Journal #4

[Logan Motyka]

Currently, Isaac and I are finishing reading a few chapters from a children's book “The Tiger & the Persimmon.” We also have been watching more Korean media, in order to progress my reading and comprehension skills. This has been a great success and one of my favorite parts of this whole learning journey. We have really gone above and beyond to accomplish my goals for this semester, we have made great progress with learning Hangul and also my pronunciation. Isaac and I have been working very well with each other, he has been really taking his time with me during points where I get stuck whether its with pronunciation or with my comprehension. We also made it a goal for me to use my Korean in everyday situations, which we have been really focusing on. We also have spent a lot of time making cultural dishes this semester, in addition to that he also explains the history of the dishes and why they are important to Korean culture. Some strategies we have incorporated recently are using more Korean that I have learned, using basic greetings along with short phrases. We also have been reading a lot more then we did earlier in the semester. This has enhanced my communication skills and comprehension greatly. I feel as if the new strategies we have implemented have skyrocketed my learning, by using Korean and real situations, I have been practicing and gaining the confidence that I need in order to pronounce phrases correctly. The reading has also helped me, by using short stories I am able to gain more vocabulary but also add to my comprehension and reading ability as I mentioned before. At the beginning of my journey, there was a bit of frustration when I was not able to pronounce words correctly, but as time went on, I got better and better at my pronunciation which was a key element of my learning plan. I feel like moving forward my time with my next instructor will be focused on these strategies that I know work for me, but in addition also adding more writing exercises because we did lack on that end this semester. I am very happy with the progress I've made this semester although it has not been a linear route Isaac has helped me get to a point where I am comfortable and happy with my Korean ability. I hope to continue my learning at the same pace but I am prepared for any roadblocks that come along the way. 

[Henry Mitchell]

It is great to see that you are so motivated to learn and that you are using many different resources and strategies to accomplish your goals. I might have to incorporate some of these into my own learning. The cooking sounds especially fun. 

[James Jang]

Korean media is a great way to progress in Korean, and I can tell as well from your presentation during class. I think all of the strategies you have used this semester were very effective and were able to drastically improve your Korean and understanding of the culture.