Buổi 2: Reading – True/False/Not Given nâng cao: suy luận vừa đủ

Practising the right way

(Bài đọc tự viết; trường nhạc và nhân vật là giả định.)

A At Riverside Music School, teachers noticed something puzzling. Some students practised the piano for two hours every day, yet made very little progress. Others practised for only forty minutes and improved much faster. The school’s director, Ms Lan, decided to find out why.

B Over one term, teachers observed how forty students spent their practice time. The difference, it turned out, was not the amount of practice but the type. Most of the slower students simply played their favourite pieces from beginning to end, again and again. This was enjoyable, but they rarely focused on the passages they found difficult. In contrast, the faster learners spent most of their time on short sections that they could not yet play well, repeating them slowly and correcting each mistake.

C The faster learners also asked for feedback more often. At first, several of them found this uncomfortable, because it meant hearing about their weaknesses. However, they soon realised that a teacher could spot problems they could not hear themselves. “I used to think feedback meant I was doing badly,” says Minh, a fifteen-year-old student. “Now I see it as the quickest way to get better.”

D Based on these observations, the school changed its advice to students. Instead of recommending a fixed number of hours, teachers now ask students to set a specific goal for each practice session, such as playing one difficult bar at the correct speed. Students also record themselves once a week and listen back before their lesson.

E The changes have not worked for everyone. A few students said that practising difficult sections was boring and that they missed playing whole pieces. Ms Lan accepts that motivation matters too. “If students stop enjoying music, they will stop practising altogether,” she says. The school now suggests ending each session by playing a favourite piece for fun.

F Ms Lan believes the lesson applies far beyond music. Whether people are learning a language, a sport or a new skill at work, she argues, the key is not how long they practise, but whether they concentrate on what they cannot yet do.

Annual performance review – summary of manager’s comments Minh has consistently met his sales targets this year and is well respected by clients for his quick replies. He has shown initiative by creating a new price comparison sheet that the whole team now uses. One area to develop is presentation skills: in team meetings, his points are sometimes unclear and he tends to speak too fast. For next year, I suggest a target of leading two client presentations and attending the company’s public speaking workshop.