Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Second Edition
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The private sector
In many countries far more adults learn English in the private sector than in state-run institutions. As has just been mentioned, the private sector is prominent in providing ESP courses, and one of its characteristics is its flexibility in responding to a perceived demand. Clearly, however, private language schools and institutes cater principally for students wanting a more general grounding in English. Their clients often begin with no knowledge, or a very rusty and hazy knowledge of the English they did years before in secondary school. This often produces beginner classes of very mixed ability, and the remarks made earlier in this chapter on this problem largely apply here. Not only may ability in the class be very mixed—for the only entry requirement is the capacity to pay the fee—but aspirations may be very different. At one extreme there is the housewife who does not want to stagnate at home, at the other there is the businessman who wants to make very rapid progress. As a general rule it is best to segregate administratively these different types into Teaching English to Adults 193 homogeneous groups by enrolling the housewife into an afternoon or morning class which meets two or three times a week, and by putting the go-getting businessman with his peers in a daily intensive course. It is quite conceivable, however, that both courses could use similar materials, though at a different pace, especially at the initial stages. But it is very important to make sure each group is using an appropriate course—relevant to the intellectual level and age of the group, suitable for the lifestyle of the country (sophisticated western life is not appropriate for less developed countries). As for the materials, the best policy to adopt in private schools is to take a modern course, of which there are many reputable ones on the market, and use it as a basis for the teaching, often right up to intermediate level and beyond. The Teacher’s Books are full of sensible and practical advice, and the students are usually willing to buy the Student’s Book, and other ancillary readers, workbooks, etc., that may be necessary. To these basic aids, the teacher himself must bring his professional expertise in using them and in supplementing them where necessary with material specially produced for local needs. A key factor—perhaps even more so in private schools (where clients demand value for money and ‘vote with their feet’) than in state schools where it is obligatory to attend English classes—is the teacher’s relationship with his class. In all teaching, the teacher’s personality is the single most important influence in learning. Nowhere is this more important than in guiding his pupils with skill and professionalism through the first stages of learning in private schools and institutes. A teacher’s good humour and sympathetic understanding of his problems have stopped many a student from withdrawing from a course when faced, as many are, with the pressures of a full-time job and English classes several nights a week. Private sector students have chosen to be where they are because they feel this is the best way to achieve the goal they have in mind for themselves. They have usually specific aims in learning English and it is sound practice to make them see during the course just how they are attaining them. Progress should be made, and be seen to be made. One way to do this is to work towards an examination as the ultimate target. Teaching English to Adults 194 This is a potentially dangerous procedure, since what is taught is dictated by what is tested. And what is tested is not necessarily what it is desirable to teach. However, there is often very strong pressure to pass examinations. This is a fact of life which cannot be avoided, and must be catered for. And it is reasonable that the student should be able to demonstrate by a pass certificate that he has reached a given level in English. Indeed, ‘credentialling’, as the process is sometimes called of issuing a student with a certificate stating publicly what his level of achievement is, is vital to the student. Very probably one aim he came with was to be able to show to his superiors or future employers that he could reach a given proficiency in English. Better jobs and increased salaries are strong motivating forces. At intermediate level and above, particularly, the examination toward which one is working is of paramount importance, as it will tend to mould, and even dominate, the syllabus for months or years beforehand, and its international integrity and good name will be very important. There are very many examination options available, both local and international, at every level of learning, and an increasing number dealing with specialist English needs (secretarial English, translation, interpreting, etc.). A good guide to what there is can be found in J.McClafferty, A Guide to Examinations in English for Foreign Students, referred to on p. 164. One example of a complete range of examinations from the post-elementary to English degree level are those set by the Institute of Linguists. Far better known world wide are the three examinations set by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate: the First Certificate in English, the Certificate of Proficiency in English, and the Diploma in English Studies. These are taken by many thousands of students each year and have currency all over the world. A teacher faced with the task of teaching for the intermediate First Certificate is in a fortunate position. All the big international courses of the major publishers get the students to the level of the examination without preparing specifically for it. In addition there are more and more courses coming on the market which are purpose-written for the last year or so before the examination. Many of the more Teaching English to Adults 195 modern ones serve their purpose admirably, and are a solid base for the teacher to build upon. His professional skill is called on to a greater degree at proficiency level, as there are few good books on sale and the demands of the syllabus and the students on him are greater. A great advantage of the Cambridge Examinations is that they are international. The same test is taken at the same time in scores of countries throughout the world, and the standard of language of a Frenchman with a pass certificate is comparable with that of a Brazilian or a Thai with the same piece of paper. Within individual countries, this comparability of standards is important, especially where national examinations, often locally set on leaving secondary school or at university degree level examination, are subject to variation in standard both from place to place and from year to year. The problem of harmonisation of standards has been approached in a very interesting way by the Council of Europe. With the impetus of European integration and the freer movement of people between member states of the European Community it became progressively more obvious that some means to compare standards of attainment in English, French, German, etc., had to be devised. The Unit/ Credit system is designed for this purpose. It aims to establish a Threshold Level (T-level) in these languages, which can best be defined in terms of the functions of language (not just the grammatical structure) the student has learnt. Download 0.82 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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