Week 1:
- How are things going so far?
- What are you finding easy?
- What is hard for you?
- Any other comments?
Week 2:
Describe your prior foreign language learning experiences (summer camps, elementary school, high school, college).
- For each experience tell the class level, language, and length of time you studied this language.
- Did you like your teachers? What were their names?
- What aspects of foreign language learning did you find easy?
- What things did you find difficult?
- Do you have any painful memories?
- Do you have any happy memories?
Week 3:
Talk about some specific classroom activities – at least one that you liked, and one that you didn’t like and explain why.
Week 4:
How did you study for the Chapter 1 test?
- How long you did you study?
- Where did you study?
- What are you glad you studied?
- What do you wish you had studied better?
- What things would have helped you prepare better for the test?
- What will you do differently for the next test?
- Any additional comments?
Week 5:
Talk about how you are doing your homework.
- How long does it take?
- Where do you do it? (Library? Dorm room? Other?)
- Do you work alone, or with others? Explain.
- How do you spend your time?
- Any other comments?
Week 6:
- Write your reactions to the “Study Hints for Learning a Second Language.”
- Which of the “Characteristics of Good Language Learners” apply to you?
Week 7:
Talk about French class in general.
- What has been the most frustrating thing about French so far?
- What has been the most satisfying?
- What do you like most about French class?
- What do you like the least?
- What suggestion would you have for Prof. K. at this point?
Week 8:
Spend some time reflecting on what kind of learner you are.
- What are some of your learning strengths?
- How do you think you arrived at your strengths?
- What are some of your learning weaknesses?
- What are some strategies you can (or already do) use to help you with your learning weaknesses?
- What is your level of motivation for learning French?
- Does that affect your performance?
- How do you predict that you will do in French?
Week 9:
Journal question on a book I have placed on reserve in the library: Learning from the Stranger: Christian Faith and Cultural Diversity by Professor David I. Smith.
- Read chapter 6 (pp. 105-126). Write a paragraph summarizing the chapter.
- Write a paragraph of reaction to the chapter.
Week 10:
Write a journal entry on the Paris projects……
- How easy / hard were they to do?
- How useful were they for you to do?
- Was it worthwhile having students do oral reports in class?
- What is one thing you learned from them that you didn’t know before?
- Any other comments?
Week 11:
Answer the following questions about the Chapter 4 test:
- What happened (for good or for ill) on the test for Chapitre 4?
- Were you surprised by the grade?
- To what do you attribute these results?
- What did you study? Vocab? Grammar? Listening? Other?
- How long did you study?
- Was it all in one sitting?
- Did you study alone? If you studied with someone else, with whom?
- What kind of environment do you need when you study for a test? Quiet place? Lighting? Food? Music?
- Did you do all the homework for the chapter? How much of it did you correct for full credit?
- Did you correct your test for half the additional credit? What grade did you receive after correcting it?
Week 12:
Talk in this entry about how you would feel about being given a new seat in class.
- Are you a spatially-oriented person?
- Do you learn / focus better staying in the same seat every day?
- Would you like to have a new seat? Why or why not?
- How do you think a new seat would make you feel? (e.g. More secure? Less secure?)
- If you were the first person in the room and could sit anywhere you like, where would that be? Why?
- With whom do you like to sit and why?
Week 13:
- For you, what was the best thing about this class? Explain your answer.
- What was the worst thing? Explain your answer.
- Would you describe yourself as a well-organized person? Give an example.
- How did you manage the large number of papers (homework assignments and corrections, daily grey handouts, vocabulary sheets, etc.)?
- What will you do differently during in the next classes in this sequence?
Week 14:
- Which activities during this course contributed most to your learning? Why?
- Which activities during this class contributed least to your learning? Why?
- What have you learned about yourself?
- What advice would you give to students who will take this class in the future?
