China on its way to TOEFL

A very interesting poster of a movie came across me with the tag “Think in American English”. The poster belonged to one of the blockbuster movies of 2013 American Dreams in China - the movie that represents China in the 80’s. We get to have a glimpse of China’s social and economic condition at the time via the students that the country produces. At that point of time, there used to be a shared dream of all its students i.e to study abroad or say to study in an American university. This is because America used to be their door of opportunities.

The movie shows the endeavor of the students to get enrolled in top colleges of US for a much better career and future ahead. In this endeavor, TOEFL was actually their passport to such colleges. The protagonists of the aforementioned movie failed to make their way to American University but ironically they started selling their American Dream to the young minds, who entertained the same dream, by preparing them for TOEFL.

Lets take a sneak preview of TOEFL as an exam and China’s take on it.

TOEFL, the most widely accepted English assessment test that measures one’s ability to understand English at University level, has its great influence here in China as well. Sometimes, it becomes a bit difficult for Chinese students to learn reading, writing and speaking in English because unlike many other languages they don’t have the standard Latin alphabet but logographic. In logographic, the symbols represents the words. For them, English is all anew a different world of words. Thus, it requires a whole lot of extra effort from their part to make their way to TOEFL.

Thinking about the fundamental differences in both the languages and the future prospects of English as a language, it has become a priority in China to teach English to its population. The schools have been asked to start teaching English to students right from grade 3. English teaching has now become part of the education system of China. Apart from the government’s practices, the parents too have started arranging private English classes to their kids. In the digital world today, their is no dearth of educational apps that brings an engaging class session live at just a click of a button. There are many apps prepared specifically keeping TOEFL preparation in mind. The sole aim of such apps is to touch each and every aspect of English to make you well-prepared for the much awaited day.

When TOEFL was introduced in China in 1981, only 161 students took the test and you will be amazed to know that till date more than 3 million Chinese students are there who have taken it. With this impressive number, China has now become one of the largest countries in the world that sends its students abroad.

Today, most of the countries have English as their second official language; in case, it is not their native one. And, in order to reap the fruits of globalization you need to know this language completely as Karl Marx once stated one would find friends everywhere in the whole world if one could just sing “The Internationale”. The language English has now become that “Internationale”.

In this context, China is making an all out effort and a research states that by 2025, the number of people speaking English in China would exceed the number of people who have English as their first language. Looking at the efforts of authority of China, zest in its students and so many English institutes around it, I really hope that next time whenever our poor protagonists take TOEFL, they nail it with impressive TOEFL scores.

Mandarin and English language - The Tug of War

Walt Whitman, the great American poet and essayist said, "Viewed freely, the English language is the accretion and growth of every dialect, race, range of time and is both free and compacted composition of all". Most of us strongly agree with this statement. We have an equally strong statement for Mandarin as well. Learning is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily. This is a famous inspiring Chinese proverb. The ratio of students for Chinese to English language enrollment is 4:1 in. Currently over 37 cities across China offer TOEFL program. The tug of war as to which language dominates the hemisphere is still an unanswered question. Some key points denote the difference:-

• Origin and popularity
• Myth and Reality
• Difference in Phonology
• Difference in Grammar and Flexibility
  
  
  

Origin and popularity: The English word "Mandarin" is derived from Sanskrit language which means minister. Originally, ministers were the officials in charge of the Chinese empire. English has originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects. It is a West Germanic language.

Mandarin is the official language in China. In 2012, there were 60 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign entities where English was an official language. As of now, about 340 million people are native English speakers. Around 510 million people consider English as their second language. Mandarin is spoken by 1.3 billion people across the globe. According to The Chinese Education ministry, more than 50 million people overseas are now learning Mandarin.

Myth and Reality :- To most of the native English speakers, Mandarin would appear like "Ching, ming, tang, ling, chang", accompanied by weird images of brush strokes and broken lines that makes no sense. How to write Chinese is not tedious task though Mandarin includes laboriously writing hundreds of different characters repeatedly. Mandarin does not have letters but follows logographic system for writing the language. According to the logographic systems, symbols themselves represent words. Hence the learning process is cumbersome. However, the first step to learn English begins with the reading process.

Difference in Phonology :- Phonology is the study of the sound system of languages. Mandarin is a tone language. It uses high or low pitch to distinguish the word meaning. In English, high or low pitch denotes expressions and emotions. English uses more of vowels to denote difference in the words for eg. full/fool, eat/it, sheep/ship etc. Mandarin learners find it difficult to pronounce certain words especially L and R, I and N etc.

Difference in Grammar and Flexibility :- Mandarin language does not include articles like a, an and the. Hence, the Mandarin language learners find it difficult in grasping English language. English is a flexible language. It has been influenced from Latin and other romantic languages hence it can be moulded despite of being a Germanic language. Mandarin, on the other hand follow strict sets of rules and regulations with very few exceptions. Therefore modifying the sentence structure is tedious.

Despite being two most dominating language across the globe, there is still a tug of war between the two. There are various premier online Chinese language school in the world for eg. echineselearning.com. Special classes are designed for learning Chinese naturally and not memorizing it. This e-Learning facility is available at elcstudio.com and verbalplanet.com. Each language has its own complexity and none of the language is entirely simple or complex. Languages have their own importance and redeeming qualities.

 

Teaching TOEFL is like Winning a Trophy

TOEFL test is an effective way to measure English fluency among non-native English speakers. About 25 million students appear for TOEFL every year throughout the world. Though TOEFL is not considered as the easiest subject in ESL (English as a second language) to teach, it is a challenge that lot many love to accept. TOEFL exams cover up 4 key areas namely speaking, reading, writing and listening. There are 30 marks for each section, total of 120 marks. Nevertheless TOEFL reminds us about massive textbooks and bunch of 12 CDs, which seem to be boring even before a fresh start. Let’s have a look at the most simplified approach of teaching TOEFL.

Practice Tests - One preliminary test will let you measure the aptitude of the student, before you start grooming him/her for TOEFL. You will know the extent to which the pupil needs training. A lower level of English course will definitely prove to be beneficial if the basics are not very strong. There are various vocabulary test that include fill-in the blanks, multiple choice questions, match the following, jumbled words etc.

Preparing lessons for reading - TOEFL test includes the ability of students to read academic English. Reading newspaper and publication can add on to the reading skills. Few best selling single volume books include A Tale of Two Cities, The Lord of the Rings, The Little Prince, And Then There Were None, Dream of the Red Chamber, The Hobbit etc. They are not just interesting books but will definitely polish your reading skills.

The integrated approach - Writing, chiefly, follows two formats. These are internet-based test (iBT) or paper-based writing. As far as internet-based test is concerned, these cover two tasks. In the first task, we read the passage carefully and thereafter listen to the speaker. We can note down the points that are fruitful during the discussion of the same topic. The second task includes writing an essay and matching them according to the topic's relevance. In the paper based test, the students are asked to write 200-300 words relating to a particular topic. Current affairs should be the key topics of practice. Some interesting and extraordinary topics that you can read and write on include:

• Impact of media on society
• Fast food nation
• Violence in sport
• Internet censorship
• Teaching children with learning disabilities
  
  
  
  
  

Mastery in sentence structure - Formulating the sentence structure in the way desired by the examiner is yet another way to add on to your TOEFL score. For this, one has to be very strong at English grammar. Guiding the students with proper use of prepositions, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, articles, verbs, tenses etc. is a must. Wren and Martin English grammar book is very beneficial.

Managing the time - After gaining proficiency in reading, listening, writing or speaking areas, the next target must be to strive for taking less time in every successive attempt. Note down the time taken by the students and quality of the work delivered. Are we able to deliver a good speech within the time limit or could we write better if we did not fall short of time? Time management technique that works:-

• Make a list
• Set deadlines
• Stop multitasking
• Use your downtime

These are the questions that can be well answered with the saying, “practice makes the man perfect”. The more you practice, the better you gain. And then you come up with flying colors.

How Does Music Affect Our Lives?

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” -Plato

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that music provides food to both our soul and mind. The food that soothes our mind, satiates our souls and above all rejuvenates our body. Isn't it all we always look for in our ever so busy lives? In other words, great music provides us that very momentary pleasure that revitalizes us for looking positively at a hectic schedule ahead.

Music-A Solace!

 

Music is the language of silence, it is the language of some inexplicable feelings. Music has got an instant and relieving effect on each and every creature of earth. In Fact, a music lover would notice music in almost all phenomenon, in the chirping of birds, in the humming of bees, in the blow of wind, in the sound of sea waves, in the sound of rain and a different kind of music is always present even in silence. So, who says we don’t have background music in reality the way it is in movies?

It takes us years to completely understand a concept of science but a child doesn’t take even a second to respond to a good music. That’s why they react to the lullaby that takes them to slumbers of sleep.  In Fact, research says that infants respond more to the tempo and rhythm of music than to the speech. They find music more alluring since it thoroughly appeals to their senses. A rap music arouses a toddler to shake his legs as if he has to prove that he is born just to dance.

Enjoy it!

 

However, music has a similar affect on everyone , let’s see how listening to music can enhance our working:

Entertainment: Would a party be that happening without music? Can you enjoy a picnic or trip without the company of music? Well, I really can’t! So, above all its blessings music fulfills our need of being entertained. One remains happy in the company of music.

Emotions: Music has an easy access to our emotions. Sometimes it adds to our happiness and sometimes it becomes a refuge from the bitter reality.

Diversion: Talking about music as a refuge I meant a good music kind of diverts our mind from something we don’t want to remember. It actually disconnects us from something not worth remembering. Thus, gives peace to our mind and thoughts.

Imagination: Music makes us delve into a sea of imagination. We actually start day dreaming, start thinking of some past event. Thus, gives us some moment to amuse ourselves with some gone by memories.

Relation: One can never feel lonely in the company of music. It accompanies you like a friend in your loneliness and even if you are in need of solitude a good music makes sure that your aim gets fulfilled.

See, how music can affect you in a multiple manner. Nowadays, a devoted music lover follows his favorite musicians and the famous singers wherever they go for concert. Well, here is your opportunity to witness one such event here in California.

Welcome to the world of Music!

Yes, it’s The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The event is going to be there from 11th to the 20th of  April.  Enjoy all the genres of music from rock to hip-hop, from indie to electronic music. Now, am pretty sure that all music lovers would definitely make it to California this time.