Teaching second-language learners on mainstream courses

Teaching Second-Language Learners on Mainstream Courses : Teaching Second-Language Learners on Mainstream Courses Some simple strategies to help L2 students http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Alphabet Soup : Alphabet Soup EFL: English as a Foreign Language   ESL: English as a Second Language   (T)ESOL: English for speakers of other languages   L1 – Learners using first or native language L2 – Learners using an additional language   IELTS - International English language testing system   EAP – English for academic purposes   FCE – Cambridge First Certificate in English   E3 – Entry level 3 http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Typical profiles of L2 students: : Typical profiles of L2 students: Settled in UK post Yr 8 Strong speaking & listening Weak written language Disrupted education Limited formal vocabulary Gaps in technical knowledge Under-performs in unsuitable written exams International Strong academic background Strong motivation Good technical knowledge Weaker spoken English Limited informal vocabulary Unfamiliar cultural context Confused by assessment Confused by teacher/student relationship http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Questions to ask L2 learners. : Questions to ask L2 learners. How long have you lived inan English-speaking country? In which school year did you arrive? When did you start learning English in your home country? Which language do you speak at home? Which language do you prefer to read/write in? Did you have language classes at school? What do find hardest about English? Put these in order from your best to worst Reading * Writing * Speaking* Listening http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Common problems: L2 student settled in UK during secondary school : Common problems: L2 student settled in UK during secondary school Forced to take unsuitable courses: e.g. GCSE English Language Labelled as ‘struggling’ Confused by disruption in education Confused by different register (formal/informal) Low academic expectations amongst peers High family expectations Linguistically & socially insecure Under confident May have motivation problems http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

The English Language : The English Language How many words? OED defines 615,100 words 41,700 are obsolete. 240 ‘ghost words’ 430 uses of ‘set’ Use of English Lederer: Average English speaker has access to 10,0000 words Pinker: 60,000 words average by secondary school English sometimes considered easy because of ‘relative simplicity of syntax and grammar’. Typical vocabulary German: 180,000 words Russian: 160,000 words French 150,000 Why English? Most languages have limited capacity to import words. English has no academy vocabulary evolves through use. English is the ‘most democratic language in history’ (Lederer) http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

What L2 learners find difficult? : What L2 learners find difficult? Irregular Verbs 180 irregular verbs Thousands of regular ones 70 % of all verbs used Pinker: irregular verbs are fossils New verbs are all regular Children & L2 learners make similar mistakes ‘writed’ ‘speaked’ etc 10 most used verbs : - be, make, do, take, go, come see, get, come, say Difficult because they are illogical: - The book you read today is the same as the one you read yesterday http://www.eslreading.org/english/english/irregularverbs.html Other common problems Articles: use of a/the/an Past present/agreement Phrasal verbs http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

What is IELTS? : What is IELTS? What is IELTS? International English Language Testing System Tests English proficiency across the globe. Most popular English testing system.Which organisations accept IELTS? IELTS is accepted by more than 6000 organisations worldwide. universities, immigration departments, government agencies, professional bodies and multinational companies. IELTS has two versions – Academic and General Training. Academic test is for those who want to study in an English-speaking country. General Training test for those migrating to or living in an English-speaking country. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking tests but different Reading and Writing tests. http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

What do UK universities ask for? : What do UK universities ask for? Kingston: Minimum IELTS score Arts and Social Sciences; Pharmacy: 6.5 Business and Law: 6.0 Architecture; Art and Design; Science; Engineering; Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics; and Surveying: 6.0 Warwick: Minimum IELTS score Faculty of Arts: 6.5 Faculty of Science 6.0 Psychology 6.5 Social Studies 7.0 Business School 7.0 http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Resources : Resources Websites http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/ http:www.onestopenglish.com http://iteslj.org// http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ http://www.eslreading.org Books All L2 learners need: an English-English dictionary A grammar reference book (e.g. Murphy ‘English Grammar in Use’) Regular graded readers http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Readability Stats : Readability Stats Ideally you should have low numbers for: passive voice, words per sentence, characters per word and Flesch Reading Grade level - You should have a minimum of 60 for Flesch Reading Ease. http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

Typical Assignment brief : Typical Assignment brief How easy to read Sentences per paragraph: 1 (low) Words per sentence: 12 (high) Characters per word: 5.3 (low) Passive: 9% (very high) Flesch Reading Ease: (30.4 ) (very high) Flesch Kikaid: 12.1 (very high) Conclusion Text difficult to read. Biggest problems are: use of passive voice, number of long sentences. Vocabulary score slightly misleading because of amount of repetition. Solution: shorter sentences using active rather than passive verbs. Reduce number of abstract nouns. http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/

How can you help? : How can you help? Be aware of L2 learner’s linguistic background. Take into account common technical errors. Adapt your assignments to improve readability. Encourage L2 learners to read graded reading materials/listen to podcasts etc. Give honest, fair feedback stressing achievement and encouraging aspiration http://englishlanguage.eslreading.org/