Using Duolingo's Tiny Cards To Learn The Chinese Numbers One to Ten

Problem
When I first started using Duolingo tiny cards, the numbers one to ten appeared in random order.

Answer
That was because I missed the first lesson. At first, all the numbers one to ten appear on tiny cards not moved left to right across your screen but downwards. On my small phone, I saw only one card. I then moved the cards off to the left and started on the multiple choice quiz.

I also did not know how to start the next set of cards. In the larger and more clear lessons for a laptop, you will get instructions such as 'continue'. Tap on that to continue.

However, on the phone there's no room. So you get a small circular blue symbol. Click on that and up comes a lesson.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and other languages.

YSL Handy Travel 'Lip Twin' Lipstick Update - and a Photography Tip

Problem
I lost a lipstick, and looked on line and now I see potential replacements. However, now I have found them, I don't know what to buy.

Answer
I noticed that my lipstick had an end label and took a photo. The print was too small to read but I was able to blow up the photo and could read the name, Lip Twins.

Having the correct name found me items to buy. When I typed Lip Twins into the internet I got results on both Amazon and Ebay.

No Brushes
The ones on ebay were cheaper. However they had no brushes. Why?

I seem to remember that I enquired once before. I think I phoned and asked why - where was the brush? The lipsticks without brushes were testers.

So maybe somebody no longer selling the product did not need the tester for customers and was selling it off. Or the item was discontinued. So no point in having a tester displayed.

YSL Website
I went onto the YSL website. However, they don't stock it.

Old Or New Internet Offers?
That leaves me with a question. Are the ones being sold as new, of new appearance and condition, unused, but literally past their sell by date? Maybe rancid?

Some reviewers say the product is dry and dries their lips. That could be because it is old.

Or it could be discontinued because customers didn't like the product. When travelling, you need to moisturise your lips, not make them drier.

Impractical?
I have to agree with one reviewer that the rotating part rotates by itself in your make up bag, then falls agains other projecting items and leaves lipstick, sticky stuff, all over the make up bag contents. Or gathers dust and fluff.

Is This Gadget Useless?
You don't get a lot of lipstick either. You get a more liquid gluey lipstick in a little tray. It has to be soft for application by the brush, I imagine. One other reviewer said the brush application took ages.

One reviewer commented that colours are not as bright as the regular lipstick. That may depend on which colour you order. On line, it's hard to tell if they only show the case and not the contents.

The idea of mixing the colours is amusing.

At least I have the old one - but not in the colours I want. £32 is a lot for a lipstick in my opinion.

Photography Tips
My internet research has tight me one interesting thing. You can photograph a cylindrical lipstick and maybe other items the same shape by standing it on the flat end, instead of trying to stop it rolling.

You can't do this with a rolling pin which has projecting ends, only one with flat ends. But it just shows, when taking photos, try to turn the item to balance on all sides.

What other lessons have I learned? Always remember to photograph all sides. Take a picture of labels, brands and expiry dates.

Angela Lansbury travel writer and photographer.

What I learned teaching English As A Foreign Language In Singapore

Problems
How do you teach English as a foreign language to pupils who themselves speak different foreign languages? How do you teach a ten week course from a thirty chapter textbook?

Answers
1 Follow a text book course, fitting the number of chapters to the number of weeks on the school course or year for which the pupils have paid and committed.

2 Remove the last week / lesson for giving out results. Remove the previous week / lesson for the exam.

Marking Exams
You may need a weekend to allow time to mark all the papers if the school is giving out awards.

If you are simply doing a test, you can get the pupils to swap papers and mark each other's work. If you don't like the idea of two friends swapping papers, swap the papers of people who sit far away from each other.

Alternatively, let each pupil play at being an examiner. Conceal the names on the papers with post-its. Let the pupils do the commenting on how some of the pupils have done well, others badly, which papers were hardest, what the person marked as a fail has to do to reach the passmark.

Ask those with problems answering or low marks or lower marks then they expected to say what they found hardest. Reveal the names of those who did best and ask them to stand up and advise the others on how to revise and remember.

If you cannot do this for the final exam, do it for the mock exam.

Mock Exam
Remove the week before exam for a mock exam. Remove a week before that for revision (unless you can do revision in the first half of the lesson and the mock exam in the second half.

Spacing Lessons
Check the number of weeks remaining and the number of chapters you need to cover. Supposing you need to cover only one chapter and have two lessons. You can then have pupils reading the chapter aloud and starting it in one lesson, reading out the answers or doing the questions a second time in the next lesson.

On the other hand, you might have two chapters to cover in a day or week, but only one lesson. In that case do one chapter in the lesson and set the other one for the pupils to read for homework.

Games Lessons
If you have a spare lesson in the afternoon, this can be a fun and games lesson, using the material learned. For example, if you have taught them to say, I am taller than you are, they can line up in height order. Then starting at the front each person will say, I am taller than you are to the pupil on one side, and you are taller than I am, and I am smaller than you are, to the person on the other side.

You can buy books of language games. Make up your own. Ask the pupils to devise a game. Ask other teacher for a game. Check the school library or resources box. Ask the head of department or school head for games.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and author, English teacher.