ELTWeekly Issue#23, Worldwide ELT news
By Tarun Patel
Banning language teaching rules will leave us tongue-tied
I went house-hunting last week. I drove off in pursuit of that elusive item, the perfect place to live. I was following directions printed on the estate agent’s glossy brochure. “Turn left,” it said, “then bare right.” Obedience could have led to arrest for indecency. Wouldn’t that have been a flashy way to greet potential new neighbours?
It is, of course, all in the spelling.
I am appalled to read that teachers in England and Wales are being told by the government to stop teaching the rule, “I before E except after C”.
Why banish what is one of the easiest pieces of linguistic guidance? It’s a catchy rhyme which has kept me right over the years as my pen hovered uncertainly over ceiling or piece; deceive or reprieve. Why ditch it?
A NEW APPROACH TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The last GCE O/L Level Examination witnessed a large number of failures in the English language paper. The decline in the subject at schools had been a recurring problem faced by the education authorities.
Time and again, different systems and methods were adopted to change this pattern but from the steep rise in the failure rate with each passing year it appears that the problem had only got aggravated.
There are many reasons that have been attributed to the deteriorating standards of English in the school system. Chief among them is the incompetent and in most cases unqualified teachers posted to rural schools. But the problem is much more complex and goes deep down to the attitudes and prejudices towards English as whole.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/06/23/main_Editorial.asp
ESL Teacher Opens Up World to Students
The English language is full of idioms that make it difficult to understand, says ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher Robert Davis, who gives some examples: “‘Let’s go over that’ makes it sound like you’re flying over something; ‘Stand behind a product’ is another confusing statement,” says Davis, an associate director at the Boston Language Institute. Davis teaches advanced level classes that prepare foreign students for the linguistic and cultural challenges of such MBA programs as MIT Sloan and other business schools, but he also has experience teaching what he calls “true beginners” – those who have never been exposed to English before.
For immigrants living in the U.S. who don’t know English, life can be difficult, whether asking for directions or listening to a lecture at college. But with the help of teachers like Davis, who are certified to teach English to non-English speakers, every lesson makes a big difference in helping often-befuddled students get through the day. Davis starts with the general building blocks of language, like the verb “to be” and expands from there. “ His lessons start slowly: “I begin with, ‘I am,’ ‘she is,’ ‘you are,’ and then pair with an adjective or noun. Like, ‘I am a teacher,’ or ‘I am happy.’ I stick to present tenses, and then start to branch out,” says Davis, who encounters students from all over the globe, including Brazil, France, Vietnam, and Japan.
http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/jobdoc/2009/06/esl_teacher_opens_up_world_to.html
Now Koran to be taught in Kannada, English
MANGALORE: Seyyid Madani Sunni Kannada Education Board of Karnataka has prepared a syllabus to teach Koran, the holy book of Muslims in Kannada and Englishmedium.
Addressing reporters here on Friday, board president U K Monu said their efforts in the direction of teaching Koran in Kannada and English languages at schools have proved to be successful. At present the experiment was made at Seyyid Madani Hazrath English Medium School in Ullal.
June 27th, 2009
ELTWeekly Issue#22, Worldwide ELT news
By Tarun Patel
Vision of a bilingual society within reach
MALAY is my mother tongue, the language of home and family, the language in which the most tender of feelings are expressed, the tongue with which the harshest of emotions are spewed!
My first two years of formal learning was in a Malay primary school in Rasah, Seremban, where I picked up the rudiments of kira-kira and alam sekitar. After that it was off to the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Seremban where my love for the English language and literature was sown. I went on to read English literature and linguistics later.
Read the complete news at http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=34646
English in Brighton with us – English Language Centre in Brighton by liz Tyrrell & Sue Williams
Philippines’ challenge as English slips
A western academic publisher warns that the Philippines needs to maintain high standards of spoken English or risk losing valuable business in teaching and call-centre operations.
Paul Robertson, who publishes academic journals about the teaching and learning of English, says that in the last two years the Philippines has become “the mecca of English language learning” in its region.
On top of millions of its own citizens learning English, up to a quarter of a million foreigners have travelled to the Philippines to learn the language.
Read the complete news at http://australianetworknews.com/stories/200906/2598360.htm?desktop
English opens window to world
JAIPUR: Surge in the number of applicants for BA English (Honours) and postgraduate programmes in English in Rajasthan University (RU) is a recent trend.
This is due to the increase in job opportunities for students from this department. “There has been a rise in the number of applicants with the improving level of placements,” said Arun Soule, a professor of English, RU.
Looking at the increasing number of applicants in the department, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is one of the most popular disciplines among the language programmes.
Read the complete news at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jaipur/English-opens-window-to-world/articleshow/4660292.cms
FTK and Educomp Co-Develop Vernacular Interface
FTK Technologies and Educomp Solutions have co-developed ‘MagiKeys’ — a software-based language interface for those who would like to learn computers but are not proficient in the English language. Magikeys, is based on FTK’s LooKeys software and co-branded with Educomp Solutions, which is an education solutions provider.
MagiKeys has been introduced into government schools in India. MagiKeys has been designed to cater to the needs of Indian government schools, allowing both students and teachers across India to use computers in their native language, all through an intuitive and easy-to-learn interface. According to FTK Technologies, the language barrier is the main obstacle for government schools that want to introduce computers to its students. Since pupils are more familiar with their native language, FTK and Educomp developed MagiKeys to make the process of learning computers easier. Educomp Solutions helped FTK Technologies create a special interface that functions similarly to LooKeys. As a result of which computer-aided teaching can be done in various Indian languages.
Read the complete news at http://enterpriser.cxotoday.com/India/Know_It/FTK_and_Educomp_Co-Develop_Vernacular_Interface/551-103222-449.html
Partners in English Language Learning
What is your mission?
Help English language learners become thriving members of our community by offering one-on-one tutoring and building bridges that foster cross-cultural respect, understanding and friendship.
What is your yearly budget, and how many paid employees do you have?
We operate on an annual budget of less than $17,000. Our part-time program Coordinator is PiELL’s only paid staff member. We occupy a small office at Lyman Gilmore Middle School, donated by the Grass Valley School District.
Read the complete news at http://www.theunion.com/article/20090615/WEBUPDATE/906159990/1001/NONE&parentprofile=1053
ELTWeekly Issue#20, Worldwide ELT news
By Tarun Patel
Gujrati medium teachers shifted back
AHMEDABAD: The state education department recently issued orders that nine surplus Gujarati medium teachers who were posted in English mediumschools for over a decade be transferred back to Gujarati medium schools.
This directive comes close on the heels of the TOI report that the pathetic state of English medium students who constantly lose out on scoring top ranks in board exams could be because Gujarati medium teachers have been sent to grant-in-aid English medium schools where they not only teach but also are also involved in paper correction!
Read the complete news here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Planning for English-language learners
Adapting teaching practices to the needs of English-language learners can be difficult for even veteran teachers. Education experts Persida and William Himmele will discuss ways to avoid common mistakes and to plan for a multilingual classroom at this year’s Summer Conference.
Read the complete news here: http://www.smartbrief.com
KBU launches TESOL programme
The Language Centre of KBU International College (KBU) will be launching a new programme that will interest those who plan to embark on a career in English language teaching.
The programme, known as TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), will be conducted in four levels, namely, Foundation Studies in TESOL, Fundamentals of TESOL, Language Teaching in TESOL and, Professional Development & Advanced Studies in TESOL. Each level can be completed in 10 weeks and a Certificate of Competency will be awarded upon completion of each level.
Read the complete news here: http://www.thesundaily.com
How to become an accidental linguist, in three strange lessons
Learning the local language is essential. However, one expat tells of the frustrations of studying French in Bahrain, Spanish in Argentina and German in Switzerland.
I STUDIED French in Bahrain, Spanish in Argentina and German in Switzerland. Can I say I can speak all three languages? Well yes, but unfortunately all of them, at the same time, in the same sentence.
Read the complete news here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Teaching: Overcome the language barrier – expertise in foreign tongues is still sought
As an island race, we might have once been forgiven for forgetting that we’re living on a continent where numerous different languages are spoken. But those days are gone. I, for one, have my letters delivered by a Portuguese postman; buy coffee at the railway station from someone with a heavy Polish accent; and watch a football team where French and Spanish dominate in the dressing room.
So today’s schoolchildren are growing up surrounded by examples of people making their way in another country and speaking another language, namely English. But, according to British businesses, we shouldn’t just sit back and let foreigners come here and master our tongue. We should follow suit.
Read the complete news here: http://www.independent.co.uk