CTL will sponsor and coordinate 2021 Academic English Writing Workshops for Teaching/Teaching Support Staff to promote enhanced effectiveness in teaching and learning. All ranks of teaching/teaching support staff, including Assistant Instructor/Instructor levels, are eligible, however, priority will be given to ranks Lecturer and above. First come and first served.

Eligibility: Teaching/Teaching support staff and teaching support staff

Seats: 50. Priority will be given to ranks Lecturer and above

Course Instructor: Mr. Philip Yeung (Professional Writer, Speechwriter to President Tang Tao)

Bio:

Educated at the University of Toronto, Philip briefly attended Exeter College, Oxford University on a scholarship. He is a long-time freelance columnist with the South China Morning Post, currently a speechwriter to President Tang Tao of UIC and previously to 11 other university presidents. He has also been a ghostwriter to Hong Kong celebrities, business tycoons and government leaders, including its Financial Secretary. Philip is an award-winning writing coach, with a wealth of experience in designing training programs for writing and public speaking. He has achieved jaw-dropping results in polishing students’ application letters and personal statements for admission to the world’s leading universities, and is well-versed in the art of editing academic articles for publication. Philip has guest-lectured on his unique Conceptual Learning pedagogy for English at many universities in Hong Kong, Macau and the Mainland, including Tongji University, Southern University of Science and Technology, Chinese University (Shenzhen), Beijing University of Technology (Zhuhai), HKU-SPACE, HKBU, Lingnan University, HK Open U, HKUST and University of Macau, etc. For the past year, he has been in partnership with UIC’s resident AI specialist in developing an APP for learning English conceptually. He believes in learning smart, not just studying hard. He has a life-long romance with English. Above all, he sees writing as an adventure, and life as a journey in discovery learning.

Date: Week 3 to Week 13 (Every Friday, 10 sessions)

Sep 24, Oct 8/15/22/29, Nov 5/12/19/26, Dec 3

Time: 12:00 -13:00

Registration: Click Here (Deadline: Sep 17, 2021) Successful applicants will be notified by email later.

Tentative Topics for the 10 Talks 

Lesson 1: The 6 principles (vertical threads)—the science

Lesson 2: The 7 hidden habits (horizontal threads)—the art

Lesson 3: Patterns of error and underlying causes—negative transfer from Chinese—grammar as a cultural construct

Lesson 4: Getting to know the special sounds and sentence patterns of English

Lesson 5: The ceaseless search for variety—and how to acquire a large vocabulary painlessly

Lesson 5: Criteria for readable writing—what is academic writing? And must academic writing be boring?

Lesson 6: Writing is like cooking: know the ingredients

Lesson 7: Follow the recipe

Lesson 8: Sensitivity training for word classes

Lesson 9: Turning complexity into opportunity—even grammar can be taken advantage of

Lesson10: Learning only from the best—suggestions for self-apprenticeship.

Note:

1. Lunch will be provided free by CTL.

2. Contact person: Ms. Sandy Chen (Administrative Officer of CTL) at 367-7134 or sandychen@uic.edu.cn