Showing posts with label Intensive english language center in atlanta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Intensive english language center in atlanta. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

How to learn English quickly









Here are some tips on how to learn English quickly :

Find out what your learning style is. Are you an eye learner (or visual)? Then you learn best by seeing words written down, taking notes and making mind maps. Are you an ear learner (or auditory)? Then repeating new words aloud, talking things through with a teacher or other student and telling stories will help you learn. Are you a body learner (or kinesthetic)? Then you can do role plays, move around while learning things and can learn by writing and rewriting edited drafts. You may also use a mixture of these styles. English language courses in Atlanta usually tend to focus on different style in different lessons or in different parts of lessons.

Think about how you can integrate newly learnt skills together. For example, you may have been watching TV and written down a couple of new words or a phrase that you heard. Try to use them again as quickly as possible either in conversation, in an email or in a writing exercise in class. Keep practising the new language until you get the context and pronunciation right. Think of yourself as a scientist, testing and retesting!

Use the resources around you every day. Just a simple walk down the street can be a great lesson. Look at all the signs, eavesdrop on all the conversations on the bus and train, and ask every shop assistant lots of questions about their products. TV is a great medium, especially soapies where the stores are quite simple and you’ll learn lots of local slang. The Internet is an amazing resource so if you can find a site related to one of your interests, you can read new vocabulary, natural grammar, listen to native speakers and maybe even chat with people who have the same interests. Remember that English language schools are not the only places where you can learn English. When you learn English in Atlanta, English is around you all day.

Finally, the most important aspect to learning English quickly in Atlanta is your attitude. The trick is to have fun learning but have the serious intention to learn. Studying English in Atlanta is sure to be one of your best memories for the rest of your life. Be strong but flexible enough to make mistakes as sometimes it feels like you are back being a child! English language schools will help you do this. Learn to express your ideas and feelings and remember everyone has to right to their point of view since the ability to listen is an equally important part of the communication equation. This is an expectation once you reach higher level English language courses. Finally, remain optimistic and keep your eye on your long term goal – you will have forgotten any small problems when you have your dream job or are communicating easily with travellers on your next holiday.

Monday, 14 December 2015

How to Expand Your English Vocabulary




I often see students writing long lists of unrelated words in their notebooks as they try desperately to expand their English vocabulary but is this really the best way?
A list of words with a translation is a good start but how many of them will you be able to memorize and then use effectively or correctly?
As you come across new words, a list is good but there are a few things you can do to make your list more effective. Firstly, you should categorize your words. Group your words together in themes or words that have something in common. Once in groups, draw a picture for each word along with a definition and example sentence. Research shows that having a visual cue for a word will increase your memory of that word. It also acts as a good tool for revision when you revisit your list and want to test your knowledge by looking only at the pictures.
You can then extend your lists by finding other words associated with each word. Write your word and add a list of associated words around it. You could even make a picture out of them, again creating a visual. Extend this even further by adding collocations ( words that usually ‘go together’), antonyms and synonyms. Word formation charts can also be used to learn all forms of your new word.
Today there are so many applications on all our devices that we have word games, stories, and word puzzles at our fingertips. We can download a huge variety of books which is the best way to expand vocabulary whether you are a native speaker or ESL student.
I found through my own personal language studies that some cards in my pocket with my new words for the week were a great way to revise set words for class or a test. If you’re sitting at a bus stop, you can easily grab your cards for a quick revision. Labeling things with sticky notes is also a goody but a house covered in labels may not be acceptable to your room mates.
At the end of the day, the best way to learn new words is to read. There are so many texts available to us. Go and get lost in a book. Learning new words can be fun.

“A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one.”


Friday, 30 October 2015

The Very Best Teachers Is Our Policy And Our Practice

Our students can expect teachers who are both professional and experienced. All our ESL instructors are native speakers of English. Our minimum requirement for teachers is 2-3 years teaching experience, relevant baccalaureate degree, and a TESOL certificate. However, the average number of years of teaching experience is much higher and the majority of our faculty members have advanced degrees.

 
Adding to our qualifications, teachers and staff regularly participate in AEI’s professional development program. By having continuing education as a requirement, we aim to keep both staff and instructors abreast of the latest research and practices relevant to their field.

Within the framework of AEI's curriculum and standards, instructors have liberty to creatively develop lesson plans. They are encouraged to master their discipline and incorporate the latest implement technologies and methodologies in ways that best suit the courses and students.

Oversight Committee

AEI’s oversight committee reviews budgets and provides feedback on major administrative plans and projects. The committee is composed of the Directors of each of AEI’s major departments.

Ms. Julie ResslerMs. Julie Ressler, School Director

Julie Ressler founded the Atlanta English Institute (AEI) in 1993. AEI has a reputation for providing superior English instruction to international students from all over the world. Julie has served as Admissions Officer, Director of School, and Dean of Students. She provides high-quality counseling and guidance to non-native English speaking students. As an administrator, she is considered to be both caring and detail oriented.

Julie presented her work, “A Holistic Approach to English Grammar”, at the Southeast TESOL Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, fall 2004. As a highly experienced English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor, she has successfully taught beginner through advanced levels of grammar with a holistic approach. Her earlier accomplishments include teaching ESL overseas and in the U.S., highlighted by three years on Atlanta Radio Korea, a daily live morning show. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and Linguistics, from Ho Nam University in South Korea.

Barbara J. RobertsMs. Barbara Roberts, Dean of Students

As Dean of Students at AEI, Barbara Roberts brings more than forty years of experience as an English as a Second Language educator, trainer and Licensed Professional Therapist (LPC). Her combined knowledge allows her to address cultural adjustment issues and ESL program management in order to best serve students.

She began her career teaching ESL in New Jersey where her professional work included ESL curriculum development and instruction for multi-level classes. She conducted programs for corporate and multi-lingual senior citizen communities. Barbara taught test preparation courses for college students taking the TOEFL test. She developed and conducted ESL teacher training programs for the Parsippany Board of Education in New Jersey. Additionally, she developed curriculum and supervised teachers for Amnesty International. Her ESL work includes private tutoring.

Barbara’s work in the field of psychotherapy spans community outreach to private practice, with a focus on adult individual, couple, and family therapy. She has expertise in counseling multi-cultural clients, and group therapy. She has conducted seminars for various communities on child abuse awareness and prevention and various other topics. She has been a supervisor for therapists preparing for the licensing exam. Barbara has been a Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association (APA) and a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) since 1991.

Barbara served as Assistant Director to the Office of Family Concerns, at the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. There she recruited and managed teams of volunteers and professionals. She developed, implemented, and supervised programs for marriage preparation and enrichment. Barbara offered psycho-educational workshops, for pastors and deacons, covering a variety of mental health issues. Additionally she facilitated administration and interpretation of bi-lingual, personality assessment tools.

She received her ESL teaching certification while doing post-graduate work in linguistics and holds an MS in Counseling/Psychology.
Mr. Ray SweatmanMr. Ray Sweatman, Director of Academic Affairs
Mr. Sweatman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been teaching ESL for over 20 years. He has taught in Los Angeles, Saudi Arabia and for the past eight years at A.E.I. He has also taught Humanities at the College level and is a member of TESOL. He enjoys teaching, inspiring, encouraging and helping others. He holds two degrees, one a MFA from Columbia University and the other an ABJ from the University of Georgia.

Shaheena Abdul Sultan, Director of Operations

Ms. Shaheena Sultan began her administrative work at AEI in 2010. Her previous professional career provided her with the expertise to serve in the position of United States Medical License Exam (USMLE) Coordinator. Ms. Shaheena’s study in Pakistan in the field of medicine, and her experiences as health educator, clinician, clinical supervisor, and administrator bring combined knowledge and management skills to best serve AEI in the school’s Operations. Currently she is working as Director of Operations. With her vast experience at AEI Shaheena has participated in the school’s accreditation process by assisting in data collection, compilation of documents, and multiple other tasks to support the effort.

In her professional career in Pakistan she has been a member of College of Physicians and Surgeons since 2002. She is a life member of College of Family Medicine, Pakistan as well as World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) since 2005. She is certified by the American Heart Association and Federal Emergency Management Agency for Disaster Management and Community Emergency Response Teams.

Ms. Shaheena has provided not only the willingness and dedication to do whatever it takes, but also she has demonstrated support and motivation to promote maximum performance while working at AEI.

Mr. Syed Ahsan RazaMr. Syed Ahsan Raza, Senior Accountant

Mr. Raza has more than thirty years of “Auditing and Accounting” experience. His expertise allows him to address auditing, accounting and budgeting matters for AEI. He holds three Master’s degrees in the fields of Economics, Business Administration and History. He also has numerous other professional certificates.

He began his career as “Senior Auditor” in a Pakistan Audit Department. He served the Audit Department as Accountant, Audit Officer, and officer in charge of several Audit and Inspection teams. His expertise includes budgeting, bookkeeping, tax consultancy and auditing. He has audited a large number of government, semi-government, private and autonomous entities in Pakistan.

He has been at AEI since 2007 and is currently working as the Senior Accountant in the Department of Accounting and Finance.


Friday, 23 October 2015

AEI’s Story


Executive Institutional Summary

http://www.atlei.com/

The Atlanta English Institute was founded on February 15, 1993 by Julie Ressler, an immigrant to the United States, with three initial instructors, including Ms. Ressler. It was, and continues to be, a single-campus school. The school aimed to serve the local, non-native population, offering intensive ESL and test preparation courses to adult learners.

Natural incremental growth and improvement have occurred since the school’s inception in all areas including student population, faculty and staff, academics, and administration. In 1998, the school shifted its main appeal and orientation from Korean students to all non-native speakers. To date, approximately 20,000 students from hundreds of different countries have been served.

From 1998-2001, the school worked continuously on a systematic IEP curriculum, culminating in the adoption of a complete set of standards across all dimensions of IEP study (including reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, and, where appropriate, pronunciation). This process included and was based on an exhaustive review of national standards for high school English equivalency. In 2010, this curriculum underwent a significant updating/revision process, though an accuracy-oriented and academic-oriented spirit of the original curriculum still remains. In 2012-2013, Curriculum Standards and Learning Outcomes were sharpened and refined across all programs.

As a major turning point in the school’s development, in 1999 AEI was authorized by the U.S. government to enroll non-immigrant students (i.e., to facilitate obtaining student visas). In 2003, the school was awarded its first accreditation by SACS, which it has solidly maintained since.

Around this time, the mission of the school was precisely expressed: “To educate learners in a nurturing environment that models integrity and excellence.“ While the school has consistently developed and sought higher peaks to climb, this mission statement continues to articulate and encapsulate the central aim of AEI. Though it has undergone close and conscious scrutiny and revisions in subsequent years, culminating in the latest in 2012, it remains today still very close to the original expression: “The Atlanta English Institute (AEI) provides intensive English instruction, Test Preparation, and private tutoring to non-native speakers from beginner to those seeking mastery. The school aims to build solid academic foundations and foster communication, as well as the skills and knowledge to achieve personal, professional and academic success. AEI does this through the context of a nurturing environment which models integrity and excellence.“

AEI is a stand-alone private language training school. All our faculty members are part-time employees whose average work load is around 20 hours per week. We require native speakers with a minimum of 2-3 years of experience teaching ESL and a Bachelor’s degree in TESOL, English or a related field. However, in practice, the majority of our instructors have a higher degree and average over 10 years of direct ESL experience. All employees have the required education, experience and/or training, and commitment necessary to fulfill the mission of the school.

Our programs include Intensive English Program (IEP, Levels 1-7) and Test Preparation (TOEFL 1 and 2, GRE/GMAT Verbal and Math 1, GMAT Verbal and Math 2, and USMLE). All programs are primarily academic in nature, with the IEP providing the foundation for more advanced academic studies. Test Prep focuses on providing the skills and strategies necessary for increasing particular scores. Students must score higher than Level 7 on the placement test in order to gain entry into the Test Prep program. All sessions are eight weeks.

Our Student Services include:


  • Counseling/Advising (Academic, Visa, etc.)
  • Administrative Requests (Travel, Driver’s License, etc.)
  • Shuttle (to and from Transit station)
  • Student Life Activities (School Outings, Special Events, etc.)
  • Student Identification Cards
  • Library Access
  • Quiet Study Rooms
  • Computer Lab (Internet, Software, etc.)
  • Wireless Internet
  • Referrals (Housing, Health Insurance, etc.)
  • Orientation
  • Website (AEI blog/Twitter/Facebook)
  • ESL and non-ESL newspapers

Administration includes the Oversight Committee (Department Heads, School Director and Founder) and Department Heads (Director of Operations, Director of Academic Affairs, Dean of Students and Senior Accountant). Our departments consist of Operations, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Accounting and Finance. Department Heads work full-time, hold higher degrees and have decades of experience.

AEI’s key strength is our mission. We take it very seriously and are dedicated to providing a nurturing environment that models excellence and integrity, where students can flourish and reach their personal, educational and professional goals from the academic foundations of our IEP program to the particular demands of preparing for college-entry exams.

The school’s teacher-to-student ratio is 1:12, allowing for a nurturing environment where individual educational needs can be addressed. AEI will even open a class with as few as two students. Maximum class sizes are 12 and the average class size is six.

AEI was awarded accreditation by the Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA) in 2013.