JOURNAL WRITING
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
This week it was Reading Skills that took my interest. The topic we did was
traditional medicine and WHO (world health organization) in this topic we
learnt how WHO is in support of traditional medicine but proposed some
measure to regulate traditional healers and their medicines. We also learnt how
traditional medicines are ignored by the modern medical practices in terms of high
technology and that not all herbal remedies are effective or even harmless, and many developing countries extract and process these medicines under unhygienic conditions.
We also learnt how these medicines are providing income for these countries in which they are produced.
In my country, we also believe in traditional medicine so much that, every morning
a cup of the root or back of the tree is been soaked in water is given to us to drink,
because it stops stomach pains and clears the stomach. It is also used for diabetes as it is bitter and helps to regulate the sugar in the blood. Garlic and honey is also used for blood pressure. In this class I was able to participate a little because Merseline keeps asking me if I have anything to say and what’s my idea or opinion about the topic we were doing.
Sometimes I will know the answer or have an idea about the topic or what we are doing but I am shy to speak or think that I might be wrong. She keeps encouraging me to say something and by that I will gradually become an active person in class and also have confidence in myself.
I like Merseline for what she is trying to do and I also like my other teachers and the other subjects. It is also good to write journals because it helps us to recall what we’ve been taught in the past week and it will improve our writing skills.

Last week the lesson that took my interest was computer skills, and the topic we did was how to make “head and footers” on the computer. We were giving instructions and we worked based on those instructions. Padmini was supervising on how we were doing the work and if were doing it correctly .we also learned how to paint pictures on the computer, and how to save them in different ways on the computer. We were taught how to access and use the online course, and we were told to open a g-mail address.
Lastly, she told us that we have an assessment this Friday on all what we’ve done, both theory and practical, and I am studying very hard to pass this assessment because I don’t like failing. Computer skills will help me to do researches online, explore the internet, do my assignment and other things online, and also do designing on word art. In this class I did well and didn’t experience much problem and I like this class a lot.
The time frame is short and there is a clash for that computer room, we have to leave the room every Friday at 12:00. So there is no time for us to work individually with the computers. This is the only problem I have notice. I really enjoy the computer class; if only they can amend this problem the class will be great.

The lesson that interest me was listening and I had did it my country not as listening skills but as oral English. In the listening class the topic we did was, difference between listening to a lecture and an everyday situation and what you need to do whiles listening to a lecture. A tape was played and I had to listen and at the same time take notes. I was given two papers, one for taking note and the other one was the question paper, were I had to answer the questions with the notes I had taken. Which I know I did well.

In the class, I experience a little problem which was, I only had to listen to the tape once and take down note, were as in my country Sierra Leone we normally listen to the tape twice and start answering the test questions with out taking note, so am not that conversant with note taking but with I will be conversant with it.
To adapt and meet with the demands of this course I will listen to conversation and do most of my conversations in English which will make me conversant with the English language
I like listening a lot and as I intend to do further studies here in Australia I know listening will help a lot, since I will be in lecture rooms with more than fifty students or so, were I will need to listen attentively to what the lecturer is saying ,and take down notes. And I will also listen to radios and news programs and practice to take note whiles listening to them, because it will help me to be conversant with the note taking aspect. As for now I can’t really say how much I have improve but I know with time and as the course goes on I will have improved much better.

JOURNAL WRITING
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

In week two the lessons that interest me were reading and writing.

In the writing class the topics we did were academic writing, features of academic writing and how to distinguish between an academic writing and a non academic writing. In this topic we were taught how to writing an academic essays its structures and Planning, it features which are academic writings and essays are based on fact, evidence and they are logical, rational and impersonal. In the lesson on how to distinguish between an academic and a non academic writing we read some essays, and then outlined the features of an academic essay. which help us identify the academic essays from the non academic essays. We were also taught the two types of essays which are descriptive and analytical essays wherein descriptive essays only present information whiles analytical essays logically breaks things into little pieces.
I experience a little problem which was I had never been taught academic writing, its features and how to distinguish between a non academic and an academic, so it was a little bit strange to me. But in my country I did some thing similar to this which is called continuous writing, were in we are given some certain topics to an essay about. Sometimes they could be argumentative, descriptive or comparative essays. We are not taught how to write the academically and how to differentiate between an academic and a non academic article.


In the reading class the topic we did was how to study in the Australian style. During the lesson we discus about how Australian education system encourage individualism, speaking up for your opinions and ideas, be active in class and have a team spirit. Whiles in my country’s educational system they don’t encourage individualism; you don’t speak your own opinion because it is not acceptable by the teachers. Our learning is passive sit and listen and take note. The lecturers and teachers demand respect from student were by we are not allow to address them by their first name, but by their surname example
Mr.Kailey or Mrs.Kailey . In this lesson I experience a lot of problem because of what I’ve been used to in my country.

To adapt to these two lessons I will familiarize myself with the Australian educations system and read a lot of books not every but academic books and try to write my essays academically. For now I don’t know how much I have improved but with time and as the course goes on I will have improve much better.

hi,am kadijatu and this is my first blog

hi, i am kadijatu and this is my first blog