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A guide to some of the issues second language learners can have on mainstream college/university courses
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Teaching Second‐Language Learners on Mainstream Courses
An introduc7on to ESOL
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 na7ve language • L2 – Learners using an addi7onal language
• IELTS ‐ Interna7onal English language tes7ng system
• EAP – English for academic purposes
• FCE – Cambridge First Cer7ficate in English
• E3 – Entry level 3
Typical profiles of L2 students:
Se3led in UK post Yr 8
• Strong speaking & listening • Weak wriKen language • Confused by disrup7on in
educa7on
• Limited formal vocabulary • Gaps in technical knowledge • Under‐performs in
unsuitable wriKen exams
InternaBonal
• Strong academic background
• Strong mo7va7on • Good technical knowledge • Weaker spoken English • Limited informal vocabulary
• Limited cultural knowledge
• Confused by assessment • Confused by teacher/student
rela7onship
Common problems: L2 student seKled in UK during secondary schoolQ• Forced to take unsuitable courses: e.g. GCSE English Language
• Labelled as ‘struggling’ • Confused by disrup7on in educa7on • Confused by different register (formal/informal)
• Low academic expecta7ons amongst peers
• Under confident
Where can L2 students get help?
IniBal Assessment ESOL ini7al assessments throughout
year in M206a: ‐
Monday 11:00 – 12:00 Monday 18:00 – 19:00 Tuesday 11:00 – 12:00 Wednesday 14:00 – 15:00 Thursday 11:00 – 12:00
Classes Self‐Access classes
• Staffed by ESOL team throughout the year
• Open to all learners who think they would benefit from addi7onal ESOL input
• Covers reading, wri7ng, speaking and listening.
Times Monday 1:30 – 3:00 Tuesday 5:00 – 6:00 Wednesday 1:30 – 3:00 Thursday 1:30 – 3:00
The English Language
How many words? • OED defines 615,100 words
• 41,700 are obsolete.
• 240 ‘ghost words’ • 430 uses of ‘set’
Usage
• Lederer: 10,0000 words
• Pinker: 60,000 average teen
• Lederer ‘most democra7c language in history’
• ‘rela7ve simplicity of syntax and grammar
Typical vocabulary
• German: 180,000 words
• Russian: 160,000 words • French 150,000
What is IELTS? What is IELTS? Interna7onal English Language Tes7ng System • Tests English proficiency across the globe. • Most popular English tes7ng system.Q
Which organisaBons accept IELTS? • IELTS is accepted by more than 6000 organisa7ons worldwide. • universi7es, immigra7on departments, government agencies, professional bodies and mul7na7onal
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 migra7ng to or living in an English‐speaking country. • All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking tests but different Reading and Wri7ng tests.Q
What do universi7es ask for?
Kingston: Minimum IELTS score
– Arts and Social Sciences; Pharmacy: 6.5
– Business and Law: 6.0 – Architecture; Art and Design;
Science; Engineering; CompuBng, InformaBon Systems and MathemaBcs; 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
What Language 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
hKp://www.eslreading.org/english/english/irregularverbs.html
Other common problems • Ar7cles: use of a/the/an • Past present/agreement
• Phrasal verbs
Readibility 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.
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) Flsch 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 repe77on.
SoluBon: shorter sentences using ac7ve rather than passive verbs. Reduce number of abstract nouns.