Visual learning in the ESL classroom

In all facets of education, learning activities are designed to cater for and appeal to a variety of learning styles .In Fleming's VARK model, these styles are generalized into three main types: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. English language schools in Australia are no exception and try to employ every type of activity to meet the needs of their precious students. Vocabulary cards which are moved by hand to match with definitions or used to play games such as memory or snap are aimed at kinaesthetic learners, for example. Text book audio files, songs, dictation, etc. are geared toward our auditory friends. However, in what ways can English as a second language (ESL) teachers appeal to their visual learners?

For those who are not blessed enough to work in a modern Australian Language School, where we shamelessly use plasma TVs hooked up to a high-powered ultra-modern computer, one of your few tools is the white board. This is your bread and butter as an English language course teacher and as such, it is advisable to invest time and money into making the most of it. Purchasing white board markers of various colours is a good start. Solely using a black will quickly earn you the disrespect of all of your students. If you write illegibly, go back to primary school and learn how to print in a straight line. It's an Intensive General English class, not a hieroglyphs deciphering session (Bec Hungerford). It is useful for students to have a well-organised whiteboard. Date and name your board with a brief outline of the day's lesson on one side. On the other side, leave room for a list of new vocabulary items. Underline your subtitles and use bullet points as you would in a Powerpoint presentation. Too many words and clutter will only further the confusion reeked by your black pen monotony.

Art. Vincent Van Gogh said before he tragically cut his own ear off, 'If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.' One of the most hilarious and memorable things you can do for your students is to attempt to draw. "Teacher, what are gills?" Draw a sideways egg, draw a comb facing the bottom of the egg to form a tail, two side-by-side baked beans at the 'top' of the egg to form fish lips and then you are in a prime position to add 2 backwards Cs to illustrate gills (see attached image). When drawing, it's important not to take yourself seriously. Laugh at yourself if your picture is absolute garbage. Your students will thank you.

There are countless other ways to appeal to visual learners. Having a well-organised, colourful board and hand-drawn illustrations are two of the most basic. In closing, practice makes perfect and Vincent Van Gogh was probably not an auditory learner.

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You Need to Learn English to Enhance Your Travel Experience

I have been studying English for a while now  and I can say that the better my English has become, the more I enjoy traveling. I probably love to travel as much as you do. In fact, going to new places and meeting new people from different countries and cultures is one of the things I enjoy the most.  However, Iet me tell you that when you can’t speak English, it’s tough. It becomes a great limitation. Apart from making communication difficult, being unable to speak the language hinders you from getting where you want with ease, not to mention what you need when you get there. It was embarrassing for me when I sometimes did things in the wrong way just because I wasn’t able to seek assistance from locals due to the language barrier.

In most countries, English is the language most spoken even though it is not the native one. In fact, you can travel around the world and socialize with people everywhere if you can speak English. Generally, the advantages that come with learning this language for vacationers are many, valuable, and varied.

Why travel lovers should learn English?

English is the language most vacationers use with others. While traveling, you will likely spend most of your time connecting with other people on a bus, in a hotel, at airports, on the streets, and in other places. Most of those encountered are tourists who can communicate in this language such that socializing becomes more effective for you if you can speak it as well.

When speaking to visitors who speak English, immigration officers, hotel staff, taxi drivers, and others use it to communicate. If you can speak it yourself, you will not have any problems dealing with the locals. Therefore, if you are planning to visit a country where the native language is not the same as yours, it is advisable to learn English (at least the basics). Since it is an international language, you will most likely find someone who can speak it, making communicating much easier.

Advantages of learning English for travelers

If you understand and speak English, there are many advantages you will enjoy as a tourist:

• Ease of expressing yourself: Expressing yourself becomes easier everywhere you go. It is simple to ask for something and even explain what you want. For instance, if there are complications at the airport, you can easily clarify them. In the hotel, you can ask for food and specify your preferred room. English enables you to get what you want and the best value for your money.

• Making new friends becomes easier: When you can speak a common language, interacting with others becomes less challenging. English, for example, enables you to socialize with the locals in your tour destination and learn something about their lifestyle. This way, you will easily meet new people and establish relationships.

• It enhances confidence: When you know that you can easily express yourself and even make new friends, your confidence improves during travel. Since you hear what the locals are saying, and can even ask questions, you ensure your safety by avoiding dangerous places, for example. When you learn English, getting insight into other people, their lifestyles, and recommended tourist areas becomes easy, thus enhancing your confidence.

• Better experiences: Knowing the basics of the English language can assist you with every day pleasantries and crucial phrases frequently used while traveling. You are bound to have better experiences as anytime you go to a new place, you will need assistance from the locals. Even if they do not speak the language well, they most probably will understand the basics enough to assist you.

• Independence: Tours are great, but I personally prefer to organize my own experiences. I can go to the places I prefer and stay for as long as I want. Not all activities offered on tours are for me, and they are usually done in a rush. When my English was not good enough, I was restricted to such organized tours and I had to rely on the guides. Now that I can speak and understand English, I have the freedom to visit and explore places more independently.

As a universal language, English is often used in tourist areas. Thus, even if you do not have a local tour guide, you will not have any problems getting to the attractions you want to visit.  By reading signs, you can also book accommodations and obtain other services in a foreign country without hiring a tour guide. This will save you money since hiring a tour guide can be costly in some regions. In addition, when you can speak a universal language, even bargaining for products and services becomes possible. This will not be the case if you do not speak English.

You learn more in a foreign country when you speak English

Perhaps there are things you have always wondered about life in a foreign country. When you learn English, understanding the local culture becomes easier because you can interact more effectively and make enquiries. As a traveler inquisitive about different cultures, you no doubt want to learn new things.

Generally speaking, there are many reasons for and advantages of learning English as a tourist. The most important point of all is that when you learn English, you are able to travel in a more straightforward manner on your own and overcome the major difficulties and challenges that face those who do not speak it well or at all.

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12 Writing Tips for Legal English

Here at the Atlei School of English we teach a range of specialist courses in Legal English. I’ve just finished teaching English for Commercial Lawyers course, which includes writing advice and practice, plus language feedback not only from an experienced English language trainer but also from a qualified lawyer from a respected law firm. 

Here are our 12 Top Tips for writing legal English, with thanks to our visiting lawyers and course participants:

1)  As with all writing, think about your audience – writing to another lawyer will be very different to writing to a client who is a layperson.
 
2)   If you’re aiming for clarity in your writing, then the Plain English campaign has two excellent writing guides.  The A to Z of alternative words gives you the ‘plain English’ versions of more formal words.  Of course, this could also help you to formalize your English if it’s too informal.  Again, the key is knowing what’s appropriate:

The A to Z to alternative words (PDF)
More specifically, The A to Z guide to legal phrases (PDF) gives clear definitions of many English legal words and expressions.

3)  Clarity will help you to avoid ambiguity and grey areas.  A funny example of ambiguity from criminal law is the newspaper headline ‘Juvenile court to try shooting defendant’.  In legal 

English ‘try’ means ‘put on trial’, but the meaning in general English is ‘attempt’, which would mean that the court tried to shoot the defendant who was on trial! 

4)  Use layout and punctuation to clarify things, for example in a contract, number each clause and give it an underlined heading.  Use sub-clauses where necessary.

5)  Use the active voice to make it clear who should do what, such as ‘The seller shall deliver the goods’, rather than ‘the goods shall be delivered.’

6)  Be aware of words which have different meanings in general and legal English.  For example, in the sentence above, ‘The seller shall deliver the goods’, ‘shall’ means ‘must’, whereas in general English it’s used to make suggestions, such as ‘Shall we go to the pub?’
 
7)  Be careful with numbers; to avoid confusion, always write them in words as well as figures.  For instance, in English, £100.00 is one hundred pounds, not ten thousand pounds; a difference of nine thousand, nine hundred pounds!

8)  Similarly, dates should be written in words.  This date, 1/4/2015, is 1^st April 2015 in British English but 4^th January in US English.

9)  Don’t (do not) use contractions in formal legal writing.

10)  Legal English still uses a lot of formal adverbs of reference such as ‘herein’ to mean ‘in this document.’  While they can cause difficulties for the lay reader, when used correctly these adverbs help the reader to navigate the text.

11)  Get a good legal dictionary.  I recommend the Oxford Dictionary of Law

12)  Be accurate – a lawyer’s language is their tool.  Use the Spelling and Grammar tool and proofread everything!

I hope this advice is useful and whether you’re a lawyer or a layperson we’d love to hear your comments and tips on writing legal English!

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