Facts About our English Classes

English Wired is an English class that helps students, ages 13-18, gain the proficiency they need in English to do well in college and beyond. 

It is interesting to note that a UPM survey taken from employers listed these three skills as the top qualities employers are looking for in job candidates:

1. Critical thinking skills,    2. Good command of English,   3. Able to use IT effectively

All of these are central to our English Wired classes.  Read on to see how.

Why did EDISON Enterprises start English Wired?

After many years of living and teaching in Malaysia, the founder, Amy J. Delph, could see that even when students scored well in PMR and SPM English, they still lacked the English proficiency to do well in college or work.  Malaysian students (including top scorers in SPM) are generally weak in the following areas that are key components of tertiary education and the working world:

• Writing that is not scripted for exam answers
• Discussion
• Critical thinking
  
• Creative thinking
• Public speaking
• Interviewing
• Research
• Research paper and report writing
• Independent learning

How long is the class?

The class is 36 weeks in length, with 4 quarters or 9 weeks each.

Can I join even if the class has already started?

Yes. We will pro-rate the fees to reflect the number of weeks your child will be studying with us.

Why should I make time in my child's schedule for something that's not going to help them score As?  After all, they need to score well to get into public universities and or get scholarships to fund their education.

It's true that lots of As will help with entrance into local public universities and with scholarships.  However, if your child is going to keep those scholarships, they have to continue to do well in university.  This will be hard to do if they are weak in the skills listed above. They could lose these hard-earned scholarships within a semester or two.

Why is the class called English Wired?

Well, the term "wired" means connected online. Students get many of their class materials online from our website.  Some assignments are done directly online with teacher comments that follow shortly.  Students are also asked to communicate and work together with other classmates on assignments, in forums and peer editing sessions online.

"Wired" also means excited, full of adrenaline.  If you walk into our classes, you'll see very lively exchanges going on in the class. Students are encouraged to speak their mind and our teachers challenge them about their assumptions and opinions.  There is also quite a bit of excitement with regards to student projects like our poetry slam, Shakespeare drama, town hall meeting and others.  

Students joining us certainly won't be sleeping in such a dynamic classroom environment.

Tell me more about how you integrate your online portion of the class with the classes at the center.

Each week students have instructions and assignments online that they need to complete. Some they need to upload and some are brought to class.  A lot of the learning happens online as they read the instructions and complete the assignments. The teacher provides feedback on their progress once they have sent an assignment to him/her. Students can call the teacher if they have further questions about the assignments as they attempt them.

Each week, the students meet their teacher at the center to discuss and go over those projects, assignments and readings from the online instructions.  Having seen what the students have posted or uploaded, the teacher already knows where the students have done well and what areas they may be having problems in. So he/she is able to address those issues right away in class.

The weekly class is also good for projects that require discussion, drama, debate and other forms of public speaking.

Why do you choose an online - classroom combination?

There are several advantages to having an online component to the class:

1. Students learn to work independently.  Slowly, students learn to do their work without spoon feeding. Universities and future employers will expect students to have this ability. 

2. Students learn to use technology.  Students will learn to use software like PowerPoint and Word.  They will learn how to use forums, online journals, file sharing, and how to do Web searches.  They will learn how to write and send e-mails, and to send attachments.

3. There is more contact with the teacher and the other students in the class.  Instead of just discussing things once a week in class, students can get feedback from each other and their teacher all week long online.

4. Class time is used more efficiently.  With most classes, the teacher has to wait for students to come to class so he/she can collect their assignments, then wait until the next clas to provide feedback.  In English Wired, the teacher has the assignments before the students even come to class.  The teacher can move straight into discussing what the students did right and can help them with areas they didn't do well in.  If necessary, remedial work can be done.  There is also time to do classroom actvities related to the week's assignments to promote deeper understanding.

5.  More discussion happens in class.  You'll find that in many classes, the teacher does most of the talking because he/she must spend a good portion of the class time teaching concepts.  There isn't much time left for students to talk and discuss concepts. In English Wired, a lot of the learning happens online and the assignments are sent to the teacher before class.  So there is lots of time for discussion about how well the students understood and applied the concepts.

What are the qualifications of the teachers?

Good working conditions, our high quality syllabus and novel approach to teaching English attract top candidates to teach our classes.  Our teachers have degrees in English, English Literature or fields related to English like journalism and public relations.   Many have experience in corporate training or masters degrees in English or related to English.  Others are college lecturers.  Some have experience writing novels, TV scripts, translating, etc.

How big are the classes?

There are no more than 10 students per class.

 How do you assess students?

We use continuous and authentic assessment.  Athentic assessment is a form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills. This covers various types of compositions, presentations, projects and an end of term portfolio.  

Why don't you focus on grammar exercises? 

While grammar is covered in class, it is not the central focus.  Filling in the blank or circling the right answer doesn't teach students how to use the English language.  Students need to use the language in authentic ways such as the types of assesments described just above this question.

What Texts are used in the class?

We use texts imported from the U.K. and U.S.  Students will be exposed to a wide range of literature and not just novels and short stories.  These include plays, biographies, scientific articles, poems, speeches, letters, etc.

How do you help students use the online portion?

All new students are given an orientation to help them learn to use the website.  The teacher also reminds students how to use the website when he/she previews the next week's assignments during class.

How do you charge?

We collect 50% of the fees in January and the other 50% in May. 

Why don't you charge per semester like other centers?

What if we decide we don't want to continue?  Is a refund possible?

Yes.  A student can pull out and get a refund after the 4th week onwards.  We say the fourth week,  because our course isn't like other tuition courses out there.  Some of these key differences, which require some adjustment, are: working independently, using technology and  thinking more critically about what is read and written. 

 5th week of class after registration - 90% refund of tuiton fees

6th week of class after registration - 50% refund of tution fees

7th week onwards after registration - no refund

We do understand that there may be circumstances which warrent a refund outside the usual terms such as severe illness, accidents, etc.  We are willing to hear the customer out and make a refund should such circumstances arrive.  

How do I enrol my child?

Just call us (012-658-7587) and we will discuss with you the best day and time for your child to start.  Registration can be done upon payment at the center.