Category: News

In quarantine, or any time, it is now easier than in any other decade to learn another language. I write this with no program or book to sell or recommend, but I know you can download audible programs on your phone or computer, or play a CD or DVD. It can be a family project (X hours of no English) or a solo concentration. Language immersion, for some, is particularly suitable in times like this.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on BuffaloNews.

After reading “Foreign student industry faces dramatic drop”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

A staff restructure at English Language Partners Aoraki will not impact on the service, its national chief executive says. English Language Partners New Zealand chief executive Nicola Sutton said the Timaru office’s restructure, will mean its two part-time staff members – a manager and an administrator, will be replaced by one coordinator based at the new shared Multicultural Hub for migrants in Sophia St, and will be managed from Christchurch. It was about costs and learners would not notice the change, she said. “We wanted the service to continue.”

English Language Partners Aoraki tutors teach English to those who speak it as their second language, so they can participate in all aspects of New Zealand society and live independently.

Sutton said the two staff members were “welcome” to apply for the new role but would not be drawn on whether they had, citing employment privacy.

“The change in structure has allowed us to continue offering a range of community-based English language teaching programs in class, for work, and at home to former refugee and migrant learners settling in the Aoraki region.

“Learners will also be able to join new online classes that have started across the country in response to Covid-19 – this will give learners even more learning options than before,” Sutton said.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Stuff.

After reading “English Language Partners Aoraki”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

The Science of Language – At some point in early childhood you started to connect the sounds and shapes of words with their meanings. Using words to initially express basic needs and wants — warm food or your favorite blanket — you eventually moved to advanced stages of relaying thoughts and feelings, slowly but surely developing a foundation of language. Odds are you rarely thought about the science of language until you actually studied English or attempted to learn a second language.

 

The reason why linguists and scientists believe that learning a native language comes easy is because we’re not overtly trying to learn it. It’s a natural process, rather than a studied one. This organic “class” starts early: in the womb. Researchers found that the melodies in the cries of 30 French and 30 German newborns matched the sounds of their native languages. The only way they could perform such a natural symphony was by hearing their mothers’ words before birth.

From there, language learning seems to start with baby talk.

A study of 2,329 babies in 16 countries showed that most of them responded best to infant-directed speech, as opposed to their caregivers speaking to them more like adults. “Often parents are discouraged from using baby talk by well-meaning friends or even health professionals. But the evidence suggests that it’s actually a great way to engage with your baby because babies just like it. It tells them, ‘This speech is meant for you,’” Michael Frank, a Stanford University psychologist and member of the organization that conducted the study, ManyBabies Consortium, told Stanford News.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on NOW.

After reading “The Science of Language”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

An ESL teacher’s book – If anything, schools’ dependency on technology to see us through lockdown has made literacy even more of a critical issue. Alex Quigley opens his latest offering, Closing the Reading Gap, by stating that reading is the “master skill of school”, a phrase he repeats four times in the introduction, and it is hard to imagine it isn’t all the more so when ‘school’ has essentially been reduced to a computer screen. Yet according to Quigley, reading doesn’t receive the primacy it should in classrooms up and down the country.

The book’s opening chapters provide a history of reading that encompass everything from the tablet schools of Sumer to the farthest reaches of the Internet, before moving onto the science of reading and some of the current debates around how young children are taught to read. Together, these form an intriguing theoretical framework for what comes next, which is a closer look at classroom practice and the challenges associated with helping students to read with greater fluency.

The complex and interacting factors that make reading difficult – the ‘arduous eight’– are deconstructed in chapter five and Quigley recommends practical strategies that teachers and support staff can use to evaluate the accessibility of different texts prior to using them in the classroom.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Schoolweek.

After reading “An ESL teacher’s book”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Teacher shares first day – Your first day of kindergarten is a special occasion photos are taken by eager parents, friends are made and, sometimes, tears are shed. One Canadian woman is now reliving that experience 30 years later. From the other side of the classroom. Reddit user dragonbornsqrl shared photos of herself on May 5, showing what she looked like on her first day of school as a child and on her first day of school as a teacher. 

She later explained that she first pursued a degree in business but “hated it” and decided to return to college for her degree in education.

“Ended up going to Taiwan after business school and kind of fell into teaching English as a second language,” she wrote. “I went back for my education degree and this was my first full year contract.”

“There were days I felt old as hell but other days where I fit right in with the rest,” she added. “Nobody ever once commented that I was older other than when I brought it up myself.”

The teacher also opened up about the difficulties she faces instructing young children while schools across the globe are shuttered to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Yahoo.

After reading “Teacher shares first day “, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Students and teachers support each other – When schools moved to virtual learning because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was growing concern over how English as a second language students would adapt. “I was a little worried,” East High School ESL Teacher Catalina Thompson said. “How do we keep the momentum going?” One student found it so challenging at first, he wasn’t doing his homework.

 

“I didn’t call nobody,” East High School Student Salim Ceesay said. “If I didn’t understand it, I just leave it like that. “

It was math that Salim was struggling with, and Thompson went out of her comfort zone to help.

“I called him and I said I’m not a math teacher, but I think we can go through this together,” Thompson said. ” I’m learning math at the same time with you.”

“Now I’m doing all of it and it’s kind of getting easy for me,” Ceesay said.

It’s the one-on-one conferences each week and the extra effort East High School ESL teachers are putting forward that is making a difference.

“It’s kind of like teaching two curriculums, two sets of lesson plans for each because you want to make sure that you meet their needs,” East High School ESL Teacher Mary Choua Thao said.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on WKOW.

After reading “Students and teachers support each other”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Cognitive benefits from L2 – Twelve students of varying backgrounds sit down for dinner at two long tables in the kitchen of a Foreign Language Student Residence apartment north-east of the BYU campus. Some are STEM majors; others study humanities. A few have family in Utah; others come from overseas. If you listen closely, however, you’ll notice something out of the ordinary which they all share. One thing has brought them together tonight — a common love for a foreign language; not one of them is speaking English.

BYU ranks third-highest in the nation for producing the most graduates with foreign language degrees, with 62 languages regularly taught and nearly 65% of students speaking a second language. There are also 128 languages spoken on campus. The school holds language fairs, supports language clubs, provides opportunities for students to live in immersive language-learning housing and funds free foreign film showings.

Foreign language learning has a greater impact on student growth than is initially evident. In fact, studying a second language leads to benefits related to students’ native language understanding, global and cultural empathy and cognitive abilities, students and experts have realized.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Universe.

After reading “Cognitive benefits from L2”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

How Hard Is It To Teach English Abroad?

How hard teaching English abroad is really depends on you and what you encounter. Here I’ll share with you some of the difficulties and experiences that I and other teachers encountered while teaching abroad in Asia: China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

As far as starting goes it’s not that hard to get a job teaching English abroad since it’s not that competitive of a market in many countries. English is in demand around the world. Sure some schools can be harder to get into, but it’s an industry that is growing and that has a high turnover rate. Most teachers only do it for a year or two.

Each country and each school can have different requirements. But for the most part…

Learn more about this topic by reading in on ESLInsider.

Dream teaching job abroad is now a living nightmare

After Krugersdorper, Jasen Matthee had matriculated from Krugersdorp High School in 2010, he started pursuing a career in diesel engineering. After several years of working in the industry, he realized that it was not taking him anywhere in life. His visit to a friend in Vietnam changed his life forever. “A friend, who I could call my sister, invited me to visit her halfway across the world in Vietnam. It was a difficult decision for me to make as I had never travelled abroad before, and I was financially unstable. However, for the first time, I finally had the chance to experience something I always dreamt of doing,” Jasen said.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Roodepoortrecord.

Is Teaching English Abroad Hard?

Q: Is teaching English abroad hard?

Simple A: Yes.

Complete A: Yes, but it’s worth it.

When I was offered my first position teaching English abroad, I (quite naively) didn’t get too nervous. After all, I spoke English as easily as I ordered breakfast tacos: how difficult could it be to impart knowledge so ingrained in your everyday brain?

Uhm… yeah. No. Because let me tell you a secret about teaching English: the language is the least of your focus. Next to disciplining tough dudes, getting kids’ attention, inspiring conversation, trying to make lessons relevant to everyday life, setting the line between “teacher” and “friend”, coming up with fun classroom games, and attempting to figure out just what you are expected to impart is gonna take a lot more time than explaining grammar rules or expanding vocabulary. And, actually, all that stuff is a lot more important than straightening out ABC’s.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on GoAbroad.

After reading “Is Teaching Abroad Hard?” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs.

Teaching is in the genes – Love is a language that is learned. It echoes in the actions and words of those we touch during our time on Earth. And for the family of Claudette Culver, that language has been spoken by multiple generations of women. 

Sherry Havron, Vicki Apple and Juli Cox are the surviving daughters of Culver. Their mother, whom they laid to rest in April, taught first grade for 22 years at Lawton Public Schools. All three of Culver’s daughters, and two of her granddaughters, have inherited her love of teaching. Culver’s mother also was a teacher. It is a legacy that has been passed down through the family for decades.

In lieu of flowers upon her passing, Culver’s daughters asked friends and loved ones to make a memorial contribution to the LPS Foundation in their mother’s name to assist a student who will attend Cameron University seeking a degree in education.

“Mom is dancing in heaven knowing that those contributions in her name will go toward helping a student that is planning to stay local and major in education,” Havron said. “For us there is no better legacy than to let her love continue for future educators.”

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Smokenews.

After reading “Teaching is in the genes”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

What is English Language Testing System?

IELTS is an English language test for study, migration or work. Over three million people take our test every year. IELTS is accepted by more than 10,000 employers, universities, schools and immigration bodies around the world.

The world’s most popular English test for higher education and global migration

Educational institutions, employers, professional registration bodies and government immigration agencies often require proof of English language skills as part of their recruitment or admission procedures. IELTS is widely accepted for these purposes.

IELTS is designed to test the language ability of people who want to study or work where English is used as the language of communication. Over 3.5 million tests are taken each year.

Learn more about this topic by reading in on Cambrigde Assessment.

International English Language Testing System

The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world.

IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, European, Irish and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations across the world.

IELTS is the only Secure English Language Test approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for visa customers applying both outside and inside the UK. It also meets requirements for immigration to Australia, where Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Pearson Test of English Academic are also accepted, and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority

Teaching English as a second language is one thing, and having to teach English for IELTS adds a whole new dimension to the subject matter. Many people take the IELTS Exam to provide proof of their English skills for either immigration or academic purposes. A number of post-secondary institutions, governmental bodies, and private corporations recognize the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) results as confirmation of English proficiency level for countries like New Zealand, USA, Canada, and Australia.

After reading “English Language Testing System” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs.