最棒的聖誕節禮物! 恭喜雅思班內生拿到Band 8!

聖誕節快樂！最棒的聖誕節禮物🎁

#恭喜雅思班內生拿到Band 8

閱讀跟聽力穩穩的拿8.5是拉高平均的關鍵！

最開心的是我的閱讀法有學生徹底的學起來！以你為榮！

我的閱讀法不是教學生投機取巧，而是教閱讀的本事、邏輯的思維。

只要你願意花時間練起來，這個本事到了你之後出國讀書都還受用無窮。

#培養閱讀的實力

托福寫作從18分到29分的練習分享

托福寫作從18分到29分的練習分享
(托福寫作滿分30)

有輸入才會有輸出！原來有更好的中文說法：厚積才能薄發！
我又學到了這麼棒的中文句子！謝謝清忠的分享！

圖是清忠在Gabby 凱妃老師粉專的留言，大家不只要把好的方法筆記下來，更要確實的去做到。

這樣下一個進步的人就是你了！

回覆托福考生的問題－如何練托福口說?

Hi Chu-iu,

Congratulations on your awesome improvement! You did all the hard work - you should be really proud of yourself! Thank you so much for telling me about what you’ve done.

Improving speaking through self-study is possible, but you’ll need to be super sensitive to everything you say in your practice sessions. Here are a few simple but important steps:

1) You must speak English out loud every single day. Ideally, that will include TOEFL practice under timed conditions. The more you speak, even if it is unfocused speech, the better your fluency will be. There are two main ways to improve fluency:

First, you can simply say what you are thinking out loud. You can say things like what you are doing, what you want to do, what is happening, what you think will happen, etc. Simply doing this for one week will improve your fluency an incredible amount.

Second, you can practice what I call the “Fluency 大招” technique - basically, you randomly choose one word from a book or website (the source doesn’t matter) and—without preparation—you say whatever you can that is related to the word. You could explain something, you could tell a true (or invented) story, you could teach a principle, etc. The important thing is that you stay on topic, don’t stop speaking, and don’t speak Chinese. This is one of the best ways to practice for Q1,2&5 because it develops your ability to think quickly and say something related to the question. Then, your speech won’t become too choppy (卡卡的) in Q1,2, or 5. When you do this practice, your focus is 100% on fluency, not on grammar, so don’t correct your grammar. Just keep speaking.


2) It is possible that you have issues with your pronunciation. If the ETS raters cannot understand what you’re saying because of unclear pronunciation, then increasing your fluency (or improving your content) will not improve your score. The ONLY way to improve your score in this case is to improve your pronunciation. If money is not an issue, then a speech therapist or a pronunciation teacher (either native speaker or non-native speaker with native-speaker pronunciation) is best. Their coaching can probably get you better results than you can get on your own.

If you must study on your own, though, I have a couple of suggestions. First, I recommend the YouTube channel “Rachel’s English.” If possible, try to figure out what specific pronunciation issues you have first and then watch the relevant videos and practice with her. Working on pronunciation directly in this way can be very tiring and boring for some students, so it’s important to take it slowly - no more than about 5-10 minutes per practice session. It can also take months to improve in certain areas of pronunciation. However, if it’s important, persist. You will be forever grateful if you keep with it.

Second, you can practice “mirroring” (or “shadowing” or “echoing” as the technique is called). Find a YouTuber or TV personality who has the accent you want and who has a similar voice to your natural voice. As you are male, do not choose a female. (Of course, females should copy females). Then play and pause: play a sentence or part of a sentence, and then repeat it, trying to copy the person’s intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation. Play around with it - vary the length of time that you play. When you get good at it, play continuously and try to keep up with the speaker, speaking about half a second after the person. It’s hard in the beginning, but after a few days (or weeks), you’ll start to get better at it. Eventually, that speaker’s tone, rhythm, and accent will become a part of your natural speech.

3) Record your answers. This technique is TOEFL (or IELTS) specific. You do a question and record your answer. Now, you have several options:

First, you can fix your content issues. Listen very carefully to what you said in your answer, and think about it extremely critically, as if you were an ETS rater. Use the Speaking Rubrics to guide you. Is what you said really accurate? Are you really answering all parts of the question? Have you missed important points from the listening or reading? After you have analyzed your answer, do it again. Try to avoid writing scripts because you’re trying to improve your SPOKEN English, not your WRITTEN English. Keep doing the same question, recording it, and analyzing it until you’re satisfied with the content and the timing.

Next, you can fix grammar issues, if you have any. This is massive task, though, so only attempt it if you think that grammar is definitely the source of your low score. Remember: you have been speaking with your current grammar for years, so changing these grammatical habits will take considerable time. Still, it’s worth it if it’s really important to you on a personal level or if your grammar is causing misunderstanding (misunderstanding = low score). Record your answer and write out every single word, every single grammatical mistake, and every single “umm” that you say. Don’t leave anything out! Now, read what you have written. This can be a shock because most people don’t realize how many mistakes they make. Next, focus on one grammatical mistake to correct. Re-record the same question, and focus completely on fixing that one grammatical mistake. Listen and check. Repeat this until you aren’t making that grammatical mistake in that question, and also do it with other questions until you don’t make this mistake anymore. This can take weeks of focused effort, but I have had students correct grammatical errors in this way before, so it is definitely possible for you, too.


4) Understand how to answer TOEFL questions correctly. Basically, make sure you give the raters what they want. Fulfill the requirements of the rubrics and answer every part of the questions. Even if you’ve heard “experts” say that you must say, “….,” think for yourself. Is that really answering the question? Is that what the rubric wants? Remember that there is no such thing as a 萬能理由/萬用模板. Templates must be used with considerable thought and adaptation. If you unthinkingly use a template, it will almost certainly lower your score, but if you adapt a template to suit the question, and the template sentences are grammatically correct and appropriate, then it will help you answer questions with more certainty. Finally, templates must be internalized (內化), otherwise they’re almost useless and obvious to the rater.


I hope that these tips will be helpful to you. After you’ve used them for a while, let me know how it’s going.

If you diligently practice these tips, your TOEFL score will improve. If you don’t sense any improvement after seriously working on them for over a month, it could be that you’re missing something.

Enjoy

SAT/ACT Bridge Courses:天母校邏輯閱讀班和中級文法班 Logical Reading and Intermediate Grammar courses (TianMu School)

天母校的邏輯閱讀班和中級文法班(SAT/ACT Bridge Courses)，春班課表出來了。

https://lindsaysat.blogspot.com/2018/11/2019-satact-bridge.html

邏輯閱讀班是銜接SAT/ACT的閱讀，中級文法班則是銜接SAT/ACT的文法。適合不需要考TOEFL/IELTS的國際學生(G7-9)，G10可以開始準備SAT或選上文法班。(Suitable for native English speakers)

需要考TOEFL/IELTS的國際學生(G7-9)，先考進班測驗，確認程度適不適合。如果已經是G10的學生，會考另外一份考卷，看程度適合先準備SAT還是先準備托福。

預約進班考試(找Amanda) : 02-2831-3275


Course schedules for Logical Reading and Intermediate Grammar are now available for the 2019 Spring Semester.

https://lindsaysat.blogspot.com/2018/11/2019-satact-bridge.html

Both courses have been designed as bridge courses for the SAT and ACT. Logical Reading will give students the reading skills and thinking tools to prepare them for the more rigorous SAT and ACT Reading sections, and Intermediate Grammar will train students (not by simply teaching grammar theory, but by applying theories to a multitude of questions within passages: learning by doing) to notice and correct grammar and structural patterns, laying the foundation for both the SAT Writing (grammar) and the ACT English (grammar) sections. As a bonus, the grammar is learned in such a way as to heighten students’ awareness of their own grammatical shortcomings in their writing.

These classes are specifically designed with native or near-native speakers in mind: those who study at certain international schools and are not required to take the TOEFL or IELTS. The best time to take these courses is G7-9. Doing so will enable students to adapt more quickly to the more rigorous SAT classes in G10.

Students who require the TOEFL or IELTS and are in G7-9, will be required to pass a reading or grammar test to assess their suitability for these courses. Students who are already in G10 will be given a different test to assess suitability for SAT or TOEFL courses. Results on these entrance tests will determine the most appropriate course(s) for the students.

Please contact Amanda or me (Brett) for inquiries or to set up an appointment for an entrance test on 02-2831-3274.

雅思必備書單與練習資源介紹

我去年把舊的書單拿下來，那是因為當時我重新讀了之前推薦過的雅思書單，發現其中有幾本書，並沒有我之前想得那麼好。像是母語人士寫的書，他們的措辭或是文章過於複雜，也有文法跟單字用錯不少。另外也想花些時間沉澱，近一年的時間細細閱讀各方出版的雅思新書，看有沒有值得推薦給考生的，但可惜沒有特別突出的。


雅思閱讀 

1. 新平行閱讀法
2. 無詞閱讀法

近年有幾本新的雅思閱讀書出版，我大概讀了七八本左右。只是沒有一本書教的內容有"新平行閱讀法"好，所以以雅思閱讀來說，新平行閱讀法這本書仍然是首選，跟之前講的一樣。

另外我還會想提到"無詞閱讀法"，作者有出幾本書，但是你只要買他教無詞閱讀法的技巧那一本就好。新平行閱讀法也是，只要買那一本教技巧的就好，其他不要買。這兩本書都只要學書裡的解題技巧，而不是學書裡的英文，因為有不少英文的錯。

而以閱讀來說，"新平行閱讀法"教的技巧比"無詞閱讀法"還要好一些，但是無詞他有一些不同的技巧，特別是有關畫單字的方式。基本上，這個畫單字的技巧目前還管用，但是如果是用在機考上，那就沒有那麼管用了。不過他有關介係詞或是要怎麼找定位詞之類的想法，這些都非常好，考生要學起來，而且也特別適合用在聽力的部分 : 他有教很多怎麼去認讀關鍵字，例如介係詞等，他會教你怎麼去細看題目，因為你考聽力時，會先看考卷上的題目，然後考卷上有填空的這種題型，這種題型最理想的答題方式是你要看是哪種詞性，而判斷詞性的方式就是看周圍的單字，而這個無詞閱讀法就會訓練你，讓你更會注意到這些，所以聽力的部分，"無詞閱讀法"一定要學起來!

把這兩本書的技巧學會後，便要將技巧應用在劍橋9~13或OG的閱讀做答裡，來熟練技巧! 記得做閱讀的題目，務必要計時，遇到不會的單字一定要檢討完後背起來，不要練過了，卻沒有學起來! 還有練過的題目，是可以反覆練習的! 反覆練也會有顯著的進步! 

另外免費練閱讀方法，有我之前寫給閱讀偏弱或是平常沒有在閱讀英文的考生，用來打底雅思閱讀的方式 : 針對性最高的雅思閱讀打底方法。如果你是雅思新手，也可以用這篇的方式來練習，像之前就有不少外地考生自己用這個方式自修，閱讀有進步一個級分。


雅思聽力 

技巧的部分有出版的書 : 只有上面提到的無詞閱讀法比較管用。我看了很多簡體跟少數繁體的聽力書，基本上沒有一本是夠格的。也讓我不得不說凱妃教練的雅思聽力技巧是獨步江湖。若要練聽力的話，有兩個方法 : 一個是泛聽，就是多聽一些比較不相干的東西，像是看歐美影集，多多益善。另外一個是BBC，他們的英國腔跟雅思聽力的腔還蠻接近的，所以多聽是有益處的。如果是更針對雅思的，只有劍橋雅思官方出版的一系列書，並搭配凱妃教練的聽力九九神功來練習。這樣用"對的書"+"適合的練法"，可以讓聽力偏弱的考生進步，也可以讓有企圖心想要聽力拿到滿分的考生來練習。

凱妃教練有拍教學影片，考生可以看下面的連結來練習 : 
雅思聽力必練技：聽力九九神功（教學影片）

1. https://www.facebook.com/IELTS.Gabby/videos/2111923265516289/

2. https://www.facebook.com/IELTS.Gabby/videos/2113700255338590/

3. https://www.facebook.com/IELTS.Gabby/videos/2116029821772300/

另外，如果你是剛入門的雅思考生，練雅思聽力我會推薦劍橋出版的雅思官方指南(The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS - 我們會簡稱"雅思OG"或是"OG")和劍10，因為這兩本的聽力速度比較慢。現在考的雅思聽力比這兩本的語速還要快，是快蠻多的，所以你考前不要太常用這兩本。(這邊也要特別留意，我說的是劍橋出版的雅思官方指南，不是British Council英國文化協會(簡稱BC)出版的IELTS雅思考試官方指南。考生不要搞混喔! BC出的官方指南一書，上面的官方是指BC本身，並不是寫雅思考試題目的劍橋雅思官方。所以BC這本書的英文是IELTS ESSENTIAL GUIDE，而不是"Official" Guide。考生不要傻傻的以為差不多，因為題目的難度跟考點邏輯是差很多的。BC出版的不是不好，只是難度跟真正的雅思相比，偏易許多，並且沒有真的考到邏輯的部分。然而對於想要多練習英文的考生來說，還是可以買來當作額外的練習。

如果要找最接近現在考的雅思，劍9,11,12,13這四本聽力的部分都很不錯。

對了! 閱讀的話，劍橋系列倒是正好相反，OG的閱讀反而是偏難的，所以這是可以留到比較後面來練習。然後其他劍9~13的難度是比較平均。以及也是要看個人，例如同一篇，有的人覺得特別難或是特別簡單，其實這只是純粹代表你的字彙量，你對某個主題熟不熟悉而已，而並不是說因為文章本身特別難或特別簡單。這也是為什麼常常閱讀能力屬於中等或偏中上的學生，有時考閱讀可以拿到7或7.5，但是有時卻會掉到6。其實不是他們的閱讀退步了，只是他們的閱讀能力本來就還不夠好，而且考試常常也是運氣，拿到高分是因為剛好遇到熟悉的主題，拿到低分也只是遇上陌生的主題。所以想要在閱讀穩穩地拿到高分7.5以上，是需要一定的閱讀實力，因此長期廣泛的閱讀就很重要了!

以劍橋雅思官方出版的書來說，OG和劍9~13是最好的，也是必備的。
劍8就還OK，劍8之前的就不要浪費時間用了。除非劍8~13你已經練到超熟，練到沒得練了，而且裡面的單字你也是徹頭徹尾的全部都會了，那你要再往前練也沒有人會阻止你。


雅思口說

口說最好的資源，目前免費的有兩個 : 一個是雅思哥(APP)上面有很多的題目，只要用"高頻題"，其他的一律不要用，不要想說要用猜題那些，基本這些對你準備雅思是不相關的，對你的益處沒有很大。但是高頻題，是有被過濾篩選過的，所以題目不會那麼畸形，但是用猜題的，你就會覺得題目很奇怪啊~常常會看不懂，那是因為題目的英文是有問題的。高頻題大部分的題目就比較沒有問題，少部分還是有一些文法錯，所以你覺得某一個題目很奇怪，你就不要管它，跳過就好了。另外一個免費的資源是Simon的blog，他上面的口說是不錯的，因為他上面有一些蠻簡單的回答。只是他的答案對於我來說比較算是缺點，因為他的答案都過於完整，不太像是口語說話的方式呈現，所以答案都是用完整的句子。可是我們真實口說是不可能用這麼完整的句子回答，因為我們是人，我們不是機器。這是考口說，而不是考寫作，所以口說很自然的是不會有這樣完整的句子出現。但是他的點子，可以讓考生看得出一個好的答案是長什麼樣子，所以仍然可以學習的，算是不錯的口說資源。

書的話，我最近也看了大概至少十本比較新出來的口說書。以有出版的書來說，還是Andrew寫的IELTS Speaking最好，這也是之前有推薦過的。他裡面有很多技巧是考生一定要注意到的，裡面該教的都有教到，是一本值得考生好好學習的口說書。

以還沒出版的教材，我編寫的雅思口說教材是雅思口說資源裡最完整精實的。但是我也不知道什麼時候有時間出版，所以考生如果時間搭配的上雅思聽說技巧班的上課時間，就可以用這個雅思口說教材學習。因為只要考生徹底將教材裡面的內容練到精熟，雅思口說要進步2~3個級分是可以的。我們之前很多學生就是這樣在雅思口說拿到更高的分數，因而拉高了整體的平均。其中有一位我最佩服的學生，她每天花6個小時練習雅思口說，把書裡的句型和滿分示範答案練成自己的口說能力，口說從Band 4.5 進步到Band 7.5。而最近凱妃教練(她本身已經是雅思強者)為了精進自己的口說，花半年的時間專注在練這個教材，口說從Band 8進步到Band 9滿分，非常厲害! 值得考生效仿。

另外我之前也有分享一個免費的雅思口說答題思路: 雅思口說必備的神思路! 以及我們的雅思學生分享的練習方法 : 一個月內飆了兩分的雅思口說練習方法，都非常推薦大家學習。

口說最現實的地方就是你天天花點時間練習就會越講越順~越講越好，但是你只要一天停下來不練，你一講就會開始卡了，所以持續的每天開口講英文對於即將要考雅思的考生，是每天必備的練習!


雅思寫作

我一樣謹慎的看了幾本近年有出版的雅思寫作書，現在唯一能推薦的是我們上課也有在用的Improve your skills for IELTS: Writing for IELTS(4.5-6.0)。這個系列有兩本，另外一本是Band 6.0-7.5，但是這本我不推，因為內容太過頭，用詞和文法過於複雜，如果你學這本，你可能在雅思寫作是沒辦法拿到比較高的分數，因為太難駕馭，容易寫錯。但是Band 4.5-6.0這本該知道的雅思寫作知識，基本上這本書都有教。然後大家不要被書名的Band 4.5-6.0誤導，以為這本書教的寫作程度很低。錯! 這本書裡面的內容，如果考生都有學起來，是足以讓你考到滿分Band 9的! 所以以準備雅思寫作來說，其實用左邊這本藍色的Band 4.5-6.0就已經綽綽有餘，真的不太需要右邊深紅色的Band 6.0-7.5那本，深紅色那本如果你買了，可以用來額外欣賞~閱讀~進修。

另外一個當然是Simon的範文，我們的IELTS雅思考題討論區裡面的檔案庫有整理好的範文Task 1和2，大家都可以直接下載來學習。因為我常建議考生要練抄寫，而透過練Simon範文抄寫讓雅思寫作分數進步1~2個級分的考生已是不可勝數。

雅思寫作-抄寫的方法(總整理)

另外Simon的blog上面也有幾個免費的影片可以看，內容也都很好。我自己的雅思寫作範文有兩本，一本是搭配我前面推薦的Band 4.5-6.0這本所寫的範文，另外一本是搭配劍橋雅思出版的考古題而寫的範文。前一本在我們的雅思寫作能力班會教，後面這本則是在雅思讀寫技巧班會學到。說真的，我有想要出版我寫的範文，因為這樣外地的考生也可以學到。但現在除了要教課(SAT/托福/邏輯閱讀)外，也要顧Lindsay SAT(林熙留學考試學習中心)，所以我想應該在幾年後的雅思考生才有機會在書店看到我的書的身影吧! 

文法的話，劍橋出版的雅思文法書:Cambridge Grammar for IELTS是不錯的，基本上它的概括性是很夠的，夠到有點過頭，但是它目前仍然是最好也是針對性最高的雅思文法書。

然後單字，劍橋系列出的這兩本雅思字彙Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS和Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS Advanced 都很不錯(以前也有介紹過 : 弱底同學打底雅思的方式)。
只是我沒有選這兩本來當雅思字彙班的教材是因為書裡提供的練習題不夠多，如果你要背單字，你是需要練很多才能把單字變成你能使用出來的字彙，因為你能用出來的字彙量才是你真正的單字量。而不是只有背了一堆單字在腦裡，卻沒幾個是講得出來~寫得出來~並且是精準的用對的。用海量的方式來背單字，已經過時了! 能正確的使用出單字~用進句子裡，才是你真實擁有的單字量。這樣才有能力銜接國外的留學或工作生活。所以我比較喜歡字彙班在用的這本 : Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS : Essential words and phrases to help you maximise your IELTS score。

雖然雅思考試最理想的就是用Cambridge出版的書學習，但還是要提醒一下，因為有的劍橋的書的內容也是有點舊了，就沒有了現在雅思考試會考的Fu，例如: Official IELTS Practice Materials 1 & 2，這兩本就不要用了! 

Critical SAT and ACT Advice: Don't take your school brain to the test!

Critical SAT and ACT Advice:
Don't take your school brain to the test!

What in earth does that mean?

Basically, if you are in a typical western schooling environment (e.g. TAS, TES, KC, etc), you are taught to draw conclusions in a big way. Teachers like to push you to use your imagination and infer all kinds of things that are not in reading passages. In fact, for many school teachers, especially literature teachers, the more you infer the happier they are.

So, what's the problem?

SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, and GMAT are standardized tests, which means that there can be only one correct answer. The kind of inferring that is common in school leads to multiple possible answers, so it's unsuitable for standardized tests.

The basic rule is this: only make one tiny inference - the smaller the better. Let me illustrate what I mean.

If your friend looks like he's in pain, and he's massaging his leg, what can you reasonably infer?

Only one thing: his leg hurts.

What can't you reasonably infer?
He got injured playing basketball.
He had an accident.
He woke up with a sore leg.
His sister kicked him.
A dog bit him.
He's malnourished.
He's got a rash.
Etc.

Even though this is boring as an inference, it's the only thing you can REASONABLY infer. Anything else is evidence of an overactive imagination and will give you a LOWER SCORE!

Remember: in a standardized test like the SAT and ACT, make the smallest inference possible. In fact, if you see direct evidence of an answer choice, that's even better than a choice you have to draw an inference about.

Always use what I term "the point test" - if you can't point directly to the evidence for an answer choice, it's probably wrong.

Thinking about it mathematically:
No inference > small inference > large inference

Remember: there is no place for imagination in a standardized test - always find evidence in the passage.

SAT/ACT vocabulary in the news #1

SAT/ACT vocabulary in the news #1

Just ran across this article.

Can you figure out what the word "scores" means in this context? Leave your answer in the comments.

This type of usage is fairly typical on the SAT - they love to test second or third meanings of words. The SAT almost never tests the first definition.

Remember: to do well on SAT vocab questions, it's not enough to simply know the basic definition of a word. You MUST grasp the meaning from the context.

SAT/ACT grammar mistakes in our daily lives #1

SAT/ACT grammar mistakes in our daily lives #1

Can you spot both of the grammar mistakes?

These are common mistakes that native speakers are generally unaware of. Still, they're just the kind of errors that are frequently tested on the SAT, ACT, and GMAT.

Remember: it's never enough to just be an excellent speaker of English to get a top score on the SAT or ACT. Knowledge of rules of grammar is essential to give you the competitive edge over other equally competent users of English.

If you can see the mistakes, write a corrected version in the comments.

Answer: 

The first mistake is at the beginning of the sentence: “As an artist,” SHOULD be describing Tom, but, grammatically, it’s describing the noun after the comma (the greatest thing). It could be rewritten as, “The greatest thing Nike has given me as an artist is…”

The second mistake is separating two sentences with a comma: “these are not constraints, these are other ways of thinking.” This could be rewritten with a dash or a colon: “these are not constraints - they are other ways of thinking.”

Finally, nobody (apart from grammar fans like me and Neal) will care about this, but the first mistake is called a “dangling modifier” and the second a “comma splice” or a “run-on sentence.” Knowing the names is useful if you want to google these mistakes to learn more about them.

我的SAT模考班介紹 ((SAT考前衝刺班))

The Lindsay SAT Mock Test Class has been tailored to suit the needs of students with native or near-native proficiency in English. Classes will be taught in a completely English environment, and will take an interactive approach, not the traditional but outdated spoon-fed approach.

By an interactive approach, we mean that after the test, you are permitted to ask questions on all of the areas you miss or are unsure about. Through the explanations, you are able to have flaws in your critical thinking (the essence of the new SAT test) pointed out as well as have your gaps in crucial knowledge filled. For example, commonly tested grammar points require repetition for you to internalize them.

1. Our mock tests are by appointment only, so please notify us in advance which dates you would like to attend.
2. Tests begin at 9am sharp, so do ensure that you arrive on time.
3. The test will be run in the same way as the official tests, including the optional essay section.
4. After a break for lunch, discussions follow.
5. The nature of these discussions varies depending on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the students on any particular day. 
6. Commonly tested concepts are reiterated throughout the explanations. Questions are not only welcome but expected of you.

These mock classes are essential for you to push yourself and keep your test-taking skills honed. While the SAT is a standardized test, each test is unique inasmuch as it tests concepts in slightly different ways thus throwing a spotlight on your blind spots. With Brett's personal guidance, you will understand how to overcome these deficiencies and improve not only your SAT score but also your ability to think critically, thus paving the way for university studies.

You are NOT your last SAT score! SAT Words of Advice.

You are NOT your last SAT score!
SAT Words of Advice.

I’ve noticed a destructive mindset that many students seem to share: they strongly feel that they are defined by their last test scores.

Often, a new student will tell me that they took a test like the SAT or ACT (sometimes without preparation) and that they received a certain score. Then they say, “I guess that’s just my level.” They allow a test score to limit their potential. This is a serious mistake. There is no such thing as a “1200-student,” a “1300-student,” or even a “1450-student.” With more practice, and especially more thought and analysis of past mistakes, students can always improve their scores.

What’s worse is the kind of student who has done well on a previous test but would like to do even better on a future test. Sometimes, these students care so deeply about the upcoming score that they often sabotage their own success. For instance, if they do poorly on a practice exam, they seem to believe that they’re getting worse. That negative feeling can cause them to perform even worse on their next mock exam, which creates a self-perpetuating cycle. As a teacher, it is easy for me to see their true potential, but potential is not enough. The “inner game” is even more important that true ability.

We use the term “inner game” in sport. I’m sure everybody who has played sports (or chess or any other game) has had the following experience: there is a rival team or player that always beats you. Then, one day, you forget yourself and before you realize it, you’re winning. Then you notice, and your conscious mind says, “Wait! I NEVER win against this opponent!” As soon as you have this inner dialog, you start to fumble and miss easy shots. The end result is that you lose.

Now, did you really lose because the other player or team was better than you? No. Your brain gave your subconscious mind a direct command: “I never beat them!” Naturally, your subconscious mind complies and causes you to lose.

The same is true for test takers. If you deeply believe that you are limited or that you’re getting worse, you won’t be able to tap your true potential. Remember: it’s physically impossible to get worse from doing practice tests. You can only get better. So, make sure you don’t brainwash yourself into believing that you’re getting worse.

Remain positive - it’s one of the keys to high performance. If you have been diligent in your practice, you CAN do better.

I hope everybody does well on the upcoming SAT test.

SAT Test next week! Last minute preparations.

SAT Test next week!

Last minute preparations.

If you (or your teenager) is taking the SAT test next Saturday, here are some extremely valuable things to keep in mind:

1) Most important - get plenty of sleep. If you are like some of my high performing, dedicated students, you are probably operating under a sleep deficit. Studies (and the experience of tons of students) have proved that nothing raises your score more than one week of adequate sleep. Now is the time to start going to bed early - if you wait until Friday night, it'll be too late.
I have seen students score 100-200 points lower than they should simply by not getting enough sleep before a test. Don't let that happen to you! Getting tons of sleep is not wimpy - it's smart!


2) Remember to charge your calculator or to have fresh batteries. I always take two calculators, just in case one of them dies mid-test. It's never happened, but at least I don't need to worry about it. Having a calculator that you really know how to use is especially important on the subject test.


3) Have one sharp pencil and one blunt one. The sharp pencil is for writing on the test paper, and the blunt one is for bubbling in the answer sheet. Not trying to bubble in with a sharp pencil will save you at least a minute on each section of the test. Remember that mechanical pencils are not allowed.


4) Bring a silent watch that has a stopwatch on it. The classroom I was in during my last SAT test had a clock at the back of the room, and I was sitting at the very front. Remember that smart watches are not allowed.


5) Print out your ticket. If you don't do this, you won't be allowed to sit the test. I know this rule is stupid - why can't we just use our cell phone, but I saw a girl who had flown in from China being refused admission because she had not printed out her ticket. Unfortunately for her, there were no convenience stores nearby, so she lost the chance to take the exam.


6) Take caffeinated beverages (or vitamin B pills) only if you are used to them. Never experiment on test day - it might cause you discomfort.


7) Avoid cramming the night before the test. It's much better to chill out than to stress about the upcoming test.


8) Make sure you are totally familiar with how to bubble in the student response questions (the ones that are not multiple choice) on the math section. They're easy to do, but you should still practice a few times before test day.


9) Do at least 2 whole practice tests with the answer sheet. Print them out and do the test for real. Bubbling in and checking your answers adds about 5 minutes to each section.


I hope these tips were useful. They're just a few of the things that I tell my students.

Good luck on test day!

最高效的學習方法:"聚焦"與"持續"

聚焦跟持續是並行的。

我在學中文的時候，我很有把握自己可以從早到晚，用所有零碎的時間練好一件事情，
並心無旁鶩的練。所以在頭幾年，我沒有買電腦，當然也沒有智慧型手機。
我只有無敵電子辭典和書。

我差不多花了三年打底，每天練國字，每天學10個新的國字(繁體和簡體)所有的意思。
注意這邊"所有的意思"! 這個很重要! 

大部分的台灣學生從小背單字都是用中文的翻譯去記意思，導致對單字的認識不夠完全。
因為大部分的書上中文翻譯總只會給你那一兩個意思，學生沒有再另外查英英字典，
背單字只靠有中文解釋的書，這樣會讓學生誤以為自己背的單字只有那一兩個意思。
也就造成後來自己在閱讀長篇一點的文章或讀本小說時，常會覺得單字我都看過跟背過，
但是自己會的意思卻怎麼樣都套不進句子裡，而容易產生想放棄閱讀的念頭。

因為學生們需要應付學校的課業，需要背的單字也很多。
時間有限就會想求快~用中文背單字的意思。
但是如果他們願意多花一點零碎時間，在學每個單字時多查英英字典，
反覆多看幾次英文的意思和例句，並跟著例句來造出句子。
這樣長期下來對單字的掌握度，才有辦法越來越接近母語人士。

延伸閱讀: 找到適合你現在程度的線上英文字典
口說我也有練對話，一直背誦對話，背到滾瓜爛熟，並且我會用替換字來玩對話。
這個我之前也有一篇文章有分享過 : 怎麼強化英語對話能力 
你們再點進去看。

這三年我很認真，一直沒有改變我的練習方法。
三年過了，就開始看金庸。金庸我看了至少三年，才把所有的金庸書看完。金庸看完之後，開始看古文(文言文)。我看了大學和心經，之後我就開始看論語。這些古文我差不多花了一年半的時間讀。
就這差不多七年半的時間，我只持續聚焦在這樣的學習內容跟方式，沒有去管其他的方式。
我很執著，只按照我覺得最好的辦法去練。

可是我發現大部分的學生沒有這樣做，他們很容易分心~很容易換方法。

每一次見到新的方式，就容易覺得哇~這個應該比我現在用的還要好! 
他們就換~但他們只有三分鐘熱度。他們會試一下~過沒多久又聽到新的方式~又換。  

他們沒有持之以恆，沒有持續一個方式，沒有持續得夠久，根本沒有生效。
在開始生效前，他們就對原先練習的方式沒有熱度了，開始覺得乏味~

感到沒有新意~又想換其他的方法。
就這樣惡性循環，因為他們沒有做到聚焦跟持續。
總是想找到更好更快的方式學習。
但這並不是學習的好方法~好態度。

最高效的學習方法:
1. 決定好學習的方式和學習的教材
2. 心無旁鶩只聚焦在設定好的方式跟教材上
3. 按部就班一步一步慢慢來
4. 至少聚焦持續練一年以上

記得~任何的能力都是來自後天的學習，沒有人天生就會什麼。
我也不是天生就專精教SAT/ACT/TOEFL/IELTS~
也是靠著聚焦跟持續的精神與態度做到。
我不斷的練題與研究，同時也考量到不同程度的學生適合用什麼教材~用怎樣的學習方式進行。
讓自己以及代表著我的其他老師足以給學生最好的引導與資源。

最後送你們一句話~
希望你們在做任何的學習時，都可以牢記在心:

Slow is fast and fast is slow.

加油!

To SAT Essay or not to SAT Essay?

To SAT Essay or not to SAT Essay?
That is the question.
(I couldn't resist copying Shakespeare 😂😂)

As an SAT and ACT teacher, I am always asked by students if they should take the essay part of the SAT or ACT. It used to be quite a difficult question to answer, but this year it has become increasingly easy.

In a nutshell, unless one of your schools demands it, you don't need to take it. In fact, there are presently only 15 schools that absolutely want to see it. (This number could change any time, btw)
That's the good news. Now for the bad news.

Most Taiwanese students dream of attending one of the UC universities, and for some strange reason, all of those universities insist that you submit your SAT/ACT essay.

If you fall into this category, then you MUST practice the essay and aim for at least a 16/24. You won't need a very high score on it, because the SAT/ACT essay holds very little weight in the applications process.

Now, if you don't care about the UCs, like some of my students, then simply Google "SAT essay requirement" followed by the name of the university. You will quickly see if the university requires one.

If an SAT/ACT essay is "preferred" or "recommended," apparently (read the article for more details) they don't care about it at all.

This article has more to say on the subject: 
https://princetonreview.blog/2018/03/18/it-is-time-to-eliminate-the-sat-and-act-optional-essays/

SAT/ACT Students Must Read!

https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2018-09-10/us-news-announces-2019-best-colleges-rankings

SAT/ACT Students Must Read!

The latest US News University rankings.

Interesting to note that UCLA has topped UC Berkley as the #1 public university. I'm sure tons of my students will set their sights on UCLA this coming year.

Princeton has done it again - number 1 for the eighth year running. Still, I don't think many people in the real world view them as being ahead of Harvard.

Williams and Amherst are still leading the pack with the Liberal Arts Colleges. Even though Taiwanese tend not to think very highly of a liberal arts education, it's actually the most suitable form of education for many, many students. In fact, if learning is your primary goal, then I would go so far as to say that nothing beats a liberal arts education.

Of course, if you are returning to Taiwan to seek work, then the major universities offer better brand name recognition. Taiwanese tend to have heard of the Ivies and UCs more than they've heard of Amherst and the other Liberal Arts Colleges, so if you can get into one of the top Universities, then it'll certainly be much more prestigious for you and your family. If you're staying in the US, then most people understand how good a liberal arts education is.

#SAT #ACT #TAS #TES #College Applications

每個國際學生都需要學的邏輯閱讀能力

半個月前，我在天母開了一間課後學校，所有的課程都是針對國際學生而設計。

我對國際學生的定義 :
1. TAS / TES 或其他就讀國際部/雙語部的學生
2. 確定國/高中畢業會出國讀書的學生

會開這間課後學校最大的原因是我兩個兒子越來越大了，他們最想要去求學的地方是美國。剛好我熟悉美國升學系統的學術考試，從高的GRE/GMAT到中的SAT/ACT到低的SSAT/ISEE，都可以提供資源幫助他們準備。

我差不多花了八個多月的時間，設計一套銜接課程，目標是讓我兩個孩子的批判性思維與學術能力能不亞於在西方國家長大的孩子，並同時也為升學所需的學術能力考試做準備。

這套系統的第一階課程就是邏輯閱讀(The Logical Reading Approach)。

在西方國家的教育系統中，我們非常重視邏輯與批判性思維，並長期培養孩子們有這兩種能力。

我想要透過邏輯閱讀這個班來一步一步培養國際學生的批判性閱讀能力，因為在台灣的國際學生未來會去西方國家讀大學，這是他們必須要學起來的能力，而我也編選了一套閱讀教材來培養這種西方邏輯閱讀的思維。

一般來說，大部分國際學校的孩子並不是從幼稚園或國小一年級就一直在這個體制學習，而是從中後段期間才轉進去的，像是中學時才開始進入國際學校。因此大部分在台灣的國際學生在邏輯與批判性這一塊跟從小在西方國家教育長大的孩子相較是偏弱許多，但是偏偏他們未來在大學申請的路上又將齊聚一起競爭想要錄取的學校。

台灣的國際學生常採用一種passive reading的方式，也就是比較被動式的閱讀法。所以我要改變孩子們這種閱讀習慣，要他們閱讀的時候不要發呆，而是要很主動的一直問自己 : 這篇文章的用意是什麼? 這個作者的宗旨是什麼? 他要表達什麼? 他的依據是什麼?

在西方國家的大學課程或升學所需的學術考試，邏輯推理與批判性思維能力是無處不在。

以GRE/GMAT來說，學生很容易掉入命題師所設計的陷阱裡，幾乎閱讀的每一題都會有陷阱，所以如果你沒有習慣批判性思維，就會太容易上鉤。因為他們會設計很多干擾選項，讓你覺得這個選項特別好，但其實是錯的。

國際學生需要長期培養可以應對歐美國家升學考試的批判性思維，讓他們知道在答題時，為什麼這道選擇題不是A，因為怎樣怎樣。或為什麼不是B，因為怎樣怎樣。邏輯閱讀並不是在教學生怎麼找答案~找正解，而是訓練學生找錯誤~找為什麼除了正解以外其他的每個選項都是錯的，你要找到文章裡的論據來作為充分解釋的理由，而不是用你的直覺~覺得是錯的~感覺不對勁來選擇。你要有具體的根據來說明解釋為什麼錯誤的選項是錯的。

邏輯閱讀課程分兩個round，有分A班和B班，上學期是A班/下學期是B班，是用不同的教材。
這個班也算是某種銜接課程，因為學到的能力對大學學術閱讀/IB/AP/SAT/PSAT等都有幫助。

我的設計是一堂課閱讀兩篇。在課程的一開始，學生因為還不熟悉這種閱讀方法，而不太可能上完完整的兩篇，所以學生會有回家作業去完成跟複習。而字彙的部分，最理想是在第四或第五堂課開始會挑出常出現的單字，其實就是我會指出來他們需要背的單字。基本上字彙終究是很重要的，所以我會教字彙/替換字/換句話說/文法轉換等閱讀功能，而這些功能也是特別需要透過閱讀中來學習。像是在寫閱讀題目的時候，題目選項的答案跟內文就是在用替換字或不同的文法在考學生，所以孩子需要特別留意~也要好好學起來。

這個邏輯閱讀班適合TAS G7以上和TES Y8以上，或其他國際學校的G7以上學生學習。
也需要通過我編排的邏輯閱讀考試，來評估孩子現階段的程度是否適合進班學習。

如果有通過，就表示孩子目前的閱讀能力有達到跟美/英/澳/加等英文為母語國家的孩子們的平均閱讀水準。如果沒有通過，會建議還是要多重視跟培養孩子的閱讀習慣，也可以透過我們的1 on 2的課程來加強，幫助孩子個別培養閱讀能力，並提升銜接到邏輯閱讀班的進班門檻。

邏輯閱讀能力需要一步一步培養，批判性思維也需要一層一層建構。
一起幫助孩子們進步!

TOEFL reflections 7/28

Reflections on my recent TOEFL test:

I haven’t taken the TOEFL for about 2 years, and as I’m opening a new TOEFL class, I decided to sign up for two tests. I took the first test last Saturday, and the biggest surprise was not any new question format or previously untested content - these things have not changed one iota.

The biggest surprise to me was that even though I’m an unbelievably experienced test taker (I regularly take the SAT, TOEFL, and IELTS, as well as other tests), I still got lost on the way to the test center! I foolishly assumed that I knew which test center I’d be going to as I knew the area quite well. What I hadn’t banked on was that the test center had moved since I was last there, and I went to the wrong place. When I got to the building that displayed the name of the test center on Google Maps, the test center was nowhere to be seen. I ended up running up and down the street trying to find it. Eventually, I enlisted my champion wife’s help and she cooly notified me that I’d gone to the wrong area. I jumped in a taxi at 8:50 (the test starts at 9:00), and the driver, pretending to know where to go, dropped me off at another wrong place! What’s more, the pin on Google Maps was incorrectly placed too, so I ran around several large blocks before my academic writing teacher, Ms L, who was also taking the test, called me (at 9:10) and asked me where I was. She then gave me the correct directions. I got there at 9:15, and luckily, they still hadn’t started! All I can say is, “Thank God it wasn’t the SAT or the IELTS!” Those tests always begin on time - even if you’re 30 seconds late, it’s over! 

Anyway, thanks to my unscheduled morning run, I was covered in sweat and found it relatively hard to focus during the reading section.

Still, I did notice quite a few things. Here’s a quick breakdown of the test and a few things I noticed:

Reading: 

1) Different people get different experimental sections (加試) (I got additional reading, and I noticed that the third passage was unusually difficult for the TOEFL. Ms L had additional listening tests, and she had not been tested on that passage, so my suspicion that the third passage was an experimental section was confirmed).

2) The reappearance of the referent question (The word “it” in the passage refers to which of the following?) - this question type had become so rare that it had been removed from many TOEFL textbooks. Being able to discern what pronouns refer to is a very important skill for readers, so I was glad to see it in the test.

3) It is extremely important to reread the passage for the summary question. This is the final question at the end of most passages. I had to resist the urge to only choose my answers from memory alone - lucky I did resist the urge, because I discovered a previously appealing answer choice only appeared in a single sentence, which makes it a mere detail. Single-sentence details are rarely correct - usually, you’re looking for the answers with the greatest coverage (篇幅) (a paragraph beats a sentence), as well as looking for misrepresentations of the passage’s meaning. In this question type, eliminating the wrong answers is more important than selecting the right answers.

4) As usual, unlike the SAT, the vocabulary questions tested only the first definition of words. Also, there is often little context to discern the correct meaning of a word, so it’s imperative to improve your general and academic vocabulary.

Listening: 

1) It’s important to pay attention to steps in a method or in task completion. On Saturday, one question was asked about the first step in a three-step process. Two of the incorrect answers were the other two steps.

2) It’s critical to understand what is shown on the “blackboard” - it’s often tested. Don’t waste time trying to spell the word correctly - just write down the initials or the first few letters of each word.

3) The cool thing about the TOEFL is that the speakers try to direct you to the answers by saying things like: “What’s interesting is…”; “and this is crucial…,” as well as using strong transitions. Remember: If a speaker says something is important, they are talking to YOU directly - that point is usually tested.

Speaking:

1) Q1&2: I was once again happily surprised to be given familiar questions. These were old questions that I’ve taught many times. Again, nothing has changed in the speaking section: ETS keeps reusing the same old questions.

2) Remember to be natural in Q1&2. Keep away from templates!

3) Q3&4: Be sure to get enough (but not too many) details from the reading passage. 

4) Pay particular attention to ideas that are discussed both in the reading and listening sections.

5) Spend most of your answer time summarizing the listening section.

6) Q5: Similar to the last time I took the test, the speakers discussed the background and problem for most of the time. If you’re not careful, you’ll make the mistake of summarizing too much. Remember to answer the question by focusing on your choice and your reasons for making that choice.

7) Q6: Time management is important for all questions, but especially in Q6. It is better to stop talking about the first main point and sufficiently explain the second point than it is to spend the whole time talking about the first point in detail. If you only mention the first point, you’ll only get 50% for that question.

Writing: 

1) In the integrated writing test, once again, I saw a history passage about the sinking of a ship. ETS loves topics such as this!

2) I wrote 300+ words in 10 minutes. Then I spent 5 minutes paraphrasing so as not to repeat any key words. 

3) Templates are very useful for the Integrated section. If you design or learn a good template, you will save minutes by not having to think about paraphrasing.

4) Independent: I wrote my typical 5-paragraph TOEFL essay: Introduction, Concession, Rebuttal, Advantages, and Conclusion. 

5) As it was appropriate, I even used a rare personal example. Remember, examples are NOT necessary in academic writing. Only use them if it strengthens your main idea. Never use them just because a teacher has told you they’re a good idea. Most examples cause students to get a WORSE score!

6) Finally, it is critical to practice writing under time pressure. Force yourself to write whole essays from start to finish within the time limit. Do it until it becomes second nature. You can always fix up your essays later, but make sure you get used to writing quickly. While quality is more important than quantity, there is a direct correlation between essay length and high scores.

Anyway, I hope this mini article has been of help to you in your TOEFL preparation. I have tons of things I would like to share, but I can’t fit everything into a single article.

Good luck with your prep!

雅思考生絕不能錯過這一篇! 來自7.5分Sandy同學的肺腑之言!

我終於正式的和雅思分手了

第一次接觸雅思是在2014年底，當時因為倉促決定要到澳大利亞念研究所，所以只有不到兩個月的時間就得考到入學的分數。沒有做足功課和四處打聽評價的後果，就是找到一個連鎖補習班花錢買心安。我自己現在回去再看當初拿到的口說和寫作講義，裡面所謂的“高級單字”和“高級句型”只會讓學生嚴重懷疑自己是否真的能夠有英文作文的能力。

研究所畢業之後，開始一邊工作，一邊準備雅思。這期間我也曾經利用一個月的時間，在布里斯本一間很有名的的雅思補習學校上課，在上課期間，我每天練習寫至少兩大兩小的作文，但是那個時候重量不重質; 雖然成功地把寫作分數從6分提到6.5分，但是從此就停在6.5分，不上也不下。當時癡心覺得只是自己運氣不好，所以決定採取瘋狂報考和瘋狂複查的策略，希望有一天能夠被我幸運矇到寫作7分。而這種不認清自己能力不足的後果，就是賠上重要的時間和金錢，以及逐漸對自己英文失去信心。

直到去年年底，我痛定思痛全職準備雅思。也是到去年年底我才聽進身邊朋友的建議，開始在網路上關注IELTS Simon 和林熙老師的粉絲專頁和blogspot。看了Simon的範文，我開始理解雅思寫作不在乎“高級單字”和“高級句型”，而是精確的使用主題詞彙和collocation，正確的使用文法結構，以及整體的寫作邏輯。我很喜歡林熙老師部落格的兩篇文章：抄寫範本和輸入輸出詞彙。這兩篇文章給我一個觀念，就是非母語的學習者要能駕馭一種新語言，第一步就是要先大量的輸入，也就是閱讀好的文章，並且逐步練習將這些輸入的語言變成自己的active vocab。
我想要給還在雅思寫作煎熬中的考生幾個我自己血與淚的建議：

1. 不要被自己看似很高的某科蒙蔽了自己某方面的缺陷。對很多考生而言，聽力和閱讀常常是可以拿高分的項目。也正因如此，很多人會認為自己的英文很強，寫作或口說考不好只是因為自己運氣不好，而不願意放下“身段”回來改正最基礎的問題。

2. 主題詞彙和詞伙的重要性。我自己之前在練寫作文的時候，常常會自創詞彙，或隨意替換自己認為高級的詞彙，很多時候是非常不恰當的。

3. 找到一個值得信任的老師或家教。我在布里斯班前後找了兩個澳洲人家教。家教幫忙我認清我文法的不足，很多自認為是基礎文法，自己不可能出錯的地方，卻常常是寫作最大的絆腳石，例如可數不可數名詞、冠詞、介系詞和subject-verb agreement，同時也幫我寫作更像本地人的用法和邏輯。

4. 我自己練習寫作的方式是先列出一張進度表，每天按照進度表練寫一大一小作文。進度表主要就像是凱妃老師雅思寫作能力班課程規劃一樣，分出大作文的各種主題，和小作文的各種圖表。在練寫之前，我會先抄寫simon的範文或相關主題的詞伙，然後在網路上尋找真題練寫，並且盡可能在練寫的時候，用到剛才背下主題詞彙。這樣才能確保我能夠使用背下來的單字或詞伙。每週的家教課之後，我也會重新抄寫家教替我訂正過後的文章，並且儘量在下次練寫時使用家教建議或改正的文法或單字。我發現這樣主題詞彙的累積非常快，也可以正確地建立一套屬於自己的“模板”。

5. 我也想另外推薦一個我比較少聽說有人關注的粉絲團：IELTS Weekly with Pauline Cullen. 準備雅思的同學對於Pauline Cullen寫的幾本劍橋官方雅思推薦用書一定都不陌生。我也是很意外地發現Pauline Cullen自己也有經營臉書和部落格，甚至還有雅思單字app和免費電子書。Pauline Cullen的部落格中有幾篇點評學生的寫作文章和詳細建議，很大程度幫助我理解寫作考官的給分邏輯。

最後，真的很感謝林熙老師和凱妃老師在臉書粉絲團無私地分享，並且認真的回覆粉絲的私訊，即使我不是兩位老師直接的學生。我常常很後悔應該更早相信朋友的推薦，更早關注林熙老師，也許就不會寫作無限卡關6.5了。也謝謝林熙老師的鼓勵，讓我自己確定我走在正確的道路上。希望我的這篇感想可以鼓勵雅思考生，希望大家能夠早日脫離雅思苦海。