Class Test

The idea of a class test was at first very nerve wracking and I wished we could have had an assignment to complete instead. This obviously was not going to happen and so I decided that although I had been finding the lectures challenging there was no point burying my head in the sand, I had to start revising. I completed my revision by painstakingly going through class notes, handouts and textbooks to compile a list of terms and their definitions which I could then go back to. Once I was happy with my revision notes I spent a few minutes here and there reading and re-reading them to myself and then asked my boyfriend to test me. This was quite funny in itself and he said a few things which helped me to remember the definitions I had written. On the morning of the test I felt surprisingly calm I think this is because I had really tried hard to prepare and had decided that I could only do my best. The class test has definitely helped as I had to clarify concepts that I struggled with in order to revise thoroughly and although at first I dreaded the idea in the end I found it a positive experience. Perhaps this will help me to embrace new challenges in the future instead of just panicking at the thought of something new.

What is a critical essay? task

My knowledge of Educating Rita has been enhanced by reading the comments posted onto the discussion board by other group members. By each posting our ideas onto the discussion board we were then able to collaborate one paragraph which demonstrated all of our ideas. The points raised by individual members helped to clarify my idea that Rita thought as long as she had answered the question correctly then she should gain a good mark even though she had put little thought or effort into her analysis. I think that the process of reading other peoples paragraphs will have a positive impact on my essays in the future. This is because I can refer back to the comments and ensure that I have addressed all of the points that make a critical essay. It is also very useful as the exercise has helped me to check whether or not my idea of what makes a critical essay is similar to that of other people.

Reflection - Phonetics and The Phonetic Alphabet

I have chosen to base my reflection on the phonetic alphabet; this is because it is a concept that before I started the course I was unfamiliar with. I had heard of people spelling ‘phonetically’ but did not fully grasp what this meant. I really like the idea of the phonetic alphabet and understanding how this works as I feel that this will be very useful to me in the future. I hope to teach in a Primary School so feel that having the knowledge of different letter combinations producing different sounds will be a fantastic help when teaching young children to read.

Although the idea of different combinations of letters producing different sounds is not a new one the actual phonetic alphabet is to me. I found spelling words using the phonetic alphabet challenging as my pronunciation of words is not always the same as Received Pronunciation and this affected my symbol choice. I think that the phonetic alphabet is a fantastic idea and a very useful aid when studying phonetics. However, I feel that I personally would struggle if, say tomorrow, it was to replace the traditional alphabet. This is simply because it is not what I am used to and words to me just do not ‘feel right’ when written phonetically. I genuinely feel that the concept of phonetics and the phonetic alphabet has challenged my thoughts on learning how to read. It is such a long time ago that I was taught to read that it just seems natural that certain letters produce certain sounds, this idea has reminded me that it is not an inherent ability and that I was taught it even though I cannot remember learning to read.