Taipei Teen Tribune (TTT) is a special class at Englist, and students who are in this class write about the topics they care about instead of writing about topics that their teachers assign them. The primary goal of this class is to train students to write high quality and engaging articles. Indeed, going to TTT has several benefits:

Improves critical thinking skills

TTT writers gain critical thinking skills through writing for TTT because writing is thinking. Through writing, students learn to organize their ideas and structure their essays correctly, and they learn to make their sentences flow together. Critical thinking skills may be hard for students at first, but students become creative and thoughtful after going through a lot of critical thinking practice by writing their essays. Also, they learn to analyze facts and give well informed judgements on the issues they care about.

Also, critical thinking skills allow students to form opinions, and they gain a deeper understanding of arguments and skills of persuasion through elaborating their points in essays. Students are then able to give well thought out answers when others ask them questions, especially questions about controversial issues. In short, TTT trains students’ brains and allows students to become advanced critical thinkers.

Teaches students about society

Another benefit of going to TTT is that students learn about the society around them. Teachers share articles on current events for students to read about and discuss in class, and the topics are usually about politics, environmental problems, sports, and recently, COVID-19, because it is one of the biggest issues in the world. Teachers also encourage students to keep updated with the news on a regular basis.

Also, teachers organize field trips and take students to social events in Taipei. For example, students in this class participated in the 2019 Taiwan Pride parade and a Black Lives Matter event this year, which allows students to be more connected to major social issues and the world. Students can also be inspired when they participate in social events. Thus, TTT enables students to learn something new every day, and the class enhances students’ English language skills.

Teaches analytical skills

In addition to learning about society, students who go to TTT become better at analyzing and interpreting literature because they read lots of novels with teachers in class. For example, TTT students recently finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. While reading, students read the text out loud and discussed the themes and plot of the story. In the class, teachers guide discussions and allow students to express their interpretations.

Although some novels may be hard for students to read, it is a good opportunity for them to strengthen their brains, build their vocabulary skills, and increase their sense of empathy. In addition, TTT students acquire better reading skills because they spend most classes reading with their teachers.

Going to TTT is worth it

TTT is a valuable place for students to train their critical thinking skills, learn about society, and acquire skills to analyze literature. Indeed, these skills help students prepare for their future, and TTT allows students to have fun with English. For other students who want to improve their language skills, they should go to TTT, because it is a great experience.