THE BIG ESCAPE (a short text written by myself)

My Dearest Friend,

You had left your yacht in the wharf; without having it tied. For a minute I saw it moving, up and down. In I went to see if I could find you. You were not there. So I went to the deck. The ocean was in front of me, the wharf, behind.  On one side, I saw the glamorous view of the city with its buildings and happy people; the luxury, the thrill and the glory of the crowds; the lights and colors and sounds. On the other side, however, there was only a simple line. The horizon I am talking about; the very line that forbids the sky to enter the waters and get soaked. There was just this line, and nothing else to hope for. I hesitated on your yacht for a while. I was tempted to make the biggest decision of my life and you were not there. I switched on the old engine. The fuel gauge showed a half-full tank. I didn’t know to what far I could travel. But I was sure it was enough to take me away from there. My dear friend! You were not there and I departed with your yacht. You might have gotten angry or upset, but I was sure your yacht would like the journey; since no yacht is meant to be tied and landed to any wharf. You would not believe your yacht’s decisive move in cutting through angry waves of the ocean which tend to settle everything in its place. You would not believe the thrill we had when moving, as if we both had long been waiting for such company and journey.

Good bye my dearest friend! I left with your yacht.

How to write in a way that everyone can read...

1. Keep your descriptions short and simple. Keep your writing short and to the point.
   
2. Use words that the reader is familiar with. Don't use words that the reader might find difficult to understand.
   
3. Keep your sentences simple and clear. Don't use many compacted sentences.
   
4. Don't make all the sentences the same length. It is a good idea to vary the length of the sentences. Make some sentences longer, while keeping some sentences shorter.
   
5. It is better to us the active tense, then the passive tense.
   
6. Don't use abbreviations unless you are sure that the reader will understand.
   
7. It is better to use nouns and verbs, instead of adjectives and adverbs.
   
   source: http://www.english-the-easy-way.com
   

How to prepare for exams...

Exam preparation/study tips:

• Make sure you understand what you have studied. Don’t just try to memorise it.
  Ask your teacher or classmates for help if you find something difficult to understand.
  

• Look again at what you have studied as soon as possible after class
  You are more likely to remember information if you look at it again within 24 hours of first hearing it.
  

• Organise your study time
  A revision timetable will help you make the most of your study time.
  

• Eat something before you study
  Food will give your brain the energy it needs to concentrate for long periods of time. Fruit is a good choice - the sugar in fruit will keep you more awake than coffee.
  

• Drink plenty of water while you study
  Not drinking enough water can make you lose concentration and make it harder for you to remember information. You should drink 250ml of water for every hour of study.
  

• Choose places to study where you will not be disturbed
  Noise and other distractions make it difficult to concentrate and can affect the amount of information you remember.
  

• Take regular breaks during study time
  Taking a 20 minute break every two hours will give you time to remember what you have already learned and also help you concentrate for the next two hours.
  

• Take practice tests
  There is no better way to prepare for a test than to take regular practice tests. Not only can you learn the language you need to pass the exam, but you can also get to know the style of exam questions and practise good exam techniques.
  

• Join a study group
  Studying with friends and classmates can help motivate you to study more regularly.
  

• Work out when you study best
  Some people work best in the mornings, others at night. Decide when you work at your best and try to study at those times.

Exam taking tips:

• Get at least 6 hours sleep the night before a test
  You are more likely to remember what you have learned if you have had a good night’s sleep.
  

• Eat before a test
  Food will give your brain energy and help you to concentrate.
  

• Wear comfortable clothing
  Being uncomfortable is a distraction. Also, it’s better to wear several layers of clothing so you can put on or take off an item if you feel hot or cold.
  

• If possible, sit at the front of the examination room
  If you sit at the front of the room you are less likely to be distracted by other students and can hear the recording better for the listening paper.
  

• Make sure you understand all the instructions before you begin
  Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat any information you are unsure about.
  

• Before you start your test, quickly look at the whole test paper
  Looking at the test paper quickly before you start will help you to manage your time better. Decide how long you should spend on each question.
  

• Always read the questions carefully
  One of the most common mistakes students make is not to read the questions carefully enough. Read all instructions slowly and twice if you have time.
  

• Answer the questions you find easy first
  Answering the questions you find easy first will give you confidence and save you time later on.

• Don't waste time on questions you cannot answer
  Spending a lot of time on a question can make you lose confidence. If you can’t answer a question go to the next one and come back to it later, if you have time.

• Check your answers carefully
  If you have time at the end of the exam, read through your answers. But remember, your first answer is usually correct so only change answers if you see a mistake.
  

Be positive and try to stay relaxed
If you are relaxed you will be able to concentrate better. Breathe slowly and deeply and try to put all negative thoughts out of your mind.

source: www.tests.com

Seminar and workshop on TOP NOTCH and SUMMIT (Report)

The 2-day seminar (February 7 and 8, 2010 / Jahad Daneshgahi - Sharif University Branch amphitheater), together with the workshop on TOP NOTCH worked so well for many like me who had been long waiting to have a better look at TOP NOTCH and SUMMIT. Nearly 100 people were invited from all Jahad branches in Iran and it was an excellent chance to see our colleagues and people in higher ranks within the organization. Personally I like making new friends and this I did a lot!!!

The seminar hosted some VIP’s as well: Mr.Gareth Dewar (from the editorial group that worked on TOP NOTCH and SUMMIT), Mr.Babaei (the manager of Ghazal Javan publishing company, in charge of publishing and distributing the series), Mr. Novinchehr (local agent of the Pearson company, which holds Pearson Education – whose beautiful blue logo we see on the book covers), and at last, Mr.Jenab and other managers of Jahad ACECR.

It was so exciting to see Mr.Jahanbakhshi hosting the event and although he was the only one who spoke English for the first 2 hours of the seminar, I believe he did a good job.

The seminar started with some verses of Quran which were creatively translated into Farsi and English and though not with a high quality, I could see that people were actually READING the verses along with the citer and I wish we had more chances like this to sit down and read and think. Then our national anthem was played and everyone stood respectfully.

Then the head manager of Jahad - Mr.Rabbani - had a short talk about the process of choosing TOP NOTCH as the integrated course for all the branches and with a flashback to 31 years ago, he reminded the audience, of course the older ones, of the excitement they experienced during the revolution’s final days in Bahman 1357.

Then Mr.Babaei of Ghazal Javan reviewed some points about TOP NOTCH components and briefly, though not completely, he talked about the components and the features that we have now alongside with the book, and the ones we will have in future.

Afterwards, head of Ghazal Javan briefed the audience about the process of localizing TOP NOTCH for what he called: “cultural variations” and he demonstrated some changes they had made to the book. I personally admired their job to be so professional in editing movies, texts and sound tracks. Although the same topic popped up in the afternoon with Mr.Novinchehr and some teachers expressed dissatisfaction over the editions they made to the books. But I really don’t think there is much Mr.Novinchehr or people at this level can do about these things. Censorship is a matter of cultures. Among useful points he made, I heard of the website www.itests.com which provides free placement tests and useful hints for teachers and learners.

Mr.Novinchehr had his lecture about the PEARSON Company and their subsidiaries and branches and he spoke of future opportunities that his company was willing to provide Iranian teachers and learners with.

Then the long-waited lecture by Mr.Gareth Dewar started. Unlike other lecturers, he refused to stand still and obviously from his teacher-like habits, he kept moving around. He delivered his lecture professionally and got the audience to interact with him step by step through it. I was keeping note of his movements and activities. All teachers have their own methodology but it is so wise to look for creative methods and know-how’s. His first part of speech was generally on teaching DO’s and DONT’s.
I had the chance to ask a question. A few other questions were as well asked and answered. But the main part of his speech was delivered later in the afternoon in which he demonstrated how we teach a sample unit in TOP NOTCH. Here the Q&A’s were much more and although not all of them helpful, we had a great chance of learning new things. I also dared asking more questions. Mr.Dewar patiently answered our questions and what I really liked about his teaching atmosphere was the fact that you could easily feel yourself close to him and this is something we all need as teachers. He was not afraid of saying “I don’t know” though one might find it fatal to say so in front of others. I learned new methods which I used in the class I had later in the evening and the response was awesome.

The seminar ended at 5 p.m and being the 2nd seminar in the last 5 years or so, I can say it was good. Mr.Talebioon, Mr.Shamsi Pour, Mr.Hosseini, Mr.Jahanbakhshi, and all the people in Jahad – Sharif University (whose names I don't know) worked well together and made this day memorable for all the attendants.