17
Nov
2009
General English
General English Course
GEOS Gold Coast runs various English language courses to meet the different needs of students. These include General English, Preparation for Academic and Cambridge Exams (PACE), IETLS Exam Preparation, Cambridge Exam Preparation (FCE/CAE), Certificate IV in TESOL, Joey Kangaroo Club (Young Learners Program) and a Study Tour Program.
The General English course is offered at six levels: Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced. Classes are taught in 10-week modules, with an average class size of 16 students. Students can commence on any Monday, with an English level test and orientation given before commencement.
The GE course is very practical, with specialist afternoon lessons preparing students to use English right away. These specialist classes could niclude Telephone English, Business English, English for Tourism and Hospitality, and English for Presentations. Students are kept motivated with real life material and guest speakers. With progress tests every 5 weeks, along with one-on-one sessions with detailed feedback, students will be able to see their progress. The tests cover every skill area, from listening to reading, writing and speaking. GEOS Gold Coast’s program is unique as its been specifically developed from feedback from current students.
Learning a Second Language
There are many reasons to learn another language, from seeking employment to study, travel and migration. There are a range of ways to learn a second language, from different courses to overseas study, hoemstays, and distance education. Or perhaps you want to study on your own, which is possible with the wealth of materials available from libraries and bookstores. Some helpful resources include a bilingual dictionary, grammar books, phrasebooks, online exercises, language learning software and so on.
Of course, whichever way you decide to take, it is important to be able to practice your language skills in reading, writing and conversing. Practice will help improve your pronunciation, increase your vocabulary and perfect your grammar.
19
Oct
2009
English Language Colleges
Why study at a language college?
While it is possible to learn another language on your own, or through a distance education course, or simply by immersing yourself in the language by going overseas, and English language college can give you the best of all these options.
GEOS English language colleges immerse you in English-language cultures all over the world, providing ample opportunity not only to practice your language skills, but also have a lot of fun exploring the country and meeting new people. Through regular weekday and weekend activities, as well as fun courses such as ‘English plus Surfing’, students get to experience much more than simply the classroom. Students will also get to make new friends within the college, with a mix of students from over 30 different countries.
On the other hand, spending time at an English language college will mean that you get a real grasp on the language- including reading, writing, listening and speaking. From the basics to advanced English courses, GEOS colleges offer a range of courses to cater for whatever level students are at. These include General English, Cambridge Preparation Programs, English for TESOL and much more. The courses are taught by highly qualified and experienced teachers who have lived and taught all around the world. In addition, these courses offer pathways to further studies, whether university or other tertiary institutions such as TAFE.
Learning English
GEOS Gold Coast, located 5 minutes from Surfers Paradise Beach, offers a range of English language courses. These include General English, Preparation for Academic and Cambridge Exams (PACE), IELTS Exam Preparation (IELTS), Cambridge Exam Preparation (FCE/CAE), Certificate IV in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the Joey Kangaroo Club (Young Learners Program), and the Study Tour Program.
The Study Tour Program offers students a range of custom made courses and programs, designed to combine English lessons with an area of interest. So this would mean combining an English language course (such as General English) with sports, sightseeing, adventure holidays and more.
11
Sep
2009
English Tutoring
ESL & Tutoring
ESL, or the study of English as a Second Language, is a booming industry around the world due to the prevalence of English in international business, law and culture. Whether this will remain the case as it has since the rise of the British Empire followed by the ‘American Century’, with the rise of China and India as emergent superpowers is uncertain. However, for the present the study of English by those for whom it is not their native language, is not only a growing industry but is also increasingly gaining the attention of academics.
The analysis of ESL study and teaching covers everything from cooperative learning, plagiarism as a cultural phenomenon, the effectiveness of written feedback by ESL tutors, and the effectiveness of phonological learning. Below a study is briefly outlined on the non-verbal components of ESL tutoring.
Tutoring as an “Embodied Activity”
Hassan Belhiah had an article published in the Journal of Pragmatics in 2009 (Vol 41, Iss 4), entitled ‘Tutoring as an embodied activity: How speech, gaze and body orientation are coordinated to conduct ESL tutorial business’. Her study analyses tutorial openings and closings based on data from real-time dialogues involving native American English-speaking tutors and non-native speaker students. The focus of her research was to study the extent to which conversation participants’ vocal and non-vocal actions contributed to the co-construction of ESL discourse as a collaborative activity. Her study was based on the findings of other academics as well, showing the gaze patterns can be used to indicate commitment and engagement, to elicit or show recipiency, and to ensure a smooth flow of conversation. It can also be used to show disengagement, through a variety of mechanisms.
Her findings showed that in the coordination of talk (eg turn-taking), gaze and body orientation there was little difference between participants, though it might be expected since they were from different cultural backgrounds. This is significant because, she claims, that for two people to communicate effectively it is not sufficient, “and perhaps not even necessary” (p841), that they share the same grammar.