Posts by Christopher Benum
WAESOL Conference 2017
WAESOL Conference 2017 What is WAESOL? WAESOL stands for Washington Association for the Education of Speakers of Other Languages, the professional organization for ESL and ELL instructors and related professionals in Washington State. WAESOL is the Washington State affiliate of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), its international, US-based counterpart. The…
Read MoreInternational students vs immigrants & refugees
Top eight differences between international students and immigrant and refugee students In the US, college students from outside of the country fall into two distinct categories: international students immigrant and refugee students These two groups of students have many differences. Some college courses include both types of students; however, when their English skills…
Read MoreTeaching English in Europe
Teaching English in Europe Opportunities for teaching English in Europe vary from country to country. One of the most important factors is the European Union. The European Union includes Portugal, Spain France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Greece, Hungary the Czech Republic, Slovakia and many other countries. These are called EU countries. Since…
Read MoreTeaching English Abroad
There are a lot of opportunities for teaching English abroad. Depending on the country and type of organization, foreign English teachers may have wide-ranging opportunities or they may be more pigeon-holed. For example, in many institutions in the Far East, foreign English teachers are assigned to teach “Oral English” courses, and local instructors teach English…
Read MoreTeaching ESL
Teaching ESL: You can teach ESL in English-speaking countries or teach ESL overseas. In the United States, teaching ESL falls most commonly into three very broad categories: Teaching kids and teenagers in levels K-12 Teaching immigrants and refugees Teaching international students Qualifications vary, depending on whether you would like to teach children or adults.…
Read MoreTeaching Pre-literate ESL
Teaching Pre-literate ESL courses is very different from teaching intermediate or advanced English learners. It can even be different from teaching beginning ESL. Pre-literate ESL students need to learn the alphabet, and distinguish between different shapes of the letters. Teaching Pre-literate ESL courses is most common in immigrant and refugee programs, which are offered by non-profit…
Read MoreTeaching ESL – Pronunciation Issues
Common pronunciation and sound distinction issues: Pronunciation issues also vary across different regions of the same country, across different age groups, and different learners. This is not an exhaustive list of pronunciation issues. Pronunciation Practice General Information about Communicating with Limited English Speakers Learn English b/p – example: bark/ park Somalia,…
Read MoreTeaching ESL 1. In general 2. Acronymns
Content for another page ESL Acronyms & Abbreviations Tips for teaching ESL Beginners and Preliterate Adults How to learn Vietnamese Teaching Beginning Beginners Teaching Beginning Beginners – Outline After posting #4, link to it from the WAESOL post. School of Teaching ESL Add the following to the Meta description: School of Teaching ESL,…
Read MoreTeaching Beginning ESL
Teaching Beginning ESL to Adults can be challenging. It is also necessary to help them progress to more intermediate and advanced stages of learning, job promotion, work opportunities and/or education. “Beginning ESL” refers to learners who have some knowledge of the Roman alphabet, and some level of vocabulary and writing. Classes for English learners who…
Read MoreHow to Learn Chinese
I dabbled in Chinese before I went to China. When I went to China, I hired a private tutor, found my own textbooks – with audio – and that’s when I really started to learn Chinese. Being a language instructor, I chose my own Chinese textbook and my own tutor. I found Chinese friends specifically…
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