A regular habit
My regular habits are reading the news and checking messages in the morning. After I get up, the first thing I do is to read the news from news outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian and The New York Times. Since I don’t usually watch news on television, news applications are the thing that keep me informed about current affairs. As I want to keep up to date, I always turn on the notifications of news applications to receive breaking news. Then, I check new messages and email inbox on the phone. I often respond to messages first because it takes a short time to answer all of them and I will start writing response emails after breakfast.
Moreover, I also like to listen to podcasts while having meals. The application that I use to find interesting podcasts is Spotify as there are various contents to choose from. During breakfast and lunch, I prefer to listen to new podcasts such as Global News Podcast, The Intelligence and The Daily. However, I usually listen to more relaxed podcasts while having dinner as I want to calm myself down after a long day. For example, I usually listen to podcasts on book reviews twice a week. With the help of these shows, I am able to discover new books to enjoy.
Getting my news
As a citizen within society, I believe that it is my responsibility to be informed about what is going on around me. Following news gives me the knowledge to understand current affairs which may have impacts on my life. The more information I get from the news, the more good decisions I can make. However, choosing news sources is also an important part of following news. I understand that people should not rely on one news source as it can be biased on any topic, especially politics. As a result, I prefer to follow the news from different trustworthy and credible news outlets.
For national and International news, I often choose The Standard, the BBC and The New York Times. These journalism brands are well-known for their wide coverage of every news topic. Adapting to new technology, they also launched news apps which make information become more accessible for everyone around the world. Not only do I follow their news report on my device, I also listen to the podcasts from these news outlets such as The Global News podcast by the BBC.
On the other hand, I like to follow economic news from The Economist and Forbes. These two magazines feature original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Although some vocabulary used in the articles are difficult to understand, the contents are reliable and well-researched. I also learn new words while reading some of their articles, especially economic terms.
Zemach's most useful strategy
According to Dorothy E. Zemach, there are five strategies for learning English. All of them are important learning approaches that will help us improve our English skills. However, From my experience, I think that asking questions and interacting with others are the most useful strategies.
By asking questions, my critical thinking skill is developed. The process of asking questions allows me to articulate my understanding of the lessons. Sometimes, I find myself stuck in my knowledge gap which prevents me from making connections with other new ideas, especially when I learn about more difficult topics. So, I decide to ask questions in order to fill those gaps and resolve my confusion. Moreover, learning from other people’s questions helps me discover new perspectives on things. There are many times that I overlook some important points in a lesson and only conclude in my own opinion. However, because of classmates’ questions, I realise that there are many possible ideas that can happen and some of them can be better than mine.
Furthermore, interacting with classmates also helps me improve my English skills. Learning in a group allows everyone to help each other as a team by sharing their ideas or teaching. For example, when I study with my friends in class, I usually help them with reading problems and they often help me proofread my essay. We also discuss homework to get new ideas. As a result, we are able to improve our weaknesses and also get advice from each other.
For all of these reasons, I believe that although there are many ways to improve our skills in English, having confidence in asking questions and participating with other people in class is the most practical way to learn and develop our ability rapidly.
Hi Pream, your regular habit of checking news in the morning is interesting. I wish I could have a peaceful time in the morning to do so. Morning is my most favorite time of day, so if I don't go to work, I can have a relax time to cook breakfast after I get up. It usually takes me about 1 hr and a half to cook, so I usually have breakfast with my family around 8:00 a.m. While having breakfast, I am listening to Dharma teaching aired on FM 107 and that allows me to have time to reflect myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Emma has commented on Pream's morning habits. It gives me an excuse to reply. When I was reading Pream's post, I was struck by the similarity to my own morning routine, which I've described briefly in my response on my own introductory blog post in the section "Getting my news." I also read the BBC and The New York Times every morning.
DeleteBut I like Emma's more relaxed morning spending time cooking, eating with family and then taking time to slow down and reflect. My morning meal is often a yoghurt after my large coffee.