Unit 1. English in the World Part 4. Face-to-Face with English Lead in

55. What was your experience of learning languages prior to this course in terms of suitability of the curriculum, form of tuition, teaching and available resources? Share round the class.

56. You are going to listen to a text about EFL study opportunities in the UK. As you listen, note relevant information to answer the questions below.

1. What kinds of places are there to learn English in Britain?

2. Is there a unit that can guide the prospective student to the right school?

3. Is there any quality control of the diverse British language schools?

4. Where can the "English in Britain Guide" and other reference materials be obtained?

5. Why is it necessary to be clear about what you want?

6. How accurate are the reference materials?

7. What parameters does the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme check within a school?

8. Are children's interests taken care of?

57. The institution you are taking a degree at is accredited. It is government-regulated and subject to regular inspections. Standards are expected. How would you describe the learning opportunities it provides from your perspective?

58. Imagine a Ukrainian organisation similar to the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme undertakes a national inventory of establishments providing EFL tuition (see the quote below). The purpose is the organisation of market inspection and subsequent issue of a reference guide. You work for them and now you have an appointment with a senior officer at your education establishment. You will talk about possible inclusion of this establishment into the prospective guide. The officer's reaction can be positive, cautious but interested, or refusing. Act out a mock conversation with them¹, don't give up easily and try to find common ground.

"It is a quality assurance organisation designed to provide prospective students of English with a choice of schools which are committed to quality and which meet or exceed the agreed standards of the scheme."

Reading

59. Read the following article about English. In some paragraphs the topical (first) sentences have been removed and placed before the text. As you work through the text, match each of the sentences with the appropriate paragraph. Study the language of the article for future reference.

A. Yet for some, the concept of originating this kind of written discourse can prove problematic, and they may find themselves scoring low marks because of plagiarism, or reproducing someone else's ideas.

B. Faced with the variety of courses on offer, Andrew Waite, Vice-Chair of the British Association of State English Language Teaching (BASELT) urges caution.

C. However, as students' confidence in listening skills grows, it is in the area of academic writing where more serious cultural differences become apparent.

D. Even international students whose first language is English can find themselves struggling to understand an alien academic culture.

Culture shock of new campus life

Guardian Unlimited, April 20, 2000

The British government's current marketing campaign is designed to attract 50,000 more international students into higher education by 2005. The minister responsible promised: "Changes have been introduced to improve our welcome and the affordability of British study." But one aspect of that welcome that may need special attention is the provision of support in language and study skills.

1

The problems are very familiar to Maggie Goodbody, of the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes. "Students' first problems are often with listening skills," she explains. "They may feel nervous about this and it is certainly a steep learning curve. They need structured listening experience, for instance how to pick out the main ideas. They also need help with academic reading – how to approach an article or book, how to skim read and make notes."

2

Much of British education is based on essay writing, but this may be a demanding task to students from other cultures. Suddenly they are faced with the need to express their own ideas, develop their opinions and evaluate different issues, all in polished English.

3

In Britain plagiarism is regarded as academic theft, though this is not always the case in other countries. Students are expected to do research in a library before tackling an assignment, and simply regurgitating lecture notes is also not acceptable.

Group discussions can be another ordeal, and not just because a student's grasp of English is still unsure. In some Asian cultures speaking out in a group is not encouraged, nor is asking questions, which can be construed as criticism of the tutor.

The best way to overcome these hurdles is to be prepared. The first step is to take a test to assess the English language skills needed to cope with the issues of academic culture. The leading tests are IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

If an IELTS or TOEFL test indicates that a student's language skills are not sufficient to embark on a university degree, the next step is to consider pre-sessional courses, generally at the university where the student will take a degree. These can last from three weeks to an academic year, so it is wise for students to be realistic about their needs. It is generally accepted that approximately 200 hours of study are needed to improve by one IELTS band-score.

Once embarked on a degree course, good quality in-sessional training is important. We also encourage departments to give formative assignments early in the course to avoid disaster for a student later, when assignments count."

4

"One problem is that some institutions clearly need to further improve their support for international students. Students need to do research and find out about language centres. Have they been externally assessed under the English in Britain accreditation system, is one question to ask."

The remedy lies in careful planning. "Increased provision for pre-sessional and in-sessional English language programmes will be needed. In their academic departments greater numbers of international students are likely to need more supporting material for their courses, and more explicit feedback on content and language. This will require more time from academic staff. Institutions need to be addressing this issue now and planning its effective resourcing for the future."