Learning a new language is often begun at a young age and, in some schools, is continued throughout a person’s education. While it may be easier to learn and retain a second language at a younger age, those who are interested in learning a second language later on in life should not be discouraged. In fact, the older a person gets, the more apparent the need for the English language becomes. Consider the following instances in which mastery of the English language is crucial for success.

Obtaining a job in an English speaking country, or having to frequently interact with English speaking colleagues overseas. With trading between countries is at a high, people are expected to speak more than one language in order to ensure the completion of a transaction. This means that English as a second language is becoming more common and expected in the business community. (more…)

The British mentality surrounding language learning is summarised by the question perpetually asked by pupils: “Why do I have to learn German? They all speak English anyway.” (Wer will heute noch Sprachen lernen?, G2, 25 August).

One only has to watch 15 minutes of German television to realise the influential power that the English language has in Germany. This is repeated around the world, and it is the instrumentality that English embodies in the minds of foreign learners that must be instilled in the minds of native English speakers if they are ever going to want to continue to learn languages.

How this can be achieved in a world where English is the lingua franca is a challenge which I believe will only get harder with time, but as a graduate about to embark on a PGCE in German and Spanish, I am going to make it my aim to ensure that German is not seen as the language of war, Hitler and people with mullets, but as a language which can open doors of communication, culture and broader understanding. (more…)

Sandy Foster understands test anxiety. If she didn’t already, she certainly learned this summer how her students feel with a big exam looming, and then waiting for the results.

Foster, an English teacher at Liberty Middle School, is one of eight USD 382 teachers who took a test for English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) certification.

“It was a hard test,” Foster said. “I felt real strong on the grammar part. For the rest of it, I’m sure I had a deer in the headlights look.”

What made the test extra difficult was that the teachers did not take classes to prepare. Gina Bates, ESL director for USD 382, pulled together some study materials, directed her colleagues to websites and facilitated some study groups. Everyone passed, she reported. (more…)

When Ociel Aramíz H. Almanza started first grade last year at Bella Romero Elementary School, her parents were the same nervous parents any first-grader has.

Will Ociel make friends? Will she understand what is expected? Will she be OK away from her mom and dad all day?

But for Janett Huicochea, the worries were much deeper than that. When Huicochea worried about her daughter understanding, she really worried because Ociel was starting first grade classified as an NEP student, or non-English proficient. (more…)

If you haven’t made the grade, foreign universities are queuing up to offer places, with courses in English and low fees, says Christopher Middleton

In a sort of reverse Dunkirk operation, universities from France, Holland and even Germany, sought to transmit the message that they were prepared to rescue students whose hopes of college entry lay beached and washed up on British shores.

Forget your ill-fated application to do animal husbandry and particle physics at the College of the North Circular, urged the University of Maastricht; come to our picturesque hillside town (population 120,000), where instead of snakebite and White Lightning, the student binge drink of choice is an elegant herbal gin, or jenever, mixed with an aromatic wheat beer, Wyckse Witte. (more…)

Jodie Taylor applied for 50 jobs after graduating from the University of Birmingham last year. She received replies from about three, all negative, which is why she’s currently relaxing in the Thai sunshine with income enough for gastronomic and geographic exploration of the Orient.

The history of art and drama student is one of a surge of graduates who have undertaken a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and are earning up to £1,500 a month in classrooms across five continents.

“We’ve seen a 22% increase in students looking to work abroad between March and May this year compared to the previous three months, which is normally our busiest time,” says Gordon Mathie, managing director of the leading TEFL course provider i-to-i. “The Class of 2010 are broadening their horizons in the face of a highly-competitive jobs market.” (more…)

Beginning this fall Kansas State University distance education is offering its first online course in the English as a Second Language Endorsement program.

Manhattan, KS – infoZine – ESL/Dual Language Methods, EDCI 720, is a three-credit hour, online graduate course available to all eligible teachers in the U.S. The course covers contemporary approaches, methods and strategies for instructing second-language learners.

“We continually get calls from principals and teachers across the country who are seeking strategies for working with students in English as a second language courses,” said Socorro Herrera, director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy and professor of elementary education at K-State.
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This is the second summer for the Rowan Urban Teacher Academy (RUTA), created by Rowan University to give high school students, regardless of where they live, a chance to explore teaching and possibly ignite a passion for urban education.

“There’s always a need for urban educators because there’s high turnover,” said Steve Farney, program director and associate dean of Rowan’s College of Education. It’s rewarding but demanding work, he said.

During the two-week program, ending this week, the high school students are paired with Camden students from kindergarten through fourth grade. They also meet with Camden community leaders, local teachers, education experts, and English-as-a-second-language students. (more…)