the day is here. the time is now.
i know how examinations are seen as a chore, a bore and a sore. i myself disliked taking exams when i was in college. i mean, who wants to memorize all those principles, those formulas and those stories? wouldn't it be better if we spent our time playing our DotA's, fantasy basketball leagues, ragnarok's and final fantasies? don't even get me started on the delight of our ds's and whee(!) of our wiii's.
for some, the most meaningful and painful question they hurl to the cloudy heavens (apart from "why are they airing those political commercials?") are "why are there exams? why? why? why?"
since we have been holding exams for over a millenia (did you really think you were the first students to complain about tests?), heaven has answered with finality. to our ceaseless "why?!!!", heaven responds with an enigmatic "why not?"
while it may seem that heaven is being deaf to our cries and supplication, the heavens are actually being sensible. exams are part of the rules of the game called "school life." you can't participate in a game and then all of a sudden question its rules. imagine a basketball player suddenly hugging the ball in the middle of the court and demand that "hugging the ball" merited 5 points in his opinion... or a DotA player suddenly saying, "you know what, instead of attacking the enemy's frozen throne/world tree, i just wanna bash my other teammates"... or a fashion designer suddenly saying, "i wanna be unconventional and unique. for my next runway show, there will be no models! clothes will be paraded using moving hangers on a wire!"... to complete the picture, let's imagine a theater director who is supposed to mount a musical suddenly say, "I'm the director and I say for this musical, actors should be silent and mime their lines! This should snag me a Tony!"
for our class, we had just finished the final stretch of the oral exams last tuesday. i must say, i am very impressed with students who really made their own outline and gave a relatively concise presentation of the discussion so far. i was equally impressed with the answers i received for the follow-up questions i sent your way. lastly, i was edified by how people handled their nerves by just speaking in front of an instructor and several members of the class.
which brings me to our points of discussion for this blog entry.
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
reactions, comments and what-have-you are most welcome. post. reply. share.
remember: you're not the only one making the journey towards understanding.
all of us are.
19 comments:
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
i was kind of nervous while preparing for the orals because i'm not really into public speaking. but i prepared a good outline and practiced, hence, i felt more confident.
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
the lessons we had in class made more sense after preparing my outline for my presentation. i understood better the flow of discussion in our class after reading your outline and preparing my own outline.
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
well, i have an intense fear of public speaking so i was kind of hesitant to present my outline infront of everyone. but i don't want to fail so i guess that gave me the drive to present a good outline. haha =)
anyway, i reckon it is essential to be 100% prepared & to practice a trillion times before delivering a speech or presenting something infront of a lot of people. it also won't hurt to be more confident about yourself and your craft while delivering a speech. =)
by the way sir, would there be another oral exam before the final exam?
i realize that when you have an oral recitation you have no choice but to recite in front of your classmates, if not you wont have a grade. So for me, since the day i had my oralcom class I'm really shy talking in front, but after that i always said to myself that i can do it, i just want it to be done at once so you wont carry your fear all the time right?
And I've learned that when your having your oral recitation it's easy when your ready and study about it, so you have more confident facing your professor when it comes to question and answer portion.
By having the oral recitation, the lesson makes more clear to me. so it helps a lot.
personnally i feel that exams are important. i don't like having a lot of exams though. just enough to keep things a bit challenging but not too much to the extent of needing strestabs. but oral exams are different. its like, there's no luxury to have our own space and time for contemplation (or for weird facial expressions). during my oral exam, i realized that the outline i made was too long and so i had to talk really fast while my thoughts were in slow motion. i kept on glancing on my notes because i no longer understand what i was rattling about.=( hopefully, i made sense.
i like writing (actually, i prefer typing) outlines. I enjoy connecting ideas and concepts. i just don't like saying it out loud and making speeches. i make outlines for all kinds of stuff... ranging from my "why i'm mad at you" speech to "reasons why i should study at CSB" and "things to do before i die"... i enjoy it so much sometimes i get carried away getting into so much details just like what i did with my last week's orals. hehe. but the thing is, outlines are just outlines, one cannot fully express everything in an outline... nevertheless, it made me understand the lessons more and made it more meaningful especially when put in a context wherein i could really relate to.
another thing about outlines is that, it overcomes feelings of overwhelmingness. i make my outlines whenever i feel stressed out even by just thinking about all the stuff that i should do in a day. however, i almost always could not follow my ouline. but who knows? someday, i might.
1.) realized that the time is near and i'm gonna be dead and i haven't been starting a single one on my outline on what im going to say. my reaction is oh my god! then i became nervous about it. i really hate speaking in front. and i have to practice it all the time and anywhere iam inside the house or even outside.
2.)the lessons always been clear to me but when i make the outline for myself it made even more sense to me.
3.) lessons i've learned is that take your time in doing your things or preparing for your day to day life you can't miss a single thing because you might regret it at the end.for what had i experienced i gain confidence and i can say that i did my best to surpass the oral exams and written. i just have faith in god that he will guide me and that he won't let me down
=)
Kathrina Cardenas
i guess all of us just have the same feelings when it come reciting in front good thing is that not the whole class was there just a few to cover up the nervousness we feel..
=) have a great weekend.
one more midterm exam to go this afternoon...but for that i can now breath a sigh of relief...*SIGH!*("j)
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
i realized that the most important thing when preparing for the orals, or for any exam for that matter, is that reading and understanding the lessons taught are much more helpful than just memorizing them word-for-word. it made me see how these lessons can be applied to my own life. it also made me share my experiences or stories that are both relevant to me and to the lessons we learned in class. whenever i have an oral or written exam i just tell myself, "you can do this, gather your thoughts, do your best!" yeah, getting high grades is good of course & you feel like your hard work and "puyatan nights" have paid off but when you go to heaven will God ask you, "anak, mataas ba lahat ng grades mo? dean's list ka ba?...kung hindi, layas!" hehe! just wanted to share("j)
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
being my obssessive-compulsive self, making and having an outline was a must for me...or else my neat and organized genes would go haywire! haha...but seriously, having an outline gave me a clearer flow of thought while having the oral exam...not too many "ummm's" and pauses that threw me off, whew!
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
i would like to share that before, when i was in gradeschool, i was the epitome of shyness...i did not even have the guts to go up to the counter of mcdo, or any fastfood, and order for myself. but when i finally did it, it was a major accomplishment i tell you, hehe! after that i was able to tell myself, "hey, i can do this, i can speak to people or to stangers without dying of fear!" so through the years i've gotten more comfortable with myself to talk to people, express myself, go to several interviews (working part-time kasi) and even speak in front of an audience. i realized how can my thoughts and ideas be heard if i don't speak out...there are times though my boyfriend tells me i talk too much, hehe!
so basically that's what i have to share, hope i didn't bore you...'til the next blog! take care & God bless you all!
last week i was so relaxed because i can sleep more.. i dont actually stressed myself for the orals because i always listen but last tuesday suprisingly i was stressed out and nervous about the exam.. i only wrote the outline before i recite becuase i know when i got nervous i tend to forget all the things in my mind. regarding on the lesson listenning is not as good as understanding and relating...the more you read it the more you understand why you're here and where is the level of your faith. im aware that my faith is not that concrete because i need to understand more about god and our purpose, when sir ask me the connection of god with my course at first i couldnt anser it because i was surprised with the follow up question. then i think of the coonection i said in the oral exam is that being intgrated is knowing your meaning in life and this course is destined for me. up to know i alwas think about it.
" serching for meaning is not easy it is endless. up to know i dont know what is the meaning of my life, where will i end up and what is the purpose."
i get confused with god and our destiny, if our life is already written. and what is the use of free will if our destiny is already written?
regarding to what i feel during the orals, i alsmost fainted because im not use to it. i guest my stage fright is getting worst and i know it shouldnt be i tried to relax and be focuse but some of the answers, insight about the lesson is rushing trough my mind and i cant express it.
i wrote a blog entry and i want to share it with you guys, please do write a cooment on it. :)
-----------------------------------
"WHAT IS YOUR DESTINY?"
We are destined to be born and live life and see the beauty of the world. We are destined to love and destined to find the one that will love us and stay with us for the rest of our lives.. But for what? We are also destined to die..
Our Lives are full of tricks; it is a road full of detours. There is road that may lead you to the right way and a road may lead you to another. How will you know that you’re heading to the path that he has set for you? These are the tricks of life, you’ll never know until you reach the end of the road. You may think that you have taken few wrong turns but it will only lead you to your destiny. How can we have free will if our lives are already set for us? Why do we have to live, yet we are bound to die? And if you really think about it, we are like puppets, we are like dolls and somebody controls our every move .. Is there really life after death? Even in love we are not free…
They say that there is only one person that you’re destined to be with, to spend the rest of your life with, a person that you can grow old with. How sweet and how beautiful it may sound there are people that are bound to live life alone. Sometimes you may think you found the right person but how can you tell that his the one? What if you already found that person but you just cannot be with him? The feeling is right and it turned out to be another detour, that you cannot spend the rest of your life with him because you’re heading to two different directions. How can you find your true love and how can you happiness in your life?
If all our lives are set what does living life means?
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
i feel the oral exam, when my think about the answer i directly said, but not very careful about my speaking, but when i writing i will think very careful then writing, when i prepare my outline i feel gentle not very nervous.
did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
lesson let me more clear, because teacher let me understand faith is hpw to change to action
3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
when i finish study the primary and secondreflection, i very clear my aim and action, and second reflection is give me more holitic. primary and second reflection and god basic fundatmental is god loves us lesson can let me share with other people, because this two part is useful for everyone and can let us more understand each other, first understanding then share loves, thats important for everybody life and personality, so i would like to share everyone
i am not feel i express my self enough, because my english is not very good, most of time i am shy to discus our lesson and sometime i couldn't underatand what is bible talk about, specially is story of bible, our lesson contact with god or jesus, i am sori about this, becoz i read the bible is when i come here, anyway i still admire the god and the bible, hehe that is why i will try my best to so cathwork this subject hehe and god bless us hehe YAYOU
well i realized that the outline was just about the summary of our lessons and making your own outline was much more easier than memorizing the given paper. at first i was nervous bcoz i didn't know exactly what to do.but then later on as i started comparing my notes to the given paper it gave me an idea to just use the given paper as a guide then make my own outline.and then as i was making my outline i suddenly saw the flow of the lesson and it became more clear to me.i have learned self confidence since i dont really talk that much infront of many people. it felt good that i was able to express what i understood in our lessons.-joana "jowie" fugoso
I'm more comfortable when taking written exams rather than taking the orals. I dont want to take Oral Exams but I dont have any choice but to take. first when I walk infront my hand is shaking coz taking infront of the other people is one of my weakness.
that's one good technic so i can recall the lessons we had in class. While making the outline and presentation you simply refresh your mind about the topic we had discuss in class.
After the oral i feel so free..ahah
i think i express my self enough even though my heartbeat increase 2x more faster than the normal.
- Filmar Aquino.. (",)
Oral recitation is always something intimidating. I find it so hard to collect all my thoughts when i am the one who's talking infront. Even if you have this outline with you,when you are thre, infront, you will sometimes eat up all your words.
Back in my freshmen year, i was running for student council for the position of finance officer. Ya, i know, it doesn't lyk look that i'm into these stuffs but trust me, it's a looong story! o well, of course you have these campagns wer you hav to go visit evry classrum in csb. So, this kinda lyk a good training for public speaking. And it really boost up my ego so well. But then, issues happend whch i dnt wna rily talk about..
But as tym passd by wer i hav to take up my major courses for fashion design,i lost this "momentum" for those knd of stuffs. But still, you can never take away from me with what i learned in that training where you build up self confidence as a public speaker.
Was still at shocked when i took up my orals because it was a very long tym wen i took up my minor courses again, so i am knida lyk adjusting still with these stuffs.
Soleil Angeles
(1) I realized that you have to prepare or do things before hand. just like what i'm doing right now is wrong because i don't know if this comment would still count for the mtg, but its worth a shot rather than not doing anything right. I crammed during the orals and it proved me that its hard to gather your thoughts when your not prepared and scared of what people in front of you might think. And so I really prepared for the written exams so that maybe i could pull up my grade.
(2)It did make sense because you get the connection of one thing to another. Its just hard to explain though when you're not good in speaking in front of other people. For me, its more comfortable to write thoughts.
(3)always be prepared in whatever because you become more confident when you're prepared because you know that you have it under control and that you have less chances in making mistakes. i think this applies not only to exams but also in real life.=)
i realize that having the preparations, doing the outline for the orals helps me to further understand the lessons. but i don't like public speaking.
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
>> i made the outline a few hours before the orals... and it really made me nervous because i was really not that prepared and i wasnt sure if i made the outline correctly, and to think that i was the 1st to present my knees were literally shaking. aside from that i dont usually speak in front of the class. i am better when everything's written and just submit the paper.
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
>> even though i was cramming, making my own outline made more sense. its more understandable especially when you listened well to the lectures.
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
>> standing in front of the class and speak is not the reason why people are ( or i am) nervous. it's the thought that if i'd be able to please the listener or if i did the preparation right. i only gained my confidence right after the professor gave the comment, i was so happy knowing that i did well even though i felt that i was not prepared enough. i was not able to express myself well because i was really nervous and i tend to limit the words especially when im not that sure if the words in my head would be better to say it or just keep it in.
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
>> i made the outline a few hours before the orals... and it really made me nervous because i was really not that prepared and i wasnt sure if i made the outline correctly, and to think that i was the 1st to present my knees were literally shaking. aside from that i dont usually speak in front of the class. i am better when everything's written and just submit the paper.
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
>> even though i was cramming, making my own outline made more sense. its more understandable especially when you listened well to the lectures.
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
>> standing in front of the class and speak is not the reason why people are ( or i am) nervous. it's the thought that if i'd be able to please the listener or if i did the preparation right. i only gained my confidence right after the professor gave the comment, i was so happy knowing that i did well even though i felt that i was not prepared enough. i was not able to express myself well because i was really nervous and i tend to limit the words especially when im not that sure if the words in my head would be better to say it or just keep it in.
>>>>> ANGELO VICTORIO <<<<<<
(1) what have you realized while preparing for the orals and the written exams? what were the feelings, emotions and reactions you had when you had to prepare your own outline?
I have realized that everything has to be understood not just memorized.Well, its really hard to prepare for an orals.You really have to know every detail of the lesson so that you won't miss a thing/point.and of course the fear of having to talk in front of every one might make my mind blocked out.
(2) did the lessons make more sense as you were making the outline and preparing your presentation? or did things become muddier and more confusing?
Yes it made more sense. because i get to understand the lesson more.
I understood the flow of our discussion when I repeatedly read the my notes.
(3) what are some lessons, principles, insights that you can share after going through and surviving the oral exams? were there confidence/self-esteem issues? do you feel you were able to express yourself enough?
Unfortunately I wasn't able to have my oral exams for some reason and I really feel bad about it coz' it made a big impact to my grade.
>>>>>Paola Ortañez
i realized that one should be really interested into what he/she is listening to or studying about.
-dk
hey sir. just when i'm cramming for a paper in reconse (and cutting your class to do so T_T) do i decide to visit this journal a second time around and comment to somehow give my mind a few minutes break.
the lessons were clear to me so i didn't have a hard time studying. however preparing for the orals made me nervous and i kept babbling and trailing off. my outline was loooong and i didn't finish all the thesis statements but i'm still glad because i knew that it was proof that i definitely understood the lessons.
sir keep up your teaching method. i think it's easier for the students to understand you with your visual aid rather than powerpoints full of texts and such. XD
also, i'm so SO sorry i'm cutting your class. my only regret for transferring to csb is that when you have groupworks, they're not really for the group.they're YOUR works and everyone else just freeloads on your ability to support pull up their grades T_T it sucks because it causes me to cut the classes i actually enjoy (and have complete attendance in at that)
asdjfhajdfh;aj;asjdfa; [rantrant]
okay that's it.
p.s. this will be signed as anonymous because it's a useless comment that should be erased :p
[/end rant]
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