The topics you choose to study as you learn English will help you improve your language ability in very specific ways.  It is very helpful to choose topics that are interesting to you and are about subjects that are also helpful to you.  The important thing to remember is that when you choose esl topics is that you are choosing to learn specific vocabulary and language use patterns.

For example if you choose "Cooking" as your ESL language learning topic, you will learn cooking vocabulary of course, but also how people use that vocabulary, when they use it, and different grammar structures that are more commonly used with cooking.  If you chose a different language learning topic - say "Environmental Problems", you would find very quickly that the vocabulary used is not the same at all as with cooking, and in many cases how people use the language is different too.

So, for choosing ESL topics, stick with things are that interesting and important to you for most of your study, but always be sure to include topics that are new to you and perhaps not what you would usually choose to study.  Also, open your mind to new areas in each topic you study or teach in your ESL class.  As the saying goes, "think outside the box" when choosing your topics.  I'll give an example below.

A common topic studied in ESL classes is "Transportation".  Now you could stick with a standard set of lessons on types of transportation and parts of vehicles, or you could add in something like:

• changes in transportation
• new inventions in transportation
• why old-style transportation is better than new  styles
• impact of transportation on daily life
• impact of transportation on global economy
• influence of transportation on nature and the health of the earth
• How modern transportation systems changed our diets

All of these are good topics for an ESL class.  You would simply need to make them fit the level and interests of your classes.

Hopefully this has given you a few new ideas.  Here are some other ideas about ESL Topics

Eric

A really great way to practice your pronunciation and enunciation is something called shadow speaking.

This is when you listen to an audio of someone speaking and then repeat back what you hear as you are listening to it.  Usually your voice is about 1/2 a second behind the voice you are listening to.

When you do this, you should be recording your voice into a tape recorder or your computer with some good recording software like audacity.

Here iswhat you do.

1. get some short, clear audio of someone speaking or reading a text (do not use music)
2. start with something short (less than 1minute)
3. listen to the audio one time
4. then listen to the audio and repeat exactly what you hear as best you can.

• same speed
• same volume
• same pauses
• same intonation

It will be VERY hard the first few times you try this.  However it will get easier with just a little practice.  In the begining, start by trying to repeat only short phrases or sentences.  When you are comfortable, move onto longer sections.

Do some of this every week and you're speaking will improve greatly.

Eric

As the coordinator of a CALL (computer assisted language learning) Lab at a Canadian University I have had to review tons of software to determine what we will choose to roll out in our lab.  This is no simple task as there is a huge amount of ESL software available for teachers to use with their students who are learning English. 

Some of it is designed for classroom or computer lab use while other software titles are intended for self-study. When you are reviewing software to use in your langauge learning programs, you will need to assess it in terms of what you need, your teaching/learning style and philosophy, and what you want the software to do for you and your ESL/EFL students.

Here are some of the key things that you may want to keep in mind when deciding on purchasing language learning software either for a lab, or for personal use by ESL / EFL students on their own computers.

These are not listed in any real order of importance, and keep in mind that I work in a CALL lab in a university program that focuses on academic English preparation for students entering directly into normal university level classes.  Your situation will probably be different.

Price - This is always an important consideration, but only in terms of the other items we'll discuss below.  Just keep in mind that the best software isn't always the most expensive.  In our lab, the most heavily used software was free, open source software that wasn't even designed for ESL use, but it works like a dream for what our language students need.

Appropriateness - Some software is best for kids & public school levels, and other ESL software is better suited for university level students.  Some software tries to do both!  Review the content and see just how appropriate it is for the students you work with.

Relevance - Just how relevant is the software and the content of the software to what you and your ESL students are trying to learn? Do the themes match?  Are the language skills the ones that you and your students are working on?  Is it too hard or too easy for your average student?

Originality - How original is the content. This is perhaps less important overall, but if the content is all recycled/non-original, there can be a very high boredom factor.

Real English or "Made for ESL" English - This is always a source of discussion and occasional controversy.  I tend to be more towards Real English vs. made for ESL content.  You need to make the choice that is most comfortable for you, but in reviewing several hundred ESL software titles, I can assure you there there is a LOT of REALLY BAD and REALLY unnatural English included in a lot of language learning software packages.  Auralog's "Tell me More" is one of these.

Extendable or not? - Can new materials be added to the software?  Does the publisher add new content that you can add into the system? Can you create/modify content and add it to the software?  Software like Rosetta Stone is horribly static, while much of the ESL software from Clarity (e.g. tensebuster) is completely authorable so you or your students can create and add in new language learning units at any time.

Repeatable or not? - A great deal of language learning software really ends up being single use software.  Once a student has done the exercises in section one, there is little benefit in repeating them since they will be shown the exact same material in the same order as their first time through.  This is not 100% bad. There are some very good langauge learning software packages out there - Pronunciation Power for example- that have essentially static content, but still give good levels of practice.

Connection to other ESL materials you use (texts, themes etc.) - Increasingly ESL grammar, reading, speaking/listening texts also have CDs included with additional materials students can use.  Some for example Focus on Grammar, have complete multimedia packages that you can buy that complement and supplement the content in the text.  Beyond this, make sure that the materials provided in the software match or are at least comlimentary to what you are teaching.

System compatibility - This is VERY important.  Many language learning programs come if several flavours - single install, workstation, lab, server based.  Then you need to consider the computers that will run the software - is your lab set up the same way as the software developers?  We run a fully networked lab with 22 machines - however all the machines run as individual workstations.  How is your lab set up?  Be sure to chat with your IT department before spending $5,000+ on the 'wrong' version, and be sure to check with the publisher for their return and exchange policy if you can't get the software working.

There are probably a number of other issues that are relevant to your specific situation.  Just go into your software research and purchasing with your eyes wide open and a clear idea of what it is that you need the software to do for you and your language students and you'll be in a good place to make more informed choices.

Cheers,

Eric

A great way to improve overall English listening ability is through activities that require active listening.

What I mean by this is getting yourself or your students into situations where they have to actively work with and use the language that they are listening to in order to complete the communication process.

This needs at least 2 participants

should involve multiple interactions

Interactions should be 'free' not staged.  When I say staged, I mean not scripted dialogs, although some contextual staging can be useful.  The participants should be free to respond and interact as they think is right and as they are able to at their current level of ability.

Listening & Speaking

There are as many options here as you can think of ranging from completely controlled (structured dialogs) to completely free group tasks.  In all cases activities of this kind should try to require a student to do both listen and respond by speaking.

Structured Listening

Structured listening/speaking activites can be quite good.  In such cases the interaction is controlled or limited in some way.  Perhaps by requiring answers to specific questions, having very specific expectations of the activitiy (e.g. interview your homestay about their job), or working in a specific context (do a skit about ordering pizza over the phone).

This kind of listening helps keep a student's focus and gives them boundaries within which they can work.  This will ideally help reduce some stress.

Unstructured Listening

These situations tend to develop out of task based activities where people must work together to accomplish a specific task.

These activities can be a simple as group discussions, organized 'mini-debates', or more complicated and involved like developing original skits and plays, or doing partner presentations. 

The value of these activities is that a student needs to be able to adjust and respond to an always changing situation.  They are not predictable and force students to call on their abilities spontaneously.

Listening & Writing

Regardless of how, responding to what  you hear is important. This can, and should be done in writing as well by speaking.

As a teacher, encourage your students to keep simple journals that they regularly write in as a way of developing their overall langauge ability.  5 - 10 minutes 3-5 times/week will make a huge difference in a students overall writing fluency as well as their overall comprehension of the langauge they are experiencing through reading and listening.

This does not to be anything special.  They just need to write in response to something that they read or listened to.  It can be a summary, an opinion, a feeling, personal comment, agreement, disagreement, whatever turns their crank.

The point is to take an opportunity to recycle and reuse the language they they have been hearing and a way that is relevant to them.

What they write about is in a way irrelevant.  It can be about a TV show or movie they just watched.  It could be about a conversation they had at a coffee shop with a friend.  It could be about how bad small town DJs are in the local bar scene.  The point it to integrate their daily listening experiences into their writing in order to reinforce the language.

Ok…enough of that.

Listen lots….listen actively…and English Listening Skills will improve.

Cheers,

Eric

The ESL Coach

How to improve my English Listening?

This question (or near question) is often asked by ESL students who are new in Canada (and of course any other English speaking country).

In many cases the speed of the the English they are now hearing is faster than greased lightening on a luge run and they just can't deal with it.  The accent and speed they are accustomed to from their teachers is nowhere to be found, and this leads to confusion, self-doubt.

So, as ESL teachers we get repeatedly asked the simple question "How to I improve my English listening ability?"

The answer to this question is a frustratingly simple 3 steps.

1. "Listen lots!"
2. "React to what you hear"
3. "Repeat!"

Do this regularly and listening comprehension will increase drammatically and quickly.

Ok….let's look at these in turn

Listen Lots

To improve your listening you need to listen to natural English lots…as much as you can.  Sure you can listen to ESL tapes and follow along with Made For English CDs, but these rarely match real langauge in terms of speed.  People learning English (or any langauge) need to get as much natural speed input as they can.

Great ways to do this include:

TV or radio news broadcasts, Net based audio (podcasts, audio files, video), joinging local clubs, volunteering, watching English movies, TV, going clubbing, starting a club.

React to what you hear

Listening isn't enough.  A student needs to react to what they have just listening to.  This reaction allow the communication to continue in its natural way.  The reaction is what allows a student to confirm that they heard correctly, understood correctly, and could respond appropriately to the situation.

Sometimes this is as simple as continuing a conversation by responding to a question or trying to elicit opinions/information/ideas on the topic.

Other times it may involve writing: summaries, opinions, diary entries, reviews can be used to respond to what you've heard.

Repeat

Really simple here.  Don't it once?  Great, now do it again…and again…and again on a regular schedule, in different situations and on different topics.   Listening well involves more than just understanding the words.  It involves understanding the contect (the place) and being able to understand the language being used in context.

In the end what really matters for improving English skills overall, not only English listening skills is practice and use.  Improving langauge skills always requires 2 acts  1) getting input  and 2) reacting to the input (output).  You need to get langauge into your brain and then you need to get the language out to be heard and read by others.

So, if you or your students want to improve English listening skills, just follow the three simple steps. 

Listen, Respond, Do it again.

Cheers,

Eric

The ESL Coach