Learner Diary Page

This is a copy of a page from a CILL Learner Diary. You can print out this page using the File menu above, and bring it to CILL later.

Click the titles of each section for more information about what to write in each section.

Date

Write today's date in here. You can fill in more than one page in a day, and you only need to fill in the 'Date', Aim(s), and Materials on the first of today's pages, unless you change to a different aim or material.

Aim(s)

Write an aim that you can complete in one study session. Don't write, "Aim: to improve my English". It is too general. Choose a specific aim, for example, "to practice my listening by predicting the content of some TV news stories."

Your Aim(s) are part of your planning. If you have a long-term plan, you can use one of the aims from your plan here.

Materials

Write down the name of the materials you are going to use here. They can be an Internet site, a book, a tape or a video. Please also write down the page number if you use a book.

Notes

You can write anything you like here. Here are some examples:

• write down everything new that you learn
• write the answers to exercises here before checking the answers
• practise your writing here (you can e-mail it to a tutor if you like at eccill@inet.polyu.edu.hk)
• write a question to the tutors (or e-mail questions to eccill@inet.polyu.edu.hk)
• write down the method you are using to study (your studying strategy), so that you can improve your studying technique by trying new methods based on the success or failure of the methods you have used before.
• you can test yourself, and write down the answers here

It is important to write something, so that you can revise later.

Learner's Comment

You can use this section to:

• comment on materials: are they useful, missing, the wrong level, interesting, etc.
• request CILL to buy new materials
• ask questions to the tutors
• write an evaluation of what you studied. Did you complete your aim? Do you want to modify your long-term plan? Would you like to know more about this subject, and need to modify your plan to include more information?

Tutor's Comment

This is where the CILL tutors will write a comment if you give the page to them. Comments are not a grade or an assessment, they are advice to help you learn English, and answers to any questions you write.

Long-term Plan

You can make a long term plan for studying English. It can be based on:

• the English you need to help you study at University (academic English)
• the English you will need later in your career (career English)

Click here for more information on planning.

Click here for more information on what type of learner you are.

Click here for more information on ways of studying.

Click here for more information on ways to test yourself.

Click here for more information on the English Language Centre courses for academic English and career English, and CILL materials that will help you with those courses.