Cosmotots-iqd, Damansara Utama

Low Li Huey, 21 years old
Currently studying at School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

“I went to COSMOTOTS-iqd from the age of 4-18, a total of 14 years. From a very young age, COSMOTOTS-iqd has taught me many things that are still relevant to this day. To read effectively, and to put our thoughts to speech and onto paper. To put ourselves out of our comfort zones and explore beyond the confines of our everyday lives. To question what we see, hear or read, to be curious about history, art, cultures, music, places and people apart from our own.

These important skills and habits cannot be learned and formed in a conventional schooling system, and COSMOTOTS-iqd is certainly a place where kids are trained and encouraged to think independently and communicate confidently.”

Lee Jia Ai, 16 years old
Currently studying at Taylor's University

I began taking classes in Cosmotots-iqd since I was 5 years old, so I basically went to Cosmotots for around 10 years. I find Cosmotots-iqd very interesting as it differs from other normal tuition classes where they only correct your grammar mistakes and give you worksheets to do. It feels different in Cosmotots-iqd because we get to read different kinds of stories, different genres of books and analyze the writer’s or characters’ emotions. We are also given essay titles to write, which I really like because I get to express my emotions and my thoughts through my essays. Moreover, it feels nice when I receive good feedback from my mentor. I find that essay-writing helps me develop my creative thinking skills which contribute a lot when I do my schoolwork.

Cosmotots-iqd has a comfortable learning environment. The mentors there are patient and friendly. They tried not to pressure me too much and as a result, I enjoyed myself. In fact, the mentors would often use games as learning tools and we would play charades or taboo to improve our vocabulary. I never realized how much those games helped with my vocabulary, but on reflection, I always picked up a lot of new words. I also remember having debates and role-plays which were very scary because I don’t like public speaking, but experiencing such non-school activities was good for me.

I used to be afraid to speak in English because I knew I couldn’t speak the language fluently. However, when in Cosmotots-iqd, I was surrounded by a lot of English speakers so I was ‘forced’ to speak in English. Gradually, I became more and more comfortable speaking in English. Not going to lie, I used to not want to go to Cosmotots-iqd and I didn’t want to learn English, but now, I do not regret going to Cosmotots-iqd. I’m also grateful to my mom for constantly encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone. English is a very important language that everyone should learn because it is an international language. Sometimes I see my friends struggling to speak in English and then losing confidence because of it. Other times, they are not able to get good grades because they cannot write good essays due to the language barrier. It makes me feel so grateful to be able to spend 10 years learning English in Cosmotots-iqd and enjoying the fun of learning English.

Imelda Chong, 22 years old
About to join University of the West of England in Bristol, UK for final year (on scholarship).

Hi, my name is Imelda! I am currently a student ambassador for Taylor’s University and University of the West of England, pursuing a degree in Business Management and Marketing.

Throughout high school, I was outstanding when it came to English and secured an A* for English- First Language for my IGCSE when I was 17. My love for reading, writing, and learning has helped me throughout my studies up to university. In addition, my writing skills have been commended by previous employers that I have worked for.

Things could have been very different if it wasn’t for my mom’s decision to send me to Cosmotots-iqd. When I enrolled with Cosmotots-iqd, I couldn’t understand a word of English. Coming from a Mandarin-speaking family, I had minimal exposure to the English language and wasn’t able to read or speak it despite my family’s effort to teach me.

Within a few years with Cosmotots-iqd, I went from being completely clueless in English classes to be one of the top students in the language when I was 10 years old. Not only was I able to speak fluent English, but Cosmotots-iqd also, helped me develop a love for reading.

This was not a coincidence, as our mentors, whom we called ‘aunties’ or ‘uncles’ were highly qualified, patient, and experienced in connecting with kids. With their kind words, passion for teaching, and love for children, I became more attentive and interested in the English language. During classes, we explored different story genres, trained our creative writing skills, and hone our ability to express ourselves.

Attending Cosmotots-iqd allowed my English literacy to stay ahead of my peers throughout primary school until university. Most of my assignments are graded on grammatical efficiency and readability, which I believe is a trained skill from years of reading and a strong foundation in English developed from a young age.

Today, I no longer attend Cosmotots-iqd; however, my eight-year-old brother continues to attend Cosmotots-iqd weekly. During the Covid-19 pandemic where all classes are online, Cosmotots-iqd lesson time is the only time where he pays attention and is kept engaged. This shows how experienced the mentors are. He truly enjoys each session and now loves reading as well.

I would recommend Cosmotots-iqd to any parent who is struggling to teach their kids English, or just looking to make use of their kids’ free time. I promise, you won’t regret it and your children will thank you for it!

My daughter started attending Cosmotots-iqd holiday writing classes upon recommendation from her friend. Her writing immediately improved though it was just a short holiday course.

I then explored further into the teaching methods of Cosmotots-iqd. I did so mainly to find out whether Cosmotots-iqd could help my son who was diagnosed as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Basically, my son was a high functioning autism child. He started to talk only around 4 years old. As a result, Joseph joined Cosmotots-iqd from November 2012 when he was 7 years old, until now. He was promoted to Omega class, the highest Essay-writing level, in Mar 2018.

I find that:
1) Cosmotots-iqd teaching is holistic. The kids learn to think, and not to memorise.
2) Learning in Cosmotots-iqd is fun. Various books are introduced at the right time.
3) Every child is closely monitored and allowed to develop at their own pace.
4) Joseph looks up to the mentors of Cosmotots-iqd and he never ever said he wanted to quit going to Cosmotots-iqd, even when he is tired from school.
5) Basically, he enjoys the class environment and he enjoys the books and topics being introduced to him.
6) In Cosmotots-iqd, good values are also taught through various discussions of all kinds of topics.

- Madam Chong, mother of Joseph Neng (age 14)

"Marcus has made a lot of progress since he joined COSMOTOTS-iqd.

He is more interested in storybooks, and his concentration has gotten better. Previously, he would lose interest in any storybook very quickly, but now he is able to finish a storybook on his own. He is also more willing to share what he did in school and COSMOTOTS-iqd, and will even speak to his younger brother in English.

Overall, Marcus’ learning attitude has changed and he is even doing much better now at school."

- Mrs Lee, mother of Marcus (age 9)