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By Dr Jeff Hawkins, [email protected] This is a question I get alot from my adult ESL students from around the world - how can I improve my academic writing and English language ability? In order to improve English language skills requires a great deal of attention, hard work and dedication from the student as well as expertise and guidance from the ESL teacher. Having said that, let me share 3 tips that can accelerate language learning and help you progress quickly in ESL: 1) Reading, writing, listening and speaking and critical thinking must become integrated skills. In other words, ESL students need to be able to think and act autonomously and directly in English (Language 2) without translating too much into Language 1 (mother tongue). ESL students can benefit tremendously from immersion in the English language to build fluency in listening, reading, speaking and academic writing. 2) Writing in English (initially) is about Structure and Vocabulary: When you write an essay or IELTS writing; the structure (paragraphs, thesis, supporting points) and correct vocabulary usage is what will help you score well on descriptive writing sections. Pay close attention to the format because easy reading leads to better evaluations. 3) Pronunciation - ESL students should endeavor to master the "Schwa" (UH) sound, digraphs, trigraphs and quadragraph phonemes of English. ESL adults already know the I.P.A. as a sound system of English. ESL students must also know that we have 20 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds in English. Once the phonemes & phonology are mastered, adults can make quick progress in ESL. These a few brief tips to help ESL learners, please feel free to ask questions, comment or share personal thoughts on how to improve English language learning on this blog :).
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By Dr Jeff Hawkins, [email protected] These days, parents hear a great deal about the benefits of student centered learning / cooperation, team work & socialization as one of the many positive outcomes achieved in K-12 public education. No doubt the ability to socialize and interact with others is important for K-12 students. But in globalized world where our teenagers and children in Barrie compete against competitive and skills based education systems globally; is it enough to emphasize student centered learning & team work at the expense of developing demonstrable Math and English literacy skills?
In any classroom, the teachers ability is the single most important predictor of student success. The greater the teachers ability and the more access a student has to that teachers influence, the greater the results that student can and will achieve. Student centered learning is one way for teachers to meet the demands of 25 students or more in class and allow students the opportunity to learn from peers in class under the supervision of the teacher. No matter how great that teacher may be, the student receives 1/25 of the teachers instructional attention. Tutoring, mentoring and individual coaching has long been recognized as a way to give individual students the instructional attention that they need to develop the relationship that builds the basis for student academic success. Teaching expertise combined with 1/1 teacher-student mentoring ensures students ability to accelerate cognition and allow academic skills to flourish. The student that has the social and academic skills, will be much more likely to succeed at school & in life. What has been your experience with students centered learning? Has it helped you achieve your learning goals? Please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas and comments here: its through a diversity of views that the best ideas emerge. |
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