UNIVERSITY OF TOLIMA

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
ENGLISH AND SPANISH DEPARTMENT
B.A. IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES WITH EMPHASIS IN ENGLISH

JOURNAL FOR INDEPENDENT WORK

Name: David Esteban Jimenez Cudris Date: 10/07/2022 Period covered: Report until July 10

What I have done (Describe activities and write down the titles of any materials you have used)

- I have completed sections 11 and 32 of the English vocabulary in use book

- I have watched a YouTube lesson about overused English words. (Vocabulary that native speakers
use in English | Overused English words and phrases)
- I watched videos about IELTS academic writing.
- I did an IELTS mock on listening
- I did an IELTS mock on writing
- I watched a video about learning English with TV series.

What I have learned (Summarize what you think you have learned during your independent work)

- Sections 11 and 32 of the English vocabulary in use book:

Section 11 was about vocabulary related to houses, in that sense I learned:

1. The difference between a basement and a cellar, a basement refers to a room below the ground
level, with windows, that is used for living or working, whereas a cellar refers to a room below the
ground level with no windows, used for storing things.

2. A terraced house is a house that is connected to several houses.

3. A bungalow is a one-story house with no stairs

- YouTube lesson about overused English words: I learned different synonyms of high-frequency
words in English; specially, alternatives to the word very, e.g.
 - Videos about IELTS academic writing:

I learned useful tips in order to organize task one of the writing examination. Now I know I should start with:

1. The introduction: A restatement of the task’s description, we can use here paraphrasing but it
should be carefully managed to not fall into a straightforward copy-paste.
2. The overview: Here we can talk about overall comparisons in relation to the charts
3. Key features: In this section, we demonstrate to our examiners the percentages, numbers, or
statistical information that can be summarized from the charts.

- IELTS mocks on listening and writing:

In general, I just practice with these mocks, below you will find attached pictures of the process and the
results.
 - Learning English with tv series

I learned expressions such as:

- Bear with me, that is a polite way of asking someone to be patient
- Catch up, it means to reach a point where one should be after a delay

Reflections (Comments on how useful, enjoyable, or problematic your activities were

So far, I have focused a lot on IELTS mocks, so I can say I am struggling with speaking and listening;
nonetheless, when it comes to writing I think I have advanced a lot especially when it comes to structuring
and organizing my texts. Now I have a clear understanding of to connect my ideas together. On the other
hand, I hope the fact that I am an overthinker does not affect my process.

Future plans (Write down the activities you are planning to do in order to continue with your language
development.

- I want to listen to a podcast on how to manage stress and anxiety.

- I want to continue reading a book.
- I want to venture into creative writing.
- I want to read a book called “The subtle art of not giving a fuck”

Adapted from: Teaching and Researching Autonomy. Benson, 2001