Monitoring

My initial goal is still on the horizon. I am not as close as I would like to be at reaching it, but I am much further along than I thought I would be just two weeks ago.

Where am I now in relation to my goals?

I am able to recognize all symbols and produce their sound.

I am able to read words written in phonetic script without hesitation.

I am able to produce many symbols in class without looking at the chart to help students with their pronunciation.

I am not able to remember all the symbols and write words said to me.

I am still making mistakes in my phonetic spelling.

Am I doing ok?

Because I haven't completely met my goals yet, I keep thinking about what I need to do. Am I using my strategies as planned? Am I slipping back into my old habits? Am I staying focused? Are the strategies working (am I meeting my learning goals) or do I need to adjust them and find new ways of achieving the desired outcome?

I believe there are three components that have attributed to my success so far. My own self-studying, the opportunity to put what I've learned into practice in the classroom, and the study sessions with my phonetics coach on Sundays.

The study sessions are probably what have helped me the most throughout this learning journey. Being accountable has helped me stay motivated, and the feedback I've received has been invaluable.

Feedback is critical.

My friend has a Masters degree in linguistics and teaches English to non-native speakers at a local university. He has been very encouraging and supportive throughout this process. Though he insists that I have taken on a daunting affair with trying to learn the phonetic chart in such a short time, he is nonetheless committed to helping me achieve my goal and is plentiful with advice and feedback. He has offered lots of tips to help me remember the sounds of symbols using word association (example: the sound /uː/ as in "boot" looks like a horseshoe.). He also provides honest feedback about my study skills (don't memorize, but associate), the areas I am doing well in (consonants!) and areas I need to spend more time on. Though I am aware of these things, it is helpful to have someone mirror the liability of my own successes and missteps.

Sometimes it feels like this:

Though I'm progressing and meeting many of my targets, I am afraid I may not reach my goal by the deadline. I wish I had given myself more time or kept the expectations lower. I am also aware that because I am now working two jobs, I don't have the time I had set out for myself at the beginning of this plan. My life balance/priorities/responsibilities have shifted and so has the belief about the achieveability of my goal before the deadline.

These are the things I have considered: