Chalkboard. Learn English Online. Conversation Find out more about developing this skill. Business English. Skype Classes.

Transcription

1 Chalkboard Issue 1 June 2013 Learn English Online Using Technology to learn Type to enter text Conversation Find out more about developing this skill. Business English Whats the difference between informal and formal structures? Skype Classes Can online learning really be an effective learning tool? Helping you to achieve your learning goals

2 Objectives 04 Conversation and goal setting 08 Class Portfolio 10 Business English Student Profile 12 Who is our ideal student? Getting Started 16 Putting your portable device to use. Communication 18 2 Chalkboard Social networking

3 FROM THE EDITOR Firstly, I would like to thank everyone of my students for their amazing support. Thanks to your feedback we have produced lesson plans and results that have really made a difference. Our objective is to provide a quality service based on a students individual learning needs. Always evolving, we have now introduced audio recording facilities to every lesson. The format allows specific areas of the class to be listened to on any potable device. This feature enhances the learning experience as it allows you to practice. The purpose of this magazine is to keep you informed about the types of lessons we offer and gives you an opportunity to view our portfolio of lessons. I can tell you that we will be developing audio scripts shortly and these will be available on our blog sites. These scripts are Photo by: pre recorded conversations between two or more native Goodluz speakers on various topics. You will be able to buy these recordings direct from our online store soon. Thank you for all your s, they keep me motivated and focussed, I really enjoy reading through them, please feel free to post on our blog. Finally, I would like to thank Mandi who has produced some amazing results within such a short period of time. If you are practicing for an exam she really can make a difference. Mandi is a qualified life coach, TEFL qualified native speaker and Contact: learnenglishonline001.com Contributing Writer: Mandi Saigal Contributing Writer: Sanj Saigal brings a wealth of experience to the team. I envy her typing Advertising: speed at a recorded 90 words a minute! sanjsaigal@gmail.com Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy our first magazine edition, Sanj Saigal Chalkboard 3

4 Conversation I know my grammar, I just want to speak, but it s so hard!. There is a common factor between students who are finding it hard to find the confidence to speak and unfortunately it is down to something so basic, practice. In my opinion the lack of being able to express does knock your confidence. Usually in classroom scenarios, just like any school there are those that are able to find their voice and those who can t. Like anything, the more that you practice, the better you become. Some students have been found to be extrovert in their mother tongues and introvert in a second language. Conversation as a skill is dependent on two factors, the ability to ask questions and answer them. Students are used to someone asking them questions and it s 4 Chalkboard

5 Set realistic goals!. this fundamental problem which has prevented the development of this skill. Taking this into account, we have tried to address this problem by creating scenarios which encourage the student to ask questions, however simple or complex they are in structure. The ability to develop the confidence in asking questions has helped those students who have been practicing for exams and those who have been attending interviews. The development of pre written scripts which encourage natural voice tones have helped students to develop more confidence in this area. There will be times during the learning process where the main elements of learning a second language will vary in terms of competence. ( reading, writing, listening and speaking). Our lessons help you to understand the difference between these individual skills and help identify those areas which need improvement. Empathetic voice tones, or soft voice tones, pronunciation in terms of clarity to produce the sounds present in the alphabet so that others can understand are important, but the beauty of a language is that you don t have to change your accent. For the purposes of learning, try and identify with a teacher or friend who has a clear level of pronunciation or this will create problems with developing your skills. Chalkboard 5

6 6 Chalkboard Learning curve.

7 Traits Identifying sounds There are certain sounds in the English language that are particularly difficult to master. Having lived in Spain now for over 11 years, I have found some particular sounds that require practice. Some of these sounds and words have been listed bellow: Voice tones can depict arrogance and often cause problems at work or with clients. whether you are one of our students or not, try and use softer voice tones and remember that you cannot apply the same voice tones as you do in your mother tongue. st, nd, rd, th, v, u, j, ch, sh, w, b and the words, could, should and would. Please note that this varies from country to country for example in the far east I have students who find it difficult to identify with the letters l and r. The good news is that this problem can be solved, but there is no magic pill that you can take to do it. Listening to audio recordings is extremely important and practicing is the only way. In my opinion, if you have particular difficulty with this issue then it is better to correct it sooner rather than later. If you are in business or have a high level of interaction with clients on a phone or face to face then it s important to identify with these key sounds as it directly effects sales and ultimately your career. Try and find a balance between expression tones and normal tones usually heard in conversation. Stressing words is something that requires frequent practice. Mastering this skill can really make the difference in a working environment, especially if you are interacting with a team and your voice is used to give value to others. If you are still not sure, get in contact and try our expression lesson which will help you to identify with this topic. thank you, up to this point there has not been a teacher who has had the courage to tell me that I sounded arrogant and rude. As much as I think that I have learnt, I continue to learn. Elena Chalkboard 7

8 Class Modern teachers who embrace technology to simplify the learning process. Portfolio Quality, price and service. Here is a small selection of lesson plans. Our materials are unique and have been carefully pieced together using the latest presentation technology. The latest lesson plans will roll out in magazine format which will allow you to view or download to any portable device. A benefit to those that have their lessons on portable devices like I pads. 8 Chalkboard

9 Chalkboard 9

10 Business English Whats the difference? relationships change over time, so do language structures. Lots of students consider that there are differences between formal and informal structures. Our classes tackle the first problem which is learning about the differences between general, specific and vague sentences and when and how to apply them. The second problem is that there are fundamental differences between instructions and requests. As my background is in recruitment, there have been many occasions where I have met business managers who have not been able to distinguish between the last two structures. We have three core bands at learnenglish.com, but we felt that our business brand would help those students who had a specific business requirement for the English language. For those of you who are practicing for an interview, why not try our the Interview lesson plan. It has specifically been written to practice voice tones, pronunciation and there is also some interesting features like the prepositions section. Practicing with role play tasks is particularly useful to practice business English Our role play lesson plans are b a s e d o n p r e written scripts which are designed to let the learner have a clear indication of what the text should imply. By applying role reversal and adding audio recordings, the experience can be re lived over and over again. We understand that people have busy lifestyles, so this feature really allows you to practice outside of the class time. 10 Chalkboard

11 Business English... there is a difference between formal and informal structures. There are plenty of online resources, to help you to cut The level of business English required is really dependent down on wasted time, we have provided links on our les- on your individual needs, if you are working towards a son plans to both websites and videos. This increases promotion, looking for a new job, building a portfolio of the interaction between the student and teacher but also international clients or want to learn how to speak on a serves as a reference point for the purposes of learning. business phone, contact us today for more information about our courses. We are pleased to announce that we will be producing a number of very specialised business english classes to include: business negotiations, risk assessment, brainstorming vocabulary and time management training. Chalkboard 11

12 Student Profile The profile of our students vary, generally it s someone who has limited time to learn because of lifestyle commitments. Technology plays a large part in our lives and education is no exception. Over the last 5 years developments in the portable device sector has made this type of device more affordable and to an extent very necessary to cope with modern life. There are students who prefer more traditional learning methods such as language academies and books, but we feel that modern educational facilities such as Skype can offer a student a very different learning experience. From a teaching perspective, providing lesson plans to students must engage and stimulate the learning process. For this reason, we have developed interactive lesson plans to include website links and video links. Students can cross reference definitions and have visual representation. This enhances the experience. Fitting our classes around a lifestyle means that you can use your time more effectively. So far our portfolio of clients include: Doctors, Lawyers, Architects, Engineers, Bankers, Teachers to name a few. The one thing that separates these professions is that they are based all over the world. There is a real benefit from learning this way and we have been so fortunate to find some amazing students who have realistic learning goals. 12 Chalkboard

13 I just want to say that since using Skype to learn a second language, I have developed the confidence to finally express my opinion. I am an Engineer and based in Spain. I am always working, so until now have never had the opportunity to learn a second language. It s very flexible and I am impressed at just how much I have learnt without the use of books. Thank you... Fernando. I am a student preparing for my first certificate in English. I have struggled with the conversation part of the exam. It s been a really difficult task to find teachers who can encourage me and develop my speaking skills. My exam is at the end of this year and online classes have helped me to develop my confidence... Sandra. I work as a Civil Servant, I have decided to learn english to relocate outside Europe. I have to find a job and needed to find someone who could help me to practice for job interviews. Relocating to another country is really challenging and I am happy that I have found Learnenglishonline... Fransisco. You can find us on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Blogger. To this date we have had over 25 thousand hits and growing. It s very rewarding to know that our hard work is being recognised. There are lots of new ideas to improve the way we do things and we are looking at different methods. Our growth is due to your support and for that we are very thankful. If you have a portable device or smartphone, why not put it to good use, contact our team today for a more flexible learning solution. Our classes are based around opinion, expression and speaking skills. You can contact us directly from our website to arrange a free test class. All our teachers are native speakers and TEFL qualified. Fitting around a busy lifestyle. learning at your own pace, in your own time and on your own terms. Using portable devices to learn a language. Chalkboard 13

14 14 Chalkboard

15 Contact us today if you would like to improve your conversational skills. Chalkboard 15

16 LIFE 1. The first step is to contact us, you can do that in three different ways. You can contact us by e mail; learnenglishonline001@gmail.com, or add us to Skype directly from our Style contact form on our website. We have a free 15 minute test simple steps to follow... with a Calendar for both teachers. website alternatively you can use the class which is at a time most convenient to you. Details about the test class can be found on our website along The test class is an opportunity to access whether we are the solution for your learning needs and for us to ascertain your correct level of english. 16 Chalkboard

17 You need to make sure that you 2. have an up to date version of Skype and that you have a good connection speed. These two factors are absolutely essential as your learning experience will depend on it. You will need to configure your Skype settings, so that you can test both your microphone and your camera are working correctly. There is a feature on Skype that will allow you to check everything. Make sure that you add our details to your list of- Skype contacts before the lesson. Goals and objectives have to 3. be realistic. It s best to create a learning target that you can achieve, this way you will obtain the best results. You get out exactly what you put in and our system produces the best results if you study. On average you should be studying for 30 minutes a day, balanced between speaking and listening skills. Your teacher will help you to find articles of interest and design a program that suits your time scales. Payment options are very 5. flexible, you can pay using Paypal or Bank transfer where available. In both cases payment must be made before the class. you can pay for individual classes and that s one of the benefits to using our system. If you have a specific business need, you can just focus on that element of learning. 4. Diary management is essential, we operate a google calendar where you can find available spaces for classes. Usually students have one class per week and book and pay for 10 classes in advance. This guarantees spaces and helps you to prepare for classes. If you cannot have a guaranteed class time then you can book and pay for classes whenever you feel that you need them. When you receive a calendar invite you must confirm the booking by accepting the invitation. You have to decide whether you want to join a class or whether you prefer one to one classes. Every student is different and sometimes learning in a group can be very beneficial to help with understanding. Chalkboard 17

18 Opportunity Knocks We are a small team of English teachers who have embraced technology to aid the learning process. It is our intention to always improve, so we would love to hear from you with ideas for our next magazine. Our next magazine will have student features, so that you can get first hand information on some of the real problems facing students who are learning English as a second language. If you would like to be featured in our next edition or would like to place an add please contact the editor, details have been provided on page 3. So far we have had over 25 thousand hits on our various platforms so we are sure that your business will be seen. As we teach worldwide, we are only looking for online businesses that want to develop an international presence. Finally thank you for taking the time to read our magazine. 18 Chalkboard

19 Learning is a process but it s managing that process that helps to achieve your goals Chalkboard 19

20 Sometimes we need a little help to find our way