STUDENTS OF HOLISTIC ENGLISH ARE WELCOME TO POST AFTER YOUR FINAL EXAM IS FINISHED AND NOT BEFORE.
Xinyang Agricultural College
“Our new spoken classroom at the school 2-302. It’s different from other classroom. New Oral indeed different from the previous classroom, very English atmosphere. We like it.” Venus Class: 06-business 1 NO: 067013119
“First I am very appreciate for you to build a wonderful English class room for the English major students. It is not only the first time for me to see this kind of classroom but all the students as well. I pretty enjoy the design in our classroom. It is convenient for us to communicate with each other. Especially that you can see every student very clearly and easily. Then I highly support your view of buying a large new TV in our classroom .Because there is no TV or computer in our dorm .In order to save money, some students do not want to go to the internet bar to view the events ornews happened in our nation or in the world. So this is a golden opportunity for us to open our eyes to the world. Next I want to give you a suggestion. Last class you told us that only third yearstudents and applied English class students can go to the room to watch the news from CCTV-9, BBC, CNN. But I think you should give this chance to every student who really wants to go there. Because Xinyang is a small and poor city in China .But we can not put ourselves in this limited space, we should keep up with the world. In my opinion there are a lot of students who need or want to watch the news in our wonderful room. So I hope you can open to the students who would like to go there.” Jane Class 2 Tourism English NO.18
“Our new classroom is really great. It’s clean, comfortable and attractive. So that the classroom can stimulate learning and help build a classroom community. I prefer the U-shaped configuration in our new classroom, where everyone has a frontrow seat. We can make eye contact with every student and reach each student with easy. It’s good for us. I like the plants in our new classroom. Because the plants are an excellent way to make our classroom look more welcoming. They also improve the air quality in air-conditioned building. When I am thirsty, I can get water from the water machine. But in my opinion basic bulletin boards are not enough. I believe in a very colorful classroom with poster, photograph and other interesting things to enhance the environment, such as a small refrigerator, electric heating, TV, and a stereo system with a CD player. If they can achieve, I will be very happy. But now what we can do is cherishing the hard-won good learning environment and thanks to our Professor. Thank you for thinking of us”. Maggie Tourism English Class One NO:04
“We are extremely grateful that we could have class in this special classroom. It has unique decoration and it makes us fresh and refined. Especially in the shape of “U” and the back row is higher than the front. It makes every student express his own opinion as he pleases and talk to each other. It really provides a good circumstance for us to train our oral English. All of us love this new special classroom very much.” Lisa Class 4 of Business English NO: 23
Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics
Student #1
The special course of learning English by watching movie really helped my English skills, the major advantage of this method is that watching movie is interesting rather than others which is boring and difficult to keep. I think the specific improvement by this course include these aspects following.
First, it improves my reading as well as listening. The first time when I came to the course, I was almost puzzled by the fast spoken English with the fast going English subtitles. But after a couple of courses, I can understand the major content of the movie. Now it becomes much easier and more comfortable for me to catch onto the movie.
Second, during the discussion, I also improved my oral English. Actually during the day of discussion, we talk about anything we like not only the movie. During the discussion, we learned from each other. Many mistakes was found and then corrected during the talking.
The last and the most important is that the course built in me the English thinking. Before taking this course, the way I used English is thinking in Chinese then translate it into English, after all that process, it came out of my mouth but still with a lot of mistakes. But now it only has one process that is saying what I am thinking.
Now English is no more that bad for me, and I owe all my confidence to this special course of learning English with fun.
Student #2
I like your new method of teaching English. Through your class my English has improved a lot. And the most important point is that my oral English is much more fluent than ever.
Here is my opinion about the advantages of your book:
First, I learn through watching movies, which makes me more interested and concentrated. And I can remember longer than reading ordinary textbooks.
Second, after watching the movie, I have works related to it to do which will make me more impressive. And we will discuss the movie. This is the most important part because it makes me think and express ourselves and my oral English has practiced.
Third, there is a lot of information in the movie. I can learn many professional words and expressions and the use of them. After reading your book we can have a better understanding.
Student #3
Thank you for helping me with my oral English. I do not dare to say that after joining your special English class I have improved my speaking English very much, but I did learn a lot from it.
And also, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your fantastic movies. They shared a lot of funny things and also professional subjects to us. At the same time, watching & learning. For the movie’s part, I have something to say and must to say about what it brought to me. Meanwhile, I do hope that my experience and point of view would give you and the forthcoming students a few suggestions:
1. Scanning materials.
Before you watch the movie, it’s necessary to read the materials that you have. It can help you know the background of the movie, and you also can go on the Internet to find the data or information that helps you to get in deeper with that movie.
2. Words and phrases.
In the movie, there are so many “American” phrases and slangs that you can’t understand. After watching the movie you will know their meaning, how they are used, in what circumstance you can use it naturally. Of cause, most of them were listed in your workbook; so, it really saves you a block of time.
3. Movie discussion
I like the movies, not because the movie itself brings satisfaction, but it also helps me to improve my listening and speaking. But actually, it’s more than that. You will find it’s a quiet different thing between speaking out and just watching. During the discussion, you will find there are a lot of ideas and feelings that you got from the movie. When you open your mouth and speak out to express your own opinion and try to convince somebody, you will have absorption of other people’s viewpoints, which you didn’t realize. And finally agree to disagree.
4. Think actively
I think it’s a great help for me that I took the special English class. Seize the chance to express your unique opinion; it will bring you an unexpected surprise. So you think actively and act quickly!
5. Nervous & scary? —-NO!
As the class continues, you will find you are not afraid of speaking in public anymore, not afraid to make mistakes, not afraid to lose your valueless face, because you have grown up!
Sun Yat-sen University
My English semester is going to be over, I have learned a lot in this half year, to be intrinsic motivated and be on time to attend professor’s classes and so on. Besides, it helps me to know how to continue my further English study. So I write this letter to thank you for what you have done for all of us students. Best regards. (Ivy Huang)
Thank you so much for providing such a fantastic English learning envirment for all of us. Your work did make us use English better although it sometimes took more time than it should be. But we really thank you for facilitating our English class, for providing the place for us to watch the movies, for finding such an unusual but really kind hearted and helpful and creative foreign teacher. Thank you so much for everything. (Annie)
Thank you for building an English Movie Library for us. I’m Sarah Qiu from Lingnan College, SYSU. Thank you for caring about us, I’m sure the English Movie Library will enrich our university education. Thank you again, from my heart. (Sarah)
I am Simone, a student of Martin Wolff from English class 21 .Thank you very much for your great efforts to build a English movie library for our campus! You know there are a lot of difficulties in our English learning, the most important one is the lack of a good environment. You care about our English learning so much that you created the library to enrich our resources of English learning. Watching English movies is a most favorable way to improve our English. (Simone)
I write this letter to thank you for the English Movie Library which is absolutely a good way for us to improve our English. It is very wonderful that all the movies are with English subtitles. (Eris, Class 14)
Thank you very much that you are so caring about our English study and give us the new book “International Business Law (3rd Edition)”.
We had your lesson once at the beginning of this term when Ms. ** hadn’t arrived in our campus. Your lesson was impressive and helpful. And I remembered that you have told us English can be a kind of lifestyle. Your class is enlightening and I find that I have more enthusiasm in English when it comes to my daily life. (Jessica Xu, Class 11)
joe Class 2c Submitted on 2010/05/11 at 12:28am SYSU
Professor Martin is leaving, and I don’t know the reason why. I admit that I didn’t read much and neither of my comments on this websit. But I feel my English has improved a lot this semester, so I thank him and I will miss him. Wishing him a good trip around this country and the world. He really had done a very wonderful great work.
Yes, I was drowned in you assignments. The beginning was hard to me, and I would feel tired and a little bit scared of your e-mails. But now, I nearly regard reading your essays and posting comments as a part of my daily routine. I used to be confused by seeing you afford so many controversial materials in you web site, but just after your second class when you asked us to do comments in a rational and neutral attitude I got my answer. E-mail you sent yesterday made me upset and hard to believe it. As you’re changing us gradually and making yourself be heard more and more, why you chose to leave? Now I know your reason, and I just feel that it’s a pity you will leave and it’s my honor to be one of your last students in SYSU.
Best regards.
Caren
Dear Prof. Wolff,
I feel upset after reading your last mail. I should say that you are a good and responsible teacher in my heart. You are, as you said, a teacher I have never met before. You open a window for me, through which I see more; give a platform for me to say more and share more. I appreciate what you have done to us very much.
I do not want to judge my peers. But as to myself, I would like to express my profound appreciation to you. It is my honor to have you as my teacher. And it would be SYSU’s loss to lose you.
Thank you again. Look forward to seeing you in two weeks.
Best,
Linda, Class 14
Amy Class 12C
I think, Martin is a earnest and responsible teacher. Sometimes, several
students complain that there are lots of homework and assignments, even some
students are afraid of his English class. In my opinion, we grow up in China and we
never receive such strict and systemic English lessons before. Facing with
Martin’s special teaching, we often feel very difficult at the beginning. But I
believe, we can accept Martin’s teaching style by degrees and at the end of
this term we can get great progresses.
Dear professor Martin,
Hello, I’m writing to thank you for the last thing I learned in the class this afternoon, which is about Examination. Before, examination was much like an unavoidable burden, most of which bothered me a lot. But today I got to know more about it. I came to the classroom a little early and became the first one to be tested nearly as soon as I sit down, which told me that examination can be anytime when you get to the situation. When I was going to leave, another student just finished the test and was not satisfied about her performance, asking for another chance. Then you said that I’ve given you a chance. Suddenly I realized that examination was actually a chance instead of a burden. It is a chance to show how you perform on the particular issue, to let others know what you have got and what you have done. Without it, nobody knows your hard work and sweet. The examination is a chance pretended as a burden. And I know, even after I graduate, I will also come across lots kinds of examinations, and I think, with such an attitude about examination, I will do better and more relaxed.
I know that maybe you have come across some Chinese students who contacted you and said a lot of good words just for better grades. So I took a while to consider whether I should write this letter, because I do not want to be classified as such kind of students. Finally, I decided to write to show my respects because you are quite a special and interesting English teacher for me, and I did learn a lot not only about English and English learning, but also about life, work and attitude. Moreover, I wrote it as soon as I reached the dormitory or I would change my mind later probably.
At last, goodbye! And wish you have a good time in the latter days.
Sincerely, Eric class 16c
Professor Martin,
I know I should not send e-mail to you arbitrarily, but I have something to say necessarily. I think you maybe felt disappointed about some persons, or SYSU, or even education and policy in China in recent time, but please don’t feel disappointed to us, we support you, at least me I feel my spoken English improved much in this semester, which is your contributions. Thank you, you are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Finally, I want to say that, this e-mail was checked by WORD, whose purpose is also not to get high marks.
Your sincerely
Levin
Dear professor:
When I came in the classroom this afternoon, I found a little unhappy on your face, in a word, there is something different, I do not know whether it is just because you caught a bad cold. in fact , I wanted to write to you to tell you something , especially you sent us an email named ‘clear?’ , in which , some friends and I found you were upset about the teaching situation , and we feel strange that you say so . We do not hope to see that, and we know that you must be misunderstood. From the email we guess your department leader may find you and tell you something frustrated.
The reason that why you were misunderstood is that , some students do not catch what the passage says in the web site ,because of the poor English and the limited spare time . we should let you know that , some students have seven subjects this semester , and they have classes from Tuesday to Friday all day long . After class there are a lot of books of their studied field to read and homework to do . Of course English is one of the subjects , however , it is not the most important one , though it can make money just as you says , the problem is that if we do not read a lot of books on our studied field , we can not graduate and even find a job accordingly . In the first two week , my classmates and I go to the web site and leave a reply , it is good , we love English , and make our mind to study well . However, one week you put two passages on Monday, Tuesday you put five and Wednesday there is two more , short to say , in that week we have to watch two movies and read no less than ten passages , even in the weekend! If we do not finish them, it will effect the sores of this subject, once fail to pass, we can not graduate on time and search a job. so , in that week we can not read the books or papers of our studied field , and then most of us began to hate English and do not want to see it , but actually we love to learn English at the beginning , because the homework you arrange to us is proper , one day a passage ,or no more than five a week . Maybe you will say it is a easy job for us to read two or three , but actually , because we are not the students of English major and most of us do not love to learn before , it is hard for some of us to read and leave a reply , take me for example , I have not type English words before , so when typing on the keyboards , I forget how the words spell , every time I have to spell in a paper and then find the character in the keyboard , which takes me at least 40 minutes to leave a reply , sometimes is an hour . If there is three passages in you website, I have to spend a whole night without doing others, not to say five! I know what you do is to make our English better, but the real situation is that some of us can not stand too many passages.
Another situation of us is that, before a postgraduate student, some of us do not come from this university; they are from parochial college which education in china is not so good, you may know this, so there may be some difficulties in reading English passages and give a comment on those sensitive issues. When facing “too much “English passages, and have no idea how to finish on time, some will lodge a complaint and doubt what are you doing and why you want us to face the political sensitive issues? Although in fact, you do not mean so, just as they think, to the contrary, you teach us so much, we should thank you for your effort.
In a word, I do not want to see and feel sorry to this situation now, and I do not know how to do , maybe what I can do is to tell you something you should know , communication is important , misunderstanding make both unhappy . of course , I do not know whether I have misunderstand your feeling , if so , please forgive my guesswork . Ok, it is time for supper, to write this letter, I have spent an hour, I think it is a progress for me to type so long without spell in a paper before so, thank you again and hope you get better soon. ….
Best wishes,
Yours sincerely
Anonymous 11c
I think the reason why many students misunderstand or even hate you is that you are radical for Chinese students, and strict on the other hand. In fact, there are many teachers students believe to be radical, but most students like them because young people like the person whose ideas are different. And it’s natural that at the same time many students dislike them, just like the case of you. So I think you don’t have to worry about it, it’s common. The difference between the radical Chinese teacher and you is that you are strict with students. This brings about anxiety, not angry. Many of us worry about whether their are able to follow your requirements(My class mates said: unless I do not do have to do other things, I can not follow his instructions) and whether you would let them fail(In fact, I was worried too, but I can understand you). The perceived anxieties magnify students’ angry. In any case, you have opened a window for us to understand how foreigners think about China, so many of us value what you have done.
I don’t know what I have written above is right or wrong, I just want to help you to understand why.
Have a good day!
Peter 12C
Dear teacher,
Although I know nothing about why our dear teacher has changed his mind a lot about the requirements, what I want to say is: you are actually a good teacher, even the best one that I have met with. I usually think for myself if I have met you much earlier, maybe my English has already been improved greatly, and maybe now I have become an extremely successful girl. And now I begin to see why every of your children has been so successful during their lives and career. One of the most important reason should be they all have a very fantastic father who can teach them a lot.
So I am very proud of having been one of your students, and I promise you that I will keep working hard throughout my life and trying my every effort to learn more, create my own career, and become an outstanding girl who is able to help others a lot.
And thanks again for your approval and recommendation for my certificate of appreciation.
Best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Oray
I gotta say your pedagogy works on me and I love it. No exaggeration and compliment.
Why can we teachable and reachable just continue this once-in-a-lifetime experience of English?
But I know that it’s all late for those complains that ruined all these.
I really appreciated your effort. U R GREAT! After all, having fun and feeling respected is beyond all.
Evelyn
“Evelyn”
Dear professor:
Thank you !
I don’t know what I can say now, thank you for teaching us, Thank you for taking us to a new world that I never have been.
Best wishes! I hope I can meet you in the future, I hope I can tell you I’ve gotten a success that day.
Goodbye and good luck for both of us.
Yours sincerely: Cecilia Class 8C
Dear Professor:
Thank you for all you have done for us. No matter where you go, we will miss you.
I’M not a good student, but I really like you and your words.
GOOD LUCK FOR EVER
Lisa Class 10C
Dear professor,
Thank you for teaching us this semester, you are a good teacher!
Wish you everything goes well!
Jessie Class 11c
Dear Martin:
Thank you so much for all the things you have taught us! Wish you good luck, no matter wherever you are!~
Johnson class 6C
Dear Martin,
You are an interesting teacher, thank you and enjoy your teaching life in China!
Julia Class 13C
Dear professor:
Welcome to China next time .We will miss you! Wish you a good summer! Goodbye!
Jo Class 12C
Thanks very much. And I really appreciate what you’ve done for us, I will miss you.
Angela Class 16C
Dear Professor Martin Wolff:
Thank you for this Holistic English course.
I really learnt a lot from it this semester.
Here send my best wishes to you. Hope you good health and happiness.
Joanna （15C）
Dear Professor Martin,
Thanks very much for your great job this term, I really learn a lot from the English class!
Best wishes.
Tiffany Class 3C
Dear teacher Martin:
How are you!
I think I get a lot of profits from your lessons. You give me a deep impression about the way how a man should speak english with passion and confidence. I would not forget you in my life.
Best Wishes ! Good Luck !
Your student: Greg (Lei Kang) Class 9C
Dear professor,
I am sorry to about the news that you will leave this university and may be we will never have the chance to meet you from this moment on. However, according to what you told us during that assistants meeting, I have the feeling that since you suffered a lot from a few unreachable and unteachable students here, perhaps it is a much better choice for you to leave for your country or some other pleasant universities where you can enjoy yourself. Dear professor, I really hope so. Although even someone have badmouthed you, I still be the student of your and I am also convinced that there are quantities of students like me want to appreciate you and will miss you no matter what ways they will be in. After all, you have been teaching us strictly, quietly and wholeheartedly. The knowledge is not paramount but all those advice, experiences and even lessons you said to us will be benefitable for our life forever. That is the truth.
Dear professor, there is a proverb in China. He who teaches me one day is my teacher for all life. So I want to dedicate this sentence to you, professor. Thank you for being our teacher. Wish you happy forever!
Sincerely yours
Maya Class 8C
Zhongshan University Spring 2009
1. I have gone through an uncommon semester because of your English class and I’ve learnt a lot. Thank you very much! It’s my honor to be your student!
2. Thank you very much. In your class, I really learned a lot. Though a little tough, the lesson was true helpful to us
3. It was great to have class with you. Thanks for your wonderful class.
4. You are a very strict and responsible teacher, and I feel that It is a great honor to become your student. Thank you
5. Thank you for teaching us this semester. I can see how hard you try to help us improve our English. Even though the way you used is quite different, it did give me a special and impressive experience of acquiring English.
6. Thank you very much! It was a fantastic experience having this Holistic English class.I like the movies very much, and I feel confident to talk in the class and speak English in the public.
7. I have learned a lot in this half year, to be intrinsic motivated and be on time to attend professor’s classes and so on. Besides, it helps me to know how to continue my further English study. So I write this letter to thank you for what you have done for all of our students.
8. I really enjoy the days learned from you. To be honest, it is a harsh but interesting, helpful time. We never had English class like these before. But i got something which is unavailable in a Chinese English teacher’s class from your class, especially the confidence to speak English. I know there still a long way on improving my English. I will work hard. Appreciating for what you did for us.
9. Our course has been finished and maybe there is no chance for meeting you again. I really appreciate for everything you’ve done. After studying with you in your class, I found my English has been improved a lot. To be honest, I once thought you were too rigid for us, sometimes even harsh. But I am so glad now that I had this opportunity to study with you. You brought us a lot of laughter and that we benefit from you. So, thank you very much for your concern and guidance. I am gonna miss you!!
10. I am writing to say thank you for your excellent and interesting oral English class.
I really learned a lot not only on the improvement of oral English level but also on the attitude and ways of study. I want to say that you are one of my most favorite teachers who influence me the most in my life. Thank you very much.
It is a little sad to leave the Holistic English classroom, for I had a very good time there and I don’t know if I have any chance to see you again. Martin, you teach me a lot, not just speak English but also other kinds of aspects such as world view, and I know more and more from a higher standing. I won’t forget Holistic English, you and the time we past.
Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart,although you may never believe it. I will never say it once again.Your strict teaching way really frustrated me,because of my steady false believe which never to admit the shortcomings and inadequacies I have .You said we should be thinking critically and do not like kindergarden kids.I’m shocked because such a behaviour has come with my experience when I came to your class.How shame it is ~!I’m not say “sorry” to you but myself.At the end ,I have to admit that you have achieved your teaching aim which let me face up to my shortcomiings correctlly and objectively.You must donot image that I’m trying to look the weakneess of myself and not trying to escape or avoide myself.You win~!
The class is finally over, which is both great and annoying to me. Well, I should say this is the most impressive English class I have ever had.
Honestly speaking, I feel released when I finish my final exam yesterday. Because every time I have Martin’s class, I was stressed and anxious. I was so afraid to get a little “F “in class. And in the final exam, Martin gives us a really big task, the song and the twist. I resist to the song so much when I first heard it. I can’t believe I can sing it so fluently in the end. Aha! But when I indulge in the study of the song and twist, I gradually turn my perception. I am kind of like it, actually like it a lot. It’s really funny, which makes me feel Christmas as well. Listening to the song I feel so happy and cheering. This is the most interesting exam I have even taken.
I know Martin has pushed us students hard during this semester, like sending us thousands of E-mails ordering the commons we have to post. But I think that we do need the press and motivation to drive us practice more in English. I thank Martin sincerely, for pushing me to be an ABC, to talk to foreigners, to practice my English, for giving me an unforgettable and interesting English class. I think I’m gonna miss this.
After my final examination, I have missed you, dear Martin.
Thanks for your hard and responsible work, I have improved my English, in listening、speaking、reading and writing.
Thanks for your new and interesting teaching method, I have loved English. I have accepted English as a necessary tool in my life.
Dear Martin, I’m going to miss you all the time.
What I want to say is “Thank you!”. Thank you for the time that Martin spent with us and his hard work. I had more than one oral English teachers until now and this one make me be a much more confident foreign English speaker than I ever be.When I look back at the time we spent with Martin, it seems that he used a kind of very special teacher method that do improve our spoken English.My mother always wondered why she never heard me speaking English when my score on English exams suggested I was a good English student. Now, things has changed.
Since I started my undergraduate course in SYSU four years ago, I have met many foreign teachers who taught me English. And all of the foreign teachers like to ask students to watch English movies. But Holistic English helps me most, except the homework assignment, I may be missed to watch a film such as Freedom Song or Class Action. To tell you the truth, I merely watch non-action movies. By watching some films about business, history and culture, I know more about English. And I developed an idea that in order to learn a language better, we need to know the history and culture, not only struggle to remember more words and phrases.
It was a very nice semester, Thank you for your book, movies and website. Once you were my teacher, you will always be my teacher.
Looking back to the whole semester，we were busy in doing the homework Martin gave us. However，now I feel that I have more confidence to the oral English. Meanwhile，from the movies，I can learn a lot not only from the English study but from the thinking about our life.Movies help me practise the listening and accumulate the knowledge of foreign culture.To be the truth，it is really a good method to learning oral English. Thank you for all you do for us，Martin.
After the final examination, this article sets me thinking.
I like your movie library. Your movie is a pleasure to enjoy. Meanwhile, It saves me lots of time and money to do the complex searching. Thanks for your generosity.I also like the sense of self-confident, creativeness, humorous that you brought us in holistic English class.
To be honest, you are a good teacher whose high sense of responsibility and rigorous learning manner really move me.
I have had a distinctive and unforgettable experience of Holistic English studying.The first time to go to the classroom,I was shocked by the decoration of the classroom and the way we sat around the desks face to face. The professor’s sense of humor impressed me.I like the atmosphere in which we can discuss freely. Though this class,I made progress in my confidence , oral English and so on.
We love you, Martin. Thank you very much for this semester. It’s an honor to be your student. I really have a great in your class. Although you are a little bit strict to us, I know it is for our sake. I really learned a lot, not only the skills of speaking, writing, reading, but also learned how to be a good, responsible person. You have taught us to follow the instruction to do thing, which is really important for our future life when we go to work in society. In a word, thank you professor, I will miss you!
This semester is coming to an end. I learned a lot of things from China Holistic English. Not only I learned the English, but also I learned the things that what I learned something was more than classroom. Taking how to see the world and what is Romance for examples. However, It was a pity. To start with, I didn’t boldly express my views in the Holistic English classroom. In the second place, Holistic English will be over for me, because I have no opportunity to join it next the semester. In a world, thank you , Martin!
The class is over, but learning English just begins. I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Martin. From the class I learned how to learn English well, read more, listen more,speak more. Now I do learn English more in my free time, and I know many difficulties lay ahead, but I will continue to learn English—even in the toughest times. The journey of learning English will go on!
Holistic English class is very good and useful. I like it very much.
Thank you very much for your effort giving us so much information about the reality
In HE we can learn, talk and speak freely. There are no right answer or wrong answer. And we can discuss with others. This class model helps my oral English a lots. I love this class!
After finishing your class,I found that I made some progress!The most important thing is that you taught me how to continue to learn English even finishing the class.
Finally, I must say thank you to you,Martin!
Although the piles of mails and the strict teacher made me crazy sometimes in this semester, I really want to say “THANK YOU” to you. It was you who gave us another chance to feel English in another way. I like the movies and the classes!
I thank yor for giving me a very different kind of English class, which make me very impressed. For I had never written, listened and spoken as much English as this semester done before. As a result, I make progress in learning English. What’s more, I learned knowledge of economy by watching movies which makes me so excited. So I thank you sincerely.
the oral english I learn this term is very empressed. I benefit a lot from it. Thank you!
I never did it like this semester to study English. HOLISTIC ENGLISH have impressed me deeply,I will never forget it.I am really moved a step on my English learning road, really improved not only in my oral English,but also in my confidence. A wonderful class and an excellent teacher, Thank you very much!
Thank you for your class this semester. It really impressed me that you are so passionate to help us to improve our English. The biggest improvement I make in this class is that I develop confidence to make conversations with foreigners and even make friends with them. Also, it is very interesting to talk about the movies that you recommend us to watch. At first, I have to admit that I am really unwilling to watch them because they look so old and out-of-date. After watching them, however, all the seemingly boring movies turn out to be thought-provoking because they teach us a lot about the business world, the contemporary society and so on. In a word, it is an unique experience to take this class.
Thank you for giving so many meaningful and useful helps in our English studying! I really appreciate your excellent work, and I will never forget what you have said, especially on the attitudes.
I think the final test is also very meaningful too. It’s simple but very effective. As the song goes, the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious can help build up our confidence in speaking English. And by working on and on and on, we can chuck more and more wood even if we can only do a little at a time.
I will continue studying English everyday.
There is no denying that the teaching method of Prof. Martin is good and fresh to most students. The part that impressed me most is the assignment to post on his website. I appreciate it because it really helps us try to think and organize my ideas in English, which I think it benefits to my research work because for reading the paper in English journals this skill should be cultivated. I should give my thanks to Prof. Martin. I won’t forget when I speak and talk of my opinions in his class for the first time. I was greatly encouraged then when I didn’t express my ideas clearly and however Prof. Martin said I did well. Frankly Prof. Martin said that he would give everyone a phone call and I have waited for a whole semester and hadn’t received one. Ha-ha, it is just joking. The ABC Day is an interesting assignment in my eyes. I should say that no English teacher who taught me gives us such assignment before. Additionally the content of the movies watching assignments are among lawsuit, war, economy, old China, food, culture shock, education and foreign countries, and Prof. Martin gave us his opinion on them in the position of a foreigner, and I find I learn something useful and educational from him. I express my thanks to Prof. Martin again for his enthusiasm for his teaching career and his love for students.
Many thanks, much reflection.
Lingering in the campus, I reminded the first day class after the last class. The first class, I went out the NO.3 teaching building and took a deep breath, smiling to my classmate :” You know, this is the longest listening class I have taken!” We all felt pressure, and at the same time were eager to have a try, though we have complained a lot facing the almost overburdened assignments.
Many thanks to Professor Martin and much reflection he brought to me.
Thanks to our dedicated teacher Mr. Wolff, thanks to HE. It just like something lost when the class is over. Just some hours past, I miss the class, miss Mr. Wolff. I’m so grateful for you to teach us the way and confidence in English study, and create more chance for us to practice and improve. You make great efforts for teaching us and make great contribution for us. You teach us developmental and useful way to study English. More than that, I learn much about culture and world trading and so on, and enjoy your story.
The memorable experience with your class will be of benefit to go-ahead. I know there is a need for progress, and I could do better. I’ll go for in it and advance it.
I’ll say thank you to you again. Happy New Year!
Thanks for your teaching,dear teacher.
I will never forget your special holistic English class.I learned a lot from it.
Happy new year!
How time flies,I have been in SYSU for about four months.I am lucky to have Holistic English class this semester and I learned a lot from my professor and classmates.Though I have to say goodbye to my Holistic English class ,I will continue my learning.As the popular saying goes,English is not a subject you study a couple of hours a week,but it is something you live 24 hours a day, seven days a week.English is my favourite and I will never give up !
Thank you very much,my professor!
well, i think that most of us were learned alot from professor M,and we will learn by ourselves in the furter, thanks for Professor.M’s effort, the increasing number of students are doing a great progress. Although there are alot of things that not good enough, i think this is a great beginning.
In this term,I felt a different English learning method I never experienced before. I have tried my best to finish the homework and learn English on my own initiative in your way.That’s so helpful to me.This is the only one term I felt I lived with more English atmosphere,the movies,the posts,the articles et al.You gave me the chance to learn the English every day.Now,it is time to say goodbye to you and your Holistic English class.I felt pity,but I think I have got the method of the English learning you leaved to me.At last,thank you,sincerely.
I feel a little jealousy about the new-comers,haha. To say frankly, I am very happy that the facilities are becoming better, it does well to the ESE in our university. Thanks to Martin, and wish our followers learn more from the classes and speak English better. And I would like to have a glance of the new room.
The HE sounds like a little tough, but it is really helpful for our English. Just like the Chinese saying goes” Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. The HE not only “give us fish” but also teach us “how to fish”. Thought the class is over, but I believe that those the HE taught us will always helpful for us to use English. Thank you very much for Prof. Martin.
My English class is over. Maybe I can’t say I have improved my English very much during this semester. But I have learnt the way to acquire English, and I will continue to try my best to improve English in the following years. You were so funny and the class was always lively. You really taught me so much, including English and others. Goodbye, Martin. Thank you! I will miss you!
I have never speaked as more English as this term，I have never listened as more English as this term.I have never saw as more English movies(more than 30) as this term.I gained so much.Nothing more left for me to say but thank you very much.I will always pay close attention to this website and the articles,and I will post too.
To tell the truth, before I took the holistic English class this semester, all the foreign teachers I have ever met didn’t teach as seriously as you did. In my mind, the oral English classes were relaxed and funny. We just talked and chatted in the class and there was no homework assignment after class. Thus, I was absolutely shocked in your first class. You brought me a new picture about the oral English lesson and a new picture about what a responsible foreign teacher is like. Thank you for your teaching in this semester. As you mentioned, English is not a subject you study a couple of hours a week. It’s something you live 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And I will always take it in my mind.
After the final exam of this course was finished, every student may feel relaxed as if relieved of a heavy load. I also deeply felt the much pressure of learning Holistic English after the indoctrination of professor Martin. But when I look the reviews I posted before, I have the sense of achievement. Just as the old saying goes: knowledge accumulates month after month but you may not feel every day. I believe our English had unconsciously made much progress after this semester.
I remember we once saw a movie called Eat a Bowl of Tea. In the class discussion of this movie, our teacher told us that we learn English is just as the protagonist Ben Loy treat his business and marriage. Ben Loy’s failure has roots in his thought to please others but not himself. Similarly, if we want to improve our English genuinely and dramaticlly, we must shift the old thinking that we learn English just for pass the exam or get high scores to please out teachers and parents instead of the better future of ourselves. The progress in our English we made, I think is to some extent owing to the conquering indolence under our teacher’s strict guidance. In the following days without this discipline I hope I can perform as before.
Thanks very much for your excellent course. And happy new year!
Now, the final exam just was finish. I think this is my last English course in next two years. Look back this semester, I’m very grade to feel my oral English level increase. And the movies are also helpful. Of course, many other English teachers ask me to see English films, but they don’t give me a chance, even use Chinese, to discuss them. But in this class, we can talk many things in English and think in English way. To my honest, I thank Martin and Holistic English very much to give me a wonderful experience in English study and wish everyone have a good new year.
I cannot believe that this class has come to end. No more Emails from Martin, no more homework we should do in future. I have to admit that this class is the most impressive, interesting and helpful English class. And it is not only an English lesson. We get to other knowledge beyond our major, think more and deeper about the world, our country, and our future, ourselves… We begin to talk with others confidently in Chinglish, no matter what other people is thinking of. Steel sharpens steel. We believe that firmly and we will do so. I am so lucky to take Holistic English, and appreciate Martin’s devoting to us sincerely.
The holistic English experience is very unforgettable and valuable for me. After ten years of English learning, I have got more from this than ever. This class not only taught me English-learning experience but also analytical perspective and so on. I can’t express my gratitude for this class in words especially the founder, our professor Martin.
Thank you very much,Martin.You have fullfilled your target to treat us as your sons and daughters,thank you for your voluntary love.You set a good example for us.
My classmates and I were all early for the final exam this morning, and professor Martin asked why we were so early, was that because we are addicted to Holistic English class. At that time, I wanted to say “Yes”. When I enter the classroom, sit there, my feeling was very different, and I wished we could have one more class and chat, or just listen to professor Martin’s beautiful voice. I fill very inriched after the Holistic English classes this semester, and I will keep on learning English in the way professor Martin told us. And I want to say: Thank you very much, professor Martin!
Honestly, I didn’t believe that what Professor Martin said about “I just want you as success as my own children”. Instead, I thought he just like other foreign teachers who aimed to make money in China while telling people they want to help. But I realized I was wrong when I read Martin’s articles and essays. I was impressed by his diligence and sharp perspective about English education problems in China. Then I knew that it was my problem to judge him like that. The most valued idea I learned from the class is “once you change your attitude, you can make great progress”. Thanks to the class, thanks to Professor Martin, I’ve learned a lot.
This is an interesting class and the special final exam that I have never faced.I don’t do my exam very good,but I’m sure I have developed my English a lot.So I have to study English in the future.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
SOMETIMES CONTENT DELIVERY PREEMPTS STUDENT TALK TIME.
HOWEVER, SMART STUDENTS DEVELOP STUDY GROUPS TO DISCUSS THE CONTENT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
ENGLISH ACQUISITION IS A 24/7 PROCESS, NOT ONLY A CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE.
In a word, the this Holistic English class let me learn a lot and thank you! But there is a sugestion that as it’s an oral English class, the teacher should give more oppotunity to students to speak in pulic. Though there were group disscussion, it’s the teacher who speak most of the time which means the students has less time to speak out.Thus I think students should speak more in oral English class.
So That’s all I want to say.
I very appreciate for what you have done to encourage and guide us to the way of holistic English,and your kindly keen on EFL in China.I really enjoy your class,there I find ease and confidence to talk out loudly.Acturally speaking,I was tired of doing homework on the book after each movie ,but I did look forward to the class twice a week which I think provided me a chance to present myself and improve myself.There is a long way to go when EFL in China is walking towards the right way,you are the pioneer,but not the lonely one,because we students who will ultimately benefit from it enjoy it and for it.It turns to be practical and useful.Best wishes for you,for your successful teaching in China and for your good health!
Thank you for you hard work providing me the new experience in my studying.I really like the group-discussion,we may exchange our views and leand from each other and it is relaxing.
Finally I have finished my last exam this Monday, too fast, too easy. I suddenly realized that I don’t have to check my Email-box every morning when I weak up. But I also felt a little disappointed, there were going to be no Holistic English anymore. Thanks to my group mates for helping me improve my English skill; Thanks to all my classes; Thanks to professor Martin, I will miss you!
Small wonder Holistic English has offered us a truly fresh and original experience that would be worthy of recollection from time to time. Comparing to the traditional english eduacation, it presents a brand-new teaching method that combines listening, speaking, reading and writing together from a HOLISTIC perspective. And what is discussed in classes is so various that many unexpected topics might really beat our brains. Besides, self-discipline and initiative are more needed than petty-trick if you want to succeed in this class or outside. It’s a fact that we have been annoyed with bombing assingments which maked a hard time, reminding us of “F” now and then. Nevertheness, what is the last but not the least is this word, THANKS.
What I have to say is thank you, thank you sincerely. In the process of study at this classroom of China Holistic English, I purely learn a lot, listen a lot, write a lot, and speak a lot. So I am writing this to tell you how much I enjoyed the days at your class. Everything was just about perfect except the old movies. You certainly know how to make a kind feeling for our study. I would like to appreciate this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your excellent class.