Online
learning has pushed us, the lecturers, to change the way we think and the way
teach the students in the class. To some extent, it limits our social
interaction to students. Yet, it also forces us to create creative activities
for students.
Indeed,
both students and lecturers, we are all missing a face-to-face meeting in the
class. Some of us may get bored day by day just sitting in front of the screen,
and others may experience stress and sickness. It is such a big challenge in
our education.
Therefore,
doing project-based learning is expectedly effective during the process of
online study. Particularly in developing students’ skills in writing, this
method may encourage their creativity and productivity in the pandemic. So, we
asked and guided students to produce a magazine as an output of the Essay
Writing class.
Writing
is definitely not a simple and easy activity for most Indonesians who are used
to oral rather than writing tradition — many of us prefer to speak rather than
write. Moreover, when it comes to English writing for the second-semester
students whose English skills are still basic. Yet, as a wise man said, if
there is a will, there is a way, and they have made it until this magazine is
finally published.
The
process of writing is like the process of crafting from word to sentence and
finally to an article. The members of this class (AG 1) learned from the
essential structure like phrases and clauses. They started expressing their
ideas into a sentence, a paragraph and finally became an article. An article is
not the end, but they did self-editing before being revised and edited by the
team.
Indeed,
not all students enthusiastically edited their work and sent back a much better
and good-to-read work. Yet, if they made it, their articles would be chosen to
be published in this magazine which becomes class’s final project of the — of
course, their last works have been through the table of the editors.
Here
we are, our very first and fresh edition VESCHA
Magazine created by the students of Essay Writing Class 2 AG 1 2021. This is a
Youth and Education English magazine, which hopefully becomes a medium for youth
to exercise their skills in writing, a medium to craft and publish their works.
In
this edition, we present you students’ essays which cover five topics on
education, one issue on language, and one other talks about happiness. The
students also shared their reasons to choose English and Literature program
study as well as their dreams. Additionally, this magazine includes flash
fiction, poem, book review, travel writing, tips and trick, and indeed
crossword to exercise your brain.
Thanks
to all contributors and AG 1 batch 2021 for their effort and collaboration. They
are superb.
Read the magazine HERE
By, Ahmad, M.Litt.