Entry #8 - Overall Reflection

This post is intended to showcase your final reflections about your internship experience. Use it to demonstrate your process, progress and growth as a language learner. How have you changed through the internship experience? 

Goals

Go back and read Entry #1. Did you attain the goals you had set at the beginning of the intership? Why or why not? Overall, what helped you to achieve your goals? What barriers were in place? 

Strategies 

Looking back, which language learning strategies did you use from the article, Profile of a Successful Language Learner? Which strategies worked for you? Which strategies did you abandon? How will you continue to use these strategies in your life now?   

Language

How has your level of English improved? In which areas do you notice the most difference (grammar, vocabulary, language level, structure of ideas, fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, etc)? What was the most challenging for you? What did you find easy?

Growth

What have you learned about yourself through this experience? What has it taught you about your strengths and weaknesses? How has it changed your perception of anglophone culture? What will you take away with you? 

The internship 

What did you gain from this experience? If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?   

Gratitude

How did you thank your host? What did you write in your thank you note or card. You can type the text here. 

The placement 

Would you recommend this internship placement to another student? Why or why not?

Blog entries 6, 7 & 8 are due Thursday, November 28 by 9pm. 

** Even if you still have hours left to complete, you are expected to write post 8 about your internship up until now. 

Entry #7: Practice makes perfect

In this post, compile some examples of dialogue that you have been witness to in your internship. 

Choose 2 of the following, and write about your experience. Don't forget to explain what you have learned from these examples. What conclusions can you draw?

1. Write out a dialogue where you made mistakes and another to show how you would avoid those mistakes in the future. Give the context of when and where this happened.

Phone interaction

Me: Hi Mister

Man: Excuse me, hello?

Me: Hi, I am calling to tell you about the party. 

Man: Who is this?

Me: Oh, I am a stagiare ...uh...intern from The Lasalle Community Centre.

Man: Oh, hello. And what party is this?

Me: The Christmas party on twenty-one December. Can you come?

Man: I will see. Thank you. (hangs up)

What I would say in the future

Me: Good afternoon, Sir. 

Man: Hello.

Me: I am sorry to bother you, but I am calling to invite you to our annual holiday party.

Man: Oh, thank you. When is it?

Me: It will take place next week, on Friday, December 21st.

Man: I will check my calendar and get back to you.

Me: Great. We'll be very happy to see you if you can make it. 

Man: Thanks for calling. 

2. Write out a dialogue to demonstrate an Ah-ha! moment where you realized something about language. Explain what happened and what you learned.

                 e.g. 

3. Write out part of a formal dialogue that you heard or participated in during your internship. What makes this conversation formal? What words or structures are formal? (e.g. If you are doing telephone work, write your script)

4. Write out part of an informal dialogue that you heard or participated in during your internship. What makes this conversation informal? What words or structures are informal? (e.g. If you interact with people your own age or hear your supervisor speak with a friend)

Note: Do not only provide the dialogue or example, make sure that you explain why you chose this dialogue and especially what you have learned from these experiences. 

Entry #6: Breaking it down

In your sixth blog entry:

It is very important that you demonstrate your language learning. Remember, this is an English course. You must give as many concrete examples as you can. For vocabulary, don’t simply write the new words you’ve heard. Explain the context where you heard these words, what they mean and how you will remember them and you may use them in the future.

How has your English improved so far during your internship?

Listening Comprehension

Is it easier for you to understand the people you work with at your internship than it was in the beginning? How has this changed? What strategies do you use to make sure that you understand the instructions you are given? Give examples.

Accent

Has your English accent changed at all during your internship? Are there words / phrases that are easier for you to say now? Have you learned new ways to pronounce words and vowels? Have you had any misunderstandings based on pronunciation? Are there words that you still struggle with? Do you notice different positions in your mouth when you speak? Give examples.

Fluency

Have you become more fluent in English? Which subjects are easier for you to talk about? Which subjects still cause you hesitation? What strategies have you used to become more fluent? Give examples.

Humour

What have you noticed about English humour? Give an example of a joke or funny situation that you understood. Give and example of a joke or funny situation that you didn’t undertand. How is English humour different from French humour? 

Accuracy

Have you made an attempt to speak more accurately? Or is your main goal fluency? Have you improved your language accuracy? e.g. Remembering to pronounce the 's' after plural nouns, or the third person simple present; pronouncing 'ed' after regular past tense verbs, as /t/, /d/ or /id/. Have you made any observations about language structures, grammar, questions word order, word endings or verb tenses in English?

New words, expressions or structures

Where did you hear/see this language? What was the context? What does it mean? How will it be useful to you in the future?

Entry #5 - Cultural Encounters

In your fifth blog entry:

You have now been in your internship for at least 12 hours. Use your journal and think back on all the time you've spent at your host organization so far. 

Make cultural observations and ask the people in your internship about anglophone culture. Then compare the anglophone experience with Quebecois culture.

• What cultural objects are displayed in the host organization? (Religious symbols? Flags? Paintings? Posters? Sculptures? Advertisements?)

• Do you hear music played during your internship? If so, what kind? Do people listen to radio? Ask them which stations they listen to.

• Do you see newspapers, flyers or pamphlets lying around? Ask the people in your internship what newspapers, books and magazines they read? 

• Ask people how they feel about different holidays: St. Jean Baptiste vs. Canada Day, Do they celebrate Thanksgiving, Easter, etc? Or other holidays? What do they do to celebrate?

• For those who celebrate Christmas (don't assume that everyone does) ask about their celebration. Do they go to midnight mass? Do they open presents on the 24th or 25th? What special dishes do they prepare? What is the connection to religion for them? 

• Describe other cultures you have been exposed to in your internship. What have you learned? What has surprised you?

Describe the types of English you have been exposed to

• Have you heard any slang, expressions or informal language?

• Have you done any reading or writing in your internship?

• Have you had the opportunity to use your 5 idioms from our class notes?

Rewards and challenges

• What has been the most difficult aspect of the internship for you so far?

• What has been the best part about the internship?

If you are in English 100/101, you should write 150 - 200 words

If you are in English 102/103, you should write 300 words

Entry #4: The world is your classroom

In your fourth blog entry:

Discuss linguistic interference

Describe ways in which your first language (or second language) has interfered with your communication in English. Tie in some of the theory we discussed in class, week 2 (check back in your notes). Have you noticed any challenges caused by linguistic interference? What misunderstandings or realizations have you had due to accent, grammar, vocabulary or idioms and expressions? How do these observations contribute to your progress as a language learner?

How is learning English different in your internship than in a classroom?

Make comparisons between being in a language immersion situation and being in a language classroom. 

• How are you able to acquire language without a traditional structured classroom setting? 
• Reflect on language learning strategies that have been effective or not
• What challenges have you faced?

Select 2 - 3 new words, expressions or structures

Where did you hear/see this word or expression? Define the word or expression and explain a situation where you could use it in the future.

You may also describe your reflections on the rewards and challenges of the internship experience.

Remember:

If you are in English 100/101, you should write 150 - 200 words

If you are in English 102/103, you should write 300 words

** You will be evaluated on language, structure and content.

See you soon for your summative oral presentation!

Entry #3 - Diving in!

"Immersion brain" from the New York Times article 'How Immersion Helps to Learn a Language'

In your third blog entry:

Describe interactions you’ve had in English and what you learned from them

What was said? What was communicated through body language? What was new for you (expressions, intonation, polite language)? How will this interaction contribute to your progress as a language learner?

Describe your observations of anglophone culture

What have you noticed that is different from a typical francophone environment? How do people greet each other? Do they use first names / last names / titles? What type of humour do people use? What do people do to show politeness? What happens when people disagree? How do people dress? Do they take long breaks? Do they show up on time?

Select 2 - 3 new words, expressions or structures

Where did you hear/see this language? What was the context? What does it mean? How will it be useful to you in the future?

You may also describe your reflections on the rewards and challenges of the internship experience.

Remember:

If you are in English 100/101, you should write 150 - 200 words

If you are in English 102/103, you should write 300 words

** You will be evaluated on language, structure and content.

Have a great week!

p.s. The schedule for the mid-internship presentations is posted outside my office (2.460)

Entry #2 - First Impressions

In your second blog entry, describe your first impressions of your internship placement:

• What did you notice on the first day?
• What did you observe about language?
• What did you observe about culture? 

• What new language structures did you learn?
• Begin your language lexicon 
• Include: 2-5 new words, expressions, structures, etc
• Did you have any misunderstandings?

• What can you learn from these mistakes?

Remember:

If you are in English 100/101, you should write 150 - 200 words

If you are in English 102/103, you should write 300 words

** You will be evaluated on language, structure and content.

Note: Blog entries 1 & 2 are now due Wed., Oct. 9 by 9pm.