Writing a Self-Assessment Essay

Assalamualaikum…! My name is Liyana bt Jamaan. I’m from Kuala Lumpur. I want to learn English because I have difficulty in speaking English fluently and I would be better off if I could speak good English. Sometimes, I feel ashamed of my broken English. As a student, I want to improve my English. So that, I can do my homework very well besides can more understand when I read English book, magazines and newspapers.

About my English lecturer? Madam Sharifah Zurina. Hmm…that I know, she don’t like student call her teacher but I think somebody that teach people is called ‘teacher’. It is not mean a teacher refers to primary school teachers only. Okay, never mind! Madam! If you are reading my comments now, I hope that you are not blame and angry with me. It’s only my opinions. Hehe….Smile (“,). I like my English lecturer because she is very funny, cheerful, kind, friendly, understanding and also talkative. She made my classmates and I laugh so that’s the lessons in the class not very boring. Do you agreed with me, my friends? Sometimes, my English lecturer was strict in the classroom. I think it’s okay because it made the students become disciplined to the point they do not disturb the lessons, finish for their homework, puncture to the time when coming to the class, be a responsible and else. They will have to learn to sit quietly are respectfully while the teacher explain a lesson. If the students are allowed to do as they please, a teacher maybe lose control of the class. As a human, we always forget so somebody must always remembered them!

Now, we talk about my achievements in learning English. I thought all English book made me so boring but when my English teacher gave me a book about investigation title, The Return of Sherlock Holmes made me very interested and want to know what happen next. Then, when I went to library to borrow another book, I think all Penguin books very interesting. Maybe, it’s only for story book not the books about fact, news, history and education. Hehe….!

About writing, I still not good in that when I always made a mistakes in grammar although how many times I was learn it but I still confuse when I want to use it in writing. I think from Longman Online Program made me more understand about grammar but that not have enough time to explore all about at the Cyber Library. I hope for the next if can, student can get the Longman CD-Rome English for their reference and revision or can do the Longman exercise not only at Cyber Library or student can get the notes from lecturer. Others, maybe I must read many English book not only about story book but also many book about fact, news, science and else so that I can get many ideas and information to improve my writing.

I think my listening learning also become good and improve from the Longman Online Program. It can improve my pronunciation I also not good in speaking because when I say, it heard not very clearly and confidently. Actually, I like to speak when reading. I use it as a pronunciation practice and make me more understand and focus what I’m read about. From the reading comprehension, answer the question and discussion with lecturer, I can know many new vocabulary.

Making presentation is good as a practice in speech in front of many people and learn how to organize their project work in group to be prepared to present the best of what they have. Feeling nervous? Yes, of course I feel it when speech in front of many people. It is okay if I feel little nervous. It help to keep me alert. Public speaking is one of the many activities that can practice us to speech.

That have many activities that involved participating discussions like a make question, discuss about comprehension and else. It is an opportunity to exchange information between each other. One of the activity that I like is competition inter group. Although my group not won but I’m very enjoyed with this games because it can make our mind become active. The activities that involved such as rearranged the letters to formed words, made many words from the letters that have been given, rearranged words to made sentences and else.

I have an idea for other activities that we can do in class or maybe it just a suggestion for the future class activities such as :
i) an exercise about translation from Malay sentences to English

ii) make / continue a sentences from the keywords
e.g : Pn Siti – business woman – batik shop – Hotel Tiara – sell batik cloth, dress………also local handicraft

iii) Story-Building Activity
-A student shall start a story / incident with a sentence. The next student will have to add something more and make it interesting and so on. The last student shall end the story.
e.g : I heard a knock on the front door……….

iv) Whispering Game
e.g : Divide the class into two or three teams. The tutor whispers a massage to the first person of both Group A and Group B. The game only starts when both players know the massage. The team which can repeat the massage to the next player in his / her group successively until the last player gets the massage. The team which can repeat the massage first and correctly receives a point.

Finally, thank you to Madam Sharifah because taught me English and always gave some advices to us and also to all my friend for your cooperation. I would remember all our memories in our Foundation English class as long as I still life. Remember me always and may Allah bless you…!(“,)