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16 Tuesday, January 26, 2010EDUCATION
Test Prep comes to the IBThe International Bacca-
laureate (IB) is taking the world by storm. In Asia alone, the number of IB
schools has grown by over 1400% over the past 20 years – from 33 to 533. The IB is a holistic educational system that provides stu-dents with excellent preparation for university by encouraging critical thinking and intellec-tual debate.
What many fail to realize, though, is that at the end of the 2 year IB Diploma Program, it is the examination, and not coursework, that accounts for the majority of a students’ final grade – roughly 60-80%. In fact, IB examiners themselves have admitted that the syllabus and course hours dedicated to teaching IB subject material in schools do not directly reflect the distribution of topics tested on the IB exam.
Therefore, focusing exclusively on learn-ing content is a mistake. Instead, students must combine content knowledge with test prep strategies to truly succeed on the IB exam. Test Preparation is about analyz-ing and deconstructing an exam to define and learn the classic concepts and questions
that are tested over and over again; students around the world use Test Preparation to pre-pare for exams such as the SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.
Today, HK’s premier Test Prep center, The Edge, is bringing its industry-leading Test Prep methodologies to the IB. Over the years, we’ve taught hundreds of students our SAT strategies and watched as they improved their scores by over 200 points on average. Now we’re going to do the same for the IB. Our teachers are not only experts in their fields, but they’re also IB-certified, which means that they know the IB inside and out.
Come try IB Test Prep at The Edge, we don’t just teach students content, we give them the test prep strategies they need to beat the IB exam and get the grades they deserve.
(Sponsored Feature)
A good compromiseIvy Ong-Wood
THREE FRIENDS, MR and Mrs S and Mr Y, opened a shoe factory as equal partners. Mrs S left the company two years later and her partners offered to buy her out.
An auditor recommended the two offer her HK$8.5 million for her share but she held out for HK$18 million, an unreasonable sum.
Even after they raised th e offer to HK$10 mil-lion, Mrs S still refused to budge and resign as director.
Mrs S eventually took her partners to court. The case dragged on for two years. She lost.
She ended up having to pay court costs and law-yer’s fees for her partners as well and was forced to declare bankruptcy.
It later turned out that Mrs S was not in it for the money. She and Mr S were in the midst of splitting up at the time but she was hoping to patch thing up between them. She had thought that by holding on to the company, she could hold on to her husband too.
Mediation could have saved her from her costly mistake.
Cases such as this have prompted the Judiciary to create Practice Direction 31, which emphasizes the importance of mediation under the new civil justice system.
This guideline, which came into force this month, states that mediation, and not lawsuits, should be the first recourse in a dispute.
Lawyers have to advise their clients on the importance of mediation and inform them that, though it is not mandatory, a refusal to participate
will mean they may to pay more costs if they take the case to court.
The enforcement of Practice Direction 31 means that lawyers and law students would do well to read up on mediation to keep in line with the times. But the layman could also benefit by knowing what are the cheap, or free, alternatives available to him in case of a dispute.
One good place to start is the Hong Kong Mediation Handbook (HK$1,800). The 584-page book, packed with useful references, is edited by Raymond Leung Hai-ming, the founding president of the Hong Kong Mediation Centre.
The center, the first non-profit corporate medi-ation institution in Hong Kong, aims to promote harmony among family members, neighbours, col-leagues and business associates as well as in society as a whole.
Said Leung: “The mediation process is impor-tant because it can assist the development of har-mony in our society. It provides an avenue for parties to make their own decisions on both the process and the outcome of a dispute. This will result in a more peaceful society.
“The Hong Kong Mediation Handbook gives a good introduction to mediation for the general public and to the practitioners.
“It gives all the essential information for par-ties to understand and appreciate the importance of mediation in Hong Kong.”
The handbook is written mainly by mediators affliated to the center. Though marketed as a com-
prehensive guide for lawyers, it is surprisingly free of legalese and easy to follow.
The real-life case studies, such as that of Mrs S, actually make for compelling reading even if you’re not considering a lawsuit any time in the future.Enquiries and orders: 3762-3222 or e-mail [email protected] student edition: Call The Hong Kong Mediation Centre (Tel: 2866-1800). [email protected]
PARENTS OFTEN COMPLAIN that they buy their children expensive toys and then watch as the young ones quickly get bored with the plaything and end up playing with the box instead.
But you’re not going to have that problem with the Bilibo (priced from HK$58) because what kids can do with it are limited only by their imagination. The shell-shaped toy, suitable for kids aged two to seven, doesn’t impose a specifi c way it must be played with. It can be used as pots and pans, a spinning seat, train tunnel or as a hat.
Designer Alex Hochstrasser said it encourages children to be inventors rather than using already-made ideas. Psychologists say imaginative play trains children to be more attentive, confi dent and teaches young children to share and communicate.
The toy has received countless awards, including the 2006 Toy of the Year award in the UK and a Design Distinction award in 2002. Where to buy: www.escapade.com.hk IVY ONG-WOOD
Versatile toyRaymond Leung
