Learning an L2 in a troubled world – Interest in learning te reo Māori continues to grow. When, in 2018, Anton Matthews, co-owner of his family restaurant Fush, in Christchurch, offered free lessons, some 600 people showed up. And classes at polytechnics and other institutions are now regularly filled to capacity.
So perhaps it’s not straying too far from the essential subject of these columns, to consider why, in a world of uncertainty – a world that, indeed, seems increasingly beset by “wars and rumors of wars”, by disruption of climate patterns, loss of biodiversity and by new virus outbreaks (to name but a few concerns) – why, in such a world, should the learning of another language be reckoned of such value.
An obvious answer is that language is important in providing a way to better understand, or make sense of, the world in which we live – and, indeed, the importance of language may well be, if anything, greater in times of adversity or conflict.
Learn more about this topic by reading this article on Stuff.
After reading “Learning an L2 in a troubled world” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs, and visit my YouTube channel.
A Dependency Grammar Analysis – The paper introduces a unit of syntax beyond the constituent called the chain. A number of mechanisms are shown to be sensitive to chains, e.g. the formation of predicates and idioms, the ellipses of gapping, pseudogapping and VP-ellipsis, and the elided material of stripping and answer fragments.
The presentation is couched in a surface syntax, dependency-based framework, as opposed to a constituency-based one. While the chain can be defined in a manner consistent with constituency, doing so requires that one adopt some controversial assumptions about the nature of constituency structure. The potential of the chain concept is great; it is the tool necessary to address the manner in which semantic compositionality occurs in the syntax.
This paper has adopted from O’Grady (1998), and developed further, a novel syntactic unit called the chain. The chain can be viewed as picking up where the constituent leaves off insofar as certain mechanisms of syntax are sensitive to chains, not necessarily to constituents. The presentation above has considered the extent to which the chain is the essential unit of syntax behind predicate formation, including the predicates of idioms. In this regard, the chain can be viewed as the tool necessary for capturing the manner in which semantic units are realized in the syntax. Furthermore it has been demonstrated that the elided material of many ellipsis mechanisms – i.e. gapping, pseudogapping, stripping, and answer fragments – must correspond to chains.
The strength of dependency is its economy, dependency structures lacking the projections of constituency structures and hence containing generally half the number of nodes and edges. In this regard, compare the two formulations. The constituency-based definition must reference the projections of constituency structures in order to accomplish the same thing as the dependency-based definition, which has no need for such projections. The result is that the constituency-based definition is more cumbersome than the dependency-based version.
After reading “A Dependency Grammar Analysis”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
Too much emphasis on test scores – We live in testing times. We also live in a time of globalization, immigration and the internationalization of schools and universities around the world.
Our current obsession with school accountability and student learning outcomes has resulted in the increased use and abuse of test scores —in particular language test scores.
Despite the considerable consequences of language testing, what exactly do test scores indicate? What can we tell about someone and their achievement or professional capability from a single test score? What are the implications when bureaucrats and education officials misinterpret test scores when making policy decisions on immigration or attracting more international students?
In my role as director of the Assessment and Evaluation Group in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, I’ve been involved in research on how students are tested for language proficiency and the consequences of such testing.
It’s an important topic because evidence shows that an ability to speak a second language can determine so many things about an immigrant’s future, including economic success, social integration and their overall ability to contribute to society. My research looks at the prevalence and impact of language testing. A key issue is how test scores are used or misused by policy makers.
We should not be using a single test score to make decisions that can have a huge impact on someone’s life. However, governments and organizations tend to do this because it is cheaper and they believe it offers a more clean-cut case on immigration, university entrance and professional certification.
Learn more about this topic by reading this article on Phys.
After reading “Too much emphasis on test scores”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
The core of English as a school subject – Teachers’ interpretations of the core aims of a school subject open or constrain what can be taught and learned in the subject in school. The global spread of English and its changing status in the world have impacted how English as a school subject is understood and what it is meant to achieve. This article explores teachers’ understandings of the core aims of English as a school subject at the end of basic English education in Norway.
The spread of English through globalization, technology, and migration –together with the rise in non-native users of English – is challenging previous definitions of what it means to know or to be proficient in English (Graddol, 2006; Jenkins, Cogo, & Dewey, 2011). As English increasingly becomes a language of contact for diverse speakers, new understandings of English competence potentially conflict with the established understanding and practices of the English language classroom (Hult & King, 2011; Nauman, 2011; Seidlhofer, 2011). Moreover, in many countries, changes in English education have often been top-down and rapidly implemented, assuming the benefits of early education and underestimating the teaching challenges involved in implementation (Hu, 2007).
In anticipating a new subject curriculum for deeper learning of central elements in English as a school subject (Kunnskapsdepartement, 2017), it is timely to investigate how teachers understand these elements and the relationships between them. While much research on English language teaching in Norway has focused on developing specific English language skills – such as reading (Bakken, 2017; Brevik, 2014; Charboneau, 2012), writing (Burner, 2016), speaking (Bøhn, 2015; Bøhn & Hansen, 2017), and vocabulary development (Hestetræet, 2012) – less research has focused on the overall aims of the subject and even less on teachers’ understanding of these aims and how they expand or constrain what can be learned in the subject.
After reading “The core of English as a school subject” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs, and visit my YouTube channel.
Bilingual language program for babies – Knowledge of multiple languages has long been shown to have lifelong benefits, from enhancing communication skills to boosting professional opportunities to staving off the cognitive effects of aging.
A new study by UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, part of researchers’ ongoing work with infant education centers in Spain, not only found that bilingual teaching led to sustained English-language comprehension and vocabulary-building, but also that the method could be scaled up to serve more, and more economically diverse, children.
“We knew our research-based method worked to boost second language skills rapidly in infants, without negatively affecting their first language, but the question was, how can we train people worldwide to use it? Here, we show that online training works,” said Naja Ferjan Ramírez, the lead author of both studies who is a new assistant professor of linguistics at the UW and a former I-LABS research scientist.
The study, published online Jan. 22 in Mind, Brain, and Education, extends previous research that examined whether and how infants can learn a second language in the context of an early education center, if they don’t get that exposure at home. That 2017 study involved 280 children at four infant education centers in Madrid, Spain, and showed the effects of an interactive, play-based English-language program, compared to the standard bilingual program already available in Madrid schools.
The new study used the same curriculum but trained tutors differently, using an online program called SparkLing developed by I-LABS researchers. By testing a remote form of teacher training and providing lessons to larger groups of children, researchers explored how to spread the benefits of bilingual education across a wider population.
After reading “Bilingual language program for babies”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
English Teaching Jobs Online – English teaching jobs online are the key to convenient, meaningful, and well-paid work! Teaching online is a great gig to fund your travels, be location independent, and immerse yourself in another culture. Many ESL teachers are getting out their laptops and applying for online English language teaching jobs as oppose to the traditional in-class teaching position. If you’ve got a knack for working with ESL learners and don’t quite want to commit to a contract abroad, teaching ESL online may be just for you.
How do you figure out where to find these jobs? What country of origin will your students be from? Do you prefer to teach adults or children? Is this going to be your full-time income or a side gig to fund happy hour? Before applying to every job out there, consider why you want this job and what kind of commitment you are willing to fulfill. Soon enough, you’ll be pulling out your laptop, lesson planning from home, and hanging out with students thousands of miles away!
Although you can teach students from all areas of the world, here are some of the best online English teaching jobs—particularly if you’re excited about working with populations from East Asia, where the online English teaching job market is popping. (P.S. If you still need that oft-required TEFL certificate, check out International TEFL Academy to get started!)
Companies
You’ll likely find that most online ESL companies are catered to teach English online to Chinese students. There are tons of companies out there with their pros and cons. Here are a few of the top Chinese online ESL companies to sift through.
Teach English one-on-one to kids in China through one of the top online ESL companies. Students range from ages 3-16 and go through a curriculum based on their ability. Not to keen on teaching pre-school ages? Great! You can decide what levels you want to teach and get certified for the age ranges you prefer. Classes are only 25 minutes and you have all the work planned for you. There’s minimal prep requirements and paychecks come into your bank bi-weekly.
Pros: No minimum hours required. Your schedule is based solely on when you want to work.
Cons: Fairly strict cancellation policy. From the time of hire it can take either days or months to get that first class. Only hires teachers from the United States and Canada.
Use your bachelor degree and provide high quality educations to children in China by becoming a ESL teacher with GoGo Kid! All classes are one on one, offering you the opportunity to really concentrate on your students individually. It is not guaranteed that you will be teaching the same students each time, but if you make a good impression and they like you, the students will request you for each class. Isn’t this a great way to get feedback on your job, or what?
Pros: Like VIPKID, there are no minimum required hours; they are more lenient about contract cancellations.
Cons: Newer company so not as many students. Only hires teachers from the United States and Canada.
Magic Ears is a great innovative platform for ESL teachers that want to teach English to Chinese children of ages 4-12 in a fun and effective way. With flexible hours, a 1-on-4 (teacher-student) class format to ensure that each student interacts with both the teacher and other students, and a wonderful closing song, teaching for Magic Ears is so enjoyable that it hardly feels like a real job. To top off the awesomeness of working for this company, the lessons schedule is already designed for you and class only takes 25 minutes. Too good to be true? Check it out yourself!
Pros:LOTS of Bonuses! Arrive to your class 3-10 minutes early and receive a bonus. Also, after 60+ hours of teaching, you receive another bonus!
Cons: The hiring process can be a bit long and overwhelming and the pay rate is determined by your credentials.
Teach English online to Chinese students with ages ranging from 4 to 12, in a fun and dynamic way, through animated and engaging stories with Qkids! Teach on an interactive gaming platform with original characters, and fun props to make a 30 minutes class the best class for your students. You can have up to 4 students per lesson, AND you don’t have to communicate with the parents, because the staff has it all covered. Give this new way of teaching English a shot!
Pros: Very fun and unique way of using games as a teaching English system to students.
Cons: Currently the company only hires teachers from U.S and Canada and the schedule is set weekly.
SayABC is one of the most popular platform for online English teaching to children all over China. With clases lasting 40 minutes, you can help Chinese children with ages between 5-12 year old to boost their confidence in their English speaking skills. The company will provide you with the needed tools such as notes, reward cards, feedback, and they will even provide support with your lessons. All you gotta bring is fast internet connection and audio/video capabilities.
Pros: SayABS has the best online rates AND you can can make your schedule however fits best for you and your lifestyle.
Cons: The company’s standards are quite high, requiring a degree, TEFL or some form of teaching certification.
Teach English online to Korean students from the comfort of your own home with PAGODA, a leading company in the industry for over 30 years. You will not be instructing your normal teenage students, but adults from large corporations or government employees that want to perfect their business English skills. You can work as a full time teacher, Monday through Friday, but as a new teacher you’ll start with a split shift, where you teach in the morning until 11 am and then come back in the evening around 6 pm. In between is up to you how you spend your time, but the more you teach, the more you get paid.
Pros: You can teach full time or part-time, and you can even do it in the weekends if you want the extra cash.
Cons: To qualify for the position, you have to be an English native speaker with a neutral accent and pass an oral exam.
GMNY (Global Mate New York) is a Global Educational Call Center in the US that gives ESL teachers the opportunity to teach English online to Korean students from home. Most classes you will be teaching will be about 20 minutes long, and in time your number of classes may increase. Also, depending on the quality of your work, you can get different bonuses and increase your income. Working with GMNY you will mostly be teaching South Korean professionals or students ages 19-50.
Pros: Before you start teaching, you will receive free training, practice with a mock class, and get a renewable 6 months contract. This gives you enough time to decide if you want to continue working with them or consider other possibilities.
Cons: At the moment the company only hires native English speaker from U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., New Zealand etc. and they must reside in the U.S.
If you’re passionate about teaching and are a native English speaker, or speak English at a native level with an American accent, you can start teaching English online to Korean students today. Eine Teacher offers flexible class schedules to suit both the teachers and the students, but you will most likely be teaching early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The classes have a one-on-one format and last around 25 minutes and your students will be at an age anywhere from 5-60 years old. Some of the students are beginners, some are at an intermediate level and very few are advance English learners. Also, there is no limit as to how many hours you can teach per month, so the more, the better for your pocket.
Pros: No matter what level you are teaching at, the company provides you with the teaching lesson plan and required materials.
Cons: The pay is pretty low, starting at $1.4 per 25 minutes, with a chance of salary increase after 7 months of working for the company. This of course depends of your performance, popularity and good reputation with your students.
Average pay per hour: $5
English Teaching Jobs Online Rules
Feeling overwhelmed by all of the options? Some companies allow you to work for multiple agencies if you can balance your schedule. In this case, you may be able to pick and choose which one is best for you to continue with after being hired on. So go and apply for those jobs and get the cash rolling in from the comfort of your own personalized classroom.
Teaching online English definitely comes with its advantages, but it also comes with great personal responsibility, dedication and self management. If you feel like you do not meet these requirements, then you might want to rethink your decision. However, we’re here to tell you that there’s nothing better out there than being able to do what you love, from your sofa and on your own time. At least give it a try!
Speak English? Love travel? Own a laptop? If you can say “check, check, and check” then we’ve got the opportunity for you—remote, home-based online teaching jobs! If you’re interested in teaching abroad but are worried about having to commit to one location, we have good news: Teaching is one of the best paid online jobs from home, as well as among the fastest growing careers for remote workers. There’s a particular need for online TEFL teachers, as there’s a huge demand for English language learning in Asia, especially in China. You’ll be able to earn an income while building your experience interacting with international students and maintaining the flexibility of an online job.
After reading “English Teaching Jobs Online”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. You can also visit my channel on YouTube.
Borrowed Words in English – Philip Durkin’s monograph deals with loanwords. Thousands of which have been absorbed into English ever since the fifth century A.D. up to the present day. Originating from a host of languages which English came into contact with. From classical languages to tongues and dialects spoken in far-flung corners of the world. Words of foreign origin now make up a substantial proportion of English vocabulary. Given the pervasive nature of loanwords. Particularly those representing the major inputs in the development of English, it is hardly surprising that they have been examined by a number of scholars. They have also been synthesized in outline histories of the English language. Never before, however, have they been investigated with such breadth of inquiry as introduced by Durkin.
It is noteworthy that the last monograph devoted solely to the topic, was Mary Serjeantson’s A History of Foreign Words in English (1961). It was published originally in 1935. Needless to say, it is now seriously out of date, so the time was ripe for a volume that would update the then current state of research. Availing himself of recent achievements in contact and historical linguistics, Durkin endeavoured to take a fresh look at lexical borrowing in English, presenting facts and figures on the basis of an impressive range of dictionaries, corpora, and, where relevant, individual studies (e.g. Skaffari 2002). It is thus a timely and long-awaited book that surpasses its predecessor in practically every respect, including the quality of methodology and the amount of research data.
After reading “Borrowed Words in English”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
EFL Learners’ Beliefs on Pronunciation – This paper explores EFL learners’ beliefs about English pronunciation teaching and aims to provide insights into current teaching practices of English pronunciation at both college and university levels. To this end, the study sought to elicit the beliefs of a group of 71 third- and fourth-year EFL students majoring in English at a university college in Saudi Arabia about crucial aspects of pronunciation teaching.
The study utilized a survey containing five-point Likert scale items as well as multiple-choice questions. Open-ended questions were also included in order to gain fuller understanding of students’ views. Data were thematically analyzed and consequently categorized into five major areas: course design, language of instruction, learning and teaching style, types of feedback, and nativeness of teachers. It was found that students in this study context are cognizant of the value of learning English pronunciation, and of what they find useful and less useful. Students also proved willing to help improve pronunciation instruction by providing helpful perspectives on the proper way, at least in their views, to present this sub-skill.
After reading this article you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
Immersion schools students L2 When the morning school bell rang, students in the halls of the International School of Indiana’s lower school building hurried into their respective classrooms.
The elementary classrooms bustled with the sound of students chatting with one another as they get settled in for the day.
Unlike other classrooms across the state, these kids aren’t speaking English.
In one kindergarten class of about 12 students, Claudia Rodriguez leads the kids in counting. Rodriguez is from Monterrey, Mexico, and has worked as the ISI kindergarten Spanish teacher since 2015.
Another class of kindergarteners listened intently to their teacher, Wenjie Lyu — who is originally from Liaoning Province in China — as she speaks to them in Mandarin. And her students responded in the same language.
This atmosphere is a daily occurrence at ISI.
Language immersion schools positively affect intellectual growth and lifelong communication skills — particularly if a child is enrolled from a young age, according to research conducted at institutions such as the University of Minnesota and the University of Maryland. These schools also provide children with the asset of fluency in multiple languages once they enter the job market.
After reading “6 Strategies for Teaching English “, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
The present study was aimed at exploring English teacher trainers’ and pre-service and in-service English teachers’ attitudes toward English as a lingua franca in the Iranian education system. To amass the data, 68 pre-service and 118 in-service English teachers and 21 teacher trainers filled out an adapted ELF questionnaire and sat semi-structured interviews. The results of the study revealed that the participants expressed diverse attitudes to different aspects of ELF.
However, generally, they showed further inclination toward native speakerism although some traces of flexibility were observed in their attitudes toward the mainstream English language teaching (ELT). Further, the results of one-way ANOVA showed that overall there was no significant difference between the three groups’ attitudes toward ELF. Moreover, the results of Kruskal–Wallis Test also demonstrated no significant difference between the three groups’ attitudes to each aspect of ELF. The findings of the study imply that the practitioners’ fixed mindsets cannot change unless a significant change occurs in the education system of the country in general and teacher training programs in particular.
After reading “ELF in the Iranian education system”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
