Happy Reunion with NTNU Classmates

(Photo from Hui-na)

A gathering of 14 NTNU classmates in the afternoon. Hui-na is from the States, Yu-hsia from Kaohsiung, Ching-feng and his wife from Yi-lan, and Pi-chun and Chung-er from Shanhsia.

"Ask Aunty"--a Reading and Writing Activity

Having students read a problem and then suggest a slolution is a way to enhance both their reading and writing ability. In Dec, 2011, during my last year of teaching, I used five "Ask Aunty" columns as as samples for students to read before they acted as "Aunty." The following is one of the samples

An Essay by June Chang

While cleaning up my study, I came acrosss this essay written by June Chang in Aug, 2010. Thanks to starting learning English early and extensive reading, June has a really good command of English. Chris, a colleague and friend, often said her writing was just like that of a native speaker of English, natural and fluent.

I didn't have the picture-telling writing task with me. However, by reading it, you might be able to imagine what the picture looks like.

Enjoy Nature's Masterpieces at Yangmingshan with Friends

Cherries and Roses

If a cherry were called a rose, or a rose a cherry, they would not change, would they? This reminds me of Shakespeare's famous sentence in the play Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

A Time for Us

Yesterday evening, I had a gathering with three former students, Wei-hsiang (煒翔), Li-xuan (立軒), and Yi-lou (以洛), who are in my homeroom class from Aug. 2010 to June 2011. Besides them, Wei-hsiang's lovely mother and younger brother joined us. A long chat from 6pm to 10:10pm. Most of the time, they talked about what they've been doing and what they want to do in the near future.

Education Revolution--"教育改革 可能嗎?"--from UDN

I came across this UDN article while cleaning my study. Thanks to the Internet, I found its online version, so I could post it in my blog and throw away the newspaper.

http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/PIC0004/268234/web/#1L-5245246L

科技部經典譯注講座／教育改革，可能嗎？!

白亦方/聯合報  20141104

《學校敢勇於建立新的社會秩序嗎？》一書主要由三篇演講稿組成……該書發表後，各界評論二極，反對者認為該書充滿煽動的意味，對於教育現況多所批評；贊成者認為柯氏點出了教育的核心……

教師應該謹慎地尋求權力，加以利用



我堅信，教師應該謹慎地尋求權力，然後加以充分利用。一旦他們得以改變學校的課程和傳統做法，就能夠明確、積極地影響下一世代的社會態度、理想及行為。教師在進行這項工作時，不應該透過瞞騙或假裝謙虛。……能夠影響人類事件發展的人，是那些毫不猶豫行使其應有權力的人。他們代表的，並非眼前或任何特殊階級利益，而是人類一致、不變的利益；教師則是在沉重的道德義務之下，去保護、促進那些利益。

A Gathering of Four

This noon, I had a gathering with Li-chu (陳麗珠老師) and two students of ours, Sao-yu (林紹瑜) and Po-chin (張博欽), both of whom are juniors in college. 

Viewpoint: The hazards of too much stuff

It was a coincidence that I came across this BBC article last night after posting yesterday's first entry, which dealt with decluttering.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30849473

Viewpoint: The hazards of too much stuff

24 January 2015 Last updated at 00:19

After the deluge of gifts many people have exchanged at Christmas, January seems a good time for soul-searching over the Western obsession with stuff, writes trend forecaster James Wallman. 

We have more stuff than we could ever need - kit we don't use, toys we don't play with, and clothes we don't wear.

Getting Together with Junior High Schoolmates

Decluttering

Cleaning up the study, with the sentence in mind, "Only keep what YOU need NOW." Papers such as copies of students' essay have to be discarded. Thanks to the digital camera, I took photos of them before recycling them.

Happy Gatherings with Former Students

(A selfie by Pei-yi)

Today I had two gatherings with former students, Hao-tang (楊皓棠), who graduated from NHSH in 2012, and Pei-yi (陳珮宜), a 2009 graduate.

A Book I Co-wrote Just Came Out

Everyone Could Be Somebody--"名家縱論／人，才是王道"--from UDN

http://unitedbiomedical.org/?p=7646

名家縱論／人，才是王道

【聯合報╱徐重仁】2014.06.08 03:44 am

前陣子發生北捷殺人事件，以及美國槍擊案，引起不同聲浪的討論，而當事人年紀輕輕，卻對社會充滿了負面的情緒。雖然外界常說「人才，是王道」，不過我認為「人，才是王道」，只要能給予適當、適時的引導，每個人只要努力，都能成為人才。

My comments: I believe so.

Happy birthday, Gina!

Spent a wonderful night with Gina, a former student, who has been very close to me since her third year of high school, when I taught her. Gina is a brilliant and hard-working woman, willing to give everything her best shot. She spent around 5 months at a winery in France to learn to taste wine and came back in late December last year.

 

American English at State

This is an interesting English teaching/learning resource on FB, which was shared by an FB friend Alice Lin. American English at State teaches English idioms, phrasal verbs, differences between some words, etc. It's worth a visit.

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishatState

American English at State

 

American English--a Website for Teachers and Learners of EFL Abroad

http://americanenglish.state.gov/

American English

I bumped into this website when searching for an English learnng website "American English at State," which was recommended by an FB friend, Alice Lin.

Next Time When You Try Hard to Recall--"Memory recall 'better when eyes shut'"--from BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30834038

Memory recall 'better when eyes shut'

16 January 2015 Last updated at 02:45

Closing your eyes when trying to recall events increases the chances of accuracy, researchers at the University of Surrey suggest.

Scientists tested people's ability to remember details of films showing fake crime scenes.

Happy Gathering with Junior High Schoolmates

It's been a few months since I last saw my junior high schoolmates. Today we had a dinner gathering. Great that our beloved chemistry teacher Ms. Lee (李和美老師) joined us.

Take Care of the Basics--"李家同：教好加法、ABC 打通任督脈"--from the UDN

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/%E6%9D%8E%E5%AE%B6%E5%90%8C%EF%BC%9A%E6%95%99%E5%A5%BD%E5%8A%A0%E6%B3%95%E3%80%81ABC%20%E6%89%93%E9%80%9A%E4%BB%BB%E7%9D%A3%E8%84%88-9162994.shtml

李家同：教好加法、ABC 打通任督脈

【聯合報╱李家同／清大孫運璿榮譽講座教授（新竹市）】

2015.01.01 02:29 am

昨天報載，教育部發現國中小學生中，有六分之一的學生主科不及格，尤其英數兩科，年級越高，不及格比率也越高。小四生數學不及格的人數已經到達二十％。

"Scientifically Proven Tips to Help You Live to 100"--from The Active Times

http://www.theactivetimes.com/scientifically-proven-tips-help-you-live-100?utm_source=postgame&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=bestbackpacks&RM_Exclude=Welcome

Scientifically Proven Tips to Help You Live to 100

This is a webpage I came across while searching for topics to write on yesterday. Guess what the 11 tips are before you click the link or read on for the list. Visit the webpage for the reasons.

Look Up - A Poem That Will Inspire You to Put Down Your Smartphone

This is a marvelous poem by Gary Turk, a writer and director. I came across it while looking for an online article "Put Down Your Smartphone," which I emailed to myself but haven't read.

A friend and former colleague said on FB that she found she'd spent too much time on the Net and that she would stop using FB on her smartphone. A smart decision!


Look Up

- A Poem That Will Inspire You to Put Down Your Smartphone

English Class in English--"師資設備佳 名校生不怕英聽"--from

I posted this news story not to discourage students in so-called underprivileged schools, but to invite teachers to create an English environment in school.

http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20150112000351-260102

師資設備佳 名校生不怕英聽

2015年01月12日 04:09中國時報

洪欣慈／台北報導

相較於資源缺乏的偏鄉學校，位於台北市精華地段的私立復興實驗高級中學，是許多政商名流最愛，在師資、設備、教材上，都是高規格。國中部每周除6節英語課外，還會另加一堂由外籍教師授課的「分組課」，課堂上全程使用英文。

My comments: To have a native speaker is not a must for doing this kind of activity. With willingness to speak English, a good teaching plan, and some worksheets, any teacher can conduct a group-discussion class in English.

Be a Useful Person--"名家縱論／做一個有用的人 迎接人生的挑戰"--from the UDN

A very inspirational article, especially for young people who want to pursue their career and make contributions to society.

http://udn.com/news/story/7339/634925

名家縱論／做一個有用的人 迎接人生的挑戰

2015-01-11      聯合報 施振榮

小時候，母親期許我做一個有用的人，我一直牢記在心。由於父親在我很小的時候就過世，我與母親相依為命，母親很照顧我，我也從來不羨慕其他小朋友。為了不讓母親擔心，從小就立志做一個有用的人，好好讀書，當乖小孩，不交壞朋友，讓媽媽安心。直到今天，我還是以此自許，希望自己能一天比一天更有用。

My comments: As a Chinese proverb goes, "Filial piety is the beginning of virtue."

Achhikhabre--A Website for Positive News and Inspirational Stories

http://achhikhabre.com/

Achhikhabre

I'm co-writing practice reading test items for junior high school students. The other day, in an email, I told the lady  in charge of the compilation of the reading book that it was easier to write the reading passages than to decide on what to write about. In no time, she sent me some articles for my reference. On one of the pages, this website was recommended.

Get Energy-Conscious--"無關優惠 省電是生活教育"--from the UDN

http://udn.com/news/story/7339/631123

無關優惠 省電是生活教育

2015-01-09      聯合報 李枝桃／國中校長（南投市）

巡堂回來經過總務處，看見事務組長一邊在計算著數字，一邊嘴巴喃喃自語：「今年每一種都要再省一點。」我拍了一下她的肩，她笑著回我：「一月份要結算學校去年度四省方案，看看成績如何？」慈恩組長高興的告訴我：去年的電、水、油、紙，四省方案，成績還不錯。

Difference Between "Repair" and "Fix"--"同樣都翻成「修理」，repair跟fix有什麼差？"--from Business Weekly

http://www.businessweekly.com.tw/KBlogArticle.aspx?id=10674

同樣都翻成「修理」，repair跟fix有什麼差？

撰文者周強 2015-01-05

九合一選舉後，參選國民黨黨主席的新北市長朱立倫主張修憲公投、內閣制以及降低投票年齡，而且朱立倫提出「修憲這件事情是一定要做的」。

憲法的英文是constitution，那「修憲」的英文字彙應該是用repair還是fix？英文媒體報導這樣寫：Amendment of constitution is a must: Chu

"5 Free Online Writing Labs"--from TESOL Blog

http://blog.tesol.org/5-free-online-writing-labs/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

5 Free Online Writing Labs

Posted on 12 December 2014 by Elena Shvidko

As we all know, the Internet provides a wealth of teaching materials, and many of them are free of charge. There are lots of web-based resources that we, writing teachers, can use to help our students become better writers: websites for ESL teachers, online corpora, discussions and forums, just to name a few. I’d like to share another resource—online writing labs, or OWLs, as they are commonly known. Many universities and colleges offer freely accessible OWLs. I often use the OWL hosted by my university (Purdue OWL), and it helps me both in my teaching and in my research. And, of course, I recommend it to my students as well.

"The Human Library--"世新另類圖書館 能借書也能借人"--from UDN

Did you ever think about borrowing a human book from the library? If you are to be a human book, what would be your title?

http://udn.com/news/story/6886/621664

世新另類圖書館 能借書也能借人

2015-01-05      聯合報 記者馮靖惠／台北報導

依教授專長分類 教拉花、教太極拳… 3年出借23「本」 一次卅分鐘到兩小時 但「不准攜出使用」

大學圖書館除了能借書，還可以「借人」。世新大學首創將校內教授的個人嗜好、專長列入「館藏」，開放學生「借閱」，有老師擅長太極拳，有人專精咖啡拉花。世新圖書館三年來已借出廿三本「真人書」，而且這些「真人書」都很大方跟學生說：「不要客氣，歡迎來借。」

"The Myth of 'Practice Makes Perfect'"

A very good article. It points out that when it comes to learning skills, it's not how many hours you practice that counts but how you pracitce. Since the blogger doesn't allow copying and pasting, please click the link and visit the site to read this good article.

http://colormalinsu.pixnet.net/blog/post/33104260

勤能補拙的神話  20120210

編譯  高英哲

The following is the cited passage in English by Gary Marcus, the psychologist who learned to play the guitar, as mentioned in this article. It could shed some light on why practice doesn't make perfect.

"But practice alone is not enough. Hundreds of thousands of people took music lessons when they were young and remember little or nothing. The second prerequisite is what Ericsson calls "deliberate practice", a constant sense of self-evaluation, of focusing on one's weaknesses rather than fooling around and playing to one's strengths. Studies show that practice aimed at remedying weaknesses is a better predictor of expertise than raw number of hours; playing for fun and repeating what you already know is not necessarily the same as efficiently reaching a new level. Most of the practice that most people do most of the time, be it in the pursuit of learning the guitar or improving their golf game, yields almost no effect. Sooner or later, most learners reach a plateau, repeating what they already know rather than battling their weaknesses, at which point progress becomes slow."

Tips for Improving Listening Skills--練英聽-「少量多餐」效果最好--from UDN

http://udn.com/news/story/6904/619795

練英聽-「少量多餐」效果最好

2015-01-04      聯合報 記者林秀姿／台北報導

提升「英語力」變成高中生3年努力的重要目標，高中英文科教師建議，教學最好是「全英語」，可以為學生製造英語聽力環境，而學生最好也以「少量多餐」學習英語，讓英語變成生活的一部分。

Mind Your p's and q's--"廖玉蕙／掌握應對進退的分寸"--from UDN

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/OPI4/9161197.shtml

廖玉蕙／掌握應對進退的分寸

【聯合報╱廖玉蕙】

2014.12.31 02:27 am

在沸沸揚揚的選舉及性騷擾新聞夾縫裡，我注意到一則藏匿其間的小新聞。中部一所高中校園午餐的主菜肉絲上，竟躺著一條藍色抹布，讓學生倒盡了胃口。業者回應時態度不佳，只不斷的說：「不然，明天加菜就好。」

The Ups and Downs in 2014--from CNN

Guess what world event is included in this CNN video, which reviews the year 2014.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2014/12/19/2014-year-in-review-orig-cfb.cnn&video_referrer=

The Ups and Downs in 2014

 

New Year's Celebrations Around the World

http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/12/31/orig-new-years-celebrations-around-the-world.cnn.html

New Year's Celebrations Around the World

In the CNN video, we can see how the year 2015 was ushered in around the world: in New York, Beijing, Dubai, London, Paris, Berlin, Sdney, Taipei, Bangkok, and Manila.

Welcome the New Year--"恩怨情仇、愛惡悲喜 心裡清空迎新年"--from UDN

I have always liked to read Ms. Lee's article.

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/%E6%81%A9%E6%80%A8%E6%83%85%E4%BB%87%E3%80%81%E6%84%9B%E6%83%A1%E6%82%B2%E5%96%9C%20%E5%BF%83%E8%A3%A1%E6%B8%85%E7%A9%BA%E8%BF%8E%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4-9163007.shtml

恩怨情仇、愛惡悲喜 心裡清空迎新年

【聯合報╱李枝桃／國中校長（南投市）】

2015.01.01 02:29 am

昨天朋友ＬＩＮＥ我：「百貨年底出清，有沒有興趣？」我回她：「學校辦年終跳蚤市場義賣，義賣所得將捐給家扶中心，有沒有興趣？」她回我一個窩心的符號。

學校工友妹妹秋蓉看我中午在整理櫥櫃，清理出看過的書、他人送的且未用過的保溫杯、馬克杯等要捐出去，也跑來幫忙。

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 

Happy New Year, everyone. Have a very good 2015. Wish you health, happiness, and love.