A distinct chirping of birds emanates from her purse in the corner of the room.

But the three kindergartners Lily Ivy is working with are coloring away at a table, oblivious to the props for another lesson. She asks them about the pencil colors they select and what they are coloring.

The lesson isn’t typical for all students at Coventry Elementary School, but is part of the tutoring for those who are learning English as an addition to their native languages. (more…)

A new English as a Second Language center is helping foreign students learn a new tongue right here in North Dakota. Officials cut the ribbon Wednesday at The Language Company`s ESL center on the first floor of MSU`s Dakota Hall. The center has classrooms, computer labs, and language learning software.

Students from China, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia will attend intensive language classes for for up to eight hours each day. They are here from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. every day studying English. So it`s intensive for them. They`re immersed in the culture, immersed in the community and really get a full English language program, says Bonnie Carrera, Director. (more…)

Imagine going to the grocery store, doctor or pharmacy and not being able to communicate what you need. Pointing becomes a main source of communication with a few recognizable words thrown in. It’s this frustrating scenario that has led Vaughn-Trent Community Services to begin a new English as a second language program in Bonner Springs.

“I noticed a large Hispanic community in Bonner Springs,” said Lonna Denning, who will be the instructor of the class. “For a small community, there is a large Hispanic population.”

Census estimates for 2008 — the latest available — show about one in five Wyandotte County residents is Hispanic or Latino, though it is not known how many of those speak English.

Meeting the needs of the community is the mission of Vaughn-Trent and Denning figured, what better way to increase the organization’s service than to reach out to a different population. The first class of the program started Wednesday, with an informational gathering that allowed Denning to evaluate each participant’s skill level. (more…)

The recent accreditation of the English Language Program by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation capped a lengthy process that began about three years ago. The main significance of the accreditation stems from its indication that students are guaranteed a quality education.

“We have standards that are recognized throughout the world so that students can expect a certain level of instruction,” said Beverly Earles, associate director of international programs. Leena Chakrabarti, assistant director of international programs, said the program had been in line with the majority of the requirements before accreditation, but much of the work had not been catalogued yet.

“It was more organizing, and it was actually beneficial because it came at a time when the program was just starting to experience some growth,” said Mary Wood, program director. (more…)

Mom, apple pie and 4-H. What could be more American? 4-H teaches responsibility and dependability, as well as cooperation, said Norma Hurt, 4-H leader for the club at Marsh Elementary School. Directed at students in English as a Second Language classes, the Marsh 4-H club boasts 23 members in first through sixth grade.

“The younger children (in first and second grade) belong to Mini 4-H,” said Hugh Tonagel, extension educator and 4-H youth development director for Purdue University Extension, La Porte County. The youngsters in this 4-H club grew up with Spanish as their first language. Many of their parents still speak primarily Spanish. (more…)

Nico Weiss might not be attending university every day, but his time in East Texas might prove to be a learning lesson in itself. “I’ve learned a lot since being here,” Weiss, 24, said of his three weeks in Longview. “The people are very nice, and I’m glad to be here.” A student at the University of Saarland in Saarbruecken, Germany, Weiss is slated to spend the next six months with the East Texas Literacy Council as a volunteer with the English as a Second Language program.

Weiss said he hopes during his overseas venture — part of his university course requirements — he’ll have a better grasp for teaching English to his younger, German counterparts. “I want to be a high school teacher,” Weiss said. “Coming here is part of our travel abroad program where I have to spend time in an English-speaking country to get my degree. I could have gone to England or Ireland, but since I have family (in Longview), I decided to come here.” (more…)

Teaching English has always been problematic in Sri Lanka. It has never passed the stage of experimentation with each successive government trying to undo what its predecessor did.

Besides, the language has never been considered for its utility value. During the colonial era and even up to the cultural renaissance of 1956, English was considered an elitist language, the competency and fluency in which language bestowed an apparent superiority complex to the user.

No wonder the ordinary people began to shy away christening it as the kaduwa, which ex-communicated the vernacular speaking ordinary masses from the Church of the ‘nobility’. Though Sinhala and Tamil have been accepted as official languages, those with English language competency still has several advantages over those who haven’t. (more…)

In 14 council areas, more than half of primary school pupils speak other languages in the home, it was disclosed. Nationally, English is no longer the mother tongue for a record 900,000 schoolchildren, around double the number a decade ago.

London has by far the largest concentration of pupils speaking other languages. Some 77.7 per cent of pupils in Tower Hamlets, which has a large Bangladeshi population, do not speak English at home. The rate is 73.2 per cent in Newham and 69.5 per cent in Westminster.

The Government said the amount of money being spent on pupils with weak English was increasing to £206m by 2010. A DCSF spokesman said: “The fact is, being an English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupil doesn’t mean you don’t speak English. It only indicates the language to which the child was initially exposed to early on at home, irrespective of whether they speak English fluently later on. (more…)