Archive for August, 2008

English as a tool

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

Today I told my students that if they learn English as a tool instead of a school subject, they would find it more fun and learn better.   For this reason, I invited these new students of mine to visit my blog, which is written mostly in English and intended to create some sort of English environment for English learners in high school.  Though they won’t learn “big words” from my blog, since people seldom use big words in blogs, they will get accustomed to reading something in English.  It would be better If they can leave their comments in English.  I believe that “learning by doing” is still the most effective way to learn a language. 

Besides, I told them when they were taking English tests or doing English exercises, taking all the passages they read on them as something which provide them with new information will make the tests or exercise more fun.

 

Just get started

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

“When you have loads of work to do, it is no use complaining.  Complaining doesn’t get the work done.  Just get started and you’ll finally complete it.”  This is what I like to tell my students, knowing many of them feel overwhelmed when given assignments from all the teachers.   Of course, I practice what I preach. 

Yi-hsin (羅翊芯) told me one day in June that these words gave her power when she was preparing for the UEE. 

Ben’s visit & a good article worth reading

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Today Ben visited me. We had a wonderful afternoon. She showed me a book she bought during the summer vacation, Don’t Worry, Make Money, which was written by Richard Carlson, the author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series. She bought the book second-hand for NT$70. Hmm, it’s a good buy.

Ben invited me to read the 3rd chapter “Learn the Magic of Nonattachment,” which impressed her deeply. After reading it, I told her the idea Mr. Carlson tried to convey was part of my philosophy of life, which, in fact, I often conveyed to my students.

(more…)

The beauty of education

Monday, August 18th, 2008

“Little did I know how to write a composition in English,” a student in Class 310 made this sentence druing the break.  She came to clarify some grammatical points we discussed in class.  Then, with the belief that making sentences with the pattern students are learning works better than mere explanation, I asked her to make a sentence starting with “Little….”  And this is the sentence she made.  Hearing this and noticing that she used the past tense, I asked, “So you know how to write one now?”  She nodded and said, “Yes.” 

(more…)

Sample compositions by

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

Over the weekend, I read three classes’ compositions.  Two of the classes were asked to write a paragraph starting with the topic sentence, “I am a(n)…person.” or “I am a person who…”  The other class began their paragraph with the same topic sentence or “… is my favorite season.”  I gave them this in-class writing assignment right after the discussion of paragraph writing in English.  We talked about the topic sentence, the supporting sentences, and the concluding sentence.  This assignment was intended to check if they understood the concept of “paragraph unity.”   Most of the students did a good job in maintaining paragraph unity.

Last Friday I came across a handout I made last year.  It contains sample compositions of the students who just graduated this May.  They also did this assignment when they first learned paragraph writing last summer.  Quite a few of the paragraphs are really good.

I am a… person.

 

 

在大學上山下海 打開你的眼睛: A letter to college freshmen from Jiang, Xun (蔣勳)

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

This is a letter to college freshmen from Jiang, Xun (蔣勳).

給大學新鮮人》在大學上山下海 打開你的眼睛

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=143124 (more…)

A very touching story

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

I came across this story in a teacher’s blog and read it with tears keeping rolling down.

http://www.tiec.tp.edu.tw/lifetype/post/634/26771

Whether it is a true story or not, the love in it will definitely touch one’s heart.

Who’s to blame?

Friday, August 15th, 2008

Today Ms. Chang (張俐俐老師) told me what she had told her students, “If we always put the blame on others, we won’t get improved.” (「一直怪別人,自己就不會進步。」) I can’t agree more.

Still more reading lists for high school freshmen

Friday, August 15th, 2008

More reading lists for high school freshmen:

成功高中:

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=142821

台南一中及台南女中:

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=142571

高雄中學:

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=142276

師大附中:

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=141660

 

Peer Support, plus An Act of Kindness

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

                     

Today in class I told the students the news story of the class of which all the students entered the high school of their first choice. 

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=142001

I told them the power of peer support and encouraged them to go together for their dreams.  However, I said that what impressed me most was their act of kindness.  Each of the 30 students deposited NT$1 every day.  So every month they gathered NT$900.  With the extra NT$100 from their homeroom teacher, they had NT$1,000 every month to help a child. 

I told the students that we don’t do good things in the hope of getting something in return.  However, the goodness in our heart will surely lead us upward.