I got some bad news the other day; Brandt Cannici, who was the head of Kaplan's Ginza center about three years ago, was killed on the 19th in a car accident in California. He was riding as a passenger in an SUV with seven young international students, en route from San Francisco to Los Angeles, when the driver drifted out of the road near Santa Barbara. Evidently, the driver oversteered to try to bring the truck back on course, and it rolled and caught fire, killing Brandt, along with all of the other occupants save the driver. Brandt was 30 years old.


When I first came to Japan, exactly three years ago this week, Brandt and I both lived in Minami Urawa, in Saitama prefecture, in the same company dormatory. Brandt--along with Jimmy Crosby, another good friend who lived in the same dorm--was the one who initially helped me find my way around Tokyo on the trains and subways, deal with the language barrier (he spoke fluent Japanese), introduced me to all of his friends, and generally helped me pass the time in the hinterland of Saitama.


My first three weeks here, my boxes of clothing and bedding had not arrived. I only had one pair of brand new dress shoes, and they were tearing my feet apart. I didn't have a futon, and wouldn't have known where to buy one, even if someone had told me. That's what it's like when you arrive in a new country and don't speak the language. It was Brandt who took me to Okachimachi to show me the inexpensive department stores where I could get housewares and comfortable shoes, and who took me to the furniture store in Mushahi Urawa (less than two kilometers from our apartment, but I never would have found it on my own) so I wouldn't have to keep sleeping on a pile of t-shirts on the hardwood floor. In short, his friendship helped make it easier for me to love Japan, and appreciate the adventure I had undertaken in coming here.


Brandt's most defining trait was his optimism. There's a Japanese proverb, "Nana korobi, ya oki," which means "If you fall seven times, get up eight." That kotowaza described Brandt as much as anyone I've ever met. He always expected the best from people, and he was a good and kind person in the ways that really counted. In the face of all opposition, he never pitied himself or became cynical about others.


As you continue to work hard and stress yourself to get ready for your own test, keep Brandt's spirit of optimism and compassion in mind. You'll fail, over and over, to do as well as you expect yourself to do. But forgive yourself, trust that you can do better, and keep trying.


For those of you who knew Brandt and would like to say a few final words about him, his family has set up a Facebook page that anyone can join to share their memories.

Brandt was a smart, handsome, and kind young man, and it's a shame that his life ended the way it did. He was a true friend, and I'll miss him.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Douglas先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Smoke and Makuuchi】2008.10.01(Wed)
･【It's Always Something】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【Working the Corners】2008.11.12 (Wed)
・【Logic Games】2008.12.03 (Wed)
・【A Truth about Application Essays】2008.12.24 (Wed)
・【The Real Score】2009.01.21 (Wed)
・【Think Honestly】2009.02.11 (Wed)

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If it's possible, which it really is, I recommend being interested in the topic that you have to be tested on. And by interested, I mean really interested. Before I made my major mathematics, I thought that I wanted to be a physical therapist. So I was taking anatomy and biology and those kinds of classes. I soon found out that I wasn't interested in those topics very much at all, and definitely not enough to carry me through to a master's in physical therapy. However, I realized this in the middle of a semester and still had to get through it without killing my GPA.


So what did I do? Even though I knew the entire semester (and classes I had previously taken) was ENTIRELY USELESS, the knowledge I was gaining would benefit me in no obvious, practical way, I tried my best to be interested in the topic so that I could get good grades on my test. If I study something and it's boring, I'm very unlikely to remember it. But if I study something and am very interested in it, I'm much more likely to remember it. So even though I had decided to change my major BECAUSE I wasn't interested in biological topics, I MADE myself become interested in it. For example, to this day, I can still (loosely) remember how caffeine works, how it affects your body. I remember it because I thought it was interesting. And I still remember some very specific bone names because I made up stories attached to the bone and its name to make it interesting to myself. I think this is part of why I could eventually do well in math. I love math. It's very interesting to me so it's very easy to remember.


I've read that for information to pass from your short-term memory to your long-term memory it is not a matter of time or of mere repetition. It is a matter of the information becoming meaningful to you in usually some emotional kind of way. So the name of a certain bone is not meaningful to me at all, and definitely not emotionally. But because of the stories I made up to attach to it to make it meaningful, I could remember it much more easily. For example the zygomatic bone on your skull sticks out from your face.

For some, it's very prominent and can make a kind of zigzag shape, kind of. So, the zygomatic bone is easy to remember because it makes a zigzag. Kind of. Another example, I met someone with the last name Iwase. To me, Iwase sounds really similar to shiawase, and this person is in fact a very happy person. So it's very easy for me to remember their name because of this meaningful attachment I've made to the name. When I see the person, I first think of shiawase, and then I remember the true name, Iwase. How caffeine works was easy for me to remember because I'm a big advocate of caffeine and in America people tried to tell me that too much was bad for you. But did you know that some of your natural energy is basically blocked or broken down (I don't remember the specifics) by something, and all caffeine does is block the energy blocker. Caffeine doesn't add artificial energy to your system; it allows your natural energy to be more fully used.


I could keep going with examples, because this is in fact how I remember most facts. But whether it's some vocabulary word or biological process or mathematical formula, just rote memorization is not the most effective way to memorize something. I'd like to suggest that you try making stories or something meaningful to attach to information to make it easier to memorize. And standardized tests are basically a time of dumping onto paper an overload of memorized things. So as this works for me, I hope it can work for you.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Amberly先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Something Interesting】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【an interesting book】2008.11.28 (Fri)
・【To study methods】2009.01.14 (Wed)
・【The 90%】2009.02.04 (Wed)

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Many of our students are excellent English speakers, and　are able to express themselves verbally on a wide range of　topics. However, when it comes to writing an essay, it's　a different story for many of them.

Writing well is probably the most difficult skill to　master, but it's an essential skill not only for entrance　exams but also for success as a student, particularly in　social studies and the liberal arts. In writing,　grammatical errors are far more noticeable, and clear
expression is often more difficult. We have to get it　right the first time without relying on feedback from　others, facial expressions, gestures, or tone of voice.

While over-emphasis on grammar can be counterproductive　when learning to speak fluently, many advanced students　find a grammar review useful in order to write more
accurately and naturally.

At Kaplan, we offer a wide range of courses designed to　improve the full range of language and test-taking skills,　including grammar courses. We can help you design a
course of study to meet your individual goals, so come see　us and talk to one of our counselors.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Kurt先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【How much will I improve?】2008.10.08 (Wed)
・【The Importance of Writing】2008.10.29 (Wed)
・【Bias in the News】2008.11.19 (Wed)
・【TOEFL iBT】2009.01.07 (Wed)
・【improving your English Level】2009.01.28 (Wed)

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Like many a gaijin nerd, I've long been fascinated by the life and teachings of Musashi Miyamoto. The fact that Musashi's legacy has taken something of a beating in recent years at the hands of revisionist historians has not dampened my esteem. Indeed, I've observed that the more meritorious a person or event, the more likely it is to invite opprobrium from that particular hive. Whatever the truth of Musashi's life and character, there is little room for doubt that he brought considerable genius both to the praxis and philosophy of armed single combat, and for that insight alone I deem him worthy of admiration, being myself one of the poorer students of that art.


Much of Musashi's thesis, The Book of Five Rings, concerns itself so pointedly and unequivocally with swordfighting that its tenets are applicable to other endeavors--if at all--only by the most far-reaching metaphor. However, early in the tract, Musashi lays out a simple list of nine fundamental axioms which apply themselves to any disciplined endeavor. It is the first two and last one with which I am interested today; they are:

1) Do not think dishonestly;
2) The way is in training;
...
9) Do nothing which is of no use.

I've read The Book of Five Rings over 20 times (did I mention that I was a gaijin nerd?), and though much of it remains impenetrable to me despite Musashi-sensei's repeated admonitions to reflect on his words, this simple list of principles instantly resonated when I first read them at the age of sixteen. Musashi probably intended for these rules to be thus transparent, since he included them in the Ground Book, in which he lays out the foundational aspects of his method and philosophy.


What most struck me when I read the list for the first time was the order in which these three rules were presented, especially the first two. As important as training is, first among equals is honesty in thought. So often I see students who are willing to train themselves to exhaustion, but who remain remiss in the calm, objective analysis of their progress. I particularly love the Japanese four-character idiom for this state, kuso-majime, literally "shitty-earnest." An apt metaphor if ever there was one.


Before one can begin to productively train for any endeavor, one's mind must be in the proper state of reflection, objectiveness, and preparedness. That way, when the inevitable obstacles arise, one can ascertain honestly and correctly whether to surmount them or retreat from them. One who persists in an arduous course when a simpler, more effective one is available is engaging in mere self-flagellation.


And regarding self-flagellation, see Rule 9.




▼▽▼▼Douglasの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Smoke and Makuuchi】2008.10.01(Wed)
･【It's Always Something】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【Working the Corners】2008.11.12 (Wed)
・【Logic Games】2008.12.03 (Wed)
・【A Truth about Application Essays】2008.12.24 (Wed)
・【The Real Score】2009.01.21 (Wed)

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I'll never forget the time when my sister encountered her first bad professor in university. She went university after I did, so at the time I must have had already been in university for about three years. We were living in different cities going to different universities and she called me up to relay the utter shock and disgust she felt with having had received this less than par instructor. After she got it out of her system I pretty much laughed in her face, not literally, we were on the phone. And I told her that in my three years I had only had about two or three good instructors, two or three out of what must have been more than 20. I told her that a good instructor is a blessing, not a requirement and that she was extremely lucky to have had had so many good professors so far.


Generally in life, I think it is a very wise thing to take responsibility for the things you can actually do something about. And for things that are out of your control, you should use the things you CAN control (your perspective, your attitude, your own effort and resources) to make the best of them. To simply sit back and complain about things one has no control over will make one into a very unhappy and bitter person. There's a pretty famous quote in English that says, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." Sure it's harder to take responsibility for things, because then it something sucks, it sucks because you haven't made it better. And no one wants to admit that. Everyone wants to point fingers. But I want to say that pointing fingers will not get you anywhere. Pointing fingers will make your life miserable because life is normally not naturally very pleasant and perfect. Life is what you make it.


In regards to test prep or education in general, the quality of your teacher is one of those things that is out of your control. As far as I can tell, it seems to me that the Japanese education system doesn't put much of the education responsibility on the students. Sure the students are responsible for listening to the teacher and doing their homework and studying, but this level of participation will not take you as far as it is possible for you to go. In my experience in America, I was completely responsible for understanding any of the material which was taught to me. If I didn't understand, I needed to raise my hand and ask a question or talk to the teacher after class or do extra research on my own through other books or the internet. Because if I didn't, I could say all I wanted that my teacher was bad, but at the end of the day it was my grade that sucked. And when I would later find myself in a situation that required high grades, I couldn't at that point say, "Oh that one wasn't my fault. I had a bad teacher for that class." The same goes for test prep. At the end of the day is if your score isn't high enough, it will be on you.


Now at Kaplan the instructors are actually pretty good. I could tell you horror stories about teacher's I've had before. But I want to say that if you have a habit of expecting teachers to cater to you, or if you've never experienced really pursuing and seeking knowledge on your own, you might consider changing your approach to education. It might take more work, but in the end you will be more capable and successful and in grasp of the knowledge you've been seeking.




▼▽▼▼Amberlyの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Something Interesting】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【an interesting book】2008.11.28 (Fri)
・【To study methods】2009.01.14 (Wed)

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