Pat Heung Shui Lau Tien (5) - learning from a Japanese friend

4 Nov 2013 

Every Sunday we see his car, a white Lexus, and we know that he has come already. He is Japanese but he speaks Cantonese and English. His field is nearer to the village houses than ours but well sheltered by head high shrubs and grass. There is a path leading to it from the well where we both share - the only source of water for all the three parties.

This Sunday morning, WY led me to see his field. Immediately we felt the unique Japanese style. The rows are narrower and tidier. There is a greater variety of vegetables. Lines of crops and dry straw coverings form a beautiful pattern. Every corner is like a picture. 

dry grass as fertiliser

Pineapples 

Herbs 

 WY was most interested in how he kept fertility of the soil and asked if he used compost. 

"I don't use any compost. I just use the grass, wood and the dried crop remains. I never use any fertilisers, not even organic fertilisers bought from shops, or wet compost. I use what I can find here on this field. This is the most natural way to grow. If I use things other than those from the land here, the natural thing will be damaged. I have the grass dried and then put them in the ditches and my stepping on them will break them down. Then I put them over the crops. They serve as natural fertilisers."

The hoe he uses is from Japan, a pointed one, which is very different from the Chinese hoes we are using. 

"Where did you learn this?" 

"I love farming and I started growing when I was a child in Japan. I read a lot of books about growing  crops." 

"Look at these bananas. They are very healthy. There are no bugs. When I do not use any fertilisers, there are fewer bugs or illnesses. Wet leftovers to make compost will attract insects." 

"Is that so? No wonder why we get so many bugs in our fields." 

"These are lady fingers, the fruit is the best taste when it is not too long." 

"I want to try growing lady fingers! The flowers are so beautiful." 

"This Japanese guy is very nice. We share the same well, and he always gets our water pipe connected after he has finished using the water pump." 

"Look! My improved field, the Japanese model. With compose sun-dry first, and dry grass on the sides!" WY was really quick to learn. 

PARENT WORKSHOP 1 Revision

Parent Workshop on using e-books to help primary one children learn English

"The workshop was a huge success!" 

"Hope they will take action and guide their children to read English books." 

I felt so flattered by their encouraging remarks after this one-hour workshop with parents of Yan Tak Catholic Primary School. 

This was the first time I had sharing with parents of children at such young age. 

They enjoyed reading aloud after the voice over in the ebook so much!! 

The e-books come from Professor Wong Po Choi's project: 

http://e-reading.hk

I started with my personal recount of what I learned from the Taipei experience: the education leaders are aiming at nurturing global citizens and are fast catching up with English teaching and learning. 

Next I did a simple presentation on requirements of a global citizen, demand on our children, what reading can provide and how the second language reading development framework. 

Then we logged into the e-book "I can paint" - Beginner / level 1, and started our fun reading. 

It is a lovely morning. Hallelujah!

Chingshin Elementary and Middel School, and Kindergarten 靜心學校- 中小幼一條龍雙語私立學校

簡毓玲校長

十三年把靜心脫胎換骨

親身培育老師團隊

學校提供多元發展課程

每位同學先在一個領域突破，再擴展其他，

成為全面多智能傑出領袖

On 12 Nov, we attended Principal Chen Yu-ling's presentation to a group of school principals from Jiejiang, the Mainland. Chingshin was founded by the decedent of Jiang Jing Guo. Principal Chen had been principal of various schools. In the past 13 years, with the support of her boss and the school council, she has turned around Chingshin, modernising it and has converted it to a through train private bilingual school. The textbooks used are from USA such as Fusion Science and Humanities. Students on exchange study in American on normal school days can fit in the curriculum and teaching fully. 

"Ever since our campus started operation here, many families have moved in this district, hoping to secure a place in our school. The price of properties has gone up so much." 

"We nurture future leaders for the 21st century - whole persons with global views and competencies to function in the international arena." 

"We have a coherent curriculum framework from K to 12. I think forbidding children to learn English at kindergarten or young age is groundless. Many research has shown that bilingual or multilingual children can choose to communicate in the language they find appropriate naturally. Our students have no problems in speaking to their parents in Mandarin. Neither have they any problem when they are studying in USA on exchange projects." 

"It is our belief that all students can become leaders in at least one area. Once they have experienced a breakthrough and achieved excellence in one area, they will have the confidence to excel in other areas, too. They can transfer their knowledge, skills and strategies." 

"Experiential learning is essential to success. We have created this experiential learning area for "Safety Education". We shall build another experiential learning section devoted to music." 

"I love music. Every student needs a performance stage. Here is our auditorium. We have 8 instrument practice rooms. We have orchestras and choirs, and students need to practice very hard. The busier the students, the better they can manage their time. Leaders need to be tough." 

"We have formed strategic alliance with schools and enterprises. Students from Singapore and Hong Kong often come to our school for exchange. We would like to visit top schools in Hong Kong." 

Avant Garde educator - Principal of The Affiliated High School of National Chengchi University

In his spacious office on the hillsope of Wenshan District, we met him again- the Professor Principal - Guo Chao-Yu, who headed a team of senior teachers to speak on an innovative English project - TOIEC for senior secondary one. 

He looks like a scholar, speaks like a researcher, 

and thinks like an entrepreneur. 

"So what is the relationship between these three parties: I-learner, Nebula Group, and Hong Kong Reads?" 

"How many passages have you got?" 

"Are your materials aligned with international standardized tests?" 

"How can you ensure that your students can learn effectively using the programs?" 

"How many staff doe stour company have?" 

"You are not making profit at all."

"What is the greatest strength of your program?" 

"Your program may not meet the needs of Taiwan schools." 

This is the first principal I have ever met that asked important questions directly, nude. 

Yet he has the wisdom to differentiate, negotiate and courage to collaborate. 

"The English curriculum in Taiwan schools is like this: 1 40-minute lesson per week for primary 1 and 2, 2 for Primary 3 and 4, and 3 for primary 5 and 6. In Taipei, 2 lessons for primary 1 and 2, and 3 lessons for primary 3 and 4. This is inadequate in equipping students the English proficiency required for the contemporary global citizens. Online learning is a solution." 

"I am planning to enlist support of university to construct e-learning platform to complement after-school private tuition and formal school curriculum. I have already written a proposal, aiming at bridging students for Chengchi University." 

"Seeing the progress in Korean, Chinese, and Singaporean education, I do have concern about children in Taiwan." 

"People power can do what the government cannot do." 

Then he ushered us to the conference room and we looked at the i-learner Reading program together. The Academic Head paid close attention to the voice over, comprehension, vocabulary and particularly the writing part. She was delighted with the design, just like all teacher users.

At 9.00 a.m when the scheduled administration meeting was about to start. He gave an order to his secretary, "Tell staff that the meeting will be postponed to 9.30." 

Again, a series of questions were asked and then he said, 

"I am impressed by the fact that your program provides a lot of resources - native English speaking teachers to us." 

He is definitely a leader with vision, determination and expertise. 

  

台北英文書展大豐收 Good Harvest from Taipei Book Exhibition

超平美國名牌進口英文圖畫書

For Taiwan $24,000 I bought  5 boxes of "Everyday Read Box" of Scholastics - Yellow, Red, Blue, Orange and Green, 6 sets of "Go Facts", 1 set of "Magic Bus", and several sets of phonics and other picture books. The price was amazingly reasonable - cheaper than in Hong Kong or Shenzhen, or even USA.  

台灣出版超好中英對照、圖文並茂英文文法工具+練習書

Excellent tool book on English grammar - bilingual explanations, colourful illustrations and good exercises 

Excellent Content Reading Skills Practice books- less than HK$2.00 per one exercise!!!!!

用中文寫的英文兒童書教學策略老師和家長用書

Books on developing picture book reading strategies - useful to teachers and parents 

世界地圖掛氈  World Map hanging sticky mat 

Guansi Junior High School 新竹縣立關西國民中學

The school features reading and baseball. 

"We value reading," "Look at this map of Taiwan. There are different stops. Students move from one stop to another following the Reading Trail. If they complete the number of books required, they move forward." It is a virtual reading trekking activity.

Maybe one day they will make it real. Read, and visit the place they read about. Mark their footprints and then move on and explore another place which is mentioned in their favourite book. 

"This is the sports ground where our baseball team is trained. Our baseball team is often champion of the island." 

"It isn't easy to keep the baseball team. There's a lot of fund raising to do in order to support their training and sponsor their competitions." 

The school campus is beautiful. It is a pity that the number of students is decreasing with the demographic change.