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Updated: 2016-09-13 |
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Learning
I hear and I
forget.
I see and I
remember.
I do and I
understand.
Confucius
Welcome to
S.E.I
's effort at helping its membership to learn English as a
second language more efficiently, and improve their
language and other
communications skills.
We will be updating these pages as new information
becomes available to provide you with tips and
tricks that can help you to more quickly improve
your communication skills... and at the same time
obtain "Better English Communications" (BEC).
The
Tips & Tricks to be found in these
pages have proven very useful to countless others in
improving not only their English vocabulary, but
more importantly their English speaking... an
important aspect of what is
called "communication skills".
Check out the TIPS & TRICKS index in the
right-hand column.
And do take a look at our
Publications page for even more TIPS through our Lecture Series.
-----------------------------------
Learning...
...is something that we
automatically associate with children.
However, in this age of
information and technology, it is ever more
important to continue to study, even as we grow
older (...and wiser ?).
Some of
the Tips & Tricks indexed in the
right-hand column are ideal for children,
specifically the items in the bottom half of the
indexed items.
Most of these items are also
useful for "older" students, because whether we like
it or not, we are ALL students nowadays.
One item in particular
is a video interview that Wuhan University - DongHu
College, did with our Chief Representative wherein
he gives some tips to university students on
studying and learning.
Enjoy.
-----------------------------------
Past…
For many decades, people wanting
a better life for themselves would try to go abroad
to study… to work… to marry… to live.
Studying abroad
Studying abroad combined with
homestay has become more popular with each passing
year. Why ?
Certainly there are still many
who think that their child can get a better
education in a foreign country. Some would
debate this, but most would agree that the
experience of living abroad, for whatever reason, is
of great value.
But until recently the costs made
it impossible for the average citizen to go abroad,
or send their child. Only the rich, the
international business travellers, the high-level
bureaucrats could do this.
Enter the present !
With the advent of
the global village, of reduced travel costs, of
internet communications, and more families becoming
“wealthy”, it is now possible for more and more
people to dream… and do such a thing. One
needs only look to the internet to see the rising
numbers of organizations offering foreign education
services.
Think of the single most
important reason for those participating in Homestay
programs in conjunction with their studies abroad.
It is to improve their communications skills, with a
majority looking to improve their English speaking
skills.
Remember Yao Ming's rise to the
NBA ? He achieved success not just by reading
and writing about basketball... not just by
listening or watching sports videos, BUT by PLAYING
basketball and learning to become one of the best
through effort, self-control, commitment, time...
and practice... over and over, through trial and
error. DOING, over and over, is the best
strategy to success in whatever you undertake.
But think of the requirements to
qualify to do homestay in a foreign country.
There are of course the “hard” costs… travel,
insurance – life & medical, lodging, tuition fees,
books & supplies, transportation to & from the
school, clothing… to name a few.
There are also “soft” costs, or
intangibles… passing the various tests and obtaining
permission to go abroad, the “guanxi” favours,
finding a good university, finding a good “home away
from home”… with relatives… even strangers. So
much worrying !
Selective !
Older Students
What about those
wanting better English communication skills... but
not having the opportunity to do so, or too busy
with a career, or wanting to do so !
What about working people?
Can they take time away from their family... their
career? Is it worth it to be away? Is
the goal worth the danger of losing... so many
things?
What about the many "older"
students, those with families and even some who are
professionals, who would like to improve their
English communication skills.
Do people really need to go
abroad to improve their conversational skills ?
Is there another way ?
There are many training programs
to achieve this goal.
However, most require a great
deal of effort and self-control to put in the many
hours needed to become "bilingual". Most
"fluency" programs are also very lengthy... some
lasting as long as 3 years. To such an extent
that some participants lose interest... and quit, as
a result of the slow and painful progress.
Enter the Future…
Homestay China
participants all lead very busy lives. They
are busy working during the day, and sometimes into
the evening. They want to improve their
English communication skills, and are willing to
sacrifice 3 months to an intensive training program
to achieve their goals. They are looking for
training programs that are specialized enough to
enable them to quickly gain the skills they need to
succeed... in China.
Enter a new concept...
...Professionals Homestay China
...presented by Starlight
Infoworks’ founder to provide citizens with the
communications skills they are seeking… at a reduced
cost... all the while staying in their native
country.
Within 2-3 months
participants can attain a 100% improvement in their
English communication skills. It is meant to
use English to help participants practice and
improve their existing language skills. The
program includes not just activities, but also a
guiding hand to enable participants to achieve their
communication skills goal as quickly as possible...
and enable them to gain an advantage in advancing
their career. Extensive practice is the only
way to success in such skills.
All this and more
in a "home away from home" native-English
environment... in China.
Homestay China
is a new concept looking for
partner-investors. If you are interested in
helping people improve their lives... and still make
a reasonable profit, then contact Dr. Jacques
St-Arnaud at...
homestay@educaltural.institute.
-----------------------------------
Learning...
...in this age of information and
technology is ever more important as we grow older
(...and wiser ?).
Recent research is showing us,
proving, the link between our mind and our body's
health. But some reports have gone further,
suggesting a link between our success and our
attitude... towards learning.
A recent article at
Lumosity.com goes even further, alluding
to a link between learning and... being bilingual,
that is being fluent in 2 or more languages.
Do visit their interesting
website for more information.
In the meantime, enjoy this
excerpt from a recent email we received from them.
"How
Bilingualism Can Affect Your Brain
Speaking
multiple languages may be an advantage in more ways
than one: a new study suggests that bilinguals are
speedier task-switchers than monolinguals.
Task-switching
and its real-world applications
Task-switching—the ability to mentally “switch
gears” and refocus on new goals—is a valuable skill
that has numerous practical uses. You use it
to shift attention from the wheel to the road while
driving, or to switch gears between offense and
defense in a team sport. Bilingualism has
already been associated with a number of cognitive
advantages, and now a 2010 study from Language and
Cognition has investigated how bilingualism might
enhance crucial task-switching skills in young
adults.
This Carnegie
Mellon University study recruited 88 college
students, half of whom were monolingual and half of
whom were bilingual. Both groups had about
equal SAT scores, suggesting no inherent difference
in cognitive ability.
Each
participant sat in front of a screen with two
different kinds of tasks assigned to each of their
two hands. As cues appeared onscreen, one hand
was responsible for identifying the color of the
cue. The other hand was responsible for
identifying the shape of the cue.
There were two
aspects to this task-switching experiment:
single-task trials and mixed-task trials. In
single-task trials, participants identified either
color or shape but never switched between the two
tasks. In mixed-trial tasks, participants
frequently switched between color and shape
identification tasks—a more difficult procedure.
Researchers
compared single-task and mixed-task reaction times
to determine how reaction time and accuracy differed
between groups and trial types.
Bilinguals
were much faster than monolinguals on trials that
required task-switching—their reactions were 6
milliseconds quicker on average. Both groups,
however, were equally quick to respond on
single-task trials, which did not involve switching.
Task-switching
and executive control
This 2010
study contributes to a growing body of evidence
suggesting that bilinguals enjoy enhanced executive
control compared to monolinguals. Executive
control refers to a combination of cognitive
abilities—including task-switching—that help you
make decisions, control impulses, and plan
thoughtfully. It’s long been thought that
constant management and monitoring of two languages
improves executive control—a belief that this
Carnegie Mellon study supports.
How you can
improve your own task-switching
Regardless
of how many languages you speak, there are plenty of
other ways to enhance your own task-switching
abilities and meet the varied demands of everyday
life. Lumosity’s Brain Shift and Brain Shift
Overdrive games train task-switching with an
exercise similar to the one in the 2010 study.
Or try Color Match to exercise impulse control.
Unlock full access today to hone your skills!"
Do visit
Lumosity.com. Their site includes
lots of important information, and tools, to help
you and yours attain higher levels of "education".
-----------------------------------
It is the
supreme art
of the teacher
to awaken joy
in creative
expression
and knowledge.
Albert
Einstein
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Since you’re all the way “down here” …
… we have a small favour to ask.
More people are reading, and benefiting from
S.E.I
’s website than ever, something that we truly appreciate. However, we have associated costs in providing this content. We want to keep our content as open as we can and not have a “paywall” like more and more other informational websites. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
S.E.I
’s independent, investigative researchers and writers take a lot of precious time, money and hard work to produce their contributions. But we do it because we believe that our perspective matters… because it is also the perspective of many, like you.
If everyone who reads
S.E.I
’s content, who likes and benefits from it, and helps to support it,
S.E.I
’s future would be much more secure.
Thank you for your interest.
Here’s hoping you can make a donation…
…or even better make an investment in exchange for
S.E.I
shares, and even some from its sister Canadian company, Starlight Infoworks Inc..
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TIPS &
...a listing of websites offering free educational courses and programs
...to help you find that much needed information on the internet
...as a solution to improving faster
...an interview highlighting techniques to learn better
a Story... HOW TO...
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