This was the last week of our Persian lessons as we decided to use the next week to complete my presentations for the class. During this week, we revisited our learning plan and discussed where we started in regards to our language lessons. I remembered how during the first week, the main task that I worked on was my reading and comprehension. Zari had tested my reading level through reading news articles and posts out loud both in Dari and Farsi. We covered all the lessons that we had this far and discussed my improvements and progress over the semester.
What I hoped to accomplish this week was to gain a better understanding of how my language partner saw my progress over the summer and what lessons I can take to move forward with practising my language. Zari and I went over our goals for this semester and discussed specific lessons in relation to those goals. Our first goal was to write discussion posts analyzing and reflecting on the readings. I realized that this was an ongoing part of our lesson in which every week I had an assignment that required me to write a short reflection in Persian. The second goal was to get accustomed to type in Persian using the keyboard and the computer. As of today, I stand at a great place with this goal as I am able to type at a faster pace and recall the keyboard letters in Persian from memory. The third goal was to become comfortable when reading text that is written in the Iranian Persian dialect. This was an easier goal to accomplish as with more practice in reading both dialects, it was easily solved. The fourth goal was to converse and deliver presentations in Persian in a formal manner. While we have not had any formal presentations, I am doing my short presentations in half Persian and half English. Our last goal was to expand our knowledge on the history of Dari and Farsi by exploring and engaging in cultural activities such as listening to Persian songs, watching videos and reading poetry. This goal too was accomplished as I have researched and wrote about different aspects of the culture and used similar tools for our lessons.
Then we covered the strategies that we used during this past semester. Those strategies were reading articles, writing discussion posts, typing reflections posts, listening to music and watching videos. We used articles both published by foreign news agencies such as BBC Persia but also Tolo News and Iranian news stations. The videos and interviews that we watched were on Youtube, Instagram and Facebook. After our discussion, I found out that reading in both the Persian and Dari dialects have become easier for me. I feel confident when reading in these two dialects from where I started in the beginning. I also feel happier about diving into my own culture and paying attention to our dance movements and how they are a reflection of the words in the lyrics. I am most proud of my ability to type in Persian now. I was a bit concerned at the beginning when I made this a goal but I am glad that it all worked out in a timely manner.
Overall, I am grateful to Zari and the Global Studios for this semester. It was fun and full of a learning semester. I find myself at a better place in regards to my language skills in Persian and will continue to read and type in Persian. Hopefully, I can develop a typing game in the future that would help others improve their typing in Persian.
Comments