This week, I transitioned to preparing for my final self-assessment, so my weekly routine was a little different than normal. I found myself working with my flashcards quite a bit more than I had allowed myself previously. At this point in the semester, however, I am no longer adding new material to my database, but rather reviewing that which I have produced previously. I am spending approximately an hour and a half per day on Quizlet.
In addition, and pertinent to my Quizlet use, I think I have identified a way in which to use a wealth of vocabulary in context for the purposes of my final self-assessment. In previous self-assessments, I have merely listed terms, but this time, as per Dr. T's suggestion, I'm going to test my knowledge, vis-a-vis my ability to use the terms. Using my Quizlet, I'm going to identify words that I have trouble with historically, and place them into categories- verbs, nouns, adjectives, and prepositions (possibly). I will submit each category's list onto List Randomizer (https://www.random.org/lists/), and for the first five terms that the randomizer selects and/or generates for me in each category, I will form a story. At first, I thought I would take one random verb, one random noun, one random adjective, and one random preposition, in order to form a sentence, but I thought that could easily lend itself to creating grammatically correct, but nonsensical, sentences. I'm hoping the flexibility a story allows will decrease that possibility.
In order to continue improving upon my listening skills for the final self-assessment, I also continued to watch genocide testimony video for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes per day. In an effort to be purposeful about it, I watch the same video once per day, taking notes as I go, writing down words that I don't know, and guessing at the meaning, before eventually comparing initial understanding with the English subtitles provided.
As a final activity, though it isn't necessarily as formal as my others, I also found myself practicing conversation in Kinyarwanda...with myself. Indeed, historically, I have not excelled at the conversation portion of my final self-assessment. But perhaps with the confidence given to me by my World Languages Day presentation (or maybe in the interest of improving more broadly), I have found myself engaging with myself in the target language, while washing the dishes or getting ready in the morning or taking a shower. Interestingly, whichever conservation partner I chose to be during any given "practice," I only think one side of the dialogue (and keep it inside my head) and articulate the other. So, even if I am, indeed, talking to myself, I am not answering myself. Ha!
In a very subtle way, I am feeling some sort-of-way about the ending of this semester. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia (if the period is not yet over), or if it's something else; however, this semester will be the last I can anticipate enrolling in African 671. Of course, I intend to continue using Kinyarwanda, but I recognize that I'm going to have to be extra-conscious about maintaining it without the assistance of a formal course structure to "guide" me. Indeed, I was in an intensive study of Kinyarwanda once, and after completing the course, I allowed Kinyarwanda to be pushed to the "back burner" until I enrolled in African 671. This summer, I'll be visiting Rwanda, which I hope will help, but I am not permitted to begin research yet, so I concerned. Furthermore, I will also begin studying Swahili this summer, which I am worried will somehow take precedence in my head.
With all my trepidation, however, I can only move forward, using what I have accomplished thus far, as a stepping stone, sure, but also as a sounding board, learning from my mistakes and my triumphs alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment