Entry # 8 - Overall Reflection

Goals

I don’t really attain my goals because I need more practice and time. But I think I am less

shy to speak or to ask some question in English. Of course I need to practice again and

again.

Strategies

I used some strategies like to repeat some word if I have difficulty to pronounce them. After I

ask someone who speaks very well in English, if it’s correct like I pronounce the word. I

used the strategies of to watch the television in English to help with the pronunciation.

Finally, I used the strategies to talk little bit with my friend or too with the student at High

School James Lyng to become less shy. All these strategies worked for me except to watch

the television in English. Because I love to watch the television and it helps me, really but I

don’t have a time. Of course, I will use these strategies in my future like for others

languages because they help me with my pronunciation.

Language

My level of English doesn’t improve for oral or pronunciation. I have again difficulty with my

structure sentence and sometimes I am so stress then I forget some words. I need just more

practice. I see a little bit difference because I am less shy to ask some question. I know now

it’s more good try to speak English like it’s not good the structures sentence or others things

of don’t talk in English and never practice to learn more about the language. I don’t find

easy some things and the most difficulty for me it’s my pronunciation like I said before.

Growth

I learn about myself of I am able to speak in English and to try if I want. I need just to be less

shy and don’t scare. Yes. I learn more about Anglophone culture because before I knew

practically nothing about this culture. This experience gives me a glance on Anglophone

culture. I loved this experience.

The internship

I learn many things with this experience. Like some expressions, some words. I could see

how the English High School is like in office. It’s very complicated. I meet really good

people. I don’t do differently this experience if I had to do it again. I gave my best and I tried

to speak like I can.

Gratitude

I thank my host with firstly to thanking her to help me and the most important to accept me.

Finally, I gave to her a little gift. It was some chocolates. If I wrote notes or card to my host

for thanksgiving her it was: I want to thanksgiving you for all for your patience, your smile

and for to teach me some things. If I have an others internship to do I want to come back

with. I appreciate all. Thanks you and I hope to see again.

The placement

I recommend this internship to others students because all people are so good. They are

patience mainly my host: Allannah Murphy. If I have to do this experience again, of course, I

want to come back there.

Entry # 7 - Pratice makes perfect (Jan. 9 - Jan. 16)

Interaction with the secretary in office.

Me: Miss? Can you write the word lesstick?

Secretary: What?

Me: Can you write the word lesstick? The word you say me last time and I don't understood.

Secretary: Aaah! You want I write lipstick? You need that?

Me: No. I don't know how I can explain this. It's the word of the last time please.

Secretary: Oh.. eum.. I don't understand really.

Me: Eumm.. because you say me last time: Can you take the lesstick in all the room please? You know, little paper for the absence.

Secretary: Aaaah ok I understand now, you want I write latestick?

Me: Yes! I have very difficulty to pronunciate this word. I need to practice.

Secretary: It's ok, no problem. (She writes the word)

Me: Ok thanks!

What I would say in the future

Me: Hi miss! How are you?

Secretary: Hi, good thanks you.

Me: I have a question. Do you remember the last time you said me a specific word to say a little paper for absent?

Secretary: Yes. It was late stick.

Me: Yes exactly. Can you write me the word on a paper please?

Secretary: Yes of course. (She writes the word)

Me: Thanks you miss!

Ah-ah moment!

Most of time wherever I am I can hear some Anglophones say: How are you

doing? I never understood and I did not want to dare asking an Anglophones to tell me what

this meant. But one day, when I heard a student say that, I asked him what this expression's

mean. He explained me that this expression is the same that: How are you? I found it funny

because before I thought it meant: What are you doing? I realized after this situation that

English people have some expressions that are different than in French. I can't translate that in

French because it does not means the same thing.

Formal dialogue

I heard formal dialogue when the teacher called the parents of students. I know it is a formal

dialogue because they take their time to speak very well. They say all the words without any

expression.They are very polite. When the teachers have a conversation on the phone with

the parents I understand very well because it's not too quick and it's very clear.



Informal dialogue

Of course I heard informal dialogue it’s the student who talk like that most of the time. I know it's

informal dialogue because they talk very fast and with some expression like: dude, nice,

gonna, wanna, etc. Sometimes I heard some students were vulgar. I have a lot of difficulty to

understand informal dialogue with some expression that I don't know what they can mean.

Entry # 6 - Breaking it down (Dec. 12 - Dec. 19 and Jan. 2 - Jan. 9)

Listening Comprehension

It's not always easy for me to understand the people because they talk very fast

and they use some words very complicated for me. But when it happened, firstly I try to

understand with body language and if I don't understand again I ask the person to repeat

but more slowly. For example, a time, the secretary asked me to take some paper in all class.

She said: Can you get late slips in all class? I understood the sentence except the word less

tick. I asked her: What's late slips? She replies: it’s the little paper with absence of student.

Like that I learn a new word.

Accent


I think my English accent become well but it’s not again easy for me to talk in English

without my French accent and to pronounce some words. I observe some things when

English people pronounce a word they stick their tongue to the back in their mouth and

they do a sharp blow and I practice that because I have so much difficulty to talk well in

English.




Fluency


I didn’t become fluent in English because it’s very short to practice my English but now I am

less shy to speak English, less than before. If I continue like that I will become better. It’s

easy to talk about me in English because since I learn English it’s this I do in my course.

Like: How are you? What’s your name? Etc. I hesitate again for my structure sentence and

English people have difficulty to understand me cause this. My strategies it’s to watch

television in English to help me for real because I can hear every time some pronunciations

or expressions.



Humour


Sometimes jokes in English don’t have the same sense if I translated like in French then

sometimes I don’t understand the joke. What it’s funny in my internship it’s the students like

a time, a student comes at office to talk to secretary but he was so cute and so funny like he

talked. But I don’t remember his jokes I just remember how he was so funny.



Accuracy


My main goal was to try to speak in English with somebody to practice and I did. My

pronunciation was not very well like s with third person simple present but I try and I know I

need to practice that. It’s not because I don’t know the grammar in English it’s just because I

am little stress when I speak in English and I forget some rules.



Select 5 new words, expressions or structures


I learn of course like I explained it before the word late slips. I learn too the verb to knock

because a time I wanted to say ‘cogner à la porte’ and I ask the secretary how I can say that

and she says me: It's known. I learn the words confidence I don't remember why but I know

the word means to have a confidence in a someone (avoir confiance), principal instead

saying director because it’s the good word in English.

Entry # 5: Cultural encounters (Dec. 5 - Dec. 12)

Cultural observation

In James Lyng High School some posters and some paintings are on some wall. They

are done by students, I think. I don't hear a music and I don't see the people read a

newspapers. I don't know for holidays like: St Jean or Thanksgiving day but for Christmas

the students and the teachers feel so excited to relax during two week. I know some people

will just relax and other people will go to see their family. I don't hear something very

precisely about your celebration Christmas. I have been exposed to vary culture

like; Hispanophones, Haitien or Francophone.

Type of English I have been exposed

I hear an informal language by student but it was very vulgar language. I don't want to

repeat this words. A time I writing a letter for parents or tutors of students. My host

appreciated that. No, I don't had oppurtinity to use some idioms from my class notes.

 

 

 

 
 

Words, expressions or structures

In my internship I learn some words like office. The Anglophones don't say an administration

like the Francophone. They say an office. I learn too the word mark. It's signifiant a notes in

a report of student. In French we say a note but in English he don't signifiant the same

things and I learn report too. It's a bulletin in French. Last word I learn it's binder. It's a

classeur in French. This words can help me in future because I want to work in a desk then

the words are most of time to use in desk.

Rewards and challenges

In my internship I had most difficulty with my accent. Because when I speak in English I

have difficulty to speak very well and with the good prononciation. I have difficulty too with

the names of students. Sometimes I need to go in class and call a student but most of time

the people don't understand the name I call. My best part is when I am with the teachers.

Because I can talk with them and I can see how High School is.

Entry # 4: The world is my classroom (Nov. 28 - Dec. 5)

My interaction in English

Sometimes when my host doesn't understand what I say, I do some movement and she

does the same thing when I don't understand. Because sometimes she speaks very fast or I

don't know what the word means and with the movement I can understand more




English learning


Yes, I am little bit able to acquire language without a traditional structured classroom setting

because I am not again habituate to do an immersion like that. The challenges for me it’s to

talk in English in front a class and to respond to some question because the people use

some expression or talk fast.



Words, expressions and structures

I learn some news words like; survey (sondage), scrounge (emprunter), computer lab (it's

not like in French because in French if you do a translation words by words it's the computer

but in English you say computer lab), Miss (you say always miss for a girl it's a politeness

same if a girl is young or old), room (because in French you say local but in English it's not

the same meaning) and school outings (sortie d’école) that means an activity with the

school. I hear this new words more with my host and others teachers. The context it’s just

because sometimes I don’t know some words and I ask my host how I can say that or that?

The words can be useful for me in the future because it’s some expressions we don’t say

that in French because they don’t have the same meaning and sometimes the people

blends. This interaction contribute to my progress because this push me to speak in English

and because the people talk little bit in French but they like more to speak in English and if I

want something I speak in English to practise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry #3: Diving in! (Nov. 21 - Nov. 28)

 

 

 

 

 

My interactions in English

For the body language, the people talk with movement then help me for understand. When I

have difficulty to communicate because I don’t know the word or how I can say a sentence,

I try and I do some movement so they can understand. The intonation are the same in

French, I don’t observe a difference. I use the polite language like; thanks you or please and

I don’t observe a new polite language. This interaction contribute so much to my progress

as a language learner because I am obligate to speak in English if I want something or if I

want to know what I can do and the people help me so much and they are patient with me.

Sometimes, when I am in High School, of course, I can hear some expressions by

the students and it's hard for me because I get used to hear English very easy. I can

observe they talk very fast sometimes.

My observations of Anglophone culture


In High School, I find it’s different of French High School in because the supervisors and

students don’t talk like in French. I find these more relax. The class aren’t exactly the same

like in French High School. The people say: Hello, how are you? To greet each other. They

use their last name or tittle like: Miss or Sir. Everyone is polite and I don’t observe a different

humour it’s just express other way. Until now I have never saw someone disagree with

someone else. Yes, they drink some coffee or tea and eat for lunch like everyone.

Words, expressions and structures


I learn new words like; far, fold, arrange, classify and file. This new words will

be useful for me in the future because I will probably use this words in my future career.

Entry #2: First Impressions

The first thing struck me it’s how the people are so friendly, so welcoming. When I am

entering in the school immediately a person ask me for help me. Some people helped me

for the direction in the school, for example for to find the desk of my host.

• The linguistic observation I can observe it’s everybody talks in English. Some people talks in French too like my host and like that I can know if I have a big problem I can know she speaks in French but she prefers to talks in English obviously although I try my best to speak English to practice.
• For my cultural observation I observed various different cultures. It’s very interesting for me because I love to know more about the others cultural and in my internship I need to talk more in English than it’s a advantage for me.

I learn more about the day of week because I am very bad. (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) except that I don't learn more new language. I

don't have my first internship because my host is very busy and I wait for she gives me a

date and hour.

Yes, I have mistaken with my host. Because I am very bad in the day of week when

become time for say to my host when I am available it's become so confused. But we are

explicit all that and finally we have understand. After that, I learn more the day of week

and I am more good and that.