Jeff Westfall
English Resources
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Tips & Advice
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click on the link to download Microsoft Word version of TIPS or ADVICE! or click on the link for Faculty Tips TIPS~ Send me your TIPS for success at Skyline College. NEW! Skyline students explain which tips work best for them. STUDENT TIPS: from KL: Here are six good tips for success. 1) You can be a part time student, but you shouldn't come to class part time. Before I start discussing my tips for students, I'd like to say something about myself. My name is KL. I am Asian. I am from Burma (Myanmar). This is my fifth semester in Skyline College. I am very proud to be a college student. My current G.P.A. is 3.59, and I have decided not to let it get lower than 3.0. Here are my tips. (1) You
could be a part time student, but you couldn't come to class
for a part time. (2) Come
to class consistently.
(3) Do
the homework consistently.
(4)
Always give a hand those who need help. (5) Try
to be the best student in the class.
STUDENT TIP
from LV: STUDENT TIP from DA: Never let your ideas pass on by. Put them down on paper and be prepared to put them together. When I am away from writing an essay, for example, I am constantly thinking of ideas to write about in my essay, no matter what I am doing. I even think of ideas when trying to go to sleep; that's the only time I don't bother writing down my ideas. All other times, you'll find my writing ideas written down on small pieces of paper that I find in my pocket or my wallet. I find that writing down my ideas is a very helpful way to put a paper together, especially if you are likely to forget what you had been thinking about when you sit down to write. Write your ideas down. - D.A. (JW advises: Be sure to keep your notes organized; entries in a pocket spiral binder are probably easier to find and review later.) STUDENT TIP from GB: In my life as a student, there is not one particular thing that has helped more than any other. I couldn't use one word or idea to explain what's worked for me in school over the years. Instead, I could say that there is a group of things which have facilitated my learning. I always read in anticipation of the class, and I always do my homework. This way, my "concentration" during class will be close to 100%. The reading and the homework get me familiar with the topic and the terms of the day's class. Knowing the topic of the class ahead of time keeps me awake in class because every time I hear something I am familiar with it and my brain cells start firing. Knowing what's going on gets me immediately involved in the class meeting. By reading in anticipation of every class, I can keep some interest in what's going on - even when the class is not my favorite subject - thanks to my previous assimilation of the class ideas and topics. - GB STUDENT TIP
from WW: Always take notes. STUDENT TIP from ML: When you register in a course, be sure to finish the whole semester. From my personal experience, I have noticed that a lot of students will drop a course for various reasons. Some students have told me that they were dropping a course because it was very hard to work and to study and because the course was taking too much time. I know that whenever a student drops, the teacher feels bad about it. Even more important, if the student was a member of a class group, he/she is leaving others behind and making it hard for them to adjust. I hope that before students enroll in a course they will make sure that they have the time to study. Schoolwork is a hard and serious undertaking. - ML STUDENT TIP
from PM: Always take notes. STUDENT TIP
from PS: Always get a good night's sleep. STUDENT TIP
from RD: Motivate yourself to do well in class. I guess I took "TIPS a little too literally. - ST Writing TIP 1: Gather around you all the materials you will need to prepare an assignment, i.e., the course book or books that will be used as the basis for your paper. Writing TIP 2: Read the material in advance and should you choose, use a highlighter to highlight the main points that you want to include in your paper or use as quotes. If you have not had the opportunity to do this in advance, do it now. As you read the material, consider how it fits in witht he assignment and consider how you will model your response tot he demands of the assignment. Writing TIP 3: To help you prepare your assignemnt, remember that all writing, be it books, newspaper articles, argument, or issues have the basic structure of a beginning, a middle, and an end. This will help you organize in your mind and then on paper. Writing TIP 4:
Follow
the writing directions for the assignment. Writing TIP 5: Always have a dictionary at hand and use it. Writing TIP 6: Write with brevity. It doesn't matter how many words you use if you are simply restating and restating the issues. Make your point; move on. This is where "Less is more" (Strunk, Jr.). Very often, we are moved by the simplest statements. Flowery language may make it sound like you have an extensive vocabulary, but in the the end it only makes you look like youu're trying to fill up space.Your reader should never get that impression. Your comand of a good vocabulary is better shown by its appropriate yuse. Why use five words when one exact word will do? - ST
ADVICE~ The following advice comes from students registered in an English 100 class at Skyline College in the spring semester of 1999. The content of their advice has not been altered in any way; only the language has been edited, and then only slightly. Having just finished typing these up, I should add that at the time of writing these paragraphs of advice, only two students were confident of their A in the course. THE ORIGINAL DIRECTIONS: Having completed the final exam essay, you must be anxious to leave the exam session; before you do, please take another fifteen minutes (or so) to write the last paragraph of the semester. Please take a moment to look back upon your semester in our English 100 class. Then look forward to the students that will be taking the same course next semester. What advice would you give students at the beginning of this course? What's the single most important thing that each of the students should do to enjoy success in his/her version of this class? (The language - not the content - of the following student advice has been substantially edited for clarity and correctness.) A.A. advises: One of the most important things about this course is that one must be open-minded. You have to be able to listen to other peoples' ideas and ways of thinking. One person's opinion can open a whole new dimension to what you were thinking. Another thing you must do is take your writing seriously. Apply yourself and follow through. The last thing I would advise is do not be afraid to ask for help. The teacher isn't a psychic, so don't assume that he/she knows you need help. You can't get help unless you take the necessary steps to get it. A.C. advises To enjoy success in Jeff Westfall's English 100 be prepared to engage your thoughts. Preparing to write a paper in this class is easy. All you have to do is read the books. What goes into the paper is the hard part. My advice to you incoming English 100 students is to write down all your thoughts and comments as you read. Highlight and underline passages in your book. Ask yourself questions about what you read. Then, and only then, will you be fully prepared to begin writing your essays C.C. advises: One must be diligent if he or she wants to earn an A in Jeff's class. The student must be prepared to participate and ask questions. He or she must also do and understand all the assignments. When he or she has any difficulties, seek help immediately. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. One must be prepared to sacrifice many Friday nights typing essays. One thing to remember: You only get out what you put in. Invest yourself. J.C. advises: Oh, God, please, please, please take everything in this course seriously. If you don't, be prepared to get screwed. Mr. Westfall may be intimidating, but don't let him fool you; he always has time to talk to you and help you with your work. Although this class is very hard, you'll actually learn something besides just English. Just remember to breathe. Keep in touch with Westfall and do all your work. You'll be fine! R.C. advises: Be prepared to work hard in English 100. Attend every class because you really can learn a lot. You must put forth the work and effort into your class work and into your essays. It may be hard at times, but do not give up. Stay focuses. HARD WORK PAYS OFF! Good luck. K.D. advises First, and probably most important, go to class. Go to class because you will become a thinker, not just someone who fills a seat. Listen to Mr. Westfall, but think your own thoughts. Put your ideas together, and you'll do well. Be ready to spend time on your work in class, and it will pay off in your papers. Take advice from classmates because it can really help. Sometimes, a suggestion from a classmate will save you at the last minute when you're writing. Offer your suggestions to anyone who asks for them; it will help both them and you! Obviously (Mr. Westfall, I waited for the last writing to use this taboo word - first time all semester), do all the work because it will be reflected in your papers and in your grades. M.D. advises: My one or two pieces of advice for students next semester is, first, do all your reading & writing assignments and turn them in on time. That way, you won't have to worry about the paper assignment that comes later on. The reading & writing assignments are just a way to get you off on your way. Second, work very, very hard on all the papers. No matter what grade you receive, work harder - until you are satisfied with the rewrite grade. If the work begins to get tough, don't quit - unless you have too many classes and can't keep up. Finally, be sure you make the time to do all your papers the best you can. Make plenty of time to rewrite. T.D. advises: I have some advice for all of you taking Mr. Westfall's English 100 class this semester. First of all, do the assignments as you receive them. DO NOT wait until the night before your paper is due to start writing it; you will not be able to give it your best effort and you will not be proud of the paper you hand in. I know this is easier said than done, but you have to try it. This is not a class to procrastinate in. Second, do all of your reading responses; at the end of the class you will be very happy that you did, believe me. They will really help later on in the semester. Try your hardest in this class and never give up. W.D. advises: If you take this class, be prepared to read, read, read. You have to understand whatever it is you are reading. You have to be organized and prepared to learn. You also have to show up every single day and do all of the homework. If you do all the work, you will succeed. You just have to take your time and be analytical. Read and think. Then write. J.F. advises: Success in Mr. Westfall's English 100 is complicated, but very beneficial. There are three pieces of advice I have for future English 100 students. First, do all of your reading responses. These assignments are very time consuming, especially when you are preparing another paper and when you have three or four other classes. But do them. You will be given a great reward at the end, and it will be worth all the work. Second, don't fall behind. Do all of your assigned work. It's hard, but you will accomplish a great deal in the class. As you work through the course, you will truly see that Mr. Westfall is a superb professor. He will be there for you. Third, and most important, don't give up on the course, Jeff, or yourself. This class asks a lot, but when you are done, you will feel great. Jeff is great; he has an enormous heart and love for teaching. Give him the benefit of the doubt because most of the time he does the same for you. Good luck! J.G. advises: What advice to give is the question. Well, to begin with, don't get scared on the first day. When you are first told what is required of you, it can be very overwhelming. It is not as bad as it seems. You will survive. Remember, it's not all due tomorrow. You have a whole semester. Second, read the fine print of your course syllabus. Your teacher likes to give you bonuses, but you must pay attention. Also, if you happen to miss an assignment as the semester goes along, do it anyway! There was a reason for the assignment, and it will help you on the next paper or in the future. Also, if you need to turn something in a day or two late, sometimes it's better to bring it to the teacher. Admit your guilt right off. It's harder for teachers to say no when you have a late paper in hand than if you ask, "Can I give it to you Friday?" Just do the work. Also go to office hours. It's harder for a teacher to flunk a face or a friend than to flunk a name. Besides, office hours help a great deal with your work in the class. Finally, HAVE FUN! PS. Be honest with your teachers. They want to help. Don't make up a ton of stupid excuses. R.G. advises: Mr. Westfall's English 100 class - 0h what can I say? Mr. Westfall is a serious but caring man. He lets you know what is expected from you from the get-go. My advice to all of you wanting or having to take his class is to be organized. Meet the deadlines he will give you. Take advantage of the "clicks," for they are truly helpful at the end of the semester. Most of all, take advantage of Mr. Westfall's intellect and energy. He knows what he is talking about, and he knows what skills you need to survive in your future education. After all, as he keeps saying, "This is a transferable University of California writing course." In other words, bust your butt.! B.H. advises: The best advice I can give future students in Mr. Westfall's class is that you have to remain FOCUSED all the way through the class. You cannot slack off after completing a book or an essay because you have another one due in two weeks. The class never stops. You have to be responsible the whole course. Westfall gives "safety nets" for people who slip up once or twice, but you should not rely on them. Just remain focused and responsible. WORK HARD. M.H. advises: Taking English 100 with Mr. Westfall will not be an easy task. In order to succeed in his class, you should work as hard as you can. Push yourself beyond your limits. Taking this course will require you to daily work at least two hours a day to do well. To write papers for this course, make sure you use all the time you have. Don't leave writing your papers for the last minute; if you, you'll never succeed. Drop the class if you don't want to learn. V.H. advises: Mr. Westfall is an excellent teacher. The best advice I can give is all in one phrase: Don't give up. The temptation to give up exists in this class because of Mr. Westfall's enthusiasm. I and several of my fellow students have remarked on how intimidating Mr. Westfall seemed at the beginning of the semester; some people actually dropped the course because of his enthusiasm and energy. If you do drop this course, YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT! By the end of the semester, those of us who stayed (only a few actually dropped), learned. In fact, Mr. Westfall's enthusiasm, the same thing that scared some people off in the beginning, made learning the material in the class all the more interesting and enjoyable. So I say again: Don't give up. If you do, you will regret it. S.I. advises: This is a very interesting class. You'll get a lot out of it, if you put a lot in. You'll learn a lot. It is a hard class. The advice I give you is do not fall behind in your work. Make sure that you do all the work, all of it, and attend class, every class. Do the work, come to class, you'll do well. It can be a stressful class, but once you finish your work, you'll feel good about yourself. You will feel like you actually learned something. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed this class, even though it was a very hard class for me. I'm glad I took a hard class, instead of an easy one. I learned a lot. T.K.(1) advises: The single most important bit of advice I can offer you to survive Mr. Westfall's English 100 class is to stay organized and on top of your work. If you do the work in a timely manner, it won't overwhelm you. Don't fall behind. Be clear, specific and FOCUSED! T.K. (2) advises: The advice I would give to the next group of students is: Be prepared. The work will engulf you if you don't develop a regular routine and follow it rigorously. The worst thing you can do is fall behind. Staying ahead of the game and anticipating what's next will be great resources for success in this course. Also, talking to Mr. Westfall can make a tense situation into something you can manage. G.L. advises: I would advise you to think twice before you gut it. Not! If you are going to take this class next semester, be prepared to expend a lot of time working outside of the classroom. If you want to get a good grade in this class, I personally advise you to get help from The Learning Center. It will help you a lot. Take this class as a challenge for yourself. Don't just take it as just another class to sit in. Be prepared to spend a lot of time developing your ideas and writing your papers. G.M. advises: Do your homework! That five-paragraph that got you through high school doesn't work here. This is college. I didn't realize this until it was too late. Sometimes, a job isn't more important than school, and this is one of those times. If you lose your hours at work, you might not have your car, but you will learn something more important than a car. School is most important - or should be. Don't waste your time, effort, and money. Don't waste your life. J.M. advises: There are many important things that you need to do in order to be successful in this class. Get your work in on time. Come to class every day. Listen to the teacher carefully. But the single most important thing is that when you are assigned a paper, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to do it. Start early and work on it a little every day. The quality will be much better when you give yourself a chance to reread and re-write the paper. Take the time to improve your paper; don'' just wait until a day or two before it's due, with no time left for corrections and revisions. K.M. advises: Students taking this English 100 course should be prepared for a good, yet somewhat fun and difficult class. Come into this class ready to work and not goof off. The class requires a lot of writing; however, the writing is on an interesting and educational subject. You will probably learn more from this class than from any other class you will be taking during the semester. If you are smart, you will do all of the assigned reading responses and coursework; if you complete them properly it can seriously help your grade. If you want a highly dedicated, concerned teacher who is willing to take time to tend to individual needs, I suggest you are picking the right class. The class is not really all hard work and writing; it can, at times, be fun as well. What more could you ask for: a fun, educational and interesting class. JUST DO THE WORK! (smiley face) M.M. advises: His bark is worse than his bite! Mr. Westfall is a wonderful [teacher], and he is very fair in his judgments. You must, however, be a hardworking student, willing to spend many long hours at a computer, writing and revising. Always keep up on your reading responses; they will do you lots of good. Never ever fall behind in your grammar work; that was my personal failure, so I warn you now. Can't learn the grammar if you don't do it. This English 100 is a great course. It has opened my eyes to a great [enormous] problem in this country, homelessness. I urge you to take this course seriously and learn from it. Then pass your knowledge along to others in your papers. Much luck! N.M. advises: The best advice I will give the students next semester is come to this class with an open mind and heart. We all have our own thoughts, feelings and opinions. We disagree about things. Use this class well and chances are you will pass. Mr. Westfall is there to help you express and explain everything you have and want to write. He can help you get it down on paper. You'll also learn to read and understand what others think and say. Agreeing and disagreeing with the authors of the books you will read and with classmates is a great experience. It's great to be able to write about ideas and feelings, not just feel them. J.N. advises: Something you might want to consider looking into is to see if your grammar skills are up to standard because this course requires a lot of writing. Another thing that might help you is doing a lot of informal writing assignments because these are going to improve your writing skills. You could also do a lot of reading before you take this course; the more you read, the more you will understand the material and the more you will have to write your essays about. No Name (1) advises: I have a couple of pieces of advice for those who plan to take this course next semester. First, they better make sure they do all their homework because that can really help their grades at the end of the semester. An extra point can always help. Second, they better understand that rewriting a paper takes more work and more time than they might think. Think about how much work this means before you complete your term's class registration. No Name (2) advises: The most important things in this class is to learn the principles of an expository essay and take to heart the importance of revising. It is when you are revising your paper that you are really understanding what works in a paper and what does not work. If you revise enough, you will have learned almost all you need to be a good writer. Eventually, you'll be able to write a good paper on your first draft. No Name (3) advises: The first thing students taking this class should do is their reading responses. This really helps bring the grade up, but mostly it helps get you thinking clearly about your coming paper because all the reading responses are related to the paper, one way or another. To enjoy this class the students should be engaged with the problem of homelessness. If they don't care about the homeless at the beginning of the semester, they should care by the end. R.N. advises: The class you are about to take will drain you and make every brain cell you have fire up. Yet, it will be a great class. At first you might think that the teacher is strict, but he is not. Mr. Westfall is fair. No, strict was the wrong word; persistent is the right word. He doesn't lecture too much, but when he does, make sure to listen to what he has to say. Also make sure you do those reading responses; they help you write the papers. Details. Make sure you use details in your papers. Mr. Westfall likes them, the more the better. Measurement, smell, touch, feel, statistics - use them all, or he'll come up with something else that should be there. The more detailed the better. And don't forget the martini glass. Trust me; you'll know what that means in the first couple of weeks. Well, fellow student, all that I can say now is, GOOD LUCK & HAPPY WRITING. S.P. advises: The key to success is TIME. You need to make certain that you give yourself enough time to do the job right. You cannot allow yourself one hour the night before a paper is due and expect to get it all done. And you cannot spend five minutes writing a reading response and expect all your thoughts to get to paper. Though you may want to hurry through your work because you have something else o do or the topic might be boring (sorry, Jeff), you need to slow down to make sure what's in your head comes out on paper the way you were thinking it. E.R. advises: This is a wonderful class. You must be willing to work hard for your grade. Being lazy or procrastinating is not an option in this class. When you have class discussions, participate. Participation is a small part of the battle to earn a good grade. Surprisingly, participation is half the fun in this class. Join in on the debates and speak your mind. Ask questions. There are no stupid questions in this class. If you don't ask, then you'll never know the answer, duh! Don't be afraid of Jeff Westfall. He's actually a great guy who will push you to do the best you can do - like any good teacher would. Take advantage of his office hours and have a good conversation with him some time. He's real fun to talk to. J.R. advises: I must say that English 100 was a very enjoyable and informative class. This was not only because I met new people or learned how to write an expository essay; it was due to Mr. Westfall and the way he developed the class assignments. He let us see the problem of homelessness in a way that I'm sure many of us in the class hadn't ever stopped to see. I have learned so much about homelessness after taking this class and I hope you will also learn about this terrible problem in our community. The only advice I can give you regarding Mr. Westfall's class is that you should pay a lot of attention in class because so much information is given. You should do the reading very carefully; it might be good to get into study groups with students in your class to discuss your ideas and opinions about the readings and the writing assignments. L.R. advises: I would advise you to stay in Mr. Westfall's class. Do not drop. Don't get intimidated by his course syllabus and his assignments. Read the handouts. This course may be intense, but taking it will benefit you very much. Take this class seriously and go to class regularly, like you should in every class you take. If you need extra help, take advantage of Mr. Westfall's office hours, or go to The Learning Center. It may be time consuming to get extra help, but it will be worth it. Get a tutor if you need one. M.R. advises: When I first met Jeff in our English 100 class, I thought he was really intense. I also thought he was a real hard-ass. He is not, unless you are not willing to put forth some effort and really try. That is the key to Jeff's class: EFFORT! Jeff does not want you to get a bad grade in this class. He really cares and wants you to succeed. If you really try and show him some effort, you will enjoy success in this class. Do not be scared away by the crazy assignments you will immediately get; just hang in there and Jeff will start to mellow out a bit. So remember: EFFORT! EFFORT! EFFORT! Oh, one other thing: use Jeff's office hours. Going to see him will show effort and it will help you immensely. If you try, you will succeed. T.R. advises: I can think of only one piece of advice that will help next semester's students. It is to do the reading responses. The reading responses keep you involved with the course. They also help you with your papers. That's the one thing I wish I had done. I missed a couple of reading responses and the papers that I wrote showed what I missed. So next year, remember to keep up with all the reading responses. C.S. advises: Well, let me say that I have dropped English 100 about three times now. For me, the teacher makes a BIG difference. The advice I have is to say that paying close attention to class lectures really helps. Make sure that you do all the reading responses. Doing the reading responses and not falling behind can help you with your essays and give you time to revise your essays. Class participation and attendance are really important. What really helps is going to office hours to go over your papers. Ask Mr. Westfall for help. I am not saying this just because I am done with English 100; I am leaving you this advice because next semester in English 165 I will definitely be prepared. I intend to follow this same advice that I am giving you here. F.S. advises: What I recommend you do to get ahead in this course is first to listen to Mr. Westfall. He can help a lot. Also ask him questions about anything you're not sure of. He will answer your questions and help you a lot with any paper. If I knew at the beginning of the semester what I know now, I would've take advantage of him all semester. J.S. (1) advises: To all you students registered in English 100 with Mr. Westfall, you've made a good choice. He will teach you so much in this class. Not only will he teach, you will actually learn. His tactics and advice help your writing. I can honestly say that my writing skills have greatly improved from the day I entered this class to this last moment. Mr. Westfall cares and wants his students to be successful. My advice to all you students is to try not to miss a single class because every day you will learn something that will help you. Missing a class can only hurt. Come to class and learn. J. S. (2) advises: In English 100 the first thing to do as you start the semester is to think you're going to do well. Then always perform well. Give yourself plenty of time to write your papers, about to weeks. Before you turn your papers in, check for grammar and spelling errors. When writing your paper, stay focused. Do all the coursework and reading responses; not only do they raise your grade, they also help very much on your papers. The last thing I can say is to work the hardest you can. And have fun. L.S. advises: If you are looking for an easy way to complete English 100, then do not take this class. This class is about learning and not just getting by. If you want to do well, you will need to work hard. And you will succeed. If you stay on top of your reading and writing assignments, the papers will be easier to write. Always start the paper early and don't hesitate to ask the teacher for help. I'm completely sure that what I have learned here will take me a long way at U.C. Berkeley next semester. Because I worked hard to learn and to improve my writing skills, I will surely do better in my future classes, English and all the rest. E.Y. advises: A word of advice to future Westfall disciples: Read and use the resources Jeff hands out. Mr. Westfall can help you organize your ideas into an essay. The focus - thesis - detail - development - clarity concept is hard to apply to your own ideas, but Mr. Westfall can help you "fit" your ideas into the conceptual model of the essay. If you don't like speaking up in class, talk to him after class, or during office hours. If you do so, you will make progress and succeed. S.Y. advises: This was the most interesting semester I have ever had in English. I never knew so much about homeless people. I swear, if you take this course your whole view on homeless people will change. My view changed completely! If you really want to learn about something interesting, English 100 with Mr. Westfall is the place to be. Just be sure you do all your work,
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