Dear Parents, My name is Philip and I have recently taken over level three as their new teacher. Over this month we have been discussing many new themes, improving our writing structure and getting ready for Halloween. It has been a fun, lively, yet productive few weeks. We start most [...]
Dear Parents and Students, I appreciate the opportunity to teach your kids and this month was even better than the last. The Level 7 class is learning about everything they need to know in the real world as speakers of more than one language. I am so proud of how [...]
Dear Parents and Students, We had so much fun practicing the songs and preparing for Halloween this month! The kids have been learning so much in every subject as well. This has been an amazing educational experience for the students and me. We’ve discovered new worlds and possibilities that have [...]
Dear parents and students, Students began a unit in their grammar textbook that revolves around nouns. We started off with what a noun is before moving on to distinguishing between different types of nouns. We continued working on silent letters and blends in phonics. Our spelling units dealt with short [...]
Dear parents and students, October was a wonderful month for Level 2A! All students really understand our classroom rules and procedures now. This allows us to cover more academic material during class and everything runs smoothly. More importantly, it helps students focus more on education because they understand the expectations. [...]
不再只要孩子快樂學習 美國教養新趨勢：教孩子仁慈
一年一度歡樂耶誕即將來到，艾力一直秉持著耶誕關懷的精神，希望讓孩子在這美好的氣氛中除了開心的玩遊戲、拿禮物外，也能體會聖誕關懷的意義！ […]
寫不完的作業，沒有喘息的行程，難得的暑假，又怎麼捨得孩子繼續被沉重的書包壓得喘不過氣呢?但又會擔心忙著工作，沒空陪伴孩子，孩子會白白沉迷在五光十色的螢幕中，浪費寶貴的時光。要是有方法，能讓孩子在假期中，沒有壓力地保持學習動力，又能帶孩子探索熱情，同時鍛鍊重要的語言能力，那就太棒了! 其實，這個夏天，就有一群背景各異的孩子親身經歷這樣特殊的故事。他們有從國外回來，有具相當的英文基礎，還有的則是第一次來到全美語的環境；但相同的是，來到艾力之前，從沒想過英文可以學的這麼自然舒適! 第一次來到艾力美語暑期創客營，不少爸爸媽媽都抱持著疑問。因為創客營每週都要完成一個專案，從搖茶飲店、創意市集、便利商店、餐廳等創業挑戰，到參考動物能力進行的設計發明專案。要進行這樣的課程，對國外回來的孩子，都可能很困難，更何況沒有基礎的孩子呢? 其實，我們都太小看孩子的潛能了，重點在於如何營造適合的語言環境! 而「生活經驗」就是孩子最強的語言學習工具與後盾。當有了是當的環境後，種子自然而然成長茁壯。 有不有經歷過，突然有一天，孩子變得超愛講話，整天纏著要跟你分享他的小天地。學語言也是這樣，當外師問: What is your favorite beverage? 即使表達得不清不楚，孩子都會手腳並用，想盡辦法讓大家知道他的最愛就是Milk tea，整個過程的五感體驗都是語言學習的養分。 這就像埋下一種子，他們學到的不僅僅是milk tea；隨著分享的進行，種子會開枝散葉，快速豐富孩子的語言。 如在Craft shop專案中，是孩子較少擁有的體驗，外師就帶大家一起來到松山文創園區，有銀飾鋪、有皮革工坊、有木雕藝術，在松山菸廠的時光迴廊中，孩子充分感受Craft shop的魅力，原來，當創意遇上商品，可以有這麼多的可能性；而這份回憶正是Brainstorm 的重要資源。當回到艾力教室，你一言，我一句，孩子興高采烈的談論所見所聞時(當然只能用英文囉!)，你就會知道，孩子心中又成功埋下語言的種子! 如果Brainstorm說是開枝散葉，那「做中學」（doing by learning）就是重要的向下扎根。長期記憶的產生，五官感受是很好的作用方式。在Bubble tea shop的創業過程中，為了宣傳自己的飲料店跟介紹自己的商品，孩子們親手製作了一本精美手工menu。當發表會開始時，menu上面各種創意飲品的詳細配方、價格與優惠方案，孩子連看都不需要就能如數家珍，推薦給每位參觀的小客人們，看是要貓咪 可樂?還是火山特調? 隨著時間，原本在Summer camp教室前掛著淚珠的孩子，也破涕為笑，甚至還會吵著爸爸媽媽以後還要來；因為他們開始可以享受與英語共處了，英語成為他們最好的朋友，會帶著他們做實驗，玩創意；會幫他們交朋友，教他們新知識；最重要的，英語讓他們自信自在走向世界!
Now, I know that many of you are old veterans of Taipei city. However, there is still much to explore. To learn more about the history of Taipei City and its culture, I headed to a place not far from here. It’s about 10 minute walk away. Any guesses? Well, [...]
