Will The Trend For Esl Teachers Continue?
I am going to become a high school teacher, but I’m uncertain of what I would like to major in. History would be really fun to learn, but I hear hundreds of people compete for one job in that subject. The humanities interest me. Is there/ will there be a bunch of competition for jobs for ESL teachers? What about Spanish teachers?
It appears the trend has been fairly constant since 1996 and it does not seem to be decreasing. With the large number of people moving around throughout the world ESL teachers are in high-demand all over. In Feb. at an international school recruiting fair there were over 40 positions open for ESL teachers around the world and that did not even bring into focus the myriad of openings in the United States or Canada.
Spanish is the 3rd most spoken language in the world so it does not appear that language will be going away anytime soon, either. If you can work out an ESL/Spanish combination you will have it made.
Since learning a language also requires one know the history of the originating country then Spanish may be a good choice where you can combine your love of history with a love of a language.
Good Luck …
First Day of School Preschool Lesson Plan
The first day of school can be filled with anxiety and concern. By creating first day of school preschool lessons that are both informative and comforting, a teacher can ensure that his or her students will begin the school year off to a good start. Following are several ideas of projects and games that can be incorporated into the lesson plan for the first day of preschool.
“The Kissing Hand” Activity Reduces First Day Jitters
“The Kissing Hand,” a story authored by Audrey Penn, can lead to a reassuring activity that is ideal for a first day of school preschool lesson. Begin by reading the story to the preschool class. It may help to use a stuffed animal or puppet to assist with the reading of the story.
Following the reading, place a heart sticker on each student’s hand. Tell the children that this sticker serves as a reminder that their mommies and daddies love them very much. If a child has a hard time throughout the day, remind him or her to look at the sticker and give it a kiss. This symbolizes the child kissing their mommy and daddy, and it also symbolizes the parents kissing their child.
Back to School Students Book Helps Kids Learn Each Other’s Names
One of the biggest issues that teachers face during the first day of school is helping their students learn each other’s names. This activity is both fun and can help to solve this issue. Before the first day of school, create a page for each student with “My name is ___” types at the bottom in large, easy-to-read letters. Be sure to make a page for each staff member, also.
Once the children arrive, take a Polaroid picture of each child and glue it onto their page. Then, allow the students to spend time decorating their page to show their individual personalities. Put all of the pages into a file folder to create the “book.” Decorate the cover of the “book” with a picture of the entire class.
Throughout the next couple of weeks, read through the book with the class. Over time, the students will be reading along, learning everyone’s names and having fun while they are doing it.
Using Puppets to Model Class Rules
This preschool activity can greatly help children learn class rules in a fun way that is not intimidating or strict. First, find two puppets that look alike but are different colors or have other identifying features.
During the first day of school, use these puppets to model the class rules by interacting with each other. One of the puppets will always make good choices, and the other puppet will make the poor choices. This way, you are sure to set the example to the students.
For example, have the “poor choice” puppet pull on the “good choice” puppet’s arm in an effort to get his or her attention. Stop the interaction and ask the students if this was a good or poor choice. Ask the children what would be a better way to get the “good choice” puppet’s attention. This sort of activity instills good behavior and makes “good choices” fun.
By using activities such as those listed here in the first day of school preschool lesson, the students are able to have a successful first day. They’ll have fun and learn at the same time.
The Internet–THE Best Place to Learn English
Table of Contents
The Primacy of Input
Vocabulary over Grammar
Learning in Chunks
Better Tutors on the Internet
Meaningful Communication
Motivation and Enjoyment
Efficiency
A Learning Community, The Linguist
English is the dominant language of the Internet. The Internet will in turn become the dominant place to learn English. The way languages are learned is changing, and these changes are accelerating.
The Internet is constantly evolving. It has created a dynamic environment for the communication and the management of information. The Internet has brought with it new forms of social interaction without boundaries. Technologies like MP3, iPod, Skype and PDAs, as well as blogs and podcasts, are making an immense variety of communication, information, literature, news and other language content available anywhere and anytime. A cascade of developments is causing interactive communities to spring up based on common interests, without regard to geography. This is going to stand traditional language learning on its head. English dominates on the Internet in areas ranging from entertainment to science. If you want to learn English, this represents an unprecedented opportunity.
You can access English language content on any subject and learn from it. You can connect with English speaking people who share your interests. You can do this via e-mail, through blogs, podcasts and forums. You can link up with friends or even language tutors using free Internet telephony. The World Wide Web is the ultimate dynamic classroom and learning community.
Over the next few years the Internet will take over from the classroom as the place of choice to learn English: Here are some of the reasons.
The Primacy of Input
If you want to learn English or any other language, you need input, meaningful, interesting and at your level. Today language learning experts emphasize input over output, listening and reading over grammar study. Before you can use the language, you must get used to the language. You don’t need to be in a hurry to speak English, and you don’t need to speak it all the time to improve.
“Real language acquisition develops slowly, and speaking skills emerge significantly later than listening skills, even when conditions are perfect. The best methods are therefore those that supply ‘comprehensible input’ in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are ‘ready’, recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production.” Stephen Krashen.
When you learned your own language as a child, you didn’t begin by speaking. You began by listening. New language learners can benefit from a “silent period”. During the “silent period” you can absorb the language. You need not force yourself to speak it until you are confident. Even if you are an intermediate learner, extensive reading and listening will increase your familiarity with the language, enrich your vocabulary, and develop confidence. This is more beneficial than studying grammar.
While listening and reading often and regularly are vital, the content must be meaningful. Learning content should be interesting and comprehensible to you. This means that you, not the teacher, should choose what to learn from. The Internet allows unlimited choice of fascinating authentic content. The traditional textbook cannot compete.
Motivated learners used to spend their time in book stores looking for graded content that would help them in their language studies. Yet, inevitably a lot of this material could only be found in uninteresting textbooks and readers. But today authentic content on a variety of subjects is only a click away. This is especially the case for the person who wants to learn English.
This range of material is made accessible to learners, since new systems can grade it for difficulty in a way that is customized to your specific vocabulary. You can learn English by listening to and reading on subjects that interest you and you won’t find it too difficult.
Vocabulary over Grammar
In order to achieve fluency in English you need to be comfortable using at least 10,000 words. On the Internet, you can choose appropriate content to listen to and read. The content can be graded to your level. But what about learning and remembering all those new words. We know how quickly we forget words when we look them up in a dictionary. And there are so many words to learn. Fortunately, the Internet makes it a lot easier to learn vocabulary.
On the Internet you can use online dictionaries to look up words instantly (i.e., Babylon). There are learning software programs which create customized word lists for you as you learn words. This software can help you accumulate example sentences for these words from the familiar contexts you are listening to and reading. You can set vocabulary goals and follow your progress towards these goals.
The Internet helps you to efficiently accumulate vocabulary based on lively and interesting language content, customized to your needs. This combination of vocabulary learning efficiency and limitless content is only part of why the Internet will become the place of choice to learn English.
Learning in Chunks
Vocabulary does not only mean words. It also means phrases, or chunks of words. Phrases are groups of words that come together in a way that is natural to the native speaker but not always to the learner. Michael Lewis has been one of the pioneers in pointing out that you learn language in chunks, or lexical phrases. The Internet and the computer make this easier.
On the computer, you can grab language chunks as you are listening and reading and collect them in an easy to use database. Phrases and chunks of the language can be linked to larger contexts, which are already familiar to you. You don’t need to rely on dictionary definitions and rote memory. You can review these chunks of language in short fragment form, in sentence form and as part of a larger context that you can listen to and read many times.
In this way you gradually develop an instinctive sense for how words are used. This is the natural way to learn correct usage. It is more effective than trying to remember and apply grammar rules.
As you build up your confidence in English through regular input and word and phrase learning, you will no doubt want to talk to native speakers. Once again the Internet is the ideal environment, offering more opportunities than the classroom.
Better Tutors on the Internet
The Internet connects people who are looking for each other. A quick search on a few professional web sites will locate native English speaker writers, editors, or professionals from all over the world, who are interested in acting as language tutors and coaches. If you want to learn English, you can interact with this outstanding pool of qualified people with a wide range of experience and knowledge.
You do not need teachers with specialized linguistics degrees if you want to learn English on the Internet. The new learning paradigm does not require teachers who are trained in the details of grammar and language teaching. Instead the important qualifications for a tutor on the Internet are; an interest in people, an ability to use one’s native language well, and rich experience to share with learners in English.
On the Internet you can choose the tutor whose accent and interests match your own.
Meaningful Communication
Technologies like Skype make conversations via computer easy to organize and the communication is free of charge. You can get your friends together for a chat or make an appointment with a tutor.
It is like having lessons on demand. You can schedule one-on-one or four-on-one discussions via Skype with the tutor of your choice. You can invite your friends to join, or make new friends from different countries and cultures. Tutors need only provide advice and encouragement as well as feedback, at your convenience. There is no need for grammar instruction or quizzes, since you are learning the language naturally through your input activities.
In the relaxing atmosphere of Internet online discussion, learners and tutors become friends and form a community of people helping and encouraging each other. These are not stressful lessons. They are pleasant opportunities to communicate. You can record these conversations or produce your own oral essays and file them or share them. In this way you can keep track of your progress as you learn English on the Internet.
To really improve your accuracy of expression it is important to write. The correction of written texts can be efficiently organized on the Internet and integrated with your input and speaking activities. Systems can keep a permanent record of both your original texts and the corrected texts. These records can include details on the nature of your mistakes and the tutor’s notes. Tutors can make audio recordings of your corrected writing for you to listen to, in order to reinforce the learning of the corrected phrases. The writing can range from casual writing for a blog to serious academic essays.
Motivation and Enjoyment
Learning on the Internet is effective because it is fun. The Internet avoids the tension and boredom of the classroom and increases your motivation. You choose the content, vocabulary is easy to learn, progress is constantly measured, and you become part of a community.
There are already blogging communities with learners and tutors sharing their experiences. People come together from all over the world to help each other. Bloggers may post in their own language, or in English. English becomes the medium of communication among people of different cultural backgrounds. Blogging isn’t an assignment, but a genuine, enjoyable, and meaningful activity. A contagious enthusiasm will keep you learning. It is not like studying. It’s more like making new friends and discovering new cultures through language.
Efficiency
The Internet introduces a higher level of efficiency in language learning. Efficiency is essential because it creates intensity. It takes a high degree of intensity to transform yourself into a fluent speaker of another language.
There is also another reason why efficiency is important. You have a right to a decent return on your investment of time and money in language learning. If you want to learn English, efficiency is important, yet it is often ignored in traditional language teaching.
“I spent over 14 months studying English in a school. It was a waste of money for Canadian government and a waste of time for me.” Humberto Soto, a recent immigrant to Canada.
Traditional classroom methods are not as efficient as the Internet. It is difficult to cater to learners of different levels and interests. Stress and boredom are often the results. Many people are discouraged by their school experience, and end up convinced that they cannot learn to be fluent in a new language. They lose interest and give up.
For people who want to learn English, the Internet opens up a new world of efficient and satisfying language learning. The Internet makes possible a quality and variety of input that far exceeds the resources of a traditional classroom. Learning methodologies and communication opportunities are available to you on the Internet that the classroom cannot match. Goals can be set and achievements measured. The result is a highly integrated and enjoyable learning environment.
This new method of learning appeals to all ages. While youngsters and students are the most avid users of the Internet, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation 70% of Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 use the Internet! Similar trends are being seen in Europe and Asia.
A Learning Community, The Linguist
The Linguist is both a learning methodology and a community. It is the first language learning system developed specifically to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the Internet. It was initially developed to help people learn English naturally. It is now being revised and expanded in order to offer other major world languages. In the future, The Linguist model has many applications for life-long education.
The explosion of new media and learning technologies via the Internet will change forever the way people learn. The Linguist system will influence how many subjects are taught. It will make it possible for people all over the world to share their knowledge, expertise and learn from each other, in many languages. Learning English is just one of many lessons we can learn on the Internet. Another one of them is to learn how to learn.
About the author:
Steve Kaufmann, CEO and Founder of The Linguist, grew up in Montreal. He obtained a Diplome from l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris in 1966 and then entered the Canadian Foreign Service, as a Trade Commissioner.
Steve was posted to Hong Kong in 1968 and then served in Japan from 1971 to 1974. In 1974 he left the diplomatic service and served in senior executive positions in the Canadian forest industry until 1987. In 1987 he founded his own company, KP Wood Ltd which today has offices in Japan, Sweden and Canada.
Steve speaks fluent Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese as well as six European languages. He wrote: The Way of the Linguist: A Language Learning Odyssey. In 2002 he established The Linguist Institute Ltd.
How to Effectively use Games in the Preschool and Elementary ESL Classroom
Organization. The first thing you should do when start teaching a preschool or elementary school ESL class is to figure out how to organize your class. For the younger students you’ll want to change your activities every five to ten minutes because they have shorter attention spans. If you don’t change your activities, they’ll soon start losing interest. As you get towards the higher elementary grades, you can expand the time you spend per activity. The best way to gauge this is to pay attention to your class for the first few days to see what length of time works the best for them. Additionally, try to have everything ready to go before the students enter the classroom. That way you can go from activity to activity with minimal downtime.
Expectations. If you notice that your class is getting noisy or rambunctious, it’s time to change activities. Kids of this age are active and like to be active; in order to balance out the energy levels in the classroom, alternate between active activities and quiet activities. If you have a large class you will need games that do not degenerate into chaos. This will leave you exhausted and the children ignorant! Also important is that the language in the game should be well within the grasp of the children. Start simply and increase the difficulty of the language, or increase the amount of vocabulary in a given game gradually. If you see that the children are hesitating too much in a game switch to an easier game immediately.
Be careful how you use activities that require fine motor skills – or more importantly pay attention to your expectations for activities that require fine motor skills. Children in preschool and early elementary are just learning to write in their own languages. This is not the best time to bog them down with writing in English as well. It is better to spend the bulk of the lesson time on listening and speaking skills for the younger children. As they progress through elementary school, however, you can begin using games and activities that require them to write small amounts.
Variation. You want to make sure your activities appeal to all sorts learning styles, so even when you are using games to teach grammar you’ll want to vary the types of things you expect your students to do. For preschool and early elementary grades, stick to games that use talking, listening, looking and moving. For middle and high elementary, you can continue to use games that use talking, listening, looking and moving and add in some games that use writing and reading.
Going along with this same idea, think about what children learn from the easiest. Television commercials are short and catchy and the most memorable are the ones that are repeated often. Keep these characteristics in mind when you are teaching grammar to your students – incorporate these characteristics into your daily activities.
Respect. To make games work for you and your class, be sure to operate your class with the utmost respect – both to and from students. This includes teaching your students from the very start that you expect respect at all times. This includes giving encouragement and following the rules.
That said, you’ll need to make sure the rules for all of the games are clear and manageable. When possible, explain the rules in the students’ native tongue so that they all know what is expected of them. When there is an environment of respect in the classroom, the students will feel safe enough to participate in the games so that they can get the most educational value out of them.
Towards the end of elementary school, you can start introducing competitive games, but only if the class is respectful and it shouldn’t be the main focus of the game.
Routine. Even if you only have your students for a short time every week, establishing a routine will help the class go smoothly. Children of this age (preschool through elementary school) thrive on routine and if they know what to expect next, they will be more able to participate in what’s going on now. Set up a schedule for the type of activities you’ll be doing at any given time throughout the class whether it is a game, story or song or whatever you want to do. Then, when you are planning your class, plug in the appropriate activities to each section of time. You should also leave a little time at the end of the class period to allow the students to clean up and gather their things as well as time for you to recap the class, praise the students and tell them good-bye.
You can also designate a “sign” to use to signal to the students when it is time to change activities such as clapping or signing a specific song so that they know it’s time to return to the circle, table or desks.
Nurture. Perhaps the most important thing you can do with your students is to nurture them everyday. For each child in your class, find something you like about him or her and be sure to tell him or her. Be encouraging, patient and kind while playing games and participating in activities and they’ll like you as a teacher and a person which will in turn help them get excited about your class and what you have for them to do everyday.
Just by keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be able to teach children grammar with ease. You’ll be having fun and they’ll be having fun – so much fun, in fact, that they might not even realize they are learning in the process!
Shelley Vernon has helped 1000s of teachers be an inspiration to their pupils. Receive free English language games now on http://www.teachingenglishgames.com for 6 to 12 years and http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm for 3 to 5 year olds.
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: The Basics
When you begin your working life in the UK there are so many avenues open to you that you really can do anything you set your mind to. With such an open university system anyone who works hard and achieves the grades can enter a profession. If you choose to go straight into work after leaving school there are thousands of opportunities for you to take up apprenticeships or work your way up the career ladder. Whether you choose to work with your hands and do something practical or with your fingers and type away in the office, there are so many jobs you can do.
For some people, the best type of job is one where you are helping others to achieve a goal. You might be a sports coach, a singing tutor or a teacher. Your work will allow your clients to achieve their dreams. And this is just as true if you go into teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Like every other job, there are no entry limitations to this career. So long as you work hard enough to pass the necessary courses and get enough work experience in a classroom, you can help people in the UK to learn English as a second or third language.
Here are a few points to help you decide whether TESOL teaching is for you.
- You have to take a TESOL course which is run by Trinity College London. Although there are other training courses available, this is by far the best and the most widely recognised course which is important when it comes to getting a job.
- You can only use your TESOL certificate in the UK. If you want o teach English as a foreign language abroad, you will need to take a TEFL or CELTA course which is applicable to the wider world.
- There are several places where you can work teaching English to speakers of other languages. State schools, private schools, language institutions and immigration centres are just a few.
- Your pupils will range in terms if nationality, age and gender. Depending on what type of institution you work in it is likely that your pupils will be both children and adults who do not speak English as their first language. Immigrant families who come to the UK often only have one or two members that can speak any English and the rest will take language classes to learn.
These are very basic pieces of information that aim to help you get a little bit more knowledge about TESOL teaching. For more information you can look at non-profit websites which are run by TESOL and TEFL teachers with experience teaching English to speakers of other languages. TEFLWorld is one such website and there are many more.
Teaching English in Taiwan – An English Teacher’s Experience
If you are considering a move to Taiwan to teach English, then it is probably logical that you want to know what it is really like teaching in Taiwan. Taiwan is probably very different from what you may have heard or read about. TV shows portray Taiwan as a leading producer of high technology products and similar products. There is some truth to this but the majority of Taiwan is vastly different from what many people think it is. This can be seen in both the daily life and your work environment. If you want to come to Taiwan to teach English, it is a good idea that you first familiarize yourself with what daily life and your work environment are going to be like.
The biggest shock to most people coming to Taiwan to teach is that of just how many people there are. Streets in major cities are crowded. The population of Taiwan is only 26 million but Taiwan is a small island and the majority of the population lives in three major cities. These results in streets being crowded with people, parking your motorbike or car can be difficult. The above is truth for Taipei, the largest and most population city in Taiwan and this is where the majority of English teaching work can be found. The roads and people in Taiwan can be chaotic. It is common place for motorists to run red lights, turn where turning is not permitted and park cars and motorbikes where they shouldn’t. As above, the main cause for this is the lack of space and you will most likely find yourself at a loss sometimes as to where you can park your motorbike or car.
Working as an English teacher can be an interesting experience. The range and types of schools offering English classes is numerous. This leads to many schools expecting and asking for different things from their teachers. The commonly accepted norm is that all English teachers must turn up half an hour before work to prepare for that day’s classes. Beyond this, the kind of work environment you find yourself in will depend greatly on the school you work at. However, one thing holds true for most schools, they are businesses and their number one goal is to make money. This may sound obvious, but education or a child’s English ability typically comes second to making a profit. It isn’t usually this clear and cut but you will see it time and time again when a child is stuck in a class that is way beyond their ability. They continue to remain in that class because the boss does not want the child to leave the school, as this would obviously mean a loss of revenue. This is not to say schools aren’t genuine in helping their students improve their English, but they are more concerned with making money.
Teaching in Taiwan can be an amazing experience. The way of life, the food, the language and your work environment are most likely completely different to what you may be used to back home. Many come to Taiwan just to experience it, some come to make and save money and others come to further their teaching career. Whatever the reason you have for thinking or coming to Taiwan to teach, there truly is no other place like it.
Using Praise as a Tool for ESL Classroom Management
One of the most important tools for ESL classroom management is the use of praise. Children respond to praise much better than they do to criticism. Some of your students may be coming to your classroom with negativity already ingrained in them. The last thing they need is another place where they are treated in a negative light. Learning to praise even the most difficult students is a skill you must master if you wish to have effective classroom management.
Think of how some people parent a toddler. It’s a constant barrage of ‘no’ and ‘don’t’. A lot of the time, a small person’s first word (after mama and dada) will be no! Using this as an example, try to remember that what you give out, you get back. Using positive reinforcement will be better in the long run for both you and your students. If you can get across to your class that you ‘know they can do it’, whatever “it” may be, the results will more than likely be positive and they will believe in themselves in turn.
If you give out lots of positive comments to the well-behaved children who are progressing, you may end up with a classroom full of students who want to receive your praise, too! They’ll all be striving, in a positive way, to gain your good words. So be sure to praise the children who are behaving and doing their work. Make sure everyone knows that Susan is doing a good job of listening and following the rules. This will, no doubt, spark on others to behave accordingly.
When a child is misbehaving, rather than calling out their name, focus on the good behavior of another student. You can say, “I’m listening to Susan right now because she raised her hand and waited patiently.” Kids love to hear their name even if it’s in a negative way, so keep the use of names for when someone is behaving properly, instead of as a prelude to a correction.
You might consider using the following classroom management ideas to reinforce good behavior:
a. Student of the Week
b. a special seat to honor good behavior
c. their work posted on a wall in the classroom for all to see
d. special responsibilities in the classroom (such as Teacher’s Helper)
e. gold stars pasted to good work.
f. Another thing to do to reinforce good behavior is send a note home to the child’s parents.
Some things you should avoid are material prizes. As a teacher, it is not your place to spend your own money to, in effect, bribe students! It sends out a message that you probably don’t want to send. You want students to behave because it’s the right thing to do, not to gain material goods. Usually, if they learn to depend on the positive experience of being praised, and enjoy seeing your pride in their behavior and performance, they will strive to outdo their classmates to do well.
Praise and constructive criticism go hand in hand for the ESL classroom. For every negative that has to be said, make sure a positive is also introduced. If one of your students is having a hard time with a certain aspect of today’s lesson but is behaving in a positive way, make sure you give them some good feedback on their behavior. Tell them you understand how hard this is for them and you’re proud to see them behaving correctly even though they may be feeling stressed. If you always hand over a positive to go with a negative it will benefit the children greatly.
At the end of a lesson which might have been difficult for everyone, make sure you tell your class how happy and proud you are of them for trying their best. Maybe everyone had a different experience but if you let them know their efforts are noticed, they’ll be more likely to keep trying as hard as they can.
‘Never giving up’ is a life skill that each student will need just as much as they will need to learn to speak English. You can reinforce this daily with praise and encouragement of your ESL students. If they receive appropriate praise when they do well along with constructive criticism when they need to improve, they will succeed. Knowing how to balance criticism and praise takes time to learn but it well worth the effort, and can make all the difference in managing an ESL classroom.
Engage your pupils with effective and fun activities while keeping control of the class! Games for all group sizes, including large classes.
A different language is a different vision of life
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Learning a language is akin to acquiring some kind of code with tangled ciphers and intricate symbols, which seems to be beyond perception and comprehension of a learner. Indeed, language is a well-arranged system, which needs a deep scrutiny and a thorough deciphering.
Starting a journey into the world of language learning involves plunging into a new language environment. English learning implies to get into a diversity of new activities, it is adapting of an ear to a plethora of unfamiliar sounds, foreign pronunciation and mastering of huge amounts of new vocabulary. One who learns English will confront with a great variety of grammar rules and exceptions, difficult to imitate pronunciation, a problem of understanding the theory of grammar, training and polishing of acquired theory in practice. In a word, English learning is a complicated and multistage process, which requires much efforts, long periods of time, inexhaustible patience and perseverance.
I don’t intend to nip in the bud an eager desire of a neophyte to master a language by starting with a complexity of English learning. Though, every learner should be aware that there is no magic powder, which will make him know English as a native speaker does.
A person who is going to master English should forget about short-cuts to success, making vain endeavor to cram this language into his brain in several months. English learning is an assiduous and laborious process. Heaps of hard work stands behind its mastering and results which a learner attains in studying English is a direct repercussion of his diligence and work.
A common difficulty which awaits every English language learner is applying of four different types of activities: listening, speaking, writing and reading into the patterns of a new language practically simultaneously.
Undoubtedly, a way to perfect English mastery is a thorny path, where a learner can confront with an abundance of challenges. The main thing is not to give in, soothing yourself with the idea that you are not a language learning type. Every person can master a language up to his specific standard and attain his definite results in language learning.
What is English learning all about?
When you start learning English you acquire a new mode of life. You start doing crazy things, like speaking to yourself aloud, spending your evening reading a dictionary, hunting for interesting phrases with the purpose of accumulating your vocabulary, trying to recollect them all at once or jotting them down in your diary not to forget. It is an exciting feeling of a new start and of future perspectives a good command of English opens before you.
By setting out on a journey to new and exciting achievements a learner has to distinguish what ways will be better to choose for reaching his goal relatively quickly and efficiently.
Linguists and methodologists described many efficient strategies of English language learning. Many of them proved to be highly efficient and brought really amazing results in testing.
* A starting point which will push you up in all the course of your English studying is your motivation to learn. You should be specific with the goal of your studying and reflect on benefits a good command of English can bring you. You are aimed at getting smarter, assimilating new culture and meeting new people or your primary goal of English learning is to earn more money and succeed in your career.
* A sure-fire way to master English is to go to America or England and commute with native speakers. It means to penetrate into English environment and practice both speaking and listening. Going to English – speaking country is a great opportunity to perfect your listening skills, enrich your vocabulary with new words. And what is the most important is that you are forced to speak on a daily basis and perceive colloquial speech, the samples of it you are not likely to find in any dictionaries.
* A good, safe and cheap way to master English is to stimulate a foreign language environment in your home. It means to bring English – speaking country to your house, surrounding yourself with everything that is connected with English. Try all which will come in hand. Read English books, see movies in English, you can hear English in radio or TV. These methods will help you learn faster and have a sense of achievement, because each time you’ll understand more and more.
* Speak English as much as possible. Speaking is exciting and motivates you to keep learning. It helps you to uncover the gaps in your vocabulary and grammar. Though, if you don’t have an opportunity to go to English – speaking country it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to speak English fluently and naturally. It only means that you’ll have to exert more efforts to find English language environment in your surrounding. In any case, you can look for good English language courses or apply to British council for help. Perhaps, my article “How to find the best foreign language courses” can be helpful to you if you choose to attend language courses.
English learning is a great opportunity for you to unleash your inner genius. Knowing what you really want to get from your learning will zap your cherished dream to develop good English skills in a flash.
The main thing is to find a set of effective learning ways and tools which will help you boost your results and have a motivation to study. Once you are armed with a desire and winning techniques, be sure to sort out the methods that suit you and you can consider that the first step to your success in English learning has been already made. Starting on this merry note continue your way in the same spirit and yield to temptation of giving in to difficulties.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of http://www.CustomResearchPapers.us/ and an author of the popular online tutorial for students “What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days”, available at http://www.Go2Essay.com/
Multilevel ESL Games
Teaching in a multilevel ESL classroom presents a unique set of challenges. Trying to balance the needs of all of your students is much easier when you introduce activities that can span a broad range of abilities and allow each student to participate at his or her own level.
If you are already accustomed to using ESL games to teach vocabulary and grammar, it will be simple for you to adapt and integrate them into your multilevel classrooms. A picture card Q&A game works well as a starting point, and then you can move on to written and oral exercises and hands on direction following activities.
Name the Thing
Pair your advanced students off with your beginners for this game. Each pair should be given a set of five picture cards – two of which match, and three alternates that are similar to the matched pair as well as to each other. For example, the pictures can all be of cars, with differences in color or style.
The four differing cards are laid out in front of the advanced student, while the beginner holds the match to one of them. The first student can ask questions about the card the second student is holding. This allows a gradual elimination of the choices in front of them until they ascertain which is the correct match.
It is harder to come up with the questions than the answers, so the advanced students ask the questions. This game can later be turned around; then the advanced student can hold the mystery card and give clues which gradually lead the less experienced students to choose the correct picture.
This can be demonstrated for the class at the beginning of the semester, and their assigned homework be to find and bring in sets of similar pictures to make the sets of cards. Then the game can be played throughout the year, first using sets with large differences between the pictures then moving on to more difficult match-ups.
Jigsaw Reading
This multilevel ESL game allows you to assign portions of an article or story to the student whose reading level matches the difficulty of the sentence or paragraph. The first step is to select a reading that will break easily into sections of varying difficulty, and to pre-teach both the vocabulary and grammar to your multilevel classroom (simple games can be used for pre-teaching as well).
Advanced students will be given longer, more challenging paragraphs to read aloud to the class, and beginning students shorter, easier sentences. Line them up and have them read the story in order, then ask each one to present a short summary – in writing if possible, or orally as individuals where appropriate.
As a finale to the class, have the students work together to assemble their pieces of the story back into article form. This can be checked against the original to see if they got the reconstruction correct, with the intermediate and advanced students helping the lower level students.
How it’s Made
Another excellent way to bring ESL multilevel activities into the classroom is to do simple everyday tasks which involve assembling something. A sandwich made with peanut butter spread on one slice of bread and jelly spread on another, then the two placed sticky side together is a fun way to learn how to give and follow directions (plus you end up with a snack at the end of the class).
Building a small model, such as a Lego car is another possibility. The instructions can be blown up on a copier to make them larger and each student given a step to complete. Beginners can do simple steps and advanced learners more complex ones until the task is done.
If you decide on this route, have one model for every three to four students. This allows them to split into small groups to figure out what order the steps should be performed in and how to carry them out – yielding more time for speaking practice.
Variant: Another option for this multilevel ESL game when you are using a model that does not come with written instructions is to require each student to describe what they plan to do before they attach the next piece. This works especially well with puzzles. Advanced students can be detailed, describing the particular piece they choose to attempt to fit in, where they think it might go and why; intermediate learners can simply say ‘I think this might be part of – ‘ or ‘yes, it fits/ no, it doesn’t fit’. Beginners, if the terminology is too complex for them to translate, can be allowed to say any sentence from the day’s lesson in English correctly in order to qualify for a turn to try to attach a piece. You can add a little friendly competition by having separate multilevel ESL groups race to complete a puzzle first
By using multilevel ESL activities in your classroom, you can ensure that your advanced students are not bored and that your beginners are not left behind. This method allows each individual to participate at their highest level of capability, and provides a group environment where all have an equal chance of success.
Happy teaching!
Fun ESL games and ideas for successful teaching
Teaching Jobs Abroad and Police Clearance Certificates
Police clearance certificates are as important to international teachers as their passports. Why? Without a police clearance certificate many countries will not allow teachers to work with children.
The clearance certificate goes by many different names; what you’re looking for is an official document that records any convictions on your criminal record. Regardless of whether you have any convictions or not, you will be required to produce official evidence that your record is clear.
If you record is not clear you may still be able to teach abroad, but you will need to find out which countries will grant you a work permit with the convictions you have.
More rigorous background checks for foreign teachers applying to work in Thailand have been put in place because of a recent high profile arrest of an American teacher by American immigration officers in August 2006. The teacher was taken back to the States for questioning in a murder investigation.
Once you’ve obtained your police clearance certificate, take it with you when you move overseas. It’s one of those important documents you should always be able to lay your hands on. A clearance certificate is one of my top 10 things to take when moving abroad. You’ll need to have the original with you; it’s not one of the documents you can carry in digital format.
When you are nearing the end of you first overseas teaching contract start making enquiries about what you need to do to obtain a clearance certificate from the police in the country you’ve been teaching in. This is important! When you’re teaching abroad it’s important you maintain an unbroken chain of police clearance certificates or the equivalent.
Should you eventually desire to return home and pick up your teaching career there, you’ll need to supply the clearance certificates you’ve collected whilst working abroad. A consequence of not being able to produce a record of your conviction history could be that you’re unable to continue working in the education industry as a teacher when you return home.
Information for NZ, Australia, the UK and the USA
In NZ you can get a copy of your Criminal Record from the Ministry of Justice by contacting the Privacy Unit of the Ministry of Justice in Wellington.
In the USA you can get a ‘Criminal Record Check’ from the local police. This will only cover the state in which you live, so if you’ve lived in a number of different states in recent time, then you should apply to the local police in those states as well.
In the UK you can apply for a ‘Subject Access – Conviction History,” which is a record of any convictions you have, from your local police station. This is the document that you can obtain yourself under the privacy laws. Your other option, if you are currently employed, is to ask your employer to request a Criminal Records Bureau check, which involves a more rigorous search of your record.
In Australia the Australian Federal Police in Canberra can issue a ‘National Police Clearance Certificate’ which covers all states and territories except Queensland. If you live in Queensland you’ll need to contact the Queensland Police Service directly.
About the Author:
Kelly’s been teaching overseas successfully for more than 11 years. Get your own teaching job abroad using her proven strategies that are guaranteed to land you your perfect position in an international school here.
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