CAES9820 Week 0 SALL Support Pack

1
Contents
How should I use the SALL Support Pack? .......................................................................................... 3
What is Self-Access Language Learning (SALL)? ............................................................................... 4
Why does SALL matter? ....................................................................................................................... 5
What you need to complete for the SALL component of the 9820 course............................................ 6
Overview of the SALL Component of 9820.......................................................................................... 7
Learner Profile: 1.1 Learner History ..................................................................................................... 8
Learner Profile: 1.2 Learner Styles ...................................................................................................... 13
Learner Profile: 1.3 Purpose for learning English .............................................................................. 18
Learner Profile: 1.4 Language Needs .................................................................................................. 23
Learner Profile: 1.5 Motivation............................................................................................................ 28
Learner Profile: 1.6 Time and scheduling ............................................................................................ 36
Learner Profile: 1.7 Completing your Learner Profile ........................................................................ 39
Learning Goals Plan: 2.1 Setting SMART learning goals .................................................................... 40
Learning Goals Plan: 2.2 Selecting suitable materials and methods for you goals ............................. 43
Learning Goals Plan: 2.3 Collaborating on your learning goals ........................................................ 46
Learning Goals Plan: 2.4 Expressing expected outcomes .................................................................... 47
Learning Goals Plan: 2.5 General Skills Areas & Integrating Skills................................................... 48
Learning Goals Plan: 2.6 Completing your Learning Goals Plan ....................................................... 49
Materials and Methods: 3.1 Materials: facilities and resources ......................................................... 51
Materials and Methods: 3.2 Methods - activities, pathways, strategies and techniques ..................... 58
Managing your learning: 4.1 Monitoring your progress ..................................................................... 72
Managing your learning: 4.2 Evaluating materials and methods ........................................................ 78
Managing your learning: 4.3 Keeping a written record of your learning ........................................... 79
Managing your learning: 4.4 Preparing for your SALL Oral Report .................................................. 81
Reflection: 5.1 What reflection is and why it matters .......................................................................... 86
Reflection: 5.2 Reflecting on SALL and your learning ........................................................................ 89
Reflection: 5.3 Preparing your SALL Written Reflection .................................................................... 93
APPENDIX 1: Proofreading Checklist .............................................................................................. 101
APPENDIX 2: Sample 9820 Speaking Test Checklist ...................................................................... 104
APPENDIX 3: Sample Checklist for 9820 Journal Article ............................................................... 105
APPENDIX 4: Tips for Oral Presentations ....................................................................................... 106
APPENDIX 5: Sample Oral Presentations Checklist ........................................................................ 108
APPENDIX 6: Word Attack Strategies Worksheet ........................................................................... 109
APPENDIX 7: Sample SALL Learning Goal Plans with comments ................................................ 112
APPENDIX 8: Sample of a completed Learner Profile..................................................................... 118
How should I use the SALL Support Pack?

The SALL Support Pack may look big but the following three guidelines will
help you use it appropriately.
You are not expected to read/memorize the whole pack or do
all of the tasks and exercises - you need only refer to the
specific parts of the booklet that are relevant to you and your
goals as and when you need them. However, you will need to
read certain parts of it and do certain exercises in order to help you

with the two SALL assessments and other SALL tasks. These readings
and exercises will mostly be done in class or assigned as out-of-class
work.
Think of the pack as a manual or a reference guide which you can dip
into when you need to. Many parts of the SALL Support Pack provide
advice and practice about what you can work on and how you can do
it.
The suggestions and advice, particularly on Materials and Methods, in
the SALL Support Pack are not a complete list and you are expected to
look beyond those suggested. We strongly recommend that you visit
the CAESs English Language Resources in the Student Advisory Zone
(Chi Wah Learning Commons, 2/F, CPD, Centennial Campus) and view
the CAESs Virtual English Website, especially the Resources on the
Internet and Resources in Zone R webpages.
The SALL Support Pack has been provided to help you with the SALL
component and assessments in the CAES 9820 course. It draws together
a wealth of carefully selected, academically reliable and highly
practical information from the published literature and research on
SALL and independent / autonomous learning. This has been done to
save you time and effort and to help you get off to a good start. Most of
the concepts and suggestions discussed in the pack are applicable to
any kind of learning, not just language learning, and these will help you
to develop skills that are transferrable to both academic and
professional situations.
Good luck with your SALL on this course!
3
What is Self-Access Language Learning (SALL)?

SALL is a way of learning where you become increasingly more responsible for your own
learning both inside and outside of the classroom and aims to make learners more
independent and autonomous. In essence, it is learning how to learn more effectively. It is not
homework as you are not told what to work on or how to do it. It requires you to:
investigate and decide what it is you need to or want to learn (your learning goals plan);
find and select materials and methods you will use to achieve those learning goals;
keep yourself motivated and deal with your emotions;
evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of the materials and methods you have
selected in achieving your learning goals as well as evaluating your own language ability
and effectiveness as a learner;
manage how best to cooperate, collaborate and draw on the support and guidance of
others in reaching your goals (e.g. teachers, classmates, friends, relatives etc.);
monitor your progress toward achieving your learning goals and meeting the aims of
your plan;
reflect on your learning experiences to guide you in the future towards more effective
or suitable goals, materials and methods, means of monitoring and ways of evaluation;
and, also further developing your ability to reflect, and
ultimately become more responsible for and more independent and autonomous in
your learning. 1
This ability to be more responsible for your learning is sometimes referred to as learner autonomy. This is not compulsory
but if you are interested, you can think about how autonomous you are by visiting the sprachen zentrum site and reading the
can do statements for each of the following areas: planning your studies, motivating yourself, dealing with feelings, choosing
materials and methods, completing tasks, monitoring and evaluating.
Why does SALL matter?

On this course and other CAES courses there is a limited amount of time and so we
cannot cover all of the English skills that every student needs to improve in. SALL gives
you the opportunity to improve on those areas of English you most need to work on.
With practice and experience, SALL allows you to study what you need to or want to in a
way and at a time that suits you.
SALL is adaptable and flexible. If a learning method or resource is not working for you
then you can change to another. SALL encourages experimentation and views making
mistakes and even failure as a natural part of the learning process and actually useful if
reflected carefully on (See Section 5.1 Reflection on the essential stages of reflection).
In secondary school students are mostly required to learn the same things in the same
way. SALL appreciates that each learner is different and unique in some way and that
you have different learning needs and different styles of learning.
SALL can make you more aware of how your own emotions, attitudes and beliefs help
or hinder your learning. (See Section 5.1 Reflection on the essential stages of reflection)
SALL can help you to understand what motivates and demotivates you, and how your
own motivation varies depending on how much you need, want or enjoy what it is you
are learning.
The SALL you will experience on this course is only used for language skills but the
principles (i.e. transferable skills) can be applied to any field of study and your career.
Here are some examples:
o In order to function effectively, universities (and democracies) require their
students (and citizens) to be able to think and act for themselves. Self-Access
Learning can enable you to do this.
o To succeed at university and in your careers you need to get beyond shallow
learning (learning only what you are told to; knowing only the basics) and move
toward deep learning (not just learning the facts but understanding principles,
causes and reasons behind the facts; appreciating and interacting with
complexities; developing an interest in what you study or work at). Self-Access
Learning and similar types of learning are a means of doing this.
o In an increasingly knowledge based economy like Hong Kong, there is a greater
need for life-long learning. Self-Access Learning trains you to be a better life-long
learner.
o Employers are looking for people who have the skills and qualities that SALL
encourages (e.g. being reflective; being able to work independently as well as
collaborate with others etc.)
5
What you need to complete for the SALL

component of the 9820 course
There are four tasks that need to be completed as part of your SALL. These are:
Write and submit a Learner Profile near the beginning of the course. (Not assessed)
This task is designed so that you reflect on your previous experiences as a learner
and see where improvements in your learning might be made. You also need to do
the Task: Reflection Practice in Section 1.1 Learner History below.
Write and submit your SALL Learning Goals Plan near the beginning of the course.
(Not assessed).
This task aims to make your learning more focused and goal-orientated; it allows
you to work on areas that you have identified as being important to you and
develop your ability to become a more independent and autonomous learner. We
strongly encourage you to reflect on what you wrote in your Learner Profile to help
you decide on your goals and to experiment with the materials and methods you
select and try out new things as much as possible.
Give a SALL Oral Report in which you will discuss what work you have done for SALL
and the insights you have gained. (10% of course grade, conducted in Week 8)
This assessment aims to develop your ability to reflect on your recent learning
experiences with SALL and evaluate the materials and methods you have tried out.
This will help you make necessary changes to you learning goals plans and improve
your ability to learn independently. It is important to recognize the importance of
reflection at this stage and use the insights you gain to modify your learning goals
accordingly.
Write a SALL Written Reflection about your SALL experience at the end of the 9820
course. (15% of course grade, submitted on Sunday of Week 13)
The assessment encourages you to reflect deeply on your experience of SALL and
gain insight into your learning and yourself as a learner. By doing so, you can look
for ways to improve your approach to learning and to develop as an autonomous
learner in the future beyond this course.
Overview of the SALL Component of CAES9820

Learner
Profile
Reflection
S.A.L.L.
Learning
Goals Plan
Materials &
Methods
Managing Your
Learning
1
Learner
Profile
1.1 Learner History (experience, beliefs and feelings about past learning)
1.2 Learner Styles (preferred ways of learning)
1.3 Purpose for learning English (academic, professional, everyday, creative)
1.4 Language Needs (diagnosing strengths and weaknesses)
1.5 Motivation (types and ways of enhancing)
1.6 Time and scheduling
1.7 Completing your Learner Profile*
2
Learning Goals
Plan
2.1 Setting SMART Learning Goals

2.2 Selecting suitable Materials and Methods for your goals
2.3 Collaborating on learning goals
2.4 Expressing Expected Outcomes
2.5 General Skills Areas & integrating skills
2.6 Completing your Learning Goals Plan*
3
Materials &
Methods
3.1 Materials: facilities and resources

3.2 Methods: activities, pathways, strategies and techniques
4
Managing Your
Learning
4.1 Monitoring your progress

4.2 Evaluating your selected materials and methods
4.3 Keeping a record of your learning
4.4 Preparing for the SALL Oral Report*
5
Reflection
5.1 What reflection is and why it matters

5.2 Reflecting on your learning and SALL
5.3 Preparing your SALL Written Reflection*
*Indicates a document that must be submitted or a task that must be completed as part of the 9820 course.
Learner Profile: 1.1 Learner History

Every student has had a very different learning experience. Your beliefs, feelings and attitudes
towards learning English as well as the strategies and techniques you use have been shaped by
your learning experiences inside and outside of school.
Your teachers in particular may have had a strong influence on what you believe is the best
way to learn English. Some of what you know and were taught / learned are still relevant and
useful for your future learning, other things could be adapted or dropped.
Reflecting on your prior learning experience can help you select new learning goals that draw
on the best of your experience and knowledge and avoid other aspects of your previous
learning that are holding you back.
Here are some questions that you can try to answer that may bring out most and least useful
aspects of your prior learning. Choose one or two from each category to think about or discuss.
Schooling
What are some of the strongest memories you have of learning English in primary and
secondary school as well as at university? Which memories do you feel positively about
and which do you feel negatively about?
How have your attitudes toward learning English changed since you were at primary
school? Explain why you think these changes have occurred.
To what extent do you think your schooling shaped the way you learn? Describe in what
ways your learning has been shaped by your schooling.
To what extent did you think the way you learned at primary and secondary school was
effective for you? Why?
Who was your favourite teacher at primary school / secondary school / university?
Why did you like his/her teaching?
Who has been most influential in the way you learn English?
Based on your own experience describe what you think a good (language) teacher is.
If you could, what would you have changed about how you were taught at primary /
secondary school?
Learning & Learners

What have you been taught or what have you learned that has been MOST useful for
your learning of English for your current needs?
What have you been taught or what have you learned that has been LEAST useful for
your learning of English for your current needs?
How does your learner style affect the way you learn? (See Section 1.2 on Learning
Styles)
Has the way you learn English changed in the last 10 years? Why? Why not?
What do you think are the MOST effective ways to learn English?
8
What do you think are the LEAST effective ways to learn English?
Based on your own experience describe what you think a good learner is.
What strategies or methods have you used to learn English outside the classroom in the
past?
Which of the main skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing, grammar, vocabulary) do
you feel you are strongest / weakest at? Why?
Which of the following do you prefer for learning English?
- Learning by yourself
- Learning with other people (e.g. friends, classmates)
- Learning in a class with a teacher
Feelings & Emotions

What motivates you to learn English? Has your motivation changed over the last few
years? (See Section 1.5 Motivation below) Why? / Why not?
How do you feel about learning English? Have your feelings changed over the years? In
what ways?
Learning and using English now

What do you most need English for at the moment? Why do you believe this?
Which skills areas (i.e. speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary)
would you most like to focus on? Why?
DO NOT SIMPLY GIVE A LIST OF ANSWERS FOR EACH QUESTION ABOVE IN YOUR
LEARNER PROFILE OR IN THE PRACTICE REFLECTION TASK BELOW. YOU MUST
SUMMARIZE, PRIORITIZE, FOCUS, SYNTHESIZE AND EXPAND ON POINTS WHICH YOU
BELIEVE SHOW MOST INSIGHT INTO YOUR LEARNING AND YOURSELF AS A LEARNER.
TIP: Make notes from the questions above and below onto a piece of notepaper. Look for
connections, common themes and insights. (Mindmaps are particularly good way of doing
this.) Use these as the foundation for what you will write about in your Learner History
and what you will talk about in class for your Practice Reflection.
TASK: Practice Reflection

The following task takes you through a cycle of reflection for a particular learning activity you
have tried before. Reflection is essential to a successful SALL experience and should be
practiced regularly throughout this course (and hopefully beyond). You can reflect on all
aspects of your SALL experience from learning goals to activities to your whole approach to
learning. Reflection can be applied to almost any aspect of your academic and professional life
as well, and while the specific questions that you ask yourself will differ, the basic stages of
your reflection will essentially remain the same
Read Section 5.1 Reflection in this pack before you do this task.
Now go through the full cycle of reflection on a recent learning experience you have had
by following the stages and questions given on the pages below. Remember: do not skip
any of the stages. However, you are free to miss certain questions in each stage if you think
they are not relevant to your particular experience.
Stage 1 (Description):
Think of an activity that you did recently which you used to help you practice/improve an
aspect of your English (e.g. reading an English newspaper, chatting to a native speaker). Try
to remember that specific activity and what you did in as much specific detail as you can. Use
the Wh questions to guide you.
i.e.
o Which specific aspect of your English were you trying to practice/improve? (i.e.
speaking in social situations, listening to lectures, academic reading, pronunciation,
writing reports, oral presentations etc.)
o What exactly did you use and do?
o Where? When? With who? Why? How? How long? etc.
Stage 2 (Thoughts & Feelings):
o What were you thinking as you did the activity?
o Were you engaged with what you were doing or was your mind wandering? Why?
o How did you feel during the activity? (Bored? Interested? Distracted? Excited?
Worried? Stressed? Relaxed? etc.) Did your emotional state change during the
activity? How? Why?
Stage 3 (Evaluation):
o What did you enjoy / not enjoy about this activity?
o What aspects were effective / not effective in terms of the aspect of English you were
trying to practice/improve? Why do you think so?
o What positive / negative thoughts and feelings did you have about this activity?
o Do you think this activity is better / worse than other activities you have tried for
practicing/improving this specific aspect of your English?
10
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Be honest here and try to detach yourself as much as you can at this stage. See the experience
as if you were someone else or as if you were watching the experience from above. Analyse
the experience now from the following perspectives.
o How motivating was the activity? Which kind of motivation did it relate to? (See
Section 1.5 Motivation below)
o Did you feel the activity suited your style of learning? (See Section 1.2 Learner Style
below)
o Were your thoughts and feelings generally positive or negative toward what you did?
o Can you think of an activity that you have tried (or would like to try) for
practicing/improving this specific aspect of your English that was (or could be)
better? In what ways?
o How effective was the activity in terms of the quality and quantity of what you
learned in relation to the specific aspect of English you were trying to
practice/improve?
o Was what you learned useful for you in anyway? (Academically?, Professionally?,
Socially? Another way?) (See Section 1.3 Purpose for learning English below)
o Were there any other people involved in this activity and what do you know/imagine
their views of the activity were and your role in the activity? (e.g. other people in a
discussion, a tutor you practiced with, the writer/speaker of something you
read/listened to).
o What other perspectives about this activity might there be?
Stage 5 (Improvements):
o Would you do this activity again to practice/improve that particular aspect of your
English? Why? Why not?
o If you decide you would not do this activity again, what activity would you do instead
to practice/improve this aspect of English? Why?
o If you decide you would do this activity again, what changes or improvements would
you make? Why?
Stage 6: (Future Plan)
Describe what you are going to do to practice/improve the same aspect of your English in the
future. Again, use the Wh questions to guide you.
e.g.
o Which aspect of your English are you trying to practice/improve? (i.e. speaking in
social situations, listening to lectures, academic reading, pronunciation, writing
reports, oral presentations etc.)
o What specifically are you going to use/do?
o Where? When? With who? Why? How? How long? etc
If you decide that you wont work on this aspect of your English again, then think of the
reasons why and consider what other aspect you will work on (and go through the Wh
questions as shown above).
11
TASK: Noting your learner history

a) Discuss with a friend(s) or classmate(s) one or two questions from each of the areas above
(i.e. schooling, learning and learners, feelings). You can do this by yourself if you prefer and
make notes for one or two questions from each category above.
b) From the discussion you had, write a paragraph or two about your learner history and put
this in your learner profile. (See Section 1.7)
12
Learner Profile: 1.2 Learner Styles

Different learners have different abilities and learn in different ways. It is important to
consider this because knowing more about your learner style will help you select materials and
methods that best suit you as a learner. Keep in mind that sometimes you will have to balance
your preferred learning style with what resources are available to you, what kind of learning
you are doing, your purpose for learning and the learning situation in general.
There are many kinds of learning style and the topic can be very complicated. You may hear
terms like field dependent (learners who rely on the context or the bigger picture to
understand new information), field independent (learners who can pick out, analyse and
comprehend information without needing to understand the bigger picture), analytic learners
(learners who learn step by step and use logic) or global learners (learners who like their
learning to be fun and use intuition more than logic). One system of categorizing learning styles
that integrates these complexities groups learners into four types: communicative,
concrete, authoritarian and analytical. Try this questionnaire below to find out which of
these four types of learner you most resemble. 2
Put a tick next to the statement you agree with or make a note of your answers on a separate
piece of paper.
1. I like to learn by watching TV and listening to people.

2. I like to learn by talking to friends.
3. I like to use English whenever I get the opportunity.
4. I learn words by hearing them.
5. I remember new words easily.
6. I like to play language games in class.
7. I like using audio-visual materials for learning.
8. I like talking in pairs in class.
9. I like to go out with the class to practice English.
10. I like reading English newspapers and magazines.
11. I learn by figuring out my own mistakes.
12. I learn by solving problems.
13. I like studying by myself.
14. I like to figure out grammar rules by myself.
15. I like the teacher to explain everything to me.
16. I like the teacher to correct my mistakes.
17. I like to have a textbook to study from.
18. I take lots of notes when I study English in class.
19. I learn new words by seeing and memorising them
20. I like learning grammar rules with example sentences.
This questionnaire has been taken from the Self-Directed Study Programme (SDEP) on the CAESs Virtual
English website under the heading Styles of Language Learning by Gardner & Voller (2013).
13
Key to questionnaire
The first ten statements correspond to the two Cs, communicative and concrete, while items
11 to 20 cover the two As, authoritarian and analytical. Did you tick more items in the top
half or the bottom half?
Whatever type or even mixture of types you seem to be, your aim should still be to strengthen
your ability to communicate competently, accurately and fluently. Think carefully about the
statements you did not tick, as these may give you a clue to any weaknesses.
Can you think of any other statements that better describe how you like to learn English? How
would you classify them? Cs or As?
Communicative learners like to learn by watching and listening, and by

talking to people both in and out of class. They learn quickly, but they dont
particularly like grammar, and can be rather in accurate in the way they use
language.
Concrete learners like to learn by using audio-visual materials and by
talking and playing games in pairs and small groups in class. They dont like
to use or study English much outside the classroom and may lack confidence
when they have to deal with English speakers.
Authoritarian learners like studying grammar and like things to be
explained to them. In class, they prefer reading to speaking and like to take
lots of notes. They may have difficulty using English for communication and
they worry about making mistakes.
Analytical learners also like grammar, but they prefer to figure things out
for themselves. They like reading and problem-solving and are happy
working alone. They can be good at communicating in English, but, like
concrete people, may lack confidence in using it. 3
This key and these descriptors have been taken verbatim from the Self-Directed Study Programme (SDEP) on
the CAESs Virtual English website under the heading Styles of Language Learning by Gardner & Voller (2013).
14
Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic / Tactile (VAK) Learners

Some researchers believe that we each have a preference for learning through different senses.
These types of learning style are called perceptual or sensory learning styles. It is thought
that learners will find materials and methods which are most related to their perceptual
learning style more motivating and more effective.
Visual learners are those who prefer to learn through seeing. They prefer
activities like reading or using diagrams and pictures to learn.
Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening. They find learning through
listening most effective and prefer activities like lectures and discussions.
Kinesthetic / Tactile learners prefer to learn through physical experience.
They like to touch, hold and feel things and like having hands-on
experiences. They prefer activities where they can move such as responding
to instructions or experimenting with physical objects, building things or
making models.
You can find out what kind of perceptual learner you are by downloading and completing this
VAK Learning Style questionnaire from the Swinburne University of Technology. This
document also suggests learning activities which might be more suitable for your learning
style.
Other types of learning style
There are many other kinds of learner style discussed in the research literature. You are not
expected to become experts in the topic but exploring the issue may teach you a great deal
about how you learn and by doing so you may find more effective ways of learning.
Here is another set of learner types that places your learning style on a continuum. These
learner styles are: active Vs reflective; sensing Vs intuitive; visual Vs verbal; sequential
Vs global. Try this questionnaire from the North Carolina State University. Once again, note
your learner type and the suggestions the site makes for what kind of learning activities you
should try.
Dont feel that if you are one kind of learner then you must only choose activities
recommended for your learner style. Try any activity that seems interesting or motivating to
you. Remember what was mentioned at the start of this section: that at times you will have to
balance your learning style with your purpose for learning English and your language needs.
15
Influences on and origins of learner styles

It is still not clearly understood how we develop our individual learner styles and to what
extent they change over our lifetimes. It is likely that our learning styles are a combination of
innate characteristics informed by our genes and by environmental factors like our schooling,
our cultural and social background and even our family and friends. Our personalities too will
also have a significant role to play in our learner style as will the beliefs and assumptions we
have about our own learning and education in general (even though these beliefs and
assumptions may be flawed or inconsistent). Like personalities then, learner styles are unique,
at times contradictory, vary from person to person and can change over time.
TASK: Matching activity to learner styles

After reading about the different learner types above, match the learner style to the suggested
activity below. Note that some activities may suit more than one type of learner. 4
Learner Styles:
Communicative, Concrete, Authoritarian, Analytical, Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic
Suggested Activities:
a) making a board game with dice and counters and playing it
b) visiting the Student Advisory Services and asking the tutor to highlight and explain
common grammar mistakes in his / her work
c) reading an article and making a mind map of the new vocabulary and phrases found in
the article
d) listening to a presentation and noting down signaling language and phrases that show
organisation
e) chatting to classmates in class to get advice on how to complete an upcoming
assignment
f) watching the news on TV with a friend and discussing the issues afterwards
g) looking at the grammatical structures of several sentences and noting patterns
SUGGESTED ANSWERS: a) kinesthetic b) authoritarian c) visual

communicative
f) communicative / auditory g) analytical
16
d) auditory
e) concrete / auditory /
TASK: Noting your learner styles and suggested ways of learning

a) List the learner styles you seem most like after you have completed the questionnaires
above (e.g. concrete, auditory, sequential etc.)
b) Make a list of the suggested activities given for these types of learner styles. Note which of
these you have tried before and which ones you have not.
c) Consider the advice you have been given from these various websites. Do you agree with
the advice? If you have tried any of the suggested activities, how effective and enjoyable did
you find them?
d) Think about the origins of your learner style. Do you think it is innate or was it formed by
your experience at school? Do you think your school favoured a particular kind of learner
style? Did your school teach you in a way that suited your learner style?
17
Learner Profile: 1.3 Purpose for learning English

What is your main purpose for learning English?
You need to think about what it is you use English for specifically and prioritize those which
will be most beneficial to you at this time. There are four areas you can work on: academic,
professional, everyday and creative 5. Your learning goals can all be within one of these
areas or cover a range of different areas. For example, if you want to have two learning goals,
you may decide that you want to improve your academic and your everyday English abilities.
Your goals also need to be focused within one of the general skills areas (listening, reading,
speaking, writing, grammar or vocabulary or an integration of two or more of these) and
should be specific and narrowly focused (e.g. an aspect of a certain kind of text). For instance,
one goal might be improving your organization of presentations (academic) while the other
may be learning more slang terms so you can chat more easily to international students in your
hall (everyday).
What you may also find is that the goal you work on will develop skills that improve your
performance in other skills areas or will, with adaptation, be transferrable. Here are a couple of
examples to show this.
Example 1 (Academic)
If you increase your knowledge of key terms and vocabulary for a university
course, this will help you with your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills
related to that course.
Example 2 (Academic, Professional, Everyday, Creative)
If you improve your use of stress and intonation when speaking or improve your
accuracy at certain grammar skills then this will be useful for any purpose.
Your goals may also be something to help you in the short term (e.g. learning a small amount of
vocabulary for a course) or in the long-term (e.g. improving multiple aspects of your
pronunciation).
Below is a list of possible things you could work on improving. Simply select a one of the
purposes (i.e. academic, professional, everyday, creative), then a skill, and then one of the
suggestions in that skill area. These are just some suggestions and are not a complete list.
Feel free to use your own ideas or adapt the ones below to suit you.
These terms have been taken from the Self-Directed Study Programme (SDEP) on the CAESs Virtual English
website under the heading Styles of Language Learning by Gardner & Voller (2013).
18
Academic
What do you need to do in English to succeed at university? Here are some suggestions for things
you could work on:
SKILLS
THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON
Listening
understanding lectures; listening to podcasts or watching videos related to

course work
Reading
understanding course readings; following written instructions
Speaking
giving academic presentations, improving pronunciation; discussing with

classmates and lecturers; taking part in discussions or workshops (face-toface or online)
Writing
writing lab reports, essays and other written forms of coursework; taking
part in online course forums; improving your citations and references
Vocabulary
learning key terms related to key concepts for one of your university courses;
learning how to hedge more effectively
Grammar
working on any of the following: tenses, gerunds & infinitives, prepositions,

sentence structure, linking devices, articles etc.
Exams/
Assessments
any of the 9820 assessments (e.g. annotated bibliography, journal article,

speaking test); improving exam strategies for course exams; preparing for
particular papers in IELTS or other English proficiency exams
Professional
What do you need to succeed in finding a job or an internship? What do you need to do well in
your chosen career? Here are some suggestions for things you could work on:
SKILLS
Listening
understanding talks, seminars, conferences or training sessions
Reading
reading manuals or instructions; reading lab reports
Speaking
performing well in job interviews; giving professional lectures or

presentations in the workplace; taking part in video conferences; improving
pronunciation skills; improving meetings and negotiation skills
Writing
writing resumes, cover letters etc., for job application forms; writing work
related documents (e.g. business letters, memos, emails, reports etc.)
Vocabulary
learning key terms related to your profession; learning common formal /

polite phrases for business speaking situations (e.g. meetings)
Grammar
identifying key grammatical features of professional texts (e.g. use of indirect

question for politeness)
19
Everyday
What do you need to learn to get the most out of English in your everyday life or to simply enjoy
more things that require English to enjoy them? Here are some suggestions for things you could
work on:
SKILLS
Listening
listening to podcasts, radio programmes or songs; watching TV programmes

(e.g. comedies, dramas, documentaries), movies, musicals etc.
Reading
reading comics, story books, novels, newspapers, magazines, Internet sites

etc.
Speaking
chatting to international students and other foreigners; taking part in

discussions on campus; speaking to locals when traveling abroad; making
your English sound more natural by developing an accent (e.g. American
accent); improving pronunciation skills
Writing
writing emails, texts etc. to friends, participating in Internet chat forums,

online video games etc.
Vocabulary
learning slang or informal phrases and words for conversations, texting or

informal emails
Grammar
understanding tenses in newspaper texts; investigating differences between

spoken and written grammar (e.g. short Vs long forms)
20
Creative
What do you need to express yourself more thoughtfully and deeply and to understand and
discuss the artistic and creative expressions of others? Here are some suggestions for things you
could work on:
SKILLS
Listening
listening to or watching challenging literary texts (e.g. Shakespearian plays,

theatre productions, operas, radio and TV plays, documentaries etc.)
Reading
reading challenging literary texts (e.g. poems, plays, novels, philosophical

works, etc.)
Speaking
taking part in drama clubs; performing in plays; singing in a band, a choir,

music competitions etc.; improving pronunciation to be more expressive
Writing
writing poems, stories, plays etc.; learning how to use metaphor, allusion,
allegory, connotation and other figures of speech
Vocabulary
learning terms to describe different concepts in the creative arts (e.g. literary
terms like figurative language; learning terms to describe visual arts like
chiaroscuro etc.); learning about the etymology of words
Grammar
investigating the use of tenses in storytelling; learning how to use nouns and
verbs effectively in story telling
Any Purpose
The following things will be beneficial to any of the purposes given above.
SKILLS
Listening
comprehending connected speech in listening texts; understanding the use of

stress and intonation in speech
Reading
identifying main ideas and supporting ideas in reading texts
Speaking
improving pronunciation (e.g. use of stress and intonation; focusing on

certain difficult sounds such as /th/ /l/ /r/ /s/ or difficult consonant clusters
such as /cr/ /sl/ /sps/ /pr/ /bl/ /thr/)
Writing
improving paragraph structure; using linking words more effectively
Vocabulary
developing word attack strategies (i.e. guessing the meaning of new words see Appendix 7); developing memory strategies for learning vocabulary
Grammar
improving your use of any of the following: tenses, gerunds & infinitives,
prepositions, sentence structure, linking devices, articles etc.
21
TASK: Noting your purpose for learning English

a) Which of the following purposes do you want to work on most for your SALL? (i.e.
academic, professional, everyday, creative). Why this one and not the others?
b) Which skill and subskills will you focus on for that purpose? Why?
c) Make a note of a few specific things that you can work on. Prioritize these things putting
first what you think is most important for you at this moment.
22
Learner Profile: 1.4 Language Needs

One of the key aspects of setting your SALL learning goals is considering your language needs.
This basically means working on skills areas of your English that you feel you are
weakest at or most need to improve on. You can decide this by doing one of the following
two things:
Reflecting on your academic performance in the past and noting which aspects of
English you have had most difficulty with (e.g. consider which parts of the DSE exam
you did less well in such as the listening paper or the grades you received for your CUE
course).
Assessing your current ability in a skills area that you really need to work on either for a
course you are doing or for an assignment you must do well in (e.g. giving a
presentation for an end-of-course assignment). Consider the specific purposes you
identified in section 1.3 above.
The boxes below offer suggestions for how you might diagnose your current ability and which
specific aspect of each skill you should work on. These are not the only means and you should
feel free to try others or adapt the suggestions below to best suit you.
Methods for Diagnosing Any Ability
Book an appointment at the Student Advisory Services with one of the CAES tutors and ask them to
help you diagnose your ability in any of the language skills.
Compare your work / performance with that of a native speaker or someone who has very good
English in all or any of the main skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing). What, specifically, do
they do well that you find difficult? (e.g. using stress and intonation effectively in a discussion,
expressing ideas clearly and concisely in their writing) How do they do it? How can you narrow the
gap between them and you?
For each of the skills area you want to focus on, list what you can and cant do well (e.g. READING
Can do: understand popular science articles; Cant do: understand articles from science journals)
Consider your performance in past exams or assessments and find aspects of your English that you
need to do better in. Look at teachers, tutors or lecturers comments on your written or spoken
work and look for specific things you can work on improving.
23
Methods for Diagnosing Listening Skills
Find some listening texts that have tape scripts on a topic related to your learning needs from a past
English listening exam or from a website (e.g. BBC Learn English or the BBCs 6 minute English)
Then try the following steps:

(i) Listen to the listening text without the tape script and make detailed notes. Once you have
finished, listen again but this time read along with the tapescript. How much did you understand
in the first listening? Underline the parts where you made the most mistakes or found most
difficult to follow.
(ii) Ask yourself what were the reasons that you found those parts most difficult (e.g. speaker(s)
was too fast; lack of knowledge of the topic or situation; unfamiliar vocabulary; unfamiliar
accents; features of pronunciation such as connected speech etc.).
(iii) Work on the aspect of listening that you seem to have the most difficulty with from what
you found in step (ii). See the list of listening strategies in section 3.2.
Watch or listen to something as similar as possible to what you need to improve your listening skills in.
This could be a lecture from an online lecture by another university (e.g. MITs online physics lectures).
As you listen, note the timings for the parts which you found easiest and hardest. Note what you think
made the hardest parts seem hardest (e..g. complexity of vocabulary, speed or accent of speakers
speech) and make those the focus of your learning goals.
Methods for Diagnosing Speaking Skills
Book an appointment at the Student Advisory Services and ask them to give you a speaking task similar
to a task you need to improve in (e.g. Giving a presentation for one of your courses).
o Ask the Self-Access tutor for comments and suggest areas you can improve in.
o Work on that aspect as a learning goal.
Record yourself with a video camera doing a speaking task (e.g. a presentation, a discussion, chatting).
o Using a checklist like the one in Appendix assess your own performance or ask a friend /
classmate to do so. Note what is most in need of improvement (e.g. pronunciation, grammar,
body language, organization, lack of vocabulary etc.).
24
Methods for Diagnosing Reading Skills
Select a text that you have to read for one of your university courses. Highlight parts of the text that you
find most difficult.
o What aspect of those highlighted parts causes you the most difficulty? (e.g. complexity of topic
and ideas, unknown terms and vocabulary, complexity and length of sentences etc.) Work on the
aspect that causes you the most difficulty.
Look at this list of common reading strategies in Section 3.2.

o Which ones do you use most?
o Which one do you think you are best at?
o Which ones could you try out or improve on?
Methods for Diagnosing Writing Skills
Book an appointment at the Student Advisory Services and ask for comments from the tutor on a recent
piece of writing that you have done for one of your courses.
o Ask them to suggest learning goals for your writing.
Find a checklist like the one in Appendix 3 or create your own checklist for a piece of writing that you
have done. (Ensure that the checklist you have is suitable for the kind of writing you are doing.)
o Use the checklist to identify common problems with your writing (e.g. poor paragraph
construction)
Methods for Diagnosing Grammar Skills
Look at the corrections and comments on your essays and written homework by your lecturers. Focus
on the most common grammar mistakes you make.
Look at the list of common grammar mistakes on the Error Correction Checklist in Appendix 1 and
work on one or two of the types of grammar mistakes you know least about.
Ask a friend who has good English to look at some of your written work. Use an error correction code
system like the one in Appendix 1 to identify the kinds of errors you are making.
Visit the Student Advisory Services in the Chi Wah Learning Commons. Book an appointment for a
writing clinic and ask for comments from the tutor about your most common grammar errors and the
ones you need to focus on the most.
Find an online grammar quiz or grammar practice website and do a few quizzes on an area of grammar
you are unsure of. Note the grammar areas you had problems with.
25
Methods for Diagnosing Vocabulary Skills
Find a reading text (or several) from one of your university courses that you found difficult.
o Underline words, terms and phrases you dont understand.
o Note the most frequent words, terms and phrases and write down what they mean. Make a quiz
or test from your notes or ask a friend / classmate to make one for you. Quizlet is an excellent
online resource you can use to make revision materials and tests (or use others made by other
quizlet users).
Describe or explain something that is relevant or important to your current studies (e.g. a scientific
concept from a course you are studying, a photograph in a newspaper, a historical event etc).
o Describe it in as much detail as you can until you exhaust your vocabulary. Make an audio record
of your description / explanation or write it down.
o How detailed and effective is your description or explanation?
o Notice where there are gaps in your vocabulary for your description or explanation. Find out
what those missing words, terms and phrases are.
o As with the suggested activity above, make your own revision materials and / or tests using
online resources like Quizlet.
Try this online vocabulary test run by the Victoria University of Wellington: VocabularySize.com. It will
give you an idea of how much vocabulary you know. From your score and advice given, identify an area
or category of vocabulary (e.g. terms to describe scientific experiments) you will work on.
You can also try the American SAT vocabulary lists and quizzes though be careful not to learn words
that you are unlikely to ever use. You can do one of the online quizzes or make your own.
Using Past Exam Papers to Diagnose Reading, Listening, Grammar &

Vocabulary Skills
Do past exam papers in the general goal area (i.e. reading, listening, grammar etc.) you want to work on.
The following exam papers are available online and in the Student Advisory Services :- IELTS, TOEFL,
FCE, CAE, CAES 2802, etc. Select exam papers and texts that are most relevant to your studies, learning
needs or on topics that interest you.
o Once you have completed the test and marked it, look at the parts of the exam paper you had
most difficulty with and make that the specific focus for your goal. (e.g. If you did a grammar
focused exam paper and noticed that you mix up perfect and continuous tenses then improving
your ability with these tenses could become your learning goal.)
26
TASK: Diagnosing your language needs

a) Which of the following skills areas above will you work on? (i.e. listening, speaking, etc.)
b) Which specific area of that skill will you work on? (e.g. grammar perfect tenses; speaking
using body language in presentations)
c) Which of the suggested techniques above will you use to diagnose your ability?
d) Once you have diagnosed your ability, note how effective the technique was for diagnosing
your ability.
27
Learner Profile: 1.5 Motivation

Motivation is key to SALL and self-study
Motivation is widely considered to be an essential part of effective learning, both in and out of
the classroom. There are many different aspects to motivation but for your SALL purposes,
they have been simplified into four basic types and two key aspects (see below). You should
notice that these aspects often overlap and they are rarely static: the types of motivation you
experience will change over the span of your lifetime - even from moment to moment depending on you and the situation you are in. You may find that you have competing
motivations to do different things at the same time (e.g. preparing for a course assignment
versus playing a new TV game).
The Four Basic Types of Motivation

Integrative motivation This means how much you are motivated by wanting
to integrate or become part of the culture or cultures of the language. (e.g. Do
you want to learn American English because you prefer American culture over
other English speaking cultures? Are you learning American English because
you want to be in some way more American?)
Instrumental motivation This kind of motivation is to do with how useful you
think English is for your study or career goals. (e.g. If you want to study Law in
America so you can become a lawyer in America then you really have to
improve your English!)
Intrinsic motivation Intrinsic motivations come from within you. This kind of
motivation is to do with how much you just enjoy learning English. Maybe you
like the language itself or you find learning English fun and interesting both
inside and outside of the classroom.
Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivations come from outside of you. This
usually means how much you are motivated by rewards or punishments. A
reward might be getting a good grade or pleasing your parents. A punishment
would be things that you want to avoid such as negative criticism or having to
do a task again because you didnt do it properly.
28
Two Key Aspects: affective and (meta) cognitive aspects of motivation

Working within and beyond these different types of motivation are what is
called affective (i.e. emotions), cognitive (i.e. thinking) and meta-cognitive
(i.e. thinking about thinking) aspects of motivation.
Cognitive refers to how you learn, for example problem solving, practicing,
using a particular strategy and so on.
Meta-cognitive refers to how you think about your learning and includes such
things as planning your learning, evaluating learning resources and strategies
as well as managing your feelings.
Affective and (meta-) cognitive aspects are difficult to separate when
discussing motivation because on the one hand your emotions can shape the
way you think and act while on the other hand the way you think and act can
shape your emotions. For example, if you feel that speaking English is easy, but
writing English is difficult then you will tend to feel more motivated to speak
English and less motivated to write English. As a result you may develop
negative feelings about writing and avoid practicing it. Pay careful attention to
how each of these aspects impact on your learning.
TASK: Make a note of your answers for these questions

a) Which of the four types of motivation do you think you have for learning English? Why do
you think so? (Note that you can have more than one type of motivation.)
b) How do you feel when you are learning English? How does this affect the way you learn
English?
c) How do you plan your learning of English? Is this affected by the way you feel about
learning English?
d) How big a role does motivation play in your learning of English? Give reasons for why you
think so.
e) Apart from learning English, what motivates you the most? This could be something you do
in your spare time like playing computer games or going shopping. Think deeply about what it
is that motivates you to do these things.
f) Can you think of a time when you had competing motivations. (i.e. You wanted to two or
more different things at the same, and had to make a decision about what to do.) How did you
decide on what to do? (e.g. flipping a coin)
29
Tips on how to stay motivated and develop different types of motivation

Use any of the following tips when and wherever you feel it helps. Try also to develop different
types of motivation to the ones you have already. Some tips will work better at some times and
places than others and there are no fixed rules for using them. You may use one of these tips
again and again while others you will use once and never again. Choose what works best for
you.
Integrative
Note the differences and similarities between your culture and an

English speaking country and culture you are interested in. Ask
yourself and find out: What things do you particularly like about that
country and culture? What would you like to learn more about that
country and culture?
Get to know or try to chat to people from an English speaking culture

that you are interested in. This can be done online and/or on-campus at
any time. Take advantage of HKUs cosmopolitan student and teaching
population.
Spend some time enjoying things from a country and culture that
interest you such as its music, films, food, literature, dance etc.
Instrumental
Consider how you intend to use English in the future. Remind yourself
how important it is for you to improve your English for your career or
study goals. Choose activities that help in some way achieve these long
and short term goals.
Choose goals to work on that will benefit your current studies either in
the 9820 course or on one of the science courses you are studying this
semester.
Consider how useful English is in the world and in Hong Kong and its
potential to help with almost any field of study or career.
Note how useful English is for communicating with people from almost
any country in the world.
30
Intrinsic
Find learning resources and activities that you find enjoyable and
attractive, and avoid ones that you have found boring or unappealing.
Consider your learner style and choose materials and methods that
best fit your learner style.
Remind yourself of the things you like about English (e.g. the sound and
rhythm of the language when sung; that you can use it to communicate
with people from all over the world; that it gives you access to a huge
range of information on any subject or topic, etc.)
Look for ways to make activities and resources more interesting (e.g. by
making them more like a puzzle or game; by adapting the task to make
it more relevant to your personal learning needs, style or interests; by
making it more interactive etc.)
Extrinsic
Set goals that are realistic and that you can attain in the time you have.
Choose activities and resources that are aimed at your level of ability
and you can complete successfully but are still quite challenging.
Reward yourself by doing something pleasurable after doing a learning

activity.
Look for opportunities and areas for improvement.
Find out about and develop strategies and solutions for overcoming
particular problems you have with English in any of the skills areas (i.e.
reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar & vocabulary etc.)
Look back at your past successes and remind yourself you can succeed
again.
31
Affective aspects of motivation
Think of what you can already do in English well (e.g. chat to people
from other countries about football). Remind yourself that once you
found those things difficult too and so it can be the same for this new
task. Rather than viewing what you find difficult as something negative,
try to see it positively as an opportunity for future improvement.
Note how you feel when learning English or doing an activity. What
reasons do you have for these feelings? How can you change more
negative feelings into more positive ones?
Do some relaxation exercises or take a break when you find studying is

making you feel stressed.
Encourage yourself to keep studying by talking positively to yourself.

Tell yourself to add fuel!, never give up or any other phrase that
inspires you to go on.
Reward yourself by doing something enjoyable after you have

completed a session of studying.
Share your concerns and feelings about your learning with your tutor,
friends or fellow students. As we say in English: a problem shared is a
problem halved.
Monitor your progress and reward yourself for any improvements that
you have made.
Read books that help with motivation and / or inspire you. Tuesdays
with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a popular book among students for
finding inspiration or overcoming difficulties.
Look to the lives of men and women who inspire you and use the
approaches they did when faced with difficulties.
Try not to compare and compete with other students in terms of your
ability and your progress as this may demotivate you. Instead learn
from each other and support one another in your shared goals.
32
Remind yourself not to worry about making mistakes: its a natural and
essential part of the learning process and everyone makes mistakes. No
one is perfect. Even the smartest people who ever lived made big
mistakes. One famous instance of this was perhaps the greatest genius
of all time: Einstein. He spent the last years of his life developing a
theory about the universe that was completely wrong!
Accept yourself as who you are another person with both strengths
and weaknesses. Dont become obsessed about success or failure. To
quote from Rudyard Kiplings poem If- 6: If you can meet with Triumph
and Disaster, And treat those imposters just the same. Here I think
Kipling means that we should not become obsessed by success nor
terrified of failure but rather soldier on stoically and just get things
done.
Sometimes it helps to simply consider the actual smallness of your

problems in this vast, infinite and mind-bogglingly beautiful and
complex universe. It is worth reminding ourselves too that billions of
people for thousands and thousands of years have suffered fates far far
worse than our own. We are lucky to live here and now where we can
learn almost anything just by simply tapping on a keyboard or screen,
and live relatively safe and comfortable lives with all our modern
conveniences. These technological marvels and social advances that
make our lives so easy now were hard won by generations of people
and we should feel grateful to them for that.
Try to imagine yourself in the future - your future-self - as a successful

language learner (One that is possible, not superman/superwoman!).
Think in realistic terms of how to close the gap between you as a
language learner now and the image of that successful future-self.
Think of the positive impacts attaining your goal will have for you. Then
consider too what might happen if you fail to reach that target. What
might the negative consequences be for you? Do your best to avoid that.
Take charge of your learning. Be the captain of your own ship of destiny
and let SALL help you navigate to where you want to be.
Kipling ends the poem - youll be a man, my son! Fortunately, we live in more enlightened times and the qualities
Kipling lists in his poem are equally applicable to women and daughters!
33
(Meta-) Cognitive aspects of motivation

Consider which strategies and techniques you have used in the past to
learn English (both in and out of class). Avoid those which you felt were
not effective and enhance and develop those which seemed to work
best.
Study with another student or start a study group (e.g. online forum)
where you can help and reassure each other. An important part of
learning is to be within a supportive community of learners.
Practice on your own if you feel anxious about making mistakes for a
certain language learning task. Keep practicing until you feel confident
about doing that task with other people or in public. Think of yourself
like a musician practicing for a performance or an athlete training for a
race.
When studying in a class, try to find out the names of your classmates
and get to know something about them. Find out things that you have in
common (e.g. shared goals interests, likes, experiences etc.). Try to get
to know your tutor or lecturer if possible too. Developing good
relations with each other will create a more pleasant learning
environment for all of you and make learning together more
motivating.
One final thought

Some people have suggested that waiting until you are motivated to do
something leads to procrastination (the inability to get to work on
things you need to do), and that you should assign a time and a place to
do what you need to do (see section 1.6 below). For learning English
outside the class you might want to commit yourself to a certain time
each week when you will practice English and make it part of your
weekly routine. These people also suggest that it may be more effective
to practice the art of detaching yourself from your emotions (both
positive and negative) through various techniques (e.g. meditation,
yoga) and observe your emotional state from a distance. By doing this
you will be less swayed by your emotions and more able to focus on
what needs to be done. Another strategy is to simply set a goal of doing
something regularly for just one month. This is believed to be the
amount of time required to develop a new habit. Have a look at the next
section below on time and scheduling.
34
TASK: Keeping yourself motivated

a) Have you tried any of the suggested tips for staying motivated? If so, which ones? How
effective were they?
b) Which of the tips above will you try? Why?
c) After having tried some of the tips above, which did you find most or least successful? Why
do you think so?
35
Learner Profile: 1.6 Time and scheduling

Since you will have to dedicate about 2 hours per week on SALL (about 15 hours in total for
the whole course) outside of class time, you should think about how you will fit it in. You may
need to cut back a little on one activity or another in order to do so.
First of all consider the time you spend now on doing different activities each week. Complete
the table below 7 and then think about where you can save time or cut back to make room for
SALL.
Activity
Hours spent
per week
Sleeping
Time spent in HKU classes
Time spent studying at HKU
Time spent at work (e.g. part-time job)
Preparing and eating meals
- breakfast
- lunch
- dinner
- snacks
Freetime activities
- Physical exercise
- Internet / Video Games
- Watching TV / Films
- Reading
- Club / Society / Hall activities
Commuting (travelling to and from university/ work /
home)
Socialising (with friends / family etc.)
Relaxing / Taking Breaks
Lost time (e.g. queuing, waiting around etc.)
Learning English / Doing SALL
Other (please specify)
TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS PER WEEK
1 to 2 hours
______________
out of 168
hours
Adapted from the Self-Directed Study Programme (SDEP) on the CAESs Virtual English website under the
heading Time Management by Gardner & Voller (2013).
36
How can I fit SALL into my schedule?

The best way to get the SALL component of the course done with the least frustration is to
assign a time when you will do it each week and follow that. This will require you to organize
your time and decide on what to do and when you do it. We strongly recommend that you do a
couple of hours each week rather than to try to do all your SALL work just before each SALL
assessment.
One tip is to make a weekly study plan like the one below either by hand or use any of the
online weekly schedule organisers available for smart phones and tablets. These online
schedules may also have alerts embedded in them so you wont forget important course
deadlines. Remember to make a weekly study plan for each week as course assignments and
deadlines will require you to make changes to your weekly schedule.
You can schedule the time for SALL in a number of ways. Here are some suggestions.
Do a 2-hour block of SALL once a week
Do 2 x 1 hour blocks of SALL twice a week
Do several short sessions of SALL several times a week. (e.g. 15mins in the morning and
15mins in the evening for at least 4 days of the week. This short-burst of practice may
be actually be better for certain goals/methods & materials, for example, pronunciation
practice or vocabulary review)
Vary between the above suggestions from week to week. You can comment on which
you found most or least effective in your SALL Oral Report and/or SALL Written
Reflection.
SEM 2 / WEEK 6
Monday
17th March
8am
9am
10am
11am
12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm
4pm
5pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
9pm
10pm
11pm
12pm
Tuesday
18th March
EASC 2048
CAES9820
Revision for
PHYS 2250 test
(3 hours)
PHYS 2250
(Mid Term
Test!!!)
PHYS 2250
Thursday
20th March
Friday
21st March
Study block
(3 hours)
PHYS2440
CAES 9820
EASC 2048
Study block
(4 hours)
Study block
(4 hours)
PHYS 2265
PHYS 2265
Science Society
Meeting
Revision for
PHYS 2250 test
(3 hours)
Free time
Wednesday
19th March
Study block
(3 hours)
Free time
Study block
(1 hour)
SALL
Freetime
Basketball
Free time
Free time
Study block
(2 hours)
Study block
(2 hours)
Saturday
22nd March
Sunday
23rd March
Sleeping
Sleeping
Study block
(4 hours)
Basketball
interhall
competition
Free time
Free time
Free time
Sleeping
SALL
Free time
If time is short, you can do some of your SALL work while you are commuting, waiting in
queues or you can think and plan SALL activities as you eat your breakfast! Look for little
empty gaps like these in your time which you can use for SALL.
37
TASK: Scheduling your SALL

a) Complete the table on the time spent on different activities. Compare yours with one of
your classmates. Make suggestions for how to fit SALL into your life.
b) Make a weekly planner for the next two weeks in a similar format to the schedule planner
above. Make sure you have put in enough time for SALL each week (about 2 hours).
38
Learner Profile: 1.7 Completing your Learner

Profile
Having read sections 1.1 to 1.6 above and doing the related exercises, you now need to fill out a
form like the one shown below.* Doing this will help you when it comes to writing your
learning goals in section 2. Once you have completed your Learner Profile you should upload it
to the course Moodle site.
*The Word Document for the Learner Profile can be found on the course Moodle site.
FULL NAME:
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH / CLASS NAME:
GROUP:
STUDENT NO.:
DAY(S) OF LESSON(S):
MAJOR(S)/MINOR(S):
EMAIL ADDRESS:
LEARNING STYLE(S):
Highlight the type(s) of learner you believe you are:
Concrete
Communicative
Analytical
Authoritarian
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Other types (Please specify):
[See Section 1.2 of the SALL Support Pack]
LEARNING PURPOSES:
Highlight one or more of the main purposes you want to focus on for your SALL.
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
LEARNING NEEDS:
Highlight one or more of the language skills areas you think you need to work on most.
Speaking
Listening
Writing
Reading
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exam / Assessments (Please specify):
Other (Please specify):
MOTIVATION:
Highlight the type(s) of motivation you think you have for learning English.
Integrative
Instrumental
Intrinsic
Extrinsic
Other factors in motivation (Briefly explain):
LEARNER HISTORY:
Write a short summary of your own learner history. You can use some of the prompts below or you can
write anything which you think is relevant or important to your learning of English. (Approx. 200-300
words)
thoughts and feelings about how you learned English in primary and secondary school
what you think has helped you most and least when learning English
what you feel and think about learning English at present
in what ways one or more of the following affects your learning: your learning purposes, your
language needs, your learning styles or your motivation
changes in your attitudes and beliefs about learning English
what specific aspects of English you need to work on most (see Section 1.4 Language Needs above)
what you need English for most at present and why you believe this
[See also Section 1.1 of the SALL Support Pack]
39
Learning Goals Plan: 2.1 Setting SMART

learning goals
How should I write my learning goals?
Your learning goals should be S.M.A.R.T. This mnemonic and its underlying rationales have
been adapted from practices in business management and professional development. SMART
led goals aim to help employers and employees set goals which are effective and attainable;
however, this approach also applies well to learning goals in SALL. Read the following
explanations below to understand what this acronym means and how to apply it to your SALL
learning goals.
S Specific
There are three possible ways to make your goal specific:
Make your goal a sub-skill of one of the general skills areas (e.g. listening, speaking,
reading, writing etc.) that relates to some kind of specific written or spoken text. For
example, if you want to work on your listening skills then your goal could be:
distinguishing between main and supporting ideas (sub-skill) in physics lectures
(specific spoken text).
Develop or work on a certain language learning strategy or technique. For example you
might want to work on techniques for memorizing vocabulary or techniques for
increasing your reading speed.
Work on a transferrable sub-skill. The most common example of this is in the grammar
skills. For example, if your goal is to improve your use of the perfect tenses then this
sub-skill will help you in some way in all four of the main skills (listening, speaking,
reading, writing).
M Measurable
To make your goal measureable you can choose one of the following:
Do something you cant do now (or dont know about) but want to do or need to do in
the future (e.g. write a professional resume, read a lab report and understand most of it,
know about features of connected speech etc.)
Attain a certain score or grade in an exam, course assignment or other form of

assessment
Be noticeably better in the eyes (and ears) of yourself and/or your peers or someone
with good English. (e.g. deliver a presentation more expressively using stress and
intonation)
40
Complete a certain amount of learning (e.g. have memorized 40 terms related to your
course major; complete a unit in a book which teaches academic reading skills and then
do a test to show you have achieved the learning outcomes of that unit)
A Achievable / Agreed
Your goal should be realistic and agreed by your course tutor. Dont expect after 8 hours of
SALL you will be a fluent speaker of English. Discuss your goal(s) with your lecturer and see
how achievable they think it is.
R Relevant / Real
Your goal should clearly relate to some kind of purpose (academic, professional, everyday,
creative; see section 1.3 above) and / or a language need (see section 1.4 above). Do not waste
time on goals that you have no interest in or do not help you improve in some way related to
your learning needs or purposes.
Your goal should also be a real goal and not an activity or other way of spending time. For
example, you cannot put reading newspaper articles everyday as a goal. Reading newspapers
is not a goal but an activity. To make this activity a genuine learning goal you could change it
to: read two science-related newspaper articles each day for two weeks and aim to record and
memorize 40 new items of science-related vocabulary from the articles.
T Time-bound
Your learning goal must be achievable within the time frame you have. For this course you will
only be working on short-term goals with only a few hours for each goal over the next two
months. However, after this course finishes you may want to continue using SALL and set
yourself mid-term goals (a few months to a couple of years, e.g. maybe goals that will help you
achieve a good degree) or even long-term goals (several years, e.g. maybe life-long learning
goals that will help you with your career).
TASK: Critiquing goals
Read the goals below. Decide which goal is the SMARTest and then comment on the problems
with the other goals.
Part 1
a) To improve my spelling when I write essays.
b) To watch movies related to science.
c) To improve my reading so I can understand everything I read.
d) To increase my score by 2 points for the 9820 speaking test in the pronunciation criteria.
e) To be able to think about chemistry in English more effectively.
f) To use more eye contact in presentations and discussions.
41
Part 2
After doing part 1 above, check your own learning goals with a friend or classmate using the
SMART criteria above.
TASK: Critiquing goals (ANSWERS)

Read the goals below. Choose which goal is the SMARTest and then comment on the problems
with the other goals.
a) To improve my spelling when I write essays.
This would fail for being too achievable. Since almost every word-processing software
application has a spell checker in it, then this is something you can achieve already.
b) To watch movies related to science.
This would fail under relevance. This is not a goal but an activity.
c) To improve my reading so I can understand everything I read.
This is wrong on almost every SMART level. It is not specific; it is not achievable, and it is not
time-bound.
d) To increase my score by 2 points for the 9820 speaking test in the pronunciation criteria by
focusing on connected speech.
This is the SMARTest goal. It is a sub-skill of a certain skill (speaking) and relates to a type of
spoken text (9820 speaking test). It is clearly measurable, possibly achievable, relevant to the
learners needs (purpose academic; language need pronunciation), and it can be done in the
time given (i.e. the duration of the 9820 course). Note too that the test itself clearly sets out a
time-frame for when the goal should be completed by.
e) To be able to think about chemistry in English more effectively.
This would fail mostly for being unmeasurable and not specific. You could change this to:
improve my ability to write written explanations in English of chemical processes for my organic
chemistry course
f) To use more eye contact in presentations and discussions.
This is too specific and not language focused. This goal could be broadened to improving aspects
of body language and gesture in presentations and discussions.
42
Learning Goals Plan: 2.2 Selecting suitable

materials and methods for you goals
The materials (i.e. facilities, resources) and methods (i.e. activities, pathways, strategies,
techniques, ways of using a resource) you select to help you with your learning goal can be
decided by asking yourself the questions below, where applicable:
Material(s)
Is it relevant to your specific learning goal?
Is it up-to-date?
Has it been made or recommended by a professional or trustworthy organization /
institution / publisher?
Is it suitable for university level / undergraduate studies?
Is it appropriate for your learning style? (See section 1.2 above on Learning Styles)
Can it realistically be used in the time given?
Does it seem interesting, enjoyable or motivating?
Method(s)
Is it relevant to your learning goal?
Is it appropriate for the materials you have selected?
Will it be an effective means of improving in this goal area?
Is it appropriate for your learning style?
Is it motivating?
Is this method one that you can realistically do or achieve?
A list of suggested materials and methods can be found in section 3.1 and 3.2 below.
Remember that you should not just select one material and/or method for each of your
learning goals but experiment with as wide a variety as possible.
43
TASK: Selecting suitable materials for your learning goals

Comment on the problems with these materials and methods in relation to the learning goal
and the questions raised above. Suggest possible alternative materials and methods.
a)
Learning goal:
Improve my ability to use stress and intonation in academic presentations
Materials and methods:
Watch movies and note and copy how the actors use stress and intonation
b)
Learning goal:
Increase my knowledge of key terms for my major course on bio-chemistry
Make a list of terms from my secondary school chemistry text book
c)
Learning goal:
Improve my use of the perfect tenses
Read grammar book explanations and do gap fill exercises (Imagine you are a communicative
and auditory learner.)
d)
Learning goal:
Increase my knowledge of useful phrases for writing cover letters for job applications
Memorize all the phrases in The Kings English for Gentlemen in Business (1951) by Sir Rupert
Buckingham-Yarborough
e)
Learning goal:
Improve my ability to distinguish between main and supporting ideas in news articles related to
environmental sciences
Read Global Warming is a Socialist Conspiracy by LibertyWatch and make headings for main
ideas and list supporting ideas in note form underneath (Retrieved from
www.libertywatch/wordpress/blog/diesocialistscum.com)
44
Possible Answers
a) The way people use stress and intonation is very different depending on the situation. In
this case a movie is not suitable. For this goal, the learner should listen to presentations given
by experienced speakers on topics similar to the ones he/she intend to present on.
b) A secondary course book will likely be too simplistic and not contain the right terminology.
The materials you select should be at university level. One simple idea might be to make a list
of terms from your university course notes /university course textbook. Also, one of the main
aims of SALL is that you try out new things and not go back and do the same old things that
you have done before or normally do.
c) If you were a communicative and auditory learner, you would likely find this activity
incredibly boring and demotivating. You could instead make some questions using the perfect
tenses to ask people you know you are proficient speakers of English.
d) This book is of course way too old. Anyone who used phrases from this book would likely
end up writing stuff that made him/herself look foolish or make the reader think the writer
was 100 years old! Also, memorizing phrases for writing this kind of text is an ineffective
method and a waste of time. It would be better getting an up-to-date text book on business
writing which has a list of useful phrases and use it as a reference guide when writing these
kinds of letters rather than wasting time and effort memorizing the phrases.
e) From the URL it can be seen that this is a blog so the writing may be of a poor quality, and,
therefore, not good for reading practice. The title and the URL also indicate that this article is
likely to contain strong political biases, and may be factually incorrect. Check URLs and
websites carefully to see if they are written by reliable sources before selecting them.
45
Learning Goals Plan: 2.3 Collaborating on your

learning goals
One thing you need to decide is whether you will need to work with other people in order to
achieve your goal. You are encouraged to do so as much as possible as this will make your SALL
experience easier and even more enjoyable. You can collaborate in many different ways. Here
are some suggestions.
Work on goals that require other people. For example, if you want to improve your
discussions skills, why not ask some classmates to form a discussion practice group. You
can all work on the same specific discussion goal or work on different discussion goals
while taking part in the same discussion.
To see how much progress you have made, ask someone (a lecturer, a friend, a
classmate etc.) to assess you on the specific goal area you are working on. Use the
checklists in the Appendixes to help you.
Do the same goal as one or more of your classmates and share the resources, activities
and strategies that you try out together. You can do this face-to-face or online.
If you have difficulty with your learning goal, ask someone who is proficient in that goal
area to help you. For example, if you are struggling to improve an aspect of your writing
then ask a lecturer for advice or a classmate who gets good marks in writing
assignments.
If you decide not to collaborate on your learning goals, you can still collaborate for some
of the learning activities that you do. You may collaborate with different people for
different activities too.
Share resources, activities and strategies that you found particularly useful with your
classmates and/or ask them to evaluate activities and strategies they have tried that
you are interested in trying out.
46
Learning Goals Plan: 2.4 Expressing expected

outcomes
As part of your plan you will need to write down what you think you will be able to achieve by
the end of the SALL component of the 9820 course. You should think carefully about what you
can realistically expect to achieve after only 15 hours of SALL. Note that if you have two
learning goals then you need to divide your 15 hours between these two goals.
Knowing how long it will take you do learn something is not easy to predict and it takes
practice to do this accurately so you should be prepared to change your targets and your goals
accordingly as you go along. Refer again to the suggestions in section 2.1 on the four different
ways of how to make your goals measureable and then do the task below.
TASK: Realistic Expected Outcomes
Look at the example statements of expected outcomes and decide which ones are achievable /
realistic given the time allotted.
(a) To speak fluently in everyday English (7.5 hours)
(b) To be able to get 40 out of 40 in a self-made quiz on the 40 terms that I want to learn.
(5 hours)
(c) To be noticeably more accurate with the pronunciation of the /th/, /l/ and /r/ sounds
when I speak (7.5 hours)
(d) To get an IELTS score of 9 for the writing part of the test. (Previous score was 5.5).
(5 hours) 8
TASK: Realistic Expected Outcomes (ANSWERS)

(a) Unrealistic
(b) Realistic
(c) Realistic
(d) Unrealistic
47
Learning Goals Plan: 2.5 General Skills Areas &

Integrating Skills
General Skills Areas
Your learning goal should be related to one or more of the following general skills areas:
listening
speaking
reading
writing
vocabulary
grammar
exams / assessments
Integrating Skills
You will note that many goals involve two or more of the general skills areas. An example of a
goal that integrates skills would be: memorizing certain expressions for showing agreement,
disagreement, interruption and clarification in tutorial discussions. As can be seen, this goal
integrates both vocabulary and speaking skills.
TASK: Identifying skills areas in learning goals
Read the following goals and identify which of the General Skills Areas each one relates to. If you
think the learning goal integrates two or more skills then identify what those skills are.
(a) to learn forty common nouns, verbs and adjectives that have adjunct prepositions after
them that I often make mistakes with (e.g. depends on, acceptable for)
(b) to practice the strategies of skimming and scanning texts for the reading paper of the IELTS
exam so as to improve my reading speed and scores in that paper
(c) to learn 50 of the most common key terms for my PHYS 2265 course to help me with my
understanding of the PHYS 2265 lectures and course notes
(d) to learn about and practice key features of connected speech (e.g. assimilation, weak forms)
to help me in the 9820 speaking test and listening in general
(e) to improve in the accuracy of my use of the linking words and phrases I use most in my
writing
(f) to improve my confidence in chatting in English to people from foreign countries on
everyday topics 9
See answers at the bottom of the next page.
48
Learning Goals Plan: 2.6 Completing your

Learning Goals Plan
For each of your SALL goals you need to complete one of the forms shown below in Figure 1
and upload it to the 9820 Moodle site.* Although this plan will not be assessed, it is important
to write your plan carefully because you can use parts of it to help write your final SALL
reflection. In order to complete your SALL goal plan successfully you should do the tasks and
follow the advice given in sections 2.1 to 2.5 above. Note that each goal may not take an equal
amount of time so you may give 10 hours for one goal and 5 hours for another. Remember you
have only 15 hours total for achieving all of your SALL goals.
*The Word Document of the Learning Goals Plan can be found on the Moodle site.
CAES 9820 LEARNING GOALS PLAN

FULL NAME:
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH NAME:
GROUP:
STUDENT NO.:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
GOAL 1
Purpose
Highlight which purpose your learning goal will relate to.
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
General Skills Area:

Highlight which general skills area(s) your goal relates to.
Listening Speaking
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exams / Assessments
Specific goal:
Rationale (In terms of one or more of the following: purpose, language needs, learner style
motivation):
Possible materials (i.e. resources) and methods (i.e. activities, strategies, techniques). Refer
to sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the SALL Support Pack for ideas.
Anticipated outcome or progress (See sections 2.1 and 2.3 of the SALL Support Pack on
making goals measurable and achievable):
Estimated Time Needed (in hours):
TASK: Identifying skills areas in learning goals (ANSWERS)

(a) GRAMMAR ; (b) integrating READING and EXAMS / ASSESSMENTS; (c) integrating VOCABULARY, LISTENING & READING
(d) integrating EXAMS / ASSESSMENTS, LISTENING and SPEAKING; (e) integrating GRAMMAR and WRITING; (f) SPEAKING
49
GOAL 2 (OPTIONAL)
Purpose
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative

Listening Speaking
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Vocabulary
Specific goal:
Exams / Assessments
Rationale (In terms of one or more of the following: purpose, language needs, learner style,
motivation):
Possible materials (i.e. resources) and methods (i.e. activities, strategies, techniques). Refer
to sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the SALL Support Pack for ideas.
Anticipated outcome or progress (See sections 2.1 and 2.3 of the SALL Support Pack on
making goals measurable and achievable):
Estimated Time Needed (jn hours):
Figure 1: SALL Learning Goals Plan
50
Materials and Methods: 3.1 Materials: facilities

and resources
Introduction to materials and methods
Materials and methods are broad terms to describe what you will be using to learn with and
how you will be using them. To put it simply, materials are what you learn with while the
methods are how you use the materials you select (or just how you try to learn something if
you are not using any specific materials).
What facilities and resources can I use for my SALL goals?
Below you can find a list of facilities and resources that are available to you on campus, in Hong
Kong and on the Internet. The tables below group facilities and resources for each of the skills
areas and inform you where those facilities and resources can be found.
Ensure that the materials that you select match your goals. You should also choose resources
that are suitable for your level of proficiency and where possible use authentic materials (i.e.
materials written for real world use not written for learners of English). Dont forget that
people are also a wonderful resource for learning and practice and you should find appropriate
people to help you with certain aspects of your learning.
This list of materials is to help you get started. This is not a complete list and we expect you to
look at other facilities and resources as you progress with SALL. You should select and
experiment with a wide variety of materials rather than rely on just one or two for each goal.
MATERIALS FOR ALL SKILLS AREAS
Type of Facility / Resource
Examples
Notes
English Learning Websites
Virtual English
Virtual English and its

Resources on the Internet
links are run by the CAES.
They contain a
comprehensive list of
resources and activities for
each of the General Skills
Areas.
Virtual English: Resources on

the Internet
Centre for Independent
Language Learning (PolyU)
Language School Websites
British Council
Libraries
Student Advisory Services

Zone (CAES)
Virtual English: Resources in
Zone R
51
The Student Advisory Service

run by the CAES is on 2/F, Chi
Wah Learning Commons,
Zone R in the Centennial
Campus. It has a large
collection of learning
materials for all skills areas.
Ask at the information desk
for advice.
Hong Kong Public Libraries
The local libraries have many

English Language Learning
resources. Visit your local
library or the main library in
Causeway Bay and ask them
what they have.
MATERIALS FOR LISTENING SKILLS
Examples
Notes
Libraries and Collections of

TV Programmes & Films

Zone (CAES)

run by the CAES is on 2/F, Chi
Wah Learning Commons,
Zone R in the Centennial
Campus. It has a large range
of DVDs and CDs.
HKU Libraries AV collection
The AV Collection can be

found on the first floor of the
main library at HKU.
BBC Podcasts & Downloads
These podcast services

provide listenings for a huge
range of topics from Science,
News, the Environment,
Health etc. Choose topics that
are related to your learning
goal.
Podcasts
National Public Radio (NPR)

Podcasts
Australian Broadcasting
Corporation (ABC)Podcasts
Radio Shows
Podcast.com
Podcast.com links to a huge

range of sites that offer
podcasts
BBC Learn English
Many radio shows can be

streamed from the Internet.
Some like the BBC also
include tape scripts.
BBCs 6 minute English
Online Talks, Lectures or

Presentations
TED: Ideas worth spreading

MIT Online Science Lectures
52
Listening to lectures and

presentations online is a good
way to practice your listening
skills and strategies for the
lectures you attend.
MATERIALS FOR SPEAKING SKILLS

Examples
Notes
Face-to-face Speaking
Practice
Your classmates, your

lecturers, international
students, foreign visitors and
residents in Hong Kong

(CAES) offers many speaking
practice opportunities
including conversation
exchanges. You can book
these online or visit Zone R
on 2/F, Chi Wah Learning
Commons in the Centennial
Campus.

Zone (CAES)
Online Chat Websites
Livemocha
ESL Online Chat Community
Online Pronunciation
Exercises and Activities
UEfAP Speaking in Academic

Contexts: Pronunciation
Centre for Language
Education, HKUST
BBC Learning English:
Pronunciation Tips
Online chatting sites like

these offer a chance to speak
with teachers and other
learners of English.
These sites offer information
on pronunciation, the
International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA), and
numerous exercises and
activities to help improve the
accuracy of your
pronunciation.
Sounds of English
American Accent.Com
Online Dictionaries
EnglishTown: Vocabulary,
HowjSay
MacMillan Dictionary
53
These online dictionaries

allow you to hear how a word
is pronounced.
MATERIALS FOR READING SKILLS
Examples
Notes
Libraries

Zone (CAES)
You can read a wide range of

reading materials in each of
these places including books,
ebooks, magazines,
newspapers etc.
HKU Libraries
Hong Kong Public Libraries
Online Newspapers /
Magazines
Time Magazine
Newsweek Magazine
The New York Times
Smithsonian.Com
The Guardian
The Independent
New Scientist
Scientific American
These newspapers and

magazines have a technology
and/or science section with
the latest news on
developments, discoveries
and inventions.
Other online resources
Glendale Community College:

Reading Better and Faster
This site provides exercises

on increasing your reading
speed.
MATERIALS FOR WRITING SKILLS
Examples
Notes
Face-to-face advice and

support

Zone (CAES)
Remember that you can use

the checklists and error
correction codes in the SALL
Support Pack with a friend or
classmate to check your
writing with.
Your classmates, your

lecturers, people you know
who write well
Online writing advice and
exercises
ESL Resource Center

Mind Tools: Writing Skills
(Professional Writing)
Mind Tools: Writing Skills
(Writing Emails)
OWL Purdue Writing Lab
54
Online advice is quite useful.

The best sites will have
exercises.
MATERIALS FOR GRAMMAR SKILLS
Examples
Notes
Grammar Books

Zone (CAES)
Some recommended
grammar books that can be
found here are English
Grammar in Use by
Raymond Murphy and
Practical English Usage by
Michael Swan.
Websites
EduFind.Com
These sites provide

information and advice on
grammar. The most useful
sites are those that also
include exercises or quizzes.
The best exercises are those
where there is a clear context
for the grammar item (e.g. a
short text with gaps for
tenses). This is because
grammar is affected by the
surrounding context.
Purdue Online Writing Lab:

Grammar
City University ELC:
Interactive Online Grammar
Quizzes
The English Grammar Guide
(The EGG) HKUST
Corpora Software
Word Neighbors (HKUST)

Leeds University: A Collection
of English Corpora
55
Corpora software analyzes

language and looks for
patterns. This is very useful
for understanding different
grammar patterns around
certain words. (e.g.
prepositions following
certain verbs, nouns or
adjectives) and for
investigating collocations.
MATERIALS FOR VOCABULARY SKILLS

Examples
Dictionaries & Thesauruses
Cambridge Dictionaries Online The best dictionaries are

those that give example
MacMillan Dictionary
sentences and give
information on how frequent
Longman Dictionary of
or common the word is.
Contemporary English
Other features to look for are
lists of collocations with that
Oxford English Dictionary
word.
(Available through HKU
Dragon)
Academic Wordlists
Notes
Lexipedia Beta: where words

have meaning
Lexipedia shows diagrams of

meanings related to words.
UEfAP Vocabulary
Academic Word Lists contain

common words found in
most university disciplines.
You can use these lists or
make your own lists
depending on your needs.
University of Nottingham:
Academic Wordlist
Centre for Independent
Language Learning (CILL)
PolyU: Academic Vocabulary
Victoria, University of
Wellington: The Academic
Word List
Academic Word List Activities
Pearsons Academic
Collocation List
Flash card & quiz making
software / apps
Google Flash Card Machine
Corpora Software / Corpus

Linguistics Applications
Word Neighbors (HKUST)
Quizlet
Leeds University: A Collection

of English Corpora
56
Flashcards and quizzes are a

fun and efficient way of
recording and memorizing
vocabulary.
Corpora software analyzes
language and looks for
patterns. This is very useful
for investigating collocations
for different words.
MATERIALS FOR EXAM / ASSESSMENT PRACTICE

Examples
Notes
Face-to-face advice and

support

Zone (CAES)
Book an appointment with

one of the advisors and ask
for practice and/or advice in
the exam / assessment you
plan to take.
Websites
Virtual English: IELTS
This site has links to many

other useful IELTS sites.
57
Materials and Methods: 3.2 Methods - activities,

pathways, strategies and techniques
Introduction to methods
The terms activities, pathways, strategies and techniques are different types of learning
methods, but, unfortunately, the meaning of these terms is not always clear or consistently
applied despite being commonly used in learning materials. This is why we have chosen to use
the broader term methods to mean how you use the materials you have selected or just how
you try to learn something (if you are not using any materials).
Methods vary in the length of time they take (from seconds to years) and can be applied
regularly (or irregularly / when needed) over a short or long period of time (a day or two to a
whole lifetime). They can range from being very simple with only one or two steps and
procedures (e.g. a simple vocabulary memorization technique) or they can be highly complex
(e.g. applying an array of advanced reading and interpretation strategies to an authentic text
such as a novel). They can also be highly adaptable to a range of different materials, skills areas
and learning situations (e.g. note taking techniques these can be adapted to help with
speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in any learning situation) or they may require
you to follow a rigid set of instructions for a specific set of learning materials in a specific skills
area (e.g. following a self-learning book on academic reading skills, attending a business
presentations skills course).
One thing to always remember is that there is no single best method, and this is why you
should experiment with as many methods as is practical. This is not to suggest that you do this
mindlessly and without consideration: a well-chosen method will not only make your learning
more effective but will likely make your learning experience more enjoyable and motivating.
Reflect on your learner style, your motivation types and your previous learning experiences
beforehand.
Note that this is not a complete list of methods and you should feel free to use others or adapt
the ones given below. There is an excellent list of suggested methods (as well as materials) for
each skills area on the Resources on the Internet on the CAES Virtual English Website.
METHODS for LISTENING SKILLS
BEFORE LISTENING
If the listening is embedded on a website (e.g. a podcast) look at the accompanying text,
images or graphics (if any) and use your own knowledge of the topic try to guess some of the
content before you listen.
Jot down some questions you hope the listening will answer about the topic.
Read or listen to something related about the same topic in your first language to increase
your background knowledge of the topic.
Learn how to pronounce and memorize key words or terms that you predict will be in the
listening.
Learn about features of pronunciation and speaking that make listening difficult or that you
might not realize the importance of. For example, find out about and practice any of the
following: connected speech, short forms, word and sentence stress, intonation, different
accents, different Englishes (e.g. Indian, Singaporean, UK, US, etc).
Discuss the general topic or a similar listening with someone before you listen.
58
WHILE LISTENING
Listening for general idea / understanding
Use your background knowledge of the topic to help you understand the text as you listen.
Be aware of the context (place and time, situation, speakers) where the speaking is taking
place and use that to help you understand what is going on.
If the listening is a video or film etc. use visual clues (e.g. facial expressions, gestures, body
language, accompanying graphics such as slides etc.) and the setting, situation and people to
help you understand.
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting ideas of the speakers (especially in lectures)
by making notes as you listen (e.g. mind-maps, drawings, headings with subheadings & bullet
points)
Visualize what is being talked about if appropriate (e.g. a story, a description)
Act out what is being talked about if appropriate. (e.g. an instruction)
Touch what is being talked about if appropriate. (e.g. a statue, an object)
WHILE LISTENING
Listening for specific information
Distinguish between which parts of the listening are necessary for you to fully understand
and which parts you can ignore.
Write down some questions you hope the listening will answer about the topic. Write down
the answers next to the questions as you hear them.
Focus only on the information that you need. For example, if you are listening for key figures
and statistics then listen carefully for key words related to that figure or statistic and repeat
the numbers to yourself as you hear them or write them down.
WHILE LISTENING
Coping with difficult listening texts
Dont get worried about any words or phrases that you dont understand. Keep listening and
try to just get the main ideas.
Try to guess what the speaker(s) will say next or later as you listen.
Infer meanings and ideas that are not directly stated by the speakers.
Note the attitude, mood, personality etc. of the speakers as this could affect the meaning.
For recorded listenings, stop and repeat segments of the listening you didnt understand or
hear properly. Keep replaying that segment as many times as necessary until you understand
or hear what was said.
Makes notes as you listen. Jot down key words and phrases you hear or that capture the
points made. You can organize your notes by categories, main and subpoints etc. Use noteform, symbols, bullet points and abbreviations etc. too.
Note your level of concentration as you listen. If your mind is wandering gently bring its
attention back to what is being said. One tip for refocusing your attention is to actually repeat
what the speaker said immediately after it is said.
59
AFTER LISTENING
Ask yourself questions about the listening. (e.g. Did he/she really mean that? Why did he/she
say that? Does what the speaker(s) said agree with what you know about the topic?)
Compare what you know about the topic with what you heard. What did you know already?
What was new? Was there anything that you didnt agree with or thought might be wrong or
perhaps that you heard wrong?
Re-listen to parts of the listening you found difficult. Look for clues in earlier or later parts of
the listening to help you.
Go back and guess the meaning of words, terms and phrases you heard and if possible check
them in a dictionary.
Summarize the main (and supporting) points of the listening. You can do this by writing a
paragraph, writing down the points note form, making a mind-map, or even making an audio
or video recording etc.
Try to translate the points you heard into your first language.
USING TAPE SCRIPTS

If you have a tape script of the listening (or lyrics for a song / screenplay for a movie /
transcript for a radio show or podcast) then read and listen at the same time. Underline parts
you find difficult to hear or do not understand. Go back and re-listen to these parts again and
again until you can hear it clearly. Find out the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases (e.g.
by using a dictionary).
Another technique is to read along and speak aloud and try to mimic the voice(s) of the
speakers. Note that improving your pronunciation can help your become better at listening.
COLLABORATIVE LISTENING
With one or more other friends / classmates, make each other a quiz about the same recorded
listening after you have listened to it. Listen again or from memory try to answer your
friends / classmates questions. Listen carefully again to any parts of the listening which
caused the misunderstandings that you or your friend may have had.
Discuss with a friend or classmate about what you listened to. Do you agree with each
others understanding of the listening? Did you have the same or different difficulties?
Can you help explain certain parts of the listening to each other? Do you share the
same opinions about what was said?
EXTENSIVE LISTENING
This means listening to English as much as you can and to listen to things that you enjoy
listening to (e.g. songs sung in English, movies in English etc.). This is a good way to gradually
improve your listening over a long period of time as well as develop an interest in listening in
English. By itself, extensive listening cannot be a goal on the 9820 course; however, you could
combine it with another goal in another skills area. (e.g. memorizing 30 slang phrases
commonly found in pop songs for improving your everyday English)
60
METHODS for SPEAKING SKILLS
GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING SKILLS
Video or audio record yourself and/or others doing a speaking activity. With a
checklist for that kind of speaking activity check your fluency (i.e. Was your meaning
clear? Did you speak smoothly?) and your accuracy (i.e. range of grammar and
vocabulary, appropriacy of your language in terms of manner and formality, accuracy
of pronunciation, etc.). Look at the Checklist for the 9820 Speaking Test in Appendix 2
and the Sample Checklist for Oral Presentations in Appendix 5. You can use these for
similar speaking activities or adapt them for your own speaking activity purposes.
DISCUSSIONS
Familiarize yourself with the key moves made in discussions. These include: agreeing,
disagreeing, counter-arguing, interrupting politely, asking for clarification, asking
questions making suggestions and recommendations, pointing out errors or mistakes,
summarizing previous points made, giving reasons and justifications, etc. Be
conscious of using them in discussions and note how other people use these in
discussions too.
Make a list of the phrases and signaling language for each of the moves given above.
(e.g. agreeing: Good point, I know what you mean; making suggestions: Why
not, It is possible we could). Memorize these and use them appropriately in your
next discussion.
CONVERSATION / CHATTING
Build up your confidence with speaking English by chatting with classmates,
international students, tourists etc. regularly. Actively look for situations where you
can use your English (e.g. Giving tourist directions; Helping an international student
on campus; Ordering food in a Western style restaurant etc.)
Find out about cultural norms in conversation for people from different cultures. For
example, Japanese people tend to be more comfortable with silences during
conversation than Americans. Some people think British speakers tend to use more
irony and humour in conversations than other cultures do.
Develop active listening skills. Dont feel that you always have to speak in
conversation. Showing interest in what people are saying is also very important.
Familiarize yourself with the key aspects of conversation skills (e.g. Showing interest,
sharing thoughts and feelings, politely asking for someone to repeat something you
didnt understand, correcting misunderstandings, checking understanding, clarifying,
asking relevant and stimulating questions, telling interesting anecdotes etc.)
Visualize a conversation you are going to have in the near future. Imagine what you
will say and what the other person(s) will say and what your responses will be. You
can write this down as a dialogue and check for grammar and vocabulary errors too.
Make a list of conversation gambits to help get conversations going (e.g. Where are
you from? What do you like / not like about Hong Kong? What do you like to do in
your spare time? Thats a nice ________ where did you get it? Did you hear the news
about ________? I dont know much about _______ can you tell me something about it?)
Delete conversation gambits that dont work well, and add others that you hear other
people using which seem successful. Be careful to choose gambits that are
appropriate to the speaking situation.
61
Set aside some time each week when you and your friends will only speak in English.
You can discuss different topics each time (e.g. New stories, coursework, plans for the
weekend, general gossip etc.)
Write a script of the kind of conversations you commonly encounter. Act it out with a
friend and look at ways you can improve your conversation script.
CONDUCTING SURVEYS
With friends or classmates, make a survey about a current issue and interview your
classmates or friends about it. You could integrate this with a vocabulary or grammar
goal by using vocabulary or grammar patterns that you want to practice.
INTERVIEWS
Make a list of questions that you will likely be asked for an interview (e.g. job
interview, interview for an internship). Make notes for what you want to say under
each question. Give your questions to a friend or classmate and have them interview
you. Can they think of more questions? Can they find problems with any of your
answers? Try to make the interview as much like the interview you are practicing for
as possible. (e.g. Put a suit or smart clothes on to practice for a job interview.)
DEALING WITH CONFIDENCE AND ANXIETY
If you feel nervous about speaking to people in English try some of the following
techniques:
o Breath slowly and carefully before you meet the person you will chat with
o Smile as you talk and listen
o Maintain eye contact
o Show active listening (e.g. using facial expressions, showing agreement, etc.)
o Dont be afraid to ask someone politely to repeat something or to check what
you think that person said (e.g. Do you mean?, Sorry, could you say that
again?)
PRESENTATIONS
Familarise yourself with key aspects of giving presentations (e.g. introductions,
transitions, asking questions to the audience, outlining points, using visuals, using
gesture and body language, using stress and intonation etc.)
Make a list of key phrases and signaling language for different parts of your
presentation (e.g. Transition between sections: So, Ive finished talking about _____,
now Id like to move on to ________.)
Make a plan for your presentation with notes for each main section. Practice your
presentation afterwards using notes / cue cards as little as possible.
With each practice run-through you do for your presentation focus on a different
aspect of presentations. Video record yourself and/or ask a friend or classmate to
watch and make notes with a checklist (see example checklist in Appendix 5).
Learn about the use of stress and intonation patterns in thought / sense groups.
62
PRONUNCIATION
Improving Pronunciation of Individual Sounds (phonemes)
Familiarize yourself with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). You dont need to
learn the symbols just note the sounds you have most difficulty with and practice
those.
Borrow Ship or Sheep by Ann Baker from the Student Advisory Services and
practice listening to and saying minimal pairs (e.g. snack - snake). Record your
attempts or ask a friend or classmate if they can hear the difference. Focus on key
sounds that you have problems with (e.g. /th/ /l/ /r/).
Focus on words with difficult consonant clusters. Make a list of common words you
have most difficultly with (e.g. crisps, problem) and practice saying each syllable
slowly and carefully and then gradually speed up until you can say it quickly and
naturally. Then put those words into a sentence and practice saying that sentence as
naturally as you can (e.g. My problem is I cant stop eating crisps.)
Use English tongue twisters to improve your pronunciation (e.g. She sells sea
shells; Red lorry, yellow lorry etc.)
PRONUNCIATION
Improving Words Stress, Sentence Stress, Intonation & Connected Speech
Get a screenplay of a film that you are your friends enjoyed. Act out that screenplay
paying close attention to stress and intonation. You can do this for lectures or
speeches too if a transcript for that lecture or speech is available.
Use English rhymes and jazz chants to help practice stress and features of connected
speech.
Get a tape script and before you listen to it, mark whether you think the stressed
words will be (and/or draw lines for the rising and falling intonation patterns). Listen
and check to see if you were right. Then record yourself saying aloud the tape script
with the correct stress / intonation and compare your attempt with the original.
METHODS for READING SKILLS
BEFORE READING
From the title of the reading, accompanying images or graphics (if any) and your own knowledge
of the topic try to guess some of the content of the text you are about to read.
Write down some questions you hope the text will answer about the topic.
Read a similar (and possibly easier) text (in English or your first language) on the same topic to
increase your background knowledge of the topic.
Watch or listen to a video, podcast etc. (in English or your first language) on the same topic of the
text you are about to read to increase your background knowledge.
Discuss the general topic or a similar reading with someone before you read.
63
WHILE READING
General Idea / Basic Understanding
Find the main idea of each paragraph. You can do this by identifying the topic sentence (usually the
first sentence of the paragraph) and its main clause and subject. (e.g. In the 1990s, coffee shops
started to emerge in big cities, playing an important role in promoting a coffee culture which
appealed to white collar workers. In the last decade, there has been a marked increase)
Read quickly to get the main idea of the whole text (skimming). Do this by doing some or all of the
following: reading the introduction and the conclusion, headings, subheadings and the first and/or
last sentence of each paragraph; noticing key words and phrases especially those which are
repeated often.
WHILE READING
Finding specific information
Write a set of questions for the information you need to find (e.g. statistics for health effects of
sugar). Try to guess what the answers might be or what the information will look like before you
read (e.g. If the information you are looking for is statistical, then look at charts, graphs, %, figures
etc.). Look for key words or phrases and stop and read around those.
WHILE READING
Dealing with difficult texts
Use background knowledge of the topic to help you understand the text as you read.
Distinguish between which parts of the text are necessary for you to fully understand and which
parts you can ignore.
Visualize what is being described in the text where appropriate or even draw a picture of it.
Dont stop at every word, phrase or sentence you dont understand. Keep reading and try to get an
overall idea of the text.
Infer meanings and ideas that are not directly stated in the text.
Write a short summary of each paragraph as you go along in a way that you can understand it.
When you reread the same part again, make adjustments to your summary where necessary (i.e. if
you notice that your original summary missed points or did not accurately convey what is in the
text). Make comments too if you agree or disagree with the points that the writer is making.
Self-question as you read the text. In other words, ask yourself about the text while and after you
read. (e.g. What does [this part of] the text mean? What is the writers purpose here? What is the
writer likely to say next? Do you agree with the writer? Why / Why not? Are there any weaknesses
or problems with the writers points, facts, reasoning, argumentation etc.?)
Use pictures, diagrams and other visuals accompanying the text to help you understand.
Read the text carefully and slowly. Note different layers of meaning. Is the writer trying to say
anything indirectly? Is the writer trying to persuade you in any way? Do you detect any bias?
AFTER READING
Reread parts of the text you found difficult. Look for clues in other parts of the text to help you.
Go back and guess the meaning of words, terms and phrases and then check them in a dictionary.
Summarize the main (and supporting) points of the text. You can do this in note form, on a mindmap, by making an audio or video recording etc.
Try to translate some of or all of the points from what you read into your first language.
COLLABORATIVE READING
With a friend or classmate, read the same text and write questions for each other about
the text. Try to answer each others questions.
Discuss what you got from the text with someone else who read it. Do you agree with each
others understanding of the text? Did you have the same or different difficulties? Can you
help explain certain parts of the text to each other? Do you share the same opinions about
what was said?
64
EXTENSIVE READING
Extensive reading is a way to improve your English and expand your vocabulary by
reading widely and often. As much as possible you should read about things that you find
interesting or useful and ideally you should read texts that are authentic (i.e. texts
written for native speakers of English), not just graded readers (i.e. texts written or
adapted for learners of English see below).
Note that extensive reading itself cannot really be a learning goal on the 9820 course but
you can use extensive reading to help you achieve certain learning goals (e.g. to increase
the amount vocabulary useful for storytelling in the genre of science fiction by reading
several sci-fi short stories and graded reader novels or to consolidate understanding of
specialized terms on the latest in physics discoveries about stars by reading many popular
science articles on this topic). Another reason for trying extensive reading is that it may
help you to develop an interest in reading for its own sake which is a very meaningful
and pleasurable way of passing the time.
GRADED READING TEXTS
A common way to approach extensive reading is to read graded readers. These are books
(usually novels and collections of short stories) that have been written specially for
learners of English at different levels of proficiency from beginner to advanced. There are
thousands of graded readers to choose from and many can be found on the bookshelves in
Zone R of the Chi Wah Learning Commons. However, it is worth keeping in mind the
advantages and disadvantages of using graded readers.
Advantages:
They allows learners with weaker reading skills to read more smoothly without having to
check new words frequently
Learners may find reading is less arduous and graded readers may increase their
motivation to read extensively
Most graded readers have a glossary of words that will likely be new to students and can
be checked quickly and easily; therefore, they can be a good way to learn vocabulary in
context
Graded readers often come with audio support so students can read and listen at the same
time
Disadvantages:
Students may avoid authentic materials in favour of graded materials
Students are not reading real texts
The grammatical structures in readers have mostly been simplified and so are not good
models for studying
Students do not develop the strategies and techniques for tackling difficult authentic texts
65
METHODS for
WRITING SKILLS
USING MODEL TEXTS

Find several model texts of the kind of writing you are going to do. Look for the following features
listed below and consider how to use them when you write your own version.
o What is the purpose of the text? (e.g. apologise, inform, negotiate, persuade, show evidence
of learning etc.)
o Who is the target reader? (colleague, lecturer, client, friend etc.)
o Where would this text be found or used? (e.g. in a university, in a company etc.)
o What other kinds of texts would this text be used with or is related to? (e.g. complaint
letters will often be followed by letters of apology)
o What is the length of the text?
o How complex is the text? (What makes you think so?)
o How is the text organized (e.g. Greetings & sign offs? Introductions? Conclusions? Headings
& Subheadings? Numbered sections? Paragraphs (long, short, none)? Bullet points? etc.
o How is the text formatted? (e.g. use of spacing, fonts, layout etc.)
o What visual support features are there, if any? (e.g. pictures, diagrams, charts etc.)
o What are the common grammatical features of the text (e.g. most common tenses, sentence
structures)? Analyze those features carefully.
o How formal is the text? How do you know?
o Does the text include specialized terms or phrases?
STAGES OF WRITING
Your writing should go through the following stages. Depending on the length and complexity of
the text you may need to go through each stage several times and revisit earlier stages.
o Brainstorming (i.e. what do you know now, what do you need to find out, coming up with
ideas etc.)
o Gathering information (e.g. research, reading, seeking advice, interviewing, taking notes
etc.)
o Planning & organizing (i.e. make a plan in note form of the text you will write)
o Drafting (i.e. writing and rewriting of the text)
o Editing (i.e. rereading your final draft, seeking advice and feedback from others,
proofreading etc.)
ANNOTATING YOUR WRITING

As you write you can use the comments feature on Microsoft Word to annotate your
written work. Underline parts of the text and write what your purpose or aim was for each
part.
PRACTICE FEATURES OF COHESION
These are the linguistic devices that help to make your writing stick together and flow
more smoothly. You are probably familiar with most of them already but here is a
reminder of the main cohesive devices. If you are unsure of any of these, you may want to
do some research into them and find ways of practicing them.
o Ellipsis (i.e. deliberately missing out words, phrases, parts of clauses that do not
need to be repeated)
o Lexical cohesion (i.e. having words of related or associated meaning close together
in a text, e.g. transport: buses, planes, travel, arrival, speed etc.)
o Linking devices (i.e. words and phrases like although, in other words, as well as;
use of relative clauses etc.)
o Analogy and metaphor (See the materials in the 9820 coursebook)
o Reference (i.e. use of pronouns, articles, determiners etc. to refer forward,
backward or outside of the text and to signal definitions)
66
o Repetition (i.e. the repetition of words and phrases)

o Substitution (i.e. replacing words or phrases with synonyms, determiners etc.)
o Sentence structure (i.e. writing logical and accurate sentences)
COLLABORATIVE WRITING
With a friend or classmate use a checklist like the one in Appendix 3 to comment on and
suggest improvements for your writing.
With a friend or classmate work together on the same text. Each of you can focus on
different aspects of the text such as gathering information, organization, writing different
parts etc.
Ask someone who is proficient at producing the type of text you intend to write for advice
and feedback on what you have written.
PARAPHRASING & SUMMARIZING
Try to rewrite something in your own words. Here is one technique for doing so.
o Read the text (or part of the text) that you want to paraphrase.
o AFTER reading it, from memory write down IN NOTE FORM and IN YOUR OWN
WORDS the main and supporting points. DO NOT look at the text again.
o If possible reorder the information you have noted down.
o Write your paraphrased version based on your notes.
o Compare your version with the original and make sure your sentences are
different. If possible replace words and phrases that are not specialized terms with
synonyms.
STUCTURING AND PARAGRAPHING
Familiarize yourself with and practice the conventions and features of paragraphing or
structuring for the type of text you need to write (e.g. topic sentence, inductive and
deductive paragraph structures, supporting sentences, concluding / transition sentence).
FREE WRITING
Writing requires a complex set of sub-skills that are often opposed to each other and work
different parts of the brain. Often when writing, the brain becomes too focused on editing
and proofreading and not on expression or ideas, and this is when you may find you cant
think of what to write. Free writing can be used at any stage of writing to overcome this. It
simply involves writing without stopping for several minutes or longer. During free
writing sessions you do not worry about spelling or grammar or organization, you just
keep writing. If you cant think of anything, just write, I am writing something, I am
writing something, I am until the ideas come again. The purpose is to relax your brain
and let your ideas come out.
LEARNING LOGS / PORTFOLIOS
Put all the writing you do in one well-organised folder. Keep any comments or marked
work that you get from tutors or lecturers, and file similar types of texts together. By
keeping a portfolio of your written work you will be able to see your progress with certain
types of text and become more aware of your common written errors. What is more, you
will be able to refer to your portfolio to help you with future pieces of writing that you
need to do. Ask your lecturer for advice on how to create your own writing portfolio if you
have any difficulties.
67
CREATIVE WRITING
Creative writing is a fun way to develop your writing skills and can develop your
sensitivity to many key aspects of writing such as sentence rhythm, word choice, use of
metaphor and so forth. Here are some suggestions for creative writing.
o Write a short story that illustrates a moral conviction, ethical concern or fear about
the future that you feel strongly about. Science fiction is a particularly good genre
for this. (e.g. Terminator the dangers of Artificial Intelligence)
o Write an alternative ending, a short sequel or an extra scene or chapter for one of
your favourite stories, movies or video games.
o Write the diary entry for a famous person at a key moment in his/her life or the
diary entry of the protagonist in one of your favourite stories.
o Write a travelogue about an interesting place you visited.
o Write about something exciting that happened to you in the style of an adventure
novel or action film screenplay.
68
METHODS for VOCABULARY SKILLS
MEMORIZING
Use new words or phrases as often as possible in your speaking and/or writing. As the saying
goes: Use it or lose it!
Write or say the word repeatedly (e.g. ten times) and visualize or think about its meaning as you
say or write it.
Create a story with the words and phrases you want to learn. Write the story down or say it aloud
and record it.
For nouns, you can try to create a memory palace. With this technique you place the words you
want to learn in an imaginary building or place (e.g. a house, a landscape, a palace, a town). Some
people can create in their minds whole cities where words have been visualized and carefully
placed. Having done so you can wander around your memory palace and find the words you
memorized.
Make flash cards of the word and test yourself regularly. (Try quizlet for this.)
Note the difference between passive vocabulary and active vocabulary, and carefully decide
what your purpose for learning that word is. For passive vocabulary you only need to recognize
the word and understand its meaning; you do not need to memorize how to say it or how to use it.
For active vocabulary, however, you need to spend more time memorizing the word as you need to
know how to use it in writing and/or speaking.
RECORDING VOCABULARY
Group words by related meaning using mind maps or headings. A good way to group nouns is to
connect specific words to general word (e.g. Vehicles: cars, buses, trucks etc.). Some online
software does this for you (e.g. Lexipedia or the VisuWords Online Graphical Dictionary).
Note the following features of each word for a full understanding (i.e. active vocabulary
use):
o spelling
o pronunciation
o word classes (e.g. noun, verb, adjective, adverb form)
o example sentence or paragraph (because you need to note what CONTEXTS and
situations the word is usually used in and how it is used grammatically),
o connotations (positive and negative associations)
o register (i.e. In what situations and text types is this item commonly used?)
o maybe write a translation of that word (but be careful as vocabulary rarely directly
translates and context can make a big difference in meaning)
o maybe also record synonyms (words with similar meanings and antonyms - words
with opposite meanings)
Where relevant, break the word into prefixes, root and suffixes (e.g. un-real-istic). Note the
meanings and related meanings of prefixes and roots and the word class of suffixes. (e.g.
UN- (not) REAL (actually existing, true) -ISTIC (adjective)
Record words as collocations or as phrases. Use corpora software to research collocations
(e.g. Word Neighbors).
Record types of vocabulary such as idioms or phrasal verbs. Try to group them by
similarity of meaning or by the situation that they would most likely be used in.
USING DICTIONARIES
Try to use monolingual dictionaries as much as you can. Bilingual dictionaries are
sometimes not very accurate in their translations.
If you come across a word in a listening or reading that you dont understand, try to guess
its meaning from the context (see Appendix 6 for strategies on Word Attack) before you
check the meaning in the dictionary. This is because many words have multiple meanings
which are dependent on the context they are used in.
69
USING TEXTS FOR LEARNING VOCABULARY

Take a text and while reading it, underline the words you dont know. Try to guess the
meaning of the words using the strategies given in the worksheet in Appendix 6. Check
your guesses with a dictionary. Note which words are key to a full understand of the text
and/or are of most use to you, and highlight those words. Keep the text and go back and
read it again. Reread the text several times until you know the highlighted words.
WORD ATTACK STRATEGIES
Word attack strategies are ways of guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words using the
surrounding text or elements of the word / phrase to help you. It is a good idea to guess
the meaning of words before you check a dictionary as many words have several possible
meanings. Do the exercises in Appendix 6 and try out some of the word attack strategies
suggested.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING OF VOCABULARY
Make a quiz on the items of vocabulary you have been learning. Possible games are:
o say the definition and give the answer
o say the word and ask for a definition
o say which word is the odd one out (e.g. dog, cat, TREE, mouse)
o make a crossword or wordsearch
o draw picture or act out the word and guess the word
o make a sentence with the word missing (e.g. ___________s erupt when their magma
chambers overfill with lava.)
o take a list of vocabulary items you are trying to learn and write a short dialogue,
presentation, speech or conversation using all of the items you want to learn
METHODS for GRAMMAR SKILLS
USING TEXTS
Get a text for the kind of writing you need to do. Analyze the sentence patterns carefully in
the text. Here is one way to analyze each sentence.
o What is the main clause of the sentence? (e.g. For many people, the science that
they learn at school has little use in their lives.)
o What is the subject of the main clause? (e.g. For many people, the science that they
learn at school has little use in their lives.)
o What is the verb phrase of the main clause? What tense is it? Why? (e.g. For many
people, the science that they learn at school has (present simple statement of
belief) little use in their lives.)
o What sub-clauses or other types of clauses are there? (e.g. For many people, the
science that they learn at school has little use in their lives.)
o What phrases (e.g. noun phrases, prepositional phrases etc.) are there? How are
they structured? (e.g. For many people (preposition + determiner + plural noun),
the science that they learn at school has little use in their lives (preposition +
possessive adjective + plural noun.)
o Note the placement of adverbs and adjectives in the sentence. (e.g. For many people,
the science that they learn at school has little use in their lives.)
70
DISCOVERING GRAMMAR RULES

Find examples of several sentences that have examples of a grammatical feature that you
want to learn. Looking at the examples, can you work out what the rule(s) is/are for that
grammatical structure? Check your ideas with explanations found in two or more
grammar books.
When studying tenses it is a good idea to contrast the use of one tense with another (e.g.
present perfect versus past simple). This will make the difference in usage clearer.
OVERCOMING COMMON GRAMMAR MISTAKES
Go back and look at written work that has been corrected for you. Pick out sentences with
similar errors. Write your original wrong sentence and the sentence as it was corrected
side by side like the examples shown in Appendix 1 of a Wrong Version and a Corrected
Version. Make a note of the kind of error it is by referring to the Proofreading checklist in
Appendix 1.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING OF GRAMMAR
Make a list of questions or even a questionnaire using the grammatical structure(s) you
want to practice. Try to use these questions in conversations with proficient speakers of
English and pay careful attention to their responses. You could even record the
conversation and analyse the grammar of the responses you get.
With a classmate or friend make some grammar quizzes or problems based on what you
have found in your research in grammar books or from example sentences you find in
reading texts. Some common forms of quiz are:
o Gap fills (e.g. I _______ (go) to America last year.)
o Jumbled sentences (America went I year to last)
o Complete the sentence with your own ideas (e.g. If I had a million dollars, I
would)
o Reformulations (e.g. Change question forms to answer forms and/or answers to
questions; Link two or more sentences using different linking devices; Paraphrase
a paragraph in your own words etc.)
LEARN GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT
Grammatical structures especially tenses must be learned in context. Usually a sentence is
not enough and it is better to analyse and practice grammar structures in a full text or at
least within a paragraph. This is because the meaning and usage of the grammar item will
be dependent to some degree on the surrounding text.
71
Managing your learning: 4.1 Monitoring your

progress
Those of you with a sharp eye will notice that this section is largely the same as section 1.4
Language Needs above. This is because diagnosing ability and assessing progress - to some
extent - involve the same procedures. However, you need to add an extra stage or two in which
you compare your earlier work or performances with later ones.
It is important to measure your progress throughout your SALL experience so that you can see
if the materials and methods you have selected are effective or not and whether the goal you
set is a realistic one. Note that measuring progress can be very difficult and, for certain
learning goals, cannot be done with pinpoint accuracy. The methods suggested below may give
you at least some idea of whether you are making progress or not. Again, this is not a complete
list of methods for measuring progress and you should feel free to try other means and
methods or adapt the ones given below.
Methods for Measuring Progress of any Ability
Keep a record of what you do either on paper or by recording it audio / visually and
compare your earlier work / performance with your most recent work / performance. Can
you see any improvement? Ask a CAES tutor at the Student Advisory Services, a friend or
classmate what they think too.
Compare your work / performance with that of a native speaker or someone you know who
has very good English in all or any of the main skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing).
What do they do well that you find difficult? How do they do it? After working on your
learning goal, note if you are closing that gap between them and you in that specific area.
If your goal was a matter of being able to do something that you didnt know how to / or
couldnt do before then simply decide for yourself or ask someone if you can or cant do it
(or do it a bit better!).
o e.g. Your SALL goal was: to write a cover letter for job applications. Before you didnt
know anything about how to do this but now you (and other people like your
classmates or tutor) can see that you can produce a reasonable cover letter. This shows
progress.
If your goal was to attain a certain amount of knowledge (e.g. know more about how to
write an essay) then at the beginning make a list of what knowledge you have on that area /
topic / skill. Having worked on that goal, make a new list of what knowledge you have on
that area / topic / skill and see how much more you know.
72
Methods for Measuring Progress of Listening Skills
Find some listening texts that have tape scripts on a topic related to your learning needs from a
past English listening exam or from a website (e.g. BBC Learn English or the BBCs 6 minute
English)
Then try the following steps:

(i) Listen to the listening text without the tape script and make detailed notes. Once you
have finished, listen again but this time read along with the tapescript. How much did
you understand in the first listening? Underline the parts where you made the most
mistakes or found most difficult to follow.
(ii) Ask yourself what were the reasons that you found those parts most difficult (e.g.
speaker(s) was too fast; lack of knowledge of the topic or situation; unfamiliar
vocabulary; unfamiliar accents; features of pronunciation such as connected speech
etc.).
(iii) Work on the aspect of listening that you seem to have the most difficulty with from
what you found in step (ii). See the list of listening strategies in section 3.2 above.
(iv) After working on that area go back and listen to a similar listening on a similar topic.
If you notice that you understood more or were better at a particular aspect of listening
that you were working on then it shows progress.
Methods for Measuring Progress of Speaking Skills
Book an appointment at the Student Advisory Services and ask them to give you a speaking
task similar to a task you need to improve in (e.g. Giving a presentation for one of your
courses).
o Ask the CAES Self-Access tutor for comments and suggest areas you can improve in.
o Work on that aspect as a learning goal.
o Return and ask the tutor to assess your ability again. From their comments you should
be able to note if you have made improvements or not at the learning goal you were
working on.
Record yourself with a video camera doing a speaking task (e.g. a presentation, a discussion,
chatting).
o Using a checklist like the ones in Appendixes 2 and 3, assess your own performance or
ask a friend / classmate to do so. Note what is most in need of improvement (e.g.
pronunciation, grammar, body language, organization etc.).
o Work on an area of weakness you noticed as your learning goal.
o Record yourself again after working on that goal and assess yourself with the same
checklist (or ask a friend and classmate to) and see if you have improved at the goal you
were working on.
73
Methods for Measuring Progress of Reading Skills
Select a text that you have to read for one of your university courses. Highlight parts of the text
that you find most difficult.
o What aspect of those highlighted parts causes you the most difficulty? (e.g. complexity of
topic, unknown terms and vocabulary, complexity and length of sentences etc.) Work on
the aspect that causes you the most difficulty.
o Once you have worked on that aspect go back and read the same text or a similar one
and note if you find it easier to understand.
Having worked on your reading goal, time yourself for reading texts of a similar length,
difficulty and topic area and see if you can read these texts more quickly or not.
Look at this list of common reading strategies in section 3.2 above.

o Which ones do you use most?
o Which one do you think you are best at?
o Which ones could you improve on or develop?
o Work on those strategies that you think could be most helpful in improving your
reading.
o Once you have worked on a certain strategy or strategies go back to a reading text you
had difficulty with and see if you find it easier. If you do then that strategy (or strategies)
might have led to some progress.
Methods for Measuring Progress of Writing Skills
Book an appointment at the Student Advisory Services and ask for comments from the CAES
tutor on a recent piece of writing that you have done for one of your courses.
o Ask them to suggest learning goals for your writing.
o Visit the writing clinic regularly and pay attention to the comments made by the tutor
over time. What does he/she you have improved in? How much progress have you made
with your learning goal?
Find a checklist like the one in Appendix 3 or create your own checklist for a piece of writing
that you have done. (Ensure that the checklist you have is suitable for the kind of writing you
are doing.)
o Use the checklist to identify common problems with your writing (e.g. poor paragraph
construction)
o Work on that problem as your learning goal.
o Once you have finished working on that goal, look at the most recent and similar piece of
writing you have done using the same checklist.
o Note improvements you have made and aspects you still need to work on.
74
Methods for Measuring Progress of Grammar Skills
Look at the corrections and comments on your essays and written homework by your lecturers.
Focus on the most common grammar mistakes you make. With a later paper, note if your
lecturer picks out the same errors (little or no improvement) or not (some improvement).
Ask a friend who has good English to look at some of your written work. Use an error
correction code system like the one on Appendix 1 to identify the kinds of errors you are
making. After you have worked on your learning goal for a certain grammar point then see if
you can correct the errors that your friend with good English identified. If you can correct those
errors (and your corrections are correct) then this shows progress.
Visit the Student Advisory Services in the Chi Wah Learning Commons. Book an appointment
for a writing clinic and ask for comments from the CAES tutor about your most common
grammar errors and the ones you need to focus on the most. After working on your common
errors, go back and ask the tutor if you still have problems with those common errors.
Find an online grammar quiz or grammar practice website and do a few quizzes on an area of
grammar you are unsure of. Note your score. After you have done some work on that grammar
area, go back and do the same quiz again and see if your score has improved.
75
Methods for Measuring Progress of Vocabulary Skills
Find a reading text (or several) from one of your university courses that you found difficult.
o Underline words, terms and phrases you dont understand.
o Note the most frequent words, terms and phrases and write down what they mean.
Make a quiz or test from your notes or ask a friend / classmate to make one for you.
Quizlet is an excellent online resource you can use to make revision materials and tests
(or use others made by other quizlet users). Once you have more than 40 or so items, do
the test and then note your score.
o Revise the words, terms and phrases you noted and do your self-made test again later.
See if you can get a higher score than the first time.
Describe or explain something that is relevant or important to your current studies (e.g. a
scientific concept from a course you are studying, a photograph in a newspaper, a historical
event etc).
o Describe it in as much detail as you can until you exhaust your vocabulary. Make an
audio record of your description / explanation or write it down.
o How detailed and effective is your description or explanation?
o Notice where there are gaps in your vocabulary for your description or explanation.
Find out what those missing words, terms and phrases are.
o As with the suggested activity above, make your own revision materials and / or tests
using online resources like Quizlet.
o Later, go back and do the same or similar description / explanation and note any
improvements in terms of vocabulary.
Try this online vocabulary test run by the Victoria University of Wellington:
VocabularySize.com. It will give you an idea of how much vocabulary you know. From your
score and advice given, identify an area or category of vocabulary (e.g. terms to describe
scientific experiments) you will work on. Having worked on the that goal using some of the
materials and methods suggested in sections 3.1 and 3.2 above, go back and do the test again
and see if your size of vocabulary has increased
You can also try the American SAT vocabulary lists and quizzes though be careful not to learn
words that you are unlikely to ever use. You can do one of the online quizzes or make your own.
76
Using Past Exam Papers for Reading, Listening, Grammar & Vocabulary
Do past exam papers in the general goal area (i.e. reading, listening, grammar etc.) you want to
work on. The following exam papers are available online and some can also be found in the
Student Advisory Services:- IELTS, TOEFL, FCE, CAE, CAES 1801. Select exam papers and texts
that are most relevant to your studies, learning needs or just on topics that interest you.
o Once you have completed the test and marked it, look at the parts of the exam paper you
had most difficulty with and make that the specific focus for your goal. (e.g. If you did a
grammar focused exam paper and noticed that you mix up perfect and continuous
tenses then improving your ability with these tenses could become your learning goal.)
To note improvement in your performance try the following steps:

(i) Do a past exam paper on the general goal area you want to focus on (e.g. grammar CAE Use of English Paper 2007)
(ii) Identify areas of weakness that you have when your check the answers. Make your
learning goal one or more of those areas of weakness you found (e.g. prepositions)
(iii) Work on that goal (e.g. prepositions) until you feel more confident with it.
(iv) Do the same exam paper on the same goal area but from a different year (e.g. CAE
Use of English Paper 2011). Note questions related to your goal(s) (e.g. prepositions)
and see if you have got more of these correct than you did the first time. If you did get
more correct then this shows improvement.
(v) Even if you have got more answers correct, look again where you got the answer
wrong and go back to your learning materials to see which aspect you still need to work
on.
(vi) If you feel that you know enough, move onto another learning goal.
77
Managing your learning: 4.2 Evaluating

materials and methods
It is important to evaluate the materials and methods that you used so that you can find those
which are most effective for your learning. The following questions below should help you
evaluate the materials (i.e. facilities and resources) and methods (i.e. activities, strategies and
techniques) that you used. These questions will also help you write your final SALL reflection.
Questions for evaluating materials
Did you enjoy it or find it interesting? Why / why not?
Did you learn enough from it? Why / Why not?
Was it relevant to your specific learning goal? Why/Why not?
Did it help you achieve or progress with your specific goal?
Was it worth the time you spent on it? Why / why not?
Was the level of difficulty appropriate for you? How do you know?
Do you think you could have used the resource or activity more effectively? How?
Would you use this resource again? Why / Why not?
If you would use this resource again, then would you change the way you used it? How?
Would you recommend this resource to another student? Why / Why not?
How could this resource be adapted to make it more suitable for you?
Questions for evaluating methods
Did it/they help you achieve or progress with your specific goal?
Was the strategy or technique interesting or enjoyable? Why / why not?
Do you think the way you used the resource or activity was suitable for you (e.g. in
terms of learning style and/or motivation)?
How would you use the resource differently if you used the resource again? Why?
Would you recommend this strategy or technique to another student? Why / Why not?
How could this technique or strategy be adapted to make it more suitable for you?
TASK: Evaluating materials and methods

(a) Discuss several of the questions above with a classmate or friend and make notes or make
notes by yourself for the most relevant questions.
(b) Compare the resources and activities you have discussed or noted in question (a) and grade
them from most to least in terms of effectiveness, enjoyment and usefulness.
78
Managing your learning: 4.3 Keeping a written

record of your learning
It is a good idea to keep a record of what you did and write a brief evaluation for each SALL
session that you do. By doing this you will be able to build up a better idea of how SMART your
goal is and how effective the materials and methods that you selected are. Finally, you can use
the notes from your written record to help you write your final reflection at the end of the
9820 course.
The record below in Figure 1 is an example of an entry you could write after each SALL session.
You should do this quickly (about 10 to 15 minutes) and in note form as it will only be for your
own reference. Figure 2 suggests how you might fill in such a record.
Please remember that you DO NOT need to submit a written record of your SALL
learning for the 9820 course. Keeping a written record like the one shown below is
purely for your own benefit.
SESSION:
Date/time:
Where I worked:
Learning Goal:
What I used:
What I did with it & why (Description & Rationale):
Reflection
Figure 1: Example of a written SALL record
79
SESSION:
Put the number of the session in (e.g. 1 for the first session, 2 for the second and so
on). This will help you to keep your records in chronological order.
Date/time:
Where I worked:
Put the length of time / duration of the
Be specific here because where you study
activity as well.
can have a big impact on your learning and
Noting the time is useful because you may certain resources and activities may be
find you work more effectively at certain
more or less suited to that place.
times of the day or night.
Learning Goal:
Put the Specific Learning Goal that you were working toward in this session.
What I used:
Note or describe what resource you used. Make sure that there is enough information so
that you can find or recreate that resource / activity again.
- For books and/or readings, give the title, year and author
- For films and other audio-visual materials give the title and year
- For online materials give the title, the website and note the URL
What I did with it & why (Description & Rationale):
Describe what you did and the method that you applied.
Outline the procedure you followed for the activity, pathway, strategy or technique.
Give clear reasons for your choice of materials and methods.
Reflection
Note down answers to any of the following questions or add further comments of your
own. Look again at the Task: Practice Reflection in Section 1.1 Learner History above for
other points to reflect on.
STAGE 1 (Description see What I used and What I did with & why above):
- Did you learn anything? What?
STAGE 2 (Thoughts and feelings):
- Did you enjoy it or find it motivating? Why? / Why not? What other feelings or thoughts
did you have?
STAGE 3 (Evaluation):
- Was the material and/or method worth the time you spent? Why? / Why not
- How does this material and/or method compare with other ones that you have tried for
this learning goal?
- Did it help you toward your learning goal? How effective was it?
STAGE 4 (Analysis):
- What do other people who have tried this material / method think? Do you agree with
their views? Why? / Why not?
- Did the time and place of your learning affect the way / how much you learned? How do
you know?
STAGE 5 (Improvements):
- Could you make the experience/learning better? How?
STAGE 6 (Future Plan):
- Would you use this material and/or method again? Why / Why not?
- What materials and/or methods will you use next time?
OTHER COMMENTS:
Figure 2: Suggestions for what to note down in a written SALL record
80
Managing your learning: 4.4 Preparing for your

SALL Oral Report
About half way through the 9820 course you will be asked to attend a ten minute time slot in
which you will report on your progress with SALL. In your time slot you should discuss insights
or points of interest from the following categories: (i) your assessment of your learning
goal(s), (ii) your evaluation of the materials and methods you tried, and (iii) your
learning and SALL experience so far. You should also prepare some kinds of evidence to
show in class as well. There are questions that you can make notes for on each of the three
main parts of your oral report. You do not have to use all of the questions, only those that are
most relevant and/or trigger the most insight into your SALL learning experience, but try to
make notes on at least one question for each stage of reflection and for categories (i), (ii) and
(iii). Feel free to add your own comments and insights too.
DO NOT SIMPLY GIVE A LIST OF ANSWERS FOR EACH QUESTION BELOW IN YOUR SALL
ORAL REPORT. YOU MUST SUMMARIZE, PRIORITIZE, FOCUS, SYNTHESIZE AND EXPAND
ON POINTS WHICH YOU BELIEVE SHOW MOST INSIGHT INTO YOUR LEARNING AND
YOURSELF AS A LEARNER.
TIP: Make notes from the questions below onto a piece of notepaper. Look for connections,
common themes and insights. (Mindmaps are particularly good way of doing this.) Use
these as the foundation for what you will talk about in your SALL Oral Report.
(i) Assessment of your learning goal(s)
Which goal(s) would you most like to discuss? Why?
What reformulations/changes have you made to your learning goals, if any? What were your
reasons for making these change/not making any changes?
What specific materials and methods have you used so far to attain your goal? Why have you
chosen them? How did you use them?
Stage 2 (Thoughts and Feelings):
How do you feel about the goals that you have set yourself so far?
What emotions and thoughts do you associate with each goal?
What thoughts and feelings have you had about each goal as you have been carrying them
out? Have assumptions, beliefs or habits related to your goal(s) changed as you have been
working on them? Why? In what ways? / Why not?
What is your evaluation of your goals so far? (SMART? Useful? Enjoyable? Motivating?)
What difficulties have you have with your goals? How have you overcome them?
Have you collaborated in any of your goals? Explain the differences you believe this has made.
What have been the main strengths and weaknesses of your goals so far?
Have you given yourself enough time to achieve this goal?
How much progress have you made with your goal(s)? How do you know?
81
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Have you had any problems with your goals? How will you overcome them?
Which goals did you find the most/least motivating?
To what extent is/are your goal(s) appropriate to your learner style?
What are the views of others who are doing the same or similar goals? Which of these views
do you agree/disagree with? Why?
What other perspectives might there be on the goals that you have chosen?
Will you continue with your goal(s)? Why? Why not?
How could you improve your current goal(s)?
Stage 6 (Future Plan):
Based on the above, what will you do next with your learning goal(s)? Why?
What modifications will you make to your learning goals, if any? Why? Why not?
What new learning goal(s) have you considered?
(ii) Evaluation of your selected materials and methods

Look again at Task: Practice Reflection in Section 1.1 Learner History above for more ideas and
questions related to materials and methods.
Describe materials and/or methods have you used so far.
Which specific material(s)/method(s) would you most like to reflect on and talk about? Why?
Stage 2 (Thoughts and Feelings)
What thoughts and feelings did you notice as you were using this particular material /
method? Why do you think you felt and thought these things?
Did any of the materials or methods cause you to experience a range of different emotions?
What emotional states did you experience? What might have caused this?
Have you used any materials that were similar (e.g. two grammar websites)? What differences
did you notice? Which one did you prefer?
Which of the materials and methods that you have tried stand out to you as being highly
effective / ineffective?
Which ones have been useful? Which ones have not been? Give reasons.
Which ones have been enjoyable or motivating? Which ones have not been? Give reasons.
Have you collaborated in any of the materials or methods you tried? Compare and explain the
differences you believe this makes.
Which materials or methods would you recommend to other people? Why?
82
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Overall, have you made a good choice of materials and methods in terms of motivation,
learner style and usefulness?
Which material(s)/method(s) have been most in line with your learner style?
What were the views of other people who have used these or similar materials / methods?
What are the views of the people you collaborated with on the materials / methods you used?
How might others involved in your SALL learning assess your goals and choice of materials
and methods?
Has your opinion of the materials and methods you tried changed over the time you used
them? Why?/Why not?
What other perspectives might there be about the materials and methods you tried?
How could the materials and methods you chose be made more: (a) enjoyable, (b) motivating,
(c) appropriate to your learner style, (d) useful for your learning needs?
Which materials and methods would you use again? Why?
Which materials and methods would you not use again? Why not?
What could you do to ensure a better choice of materials and methods in future?
What changes will you make to the material or method you tried?
Based on the above, which materials and methods might you use in future? Justify your choice
and any modifications you have made.
If you intend to use the same or similar materials/methods in future, will you make changes?
Why / Why not?
(iii) Your learning and SALL experience so far

What do you think you have learned about the aspect(s) of English you have been working
on so far? Describe in as much detail as you can.
What have you learned about yourself as a learner and how you learn during your SALL
experience so far? (e.g. strengths and weaknesses; likes and dislikes; thoughts and feelings
etc.)
What changes have you noticed, if any, in terms of your learning style and/or your
motivation(s)?
What difficulties or problems have you had? Have you managed to overcome them? How?
If not, why?
Which aspect(s) of your learning and/or SALL would you most like to reflect on and
discuss in your SALL Oral Report?
83

What thoughts and feelings did you have about SALL at the beginning? Have your
thoughts and feelings about SALL changed? How? Why? / Why not?
How do you feel about learning English independently at the moment? Have your feelings
changed since the beginning of this course?
What feelings have you been aware of as you have been doing SALL? What do you think
might be causing them?
What have been the most useful things you have learned about your learning or yourself
as a learner during your SALL experience so far?
Do you think SALL is making you a more independent learner? Why / Why not?
If you have collaborated in your SALL learning experience in any way, comment on what
differences you think this has made.
Do you prefer learning on your own or collaborating with others for certain goal(s) /
activities? Discuss your experiences.
What are the most positive/negative experiences you have had during your SALL
experience so far? Do you notice any connections/themes between them?
What are the most important things that you have learned in relation to your learning
goal(s)? (e.g. grammar rules you understand better, aspects of pronunciation you are now
aware of etc.)
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Has your SALL experience made you view your previous learning experiences at school /
first year of university differently? If yes, how? If not, why?
How do your views of SALL and your learning experience so far differ from your other
classmates? Do you agree/disagree with their views? In what ways?
Has the aspect of your English you were working on improved? Why? In what ways? / Why
not?
Have any assumptions, beliefs or habits about SALL / your learning / yourself as a learner
changed since you began your SALL? If yes, what were these changes? What caused them
do you think? If anything has not changed, what reasons can you give for this?
What insights have you had into who you are as a learner?
What other perspectives might there be on your SALL experience / learning? (e.g.
lecturers viewpoint, friends and family member viewpoints)
What improvements could you make to your SALL experience for the remainder of this
course?
What can you do to improve your learning and make yourself a better learner for the
remainder of this course?
84

What changes will you make to the way you learn?
What changes do you intend to make in your approach to SALL for the remainder of this
course?
Evidence of your learning
The following things can be used to show evidence of your learning in your oral SALL report:
Books or other printed materials that you have used

Photocopies of materials that you have used
Notes that you have made (e.g. mind maps, notes)
Written work you have done (and comments or grades given by lecturers)
Learning materials (e.g. flashcards, quizzes, exercises etc.) that you have made
Screen-captures of websites that you have visited
Sound files of listenings that you have done
Videos of any speaking activities you have done (ensure that you have the permission of
any other participants in any audio or video recording to show these)
You can also bring in your laptop or tablet to show a soft copy of any of the above.
Note that the evidence you show in class should relate to your specific learning goals and what
you discuss in your oral report. You should highlight or bring to your lecturers attention
specific parts of an item of evidence as you discuss it. Dont simply dump a bunch of stuff on the
desk and expect that to show proof of anything.
TASK: Preparing for your mid-term SALL oral report
(a) Choose several questions from each stage of reflection for each of the three areas above and
discuss them with a friend or classmate. Make notes of points that you find most interesting or
insightful.
(b) Select what evidence you will present in class as part of your SALL Oral Report and show
these to a classmate or friend. Does he/she find your evidence convincing? Can he/she suggest
other pieces of evidence that you could show?
(c) Practice and present your mid-term SALL oral report (5 minutes) in front of a friend or
classmate. Ask them to assess how well you do the following:
Evaluate and discuss progress with your learning goals so far
Explain and evaluate the materials and methods you used
Show insight into your learning and yourself as a learner
Suggest changes you may make to improve your SALL learning for the remainder of the
9820 course
Use evidence to support your points
85
Reflection: 5.1 What reflection is and why it

matters
What is reflection?
According to the educationalist Graham Gibbs (1988) reflection involves six distinct stages
within a cycle. This is often shown diagrammatically as in the figure below. The cycle is thus
designed to create a virtuous circle whereby reflection leads to ever greater improvement in
the future. Ideally, during reflection you should step back from the situation and observe
without emotional attachment, as if you were stepping outside of yourself. This is not the only
way to reflect, but this cycle is very suitable and useful for reflecting at different levels of the
SALL component of the course. You are free to look at other methods of reflection, but you
should justify why you have chosen another method.
What you did
What you will do in

future
What you were

thinking and feeling
as you did it
What else you

could have done to
make it better
Your evaluation of
what you did both
positive and
negative
Your analysis of
what you did (i.e.
what really
happened, what
other perspectives
are there)
86
It is important not to skip any of the stages of reflection shown above. Too often students jump
from the what-they-felt-and-thought stage to the final stage where they plan the next phase of
learning. This is not true reflection. It is essential to evaluate carefully (i.e. weigh the positives
and negatives, the advantages and disadvantages etc.) and analyse the learning experience
from a range of perspectives (i.e. in terms of motivation, learner style, learning needs, views of
other people etc.). Without careful evaluation and analysis you cannot really say what you
could have done better and, therefore, will be unable formulate effective changes.
Reflection can occur during any period of learning not just after a particular SALL learning
session or activity and it should not be left as a one-off reflection at the end of the SALL
component of the course. It is essential to reflect regularly until it becomes a habit. Reflection
can take place at any time in your learning: before you do your next SALL learning session (as
you assess your previous experiences before doing your subsequent SALL session) or while you
are in the process of learning something but want to step back and make changes. The
reflective cycle can be applied to your learning at any level, from individual learning activities
all the way up to your whole SALL learning experience. Note that you also need to consider the
perspectives of all the other people involved in your SALL learning especially if you
collaborated with others.
Socratic self-questioning
Socrates (469B.C. 399B.C.) was, as you probably know, the famous philosopher who lived in
ancient Greece and is considered one of the key founders of Western philosophical thought.
One of his most enduring philosophical strategies was to question people endlessly until they
reached a point where they had to admit they didnt know the answer, no matter how expert
they were on a given subject or how strongly they believed in something. This style of
questioning can be turned on ourselves and used to increase our awareness of own
assumptions, beliefs and habits and, perhaps, their origins. By doing so, it may be possible for
you to free yourself from modes of thought and behavior that are holding you back or it may
help you find more effective ways of being, doing and thinking. Ultimately, there is no final
answer, but self-questioning opens up new possibilities and may prevent us getting stuck. This
process of self-questioning can develop creativity and problem solving skills, deepen
intellectual understanding of a subject and increases EQ (Emotional Intelligence). You should
practice Socratic self-questioning as part of your reflection on this course.
Typical Socratic questions might be:
How do you/I/we know this?
Is there another/alternative way at looking at this?
Why am I feeling/thinking this way?
Is this the only way of doing/understanding this?
Why do you/I/we assume/believe this?
Why am I/are you/we asking these questions?
You can find more examples of Socratic questions for science and technology students here at
the University of Michigans problem solving page.
87
Why is reflection important for you and your learning?

Reflection helps you to make links between what you learn and how it is actually used in
the real world; it also helps integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge and
develop your understanding.
Reflecting on and learning from your experiences, including your mistakes, can help you to
avoid repeated mistakes and, at the same time, identify successful aspects of an experience
and principles which might usefully be applied to other situations.
Reflection provides the opportunity to make sense of and learn from any experience and
handle similar situations appropriately another time.
Reflection gives you the chance to explore thoughts and feelings, work through difficult or
painful experiences, develop self-awareness and fresh insights.
Reflection can help you to get away from routine, automatic action and make conscious
and informed decisions after weighing up all aspects of a situation.
Reflection is highly valued in both academia and in most professions.
88
Reflection: 5.2 Reflecting on SALL and your

learning
The questions below are based around Gibbs reflective cycle for the three main aspects of the
SALL component of the course. Use these questions to make notes for your final reflection. Your
notes can be in any form but mind-maps are a particularly useful way of getting your initial
ideas down. As you make your notes look for recurring themes, observations or ideas for which
to structure your final reflection around.
You dont need to answer all of the questions below just those that seem most relevant or
helpful, but you should answer at least one question from each reflective stage and from each
main category (i.e. (i) Learning Goals, (ii) Materials & Methods, (iii) Overall SALL and Learning
Experience) to properly reflect on your SALL experience. Feel free to add your own questions,
ideas and comments to your notes for each of the stages and categories.
DO NOT SIMPLY WRITE A LIST OF ANSWERS FOR EACH OF THE QUESTIONS BELOW IN
YOUR SALL WRITTEN REFLECTION. YOU MUST SUMMARIZE, PRIORITIZE, FOCUS,
SYNTHESIZE AND EXPAND ON POINTS WHICH YOU BELIEVE SHOW MOST INSIGHT INTO
YOUR LEARNING AND YOURSELF AS A LEARNER.
TIP: Make notes from the questions below onto a piece of notepaper. Look for connections,
common themes, interesting ideas and insights. (Mindmaps are particularly good way of
doing this.) Use these as the foundation for what you will write about in your SALL Written
Reflection.
(i) Learning Goals

What were your original learning goals?
What was your original rationale and reasons for those goals?
What reformulations/changes did you make to each goal, if any? What were your reasons for
making these change/not making any changes?
What specific materials and methods did you use to attain your goal? Why? How did you use
them?
Stage 2 (Thoughts and Feelings):
How do you feel about the goals that you set?
What emotions and thoughts do you associate with each goal?
What thoughts and feelings did you have about each goal as you were carrying them out?
Have assumptions, beliefs or habits related to your goal(s) changed during your SALL
experience? Why? In what ways? / Why not?
89
What is your evaluation of your goals? (SMART? Useful? Enjoyable? Motiviating?)
What difficulties did you have with your goals? How did you overcome them?
Did you collaborate in any of your goals? Explain the differences you believe this made.
What were the main strengths and weaknesses of your goals?
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Were there any problems with your original rationale and reasons for your goals? Why do /
dont you think so?
Which goals did you find the most/least motivating?
What were the views of others who did the same or similar goals? Which of these views do you
agree/disagree with? Why?
Which goal do think was the most/least effective? Would other people agree or disagree with
your analysis of your goals?
What other perspectives might there be on the goals that you chose?
Will you continue to use the goals you had? Why? Why not?
How could you have made your goals better?
What modifications will you make to your learning goals? Why?
Based on the above, what will your future goals be after this course? Why?
(ii) Materials and Methods
Look again at Task: Practice Reflection in Section 1.1 Learner History above for more ideas for
questions.
What materials and methods did you use?
Did you use any materials that were similar (e.g. two grammar websites)? What differences
did you notice? Which one did you prefer?
Which specific material(s)/method(s) would you most like to reflect on and write about? Why?
Describe the material(s) / method(s) you would most like to write about. (What? When?
Where? Why? How? etc.)

What thoughts and feelings did you notice as you were using this particular material / method?
Why do you think you felt and thought these things?
Did any of the materials or methods cause you to experience a range of different emotions?
What emotional states did you experience? What might have caused this?
90
Which of the materials and methods you tried stand out to you as being highly effective /
ineffective?
Which ones were useful? Which ones were not? Give reasons.
Which ones were enjoyable or motivating? Which ones were not? Give reasons.
Which material(s)/method(s) were most in line with your learner style?
Did you collaborate in any of the materials or methods you tried? Compare and explain the
differences you believe this made.
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Overall, did you make a good choice of materials and methods in terms of motivation, learner
style and usefulness?
What were the views of other people who used these materials / methods?
What are the views of the people you collaborated with on the materials / methods you used?
How might others involved in your SALL learning assess your goals and choice of materials
and methods?
Did your opinion of the materials and methods you tried change over the time you used them?
Why?/Why not?
What other perspectives might there be about the materials and methods you tried?
How could the materials and methods you chose be made more: (a) enjoyable, (b) motivating,
(c) appropriate to your learner style, (d) useful for your learning needs?
Which materials and methods would you use again? Why?
Which materials and methods would you not use again? Why not?
What could you do to ensure a better choice of materials and methods in future?
Based on the above, which materials and methods might you use in future? Justify your choice
and any modifications you have made.
(iii) Overall SALL and learning experience

What do you think you have learned during your SALL experience? Describe in as much detail
as you can.
What have you learned about yourself as a learner and how you learn during your SALL
experience? (e.g. strengths and weaknesses; likes and dislikes; thoughts and feelings etc.)
What changes have you noticed, if any, in terms of your learning style and/or your
motivation(s) during your SALL experience?
What difficulties or problems did you have and how did you overcome them during your SALL
experience?
Which aspect of your learning and/or SALL would you most like to reflect on and write about?
91

What thoughts and feelings did you have about SALL at the beginning? Have your thoughts
and feelings about SALL changed? Why? / Why not?
How do you feel about learning English independently after doing SALL?
What have been the most useful things you have learned during your SALL experience?
Do you think SALL has made you a more independent learner? Why / Why not?
If you collaborated in your SALL learning experience in any way, comment on what differences
you think this made.
What are the most positive/negative experiences you have had during your SALL experience?
Do you notice any connections/themes between them?
Stage 4 (Analysis):
Has your SALL experience made you view your previous learning experiences at school / first
year of university differently? If yes, how? If not, why?
How do your views of SALL and your learning experience differ from your other classmates?
Do you agree/disagree with their views? In what ways?
Has the aspect of your English you were working on improved? Why? In what ways? / Why not?
Have any assumptions, beliefs or habits about SALL / your learning / yourself as a learner
changed since you began your SALL? If yes, what were these changes? What caused them do
you think? If anything has not changed, what reasons can you give for this?
Will you continue to use SALL to help you improve your English in the future? Why? Why not?
If you were to do SALL again, what changes would you make?
What improvements could be made to the SALL component of the 9820 course?
What goals/plans do you have for your future learning? How will you achieve these?
What will you do to be a more effective and independent learner in future?
If you do use SALL again, what will you do? (Where? When? How? Why? etc.)
If you decide not to use SALL again, what will you use instead? (Where? When? How? Why?
etc.)
92
Reflection: 5.3 Preparing your SALL Written

Reflection
Public vs private reflection
Reflection can be both public and private. This means your reflections are either something you
are required to share with others (i.e. your teacher) or your reflections are something that only
you know about (but may want to share with those you trust). There are pros and cons to both
kinds of reflection. With private reflection you are freer to take more risks, perhaps go deeper
and explore aspects that are very sensitive to you; and, of course, you dont need to worry
about organization, well-written sentences or grammar and spelling so long as you can
understand it. Public reflection, on the other hand, requires you to look for patterns in your
reflection and order your thoughts and insights. Since it is shared you have to write carefully
and clearly but this allows you the opportunity to get other perspectives on your reflection
which can be very useful and lead to further insights, particularly about your own assumptions,
beliefs and habits. One way to get the best of both types of reflection is to keep your own record
of your private reflections and use these as the basis for your public reflections.
Assessed reflective writing
The piece of reflective writing you are required to submit for this course is assessed and we
have certain expectations of how it should be written. It should not simply be a diary of what
happened, nor a long list of self-criticisms, nor a thoughtless ramble singing the praises of SALL.
Admittedly, your SALL Written Reflection will be different from other forms of academic
writing in that it is personal, creative, expressive and subjective. However, it does share
similarities with other forms of academic writing. First of all, it should be written in a formal
style and be well-organised. It should also be logical, analytical, critical and be supported by
clear evidence. With these points in mind, the following section gives advice on how your final
reflection should be written.
Personal / Subjective
You should write in the first-person and use the active voice. For example:
I found that this activity was particularly useful
My feelings at that time were
This was really confusing for me
This activity made me realize
We learned from working together that
Not:
It was found that the activity was useful
At that time, it was discovered that
93
Expressive
To be expressive you can use a range of language to show feelings and changes in emotional
states and motivations.
verbs (e.g. hope, realize, believe, feel, think)
nouns (e.g. annoyance, delight, insight, confusion, curiosity, realisation)
adjectives (e.g. surprised, boring, inspired, appropriate, insightful)
Formal, Clear, Complex and Accurate Language
Your reflection should be written in a formal manner so you should avoid the use of short
forms, slang and colloquialisms. (Please also dont use exclamation marks ! or etc.) It should
be specific, clear and precise and avoid vagueness. Grammar, vocabulary and punctuation must
also be correct and you should use a wide range of vocabulary, grammar patterns and
sentences structures.
e.g.
Learning is tough. Sometimes it sucks! Im guessin that I dunno enough about that kinda
goal writing stuff etc cos it was you know, it was like my first time.
e.g.
I was unsure about how to articulate my learning goal because I had not investigated
how goals should be written.
How to make your reflection well-organised
Before you write, identify a handful of themes, topics and main points that you want to
discuss. These should be things that really stood out to you as you did your SALL and
you most want to discuss. Possible themes, topics or main points might be: common
difficulties you had and how you overcame them; the advantages or disadvantages of a
certain way of learning; how you dealt with your emotions and motivation; changes in
your attitude or beliefs; what were the main thought processes you went through (metacognitive and cognitive), what makes an activity enjoyable or boring; important
realizations and how you came to them; difficulties you faced and how you overcame
them, etc.
Each paragraph should deal with one main point and elaborate fully on that point with
evidence and examples to support it.
There should be a smooth flow of ideas within and between paragraphs, a good use of
language for signaling transitions and an appropriate and correct use of linking devices.
There should be a clear introductory paragraph that gives some background and
outlines what will be discussed.
There should be a concluding paragraph that offers a precise and concise comment and
summary of the overall learning experience, and specifies areas for further selfdevelopment/improvement.
94
How to make your reflection Analytical, Creative and Critical

When you write up your reflection, avoid simply writing down a summary of the six stages of
reflection that you went through. Instead, you should look for patterns in your reflection such
as common themes and recurring ideas, i.e. the highlights of your reflections. You should
discuss the most significant insights that you had and explain how you came to reach them.
Below are some suggestions for organizing your thoughts for your written reflection.
Use one of more of the following ways:
Explain how and why things happened (from a range of viewpoints)
Note flaws or problems and suggest alternative ways of resolving them
Compare and contrast for similarities and differences
Synthesize ideas, observations and experiences into new knowledge
Find connections among ideas, knowledge, observations and experiences
Include and discuss different but plausible interpretations or perspectives
Explain the basis of and give evaluations, judgments, recommendations and suggestions
Speculate and hypothesize about plausible past, present and future scenarios
How to make your reflection Logical
You can show that your writing is logical by linking your ideas using logical relationships (e.g.
cause and effect / reason and result / condition and outcome etc.) and by using linking devices
that signal these kinds of relationship (e.g. because, therefore, as a result, ifthenetc.).
Use of Tenses
Use past tenses to recount experiences.
e.g. When I discussed my main pronunciation problems with the language advisor, she
suggested that I work on minimal pairs as one of my learning goals. I had not
encountered this term before
Use present tenses to give general comments and expressing beliefs or opinions.
e.g. I believe that collaborating when learning is
Use present tenses to discuss current changes or changes between the past and present.
e.g. Currently, I am becoming more interested in
e.g. I have noticed over the last two months that my emotions are
As you are discussing your reflection you will find that you often use a mix of tenses. This is
common because you will often be comparing the past with the present or be speculating about
the future based on past and present events.
e.g. When I began my SALL I had no confidence in learning on my own but now I feel
surprisingly at ease with studying independently and I notice that my motivation for
learning has steadily increased.
e.g. Before I started SALL, I had never been taught how to use the past perfect tense as it is
really used and these exercises have really helped. Knowing how to use these tenses will be
very useful for my next assignment.
95
Other useful grammatical devices

Use conditional sentences for hypothesizing or speculating about past, present or future
scenarios
e.g. If I had not visited the Student Advisory Services, then I wouldnt have learned
about
e.g. I will not improve my use of collocations unless I try to
e.g. Would my writing be better had I spent more time?
Use language for hedging to show different degrees of certainty
verbs (e.g. seem, appear, guess)
adverbs (e.g. possibly, probably, seemingly, definitely)
modal verbs (e.g. could, may, might, must, should)
phrases (e.g. I cannot be certain but, It would appear that, To some extent I think)
Types of evidence and examples you can use to support your points
For each claim and point you make about your SALL learning experience you should support it
with some kind of evidence. Here are some suggestions for what you can use as evidence.
Your experience and those you collaborated with
The experience of others in similar learning situations
Information from resources (e.g. websites, readings, listenings etc.)
Comments made by others on your performance or work (e.g. lecturers, classmates,
friends, etc.)
Grades or assessment feedback
Notes on your progress made by yourself or others
96
TASK: Assessing samples of reflective writing

Read the three samples of reflective writing below.
Which text do you think is the most reflective?

Which text do you think is the least reflective?
Give reasons for your choice and make notes on other things you notice about each text..
a) I shall begin with the description of the materials and methods that I used for my listening
goal. I chose to work on my listening skills because I am weak at this. I listened to two different
listening texts on the same topic: air pollution in China. I chose this topic because I am doing a
course on air pollution in my Common Core. One of the texts was from 6-minute English and
the other was a TV news report by CNN that I found on YouTube. I wanted to see the difference
between using a listening made for learners of English and an authentic text. My thoughts and
feelings were: (a) the 6-Minute English text was a bit boring but very easy and (b) the CNN TV
report was more challenging but more engaging as there were interviews with people affected
by the pollution. My evaluation is that the CNN TV report was more effective because the
language used is more natural and it held my attention. For my analysis stage, I looked at
comments on an English learning forum. One comment stated that 6-Minute English listening is
good because it includes a script and a list of phrases. Looking back I would agree that this is a
good point. For improvement, I think using both types of listening would be best. I could use a
non-authentic listening to help learn some useful terms that might appear in further authentic
texts that I listened to. My future action plan then is to find two more listenings about air
pollution and note the unfamiliar vocabulary in the inauthentic text and then note where and
how it is used in the authentic text.
b) When I began my SALL I did not feel confident that I would be able work effectively on my
own and I wasnt sure how to make a good goals plan. My first goal was to improve my use of
the perfect tenses. I tried many different books and websites. One of the books I used was
Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy which I found in Zone R in the Chi Wah Learning
Commons. This book has some explanations and exercises to practice the specific tenses that
were the focus of my learning goals. I set up a routine for myself so I would get regular
practice: every Monday and Thursday I would go to Zone R and spend one hour working from
the book. I would start by reading the rules and then doing the accompanying exercises. Most
of these exercises required me to fill in gaps or answer multiple choice questions. I found Zone
R to be a good place to study as it is comfortable and has all the materials I need close to hand.
The staff are helpful too and can show me where other materials that will help me with my
grammar can be found. In future I will continue to use these materials and methods for
improving other aspects of my grammar that I have difficulty with such as the use of articles
and phrasal verbs. Grammar is an essential part of learning English and it will help both my
writing and my speaking and allow me to express my ideas more clearly. Regular practice is
also useful because it means I can work my SALL into my weekly schedule and plan around my
practice.
97
c) Probably the most important insight I have had is how essential motivation is and how - if I
channel my motivation with care - I can improve not only my English but also the work I need
to do for my other courses. One example in particular illustrates this. My first goal was to
practice reading strategies on research articles and so I began using the SQ4R approach
suggested in the VE webpage. I found the strategies tough to follow as my mind kept
wandering from the readings had selected for my SALL to a project that I urgently needed to
finish for my chemistry class. Each time I tried, my thoughts distracted me more intensely until
I finally gave up and worked on my chemistry project instead. Realising my extrinsic
motivation pushed me toward abandoning my reading practice, I then tried to align my reading
practice with my project. However, my chemistry project did not require me to read research
articles but rather class notes and the course text book. I discussed this matter with my
classmate and together we looked at which SQ4R strategies would work best with the
chemistry project readings. After a lot of discussion and more practice, I found that
summarizing the hardest parts of the course readings into simple steps worked best for me,
but my classmate said he preferred to use analogies and drawings. We then combined both our
methods and found this really helped us overcome most of the difficulties we were having with
our project readings.
98
TASK: Assessing samples of reflective writing

Answers and comments
All three texts are written in an appropriate style for the reflective writing you need to submit for
the SALL Written Reflection. They are all well-organised and the language is accurate and clear.
However, in terms of the quality of reflection there are big differences.
a) This text is reflective in that it is clear that the writer has gone through all 6 stages of reflection
but it is more a summary of a particular reflective cycle on one set of activities than a genuine
piece of reflective writing. It is also quite tedious to read as it mechanically goes through each
stage without drawing attention to what was particularly insightful for the writer or explaining
why this specific cycle was significant. This would be particularly problematic if the writer
continued in this way for each of the remaining paragraphs of their written reflection.
b) This text is the least reflective. Essentially, the writer mostly discusses in great and unnecessary
detail the first stage of reflection what he did. There is almost no discussion of the whys and
hows of their learning and no evaluation or analysis at all despite the fact that the writer
mentions using other materials. The writer also jumps to the final stage of reflection toward the
end of the paragraph without explaining why they think continuing with this grammar book is a
particularly effective way of learning. Note too that there are no insights just commonly held
assumptions that go unchallenged (e.g. better grammar will mean better speaking and writing).
c) This is the most reflective sample of the three texts. Note how the writer singles out a particular
insight and explains why this insight is important for her using one particular experience as an
example to provide evidence and support for her claim. Though not directly stated, we can infer
that the writer has gone through at least one if not more reflective cycles to arrive at a solution to
a problem she was having with her learning. Throughout the text elements related to each of the
six stages of reflection are present but not in any particular order. Instead the writer mentions
elements which matter most to her and which add support for the main point she is trying to
make about the importance of motivation in her learning. This extract is also rich in many
features that you would expect to find in good public reflective writing such as evidence of
Socratic self-questioning, comparisons (of methods and materials, of earlier and later
experiences, of different perspectives) and finding solutions to problems.
99
TASK: Preparing to submit your final SALL reflection

With a classmate, check your own and then each others final SALL reflection using the
checklist below.
Grade how well the following are handled:
CONTENT
1) Evaluation and discussion of learning goals
2) Evaluation, analysis and discussion of materials and
methods? (Including comparisons from different
perspectives, other people etc.)
3) Aspects of being a learner and learning (e.g. learning
style, motivation, emotions, thought processes, planning,
needs and purposes, use of SALL)
4) Overall analysis, critical thinking and insight (Strong
evidence of 6 stages of reflection being utilized.)
5) Use of examples and evidence
ORGANISATION
6) Introduction (background, outline)
7) Conclusion (summarizing, overall comment, ideas for
future learning)
8) Paragraphs (cohesion and coherence)
LANGUAGE
10) Use of first person and active voice
11) Use of language to discuss emotion and thinking
12) Range and accuracy of grammar
13) Range and accuracy of vocabulary
14) OVERALL
100
5= Excellent
1= Needs much
improvement
Comments
APPENDIX 1: Proofreading Checklist

Tips for proofreading and using the checklist:
Use this checklist as a proofreading guide for assignments before you hand them in.
You may want to focus only on a few of the common error types and ignore others
depending on the nature of the assignment and your own assessment of your ability in
different grammar areas.
Use this checklist to get an overview of different areas of grammar you can work on for
your 9820 SALL learning goals.
Look for the simple and obvious errors first when proofreading.
If you find a word, phrase or sentence you are unsure of when you are proofreading,
highlight it and ask your lecturer to identify the kind of error.
Ask a friend / classmate / relative who has good English to look through your
assignment using this checklist and note common errors that they find using the codes
given.
Look at the most common error codes highlighted by your CAES lecturer / professor /
relative / friend and to find materials and methods to help you with that type of error.
Keep a note of your most common errors. Write your original wrong sentence and the
sentence as it was corrected side by side and group these under certain error types (as
it is done in the tables below). With your own record of common mistakes for each type
of error you will be better able to avoid making the same mistakes in future.
101
CODE
TYPE OF
MISTAKE
/
^
?
Word or letter, punctuation needs

to be deleted
Word or letter needs to be added
Ak
Ap
Appropriacy
Art
Articles
Cit
Citation / Reference
GP
This claim / fact / statement needs

acknowledgment. Use a citation here.
Mixed up tone or formality. This style/

word / phrase / sentence is not suitable for
this type of situation / text / reader.
a/an/the is wrong, missing or

unnecessary
This citation or reference has been
written incorrectly or wrongly
formatted. (Note: Formats vary widely
so check with your lecturer)
Collocation
Words that go together in certain patterns. A
very common source of error.
Gerund / Participle Patterns

The type of verbs (e.g. infinitive, gerund)
following this adjective, noun, phrase or
verb is wrong. Or, mixing up ed & ing
participles and adjectives.
Gr
Grammar mistake
Hedging
Md
Pn
CORRECTED VERSION
China, it has a growing economy.
China has a growing economy.
Hong Kong not need more roads.
Hong Kong does not need more

roads.
In the last 20 years, millions of

Chinese people have had their
homes demolished by corrupt
property developers.
Jones, hes like, yknow, totally
stupid about global warming an
stuff etc. (Essay)
Smith (2010) claims that in the last

20 years, millions of Chinese people
have had their homes demolished by
corrupt property developers.
The Mars is planet most likely to

have a life on it.
Mars is the planet most likely to

have life on it.
According to Justin C. Jackson2010

page40, the main factors are...
According to Jackson (2010), the

main factors are
BOOK: China Crisis; 2007: by

Kitty Chan. Published by Insight
Seeing newspapers regularly can
help students to learn English.
Chan K. 2007. China in Crisis.

London: Insight
Meaning is unclear
Move this word / phrase /
sentence / paragraph over here.
Acknowledgement
Co
WRONG VERSION
Miscellaneous grammar mistakes that

do not fall under another category
This claim, fact, point, statement,
conclusion etc. needs to be hedged.
Hedging shows levels of (un)certainty.
Modal Verb
Wrong modal verb and / or grammatical
problems with the modal verb.
Punctuation
Mistakes with commas, capital letters, fullstops, colons, semi-colons, question marks
etc.
I was late because of the crowded

traffic.
They said they enjoyed to be
involved in the project.
Jones arguments about the risks

of global warming seem
unfounded in places. (Essay)
Reading newspapers regularly

can help students to learn
English.
I was late because of the heavy
traffic.
They said they enjoyed being
involved in the project.
Nearly half of the participants

thought the activity was interested.
She has very improved her
grammar.
Nearly half of the participants

thought the activity was interesting.
It is undoubtedly true that all

economists always predict the future
with total accuracy.
It may be the case that some

economists can predict the future
with a reasonable degree of
accuracy.
I can learning from my mistakes.
I can learn from my mistakes.
I dont have to plagiarise. It is the

same as stealing.
New york is the worlds, largest
Financial centre
I must not plagiarise. It is the

same as stealing.
New York is the worlds largest
financial centre.
102
She has really improved her

grammar.
Pr
TYPE OF
MISTAKE
Preposition
Re
Rewrite (Chinglish)
Sgl
Singular/Plural Nouns
Sp
Spelling
Snt
Sentence structure
SV
Subject / Verb Agreement
CODE
WRONG VERSION
CORRECTED VERSION
This has been a great influence to

our culture.
This has been a great influence

on our culture.
At conference, very high interest

know you.
There are many coffee shop
opening up in China.
Swiserland has a high standard of
lifing.
Despite the financial crisis damaged
Londons reputation, the city, it is
still recovering, still makes billions
of dollars.
China have serious environmental
problems.
It was a pleasure to meet you

at the conference.
There are many coffee shops
opening up in China.
Switzerland has a high standard
of living.
Experts not knowed at that time

why the financial crisis has
happened.
More informations is needed before
a decision can be reached.
Experts did not know at that

time why the financial crisis had
happened.
There are too much difficulties.

Stock prices have been fallen in the
last year.
This is an importance finding.
There are too many difficulties.
WO Word Order
There is one realistic solution for

this kind of social problem only.
WW Wrong Word
NGOs are concerned that food

shortcomings will lead to famine.
There is only one realistic

solution for this kind of social
problem.
NGOs are concerned that food
shortages will lead to famine.
T
UC
Wrong, missing or unnecessary

preposition
Using English words but Chinese grammar
Mixing up singular and plural nouns

Use spell checks on your computer!
Problems with simple, compound and
complex sentences and/or linking
devices.
The verb does not match the subject of the
sentence.
Tense Problems
The tense is wrong or the form of the
verb has been written incorrectly.
Uncountable / Countable
Nouns
Mixing up countable and uncountable
nouns and quantifiers.
VV
Verb Voice
WF
Word Form
Mixing up active & passive voice.
Even though the financial crisis

damaged Londons reputation, the
city, which is still recovering, still
makes billions of dollars.
China has serious environmental

problems.
More information is needed before

a decision can be reached.
Stock prices have fallen in the

last year.
This is an important finding.
Mixing up nouns, adjectives, adverbs,

nouns & verbs
Mixing up the order and position of words
especially adverbs.
The meaning of this word is wrong.
103
APPENDIX 2: Sample 9820 Speaking Test

Checklist
Use this checklist with your classmates to evaluate each others practice performance for the
9820 speaking test. Since each speaker will speak for 2 minutes focus on ONLY ONE of the four
criteria (Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Clarity/Relevance) below each time.
5= Excellent
1= Needs much
improvement
Grade how well the following are handled:

CRITERIA 1: GRAMMAR
(a) Range of complex sentence structures and grammar
patterns
(b) Accuracy of grammar
(c) Use of tenses
After listening: To what extent do problems with
grammar interfere with understanding? (Circle your
response)
- Not at all
- Very little
- Somewhat
- A lot
CRITERIA 2: PRONUNCIATION
(a) Use of connected speech
(b) Use of sentence stress and intonation
(c) Clear pronunciation of words, word endings and
phonemes
After listening: How much did pronunciation problems
make it difficult to understand what was said? (Circle
your response)
- Not at all
- Very little
- Somewhat
- A lot
CRITERIA 3: VOCABULARY
(a) Use of words and phrases with precise meanings
(b) Use of synonyms and pronouns to avoid repetition
(c) Appropriate vocabulary, relevant to the topic
After listening: How much did problems with vocabulary
make understanding difficult? (Circle your response)
CRITERIA 4: CLARITY / RELEVANCE
(a) Relevance and completeness of response to question
(b) Points or examples made to support ideas
(c) Flow of ideas and linking of ideas
After listening: How difficult was it to follow the
speakers ideas and thoughts? (Circle your response)
104
- Not at all
- Very little
- Somewhat
- A lot
- Easy to follow
- Okay
- Difficult
- Very difficult
Comments
APPENDIX 3: Sample Checklist for 9820 Journal

Article
You can use this checklist to self-evaluate your own work or you ask a friend or classmate to
use it to evaluate your work or your friend / classmates work.
Criteria / Question
YES /
NO
ORGANISTION
1
2
Overall, is the article relatively easy to follow, and do the

ideas flow smoothly?
Is there a good use of linking words, referents and other
features of cohesion?
CONTENT / AUDIENCE AWARENESS

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Is the article mostly about any of the following: a recent

discovery; a recent invention / technology / technique; a
recent piece of research?
(If it is not recent, is there a good reason for this?)
Has the invention/technology/discoverys etc. relevance
to or impact on Hong Kong and/or China been discussed?
Does the article try to make the topic interesting for the
reader? (i.e. Do you find it interesting?)
Does the article make any complex concepts, ideas etc.
easier for a non-specialist reader to understand?
(e.g. By using graphics, images, similes & metaphors,
clear everyday examples, simplified steps etc.)
Are visuals or graphics referred to using CSE-CS style and
talked through in the article?
Does the article minimize the amount of specialist terms
and acronyms (e.g. ICM) that would be difficult for a nonspecialist to understand?
Are the specialist terms / acronyms explained clearly?
LANGUAGE
10
11
Is there a good range of vocabulary, grammar patterns

and sentence structures?
Does the article seem to have been carefully proofread?
(i.e. There are few systematic errors.)
USE OF SOURCES
12
13
14
15
Does the article use CSE-CS style for in-text citations and
the references section?
Has all the information from sources been cited?
Have all the sources that have been cited been written in
the reference list? (i.e. Is the reference list complete?)
Are all the sources reliable and up-to-date?
OVERALL IMPRESSION
16
Overall, do you think the article could be published in the

HKU Scientist journal?
105
COMMENT
APPENDIX 4: Tips for Oral Presentations

Oral Presentation Skills
Good presenters think about what the audience already knows, what they want them
to know, how to organise their information and how best to present it to the audience.
Planning Your Presentation
1. Audience Awareness
a. How can you get audiences attention?
b. What does the audience already know about your topic?
c. Are they familiar with the scientific terms you might use?
2. What the Audience Needs
a. What information does the audience need to understand your topic?
b. Which pieces of information have highest priority for audience understanding?
3. Organising Your Content
a. How much of the priority information can you present in the time available?
b. Do you need to reduce the amount of information?
c. Do you have time to add detail and examples?
4. Supporting Your Content
a. What can you do to make it easier for the audience to understand your points?
b. How can you draw audience attention to the relevant pieces of information?
Presentation Technique
1. Organisation of Content
Use a logical system of organisation, e.g. divide into sections and number the
points. Refer to the system so the audience knows which part you are talking
about.
Preview your content in the introduction so the audience knows what to expect.
Keep to the main points because excessive detail becomes confusing.
Make a clear distinction between main points and examples.
Use visuals to support your points.
Summarise your main points in the conclusion.
Give the audience a chance to ask questions.
2. Language
Use signposting so the audience gets a sense of moving through the presentation,
e.g.: firstly, secondly, lets move on, an example is, to summarise
Use English clearly, accurately (in speaking and on your slides) and appropriately
(e.g. level of formality, amount of scientific vocabulary)
Monitor your speed.
106
3. Behaviour
Make eye contact with all members of the audience.
Look and sound interested in your topic.
Avoid irrelevant or nervous gestures/mannerisms.
Draw the audiences attention to your visuals at the appropriate moment.
NEVER read out a presentation but you can use notes.
4. Use of cue cards / notes
- Cue cards must be in note form.
- Dont read aloud from your cue cards, only glance at them
Further Information and Practice for Presentations
The Virtual English Centre also maintains a page of links to useful internet oral presentation
resources.
Some tips for your presentation:

Make your presentations more interesting by doing any of the following:
Do a quick oral survey of students by asking for a raise of hands (Please dont do a written
survey there probably wouldnt be time to do it)
Make a joke or a funny comment where appropriate and relevant
Make your PowerPoint slides visually interesting using photos, graphics and pictures instead of
using too much text
Ask a question to your audience (but only one or two)
Practice
Time your presentation: You can do this at home. Just practice in front of the mirror with a
stopwatch and make a note of how long each section takes to do. Make sure your individual
presentation is only 5 minutes long.
Video record yourself: This way you can notice any problems you have with your voice,
delivery and body language.
Practice with your friend(s): You can give each other useful feedback and ideas if you practice
with each other.
107
APPENDIX 5: Sample Oral Presentations

Checklist
You can video yourself and use this checklist to self-evaluate your own performance or you ask
a friend or classmate to use it to evaluate each others performance.
Criteria
= Good
? = Needs
Improvement
Comments
CONTENT
Appropriate for audience
Interesting
Informative
Clear purpose
ORGANISATION
Clear sections
Logical organisation
Signalling of transitions
DELIVERY
Overall fluency
Eye contact
Use of gestures
Posture, Mannerisms &
Body Language
Confident
Rapport with audience
LANGUAGE USE
Accurate pronunciation
Use of stress and
intonation
Range of vocabulary &
grammar
Accuracy of vocabulary &
grammar
USE OF VISUAL AIDS
Appropriate
Quality
Attractiveness (e.g.
minimum of text, good colour
scheme, nice layout etc.)
TIMING
OTHER COMMENTS
108
APPENDIX 6: Word Attack Strategies

Worksheet
Word attack strategies are ways of guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words using the
surrounding text or elements of the word / phrase to help you. It is a good idea to guess the
meaning of words before you check a dictionary as many words have several possible
meanings. Try the exercises below and then try to use some of the strategies suggested when
you next come across unfamiliar words in a reading text.
My backpack was 100 feet below me. Stuck. I pulled at the rope. It didnt move. I tugged it again.
Still, the rope and my pack did not move. More and more I tried pulling, until I had blisters on my
hands. Without my pack Id have no rations, and with no rations I knew Id die of hunger soon.
Thank you, God! Thank you very much, I screamed sarcastically at the sky.
Here I was, kitted out in the most expensive gear: a three-thousand-dollar rope, a five-thousanddollar gortex coat, a ten-thousand-dollar tent, and I would die because I didnt have a few dollars
worth of food. I pulled my balaclava over my head. It was so cold already, and getting darker,
getting darker and colder.
(1) Read the text and answer these questions.
i. Where is the action taking place?
ii. When is it taking place?
iii. Who is speaking?
iv.
What activity is taking place?
v.
How serious is the situation?
vi.
How do you know these answers to the questions above? 10
(2) Guess the meaning of the words in bold in the text and make a note of your guesses. Before
you do, make sure you identify what word form the word or phrase is (i.e. noun, verb, adjective
etc.)
tugged blisters rations sarcastically kitted out gear gortex balaclava (3) Check the meaning of these words and their word form in the dictionary and see how close
your guesses were. 11
10
(1) Possible Answers (i to v). i) on a cliff, in the mountains, ii) dusk, nightfall iii) mountaineer, climber iv)
mountaineering, climbing v) very serious. vi. You are inferring. None of the information for answers i-v is directly
stated in the text but as you read it you create a mental representation of the situation.
109
(4) Now think of the strategy you used to guess the meaning of the words. Sometimes you will
use more than one strategy. 12
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
It has a similar meaning to another part of the text.

It has an opposite meaning to another part of the text.
It is the cause of something.
It is the effect of something.
You know the purpose or properties of that thing.
It is explained or illustrated somewhere in the text.
It is a general word for specific things (or vice-versa).
You can understand the relationship between the subject and the object of the verb using
background knowledge or from inferring from the surrounding situation.
It is part of a clause / phrase structure / collocation similar to one that you are familiar with.
(e.g. the ______st Ive ever ________; a bottle of ______; a head start)
You use your understanding of the whole situation surrounding the word to think of a logical
possible meaning.
You use your knowledge or prefixes, suffixes and word roots to help you decode the words
meaning. (e.g. unbelievable)
An adjective or adverb describes something you are familiar with.
From what is happening you understand what a verb is describing.
OTHER:
tugged blisters rations sarcastically kitted out gear gortex balaclava -
11
(2 & 3) Answers: tugged (verb) = to pull quick and hard; blisters (noun) = painful lumps of skin caused by rubbing
d); rations (noun) = food for survival purposes; sarcastically (adverb) = to say the opposite of what you actually mean;
kitted out (phrasal verb) = to wear or carry something for a particular purpose such as mountaineering; gear (noun) =
equipment; gortex (noun) = a special [waterproof] clothing material; balaclava (noun) = headwear that covers the
whole head to keep the head warm often worn too by terrorists / bank robbers to hide their face
12
(4) Possible Answers: tugged - strategies a) & m); blisters strategy d); rations - strategies e) & d); sarcastically strategy b); kitted out - strategy h); gear strategy g); gortex - strategy e); balaclava - strategies e) & h)
110
Word Attack Self-Study Exercises & Tips

TIP:
Before you read any text you should ask yourself the six Wh questions:
What? When? Where? Who? Why? How?
Knowing the answer to these questions will give you the context for any new words that you
find.
SUGGESTED PRACTICE EXERCISE:
Pick ONE word / phrase you didnt understand from a text that you read.
Guess the meaning of the word using one of the strategies suggested above.
Check the meaning of the word in the dictionary.
TIP:
Many words can have different meanings. Make sure the meaning you find in the dictionary
matches the CONTEXT in the article and that you know what WORD FORM the word is (i.e.
noun, verb, adjective etc.)
Consider these sentences:
a) The rain is very light. I dont need an umbrella. (adjective)
b) The light is off so I cant see anything. (noun)
c) Can you light the fire? It is very cold. (verb)
111
APPENDIX 7: Sample SALL Learning Goal Plans

with comments
Learning Plan (a)

FULL NAME: Wong Lai Pak
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH NAME: Bernie
GROUP:
X5
STUDENT NO.: 20130xxxxxx

DAY(S) OF LESSON(S): Mon / Thurs
EMAIL ADDRESS: berniewernie@hku.hk
COMMENT: This part has been correctly filled in.
- Overall this plan and goal are okay but could be a bit clearer and more specific. It would be
acceptable for the 9820 course.
GOAL 1
COMMENTS
Purpose
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
Listening Speaking
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exams / Assessments
Specific goal:
To improve my performance in the speaking part of the
IELTS exam.
Rationale (In terms of one or more of the following:

purpose, language needs, learner style motivation):
I intend to study abroad once I finish my degree and I will
need to score at least 7 in the IELTS speaking test in order
to get into the university of my choice.
Possible materials (i.e. resources) and methods (i.e.
activities, strategies, techniques). Refer to sections 3.1 and
3.2 of the SALL Support Pack for ideas.
One-to-one chat with student tutor (CEDARS) on
their Peer English Tutoring Programme.
I will book an appointment for several one to one
112
- This is correctly completed.

- He could have also highlighted
speaking skills.
-This goal is focused but could be

made more specific. He could
add which aspect of the
speaking test he wants to
improve on (e.g. improving
responses to certain question
topics).
-This goal has a clear application
to the students learning needs
but he could have also noted
how the goal might help in other
tests (e.g. by helping him with
his 9820 speaking test)
-The activity will likely help the
student to achieve the stated
goal.
-However, how he intends to use
this activity is a bit vague and
could be explained more clearly
chats with a student tutor through CEDARS and will

ask the tutor to help me practice for the speaking
part of the IELTS exam.
Anticipated outcome or progress (See sections 2.1 and 2.3
of the SALL Support Pack on making goals measurable and
achievable):
I expect to be able to score above my last score for
the speaking part of the IELTS exam (5.5) and aim to
get a 7.
After several practice sessions with the student
tutor, I will ask him or her to use the IELTS band
descriptor (public version available online) and give
me a score. I will then ask another tutor to score me
again using the same descriptor and see if they
agree with that score.
I will also record myself at the beginning of the SALL
and at the end and score myself using the IELTS
band descriptor.
Estimated Time Needed (in hours): 5 hours
113
and with a bit more detail.
-The outcome is very clear and

quite realistic.
-The method of assessing
progress is clear and by asking
more than two people to do it
the student will have a more
credible assessment of progress.
-Using checklists and criteria are
a good means of assessing
yourself and others.
The student will also assess
him/herself. Self-assessment is
an important feature of SALL.
- The time given is not very

realistic. It could be extended to
8 or 9 hours.
Learning Plan (b)

FULL NAME: Chan Wei Pang
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH NAME: Joey
GROUP:
Z2

DAY(S) OF LESSON(S): Tues/Fri
EMAIL ADDRESS: funnyjoey45@hku.hk
COMMENT: This part has been correctly filled in.
- Overall, this is an excellent plan and goal.
GOAL 2
COMMENTS
Purpose
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
- This is correctly filled in.

Listening Speaking
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exams / Assessments
Specific goal:
To increase my range of passive vocabulary about
geochemistry to help me with readings and lectures in my
Geochemistry elective course
Rationale (In terms of one or more of the following: purpose,
language needs, learner style motivation):
My major is Geology and I have found some of the texts and
lectures for my elective geochemistry course very challenging.
This is due to the large amount of unfamiliar terms. I spoke to
my CUE English teacher last year about vocabulary and she told
me about active and passive vocabulary. She said that when
we learn vocabulary in university, we often only need to
recognize and understand certain words for listening and
reading (i.e. passive vocabulary). Since I will rarely use many of
these terms in my spoken and written assessments, I only need
to focus on learning the vocabulary passively.
Possible materials (i.e. resources) and methods (i.e. activities,
strategies, techniques). Refer to sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the
SALL Support Pack for ideas.
Core reading texts and journal articles from my
geochemistry course (e.g. selected readings from
Applied Geochemistry Journal)
Online geology dictionary at:
114
- This student notes that

while this goal is about
learning vocabulary it will
also relate to her listening
and reading skills.
-The goal is very specific and
clearly related to the
students language needs at
university.
-The student clearly identifies
a specific problem they have.
-The student draws on their
previous learning
experiences and uses advice
and important points they
have learned before.
-The student distinguishes
between passive and active
vocabulary needs, which
shows reflection on her
learning needs.
-The student suggests
authentic materials rather
than materials made for
learners. This means they will
learn about language as it is
actually used in real
situations.
http://geology.com/dictionary/glossary-b.shtml
Wikipedia / Google
Google docs
Flashcard Machine App at:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flas
hcardmachine.app
- Two of my classmates are also taking this geochemistry
course, and so we will work together on this same goal. I am
also a communicative learner and from my learner history I
have realised that I prefer learning with other people rather
than just by myself.
- Using the online Geology dictionary, Google and Wikipedia for
definitions, we will write a glossary on Google docs for each
article or reading that we do. We can then update the glossary
on our smartphones anytime, anywhere. We will also look out
for word roots that may help in the meaning of other words
(e.g. tuff and tuffaceous).
- As we are all visual learners, we will then turn these glossaries
and word roots into a set of flash cards on the Flashcard
Machine app so that we can memorize the words quickly.
Anticipated outcome or progress (See sections 2.1 and 2.3 of
the SALL Support Pack on making goals measurable and
achievable):
I believe that after a few SALL sessions following this goal

plan above I will be better able to understand more
vocabulary in my readings and lectures on geochemistry
and recognize the terms I have memorized in other lectures
and readings.
We aim to record and successfully memorize about 60
terms / word roots. We will test and score each other using
the flash card app.
We will test and score each other orally by reading out the
definition and scoring the other person for saying the
correct term or saying the term and giving an accurate oral
definition.
We will also make gapfills by copying sentences from the
original readings (or other readings where I find the same
term) and blanking out the word. We will test and score
each other by completing each others gapfills. Again, I will
score myself on how many gapfills I can answer correctly.
Estimated Time Needed (in hours): 6 to 8 hours
-The materials are relevant

and appropriate for the goal.
-The student selects
materials and ways of using
those materials that suit her
own learning style.
-The practice methods
suggested are collaborative.
-The materials can be used
anytime and anywhere
allowing for practice during
dead times (e.g. queueing,
commuting etc.)
-Learning word roots is an
excellent way to increase
vocabulary
-The outcome is realistic and
can easily be assessed.

-The ways of testing are
interactive and collaborative.
-A variety of ways for testing
progress are suggested.
-As students will test each
other, it makes the evidence
for progress more believable.
-The students suggest their
own ways of self and other
assessment.
- The time given is realistic
given that the vocabulary

learned will be for passive
use.
115
Learning Plan (c)

FULL NAME: Ernesto Fidel Guevara
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH NAME: Che
GROUP:
Not sure

EMAIL ADDRESS:
COMMENT: The student has not completed all of the personal details boxes. If he was unsure
of his group number, he should have asked his lecturer.
Overall, this is a very poorly done plan and goal. It would need to be resubmitted.
GOAL 1
COMMENTS
Purpose
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
- The student has not

highlighted the purpose
for the learning goal.

Listening Speaking
Reading
Writing
- The student did not

follow instructions. They
should have highlighted
not crossed out.
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exams / Assessments
Specific goal:
To improve my listening skills and to be able to listen and hear
things more clearly and understand what is said especially for my
studies
Rationale (In terms of one or more of the following: purpose,
language needs, learner style motivation):
At university I have to do a lot of listening. For example, I
need to attend lectures and speak to my classmates. Some
of my classmates are from America so I have to speak to
them in English and they use a lot of slang that I dont
understand. I also think some of my lecturers are boring
and they dont make the topics very interesting. It would
be better if they made their lectures more visual and then
we would be more interested. If we were more interested
then we might listen more and that would improve our
grades.
Listening is a very import skill and if I cannot listen then I
will not get the information I need and so I will not really
understand what I am studying. If everyone listens better
then we can solve many of the worlds problems. As the
English saying goes: listen and learn. I totally agree with
the meaning of this saying. I also think that practice makes
perfect so the more practice I get then the more perfect
my English will be.
116
-This goal is not specific,

and basically describes
general listening skills.
-Most of the rationale is a
vague discussion about the
value of listening.
-There is a lot of repetition
and a lot of irrelevant
information.
-The student discusses
slang which is not really a
listening goal but a
vocabulary goal. This
vocabulary goal is not
appropriate for the
learners needs.
-The student uses a couple
of clichs (practice makes
perfect) and generally
waffles in this section.
Possible materials (i.e. resources) and methods (i.e. activities,

strategies, techniques). Refer to sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the SALL
Support Pack for ideas.
Movies in the ELRC
Youtube clips
Online English TV games
Online dictionary of slang Urban Dictionary at:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/popular.php?character=
A
Chatting to friends
- I will watch a lot of movies which have a lot of slang and look up
the meaning of the slang words in the urban dictionary. I will
memorize the slang words so I can remember them more easily.
- I will watch Youtube clips and write down all the ideas in the
clips. This will help me understand what they are saying.
- Me and my classmates will play online games and we will use
the English mode of play. When we are talking to each other in
the game we will use the slang we learned from the movies.
- I will chat to my non-Chinese friend and say all the slang that I
can remember.
Anticipated outcome or progress (See sections 2.1 and 2.3 of the
SALL Support Pack on making goals measurable and achievable):
I think I will be able to understand everything after I have
finished this SALL component of the course and I will be
get higher grades in all my classes.
I will measure my progress by asking my friends if they
think my listening skills are better.
I will also do some IELTS listening practice exams and note
the score.
With my English-speaking friends I will listen more
carefully and compare how much more I can understand
than I did before.
Estimated Time Needed (in hours): A couple of days
117
-While the learner

suggests a variety of
resources, they are not
specific enough nor
appropriate.
-No explanation is given of
how the language or skill
will be practiced.
-The resources and
activities are recreational
and no convincing
explanation is given on
how they could be used for
learning or the learning
goal.
-The anticipated outcomes

and progress are
unrealistic.
-There is no means of
measuring progress that
would be believable or of
any value.
-While doing IELTS practice
exams might be a useful
way to practice listening, it
is not a good way to assess
listening skills unless the
goal is to improve listening
skills for the IELTS exam.
- The time should be stated
in hours not days.
APPENDIX 8: Sample of a completed Learner

Profile
Jay Pangs Learner Profile
FULL NAME: Pang Fai Ting
CLASS: CAES 9820
ENGLISH / CLASS NAME: Jay
GROUP: W9
STUDENT NO.: 2013xxxx
DAY(S) OF LESSON(S): Mon / Thurs
MAJOR(S)/MINOR(S): Geology Major /
EMAIL ADDRESS: jaybird@hku.hk
Chemistry Minor
LEARNING STYLE(S):
Highlight the type(s) of learner you believe you are:
Concrete
Communicative
Analytical
Authoritarian
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Other types (Please specify):
LEARNING PURPOSES:
Highlight one or more of the main purposes you want to focus on for your SALL.
Academic
Professional
Everyday
Creative
LEARNING NEEDS:
Highlight one or more of the language skills areas you think you need to work on most.
Speaking
Listening
Writing
Reading
Grammar
Vocabulary
Exam / Assessments (Please specify):
Other (Please specify):
MOTIVATION:
Highlight the type(s) of motivation you think you have for learning English.
Integrative
Instrumental
Intrinsic
Extrinsic
Other factors in motivation (Briefly explain): I find it difficult to feel motivated to
learn English by myself.
LEARNER HISTORY:
Write a short summary of your own learner history. You can use some of the prompts below or
you can write anything which you think is relevant or important. (Approx. 200-300 words)
I really liked English in primary school when we played games and did
lots of fun things to learn English. My favourite teacher then was called Ms
Choi. She would teach us English songs and chants and let us watch
American cartoons. I found this very interesting and even to this day I
can still remember the words to many of the songs and rhymes that she
taught us.
118
That all changed in secondary school when all we seemed to do was

practice for the exams. I didnt like this at all and often I felt really bored
in the lessons. In my school we hardly ever spoke English in the lessons but
instead focused on reading and writing and of course grammar. Even
now I feel scared when I see a grammar book! To be honest, I find doing
exercises in grammar books really pointless. Even if I can do all of the
exercises correctly I still cant use that grammar point when I am speaking
(or even in my writing).
I quite like speaking English and I have found this the best way for me to
learn new vocabulary. I notice that if I write a word down several times I
mostly forget it but if I say it a few times I remember it quite easily. At HKU
I try to chat to my classmates in English about the coursework we do
because speaking about it really does help me remember and understand
better.
At the moment my courses require a lot of reading and listening and I
find it difficult at times to follow what my lecturers are saying or
understand the course notes and readings. Many of the terms are
unfamiliar to me and sometimes the lecturers speak too fast. Im not sure
how to overcome this problem and a few of my classmates feel the same.
119

CAES9820 Week 0 SALL Support Pack

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

CAES9820 Week 0 SALL Support Pack

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

1

How should I use the SALL Support Pack?

read certain parts of it and do certain exercises in order to help you

What is Self-Access Language Learning (SALL)?

keep yourself motivated and deal with your emotions;

Why does SALL matter?

What you need to complete for the SALL

Overview of the SALL Component of CAES9820

2.1 Setting SMART Learning Goals

3.1 Materials: facilities and resources

4.1 Monitoring your progress

5.1 What reflection is and why it matters

Learner Profile: 1.1 Learner History

Learning & Learners

Feelings & Emotions

Learning and using English now

TASK: Practice Reflection

TASK: Noting your learner history

Learner Profile: 1.2 Learner Styles

1. I like to learn by watching TV and listening to people.

Communicative learners like to learn by watching and listening, and by

Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic / Tactile (VAK) Learners

Influences on and origins of learner styles

TASK: Matching activity to learner styles

SUGGESTED ANSWERS: a) kinesthetic b) authoritarian c) visual

TASK: Noting your learner styles and suggested ways of learning

Learner Profile: 1.3 Purpose for learning English

THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON

understanding lectures; listening to podcasts or watching videos related to

understanding course readings; following written instructions

giving academic presentations, improving pronunciation; discussing with

working on any of the following: tenses, gerunds & infinitives, prepositions,

any of the 9820 assessments (e.g. annotated bibliography, journal article,

THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON

understanding talks, seminars, conferences or training sessions

reading manuals or instructions; reading lab reports

performing well in job interviews; giving professional lectures or

learning key terms related to your profession; learning common formal /

identifying key grammatical features of professional texts (e.g. use of indirect

THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON

listening to podcasts, radio programmes or songs; watching TV programmes

reading comics, story books, novels, newspapers, magazines, Internet sites

chatting to international students and other foreigners; taking part in

writing emails, texts etc. to friends, participating in Internet chat forums,

learning slang or informal phrases and words for conversations, texting or

understanding tenses in newspaper texts; investigating differences between

THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON

listening to or watching challenging literary texts (e.g. Shakespearian plays,

reading challenging literary texts (e.g. poems, plays, novels, philosophical

taking part in drama clubs; performing in plays; singing in a band, a choir,

THINGS YOU COULD WORK ON

comprehending connected speech in listening texts; understanding the use of

identifying main ideas and supporting ideas in reading texts

improving pronunciation (e.g. use of stress and intonation; focusing on

improving paragraph structure; using linking words more effectively

TASK: Noting your purpose for learning English

Learner Profile: 1.4 Language Needs

Methods for Diagnosing Any Ability

Methods for Diagnosing Listening Skills

Then try the following steps:

Methods for Diagnosing Speaking Skills

Methods for Diagnosing Reading Skills

Look at this list of common reading strategies in Section 3.2.

Methods for Diagnosing Writing Skills