Motivating Students

Hi everyone!

I'm happy to tell you that one of our readers (his name is Katsuya) sent in a question today. I won't keep it long, here's what he had to say:

"Hi. I have come across your blog while looking for English teaching materials.

I am an English teacher teaching at a small private school in Japan. My students are in Junior high school. As you may know, We start to learn English from Junior high school. So, I'm only teaching basic one.

My problem with students is... They don't like English. It is to hard to get them to interest English. You know, In Japan.. Even if they study English, they don't have chance to use it. So, not a lot of students want to study. They just do it for exam to enter better high school or something.

I just wanted to give you one question. How do you motivate them to study..."

Hi Katsuya!

Thanks for dropping by. Pardon me if I couldn't reply that quick. I was teaching a student a while ago.

It's nice to know that there are teachers concerned about the welfare of their students. Your students are indeed lucky. Some teachers either think they're boring or that the students are simply dull. In my experience, this way of thinking really wouldn't help the student nor the teacher. So, it's good that you're being proactive in finding solutions.

There's really no one surefire way of motivating students because of them has a different personality. But, you can learn from observing what young people enjoy these days.

Because of technological developments, students have become lazy and want to be entertained while they just sit back. They tend to look for quick results. So, it's important for you to tell them what they can achieve by studying English. You can ask them questions like: Does anyone here plan to travel abroad or find work that requires them to speak English well and be able to meet interesting people in the process? Since they're beginners, you might want to ask your questions in Japanese.

Let me borrow from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of his principles is this: Begin with the end in mind. In whatever you do, you have to know what you want to achieve or accomplish. Thinking about the prize or the result will give you more motivation to continue even when you're having a hard time or when you're feeling bored.

Now, I believe that you know your students better. I might not be able to tell exactly what it is they want to achieve. But, as the teacher, who regularly interacts with them, I think you're in the best position to identify that. Find their needs and wants and use that to identify goals and tell them exactly how they can do that.

It might help if you let them watch a short video of a young Japanese being able to speak good English and making friends while in a different country. Or you can show another video of a person succeeding in a job where he/she uses English. There, he can meet different kinds of people and learn different perspectives.

Aside from that, it might make a difference for you to show their progress even after a short time of studying, and thus prove that they can go further if they exert more effort. These days, instead of spending money to study English, young people would rather buy clothes or gadgets. Why? It's because they can feel instant gratification. The moment they buy the product, they can enjoy it. But when they study English, they would feel that they're studying for so long, yet they couldn't feel that they're actually progressing.

You mentioned that you're teaching basic English. How basic? I'm not sure. Apart from teaching them new words, try to incorporate those words and use them to practice situational exercises. Like, for example, introducing friends or ordering food in a restaurant. The next time you have class, ask students to be role-players in your situational exercises.

Coming up with special activities will also stimulate their interest. Remember, it's important to make them feel interested because then, they'll be paying attention. And if they're concentrating, they'll remember and learn much more effectively.

Maybe you can have a special guest or an interesting presentation. In fact, I can even send my video or speech talking about a certain topic that you think might interest them. But, I think, they might not yet be able to comprehend the video or recording.

Another suggestion is for you to find or help them find email/snail mail friends for them when they've learned enough. Well, in fact, it's not an obligation, but it might help. When they realize that they can actually benefit from studying English, it will be a big boost.

Well, I do hope that some of these tips answered your questions. I still have several in mind, but the basic ideas are here.

If something is not clear to you, please feel free to ask me. Also, if you have additional comments, or if you have a different question, don't hesitate to let me know. I'll try to respond as quickly as I can. But, maybe not as quick if you send in a question this weekend, for I'll be in Thailand then.

Good luck and more power to you and your students!

All for English Learning

For years, I've seen people who really work hard at learning English. They would do anything just to master the language. But, sometimes, the answer could be so simple. You just have to find the right teacher. Well, maybe it's not as easy as it seems.

I'm a firm believer in doing your best and making sure you are really really good at what you do. This probably explains why it takes a long time for me to write or to do important things. I feel sad when I see people who do fine in one occupation but could really do better in another.

I'll give you a clue on what I'm up to these days. Since my interest involves English and languages, I want to see more people get better at it. I guess one of the best ways to do that is to teach students myself. Another way is to find good teachers with potential and to train them to teach well. Over the next few months and weeks, I think I'm going to concentrate on this.

I would like to guide English learners on choosing the best teacher and learning effectively. Life is too short to be stuck doing something that you could have done better.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop a line.

If You Can't Learn by Yourself, Get a Good Teacher

How many of you agree that you learn better when you're enjoying?

Well, count me in. It's always hard for me to study something I'm not actually interested in. In fact, I sometimes have to force myself to study something I'm not passionate about. In the university, for instance, not all of the topics we discuss interest me.

Conversely, when I have free time, I'd rather do other things than study about those topics that I don't care much about. Of course, there are some things that we're obliged to learn and do however much we hate them. For example, we can't totally avoid cleaning or learning how to read and write, unless of course, we want to remain illiterate all our lives.

The reason behind this is that it's much easier for us to work on something we enjoy. Did you Mom have to force you to play your favorite video game? I don't think so. It's the same thing when you decide to study something you're interested in. There's not much effort or resistance.

That's why we often need teachers. It's one of their duties to make the students interested in their lessons. Because frankly, a big percentage of learning involves stimulating the students and getting them interested. As Samuel Johnson said "Interest is the mother of attention and attention is the mother of memory." To secure memory, Joseph Cook concludes, "secure its mother and grandmother." That's an important point to remember if you are serious about learning something.

Some people have a natural ability to encourage themselves and force themselves to do things they don't really want to do. Still others are good at finding something that interests them, in order to study what they have to. Unfortunately, most people are not like that, which is why we still need teachers. Aside from this, our teachers can also bring about a fresh outlook on a tired subject. He/she can also make a boring subject seem interesting. Furthermore, if we feel tired and helpless, it always helps when someone can encourage us and take the initiative.

I have already given you pointers on how to find good teachers. The most important factor is a teacher's competence on the subject matter he/she is teaching. Would you like someone who can't even teach you grammar or conversation correctly? Maybe not. Then, of course, the teacher has to be committed to your learning and improvement.

Yes, sometimes the answer is simple. If you can't learn by yourself, go get a good teacher. And if you find that challenging, don't you worry, I have something in store for you. I've been planning and working hard to look for the best teachers. It might take some time because I'm really looking hard, but maybe you can help me if you know someone who's good at making a website in Japanese.

Anyhow, I'll tell you more about my plans soon..

Maximize your Time

I have stressed before how important it is to pay attention to different aspects of learning. Yes, it's good to do something you really enjoy, but make sure you're not neglecting other areas. If you enjoy speaking so much, and notice that you've made great progress, make sure that you're equally good in other areas like grammar and writing or reading. Knowing your priorities and allotting enough time for them regularly is important.

It's easy to make some excuses when we're too busy. But in fact, we can squeeze them in if we really want.

I have heard many English learners who complain that they don't have enough time to study English like other people. So what they do is allot a couple of hours for studying English once a week.

While they're thinking that a long time of studying will compensate for the other days they weren't able to study, they're mistaken. Learning a language is like exercising. It's never going to work effectively if you only do it once a week, even for a long time. It's more important to do it more often, even for just a short time.

To maximize your time, try listening to English audio lessons or podcasts while commuting on the train or while you get ready for work in the morning. While listening to it, you can do other things, so it will not make you late for work. You can also do it when you're having lunch or dinner, unless of course, you're eating with someone.

It's also easier to put certain things into your long-term memory if you study in the morning and then before you go to sleep.

Well, I hope you find these tips helpful. Remember that it's not just about studying hard,but studying wisely. See you again next time!

Thinking Skills

I have so many ideas on what to write about, but pardon me for not implementing them right away. It's just so different when you have to manage 7 subjects, including the thesis proposal.

For today, I want to share what a sociology professor said. Actually, this principle is applicable not only to Sociology but for almost all subjects. We're talking about thinking skills.

Do you still remember when you were in elementary, or even in high school? As a student, you once expected several exams. But most of you would have wanted an exam that merely asks you to choose from a multiple choices, fill in the blanks or match certain items. These are called lower-order thinking skills (LOTS)

Understandably, these tasks are much easier than writing a long, long essay, and developing arguments. We refer to them as higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). It's also easier to remember things when you're not required to come up with everything. In essays, you have to start from scratch because you will be writing everything, while the professor only gives the questions. Aside from that, you have to think about your grammar and logic when you write. Thus, it takes a longer time to finish an essay exam than a multiple-choice exam.

So, it's not a wonder why most students complain to teachers when they get essay exams. But, there's still truth in the saying that 'adversity is the best teacher.' Of course, no one wants to have a hard time. I guess nobody ever wished to be poor or to have many problems. However, God allows these things to happen so we'll be stronger.

We can apply this principle in learning English. When we're beginners, it's alright to stick to simple workbooks and lessons where we simply have to fill in the blanks, choose the correct letter and match items.

But, if we are serious in getting better, we have to love doing the more difficult things. That is why, reading is always helpful. It shows you examples of good writing and develops your reasoning.

When you write an essay, your brain is stimulated. You learn to think on your own, develop logic and reasoning, and organize your ideas. There's also a certain pressure for it to work hard, which is almost equivalent to exercising for the body. With LOTS, there's also brain activity, but it's minimal as compared to doing HOTS.

So, the next time, your English teacher asks you to summarize what you've read or to answer a difficult question, be thankful. Work hard at it and quit complaining because the more you practice these things, the better you will get.

IQ is not Always King

Much has been said and written about the strategies in learning another language - in your case, English. Several books already gave the ideal age for learning a language. There are even specialists who teach different learning methods. But, something is often left out. We must not forget that emotional intelligence is also needed.

In studying a language, it's not enough that you learn fast or memorize well. In life, not all people with high IQ succeed. That's because, our IQ level is not the only determining factor. Sometimes, people with high emotional intelligence beat those with high IQ.

That's why you also need to encourage and have faith in yourself. It's alright to have high standards and to keep on improving, but you also need to learn to appreciate your progress and to reward yourself for what you have accomplished. Of course, it's easy to criticize yourself and enumerate your bad points. But will that help you? Remember, we have to believe in ourselves, and not push ourselves down. In fact, if you yourself don't have any confidence in your abilities, then who would?

Many language learners have already stopped because they felt they're not smart enough to master English. Some don't work so hard because they think they are hardly improving. Remember that people don't have the same learning capacity. Others could learn some things faster, while some need to work harder. You should keep this in mind. But, as a consolation, speed is not really the most important thing. Remember the fable about the rabbit and the turtle. In the end, it's the turtle who won the race, right? This only goes to show that you can compensate for your weaknesses in life, as long as you're determined and you don't give up. Even if it could take longer for you to learn a particular lesson, you can still beat fast learners if you study regularly and if you exert more effort.

So, instead of sulking or envying others, why not spend your time wisely, encourage yourself and double your efforts!

Read Up!

So far, I've already given you tips about choosing the right English teacher, improving pronunciation and so on. Now, I'd like to get you to do serious work.

I hope you're still hanging around by now. For most people, this would be one of the most difficult things to do: read. Yes, you heard it right. It's time to work - and work hard at that. But then, the first thing you might need to do is, change your attitude.

When I was younger, I would see people deeply immersed in reading a thick book. I thought to myself: How boring! Why would I read such a thick book when the only things I could see are words. I'd be better off watching a movie and seeing real people, real situations. But, being curious, I thought, I'd want to try reading thick novels like those people. At least, I would be able to see for myself just how boring it could be.

So I did, and I struggled to finish the first 5 pages of the novel. But when I wanted to quit, I told myself if those people can read the whole novel, then at least I should read half. So, I stuck with it. By the 6th page, I was glued. Of course, part of the reason is that the author writes very well, making things more exciting. But aside from that, I discovered the joy of reading and the importance of focusing.

Funny how the thought of trying out something boring actually taught me two important things: 1. reading is important & fun; and 2. focus is necessary in achieving most of your goals in life.

Reading is quite challenging, comparing to just listening to MP3 or watching a movie. When you read, you are forced to be more imaginative and to use your senses more. You have to imagine what the characters in a picture-less book look like. You have to imagine how they speak, how they act and walk. You get to imagine what kind of place they live in, hear them speaking, feel their emotions and touch them. Reading is very intimate. When you watch a movie, you see the characters living their lives and you just watching. But when you read, you can stay with the characters and live where they are. Even if you keep quiet, you are there.

Tell me, does this seem boring? At the end of the day, I became more addicted to reading than those bookworms I criticized at first. I would try to memorize the new words so that I wouldn't have to look them up from the dictionary again and again. Man, I'm too lazy to do that. In effect, I was able to practice my memory without noticing it. I enjoyed living in a different place, different time, different culture, and being deeply immersed. I was having fun.

The bonus: I got even better than my English teacher. I would notice some of her grammatical mistakes and would think to myself how they can be fixed. My classmates started asking me about weird words and calling me 'walking dictionary.' I would go on to join English quiz bees and writing contests. Boy, they must think I'm a nerd and a very boring person. Well, I thought that about other people too. But you know what, they ask the 'nerd' for help.

Is reading hard work? Not if you're enjoying it. So why not make up your mind to enjoy it? So what if they call you the 'nerd.' It's the nerd whom people ask for help.

Listen Up!

As linguists and language teachers keep pointing out, one has to be exposed to the language (i.e. speak or hear it) regularly for him to become fluent. Babies grow up hearing the language that he's later to learn. But for us who are not in English-speaking countries, there has got to be another way.

Most of you might already be listening to English audio files regularly, while commuting to work or while taking your lunch. That's commendable! It's actually the second-best thing to being surrounded by English teachers. So what are you listening to? Maybe you can share with others.

It can be a challenge to maintain your interest when you're listening to the same thing over and over again. Man, I'll get bored then. But you don't have to be. With the millions of podcasts you can choose from, why settle with just a few?

You don't have to spend anything. Just go to www.podbean.com and register for free. Then you can start searching for different podcasts. Now, it may be hard to determine which podcast is good. And I have some recommendations for you.

Try searching for "Joyce Meyer" or "Joel Osteen." I like listening to these two popular speakers as their messages are very inspiring and motivational. It's good to start your day listening to one or two of their speeches. Their messages are full of hope and encouragement that will surely uplift your day. They will also help you excel in the workplace and in whatever you do.

These people have also written and sold millions of books worldwide. I myself have read a few books by Joyce and they open my eyes to a lot of things. Joel Osteen also has a lot of best-sellers. And another person you might want to look up is Myles Munroe.

I like the practical and wise advice they give. It's a wonderful way to get better at English while attaining personal growth. So listen up!

How to Find the Right English Teacher for You

If you're really serious about learning English, it's important to carefully choose the right teacher for you. Studying English is an investment, so it's better to choose your English teacher wisely.

We'll talk about certain things you need to considering when looking for the right teacher. Remember that different students have different needs, so there might not be one perfect teacher for everyone.

Keep in mind though that "you get what you pay for." So while you should not go out looking for the most expensive education, try to achieve a balance and don't aim for the cheapest. Usually, the teachers who offer the cheapest services have little confidence over their ability and would just like to break into the industry. I'm not saying that teachers offering a low rate are not competent enough, but a teacher who's compensated fairly enough is more likely to take care of your needs and keep your goals in mind.

Some teachers specialize in teaching beginners while some are very good in pleasing advanced students. It's always best to try out a teacher's services before deciding once and for all. Some teachers offer free trial lesson, so don't hesitate to sign up, esp. when you're not really required to sign up for his/her lessons after the trial. If there is no trial lesson, ask if the teacher would accept payment for only one lesson, and then see from there whether you'll be better off studying with that teacher in the long run.

First of all, the teacher must be competent enough in the subject matter. If you're just beginning to study English, it might be hard to determine a teacher's competence. In this case, try to ask a friend to help you or ask others what they think about this particular teacher.

Just because a person is a native English speaker doesn't automatically mean he'll be a good English teacher. In fact, some of the native speakers/teachers I've encountered don't know the difference between 'it's' and 'its' or when to use 'loose' or 'lose.' Certainly, a lot of them are qualified to teach, but not all. Remember that a person who's good in a particular subject isn't automatically the best person to teach that subject. For example, not all computer programmers can teach computer programming.

Teaching is a gift, and not all are gifted to teach. Teaching involves imparting one's knowledge the best and easiest way he could. A teacher has to have good communication skills, as well as good people skills. A good teacher can make a very difficult subject seem easy. He/She has an uncanny ability to identify the logic behind something.

A teacher has to be sensitive to the student's needs and should be determined to monitor and ensure his progress. After all, the teacher's main goal should be for you to improve in English. Make sure that you and your teacher know what your goals are.

Look for the English teacher who pays attention to the different areas of learning: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation, etc. To be good in a language, one has to work on several areas, not just one. So make sure that you're not neglecting a specific area.

One common mistake that learners of the English language think is that only native English speakers can teach English. Sometimes, non-native speakers of English might be the right teacher for you. Why? Excellence can be achieved by any nationality, given the right talents and opportunities. More often, English teachers whose native language is not English might be more patient with those trying to learn English because they have also experienced learning it at one point in their lives.

Like you, there was a point when they didn't know anything and had to start learning the most basic things. Like you, they didn't grow up with everyone around them speaking in English. They had to work hard and determine which methods and ways are effective for learning English. That is why, they can understand when you find a certain lesson difficult, and when you make mistakes.

But, don't be fooled. Just because the teacher praises your improvement or gives you compliment everytime doesn't mean he/she is the best teacher for you. At the end of the day, what matters is what or how much you learned. It's better to stick to the teacher who gives an honest (although sometimes painful) assessment than to the one who merely does lip service but doesn't deliver.

Learning another language certainly helps a language teacher become better. He/She becomes more familiar with different patterns in languages and their nuances. It's even better if the teacher is familiar with the native language of the student as he/she can compare and or state the differences.

But when you look for an English teacher whose first language is not English, you have to be very careful and to pay attention to the details. As much as possible, choose one who has a neutral or native-like accent. As we often say, it's hard to correct mistakes that you got used to. So try to learn the right way from the start.

It's better to find an English teacher who loves to read as reading is one of the most effective ways to improve grammar. In fact, non-native speakers can beat the native speakers in grammar if the latter hardly read. Aside from that, it'd be easier for bookworms to teach writing. Since they are familiar with different kinds of writing styles and techniques, they're more likely to know how to write well.

These are just some pointers to remember when looking for the right English teacher. There could be many other points to consider. When in doubt, review the basics, or you can ask me a question or two.

Happy hunting!

How to Improve your Pronunciation

Sorry everyone, it's been a while!

One of the obvious ways of mastering English is acquiring proper pronunciation and a neutral accent. By neutral, we mean that there is hardly no trace of a heavy accent (usu. of the speaker's native language).

It's often harder for older people to achieve this because their tongue has been familiar with their native language all along. It's hard to change its ways after so many years of talking in the native language. So, it's always advisable to learn a different language while you're younger. My classmate mentioned about a study in the UP Linguistics department asserting that people can only speak a different language (not their native tongue) like a native speaker when they're exposed to it from childhood until the age 21.

So what does this mean? Does this mean older people, including me (I'm 22) should give up on ever speaking another language like a native speaker? I guess not. As they say, as long as one's alive, there's hope. Haha.. So maybe we couldn't learn a language as fast as younger people can, but we can employ smarter methods.

Of course, we already know that there are many aspects of learning a language, and that we need to do different exercises to improve areas like grammar, writing, speaking, etc. At this point, we'll focus on pronunciation and neutralizing accent. Here are some points to remember:

1. Pay attention to the details. Train your ears and listen carefully at how native English speakers (or those who speak like them) pronounce words. And it doesn't stop there. When you can already distinguish between the right and wrong pronunciation, make sure you make an effort to correct yours.

2. Make sure you're pronouncing the words clearly. While it maybe attractive for some to speak slang or to make short cuts, nothing beats proper enunciation. Most Americans or English speakers tend to eat some words, but you shouldn't always imitate them.

As we often say in writing, you should "know the rules before you break them." In this case, you should learn to pronounce correctly, before you try to speak like native speakers. It's not enough to know the grammar rules and to have a wide vocabulary. As my American business partner used to say, "people respect you if you speak intelligently." And part of speaking intelligently is being clearly understood and enunciating words properly.

3. Learn to imitate. This is very easy. We've been doing this all our lives, imitating our parents, friends, teachers and many other people. How else did babies learn to speak a language? Observe the way English speakers open their mouth and talk. Then, imitate them. You may not get it right the first time, but the good thing is, you can always try again.

4. Read some tips about how to pronounce difficult vowels, letters and words. For sure, it's useful to learn how to utilize your vocal chords and use our mouth and facial parts to speak well. English has been around for a long time, and if you'll make time, you can certainly find guide books on how to pronounce your 'f's, p's, v's, b's, etc. I've given you some tips earlier and for sure you can read other useful tips in comprehensive books.

Maybe I'll give you more next time. But I guess I should say goodbye for now. I'm getting sleepy (it's 1:46 am) and I still have to finish enlisting my subjects tomorrow.

Why the British Accent is Easier for the Japanese to Adapt

Having interacted with a lot of Japanese students, I've pretty much become aware of most of their weak points. I don't intend to point out anyone's mistake. For sure, every nationality has a weak point when it comes to the study of English. But what we intend here is to have some constructive criticism.

Of course, most Japanese admit that it's quite a challenge for them to pronounce 'r & l.' I usually give a couple of tips regarding this and some other letters:

1. For r: Your tongue should roll and its tip should touch the roof of your mouth.

2. For l: The tip of your tongue should touch the tip of your upper teeth (front).

3. Bite your f's & v's. This means that when you pronounce 'f or v,' your upper teeth should be biting the lower lip.

4. Kiss your p's & b's. This means that you should pucker your lips when pronouncing 'p or b.'

And as the title suggests, I really think that it's easier for most Japanese to adopt the British accent. With the latter, the vowels are pronounced longer, while some consonants are hardly pronounced. The British accent has long vowel sounds and shorter consonant sounds. Take for example the word 'unfair.' If we use the standard American accent, the 'r' at the end of the word should be clearly heard. But if we pronounce it using the British accent, we can get away even if we hardly pronounce 'r.'

The Winning Speech

A few days ago, I told you about the 16-year-old Filipino who won the International Public Speaking Contest in London. This has been the Philippines' second win. Back in 2004, the champion was a fellow student in the University of the Philippines.

Well, here's Gian Dapul's speech, printed in Alfred Yuson's column in the Philippine Star. You be the judge:

Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus

by Gian Karlo Dapul

When I was in 6th grade, I hated mathematics. You would have, too, if you had my teacher. He would drop huge workbooks on our tables and croak, "30 problems, 50 minutes." A lot of these problems seemed unsolvable, so we complained: "Sir, there are no answers to these!" But then he'd reply, "To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution."

Although I'm only 16 years old and an incoming 4th year high school student, I know that my country has more problems than any mathematics book. Stranngely enough, the answers to some of our problems are fish mucus and foot fungus. These seemingly improbable items are products of what we call scientific research.

Research turns our guesses into real knowledge, serving as the sifting pan of our hypotheses. It challenges what we assume, because, as they say, if you only learn from what you ASS-UME, you make and "ass" out of "u" and "me."

In the early 1800s, someone warned that the streets of London would be filled with horse manure due to the uncontrolled use of horse-drawn carriages. Of course, that never happened. Combustion engines, products of research and invention, replaced horses, and the manure piled up in Parliament instead.

While on the subject, few people know that the most expensive coffee in the world is taken from the droppings of the Asian Palm Civet found in the Philippines and Indonesia. The small mammal excretes the coffee berries it eats, and forest trackers recycle the fruity feces to create what is known as the Kopi Luwak in Indonesia or Kape Alamid in our country. Research has led to a synthetic process that simulates the droppings' exotic flavor and quality.

So, who's had coffee with their breakfast? Well, soon nobody will have had coffee and breakfast if the looming global food crisis worsens. Are you all feeling fine? Well, nobody might be fine for long if some new disease creeps up on us.

Health can be enhanced and life can be extended. The nudibranch, a beautiful, soft-bodied creature unfairly called a "sea slug" - a favorite among underwater photographers for its marvelous colors and shapes - has actually been used in tumor research. Samples of fish mucus have also displayed certain antibacterial properties.

And as the Home Shopping Network would say, "Wait! There's more."

Certain types of infectious fungi that coat some of your toes form beneficial relationships that support plant growth. The International Rice Research Institute based in the Philippines continues to develop ways to improve rice growth and help alleviate the current food crisis.

New challenges are coming, and they will always confront us. What we need is an army of scientific researchers that will help find the solutions in advance. I want to be part of that army that would cross the new frontiers first.

If only we could make science fairs and contests as popular as the thriving "Idol" franchise - although I'm not sure if Simon Cowell's sardonic comments will sit well with my peers. But we need the same hard-hitting passion in research and invention.

To conduct research is to be innovative, avant-garde. Researchers are like artists with test tubes and lab gowns instead of paintbrushes and smocks. When I graduate from the Philippine Science High School next year, I want to begin my "masterpiece" and apply for a university degree in biochemistry.

Sometimes I am discouraged by those who say that a researcher from a Third-World nation is like a Jesuit adhering to a vow of poverty, or worse, like a Benedictine monk observing the vow of chastity. It is indeed a challenge, but it's also another frontier to cross, for me and many young people like me.

We Filipinos are well known for our dedication to service, in foreign homes, hospitals and hotels. (In our hotel, I found three Filipinos working at the front desk.) I want to be one of the pioneers that will make the Philippines known for its excellence in scientific research, as part of the driving force that will expand our horizons towards tomorrow. And I intend to have a lot of fun while doing it.

Going back to my math teacher, I eventually realized that, well, he was right. As he said, "To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution." We just have to go looking for the right ones. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll be answering the questions that haven't been asked yet.

Will Be Silent for a While

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry if I haven't updated you for some time. I'm currently very busy writing my investigative report for my summer internship. I'm quite excited about how it will turn out.

I'm currently calling up people or emailing and interviewing them to get a lot more facts and information. It seems that I will be quite busy with my story for a few days. I want to give my best shot.

But, don't worry, I will be back pretty soon. Rest assured, I'll have a lot more time once I finish my summer internship with Newsbreak. I'm actually planning to add a new feature in this blog. If you're wondering, maybe you can stay tune and wait patiently. I hope a lot of you will find the new addition useful. Again, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

I will let you know when I will be launching my blog about writing.

Meanwhile, I need to get back to work. Gotta write!

You Go, Gian!

Hey everyone!

I just got back from Subic. By the way, there's another reason for Filipinos to be proud of. Kudos to 16-year-old Gian Dapul for winning the English Speaking Union's International Public Speaking Competition held in London. He beat 57 other contestants from 35 countries with his speech "Fish Mucus and Foot Fungus," where he mentioned scientific breakthroughs that could enhance health and extend life spans.

He's an incoming senior at the Philippine Science High School. According to Philippine Star (newspaper): "Gian impressed the judges and audience with his relaxed and humorous delivery of a substantive speech with a clear message.

Peter Kyle, the chairman of the judges said Gian "impressed everyone with his speech, which from the start got the audience's attention." In November, Gian will be given a certificate at the Buckingham Palace, by no other than Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. It's also likely that the Queen will be present.

2nd Question: Reading

I hope everyone's enjoying the weekend so far!

We have our next letter. Let's hear what our reader had to ask..

Question: Sarah先生 Only a few successful learners of English in Japan say that the best way to master English is to read aloud English texts until we memorize them. Being skeptical and lazy, I did not apply this method . I volunteer myself to read aloud in front of my English tutors. What is your view on reading books aloud?

Answer: Thanks for asking! There is no one surefire way of mastering English. To be proficient in all areas like speaking, reading comprehension, listening skills and writing, English learners should pay attention to different approaches in studying English.

For sure, reading English texts aloud is helpful, particularly for improving pronunciation and speaking. When you read texts aloud, you will know what your weaknesses are when it comes to pronunciation and intonation. But for you to determine the correct pronunciation in the first place, you must listen to and be familiar with (proper) spoken English. Because if your native language is not English, you don't automatically know the correct pronunciation.

It is not advisable to memorize texts because mere memorization would not be helpful if the student doesn't understand the logic behind the sentence. What is more important is to understand the pattern and the words that make up the sentences. It would be more helpful to read different texts because in so doing, you'll pick up a lot of patterns and learn different expressions. In fact, you can also learn how to express one idea in different ways. As they say, if you want to write well, you have to read a lot of well-written texts.

Reading silently also has its own advantages. Some students have mentioned that they couldn't understand the text when reading aloud because they tend to concentrate on pronunciation. It's true that in some ways reading aloud can minimize your concentration. I think English learners should both learn to read silently and read aloud. In comparison, I think students should allot more time in reading silently than in reading aloud, unless they're in a hurry to improve their speaking skills.

Reading silently gives the brain time to digest what is being read. It gives the brain freedom to imagine and to associate meanings with certain words and expressions. This is good for developing logic and reasoning. While this maybe hard work, it pays well in the long run because students will have a deeper learning of English. This is the more scholarly and intellectual way of learning.

See you next time!

1st Question

Hello everyone!

Today, one of our readers sent in a question. Let's see what he posted:

Question: Hello Sarah 先生
May I ask?
What do you recomend or　what is important?　for beginner　to study English？
Vocabulary, grammar, conversation？

Answer: Thank you very much for asking! You know you're always welcome here.

I think it's important first to know basic or simple words. As we know, language is symbol. The words & letters (alphabet) represent an idea. The word mother, when we analyze it, is just a combination of the letters 'm-o-t-h-e-r.' But English speakers have chosen to use that word to mean the person who has given birth to us and takes care of us. So before we study the structure or the form (grammar), we need to know the basic words that make up the language to help us study more complicated topics.

Without knowing the words, we wouldn't be able to tell which is the subject, the verb or the predicate. And essentially, those elements (subject, verb, predicate) are parts of grammar.

Let's take, for example, the case of a baby. The baby doesn't understand anything at first. Do you think it's reasonable if we immediately teach him the grammar? We couldn't tell the baby: "Oh baby, in constructing sentences, you have to include the subject, verb and predicate. The subject has to agree with the verb." Oh no!

In the natural order of things, the baby first learns the basic words that he often hears. Most babies learn to speak 'Papa' or 'Mama.' These words mean or represent something and the human brain learns it faster. Only when the brain learns to attach a meaning to the word, is it ok for it to move on to more difficult tasks, one of which is grammar. So this means that we need to memorize or remember simple words first.

Grammar and conversation can be studied at the same time. But ideally, grammar should be studied ahead. Because if we went straight to conversation, we might be able to speak, but the grammar might end up wrong. And, I think it's very hard to correct a mistake if you are already used to it.

So, try to study simple grammar first, and then be brave enough to practice speaking. As much as possible, try to talk to someone who has good command of English because if you hear grammatically incorrect sentences, you'll learn them. And, as I've said before, it's better to learn the correct things at first than to correct mistakes later when you are already used to them.

Did I answer your question? I hope it helped. Just keep the questions coming...

Addicted to Reading

So, you've found out when I started learning English. Now, let's move forward with the story.

At a very young age, I was very competitive. I wanted to be part of the class' top 10 students. But unfortunately, I was 11th when I was in Grade 1 & 2. Upon finding out, I cried buckets of tears. Haha.. I could just laugh at it now. But I was really that intense about it.

So, I've decided to do well in Grade 3. Perhaps then, I discovered that I had an aptitude in English. I enjoyed memorizing and reciting poems, as well as performing. It also helped that my aunt gave me a book as a gift. It was Michael Jordan's biography. I thought it was very interesting and I discovered the joy of reading - in English.

That started my quest for good English books or novels. I started rummaging through my grandma's bookshelves (I think she has the largest collection of books and magazines in the family) and picked up novels that seemed interesting. There, I found 'Apple Tree Lean Down' by Mary E. Pearce. If I'm not mistaken it had 698 pages. At that time, I thought it was quite I challenged but I was encouraged when my grandma said she enjoyed reading it very much.

So off to reading I went. The book brought me back to England a few decades ago. After just a first few pages, I was enchanted. At that time, it was rainy season and there came a major storm. So we had no classes. The flood reached our home, so we had to stay in the second floor. I would remain cuddled up, reading the book. I even forgot about lunch time.

I couldn't understand a lot of words so I kept on looking them up on the dictionary. It would irritate me that I still had to look up words I already looked up before. So I tried hard to remember them. I guess that was effective!

My Adventures with English 1

For starters, let me share with you my adventures with the English language. My parents told me that I really like studying. Proof of that is when I was three years old, I begged them to let me go to school. Because of my persistence, they let me attend nursery even if I was a year younger than my peers.

Mom said that I couldn't even pronounce all the letters of the alphabet correctly. My 's' became a 't.' At that time, I think we were just being taught the basics of English - the alphabet and numbers. The Philippine alphabet doesn't differ much from the English alphabet. But if we trace it back to history, we had our own system of writing which was called 'Alibata.' It basically look like simple drawings and had a lot of curves.

However, the Spanish, American and Japanese occupation have driven it out of existence.

I wasn't a fast-learner when I was young. My Mom got disappointed many times teaching me how to read (even Tagalog). Hehe.. Up until I was in Grade 1, I wasn't very interested in English. It was just a subject taught in class. In fact, we often got irritated when Dad would switch channels and watch American movies. I couldn't understand them and they were foreign to me.

But I guess overtime, I got used to it. Thanks to Dad, I got more familiar with English/American films. I think I even know more than he does nowadays.

Send in Your Questions About Learning English

Hey everyone! Once again, I'm up and blogging. I thought it would be better for those of you who are learning English to post your questions here and to get answers as from me as quickly as possible.

You can read about what's going on in my life at: http://asksarahsensei.blogspot.com. I also have another blog about writing well in English. I'm currently conducting English classes online and privately. I've been doing it for years, and loving it. So I've decided to help those of you who are really eager to learn the language. This site is all about you and your questions regarding learning English. Everyone is welcome!

So, what are you waiting for? Feel free to ask anything you want about learning English. This is a site dedicated to English learners. As I might have told most of you, I've been studying English since I could barely talk. Haha.. I think I've gone a long way from then. I'm sure you can too!

I would like to do my best and use my expertise to help you. So go ahead. Don't hesitate. No question is too simple. When you post comments, you can choose to include your name and contact info or you can choose to be anonymous. Either way, you can be sure that I'll provide you with answers.