Online Class Notes (Ally)

Vocabulary

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Introduction -> direct response to the thesis

Portfolio one: Feedback Action Plan

Name: Clover

Word count: 797

In the past few weeks in the MPPOP course, I have learned a lot not only about industry knowledge, but also about academic writing and studying skills. During my time in class, I have received valuable feedback from my tutors and peers. I reviewed these feedback carefully, and upon reflection, I have made general conclusions about the ways to improve my academic performance in future studies. In this assignment, I picked two pieces of feedback, one from my tutor and the other from my peer, to review and analyze.

The first feedback, which is from my tutor, is that I need more rehearsals before a presentation. In the second week, we were assigned a presentation practice about 5 reasons why games should be widely used in school. I made the presentation to our three-people group first, and then I had the opportunity to make the same presentation to the whole class. I was really looking forward to my presentation, but I was too nervous when I spoke because I am very inexperienced at public speaking. I spoke too slow on some parts, and on other parts, I forgot some content. However, in my second try, I managed to correct some of these mistakes and I felt a sense of achievement after the successful finish. The tutor noted that my fluency was good and I used some sequencing words like “firstly” and “secondly”. Furthermore, he also commented that I had a wide range of topic-specific vocabulary, a good choice of topic which was interesting and thoughtful, and my slides were visually attractive. However, I still had some problems in hesitation and pronunciation. For example, there were some awkward, unnecessary pauses during the course of my presentation, and some words like “experiential” and “increased” were not pronounced correctly. Moreover, the content was so long that it probably exceeded the time limit. As a result, the teacher suggested that I should do more rehearsals before the presentation. I think this suggestion is very accurate and helpful.

Based on this feedback, I have made a specific action plan for my future presentation assignments. Firstly, I think I spent too much time searching for the articles. Consequently, I spent less time rehearsing and was not able to control the time very well. Therefore, for my next presentation project, I will make a timetable before I start to set different deadlines for each part. Secondly, too much content also caused me to exceed the time limit. I will record the required time for each section during the rehearsal so that I can control the speed of my presentation. Thirdly, English is my second language, so I recognized that there are problems with my pronunciation, but I did not ask my teachers and peers for help to correct the mistakes in my speaking. In this aspect, I will actively ask my teachers and peers for assistance. I also learned some skills on how to give a perfect presentation. Although we can not give a presentation face-to-face, keeping eye contact and not keeping a stable body posture is really useful for communicating with the audience. Also, when I am talking about the more difficult or informative parts of my content, I can elaborate on my points and use more examples for the audience to understand. Stories and personal experiences can also attract the attention of the audience. * It is undoubtedly that more than ten times rehearsals can solve the problems mentioned.* I will rehearse in front of the mirror to make sure that I am ready for presentation day.

The second feedback, which is from my peer, is that I should use more linking words to connect the simple sentences. When I wrote my draft on my reflection, my peer told me that I used too many simple sentences which were bad for cohesion. For example, I wrote the sentences ” ” and ” “. *when I had a topic on five reasons why games should be widely used in school, I made five different slides for the presentation.* During the time of my writing, I didn’t realize this problem at all and I was satisfied with these sentences. Thanks to my peer’s advice, next time, I will be more careful and thorough in my academic writing.

Academic writing is particularly difficult for me because English is my second language and before the MPPOP, I had never used English to study other subjects. To improve my writing and overall English language abilities, I have made several changes in my studying habits. Firstly, I searched for different linking words and phrases online and recorded all the connectors different categories according to their usage. This index will help me learn and memorize these linking words. Then, I will practice applying these words by using them to make four sentences every day. Finally, I will show my work to peers and teachers, and ask them to correct any mistakes for me. I think that after daily practice, I will be able to gradually improve my writing, especially in cohesion and grammar structures. Improved coherence and accurate grammar structure in my essays will make my ideas more clear to my audience.

Overall, I think this feedback action plan exercise is extremely important for me. By reflecting on my past mistakes and seeking areas of improvement, I’m able to make summaries and conclusions about my academic performance and studying habits. In addition to reflections, I’m also able to make specific plans that will motivate me to take actions if I want to achieve my goals. Moreover, through communicating with my tutors and peers, we will build stronger friendships. These important skills will be great benefits to my future independent studying.