Archive for April, 2009
How To Choose The Best ESL School For You
If your friends think that you are a walking version of Wikipedia and keep asking you for definitions, tips, and counseling on all kinds of stuff, here’s a good way to surprise them with some very useful information.
Or, on the contrary, if you are the one planning to study English abroad and are looking for the right information so you don’t feel so lost, you will find below a set of tips that will make your day.
Here’s a list of tips on how to choose the best ESL school for you. There are hundreds of such programs being offered everwhere and for everyone. How can you know if the program suits your needs, or if they will fulfill the contract and not leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere? Just a few steps to follow and no big worries afterwards:
-Define your goals: This is the key issue here. You must be very clear about your objectives, what level of English you want to acquire, how long you are planning to take for that, where you want to go and why. Choosing the right ESL program has nothing to do with the nice colors of the website or the great name the Institute or University has. You are staying in a foreign country where they speak a language you don’t master, and with obvious cultural differences, so you’d better choose a place where you think you’ll feel comfortable.
-Search for local agencies (using your mother tongue): This may sound a bit too logical, but believe me, there are many people who make the mistake of contacting agencies in the “target” language and they can’t understand all the implications of the trip, stay, or contract. A source of bad times is when you don’t understand all the rules of the game.
-Ask all the important questions: Wherever you go they will give you lots of information, flyers, pamphlets, catalogs, and testimonies telling you how wonderful job they do. Just concentrate on the vital things for your trip and life in the foreign country:
• Costs: How much the total program is, how much you need to carry with you; find out if there are extra costs.
• Housing: Is it included in the program? If so, where, and under what conditions?
• Meals: How many meals does the program include a day? (if any) For the whole period?
• Cost of living in general: General information about the cost of things there, just in case you have to stay on your own means for some time.
• Activities and support provided: Will you be alone or become part of a group? Can you do other things apart from studying? Do you have to pay extra for that?
• Extent of health insurance and others: What if you have an accident or need to be admitted into hospital? What if you need an urgent visit to the dentist?
-Establish direct contact here with the person who’s receiving you there at the agency (get all details): Don’t accept a “we’ll contact you there” for an answer. You need to know who to resort to in case of trouble. He/she is going to be the only contact with your mother country at the beginning, so you’d better feel confident about him/her.
-Contact people who have been there: Look for real, live testimonies, not the typical “I went there and my life changed forever” sentence. Find two or three people who have undergone this experience. They are the ones who can give you the best advice on what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect.
There. A few tips to get a nice ESL school and not die in the process. They will be of much use to you as they have been for many people. Now, you can show off among your friends about how clever and well-informed you are, and your popularity will increase for sure.
Now, if you’re preparing that trip to an English-speaking country to learn, you probably feel less insecure about all the aspects to consider. So, follow the tips and good luck there! By the way, remember to check your passport before leaving!
5 Ways To Practice English Without Noticing
Probably the most common sentence in relation to English is: “I simply don’t have time to study”. Said by 9 out of 10 students, it is an excuse they believe firmly and which keeps them content for not making much progress. Mothers complain about lack of time, so do students, executives, secretaries, lawyers, taxi drivers, and every person trying to learn English.
You may not have time to memorize 500 verbs in one day, or have a complete ESL class on the web, or search in the dictionary the meaning of all words beginning with “E”…but there are bits of time here and there that pass unattended, and that can really make the difference, if you know how to use them for your benefit.
Spare time to study? Where???- You may say.
Easy: on your way to (or from) work or school. During some recreational activities, and almost every activity that you perform everyday. Here are a few tricks :
1. Listening to music: On the subway, on the street or wherever you go, you see hundreds of people, earphones on, listening to music. Join them! Pick up your Mp3 player or Ipod, choose a group or singer you like (singing in English, of course) and, there you go. 30 minutes a day will do marvels to your pronunciation and vocabulary. Even better if you get the lyrics of the songs you like (available on the web). Repeat them until you know them by heart. Extra time invested: none.
2. Watching movies: TV, cinema, DVD, everything is valid here. The trick? The movie has to be in English. Start with subtitles in your language, then, as you feel more confident, switch to English. You may be lost at the beginning, but your ear adapts quickly, so be patient. Vocabulary, new expressions and sentence-recognition increasing like by magic. Extra time invested: none.
3. Browsing the web (in English): Ideally, use your browser in English. Do the same with your Facebook, My Space, and MSN accounts. Search for information in English first, then your language. Read the comments in Youtube!. Your vocabulary, common expressions, and sentence structure will stay in your mind without your noticing. Extra time invested: Just the time to switch everything to English.
4. Using TV as background noise: Do your housework, take a relaxing bath, play a game online, or do your paperwork with the TV on…in English (a TV series, a movie, a talk-show, anything will do). The purpose? Familiarizing with an English-spoken environment. Do this exercise daily, and in a week you’ll be recognizing not only words, but complete sentences, which you can easily insert into your already-learnt lexicon. Extra time invested: none.
5. Using the words around you: Switch to English in all the gadgets you use: cell phone, Ipod, laptop, alarm clock, remote control, EVERYTHING. You know how they operate already. Adapting to the new language will be extremely easy. Other options: Read the English version of operation manuals, food content lists, and anything with a readable wrapping on. Important vocabulary is hidden everywhere in these everyday necessities.
So, there you go. All you need is to make good use of the time you’re wasting everyday. Your brain will be working faster, your language will be improving by the minute and your mood will be better, as you will have fun and learn at the same time. No excuse now to stop making progress with your English, don’t you think?
5 Things to Avoid During Your ESL Class
Have you ever wondered why some people don’t seem to make any improvement in their English level? Even though they have been studying for years?
If you asked them, they would probably complain about the teacher, first, then the system (methodology), the schedule, their hearing capabilities, the time, and of course, the language itself. Very few people, not to say, no people at all, would admit that they are responsible to a great extent for their lack of progress when taking on an ESL course.
Why is this so? There are always certain acquired behaviors that prevent you from grabbing all the contents in an ESL program. These are repeated maybe unintentionally, but they do create a specific kind of atmosphere during the class, that would not only bother your teacher and classmates, but also distract you completely from your main goal: learning.
That special kind of atmosphere refers basically to the set of interrumptions and distractors that you can add systematically to your class, and which your classmates (if any) can also add on their parts. The result is usually a class with ups and downs, very few moments of deep concentration, a lot of frustration, and a few exercises to be done more or less successfully.
If asked about the factors taking part in this “sabotage” to your learning, many teachers would be able to pinpoint clearly what these factors are, and they would also agree that these can not only make your learning slower, but they could also prevent it completely. Here is a list of the things that you need to avoid if you want to make the best use of your ESL class.
What to avoid:
- Late arrivals: If your class starts at 8:00, don’t show up at 8:20 or you’ll lose up to 30% of your lesson (60’ class). If you arrive this late every class and you took up a 60 hour-course, how much real benefit are you wasting? You do the math.
- Interruptions: Cell phones can be your worst enemy here. Constant ringing, bleeping, and vibrating distract you considerably. It’s even worse if you answer, because your mind will travel to the issue that originated the call, and stay there, for sure. This is like going out of the room, walking for one block and coming back. How much concentration do you have left when you rejoin the class?
- Ignoring corrections: If the teacher corrects you, apply that correction immediately. There’s no point in saying “OK” and continue with the sentence. “OK” will not replace the term when you need to say something similar again. If the teacher makes you repeat, you repeat. Repeating helps you remember.
- Eluding note-taking: Paper was invented for some reason. There’s a whole mental process behind writing what you need to remember. Your ideas become clearer, more organized, and you have a good memory-helper afterwards.
- Leaving exercises incomplete: Saying: “OK, got it” is not the right way to exercise what you are learning. This is like trying to master a joystick: you need to practice, practice, and practice until the structure and your mind are fully synchronized.
Make sure the next time you attend your ESL class you start applying these tips. Maybe not all of them at the beginning, but do make the effort. You will notice the difference immediately.
As for your phone calls, you usually turn the cell off when in a meeting, why not pretend the class is an important meeting too? Not only your teacher and classmates will be grateful, so will your nervous system, as you will be more in control of your personal life. And your English will probably give you a nice surprise sooner than you think.
English Corner: The Chinese Social Occasion Made for English Students
There are English students eager to practice their skills all over the world. China is not the exception. This wonderful country has amazed the world with its meteoric economic double-digit growth during the past couple of decades, along with a fantastic display of organization and skill during their 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Its accelerating opening to the economies of the rest of the world has made it a necessity for the diligent and ambitious Chinese (this description suits practically the whole population) to acquire at least an acceptable level of command of the English language.
University students in Beijing and other cities are the most interested and motivated to learn and practice. If you happen to be around Beijing, and have some free time, don’t miss the opportunity to cooperate with this interesting group of English students. You will enjoy their company, get an inside look at their culture, and they will be very happy to get practice time with a fellow English student or an English speaker. Almost every university organizes an “English corner” which refers to the practice of getting together every day in a designated “corner” of their campus and basically engaging in a mingling session where they will practice English with anyone they find.
The English corners sessions at Beijing Normal University and Beijing Foreign Studies University, for instance, are quite famous for their crowds and nice international environment. You don’t have to be a university student to attend, so, while the crowds are composed mostly of Chinese students and Chinese people looking to practice English, there are many foreign attendees who are after a nice conversation and ambiance. The mix is cosmopolitan and very interesting; it also makes for a perfect setting to use English in a real-life situation, even though everyone there knows most of the speakers aren’t native or even fluent, which makes it very relaxing.
These kinds of sessions can be found elsewhere in the world, at any ESL school, and are extremely useful and enriching to an ESL or EFL student. English schools in the USA encourage these sorts of gatherings as an integral part of the learning experience.
Best Practices in ESL Teaching
The industry of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) teaching has grown immensely. There are many curricula, academies, schools, and methods available. Learning English is a need that can be met with relative ease in almost every country in the world. However, it is also true that there are qualities within the spectrum of options, and there are certain identified characteristics, methodologies, and philosophies that have been found to be the most effective in bringing about the attainment of the goal: to be fluent in English.
The best practices in ESL teaching are many and are documented in several manuals and catalogues of organizations dedicated to the study of teaching English, such as the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS); the International Association of Teachers of EFL (IATEFL); International Association of Language Teaching Technology (IALTT); Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and many others. The following are a few of the more important practices and philosophies to look for when selecting an ESL program:
- Integration of four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking
- Holistic approach to reading and writing skills. This means you should not only be taught reading and writing mechanics, but comprehension, peer evaluation, lectures, and other tools should be used in order to make you apply the skills and gain better comprehension.
- Integration of language and content. This means you should not just be taught vocabulary and grammar, but they should be presented within a context that makes them more comprehensible.
- Emphasis on language use rather than form
- Emphasis on authentic meaning and function. This refers to not being stuck on formal definitions, but on the meaning and use of words and phrases
- Skills taught in context through topics of interest to students
The above practices would be considered essential in a modern ESL or EFL teaching environment. The last ingredient is the use of technology, such as collaborative online groups, streaming video, and other teaching aids that are widely available in our technology-driven society.
TOP 4 WEBSITES TO STUDY ENGLISH
“I need the language, but I don’t have the money to pay for a private course”…these are the words that you usually hear from most people when you ask them about their English level. “Why not use the web?”- can be a perfect reply to this. People still don’t seem to be aware of all the good things available on the internet. If you dare to mention the web to them as an option for studying on their own, some might simply look at you, puzzled, waiting for some explanation. “Internet is more than games, news, videos, and chat, you know?”, you could add, so as to give them more information. “There are lots of free courses, exercises, games, and different ways to practice on your own”. This being said, some people might continue looking at you, this time with a “yeah-sure” face…still not getting the picture. What could you do in this case? Give up. Or, to avoid any further objections or displays of disbelief, you could hand them this short list of the best sites to study English for free…They will love it, for sure. In general, there are so many similar websites offering more or less the same, but these are certainly the best available. So, if you or anybody wants to practice out of school/work hours, or wants to have a complete ESL class for themselves and not pay a dime…this is the chance:
WWW.USALEARNS.ORG : Nice website! Carefully graded exercises which include video, audio, clear pronunciation, and simple explanations. When you enroll for a (free!) course you feel like you’re participating in a real class!
WWW.TALKENGLISH.COM : Good for practicing with simple dialogs and pronunciation. The dialogs are integrated in the same page as the explanation, so there’s no need to start downloading, or open a different tab or window. Nice and quick. Good for remembering most common sentences.
WWW.ELLLO.ORG: Yeah, it’s three Ls, not two. This is a special website. It contains podcasts with real, normal speed conversation. The topics are prepared, but the pace and pronunciation are natural, so they become a very good way to train your ear. The website has specific exercises, games, songs, and lots of other activities. You are bound to like it!
WWW.OMPERSONAL.COM.AR: This is the one with the best score. All kinds of exercises, but really meaning ALL KINDS …audio, movies, quizzes, jokes, grammar, pronunciation, and a lot of free courses to start from zero. It also contains a complete list of verbs and verb tenses, and all the material comes with the corresponding translation into Spanish, so finally you know all the time what you’re saying. Simply a must!
It can happen to you that after handing in this little list, the person you gave it to returns and says that he/she is enrolling in a Language School next week…(”group course” and “special ESL program” are usually the words they use). Don’t worry. Maybe he/she will get so enthusiastic about his/her course that he/she won’t pay attention to a word about websites and online exercises…Not even to the part where you said it was for free…Remember, it’s their loss. And don’t start wondering what you’re going to do with those valuable tips…just keep the list at hand. You may find sooner than you think that you have some free time after all, and you could do an exercise or two per day, to at least maintain your English level…better than playing solitaire, of course…Wanna try?
English Literacy Scores of Foreign-Born Adults in the USA
ESL is a very important subject at the Department of Education in the United States of America. The assimilation of foreign born residents into U.S. culture is very difficult without their having a good literacy level in the English language. Therefore this governmental body conducts studies over time to find out how literate these foreign-born citizens and residents are.
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) has the goal of documenting foreign-born adult literacy levels by evaluating performance across a wide array of tasks they might encounter in their daily lives. For this study, adult is defined as anyone 16 years of age or older. The three types of literacy are as follows:
- Prose Literacy: The ability to search, comprehend, and use information from continuous texts (news stories, brochures, etc.)
- Document Literacy: The ability to search, comprehend, and use information from non-continuous texts (job applications, transportation schedules, forms in general)
- Quantitative Literacy: The ability to identify and perform computations using numbers embedded in printed materials.
The scales and scores of literacy are Below Basic (0-209 score in prose; 0-204 in document; 0-234 in quantitative), Basic (210-264 in prose; 205-249 in document; 235-289 in quantitative), Intermediate (265-339 in prose; 250-334 in document; 290-349 in quantitative), and Proficient (340-500 in prose; 335-500 in document; 350-500 in quantitative).
The latest findings, from 2003, are an interesting picture of English literacy in the modern U.S. The following are just a few of the results:
- Of all adults living in 2003, 14% were foreign-born.
- Hispanics accounted for 52% of all foreign-born adults.
- Across all three literacy scales (prose, document and quantitative)
- Hispanics had lower average literacy scores than blacks, whites and Asians.
- Those who arrived to the U.S. at age 11 or younger scored higher. This group represented 18.8% of the total.
- Adults who spoke only Spanish or Spanish and another non-English language before starting school, scored lower on average. This group accounted for 47% of the total. Their prose, document and quantitative average scores were 173, 186 and 202, respectively vs. 235-274, 232-266 and 239-294, respectively for the other groups.
In general, having arrived in the U.S. earlier than age 11; having a higher level of general education; being non-Hispanic were the characteristics of a higher scorer. This shows the challenge the U.S. faces in incorporating foreign-born people into society, and especially the very important impact that the Hispanic population has on this nation. English literacy for Hispanics is a tremendous area of need that must be addressed with great energy.
There is plenty of uncovered demand for ESL programs still, as these studies show.
Debating Your Way to Higher English Proficiency
The XXII edition of the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) was held from the 9th through the 19th of February in Athens, Greece.
Since 1988, the WSDC is a truly global debating competition for high school level debaters. Each participant country may send a three to five debater squad made up of full-time students of age 19 or younger. All debates take place in English, which is obviously a foreign or second language for most of the competitors. For an English speaker a debate is a challenge of mind deftness and oratory skills. For foreign English speakers, it is the ultimate test of language proficiency.
This year’s winner, the team from New Zealand, was integrated by Maria English, Holly Jenkins, Ben Kornfeld, Jen Savage, Tom Chen and Coaches Julia Fetherston and Kevin Moar. The subjects debated are not simple or non-controversial. This year included debates worthy of experienced statesmen and politicians, such as the pre-selection of human embryos, the use of civilian nuclear energy and privatization of public services.
The aims of the WSDC are stated as follows:
- To achieve excellence in debating
- To encourage debating throughout the world
- To promote international understanding
- To promote free speech
Every country is invited to participate in the WSDC, although debate team selection is left up to each country’s criteria. Most participants in this competition are students in bilingual schools and ESL students. Both private and public schools around the world promote certain programs such as debate competitions, Spelling Bee competitions, or preparation for the First Certificate in English test or the TOEFL to encourage students to excel in their English speaking, writing and reading skills.
While an international debate competition is certainly an exclusive engagement, debate competitions held in ESL programs are highly beneficial to the general learning experience of the student. Debating requires reflection and verbalization of sometimes complex arguments. The team work involved is also beneficial, as this engages students with different language proficiency levels and motivates them to reach a higher level of communication in English.
To organize your own debates for ESL or EFL practice, take the following into account:
- It’s best to have teams debate each other, as the teamwork experience enhances the learning experience
- Balance the English proficiency of each debating team, by including different proficiency level students in each competing squad
- Select controversial, but non-offensive subjects so as to engage every student into the discussion, without regard to his or her origin
- Draft a set of non-complicated rules to guide your competition; times allotted, forbidden argument tactics, for example
- -End the contest with a summary of every participating team’s best arguments. This could make for an excellent composition exercise
The most important thing is to have fun and make the experience one of true English language proficiency improvement.
Top 10 Free Things to Do in New York While Studying English
New York can be fascinating. It’s a very large city, with hundreds of things to do, an incredible nightlife and interesting cultural activities to enjoy. It’s also an ideal city to learn English, because it’s extremely stimulating. So, if you’re taking ESL classes and want to visit New York, here are the top ten things you can do for free and have a great time:
1. Museums.
You can admire the art of contemporary artists at the American Folk Museum: on Friday Nights, from 5.30 to 7.30 you can get in for free and walk around to take a look at the exhibitis. The Brooklyn Museum is free every first Saturday of the month after 5 pm. There you can appreciate the great Renassaince works or the diverse ancient Egyptian artifacts. And Fridays from 4 to 8 pm you can also visit the Museum of Modern Art for free to devour works of different artists or watch a film screening.
2. Music.
In Spring and Summer at the Central Park Stage you can enjoy several music groups that play out in the open, all for free, open to the public. You can visit the website to get details on the performances.
3. Nature.
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is open free on Tuesdays all day long or on Saturdays from 10 am to noon. The grand New York Botanical Garden opens free on Wednesdays, and on Saturdays also from 10 am to noon. Every Wednesday you can also visit the Bronx Zoo without paying absolutely no entrance fees.
4. Buildings.
The Empire State Building is a must when in New York. To get more of art deco architecture you can also visit the Chrysler building. Grand Central Terminal is also a nice place to visit, as well as the Rockefeler Center in winter.
5. Churches.
As any big city, New York has a great deal of impressive churches. Of course, you can get in for free and admire their magnificence. The most visited ones are Riverside Church, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
6. Sony Labs.
Explore the latest technology at Sony Wonder Technology Labs, where you can watch movies on enormous HD screens, chat with robots and get to play some videogames.
7. Free Tours.
Many New Yorkers are willing to show you around their city: the Big Apple Greeter program connects you to locals that will take you on free tours all over the city.
8. Libraries. The New York Public Library has thousands of books, of course. But apart from this, it organizes lectures, conferences, music, and dance performances and a lot more for free. The Queens Library offers, in turn, concerts and musical events open to the public.
9. For children. The Kids Museum of Arts opens its doors with entrances by donations on Thursdays from 4 to 6 pm, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum has free admissions on weekends before 12 pm.
10. Parks.
You can’t leave New York before taking a walk through Central Park, where you can even fish. Other public parks and plazas are Clay City Pond State Park Preserve, Jones Beach State Park, and Bryant Park.
Almost every large city in the world has free things to offer. And New York is no exception, so if you’re taking ESL classes and happen to visit the city, be sure to enjoy these free amusements!
10 Best Cities to Study English
You can learn a language at home. You can learn it by studying four, five, six years. In fact, you can study your entire life. But if you don’t speak the language, don’t listen to the people that use it every day, you’ll never grasp its essence. That’s why learning English in the US with ESL lessons is so important. After a month, you will have surely learnt a whole lot more than during a whole year studying. Of course, studying is important: the ideal is a combination of both. That is, studying English where native speakers are.
In the US there some cities especially appropriate to learn English, not only due to the quality and clarity of the residents’ accents but also because they’re either very interesting places to visit or their people are extremely cordial. ESL lessons are gievn in the US, so that you can go where you choose to go and study English with qualified teachers. There is actually no such thing as a pure American English: most areas have their own accents and dialects. There are, however, places that keep more intact the essence of the language.
When asked to name a city to visit in the US the first one, the most obvious one that usually comes to mind is New York. Though it’s a very large city with millions of inhabitants speaking different types of English, with varied accents, New York is by far one of the most amusing cities in the world. Its nightlife, its cultural splendor makes it the ideal city to learn and have fun, so your ESL lessons will have that additional sparkle that will make them unforgettable.
If you are, however, looking for something more formal, or a more academic approach to the study of English, one of the best cities you can visit is Boston. The intellectual center of the States is the perfect place to learn English at university level: ESL lessons here have an academic level.
If you’re looking for cities where you can speak to crystal-clear speaking Americans, you might want to explore the Midwestern region. Omaha, Nebraska, is generally considered the Home of General American English. ESL lessons have an accent reduction program, and learning General American English can help you focus on this, to eliminate the barriers that usually come from speaking English as a second language. You can also get a grasp of well spoken English in Phoenix, Arizona, Denver, Colorado and Chicago, Illinois. These are important US cities where you’ll always find interesting things to do while taking your ESL lessons.
On the West Coast of the US a fine English is spoken. Taking ESL lessons, you’ll get a great chance to practice while visiting some areas in California. San Francisco and Sacramento are both perfect cities to visit and places to enjoy cultural activities, such as going to the Academy of Sciences or the Exploratorium, plus all the great sightseeing sites. Seattle, Washington is another interesting city to visit and learn the language.
There are of course other cities to visit in the US that can help you a lot when learning English. If you move up north and go to Toronto, Canada, you can learn some of the finest Canadian English, perfect to practice the language.
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