A Bucket of Delights in Cornel
A Bucket of Delights in Cornel
Associate Prof. Gloria Chwo
Applied English Dept.
Hungkuang University
It was a sunny day when I received an invitation from Prof. Chen to attend a Cornel Annual Class performance. I managed to set a time during my busy days of shuffling papers to catch up the performance. Considering it a treat, I had high expectations because I know how much effort Cornel has invests in the material development and the recruitment of top notch teachers. The testimonies of Cornel graduates such as Anderson, Robbin, Roger and Ronnie and Stephanie are breath taking! I can imagine how these successful young people started as a little child spending their childhood here in Cornel and how their lives were forever changed. I would like to share some of the refreshing and phenomenal moments that I experienced as I attended The Hawks and Blue Jays Baseball class performance:
1. You come here to learn HOW to learn English, not just WHAT to learn about English
I was surprised to see how the Hawks kids be able to work on their favorite genre and present their individual works in front of their parents. Beyond what I observed as head knowledge performance, they amazed me with the ability to refer to metacognitive skills to look for clue to find the answer in a Q & A time. Looking for cues from the prefix and suffix pattern, raise queries that might lead to the answers. Higher levels of critical thinking skills were evident in these performance, which is an absent elements in Taiwan local schooling where mechanical drills are often dominant in their learning. Besides that, I witness a harmonious collaboration among these kids where competition never seems to cause any distress or downcast feeling to one another, instead, they enjoyed the interaction time with supportive and courteous attitude that really impress me! I see good confidence as a result of successful training bestowing solid metacognitive skills which enable them to enjoy and sustain the learning results! That really impress me!
2. Kids’ communicative capacity will be greatly expanded and nurtured here to their fullest extend
I witnessed a harmonious collaboration among the kids and competitive games didn’t cause any distress or negative feelings between the kids, instead, they enjoyed the interaction time with supportive and courteous attitudes. The teachers and assistants really make a difference: their patience and wisdom were displayed through the course of the performance. Good understanding and relationship between the teachers and students promote the learning and encourage confidence and a daring spirit. These crucial elements empower Cornel kids to think outside and box and are always ready to achieve excellence in their learning.
3. A truly whole language learning experience in the authentic immersion program school is here waiting for you
Often I feel upset while I watch my college seniors still struggle with their confidence in speaking English! The phobia syndrome still rears its ugly head when they meet foreigners! Here, I see no phobia nor any fear of interacting with the foreign teachers or having difficulty expressing themselves in English. I see a high quality, caring and safe environment here and the freedom they enjoy on daily base! I am blessed to be there and envision the next top notch Cornel graduates blossoming in the classroom. I expect that these little Cornel kids will come back in a few years’ time to share their testimony about how blessed they are to be here! A place that called school where the authentic learning taken place to help achieve their dream!
