My first outline

My first outline was rejected. I did something on how teacher should use setting in the two form 5 novel “the Jungle of Hope” and “the Return” and use the cultural setting in the novel and relate it with the students cultural knowledge of the setting to read the novel but, My supervisor said my outline was more like the implication for teaching that we all have to do at the end of the research paper.

She suggested I do material selection of reading text and how setting is to be considered in choosing these texts or some thing similar to that. She even shows me a research paper she did on “ principles of Material Selection in the Teaching of Reading” and asks me to make a copy of it for my reference in doing my research paper. I was very grateful that she was so willing to help me but unfortunately the literary text in secondary schools are “prescribe” by the ministry of education so, I can’t really comment on how they should be choosing the text for the students in secondary schools. It is by the way an academic paper that I am writing and don’t want to sound as if I am anti establishment or anti government.

26 the Date the Score

Today my result on my position paper was out and was I happy with my results. Finally some good news from my position paper. This paper was suppose to be an argumentative paper and I guess my position paper match the description because I argue that the snake is actually a male intruder in the short story the drover’s wife by Henry Lawson. I think my position paper is argumentative because I am not simply describing things in the story but presenting my view that the snake is a male intruder. I was very skeptic about my position paper at first because I needed to write on something very abstract with no hard evidence to support it not to mention that the snake was basically absent most of the time, but with very useful help from my dear Lecturer, I manage to produce a great paper.

I have a friend who was celebrating his friends’ convocation so he bought a bottle of bubbly fruit drink with a fancy bottle, what luck a celebration for all I care I could be drinking Champagne celebrating my result, a two in one celebration. Haha

The presentation

All dress up for my presentation minus the tie but when I got to the class everyone was wearing pretty much the same as they do on a normal day. So hopefully wearing formal will help me look more presentable and increase my credibility as a speaker trying to present a position paper.

Some of my course mates have some very interesting position paper and I really wish I could get a copy of their position paper. While some have some contradicting points and even spelling mistake.

It was the first times that I heard some of my course mates present their points in front. Albert was one of them his presentation seems very confusing to me, don’t really understand what he is trying to say; the text that he has chosen to do his research on was totally unfamiliar to me. Most of my course mate did their research on text that Dr. Edwin has taught us before so it will be easier for me to follow their arguments.
This presentation has been an interesting one beside getting a round of applaud for speaking in front of the class I got some interesting input from my course mates, not really a full presentation of their paper but a sample of what they have to say. This presentation also mark the end of the position paper assessment and hopefully this Monday I will have some good news on my position paper result which consist 30% of my total grade for this course.

See-saw

“There are many ways to describe life, one way I can describe it it’s a see-saw, going up and down.” This is what someone in her online diary wrote and I share her view in some respect.
Today the 19th of September, my Lecture gave our class a sample copy of a research paper by our senior. I just past up my position paper last week and this week I have to start worrying about my Research paper again, just when you start having some fun going up the see-saw you are on your way down again.
This Research paper may prove to be a bigger challenge than my position paper, for my position paper my lecture was kind enough to help me through with my thesis statement and all, but for my supervisor, well not much meeting was conducted and I really don’t know if every thing will go smoothly.
My lecture gave me good advices today, do what your target audience like, or was it write what your target audience like? Don’t quite recall his exact words, but basically I need to put into consideration the target audience “my Supervisor” because I will be writing for them so might as well imagine my self to be a salesmen trying to convince my costumer to bye what I have to sale. In my case my thesis statement and my supporting points.
My supervisor Dr. Fauziah taught me about reading and I learn from her a lot of useful knowledge and terms like prior knowledge and top-down, bottom-up reading skills so it would be the basis for what I will probably be focusing on.
The form five novels is an interesting topic than I wanted to do my small research on. the novels like “the Return” is fill with Indian cultural references, the novel “Jungle Of Hope” rich with Malay culture but the novella “the Pearl” has no Chinese cultural references, strange? And the way in which different state would do different novels I suppose is because places with dense population of a particular ethnicity was put under consideration of distribution of navels so the students prior knowledge, background knowledge must have play a part.
There must be a final section entitle “Implications for Education or Teaching” in my research paper, so if I am doing text already in the syllabus it would be easier to relate to this requirement stated. Hopefully everything go as plan. Than up see-saw I go again haha.

16 September

Tomorrow is the due date for my Reading and Project work, assignment 1. This paper consist of 30% well with some mark allocated for a 5-minute oral presentation which will commence the following Saturday.

I feel liberated; ironically today is also the independent day of my state Sarawak as well. So it’s kind of a double celebration

This assignment has done me good. I learn a lot, from studying on the text I am doing and gaining and learning even more from others who work on different text as well. I plan to compile as much as possible the assignment that my dear course mate is working on. I hope they are kind enough to give me a copy for free.

These assignments may not be from an avid analysis of literary work but they are the end product of hour of hard work, that I feel are worth reading and collecting.

To risk appearing a fool?

The assignment was meant for us to analyse text and produce a decent position paper with a little help from our lecturer, but most of all we were to do some research on the topic we would like to do on, but that is not the case for some of us obviously

Most risk appearing a fool, when they present their ideas on a topic they work on as expected most did badly because this is the first time we are ask to do such academic writing. One can’t really blame us or expect too much, we were unfamiliar with some of the requirements even though we were given sample paper.

The sample paper was a guideline on how we should organize our writing, but it does little in helping us identify if what we have written is suitable or not with our thesis statement. That is why we have a trial presentation of our points orally in class. This helps me identify what topic are they doing on this assignment and their progress beside knowing from my lecturer whether I’m going about my position paper correctly.

It is not a question of how much point you can come up but how suitable and relevant they are with the topic. Some times your point may seem suitable to you but not to the lecturer or simply because your points are repeated or related some how to the previous point you mention earlier.

It’s strange how so many are risking “appearing a fool” and some few never took that risk. There are a few that do the “calculated risk” they are the one that seek lecture for help and guidance. I know someone who literary let lecturer see his/her assignment progress from start to finish, so determine was he/she to “proof-safe” the assignment, to suit the requirement needed that every thing was check out and recheck by their respected lecturer.

How could this students fail or do a wrong, if lecture already look through this “guided” assignment over and over again (no creativity) most ideas would have been from the many meeting they have, can lecturer say the assignment was weak and give a low mark? No, how could they.

These are not week student who seek help but are actually good student that is looking for a sure safe “A” assignment. The calculate risk the smart way

Ironic how the good would look for help
They see lecture at the beginning of the semester for upgrade from –A to A. they see lecture to proof safe assignments, yet they are the strong one the top scorer in class, that to many would believe that they did well because they are smart creative expressive hard working individuals. Are they? Yes they are the smart one.

Not to sound as if I am bitter, it’s ok if you feel that you are not sure and seek guidance but it is another ball game if you “proof safe” your assignment.

I’m on the right tract

After days of sleep less night finally I know I’m headed at the right tract with some help from my lecturer of courses. But I still see some room for improvements to be done and hopefully when I hand up my paper it would be perfect if not approve of. It has been a bumpy sleep less journey with a lot of “hiccups” but I’m glad it turn out good. You get that feeling of satisfaction that is just so hard to describe. My other course mate have some pretty interesting thesis statement as well and I feel like getting a copy from them I ask most of them most of them are shy to give me their paper but most agree as long as I give them a copy of my paper as well, which I think is just fair,
Any way the mid-semester holiday is here and since my position paper is on the right tract I should be concentrating on my research paper from now. Another sleep less night of idea hunting for me.