forgot them. For these reasons, it is important that students work on their self-education to expand their knowledge by themselves. For example, before beginning the course of Microscopy, students can learn by themselves about techniques of lab or the parts of microscope. In that manner, the students will have the knowledge to carry out their course, and they can focus on things more specific as techniques of microscopes. In order that students are really good in something, selfeducation and formal education should work in this manner. Students need discipline, a curriculum or a plan of study in order to make the learning process more organized and easier to follow. According to the author, it is necessary that selfeducation has a plan of study to avoid that students are lost in their studies. Also, he argues that self-education requires more discipline than education in universities (Young, 2010). In formal education, the curriculum allows to develop skills and knowledge in sequence, and it avoids that the student loses time. For instance, a student who wants to learn about differential equations needs discipline to read a lot of things and to practice every day. However, after time, he realizes that he needs integral calculus as background. It is different in formal education, the curriculum analyzes these aspects. First, the student should learn differential calculus, then integral calculus, and then differential equations. In that manner, the curriculum would be the best tool to organize the learning process.
The application of knowledge must be included in formal education. An interesting viewpoint of Young is about the approach of self-education. He sustains that “the actual use of the knowledge is put in a backseat to passing tests” (Young, 2010). However, in selfeducation, the real application of ideas is always present because it maintains the student’s motivation. This should be included in formal education with the target of the students note the real application of learned ideas. Thus, formal education should develop places in which students can apply their knowledge, such as projects or internship. This could keep students motivated. In conclusion, Young shows the advantages of self-education and factors that prevent it from being successful. Also, he mentions the benefits of formal education such as the curriculum, and the importance of the development of both qualities, self and formal education. This is due to the fact that self-education can be useful to acquire general knowledge which is important in formal education. Also, to achieve an organized learning it is necessary to have a plan of study, and the better way is through formal education which has a curriculum. This stops you from getting lost. Moreover, universities should work in order to apply the knowledge of students to the real world. This will help the student to be motivated. For these reasons, it is important that self-education and formal education work together. In that manner, the student could develop a deeper knowledge and his learning process will be more successful.
References Young, S. H. (February, 2010). Why self-educated learners often come up short [Blog]. Retrieved from: https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2010/02/24/self-educationfailings/
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Literary Analysis: Araby Vanessa Hinojosa Level 6-002 Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research October 13, 2016
Literary Analysis: Araby Who did not want to back at time when was a child, a world with games and without responsibilities was? Everyone had to come of age, or sall do it. Araby by James Joyce is a story about a boy who falls in love for first time, and he wishs to go the araby bazzar to buy a gift for a girl. It is narrated in first person in order to intensify the feelings to the reader. The main theme in this story is coming of age and the story shows this in three aspects: when the boy goes with his aunt for marketing, when he goes alone to the bazar, and when he is disappointed because the bazzar is closed. The boy goes with his aunt to buy at market represents the responsibilities that he has. The activities of the child are not only playing now. He must help his aunt, and she trust on him. In that manner, the boy is involved in an activity to adult life, and it shows that the aunt sees him as an active member of the family. She does not see him like a baby to care, instead of that she sees him like a person who can help in the family activities, and she allows other activities like going alone to the bazaar. To go alone to the bazaar means that he can take care of himself. In the story the boy leaves the house at 9:00 pm. Normally, little boys do not came out at this time. However, he goes to the bazaar without any problem about the time. Also, he goes in a train. t means that the bazaar is far of his house. In that manner, his aunt and uncle consider that he has the enough age to take care of himself. Despite the time and the distance, he continues his adventure to obtain the gift to the girl, and he was disappointed because there almost all was closed. The closed bazaar represents the deceptions of life. He express his feelings at the end, when he says “gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity, and my eyes buned with anguish and anger� (Joyce, 1914). Despite his effort to obtain the gif to the girl he cannot achieve this. There was a problem that he cannot control; his uncle
arrived later. He is on a situation of despair, and nobody can help them. In that manner, the author shows how the boy must confront a situation as a man .He is alone, he cannot cry and wait for help as a boy. Thus, the boy is coming of age. In conclusion, the author of Araby tries to show the reader the coming of age of a boy. It is showed when the boy goes with his aunt to marketing, when he goes alone to the bazaar and take care of himself, and when he had a deception to do not obtain the gift to the girl. Therefore, the main theme of Araby is coming of age.
Reference Joyce, J. (1914).”Araby” the Dubliners.
INTERPRETATION (COLLABORATIVE) ESSAY
Tenderness-Oswaldo Guayasamin Kevin Cardenas Vanessa Hinojosa Andrea Valenzuela Level 6-002 Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research November 11, 2016
Tenderness-Oswaldo Guayasamin “My painting is two worlds. From skin for inside it is a scream against the racism and the poverty; from skin to outside it is the synthesis of the time that I had to live” O. Guayasamín. Oswaldo Guayasamín was an Ecuadorian painter, drawer, sculptor, graphic designer and muralist. His work is divided in three stages: Huacayñan, The Age of Anger and the Age of Tenderness. In the last stage he has more than one hundred of artworks. The importance of this piece of art is know the Ecuadorian art, culture and history. This painting has different elements like colors, shapes, characters which to be analyzed have a mutual interpretation. His work Tenderness pays tribute to mothers which protect and love their children despite adversities, and it is a symbol of defense of life. In this piece of art people can observe different elements such as color, figures and shapes. Tenderness is a painting done by the Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín in 1989. This type of work was done in oil on canvas with a measurement of 135x100 cm. The background of the painting has an opaque blue color, and in this painting there are a woman and a child. The woman has a combination of few colors which are the yellow and the brown. In addition, the woman has her eyes closed, and she frowns. Furthermore, she has a hump and her ribs are noticed, and she has her big hands and her arms are slender and elongated with which she is hugging a child while she rests her head on his. On the other hand, the child has the same colors of the woman's skin and he is just as thin as the woman and he does not show his hands. The child's face does not show happiness, he is serious, his eyes are open and they are dark which are highlighted with a sky blue color. The painting tenderness transmits feelings and situations through all its elements. The title is Tenderness because it reflects the affection that the women has to child. It is the adjective that describes delicacy, sweetness, pure and gratuitous love, and it suggests that the woman is the child’s mother. The use of warm and pure colors to paint the mother and the child gives
warmth to the bond that unites them. Also, colors are similar to the colors of the earth. The colors that used more were the blue ones, yellow and green that when contrasting with the black and white they aroused much the attention of the spectator. The position of the child in the center of the mother and the embrace of the mother represents how the protection of the mother's womb remains beyond childbirth. Moreover, the frowns seem like the mother does not want to set free the child. On the other hand, the mother's eyes reflect her love, while those of the child convey their naivety and delicacy. Besides, the hands looks like the hands of indigenous people that work in the agriculture, and the shape of the lips and the ribs show the mistreatment or suffer of them. Additionally, eyes and nose are reflections of the world of the indigenous. The main point of the author is the love of mothers, the wish to protect their children, and to reflect the reality of indigenous people. The title and the affection of the mother to the child show the strong link between mothers and their children, and it is a way to express the love, delicacy, and sweetness that mothers have. Also, the earthy colors relate mother with the earth. The earth give us food and it is generous like mothers are with their children. Moreover, the hug that the mother gives to her child shows as she tries to protect him, and it express the wish that life continues. In the same way, the frown of the mother is because she want not set free the child. It is interpreted as the mother want to avoid the suffer of the child and the wish that the child has a better future. Additionally, the agriculture hands and their bony ribs is an expression of suffer, mistreatment and abuse that indigenous people had. Besides, the look of the child express the naivety and delicacy, it could be interpreted as hope for a better life. Finally, the painting tenderness is composed of a diversity of elements like shapes, colors and figures which communicates moods and states. The analysis of all these elements permits obtain a meaning of the artwork. The interpretation of this painting is the love of the mother, the requirement to defend her child, and to reproduce the authenticity of indige no us
people. Tenderness of Oswaldo Guayasamin send a message that the love of a mother is infinity and she always will protects us.
References http://www.pixelle.co/oswaldo- guayasamin/ Universia Ecuador. (2013). Descubre. Available at: http://noticias.universia.com.ec/en portada/noticia/2013/06/13/1030108/descubre-ternura-oswaldo-guayasamin.html
RESEARCH PAPER
Combination of Formal and Self-Education to do More Successful the Learning Process Vanessa Hinojosa Level 6-002 Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research December 06, 2016
Abstract Education is important, and the purpose of that research is to inform the advantage of formal and self-education to combine them in order to do the learning process more successful. It is known that both methods of study have deficits. On one hand, people gives importance to formal education, but they do not take it seriously. Also, less relevance subjects can be skipped. However, the advantages are that formal education encourages the healthy competitive, stablishes goals, and it is organized. On the other hand, in self-education the risk to find incorrect sources is higher, but self-education creates habits of continuous study. So that, GroĂ&#x; in his video talk about that in self-education the priority should be the experience, so to earn money pass to a second plane. Therefore, this idea can be applied in formal education in the same way to retrieve the seriousness to formal education. In the same way, more combinations are developed in this paper in order to do the learning process more successful.
Combination of Formal and Self-Education to do More Successful the Learning Process Lately, more people decide to abandon formal education and to learn by themselves, and it is a good question know which method is better. Something is sure, education is important. The main idea is to take advantage of all available resources to be a person who is competitive in this changing world. Formal education offer diversities advantage in front of self-education and the comfortability method to learn through self-education is a plus point of it. So that, which method allow the maximum learning in students? Nowadays, it is very mentioned already to combine formal and self-education in order to develop all skills of students. Thus, formal education has a bigger advantage compare with self-education, but it shows disadvantage which can be improved with the inclusion of self-education. So, both methods of study can join in order to de more successful the learning process. Formal and self-education have issues in their system of learning. On one hand, much importance has been given to formal education, but nobody takes it seriously. In the majority of case, people go to university to obtain a degree in order to find a good job and to make money. To take education seriously does not mean to do good essays or obtain good qualities. It means to understand concepts and how to use it (Srivastava, 2016). Additionally, students tend to study only for exams, and it usually is in the last days before to the exam. Another issue with formal education is that it is not possible to skip less relevant material, and as consequence, there is a waste of time, or students do not learn as much as they thought or expected to learn. On the other hand, people who learn by themselves running the risk to lose the interest if they do not consider the application of what they are learning. Additionally, a higher risk is that the majority sources in self-education come from the internet, and it could have incorrect information. In the same way, each one has advantages which could be joined in order to do the learning process more successful.
Formal education has advantages which allow to the student to be competitive. Formal education is more than studying, it is about “following a particular routine on a daily basis which enables students to complete their academic activities within the specified deadlines” (Essay Demon, 2012). In this way, homework, exams, informs, essays are the tools to create that particular routine. Assignments which should be delivered on a determined date promote responsibility in students, and it is necessary for them when they will working or researching. Formal education promotes the healthy competitive. In that manner, “the desire to get ahead and do the best in terms of various academic activities among individual students enable them to compete in a healthy way” (Essay Demon, 2012). In fact, in universities despite the competitive to be the best of the class between students they tend to cooperate with them. For example, when they must do a lab practice they carry out it working in team. Therefore, students not only work in their academic learning, but also they share knowledge and learn to work in a team. In this competitive world to establish goals is fundamental, and it is achieved through formal education. In “formal education teaches students to set individual goals to achieve. It broadens their horizon and enables them to think and create situations and opportunities where they can succeed” (Essay Demon, 2012). This allows to students to be more precise and effective in the labor world and to lead a group of people due to the fact that with a goal based is easier to measure the advances or the points of failure. Formal education is organized and structured, and it has objectives of learning (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2016). In this way, Curriculum is an important part of this organization. It allows an ordered learning in such a way that the enough basis can be settled first and then it is possible to deep the knowledge in some specific field. For example, it is indispensable to learn Math before to learn to program. It is because to learn to program it is indispensable to have basic knowledge of linear algebra,
logic, algorithms, etc. So, it is clear that formal offers a strong advantage. However, selfeducation has its points in favor. Self-education allows to develop habits of continuous study. Learning is a process of entire life due to the changing world. “There will always be more to learn and there isn't a single source that can teach you everything you need to know” (Mansaray, 2012). Thus, a competitive person should be learning continuously, and self-education develops curiosity in a person to learn. It means that, knowledge is enormous and it can be learned in an only place. For that reason self-education is important because it allows to investigate topics which are of interest of the person, and they are not included in curriculums of formal education. The T Model works to develop general knowledge and basis. According to Young (2010). “I really enjoy Ben Casnocha’s “T” model for learning new things. The idea is that, ideally, there should be a wide range of subjects you have a basic understanding of (the broad top of the T). But, in addition, there should also be a select few skills you are an expert in (the narrow stem of the T)” So, self-education works in the knowledge of the top of the “T”. In that manner, it is easier learn by ourselves the things of basic understanding because the majority of them have been studied for expert, and it is possible to access to correct information through the internet. Additionality, it is not necessary a professor who guides the education unlike in specific knowledge in which the doubts will be more complex, and it will be indispensable a mentor in order to find answers. Now, the question is how formal and self-education are related? The thinking of to consider a formal education as medium to earn money could be changed through self-education. In order to be more successful the learning process and to obtain a deep knowledge. Groß a remarkable, young man with a passion for psychology in his video, “forget university 4 steps to design your own education” says that you must work
focused on acquiring experience, then with hard work and step by step the opportunities pop up (GroĂ&#x;, 2014) . That is, to think in how to obtain money does not ensure the successful, eventually, the effort generate good opportunities. Then, the author suggests that in selfeducation it is necessary to keep the effort in mind and to forget to earn money. So, it could be applied in formal education and added to healthy competitive the deep knowledge could be achieved. Also, it is important that students organize their learning, it means to base goals. The continuous study developed from self-education can avoid that the goal of students will be only to pass the exams. In formal education, it is not possible to skip subjects considered less important for the student. It is a cause that people study only for approving the subject or the semester. However, the designed curriculum by universities contains subjects to the student be versatile, and he/she can learn things of different fields. On the other hand, it was said that self-education allows to develop a habit of continuous study. In that manner, a criterion of self-education in universities makes that students study the subject continuously, and it avoids to leave all the content to study at the final of the semester or when the exam is coming. Therefore, a true comprehension of the subject is achieved, and the learning process is improving. Many people think that in order to achieve their goals they should give up to formal education and focus on a specific topic. They argue that formal education limits their capacities and has useless subjects. Also, another argument is that the grades of formal education are a superficial qualification (Petersen, 2016). For example in Yachay, many students do not agree with common trunk, and some of then leave the university because they think that the subjects that they must take are unnecessary to their career, and they argue that the grades do not reflect their knowledge. Similar to this example, in many universities, people leave it to learn by themselves about an only topic and to start a business. However,
they do not give the right importance of this subjects and the grades, and they underestimate the contribution of them to their career. University does not limit the skills, and all subject have a purpose. A professional should be multidisciplinary. It means that he should know not only topics about his career, he should have knowledge of different areas in order to contribute to the society. In that manner, the curriculum plays an important role because it allows to improve the economy of a country, and it provides the tools to find the solution of world´s problems such as poverty, climate change, and others (Alvior, 2015). Also, universities have space in which students can develop projects to their liking. Thus, it is not necessary to give up to formal education to achieve personal goals because universities offer space in which you can develop your ideas. Also, “unnecessary subjects� certainly are necessary because they allow to be a multidisciplinary professional, and it provides the tools to solve problems of society. In conclusion, formal education has the disadvantage as the student do not take it seriously, or that it does not allow skip less importance subjects. Also, self-education has problems in its method. The major problem in the risk to learn with incorrect information. However, both has advantages. On one hand, formal education promotes the healthy competition. It allows to base goals. It is organized, structured, and it has learning objectives. On the other hand, self-education allows to develop habits of continuous study. In that manner, self-education avoid to consider formal education as a medium to earn money. In the same way, it avoids that the goal of students will be only to pass the exams. Besides, to give up to formal education does not the solution to achieve personal goals because the university does not limit the skills. For these reasons, it is clear that the advantage of formal education is better of self-education, and it is possible to take the advantage of both in order to do the learning process more successful.
References Alvoir, M. (2015, February 28). The Meaning and Importance of Curriculum Development. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/meaning- importance-curriculumdevelopment-dr-mary-alvior Essay Demon. (2012, August 16). Benefits of formal education. Retrieved from http://www.essaydemon.com/essay-articles/benefits-formal-education/ GroĂ&#x;, T. [TEDs Talks]. (2014, October 20). Forget university? 4 steps to design your own education | Till H. GroĂ&#x; | TEDxKlagenfurt [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUnpSYMNEhY Mansaray, D. (2012). The Big Self-Education Project. Retrieved from: http://www.davidmansaray.com/big-self-education-project Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]. (2016). Recognition of Non-formal and Informal Learning. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/skillsbeyond-school/recognitionofnon- formalandinformallearning-home.htm Petersen, J. (2016, January 19). 7 Reasons why self-education or homeschooling is becoming more popular. Retrieved from Collective evolution. Retrieved from http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/01/19/7-reasons-why-self-education-iswhat-you-need-nowadays/ Srivastava, V. (2016, January 9). What are the drawbacks of formal education?. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-drawbacks-of-formal-education Young, S. (2010, February). Why self-educated learners often come up short [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2010/02/24/self-educationfailings/
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
MY CLASSMATES, MY FRIENDS
I hope this work has been to your liking. This work reflects my progress in my English writing skills. Thank you again for read it.