English Is A Second Language

There are various different methods which are used to teach a second language. One such method is the immersion method of teaching , developed in Canada to provide Canada's majority group English- speaking students with opportunities to learn Canada's other official language, French. Students are taught a second language exclusively throught he medium of the second language.The structured immersion approach, however, must not be confused with submersion (which is really a non-approach). Essentially, it is a ' sink or swim ' approach. For example, a non-English-speaking French child moves to England and is placed in a regular English- speaking classroom and is taught exclusively in English in the same way as the English-speaking children.Bull (1965) drew a distinction between these...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. While it is the most basic form of verbs usage, the present tense did pose some problems to me. Not in the way that I would use them, but in the way that I actually have to name the proper tense to my students when teaching. Very informative on that point since all of those matters are very far in my memory. However, what I found most useful are the commonly made mistakes which I would not have foreseen,...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. I have learned that the different tests serve different purposes. The diagnostic tests at the beginning of the term really helps to see where the students are so that we have an idea where we need to help them. Testing our students regularly allows us to see the students' progress. Students and parents need to have that information as well. The placement test on page 4 is something that I may use with my...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Evaluation and testing was the focus of unit 15.Evaluation and testing is an important part of the learning process for students reasons being that, it provides the teacher with knowledge and information on how much the students know and or have absorbed during the course. This unit provided different ways of evaluating students levels and progress and as well as some of the common exams which students need...  [Read more]

As a global language, English has been popularly taught as the second language in China for quite a few years. Now there are more Chinese people learning English on various purposes, such as applying for a higher paid job, studying and living abroad, or establishing business with western countries. According to my experience of learning and teaching English, it is harder to master English pronunciation than English grammar for Chinese students. Chinese grammar may appear quite simple compared to that of many highly-inflected Western languages (e.g. Russian, Latin, etc.), or even the low-scale verb conjugations, for instance, of English (e.g. "swim, swam, swum") because of the lack of inflections. (1)Even though there are similarities between English alphabet and Chinese one...  [Read more]

  Would you like to live and work abroad? With a TEFL or TESOL certificate you can work and live abroad, Teaching English as a Foreign Language or Teaching English as a Second Language. Check out ITTT's courses and start a new life with a TEFL or TESOL Certification! Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit on past tenses is a good for review. I don't think we do enough practice with past tense, past perfect or past perfect continuous tenses...  [Read more]

Quite often, the terms English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are used interchangeably to describe English language instruction to non-native speakers. However, it is becoming increasingly more well known that the two contexts are quite different, demanding the teacher approach and execute different teaching methodologies in the classes. In an ESL setting, the class is likely to be multilingual and be completely immersed in the language by living in the culture of the target language. On the other hand, in the EFL setting, the class is typically monolingual and living in their own country (Brown 2001).In Teaching by principles, author H. Douglas Brown explains that 'it is useful to consider the pedagogical implications for a continuum of...  [Read more]

A question on the minds of many English as a Second Language instructors are whether or not it is appropriate to teach students the use of slang and idioms in the English language. Although the distinction between what is a formal term versus an informal one is crucial, slang is a significant part of conversational English and, as such, should be covered in the classroom. It would be very difficult for someone new to the English language to understand an American movie, TV show, news broadcast or even a typical conversation as they are filled with nonstandard English. Firstly, it is important to define the terms “idiom” and “slang”. Slang can be described as nonstandard vocabulary of a given culture or subculture. In other words, slang is typically a...  [Read more]

The business of teaching English as a second language has grown drastically over the last several decades, and even though it may not be as lucrative an industry as it was several years ago, the sheer number of English teachers has continued to increase. With this increase there has also been a rise in volunteer efforts by native and fluent speakers, especially to undeveloped and third- world areas where knowledge of English can open the door for much- needed economic opportunities. This increase in volunteerism has not only benefited students, but teachers, nations, and humanity in general. Three examples of interesting, excellent volunteer teaching programs are the Peace Corps, I-to-I, and, for those who want to live on top of the world ' Volunteer Nepal Himalaya.Volunteer Nepal...  [Read more]

In consideration of whether or not teachers of English as a second language should teach slang or idioms in class, or rather, why English teachers should teach idioms or slang, I did some research on the internet regarding this particular topic. For the most part, I found one David Burke's article on the subject to be most informative (Burke, 1). I have formed my own opinion on the matter, which I will discuss at length later in this essay.First, it is constructive to define exactly what slang words and idioms are, to differentiate between the two as well as to be completely precise in this pursuit. Dictionary.com defines an idiom as 'an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements' (dictionary.com, 1). In contrast, slang is...  [Read more]

In the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL), games are very important, with adults and especially with children. Let’s face it, no matter how much one wants to learn another language sometimes class discussions about verb tenses and vocabulary can be monotonous, slow, and boring. Games make learning fun and can be used to add a little spice to class. Many people are motivated by competition so games can stimulate this enthusiasm and help to stimulate participation. Games can be used to aid in: learning vocabulary, verb usage, vocabulary review, pronunciation practice, phrase building, confidence building, and encouraging students to think and respond in English. Games are great ways to begin or end a class. Openers for classes are used to introduce new...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in China is for the most part pleasant and exciting. Students are eager to learn. However, one of the frustrations ESL teachers often complain about is that students seem to make the same mistakes repetitively. Learners will often transfer the rules of their first language to express something in their second language. This transference happens when they have insufficient knowledge of the rules of the second language. In China, students fall back on the rules of their first language (Mandarin) when they do not know the rules of the second language (English). The result is a poor form of English, informally referred to as "Chinglish". The errors that occur are also called language interference errors. These errors affect...  [Read more]

Over the years, many debates have arisen in regards to second language instruction (L2), giving prominence to two main models: English Only versus Bilingual Education. English Only uses solely English as the medium for instruction, whereas Bilingual Education, as its name implies, uses both English and the student's native language. While there are several aspects to the debate, this paper will briefly cover a certain few: cultural sensitivity, accuracy, and segregation. Proponents of the English Only model claim that the use of a student's native language creates a 'cycle of native language dependency,' meaning that the student, to some extent, gets 'tethered' to his native tongue. Using solely English in the classroom, advocates say, frees students to think and...  [Read more]

Globalization and the increasing demand for English speaking professionals all over the world, especially in emerging regions, has brought about a new, steadily growing sector: English as a Second Language (ESL). An ESL teacher is, therefore, an educator who works with English Language Learners (ELLs) whose native language is not English. The goal of the ESL teacher is to help the students reach a certain level of fluency in English, on both a spoken and written level. ESL educators are not to be confused with foreign language teachers. ESL teachers do not share the same native language and are specifically trained to offer explanations and directed teaching methods to non-English speakers. This teaching style is mainly focused on repetition, drills, demonstrations, and visuals. ...  [Read more]

There are many different methodologies for teaching a foreign language. Here at TEFL international, we are exposed to the ESA (engage-study-activate) method, put to use in the classroom in a total emersion context, which is quite effective, yet very different from the way that many of us have been exposed to learning a second language in our native countries. Second language study in school in the United States was always done with the ?Grammar translation? method, usually in a bilingual classroom, a different yet somewhat effective way to learn some languages. These are contrasting methods yet they seek the same result, to increase communication skills in a tongue you are not familiar with, and until you are exposed to the both of them it?s hard to say which is...  [Read more]

There are many different methodologies for teaching a foreign language. Here at TEFL international, we are exposed to the ESA (engage-study-activate) method, put to use in the classroom in a total emersion context, which is quite effective, yet very different from the way that many of us have been exposed to learning a second language in our native countries. Second language study in school in the United States was always done with the 'Grammar translation' method, usually in a bilingual classroom, a different yet somewhat effective way to learn some languages. These are contrasting methods yet they seek the same result, to increase communication skills in a tongue you are not familiar with, and until you are exposed to the both of them it's hard to say which is more...  [Read more]

Wherever one travels in the world these days English quickly becomes the the common language of communication between different nationalities. This was a trend that began during the days of the British Empire with it''s global trade and political network. The process has accelerated dramatically since the end of the Second World War with the rise of the American world hegemony. ''A language becomes a world language for one reason only, the power of the people who speak it. Power means political, economic technological and cultural power of course.'' ( Crystall.D. 2001).More recently technology has made a huge impact in the form of satellite T.V. and the internet in particular, giving fresh impetus to the movement for English as the dominant second language of choice. According to ...  [Read more]

Wherever one travels in the world these days English quickly becomes the the common language of communication between different nationalities. This was a trend that began during the days of the British Empire with it??s global trade and political network. The process has accelerated dramatically since the end of the Second World War with the rise of the American world hegemony. ??A language becomes a world language for one reason only, the power of the people who speak it. Power means political, economic technological and cultural power of course.?? ( Crystall.D. 2001). More recently technology has made a huge impact in the form of satellite T.V. and the internet in particular, giving fresh impetus to the movement for English as the dominant second language of choice. ...  [Read more]

INTRODUCTIONHow did you learn to speak your native language' Notice, this shouldn´t be such a puzzling question. Do you remember when you learned to tie your shoes, ride a bike, and eat with a fork' Sometimes we can remember a parent helping us to do these things. But have our parents helped us learn to speak our first language' Do you remember when your mother taught you the past tense' When your father laid down the rules for passive sentences' We don´t remember these important moments of our childhood because they never occurred. Sometimes we as adults study for years to acquire a new language. It is then quite wonderful to think that children, by around the age of 5, have more or less mastered their first language, excepting some vocabulary and a few grammatical structures....  [Read more]

  Our second example sentence 'I am playing football at the moment.' is the present continuous tense. This has a different structure as the subject 'I', the verb 'to be' in the present tense 'am', 'is' or 'are' plus the verb with an '?ing' on the end. So here: 'I am playing football at the moment.' Whereas the present simple tense is used to talk about habits routines and facts, the present continuous tense is used to talk about actions in progress at the time of speaking or around the time of speaking. Our third example sentence is the present perfect: 'I have played football twice this week.' Here, the structure is the subject 'I', auxiliary verb 'have' or 'has' plus the past participle. The past participle is usually formed just by adding '-ed'- on to the end of the base form of...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German? How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student? Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second language In defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to ...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German' How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student' Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second languageIn defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/PDF/FACS01-6 , "The baby´s brain is actually ´primed´ to...  [Read more]

When observing children, the speed and accuracy to which they acquire their native language is quite remarkable to adults. There are many different cultures and many ways in which children are raised, but the rate at which they acquire this information is consistent all over the world. In the scientific community, language acquisition by humans is one of the most unexplainable and highly studied feats in our everyday lives. Parents do not teach their children the grammatical structure of language or how to speak it, rather it is something that is acquired early in life and continues to progress into adulthood. It is said that by the time a child enters pre-school, he or she already has mastered most of the mechanics of their mother language (Galasso). By...  [Read more]

When observing children, the speed and accuracy to which they acquire their native language is quite remarkable to adults. There are many different cultures and many ways in which children are raised, but the rate at which they acquire this information is consistent all over the world. In the scientific community, language acquisition by humans is one of the most unexplainable and highly studied feats in our everyday lives. Parents do not teach their children the grammatical structure of language or how to speak it, rather it is something that is acquired early in life and continues to progress into adulthood. It is said that by the time a child enters pre-school, he or she already has mastered most of the mechanics of their mother language (Galasso). By studying the ...  [Read more]

When I first began teaching lessons during the TEFL Course I found myself almost automatically saying to the students, ?English please,? after all it is an English class. However, I began to question myself about whether or not this was ?correct? practice or if the students should in fact use their native language to assist them in the learning process. After doing some research I found the TEFL Law Code of Ethics. The Law of Ethics provided many vague and open-ended ideas. It suggested things along the lines of, ?The foreign language teacher shall direct her whole professional effort to assist the students to develop his/her second language speaking ability.? It also mentions that TEFL teachers are to act with justice and fairness, to act with evolving concepts...  [Read more]

English has had a tremenduous evolution over the ages, where it's expansion as a global language is one of the most remarkable phenomena of both the 20th and 21st century. In its earlier history, English denoted imperialism; after all it was the language of the dominating colonial world powers in conjunction with its neighbouring colonial languages, namely French and Spanish. The historical timeline of the English language divided itself into three main phases, namely Old English, Middle English and Modern English. However, it is crucial to note a recent growing phase in the growth of English; this latest development is growing remarkably rapid. It is nevertheless Non-native speakers around the world that shape this new phase, as they satisfy their need to communicate and...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in China is for the most part pleasant and exciting. Students are eager to learn. However, one of the frustrations ESL teachers often complain about is that students seem to make the same mistakes repetitively. Learners will often transfer the rules of their first language to express something in their second language. This transference happens when they have insufficient knowledge of the rules of the second language. In China, students fall back on the rules of their first language (Mandarin) when they do not know the rules of the second language (English). The result is a poor form of English, informally referred to as "Chinglish". The errors that occur are also called language interference errors. These...  [Read more]

Language acquisition is the process by which language ability develops in humans. There are two types of language acquisitions- firs language acquisition and second language acquisition. While the former deals with early childhood language development, the latter has a nurture aspect to learning in adults. Humans have long debated whether language can be developed in the absence of speech and various experiments by Psammeticus, King James V and Akbar support the hypothesis that language in the absence of speech is not possible. First language acquisition or the native tongue of a person is the language a child has heard from birth. The speed with which the language is acquired is indeed remarkable. All children go through certain stages in language development even if...  [Read more]

Language acquisition is the process by which language ability develops in humans. There are two types of language acquisitions- firs language acquisition and second language acquisition. While the former deals with early childhood language development, the latter has a nurture aspect to learning in adults. Humans have long debated whether language can be developed in the absence of speech and various experiments by Psammeticus, King James V and Akbar support the hypothesis that language in the absence of speech is not possible.First language acquisition or the native tongue of a person is the language a child has heard from birth. The speed with which the language is acquired is indeed remarkable. All children go through certain stages in language development even if the rate...  [Read more]

Within the English Language there are many problems that as native speakers we don?t really think about but when learning the English language as a second language there are many common misunderstandings and problems that arise. These can be divided into lexical and structural problems. One of the most common lexical problems is that of ambiguity. This is evident in idiomatic speech, homographs and homonyms within the English language. ?Kick the bucket? is a classic idiom that describes death and someone physically kicking a bucket. ?This ambiguity cannot be resolved by syntactic structure? because they both have exactly the same structure so the only way to analyse the meaning of this sentence is to look at the context that it is said or...  [Read more]