English course review and self-evaluation

 

Learning English at university has been an experience, because it's a very different form of teaching compared to my experience in school. To get started, I was accustomed to learning this idiom, the same as any other subject, I mean, without any practice and memorizing verbs in different tenses. Because of that, this semester on the English course was very strange and difficult for me because it was the first time I learned an idiom in the right way.

The in-person classes that we had at the beginning of the semester and in the last weeks have been very interactive and helpful, especially on Mondays when we did team work. I have to say that I am very introverted, but nevertheless, I feel very comfortable. It helps me to realize my realistic skills with the idiom that, sometimes I think, are not very developed. In the case of the zoom classes that we had during the strike, I personally felt more distracted and in the last classes I felt that I didn't put so much effort as in the other mode. But the good side is that we work more in listening and writing activities, which are also very important.

As well, having this blog has been a challenge for me because I am very slow at writing in English and I always have to look for the translation of words that I know but forgot at the moment. This has helped me to improve and every time it takes me less effort! Also, the topics has been very interesting and it made me think about things that i never asked for.

Outside of this class, I find and use this language frequently in a lot of activities. Most of the time on the social media, where I see a video, listen to a song or even when I read a meme haha. Actually, this semester I downloaded an app to study the idiom, so there I had to speak too. As well, the professors send more and more texts in English, so I really find it in various aspects of my life and every time I am better prepared to face it.

To close, I think that the aspects that I have to improve for the future are especially talking and reading in English, because I can understand a lot of words in the context of a conversation or in a text, but when I had to spin the idea I had a lot of difficulties with vocabulary and verb tenses. I expect to have the opportunity to continue studying and practicing the idiom until I can integrate it as a second language.

Changes to my study programme in anthropology

Since I started studying anthropology at the Universidad de Chile, I have had a very good experience with the study program. Even so, I think there are some changes that would be helpful for future generations to have a better integration into university life and the contents of anthropology.

Regarding the curriculum, which was updated very recently, I think it would be a good idea to carry theoretical studies into practice, because we study many authors, but sometimes you wonder how I can apply this knowledge?

On the other hand, I think that the workload and length of studies are very good, but I think that the workload should be more egalitarian because sometimes, in a semester, there are subjects with a lot to read and in others almost nothing to read, even so they are all interesting and that is why I wish we would dedicate the same study time to each one.

Speaking of the infrastructure of my faculty, I consider that the rooms are very small for the number of students who enter the degree. I remember that when I just joined there were more than a hundred students in my generation and the rooms where I have had classes can accommodate no more than 50. I think that two rooms could be joined to make a big one and that would be a good solution.

Regarding the use of technology, I have been in some laboratories that are very well equipped. Therefore, to improve this aspect, I would suggest that these instruments be used more, since many first-year subjects could take advantage of their potential.

Finally, the teaching methods of the professors have been very diverse, but an improvement that could be applied to all the classes would be, as a conclusion of all the above, the greater integration of the practical in the discipline. More field work, going to museums and laboratories would make studying anthropology at this university much more enjoyable.