June 2007
Monthly Archive
30 Jun 2007 02:50 am
Indiana University School of Education turns out more ESL teachers
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The latest cohort of teachers has completed the Tandem Certification of Indiana Teachers (TACIT) program, a federally-funded program offered by the Indiana University School of Education to more quickly certify English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers for the state of Indiana. Seventeen teachers picked up TACIT completion certificates during this week’s retreat on the Bloomington campus. Teachers from across the state and across disciplines came to the event to honor past and current program participants as well as take part in professional development seminars. |
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search for : English as a Second Language
29 Jun 2007 07:27 am
Hagerstown Community College sees rise in ESL courses
| Hagerstown Community College officials say the rise in Washington County’s immigrant population has caused the number of students enrolling in English language courses to rise. Nettie Schubel, an instructional specialist for the adult education program at HCC, said that in April of this year 367 students were enrolled in English as a second language (ESL) courses. That is a more than 37 percent increase from the year before when 227 were enrolled. Magalie Metayer of Hagerstown will begin English classes at HCC in July. She is a native of Haiti and speaks French, but is able to have limited communication in English. |
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search for : Hagerstown Community College, English language course, English as a second language
28 Jun 2007 06:56 am
Signatures filed on Sizemore Oregon ballot initiatives
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Backers of initiatives to limit English-as-a-second language instruction in schools and to make federal taxes fully deductible on state tax returns turned in more than 100,000 signatures for each Tuesday at the Secretary of State’s office. Each proposal requires 82,769 valid signatures of registered voters in order to qualify for the November, 2008 ballot. The signatures have not been validated yet. The English language initiative bans instruction in a language other than English for more than two years, except for English-language students studying a foreign language. Walker said the idea is to move non-native speaking students more quickly into learning and using English. Backers turned in 122,818 signatures for that initiative. |
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search for : English-as-a-second language, English language initiative, English-language students
27 Jun 2007 08:02 am
Arizona faces new penalties over teaching English learners
| Arizona could again face financial sanctions for failing to provide adequate funding to teach English to an estimated 160,000 schoolchildren struggling to learn the language. On Monday, a federal District Court judge refused to put on hold his March order that the state revamp its funding scheme for English language learner programs by the end of the legislative session. Lawmakers adjourned last week without addressing the issue, instead seeking a stay of the order and holding out hope that a higher court would side with them on appeal. |
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search for : teach English, English language learner
26 Jun 2007 07:13 am
Learning Product Expands Global Reach to China with Launch of Yike
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ESL is taught throughout China in both public and private lower schools, high schools, universities, colleges, private business institutes and training centers. Explosive demand for ESL instructors has created a market resulting in more than 100,000 “Foreign Experts” (FE) annually being “imported” to teach ESL at an annual cost of 10 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion). “There is growing demand for quality ESL curriculum in China based on clear and proven standards,” said Ken Leonard, president of Ignite! Learning. “We believe the market is in great need of a solution that embraces individual learning styles within the classroom for ESL teachers while ensuring curriculum continuity. While our first market entry in China will be ESL, we expect to develop and introduce our core curriculum solutions for math and science in future years.” |
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search for : ESL, ESL instructors, teach ESL, ESL curriculum, ESL teacher
25 Jun 2007 07:44 am
Language study puts accent on learning
| The learning of second languages, while not quite as mysterious as a child’s learning of his native tongue, still holds significant unanswered questions: What makes some people swift second-language learners while others struggle? What role does a person’s native language play when it comes to learning a second language? What strategies can the learner use? “I think we have huge amounts of data on this and a lot of complicated theories, but we’re very early on in terms of really understanding this,” says Joseph Salmons, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures and a professor of German. “Fundamentally, this is a problem of how the mind works, of how cognition changes over the lifespan.” |
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search for : second language, second-language learner
24 Jun 2007 07:03 am
U.S. melting pot going from simmer to boil with English-only debate
| The sign telling customers “This is America: When ordering please speak English” hit a nerve, one way or another, with nearly everyone who walked in the door. A year later, it’s still posted - much to the chagrin of rights groups who tried to get it taken down. “We never did anything illegal, we never violated anyone’s rights,” says Jimmy Reds, who has worked at Geno’s Steaks for 30 years. “It’s an overwhelming opinion in the United States. When you come here, you learn the language,” he says in a distinct Philly accent. That view is becoming more pronounced across the United States where politicians are grappling with national legislation to deal with millions of illegal immigrants. |
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search for : illegal immigrants
23 Jun 2007 07:26 am
Few English-learners fluent
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More than a quarter of Stanislaus County students who are learning English as a second language have achieved proficiency in the language, according to test results released by the state Thursday. Yet their schools consider only a fraction of those students fluent enough to keep up with the demands of other academic subjects, a trend seen throughout California. “It’s good that our districts set high standards,” said Chris King, associate superintendent of instructional support services with the county Office of Education. “We know we need to continue to support the kids to help them reach those classification standards and beyond.” |
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