EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION : THE A.C (Ariem Cinco) WAY

Note: Should there be any grammatical inconsistencies, please leave a note. I am open to learning and I would love to hear your views. 


Since I was a little child, I have never ceased to dream of becoming an excellent communicator in every sense of the word. All I wanted to be was not only someone who exudes the charm to keep people in the audience at awe but also to be one who possesses intellectual gab. I wanted to be someone who could influence people not in a forceful but in a more gentle and subtle way. However, as time passed by, I realized that it wasn't just all about conquering the stage! The stage is not the ultimate platform to showcase your being an effective communicator. 

As I was learning the ropes of communication, I came to a realization that the genuine effectiveness of human communication is measured not by how many people who get amazed with what you say but by the preponderance of people who listen to you and have tried their best to be like you. With this, I am proud to say, despite the qualms I have in myself, that I have already encountered a lot who told me that they wanted to be like me. It is indeed such a great accolade to be taken as someone else's inspiration, isn't it?

Anyway, so much about this soliloquy! I want to share with you some of my thoughts how to become an effective communicator! Some of the ideas here maybe are the same with the others but believe me, I learned them through my personal experiences. 

Let me begin. 

It is very important for a person to understand that the meaning of the language is not always in words but it's with people. What I am trying to insinuate is the fact that there are instances when miscommunication happens not because you say something wrong but because the receiving end has a different interpretation of the message you want to convey. Do not just be careful with the words you use but also with the way of your utterance - I mean the way you express your thoughts. 

This also implies that you need to consider the thought that you want to convey. In other words, you have to think first before you speak. I want you to take note that fools just talk but wise men speak. Freedom of speech does not necessarily mean you have the very right to say what you want but it means that you have to be responsible with what you say. Make it sure that what comes out from your mouth is well thought of. This of course is in its deep sense. Thinking first before speaking allows you to actually organize your thoughts. In this manner, you avoid the tendencies of crossing the borders, of offending someone unintentionally, of stating irrelevant comments, or at worst saying something that is too irrelevant. 

In addition, other speakers think that they are good at communication when they can rule out a conversation. Wrong notion, bad idea. Communication is not all about speaking. It also requires one to listen. Remember that communication is always a two-way process. This means that one has to listen for him to provide the necessary feedback or response to a message conveyed or the other end tries to bring across. However, this doesn't mean that in a conversation, you just stop talking and expect the other to talk. This is how you do it. If you want a person to get involved in a more active communication, you should know how to at least convert a statement into a question so the person would be encouraged to talk as well. For example, instead of saying " Wow! The weather is great.", it would actually be better if you would say, "We couldn't ask for a better day, could we?" And believe me a very nice conversation will start to unfold. Try it for you to experience it. 

Face-to-face communication is still the most favorable form of human communication. This is despite the fact that the use of technology has offered convenience and ease especially in long distance communication. When you have a problem or conflict with your friend, do not just be contented by extending your apologies through text or phone call but try to make an effort to actually reach our personally to talk things over. Remember that it takes more than 5 minutes to appease a broken heart and ailing soul. The same way that goes when you plan to resign from your job or when you want to demand for a raise! 

I understand that honesty is the best policy. It is nice to be honest. But this does not necessarily mean you have to just say everything true about anything that you see without considering the tone of your expression. Honesty and positivity make an uncompromising match to win people's adulation. Take note that people understand easily when they are not emotionally burdened or upset. This means that understanding your message comes easier when you express it in a more positive way. Which comment do you think would students appreciate more: "You do not understand my instruction. You are simply stupid!" or "All right. I understand you have exerted your best and I appreciate it. However, I believe that your performance could have been better only if you tried to understand the details of my instruction." You want to be honest but do not be negative. 

Finally, it is important that you are able to express your thoughts in a more concise and quick manner. Beating around the bush does not amuse a listener but rather cause their mental menstruation. I know this one just makes you barf out! Do not use the most difficult word you know when it is inappropriate and when it doesn't serve any purpose at all. After all, communication is not about impressing the people with the difficult words you know. It is about how much did you say did people understand. If you can say "thank you for the invitation" why bother saying "I would like to express my heartfelt felicitations to you for requesting my presence in this occasion." This however, is a case to case basis. What I am trying to point out is with my first statement is that if you can express your thoughts in 5 words, why bother making use of 50 words to express the same thought? 

Now, I want you to try these things out and tell me what happened after. I would love to know your views too. 

Thanks for reading. 

WHO IS ARIEM CINCO FOR ME?

Unedited blog of Ms. Andria Calubay, an elementary science teacher.

Intensive English Proficiency

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/?page=1&sk=messages&tid=1253926437401

1. What I like most about my training in Nouveau Manila?

What I like most about my training in Nouveau Manila is meeting and knowing Sir Ariem. I don’t know him personally but for my months of attending in his classes, I’ve come to know him a little and learned a lot from him. He is not just your ordinary teacher. He is spectacular, remarkable and special!

I make a list of some of his characteristics based on what I know about him…

Look Who’s Talking?

Sir Ariem is an excellent speaker. He has a good command of the language and it is always very fascinating for me whenever he speaks fluently and endlessly with his American accent. He can really make you believe that he is a graduate of Harvard or from Massachusetts or a FILAM (feeling American).

I never heard him speak in tagalog and I wonder how he sounds. He combines his language skill with his different techniques and strategies in teaching that make him a very effective teacher.

Learning English Can Be Fun

He has this ability or super power of teaching in a fun and lively way. He creates a caring, very welcoming and non-intimidating environment in his kingdom. I remember how he lets his new student sing in the class as an initiation… and that’s an SOP! What a great way to start your English classes!

Because of the complexity of the rules and pronunciation, teaching English solely can be very boring but he always makes it easy, exciting and lively by injecting humor and jokes in between his topics. The friendly atmosphere that he created in the classroom motivates his students to learn more, takes an active part in the discussion, willingly shares their ideas, feels free to express themselves in the class without the fear of being embarrassed or being laughed out by others with their mistakes.

His Overwhelming Attention!

What I also like about him is the attention and importance that he gives to his students. He makes it a point that each student is important and deserve attention by giving them equal opportunity to participate specially to those who are hesitant or shy to express themselves. There are no excuses! Whether you like it or not you have to say something, give your opinion on particular topic or tell something about you from the simplest to the most complicated story of your life. Nosy teacher. Isn’t he? And he listens attentively making you feel that he pays attention on what you are saying.

HE HAS P.P

Past participle? No, actually God blessed him with so much PATIENCE AND PASSION in teaching. He almost had beaten the energizer battery because he keeps on going and going…. He can teach form 8:00 am to 5:00 pm continuously with the same enthusiasm, even when he is sick. I never saw him yawn. I think he is not human (hehehe). You can sense his passion and commitment in his profession by constantly showing his effort and desire for his students to learn and become a better English learner. He never shows irritations whenever he was asked a question on a particular topic. He always willingly repeats his explanations even dance, sing, draw and does everything just for his students understand a difficult grammar rule when they fail to get it for the first time.

HE HAS AN ATTITUDE

Despite of the jokes and humor, Sir Ariem has an attitude. He is very strict! That makes him scary at times… Why? Because he sets high expectations for his students and he hold them to those expectation. PRESSURE!!! He just demands a perfect score or at least 95% mastery level on test or an ube ice cream for those who will get the lowest score. Seriously, he does not take things for granted every detail is important. Like, in classes, it will not continue unless you pronounce a specific word correctly, no pass because it means dead in a recitation or taking him the whole afternoon session again explaining prepositions.

HE IS FAR MORE THAN A TEACHER BECAUSE HE IS ALSO A FRIEND

This person was given talents and intelligence that he uses to help others. He always has a word of encouragement or a piece of advice. He generously shares what he knows in almost everything. What is 30 minutes to check a report of one of his student? What is an ample minutes to listen to a family, heart or work related problems of a student plus a very helpful advices from him. Inspiring!

I remember the time he bluntly tells me how weak I am, how unconfident and how bad my attitude is towards the language. It almost burst me into tears. Yeah, sometimes we have to learn in hard ways. Of course I didn’t take it personally, I know he wants me to learn and change for the better. And I thank him for that.

2. As a teacher how did your training benefit you?

I often told myself before that I am poor in English; I want to be fluent, how I wish I could be like others who can speak the language effortlessly and very automatic just like the native speakers do. So, I found Nouveau Manila and enrolled.

I never imagined that the training will be entirely different from what I expected. It helped me professionally and personally. Of course, there are lessons about grammar, pronunciation, speaking and listening but what I learned most is the realization that I have an attitude problem, I have a very weak personality, I lack self confidence, very conscious and I never want to try because of fear. Sir Ariem is correct, English is not my problem, but my attitude towards English is the problem. It is hard to accept those realities but sometimes reality bites and it bites hard.

Through his help, his constant reminders, his sometimes eye-tearing advices and how he puts into action or demonstrate the things he says inspires me to take part in the learning process and change. I am starting now to practice what I learned from him, I am taking now my part how I can share what I know and help my friends on the things that need my help, like checking their reports, assignments or speeches that I don’t usually do before. I am more confident now to express my opinions or thoughts in the things that I believe will be of a great help. I am trying to loosen up a little bit, not minding much on what others would say, stop trying so hard to please everybody and never worry to commit mistakes instead learn from those mistakes.

What I learned in Nouveau, in an English training center was not confined in English or grammar lessons neither on what I said earlier about confidence, because the training also taught or showed me what a great teacher should have. It is indeed inspiring for me to know someone like Sir Ariem. The passion, dedication, commitment, positive attitude and love that he showed toward teaching are actually motivation for me to do the same with my students.

I can give some quotations that I think go well with Sir Ariem.

“A teacher impacts eternity; one never knows when his influence will end.”

“A good teacher tells, a mediocre teacher demonstrates but a great teacher inspires.”

“Thou art a teacher come from God.”

Thank you very much Sir….

A Taveler and A Painter: One of the Greatest Lessons I have learned

Life has been defined in many different ways and in many different versions. What is your view about life? However, despite differences in our perception about life, it has one concrete definition I believe is true to all - life is what we make it. 

As a young educator and wanderer, I have gone a long way in my life, if you may ask. Why do I say this? This is because I have gone through thick and thin, ups and downs, and literally I used to walk long miles from my house to school and vice versa since my elementary grades until I finished college. This is something most of my students don't believe about me. They think I am rich because I can speak English. If this is how discrimination happens, I want to be discriminated against everyday of my life. 

My being able to speak English well, as others would tell me, is just one of the umpteen of manifestations of how I improved as a person. Excuse me, I am not rich yet but I hope it will come soon. This achievement I have actually brings me back to the times of yore when I was fond of reading life stories. And of course, I will share to you this very aphoristic anecdote. It goes this way. 

" A traveler from a long journey happened to have a sojourn in a house along the seemingly infinite road for a dose of tranquility from an exhausting journey. When he got inside the antiquated dwelling, he saw paintings and portraits. He thought that a painter owned the house and he was right. He saw the painter sitting on the painter's chair with his palette. The traveler challenged the painter and said, "Paint me! Paint my portrait!". By the way, the man was very exhausted, haggard-looking with his eyes drooping, and pale. The painter obliged to the traveler's demand. After an hour the painter told the traveler that the portrait was done. It was fresh-looking, a depiction of vigor and enthusiasm of youth. The eyes were perfectly glowing with the sparkle of the beauty of life. To the traveler's astonishment, he told the painter that it wasn't him. He told the painter to repaint his portrait but the painter did not submit to his pleading. Instead he replied: " Mister, you are that person and you can certainly be that person only if you choose to." The man left the painter's house with his portrait in great disbelief. 

What makes me so engrossed with this anecdote is not just its message alone but it relates to my own life story. I was born to a financially handicapped family. With siblings who did not have much interest to go to school and of course they did not finish school. Instead, they settled at a very early age. And my family still lives the same standard of living until this time. When I was a little boy, I never thought of becoming rich but all I wanted was to live a life different from what I used to have way back then. I was not so ambitious of possessing great material wealth one could ever possess. All I wanted was to become a teacher someday and become a catalyst for change in my family at least. 

Let me share to you how I became an educator and a speaker. 

My greatest challenge when I was a little boy was the fact that my family was poor and my siblings got married at early age. They did not have much chance to help our parents. So, I told myself, I wouldn't be like them one day. I ingrained in my mind that I would be different from them not only in ways but also in my perspective about life. Being that ambitious boy I was, I never complained, as far as I could remember every time I would go to school without any penny in my pocket and with only my plastic bag and some pieces of recycled papers. I never complained to my parents why I had to walk 4 kilometers everyday from my house to my high school and vice versa. I was never burdened by my family's circumstance. When I was in college, I attended the university as a scholar being a student-leader in the school so my parents did not have to spend much for my education. I used to go to the registrars office for scratch papers for me to write my notes on. I could still recall hundreds of missed lunches. I could still recall how i weathered rain and storm some of the cold nights I would walk back home from the highway to my little abode in the middle of vast rice paddies. I finished college with a single pair of old slacks which my father gave me. I finished college with projects almost all hand-written. I finished college with some pieces of school uniforms one of my generous professors (Mrs. Minerva Villaflor) gave me. I finished college with my parents toiling almost every piece of land just for them to send me to school. I graduated from college with my long-sleeved shirt borrowed from my 70-year old neighbor. I marched up on the stage and I believe I was the only graduate who did not have a photo taken! However, it didn't matter to me. I finished college with a degree of BSEd Biology/ Mathematics. Despite these overwhelming challenges, I finished college with two awards I am proud of until this very day. Shortly after my graduation, I was hired in a bank and later on by an English Academy where my teaching career commenced. 

Since then I have always wanted to become a teacher. I AM NOW A TEACHER. THIS IS MY CHOICE. AND I AM HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE. And what keeps me reminded of my dream of becoming a teacher is the small painting the painter did for me when I happened to stop by his house for a short rest on a very scorching day on my way home from school. I had a great rest that time and it was a memorable experience. Not only did I get a chance to rest but I also learned one of the best lessons life has to offer. Indeed, he was right. Though I still live almost the same life I used to have, at least I now see beacon of light and with hope that someday things could change for the better. 

Change is on its way and I promise my life will never be the same again.

Thank you for reading. 

THANK YOU

I feel so blessed to have been bestowed a life full of sweet memories to reminisce despite the plethora of reasons to wallow in despair. I am deeply grateful to those people who in one way or another have made me feel that life is still worth living. I am elated not only because I have triumphed against vicissitude but also because I have been endowed with another opportunity to live life for others.

To my parents, thank you very much for the gift of life, for bringing me into this wonderful world. However, I am deeply sorry to have disappointed you as a SON and here I am again disappointing you because I will not be staying as long as you want me to.

To my best buddy Macky, always remember that I am always here for you in both flips of time. Remember that you have been my role model and I am proud of what you have achieved. I know you are the greatest child a parent could have. You are extraordinary.

To my dearest best friend Eric, thank you for being there as an EXTENSION of my life. Thank you for the wonderful moments that only YOU have afforded me. With YOU, I have found more reasons to love, more reasons to forgive, more reasons to be humble, and more reasons to live. YOU are indeed irreplaceable.

To everyone who have become part of my life, thank you so much. I know words aren't enough to express how truly grateful I am. May the Father in Heaven Bless You and Your Families, the precious gift of good health, prosperity, and peace.

Existence is a Divine Responsibility

This is an article by Ariem Cinco, in response to the article written by Mr. Christian Bueno Lumpas (one of my good friends). 

Right to Exist

 by: Christian Bueno Lumpas

We all understand that right to exist is neither a right enacted through statutory law nor a law created under a mere social contract...... right to exist is a natural law that emanate not from the constitution or statutory law...... it is divine law that can't be interpreted using jurisprudential context...... it is not under human affairs to select who will enjoy the comport of creation....... and exterminate outrightly an unborn child because flawed acuity judge the seed of life as flaccid to breathe...... who are we to dictate the destiny of life...... who are we to arbitrate heavenly proceedings..... i ponder if our parents who happened to be ahead of us will do the same criminal act by not giving us the change to live...... do you think we can enjoy the life we have now.....? god never reserve our advantages to arrogate our subsistence by whimsically supplant divine acts.......

Any right embossed with the boundaries of the constitution become nugatory when right to exist is shorn of. According to the legal expert fetus and/or early stages of life has no right to be chimed...... furthermore, they explain that right is define as adherence to duties..... in other words, right is measure with duties... it is a countervailing arguments that right to exist is a universal and divine right.......

Obscurantism to this fact, more particularly the problem of population is not all about being antagonistic to the principles underlying the government policies......  as a conservative catholic  i tag any measure that negate life as extremely evil, a distorted fact, and clandestine act to subterfuge human kindness...

I am pondering why the government is so ill to control this problem by promoting this measures...... in view of the fact that the government arsenal is so loaded of authority to implement prudence reform without shaking our moral foundation.......  i have no change or given the same to read the measures of the so called RH BILL, so it will be bias for me to comment in to-to about the context..... but i vehemently reject any stipulated articles that contain the abortion, using contraceptive and giving free condoms as subsidy.....  when we receive condoms, we are not talking about party, we are talking about sexual acrobatics....... giving condoms publicly as if they distributing candies and chocolate will only instigate humans prurient tendencies......... i only support the utilization of condoms to promote human health...... 

from the conceptualization of the word abortion/contraceptive........ i conclude it is an anti-life..... and therefore no room for arguments to determine the moral aspect of the word...... definitely! it is a blatant intervention of gods act..... the creation of life is not a mere sheer accident.... Sexual intercourse is not an accident because i can't defend an arguments before the plinth of reason that will insult my common sense..... having a penis inserted into the vagina is not an accident, it is plan without intelligent determination...... remember that life is created from a single sperm cell out of aprox... 20 millions sperm cell..... and we are here among the millions becuase we are the strongest of all.... we are choosen to carry the torch of life that insure the survival of human race....... 

i believe that life begins when human freedom ends and gods act begin to rule...........  

------------------oOo-----------------------

Below is my rebuttal to Mr. Lumpas's argument. I hope I make sense. I have never been into debates...hehehe

Existence is a Divine Responsibility

By: Ariem Venezuela Cinco

I am steadfast with my resolve that the RH Bill is not authored to defy moral standards and norms set in our society. Instead, RH Bill is a surefire measure in hampering the rapid growth of population. In the Philippine context, overpopulation is a problem or if not is a contributing factor in the co-existence of other social problems like crimes, drug trafficking, malnutrition, lack of education, and the like.

This is to refute the points of argument presented by Christian in his article “Right to Exist”. While I uphold my faith and beliefs in accordance to the divine law, let me emphasize that the issue at hand on reproductive health bill should not only be viewed on a single perspective of one’s comfort and cynical ideology.   

“Right to Exist” is without doubt a misinformed elucidation of even the simplest semantics of human linguistic expression and partial understanding of the issue. Why? Existence is not purely a delightful right that one is accorded with that an individual should enjoy but a privilege coupled with divine responsibility – a responsibility to uphold the state of equilibrium in the human society and that a child when born deserves to live a healthy life, subsistence free from violence, hunger, and maladies.

In addition, I beg to differ with the utterance; “it is not under human affairs to select who will enjoy the comfort of creation”. This of course applies when there already is conception, or when the child is already born. It is because, for example, couples have the right to decide whether to have a child or not. Couples have their right to decide to do their own things at the comfort of their bedrooms. Also, sexual intercourse for one is a conscious decision to make between and among couples. If the use of condom or any artificial contraceptive is against the will of God, then how will the use of natural methods like withdrawal or calendar be justified as morally right since they have the very same purpose as the artificial methods of contraception? The use of artificial contraceptive and natural birth control methods have the same intention and goal – that is to dampen the rapid growth of population. Both natural birth control methods and artificial contraceptives are both ways to avoid or halt the process of procreation.

The RH Bill is not designed to promote nor condone abortion. The word contraception is never parallel to abortion; thus, the statement “exterminate outrightly an unborn child because flawed acuity judge the seed of life as flaccid to breathe” is a matter-of-fact exaggerated and out of context argument. According to dictionary.com, contraception means prevention of conception or impregnation while abortion means termination of pregnancy. The above statement which talks about exterminating a life of unborn child draws a thick line far from the core of the issue. There is no killing if there is no life existence. Hence, contraception is not abortive in any sense of the word.

Furthermore, I am truly grateful to my parents for bringing me to this world and for raising me in the best way they could despite limited financial resources and the like. However, the claim “I ponder if our parents who happened to be ahead of us will do the same criminal act by not giving us the change to live...... do you think we can enjoy the life we have now.....?” is a relative contention derived purely from a singular life experience. This argument may apply to those who were born to responsible parents and to children of well-off families. What about those children on the streets whose lives are overwhelmingly miserable? Do you think they enjoy their lives? Do you think those impoverished children would share the same sentiment with you or any of those privileged to live good life?

The problem with the rapidly increasing population and other social dilemmas which co-exist with it maybe are viewed by some to be negligible. Population control, which has never been done effectively through natural method, has to be done in some unpopular means like the use of artificial contraceptives. This again is not a measure to expunge one’s right to exist but a measure to protect the nation (with more than 90 million people which majority of it lives below the poverty line) from rapidly escalating social “catastrophies” which are very destructive in whatever context it will be viewed. To which logical and pragmatic basis is the claim that the use of artificial birth control methods is a means to obliterate one’s right to exist? To whom does the rule apply? While I contend the notion that right to exist is universal and divine, I am steadfast with my resolve that this isn’t purely a right but a responsibility. I agree that the right goes with duties. It is therefore our duty to protect and respect the rights each of us is due of.

This measure is not created to challenge our morality nor ruin our moral fibers. The Philippines, as a conservative Christian nation, should not be reluctant to embrace measures which are geared to better   state of the Filipino nation. As previously stated, everyone is bestowed with rights and so everyone is expected to be responsible. Part of this share of these responsibilities we have is our consciousness of what practically is happening around us which greatly affect our very existence. Morality, while it is viewed in many different perspectives and is very obscure and relative proposition, should never be taken as a sole basis on expounding trivial arguments. Distribution of condoms should not be taken as a scapegoat to the decay of our moral fibers, as others argue this promotes promiscuity. It is the education of our people.

What kind of education do we get from our homes, from the churches, and from our schools? What kind of leadership and guidance do we get from stakeholders of society who are supposed to embody the core of moral education? Education should be holistic and impartial. Should the use of artificial methods of birth control be discussed without malice and reservations of partiality, I am confident that its essence will be engrained into the social consciousness and moral backbone of every individual. Poor moral education, mediocre judgment and lack of understanding of underlying issues must be the reason of the country’s trepidation of decaying moral fibers of its people.

The proposition which states that “when we receive condoms, we are not talking about party, we are talking about sexual acrobatics....... giving condoms publicly as if they distributing candies and chocolate will only instigate humans prurient tendencies”, is I strongly refute. It is our view of things that leads us into actions. Should you view condoms as tool to gratify sexual pleasures, then it should instigate your desire to engage in sexual activity. However, if you, as a responsible person imbued with strong moral foundation are aware that condom is a reminder that sex is an act of love and responsibility, I don’t think receiving condoms would motivate you to be sexually active. The availability of condoms should not in any way affect your moral behavior. It is stupid to reason out that the distribution of condoms is what makes the people immoral. It is our perception of things based on acquired knowledge and understanding.  I contend that the use of condom promotes human health. Based on this argument alone, it is clear that the proponent of the argument agrees that use of condom can be practiced zilch doubts.

The argument which says that “Sexual intercourse is not an accident because I can't defend an argument before the plinth of reason that will insult my common sense..... having a penis inserted into the vagina is not an accident; it is plan without intelligent determination......”, is far beyond the context of the issue. However, to further refute the point, the construction of the sentence does not in any way express unity of the proponents thought; thus, the argument is frivolously insignificant. The proponent is merely disagreeing himself. Should sex be done without intelligent determination, then if it cannot be defined an accident, what is it? Notwithstanding, to make sense out of this, sexual intercourse is not only an act for pleasure but a responsibility; thus, it is arbitrary that when a couple do it, there is an intelligent decision to do it. Otherwise, this will give rise to another moral issue, rape.

With my points stated, let me reiterate my firm conviction that RH bill is a pragmatic measure that our government should take and implement. However, such measure maybe is not as parsimonious as the natural birth control methods, I am confident that such would deliver surefire advantages in controlling the constantly increasing population and in alleviating if not totally eradicating social dilemmas which in any way are caused by the surge of  population. 

Note: This is just my two cents.

MY LITTLE STEPS TO LEARNING ENGLISH

An article on Learning English by Mr. Ariem Cinco

English Language Trainer and Business English Language Assessor

I know you are eager to learn English.  I know you want to speak English fluently. I feel your intense desire to speak the language more confidently.  For you to learn English, I want you to consider the following simple steps I took when I was still learning my Basic English. 

1. You know some English words, right? Your problem is that you do not know or maybe you are not just confident to use them in a sentence. Here is the point: you may know the most difficult words in the dictionary or even the longest word (pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis) but it wouldn’t make sense if you do not know how and when to use them in a sentence. What’s the relevance of knowing the word relevant when you do not know it’s relevant in a sentence? Let me just emphasize this to you that one needs to familiarize the correct usage of these words.  You do not need to memorize the meaning of the words in the dictionary.  You need to understand them and if you do, they will just come out naturally.  I suggest that you be familiar with the different parts of speech, their forms and functions. Reading the dictionary for vocabulary enhancement is good but memorizing the words would make you go discombobulating.

2. Use your little English.  Make it sure you constantly use those English words you know in your writing and in your conversations with your friends. This will help you to remember how a word is used in a sentence.  Again, if you want to learn and master English, you need to learn the 3 Es to English Mastery: expose, experience, immerse. Wait, doesn’t immerse begin with an I? Yes, it does. But if you want to learn pronunciation, you should focus not with the letters but the sounds. Constant correct practice makes perfect. 

3.  There is nothing wrong with being a copy-cat if you want to learn English.  In learning English, you do not necessarily have to be genuinely original.  You should learn it from an example.  Imitation (emulation sounds better though) is allowed here.  If you want to sound like an American, listen to Americans speak and imitate them. If you want to sound British, listen to Brits speak and imitate them.  But make it sure you do not make a mixture of both otherwise you will be very confusing.  Stick to one. 

4. Always answer questions in complete sentences.  This will allow you to improve more of your sentence construction skill.  If starting a sentence is a problem, always refer back to the question and use some of the words in the question.  This for me is very practical since this is how I learned my first perfect sentence ever. Take a look. 

Example Question: Why do you want to learn English? 

Example Answer 1: Because I want to improve my English skills. (By the way, this is not a complete sentence rather a dependent clause.)

Better say: I want to learn English because I want to develop and improve my English skills. 

5.  Reading but not necessarily active reading will help you a lot. This actually will expose you to different writing styles and vocabulary which you could later use in your own sentences.  Reading will help you in your sentence construction both written and spoken.  Though sometimes reading is more effective than sleeping pills.  You know what I mean.  If you want to make the most of your reading, then read for 15 to 30 minutes only because reading for a long time can be very tedious.  I advise oral reading to practice your pronunciation.  Also, make it sure that the reading material suits your interest and your ability to understand. 

6.   Have fun.  It is important that you find ways to enjoy learning English.  I understand that it is hard to enjoy when you do not appreciate what you're doing.  For you to appreciate what you are doing, just keep in mind your purpose or goal why you want to learn English.  When you realize how important English skill is, I am sure you will begin to enjoy it.  I want you to engage in fun learning experiences like watching English movies and TV Programs, chatting with friends, and the like.  Studying English should not cause you stress.  Again, have fun.

The Sad Story: The Landscape of English in the Philippines

This is an original article created by Mr. Ariem Venezuela Cinco

Note: Please help me find errors. Thank you. Please comment.

I attended a conference of elementary school teachers in Baguio in May last year. I was not convinced why I was there until I heard one of our roommates confidently said;" Guys, please close the lights and the aircon before you sleep." She was indeed undaunted and never showed any sign of being conscious with what she said. I didn't want to react but my my eyebrows did after deciphering what she just confidently uttered. I did not have the guts to correct her right the very moment she said the one-liner. It actually got me stuck on my bed consternating. I couldn't help but interrogate myself. Is that the kind of English our children learn from the preponderance of teachers we have today? However, I am in no position to claim that our teachers are all the same. Who's to blame?  Let's not point fingers at each other. Instead, let's work together to cure our sick English before it metastasizes to the next generation. Anyway, forget about my whining. Believe me, this wasn't the first instance I heard this kind of English.

Filipinos take pride in their English even branding themselves the best in Asia. Notwithstanding, such belief has long been on the brink of becoming a myth. English in the Philippines has  been dramatically deteriorating. The over-all performance rating of the Philippines in IELTS was 6.69 while Malaysia got an over-all performance rating of 6.71. This figure is based on the result of the research conducted by the IDP Australia. The Philippines lags behind Malaysia in terms of IELTS (International English Language Testing) performance and the sad truth behind this result is that the test group  in the Philippines  was composed of working professionals and the sample test group in Malaysia was composed of university students. Disappointing, indeed.

This deterioration in the proficiency  level of Filipinos in English manifested in their poor performance in International English tests is attributed to some factors such as: the teachers, the learners, the environment, institutions, and the government.

THE TEACHERS. The teachers are the prime role models of our children in school, aren't they? Whatever they do and say are mostly imitated (emulated is a better term I suppose). So, it is implicit that the kind of English our students have today is a reflection of the kind of English our teachers have. Is that a rational argument for me to say? Others would disagree though. The ability of the teachers in English especially in teaching the language greatly affects the English Language Learning of the students. As an English trainer to professionals, it is no longer a surprise for me to meet teachers who still have qualms about their English skills. I once asked a school teacher this question: What do you do? That teacher answered: I am listening to you. I wondered then, since when has listening to me been a job? And then the teacher rephrased it: I am teaching. I asked again: How could you be teaching now? I am your teacher and you are here as my student.

THE LEARNERS. The learners themselves are the prime subjects of the learning process. They should not only be passive receiver of information; instead they must actively process information for them to make their own learning more meaningful. Each learner has its own interest and attitude towards learning, that's why we could not just blame our teachers sometimes when students do not show the progress we expect from them. However, the learners must be properly motivated for them to learn. Exposure and experience are very good multipliers of learning. When I visited one school somewhere I cannot name, I asked one of the students this question: How do you go to school? Do you walk or do you take a ride? The student answered: of course, do you walk. Duh! I was simply caught flat-footed with the answer. I was speechless, for the second time. What about you? I promised to myself not to ask the same question again.  Just kidding.

THE ENVIRONMENT. The environment must be conducive to learning the English language. How can a learner fully develop his English skills if his environment does not allow him to practice or does not give him any chance to learn English? Our schools nowadays have poor learning facilities. When I was still a student, I was also an heir of this deplorable school resources. Poorly written textbooks are actually ubiquitous and I was once a victim of this so I kept on believing that rubber shoes was just fine. Undoubtedly, they have already polluted thousands of young and old minds alike. Our schools and learning institutions except for some, do not actually have the capacity to improve on their English ability. I can attest to this as most of my students are school teachers ( but mind you they are very good in their respective major fields except English). In addition, some schools nowadays are no longer focusing on developing and improving the English skills of the students since we allow the use of multilingual medium of instruction.

THE GOVERNMENT. The government takes on a very important responsibility to improve the standards of education in the country. Thus, it is imperative to say that the government has to take the prime responsibility for providing necessary support the Department of Education needs for it to fully implement measures geared towards the amelioration of the quality of education we get from our schools. In the past couple of years, it was reported that Department of Education marked 80% of Secondary school teachers failed an English proficiency test in 2007. However, the national government projected an ironic, and too good-to-be-true report which showed that there was a significant improvement in the English proficiency among students in 2008. It's just hard to believe though since some call centers in the country were inevitably transferred to other neighboring Asian countries because they couldn't find many qualified applicants to do the job. Statistics show that out of 50 applicants BPO's interview everyday, only two or three would qualify.

For now, what we could do best is not to find a scapegoat for all these sad stories but to find alternatives so we could help improve the standard of English in our country. Everyone should take part in salvaging our ailing English competency. If you think you need help, please call 0916-64.03426

Be an achiever in your very own way.