Reading Notes of Aug.14th

Part One      Words, Phrases and Sentences

in full swing     如火如荼地进行；热火朝天

e.g.  It was 1968, and the Vietnam War was in full swing.

Imitation:  When I got there, the party had been in full swing.

top-notch    (adj.) excellent; superb  [口]最高质量的；第一流的

e.g.  Thus they were, for all practical purposes, top-notch North Vietnamese fighter pilots, with one exception: instead of missiles and bullets, their aircraft were equipped with cameras to record each encounter.

Imitation:  Without doubt that he studies hard just to be admitted into Harvard, one of the top-notch universities.

at stake     at risk  危如累卵；处于紧要关头

e.g.  In medicine, for example, while doctors’ lives aren’t at stake, patients’ lives can be.

Imitation:  You should realize that your physical condition is at stake, which will definitely affect your career.

kick in    to start or become activated  开始生效

e.g.  After twenty or so trials the effects of the regular feedback started to kick in, and the residents’ accuracy began to increase steadily.

Imitation:  What if the policy kicks in? What should we do then?

Part Two      Summary

     Today's reading mainly covers the principles of deliberate practice while getting work down and how to use the top gun approach in learning. 

     At the beginning of the chapter, the author illustrates that the sort of on-the-job training in some areas can be unacceptably high, which is, however, of crucial importance. So he mainly cites the examples of elite business performers ( list to-do and not-to-do) to tell us how to hone the skills in these fields. The message he wants to convey is: the right approach is the key to success. And in the second part, he uses some cases in medicine to prove that getting effective feedback is significant.

Part Three      What I Have Learned

        这一部分给我的感受是，作者不再仅仅停留于普遍性理论的提出和论证，他开始结合具体的现实条件进行阐述和说明，本章的特殊性条件就在于ON THE JOB，是针对于大部分的工作场景的。使我印象最深的两条就是：要有正确的训练方法和有效的反馈。但其实这两条是适用于学习工作中方方面面的：练字的时候，老师会用红笔圈出写得好的字；听写完英语单词，老师会批改打分，发还给学生并进行讲解；工作中单位也会有一定的考评制度并向员工进行及时反馈……

        随着课业的自由性不断加大，我日常生活里可以自由安排的学习时间更多，学习内容也可以更加多样化，在接下来第三外语的学习中，我想也许可以先找个结对学习的搭档，互相考评，互相反馈，共同进步。仔细想想其实我们的读书会也是一个每日互相点评和反馈的feedback形式呢。