Preparing for Mid-terms
I recently received this message from a student on CooSpace that articulates a question that may be on the minds of many of my Use of English students these days:
Dear Teacher,
Please forgive me but something is not so clear to me. So... We have your slides here in CooSpace from the lessons. It's obvious that we have to know everything which is on them.
But... This Vince book thing is not clear to me. Do I have to know the explanations of Vince book for the AE exam and for the mid term exam as well?
For example... Here is pp 1-24. Past and present tenses, etc. And I have to know how to and when to use these? So we have these Vince book stuffs for independent learning?
Thank you so much for your answer in advance!
Here is my answer.
The mid-term exam is an opportunity for me as a professor to see how close we are to meeting the course goals. To remind students about what those goals are, I have uploaded the slides for our lessons in CooSpace so that they can review the material. The homework, whether from the book, the website, or YouTube videos is intended to supplement the techniques, skills, and information that we discuss in class to help you achieve the course goals.
When I was a student, there were three critical questions I asked myself to organize my notes and prepare for the exam:
- What is the goal of the test?
- What material will I need to be familiar with?
- What type of questions will be asked (e.g. essay, short answer, multiple choice)?
The goal of the test (or course) and the material that I needed to know could generally be found on the syllabus. I was blessed by many good professors who briefed us on the format of the test in the class a week before class. Follow the example of my esteemed professors, I am posting the information about mid-terms for my students so that they can prepare more efficiently.
Students, if you have any questions about preparing for the exam, please post them in the comment section.
Use of English
Writing
understand writing as a process
show development in their use of grammar and vocabulary
take the intended audience into consideration when writingtake the intended purpose of writing into account and adjust the content accordingly
consider and meet the task requirements of writing assignments
construct complex sentences using coordination, subordination, and transitions
construct well-organized paragraphs using a topic sentence
use cohesive devices to link sentences and paragraphs
Communication Skills
Prompts
A. Some instructors require homework to be submitted handwritten; others ask students to hand in homework in a printed form or electronically. Which form do you think is most beneficial for university instruction and why? Consider the issue from both students’ and instructors’ sides. Support your claim, making sure to note the advantages and disadvantages of each.
B. Studies have shown that Hungarian university students tend to experience a certain amount of anxiety when communicating in a foreign language. Have you noticed this phenomenon in your own experience and/or among your peers? What do you think the root(s) of this anxiety might be? How do you think this anxiety can be reduced? Support your positions with details, examples, stories, and/or things you have read.
C. Education systems in Europe have been criticised for not developing students’ 21st-century skills, including creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and others that enable people to adapt to a changing world. Have your university classes aimed to develop those skills in you, or not? Provide specific examples to support your claim. In what ways could they do more? What can you do to develop those skills yourself?
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