Reflection on my English learning journey
By chengfangfei
Honestly speaking, I have studied English since my primary school. But I do not think my eleven-year English learning is very effective. When I graduated from primary school, all I had learnt were very limited vocabulary, basic greetings, self-introduction and asking for directions. I was even not trained to write a short essay. In high school, our English paper consisted of very easy listening practice, short story comprehension in the form of MCQ, writing an article within 150 words and so on. However, when I came to Singapore for one-year bridging course, things that were taught and the way they were presented were totally different.
During my bridging course here, I was suddenly exposed to more advanced English. Our tutors taught us how to be an effective reader, do critical thinking and write academic essays on our own. Moreover, they introduced a variety of ways to learn English, like learning journey, conducting researches, writing reports and do weekly independent learning logs. The diverse English learning forms make English learning much more enjoyable and productive. My favorite part of the homework is the independent learning log. I can do whatever I want to do in this part, as long as it is helpful to improve my English. In most cases, I wrote summaries of the news I listened to, made an abstract of an English movie and reflected on it. Fortunately, my mentor Ms. Woon was so nice that she read all my writings and discussed with me about the roles, particular plots and many other aspects of the movie. She also often recommended some interesting videos and articles to me.
Thanks to the tutors’ guide and my fellows’ company, I have improved a lot and really enjoyed my English learning in bridging course. My bridging course has ushered me into a new stage of English learning where I can be more proficient and interested in it.