Growing Up With Literature

Well, we have almost come to the end of this course “Readings And Project Work For Teaching Literature in ESL Contexts” (EDU 3234). In this course, we are required to do a position paper and a research paper. Also, we have to write a journal to reflect on what we have learnt in the process of our writing. This journal can be a traditional or an electronic one.

All of my coursemates choose to write an electronic journal or blog. This is because we have been exposed to this technique when we did our course in “Teaching The Language of Drama” by the same lecturer. Also, writing journal on a diary may be tedious, we use a lot of paper and it needs a space to keep.

For the first time when I did my blogging, I feel that it is a new experience and enjoy doing it. I remember I chose “Prying Into The Heart of Drama” as my topic for blogging. I thought that this journal is my own diary and it is personal, I can write anything as I like as my heart feels. So I complained a lot of the assignment load and others without realising this is a public space that my journal will be read by many.

This time, I know how to write a blog properly. It must be related with our experience in learning during the course. My topic this time is “Growing Up With Literature”, I think I have progressed from an ignorant person who knows nothing of literature to a person who is knowledgable. Though there are still many things that I have yet to learn, I can proudly say that I know more than others.

Knowledge is useless if we do not share it with others and apply its principles in life. Therefore, when I go back to school, I would like to share my knowledge with the teachers and students. I would also encourage them in blogging too.

In this blogging, it helps me to reflect on my works of position paper and research paper. I find that blogging is a useful tool to help us become a person who is creative and critical in thinking. I think if I go back to my teaching career to school next time, I will encourage my students to do blogging too.

Unfortunately, many people have misused it for unwanted purposes without aware that it is an electronic journal that is exposed to the public. Thus, there is a need of etiquette for both teachers and students. Here I would like to share my ten etiquette of blogging. I think my ten etiquette for teachers does not only apply to blogging, it can be useful for classroom use. As in my ten etiquette for students, I would prefer to change it to the ten commandments. This is because in a commandment, students must follow strictly to the rules and obey them. If they break the rules, they will be punished.

Ten etiquette for teachers in Blogging:
1. Be constructive and not destructive.
2. Be mindful and not minding.
3. Be motivating and not demotivating.
4. Be commenting and not condemning.
5. Be critical and not criticise.
6. Be showing and not showful.
7. Be open-minded and not close-minded.
8. Be acceptable and not expectable.
9. Be accessing and not assessing.
10. Be restrictive and not restrained.

The Ten Commandments for Students in Blogging:
1. Thou shalt not have strange or vulgar words.
2. Thou shalt not take it for granted for expressing your anger.
3. Remember thou keep it educational-oriented.
4. Honour thy teachers and thy friends.
5. Thou shalt not indulge in name-calling.
6. Thou shalt not dwell on immoral thoughts.
7. Thou shalt not plagiarise.
8. Thou shalt not slander.
9. Thou shalt not discuss sensitive or taboo issues.
10. Thou shalt not reveal thy friend's secret.

Today, Suzy, Zurina and I go to the campus to meet Puan Juridah to discuss our first draft for research paper. She comments that I have to write more on feminism and relate educational implication to our National Educational Philosphy with literature. She wants to see our second drafts next Monday. So we have to work hard in these three days for research paper.

I think that writing research paper not only sharpen my writing skills, it also enhance my thinking and my ability in the interpretation of literary texts. I feel that my love for literature is growing and I hope that I will continue to foster it in the future.