Synapse Education

My classes are filled with students who are making the December rush to attend a new school. They are focused on assessments and entrance exams and writing tests. Tensions are high. Parents are really worried.

The source of anguish is concern about writing mastery. Often, they realise quite late in the process that writing mastery is a significant portion of how their children are assessed for entrance into a new school.

It also becomes clear that being a good writer helps with other things like: Logic; Information Processing; Creativity; Reflection; Speech Communication; Problem-Solving and the Critical Thinking needed in nearly every subject class.

I teach students from ages 8-17 how to master writing. These are the things I have noticed in the best writers, and the students who learn quickly and achieve new levels of learning mastery in a short time.

Skills and Qualities Needed for Writing Mastery

1. Metacognition (Thinking About Thinking)

Writers need to reflect on their thought processes, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and adapt their approaches to different writing tasks.

2. Reading Comprehension

The ability to analyze and understand a variety of texts helps writers internalize different styles, structures, and vocabularies.

3. Vocabulary Development

A rich vocabulary allows writers to express ideas precisely and effectively, which comes from consistent reading and usage over time.

4. Grammar and Syntax Mastery

Understanding the rules of language is essential for clarity, coherence, and effective communication.

5. Organization and Structure

Learning to logically organize ideas, whether in essays, stories, or reports, is a foundational skill that grows with practice.

6. Clarity of Thought

Writing requires clear and structured thinking, which is cultivated through practice and discipline.

Research Skills
Strong writing often requires gathering and synthesizing information from various sources. The best writers are often always reading or scanning sources of information to discover ideas.

Revision and Editing Skills
Writing well means rewriting better. The ability to refine ideas and improve clarity through editing is essential.

Emotional Resilience
Writing can be frustrating and emotionally taxing, but perseverance and resilience help writers grow.

Consistency in Practice
This is the toughest, in my opinion. Many students are busy and they really lack the time to sit down and use writing as a daily thought exercise. But writing daily or regularly is key to internalizing these skills and making progress over time.

Love for Language
A genuine appreciation for words, stories, and communication fuels the drive to write better.

Parents ask us, "How can we help make our child a more effective reader?"

Here is a simple Reading Comprehension and Analysis Activity

This activity helps children aged 9-13 break down complex text and build deeper comprehension. It encourages critical thinking, active reading, and better retention of ideas.

---
Steps for the Activity:

1. Prepare a Page with Four Columns:
- At the top of each column, write a word or theme (e.g., "Courage," "Friendship").

2. Define the Words:
- Ask your child to write their own definition of each word under each word in each column.

3. Discuss the Definitions:
- Have your child explain out loud what the words mean to them.

4. Read a Chapter:
- Ask your child to carefully read the assigned chapter from their book. Read it together with them if you wish.

5. Find Connections:
- When they notice a word, sentence, or character action related to one of the themes, have them write the exact quote in the relevant column.

6. Review Together:
- Read through the filled columns and discuss why those quotes fit the themes.

7. Look Back for Patterns:
- Together, revisit earlier chapters to find other examples of the themes or character actions.

---
Why This Works:
- Encourages Active Reading: Students engage directly with the text, looking for meaningful connections.
- Builds Analytical Thinking: Helps children understand themes, patterns, and character development.
- Boosts Confidence: Breaking tasks into steps makes reading less overwhelming and more fun.

Parents can use this activity at home to support reading comprehension in a way that is both interactive and educational!

If you wish to have any more tips, or if you are struggling to help your student become a better reader or writer, get in touch with us and we can set up a trial class in your home or online.

Douglas Crets has 15 years of experience teaching English literature and writing and has helped hundreds of students in Hong Kong excel in the liberal arts.

Local parents and parents from mainland China may wish to know that international schools are only at 80% of capacity as far as places filled for the next academic year.

That means that there is still a strong chance that if your son or daughter wishes to attend an international school, they might be able to find a place.

If you need advice or wish to look into this matter, get in touch and we would be happy to help.

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/4/251760/International-schools-losing-nonlocals

Can writing classes help with exam success?

Short answer is: yes, because writing is a continual practice of helping the brain develop clear logic and processes for problem-solving.

Long answer: yes, but writing alone cannot do enough to improve scores, confidence, efficiency and analysis. To achieve all of this you need reading and writing together.

Reading literature helps to do three things that improve writing, and therefore exam scores.

1. Reading encourages the reader to seek answers outside of authorities like a teacher, and seek one's own answers through personal experience and other literary sources.

2. Reading helps the students to see models for context and analysis. Writing is an active process of delivering analysis to an emerging idea. Books and essays are constructed arguments that use analysis and imagery to help reveal to the reader the thinking used by the writer. Students can model this through reading practice.

3. Reading nurtures the "voice in the head" that a writer needs to actively think through problem-solving.

I'm offering classes in literature and writing. These classes are individualised and customised to students' needs. My students have gained strong gains in their writing and literature marks. I have also helped several students get into local and international schools of their choice, both in Hong Kong and in the United States and the United Kingdom.

HK$650 per hour -- secondary school (in-person and online)
HK$550 per hour -- primary school (in-person and online)

Photo by Wes Hicks

"How do I start my paragraph?"
"I have an idea, but I am not sure which sentences to start with."
"Does my thesis statement have to be in the first paragraph?"
"I wrote one page, but I still don't know what I am trying to say."

If any of these sound familiar to you, then you will want to pay attention to the advice I am going to give you about how to write summative assessment essays or long-form writing.

Writing is simply the organisation of ideas into an understandable logic. To write effectively, you have to prepare the mind to think logically. This happens through note-taking.

You will need to understand these basic steps and ideas in order to write effectively:

1. Note taking is a mnemonic activity, meaning that it helps you form memories for recall, while you read and study. This prepares you for later essay writing, because it "preps" the mind before the actual writing, so that the ideas, themes, and topics are already organised into a coherent logic in your head.

2. Take notes while you read and organise those notes based on topics and themes, paying attention to character or narrator actions. Color-code them according to theme or idea. Leave two or three lines of space between each theme you note.

2. When you notice a pattern in the writer's themes, you can begin to form your own ideas about the writing. With each reference to a theme you notice, write down your own idea about what you think it means and why you think the writer uses it.

3. when you finish the reading, go back over the notes. In the left over spaces, practice writing a thesis statement.

4. When you are done with the notes, look over them. You will notice that you have essentially written a paper. The note points of each theme are like your paragraphs. Now, organise all of those notes into your own main idea statement.

These ideas should help. But if you still want more help for your writing for assessments or homework, get in touch. I write for Sotheby's Fine Arts, as well as for other companies. I am familiar with all sorts of academic writing styles and can help through all grade levels.

Photo courtesy: Green Chameleon

The difference between a student who excels at writing and research comes down to one simple philosophy.

The successful student does his or her work without being instructed by the teacher. The student guides their own learning through a process of inquiry.

Once a student approaches learning in this way, we begin to see a radical improvement in their writing marks, and in the results of the assessments.

What happens when students are faced with dozens of tasks a week, including exams, assessments, quizzes and homework?

They learn how to think too fast.

The other day, I asked a student to look at a painting as part of a writing exercise. But before I could even explain the instructions, she had already started writing down what she thought about the painting.

This is thinking too fast. Where does it come from, and why do students do this?

The student believes that the faster they start something, the sooner they will finish it. And the sooner they finish a task, the more time they will have to complete other assignments; and they have plenty.

Their education has trained them to complete tasks.

The problem is, students are often not thinking deeply when they are completing these tasks.

This is a particular concern with writing and reading assignments. Many students are so rushed in their performance of these assignments that they will just ignore many of the clues and ideas that they are finding in their own writing, and in the reading they do for class.

If you have a student who faces this challenge, I can help. I teach study skills, reading comprehension, and writing with comprehension to students from all types of backgrounds. Let's chat. I can help your student improve their English marks, and become more solid thinkers in a very short amount of time.

Doug Crets
Founder, Synapse Education

Image credit: Kyle Gregory Devaras

I've created an online workshop for teenagers that will help them master the content and analytical models behind successful social media campaigns to help them in their search for a position in boarding school or university.

Get in touch if you would like the PDF course description, or more information. Pass this along to others if you know of students who have real world projects that they would like to use social media to highlight and draw attention to.

Parents, are you concerned about the way your child uses social media?

But are you also understanding of the fact that your child's own social media campaigns and self-managed businesses, charities and civic projects are the most efficient way to get them noticed in their search for a university or boarding school place?

It's not just a hype trend.

Universities and top tier foreign schools are increasingly looking to social media to observe how students responsible manage civic tasks and community-minded projects that improve life for their families, friends and cities. (Harvard, Yale, Brown and some other schools released a report a couple years ago that mentions this)

I will use my 12+ years in social media marketing at Microsoft and Starbucks to lead workshops on responsible social media use and effective social media branding campaigns this summer for students age 13-17.

* Classes will be held online and in person (where feasible, Covid protocols allowing).

The class will coach students at an age-approriate level on the following:

* Why social media campaigns are your key to college and boarding school acceptance

* What it takes to launch a social media campaign, and why people use them

* Why literature and critical thinking are key components to launching marketing campaigns

* Why the effective tools of communication are also the effective tools for workplace and academic success

* A step-by-step series of workshops that take each student through a personalised social media campaign set up from start to finish

* Deep dives into how to analyze social media data and find out what works

* Success stories and more

For more information about my background, see below. To sign up, get information about cost and curriculum, or to inquire about a place for your student, please send us a message.

Thanks!


Background bio

Doug Crets has a long background in social media and traditional marketing at companies including Microsoft and Starbucks. He has devised, led and activated global social media campaigns on all social platforms, and managed teams as small as two people and as large as 45.

With an education background at top local international schools in Hong Kong, and with connections to technology firms, VC investment firms, and some of the leading marketing thinkers on the planet, Doug can help your student prepare not only for academic life in North America, but also life in corporate global environments where making decisions and using critical thinking to strategise are a top priority.