TOEFL or IELTS?

A lot of my students have asked me if they should take the TOEFL or the IELTS test as they are planning on studying abroad.

There are two main English language tests accepted by universities around the world, IELTS(International English Language Testing Service) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). But the big question that faces students is; which one is better?

Here are some good points I found on this website about both, and their differences. 

If you are applying to university in an English speaking country and English is not your first language, your institution may require you to take a standardised test.

The similarities

Both are English language tests aimed at pre-university students planning to make the step to higher education. Both evaluate how well you can combine your listening, reading, writing and speaking skills.

 

The differences

Although both tests ostensibly focus on the same thing, they do so in different ways, which is why so many students want to know which is better (and even more commonly, which is easier). One of the main differences is the speaking part of the test. For IELTS you are required to take this with an IELTS examiner face to face. For TOEFL the speaking test consists of six questions which you answer into a microphone. These are recorded and sent to an examiner to mark.

The scoring system is also different, with IELTS rating between 0 and 9, with halfway points in between. TOEFL gives a more numerical SAT-type grade, totalling your scores from all the areas. This gives an insight into another key difference. TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service, a non-profit US based organisation, and conducts its test according to US English. IELTS is administered jointly by the British Council, the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and IDP Education Australia, and conducts its test in UK English. While the differences are not as great as some assume, accents and spelling variations can cause a problem for some students.

So which is better?

The answer really depends on you; what kind of learner you are and where you want to study. The question of which is easier is largely irrelevant as both tests will grade you accurately according to your level of English. TOEFL may tend to favour more abstract learners as many of the questions are multiple choice whereas IELTS may be more suited to concrete learners as it involves memory recall. The face to face speaking section of the IELTS may be daunting to some candidates who would be more comfortable speaking into a microphone.

Finally, it may be necessary to check that your chosen institution accepts the test. Although both are accepted at more than 6,000 institutions and organisations worldwide, so there is a fairly good chance you will be able to use either, it is always necessary to check beforehand.

Here is a Toefl Practice test Online I found which can help you see if you are prepared or not for the test.

Here are some test samples for the IELTS test.  

I hope you found this information useful! 

Have a great weekend.

Sleepwalker-River Of Love feat.Bembe Segue

To Luciano and Camila - One more to go kids!

Making small talk

As a teacher I often need to make small talk with my students as we are either waiting for other students to arrive, or we have some time to kill. According to the Urban Dictionary, small talk is a "Useless and unnecessary conversation attempted to fill the silence in an awkward situation. Commonly backfires into feelings of loneliness and social discomfort". I can´t say that I agree with this definition as I find these talks often quite enjoyable and it gives me an opportunity to get to know my students better. 

My fellow teacher Luciano taught a class this week on small talk and he came across this funny video about the origin of small talk:

Here are some tips I found from this website about how to make small talk (more tips on the website!)

• Comment on a topic common to both of you at the moment: the food, the room, the occasion, the weather (yes, talking about the weather is a cliché, but it works). “How do you know our host?” “What brings you to this event?” However, keep it on the positive side! Unless you can be hilariously funny, the first time you meet a person isn’t a good time to complain.

• Comment on a topic of general interest. A friend scans Google News right before he goes anywhere where he needs to make small talk, so he can say, “Did you hear that Jeff Bezos is buying The Washington Post?” or whatever.

• Ask a question that people can answer as they please. My favorite question is: “What’s keeping you busy these days?” It’s useful because it allows people to choose their focus (work, volunteer, family, hobby, etc.). 

• Ask open questions that cannot be answered with a single word.

I hope you found these tips useful and don´t feel as uncomfortable next time you need to make small talk.

As I will not write again until after Christmas I´d like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Take care now!

Learning English through music

I´ve often been amazed at my students’ who´ve learned English simply by listening to music. Some of these students are musicians, others simply love music and have spent hours listening to their favorite songs and writing down the lyrics. I actually did this myself when I was 15 years old and back then we didn´t have CD players so I had to be rewind the cassette over and over again! The first song I wrote down was "Gangsta Paradise" and as I came to school that day with the lyrics I was immediately asked to make copies for all my classmates as we sat there and sang instead of studying. Good times! After that, I started writing down lyrics to Eminem´s songs, which was a bit more of a challenge, but it definitely helped me improve my listening skills. 

I remember when I lived in California and heard the great Brazilian musician Jorge Ben for the first time. Of course I fell in love with his music but I couldn´t understand a word he was saying, since I didn´t speak any Portuguese at the time. I remember how happy I was when I listened to the same songs after living here for some time, and I could finally understand their meaning. Not only did I like the songs more, but I also gave more value to the artist because I found his lyrics so beautiful and deep. Now I can actually sing along and understand the meaning behind the songs better.

There is a website that I´ve used several times with my students and has turned many of my classes into a game or a competition. This website is useful for listening exercise and can be used to practice spelling.

Try it out! I promise you´ll have fun. Just choose your favorite band and see what song options they offer. 

Now choose your level (they have three) - Beginner - Intermediate - Expert.

I would only recommend the expert level if you know the song by heart because you have to fill in all the words! It´s very difficult actually! My hands were aching after I played the song "Love The Way You Lie" - I had to type super-fast for the song not to stop. 

So put that CD on and start singing along!

Have fun!

The ''Joke''ular Tense?

Sitting in a cold air-conditioned office waiting for some inspiration to strike, when in walks a certain colleague armed with a joke.  Then poof an epiphany!  It wasn`t the joke – it wasn`t that funny, but the idea of telling a joke or recounting an anecdote and one`s ability to pull it off in another language is a good barometer of fluency.  Now that`s not suggesting that my colleague is not fluent, because he is – he`s just not that funny.  For my part, it might be some time before I reach that level in my Portuguese - to pull it off effectively, the art of telling a good joke.

 

When we tell a joke or recount a story we often use the Historic Past or Jocular Tense – I know, one more tense all of you need to learn.  We see evidence of it everywhere, yet some in literary circles deride it suggesting the tense is a crutch and, that we should avoid using it – I disagree.

 

Digging a little, I found out more about the historical present, which then led me to one of the fundamental uses of the tense – in telling jokes or stories.  Moreover, who doesn`t love to tell a story.

Here`s one I found

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.
"Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"Well, I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."  Get it? No?  The panda walks in, orders, eats, and draws a gun, then shoots and leaves… Now? I mean, It would have sounded weird had it gone, "a panda walked into a bar and ordered a sandwich, shot some people and left.”

Interestingly that's not how all languages work. In scanning through a few joke websites, I found that conventions vary.  Take this joke in Portuguese, which sets the scene in the imperfect (a tense used for continuous or repeated actions in the past), before switching to the jocular present:

Um homem estava com a família visitando o zoológico, quando chega um funcionário todo afobado e diz:
— Senhor, senhor!
O homem responde:
— O que foi? Qual é o problema?
— Uma desgraça! Sua sogra caiu no poço dos jacarés.
O homem, na maior calma, diz para o funcionário:
— Não quero nem saber! Vocês é que tratem de salvar os jacarés.

This is all to say that there is a certain math behind the science of delivering a joke, something to most native speakers comes naturally, and for those who are not, something that becomes a lifelong study.  I know for me it will take at least a few more years before I get to that level of fluency in Portuguese, but I am encouraged that I am getting closer.  Perhaps a similar goal should be adopted by students of a second language to map your own fluency for 2014 and beyond.

Common mistakes Brazilian English learners make...

We´ve been posting these short videos on our Facebook page about some common mistakes made by students starting the English learning process.
I´ve been teaching English now for 5 years Recife so I already have my list ready of these common errors, and here it goes.

Can you spot the mistake? (check after!)

1. I have 33 years old.
2. I went to the beach with your father (student telling me what he/she did)
3. I go to Gravata last weekend.
4. You are hungry.
5. I have small friends.

Did you spot the mistake?

Of course it´s hard for beginners not to make these mistakes, who doesn't make mistakes learning a new language!

The first one is a direct translation from Portuguese (eu tenho 33 anos) so it´s natural for our students to say "I have x years".  The correct way is to say "I am 33" or "I am 33 years old".

Another one is when my students say that they spent time with someone from my family. They´ll say that they went to the beach with "YOUR" father - obviously here they want to say "HER" father or "HIS" father, but the problem here is that in Portuguese you have "seu" and "sua", and this can both mean "your" or "his/her". The other day my student wanted to tell me that she went to her mom´s room but instead said she had gone to "my" room - good thing I cleaned before she looked in there!

Number 3 is a common mistake for beginners. Of course the student wants to say "went", using the past. Don´t really know why this mistakes happens so often since even in Portuguese you wouldn´t use the present to talk about the past. I guess nervousness just really kicks in sometimes and our mind goes blank. It used to happen to me all the time when I was first learning Portuguese.

Number 4 is a question turned affirmative. In Portuguese the affirmative and interrogative sentences are the same; "Você está com fome". (affirmative) and "Você está com fome"? (interrogative). This happens also with the verb "Can" as sometimes my teenagers would say "I can go to the bathroom" instead of "Can I go to the bathroom"?.

"I have small friends" always brings a smile to my face because I picture my student´s friends being really tiny, like elves even. The student, in this case, wants to say that he or she doesn´t have many friends. The correct way would be to say "I have few friends" or "I have a few friends".

I hope this blog was useful to you!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Keeping it Simple

OK so I may not be someone’s first choice at following this header, as most people who know me would attest.  In fact, they might say that I am the quintessential big word user out there.  Of course I would vehemently disagree with such outlandish categorization – I mean truly, how absurd!  Seriously though, ‘’Keeping it simple’’ seems like an easy enough concept, but why would anyone adopt it, when making language hard is so easy – and more fun. Right?

How many times have we heard an obscure and occasional long word and couldn`t wait to flex our mental fortitude in conversation and like a seasoned DJ drop it at the right time.  Most of us, right?  Be honest.  That’s what I thought.  Using the chosen word in conversation and getting away with a possible error is sometimes excusable and in most cases not even noticed, but writing it, and getting away with an error is a whole different situation.  The trap exists among native speakers (I`ve probably sprung a few in this blog), but there are some learners who seem to fall into this trap too, albeit for different reasons. 

Its interesting reflecting on the reasons why we tend to use big words occasionally – to seem more intelligent comes to mind. However, for someone learning English as a second language the lure to use large words seems too large to pass up.  Perhaps it’s the innate sense that when you speak a different language you change your personality however slight – and hence when you use a big word you are no longer Jair, you`re actually Joey.  But then again, if you were Joey and you had to write the word in a sentence you would likely spell the big word wrong or completely misguide the reader – and this character (Friends) is a native. 

Writing for a non-native has to start with the above premise, ``Keep it simple``.  Getting your thoughts across in a way that limits misunderstanding is key in not only the business world, but also the world in general.  Remember clarity in writing usually follows clarity of thought.  Along with the avoidance of using big words, avoid using several words to explain simple actions.  Try to adopt the rule that if you can cut it out, cut it.  Less is more and quality is better than quantity and as a bonus, it limits how much reading there is for the reader – nice since, no one likes long emails.  Pretty sure blogs posts are different though.

What does marriage have to do with teaching?

After considering whether or not to publish this perhaps exceedingly emotional post, I've decided to trust my co-workers' opinions and just do it. Maybe it's my wedding approaching. Or maybe it was the Monday effect. Or both. Anyway, here it goes:

I’ll start today’s post talking about my wedding. I know it might seem a little bit out of space, but it will make sense. Hopefully!

As part of the religious ceremony for the big day, there have been a series of pre-wedding steps. As I didn’t attend the first communion course that many Brazilians go through in Elementary school, I had to take a one-to-one intensive for adults with the deacon of the church we’ve chosen to get married at.

I didn’t imagine I would come out with such positive and deep impressions about this course, to be very honest. The Friday night encounters did not appeal to me as a perfect way to kick off the weekend, but it turned out to be really interesting.

The deacon managed to find very rather meaningful words throughout the course. During the last encounter, he came out with this one: “nobody gets married to be happy. You get married to make the other one happy, and vice-versa, of course”. So, in other words, you do get married to be happy, but in a sense it seems that your happiness is on the hands of your partner, and that by keeping her/him happy, you should find your own happiness. Beautifully put, in my opinion.

It didn’t take much for me to start drawing parallels with my career as a teacher. For each and every lesson, at least for me, there is only one reason: make students happy. Not saying that I’ll be telling jokes for two hours straight, but us teachers make students happy by entertaining them, by bringing interesting topics or using students’ lives as themes, by engaging them in the lesson, by getting them to participate and communicate in class, and of course, by teaching them something. And why not, by inspiring them! That’s a pretty happy feeling at the end of a lesson, isn’t it? Interact, talk, be active and participative, feel inspired and learn something new.

It’s a soothing and pleasing feeling this one that you work to make other people happy. I certainly think it’s a inspiring perspective from which to look at teaching.

And looking ahead to my wedding, I figure that I’ll be making it official that I want to keep doing whatever I can to make the most important person in my life happy. It just hadn’t occurred to me until now that, in a distinct yet comparable way, I have been married with my profession for a while now.

It might sound excessively romantic and naïve, or maybe that’s how people feel right before getting married, I don’t know. Still, it is quite an inspiring and special feeling to look at myself right now as someone who wants to find happiness through making other people happy.

Speaking on the phone in another language

Rrrrrring ring!

Speaking in general in another language is not easy if you haven´t gotten much practice. Now imagine speaking on the phone...

And on top of insecurity we often have some common technical problems, like bad connection, noise in the background or we might be talking to a person who doesn´t speak very clearly. 

I remember when I moved to California in 2004 and I had to talk to people on the phone. I spoke English fluently and had no problems with the language.. Or so I thought! I quickly realized that it´s one thing talking face to face with a person but when it comes to talking to someone on the phone I was a bit lost at the beginning! It almost seems like people speak even faster for some reason when they´re on the phone. Actually I can imagine why because I myself don´t like this kind of communication. I prefer talking to people face to face because I like to see how they´re feeling and it´s a fact that people can´t hide their emotions when you can see their face. It took me a few times on the phone to get used to this. I even got nervous the first time I ordered a pizza because the lady on the phone asked me millions of questions that I had never been asked before in English and I couldn´t understand some of them and on top of all that I really don´t like having to say "What" or "Could you repeat that please" a thousand times.. 

But that´s how you learn.. You can ask the person to speak more slowly, to repeat his/her question, to spell for you ("a" as in "apple")and most importantly, don´t say you´ve understood something if you haven´t! This can create a huge misunderstanding! 

I have a class with two wonderful students who suffered two long classes with me training them how to leave and receive messages. 

We created a script and I recorded them calling each other from two separate rooms. 

It wasn´t easy at first but with practice they started looking like professional secretaries. 

The conversation takes place between a secretary who works for Krubb Interior Designs and a Mrs. Griswold looking for a Mrs. Jenkins. 

Secretary: Good morning. Krubb Interior Designs. Can I help you?

Mrs. Griswold: Yes. This is Tanya Griswold. I´m calling for Mrs. Jenkins. 

Secretary: Mrs. Jenkins is away from her desk at the moment. 

Mrs. Griswold: Could I leave a message for her?

Secretary: Sure.

Mrs. Griswold: This is Tanya Griswold. I would like to talk to her about the opening of the new store at Rio Mar. 

Secretary: I´m sorry. Could you speak more slowly, please?

Mrs. Griswold: Yes sure. This is Tanya Griswold. I would like to talk to her about the opening of the new store at Rio Mar.

Secretary: I´m sorry. Could you please spell your name?

Mrs. Griswold: Sure. That´s "T" as in "teacher". "a" as in "apple, "n" as in "November", "i" as in "India", and "a" as in "apple". 

Secretary: Ok. Does she have your number?

Mrs. Griswold: No. It´s 017-3672190

Secretary: I´m sorry, could you repeat that, please?

Mrs. Griswold: Sure. That´s 017-3672190.

Secretary: Ok, I´ll let her know.

Mrs. Griswold: Thank you. 

Secretary: You´re welcome. 

Mrs. Griswold: Bye-bye. 

Useful telephone vocabulary and phrases in English.

Making contact: 

Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon ...

This is John Brown speaking.

Could I speak to ......... please?

I'd like to speak to ..... .....

Giving more information:

I'm calling from Tokyo / Paris / New York / Sydney ...

I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Moore ...

Taking a call: 

Mr. Moore speaking.

Can I help you?

Asking for a name/information:

Who's calling please?

Who's speaking?

Where are you calling from?

Are you sure you have the right number / name?

Asking the caller to wait:

Hold the line please.

Could you hold on please?

Just a moment please.

Connecting:

Thank you for holding.

The line's free now ... I'll put you through.

I'll connect you now / I'm connecting you now.

Giving negative information: 

I'm afraid the line's engaged. Could you call back later?

I'm afraid he's in a meeting at the moment.

I'm sorry. He's out of the office today. /

He isn't in at the moment.

I'm afraid we don't have a Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss. ... here

I'm sorry. There's nobody here by that name.

Sorry. I think you've dialled the wrong number./

I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.

Telephone problems: 

The line is very bad ... Could you speak up please?

Could you repeat that please?

I'm afraid I can't hear you.

Sorry. I didn't catch that. Could you say it again please?

Leaving / Taking a message:

Can I leave / take a message?

Would you like to leave a message?

Could you give him/her a message?

Could you ask him/her to call me back?

Could you tell him/her that I called?

Could you give me your name please?

Could you spell that please?

What's your number please?

I hope you learned something from this blog! Feel free to print these tips out in case you need to take a call and speak in English!  Have a nice weekend!

To be or not to be...

I have always applauded the benefits of learning a second language, but when a colleague brought up the success of an activity she tried in class of changing a student`s Portuguese name to an English name, and how it allowed them to exercise the language in a new and fun way, it struck a sensitive chord. It stems from being an immigrant and having an unusual name, and dealing with the bullying and chiding over the years, the notion of changing a name in order to assimilate to a culture and society seems almost insulting. When the idea was brought up, I admit that it seemed peculiar to me since changing someone`s name might provide more confusion than stimulus to use the language, but there is some interesting scientific and surprisingly psychological explanations behind the experiment.

When one uses another language, that is not their own, there is an involuntary and subconscious shift in perspective. Evidence and analysis suggest that different languages push speakers to think differently. It is an exciting notion; the idea that one’s very self could be broadened by the mastery of two or more languages. In obvious ways (exposure to new friends, literature and so forth), the self really is broadened. Yet it is different to claim—as many people do—to have a different personality when using a different language. 

My initial research into the idea led me to the findings of an American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf, who maintained that each language encodes a worldview that significantly influences its speakers. The theory took shape in the form of “Whorfianism”. Naturally, there are its skeptics, but there are still good reasons to believe language shapes thought.

This influence is not necessarily linked to the vocabulary or grammar of a second language. Significantly, most people are not symmetrically bilingual. Many have learnt one language at home from parents, and another later in life, usually at school. Therefore, bilinguals usually have different strengths and weaknesses in their different languages—and they are not always best in their first language. 

For example, when tested in a foreign language, people are less likely to fall into a cognitive trap (answering a test question with an apparently obvious but wrong answer) than when tested in their native language. In part, this is because working in a second language slows down your thinking. It’s no wonder then that people feel different when speaking them, and therefore no surprise that they feel looser, more spontaneous, perhaps more assertive or funnier or blunter, in the language they were raised from childhood.

This made me rethink my stance about the exercise – could Americanizing names in fact allow students to be freer in the classroom and get over their insecurities of sounding less smart. Perhaps. After all, learning a second language is a daunting endeavor, especially for adult learners, and this insecurity could present a major roadblock for them to develop the language. So maybe changing your name could put you in a frame of mind to make mistakes and learn from them, and since I may no longer be Jair, and now Joey – I can get away with “Hey,how you doin’?”, something that maybe as Jair, I couldn’t.

A final text to interpret

Even though techniques and approaches to reading in English are not exactly new to me as a teacher, something quite new started a bit more than 3 months ago.

Our company was hired for a three-month course to enable 9 participants to read in English. The mixed abilities in this group was the first challenge. Whereas some of the students had some good language backgrounds, others were true beginners.

The texts we interpreted were the next challenge. Normally, we deal with texts that are normally adapted to the students’ levels, and when we use authentic texts, we normally do so with more advanced students. Of course, there are the cases when we use authentic texts with beginners, but we grade the tasks in order to make working on it possible.

However, with these students the goals were quite different. They needed to read and understand texts in English in order to make decisions related to their work.

So we started classes, and bit by bit I saw their confidence growing. A lot of function words we learnt, and a lot of discussion about a text’s main idea, and inferring meaning, and guessing from the context, and using images, and building up a quite large glossary, and learning verbs, and reading for specific information, and using cognates, and being careful with false cognates, and paying attention to suffixes and prefixes, and learning linking words, and using punctuation to better interpret texts, and noticing specific features of different text genres, and 60 hours later, we have come to the end of the course.

Then on the day of the test, first they tell me that the text I had chosen was too difficult, and that the questions were too tricky. Nevertheless, right after, when I started correcting the answers, I noticed with immense pleasure that the results were actually much better than the previous ones. And that’s the best feedback a teacher can get at the end of the course, isn’t it? Because one thing is an easy test with obvious good results. But it’s a different matter when it is appropriately difficult and still the good results come.

So we finished the course, and I’m happy to have had a chance to put a lot of theory into practice. And I’m thrilled to see that in only three months, these students’ abilities to read and interpret texts in English have clearly improved. Many thanks for the highly devoted, participative and clever students from RHP.

Should you change your name to an English name?

I decided to mix things up a little bit in my class and change my student´s names from their given Brazilian names to English names. This is an idea I got from an ex-colleague of mine, Chelsea Burton, who used to teach English here in Recife.
The idea is that you can chose any name you like and make it your own. Some of my students chose to make their Brazilian name English, like Ana Paula is now Ann, and Ana Julia is now Jules.
The response has been quite amusing and it has brought some very nice and fun moment to our class.

First of all the process of choosing the name gives them the liberty of becoming whoever they want to be.
One example: One of my students, Jair, chose the name "Joey", and everybody knows Joey from the popular TV-show "Friends". So I told him he´d have to say to the ladies "How you doin´" and he loved it. However, given the fact that he works as a waiter at a restaurant I´m not sure his boss would be very happy with that!

Another thing I´ve noticed is that they feel more at ease speaking English because they are not really themselves anymore, but they´ve become the person associated to the name.

One of my groups, an Intermediate level here at CEO, even took this "game" a step further. They decided to come up with a background story to their names and the results are just hilarous!

I´ll give you a few examples:

My student Rodrigo chose the name "Brian" and apparently he´s a farmer from Ohio who loves to sing at Karaoke bars. He even sang a little for us in class so it has been decided that for our next event here at C.E.O (Secret Santa Christmas party) he´s going to be the first one to sing... Right Brian?! :)
Then there is Priscila, who chose the name "Mary", and she lives in Miami and works as a life guard (not a bad occupation there!)
Sergio, a.k.a, "John" is from Boston (he actually lived there for 2 years so no wonder he chose Boston!) is a professional baseball player. I´m pretty sure that´s his real dream occupation!

I have another group, which is made up of staff working in our tower (Janete Costa) and some towers around us. They work in various fields but all of them have one thing in common; They receive foreigners who expect them to speak some English so they really need to learn some survivor English to make their jobs easier.
I see my students from this group every day and I always ask them "How are you" and offer them a "Good morning/afternoon" when I pass by them. They do look a bit scared when they see me coming but this "master plan" of mine has actually worked. They are calling each other by their English names and subconsciously they think "How do I respond to her questions" when they see me coming. At first I got thumbs up when I asked them how they were doing, but today something really nice happened. One of the secretaries offered me a "Good afternoon" and responded "O.K." when I asked her how she was. That was such a good feeling because I can see that they feel more confident already and they don´t look as scared when they see me!


This is why role play and simulation in class are so important. You become someone else and you feel more at ease making mistakes and speaking. After all, making mistakes is the best way to learn! At least that´s how I learned to speak Portuguese!

I´ll leave you with this quote I really like and I hope you have a really good weekend!

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S. What name would you chose??

Can I get an Abraço?

At the risk of following in the sentimental waxing of a certain dear colleague, I too must concede to his lead. This time in the subject of borrowing from other languages, and adopting into our own, and how as teachers we see this the most – thanks to our students. In fact we don`t need to go too far to see examples of English words incorporated into common usage in Portuguese. 

My biggest pet peeve is ``O Shopping…``, or how about, ``land kids``, but then there are others appropriated correctly like ``baby`` or ``toy``. My point is that borrowing words from another language is natural, and normal and a direct result of globalization, and dare I say a movement towards a universal language. English I suppose comes closest since most countries, about 70 out of 196, speak it in the world, but English too has been guilty of borrowing and not returning. It`s actually interesting how languages are cool like that – that they can borrow from one another and not return, and that`s ok. Nice.

The subject of borrowing in language recently came up among a group of students – we were discussing closings to emails, or to borrow from the French le denouement. One of them showed me his sample email which he ended with ``hugs,…``, instead of the customary``Abraços,…``. I guess he must have read my face a bit and asked if it was correct. I said of course it was, but it then became a point of cultural difference and debate. 

The notion of closing with hugs for a North American man would probably seem odd, and something he would avoid writing but would naturally think it. I am not sure why that is the case, probably some deep-rooted homophobic notion forbidding verbal or written communication of the like. North American men would freely hug other men, but would not say or write for that matter ``hugs`` as a closing to an email. 

Personally I have been an intentional culprit for the longest time ending all my English emails to guy friends with ``abraços,``, borrowing not only the Portuguese word but also the jeito Brasileiro – that warmth and tenderness even among men. Something to me that is so dear and special about the language that it beckons borrowing. So I applauded my student and group and encouraged them to cling onto that custom and end their English emails with ``abraços'' - Always nice receiving a hug at the end of an email. 

Priorities in learning a language

I’ve met several students who really wanted to learn English in the quickest possible way. Many decided to take many hours of study every week and/or buy a self-study grammar and go over it surprisingly fast.

I'm not saying that you shouldn’t do many hours a week. If you have the availability and are willing to invest, I’d say go for it. Not saying to avoid buying grammar books either. Not at all, I find them very useful, in fact.

But think with me. Why do languages exist? For communication, right? So, do you think you will learn a language if you don’t use it for its purpose. You might, but I’d say the process could be rather long and unpleasant.

Then I’ll give some examples of extraordinary people who speak English as a second language without ever setting foot in a language school. And I will not be mentioning those whose parents spoke English at home or who studied in bilingual schools.

The first one is the wife of a friend of mine. He’s American, she’s Braziliam, and they met playing online games. She says that at first she was a bit self-conscious about playing online with other people because the language barrier was a big problem. But eventually she tried groups in which she could type to other members. This gave her enough time to put everything on Google Translator before submitting her lines. English then became a natural necessity, she knew she had to make it to the groups in which she would have to speak and listen to her co-gamers. She gave it a shot, and felt the pain of not understanding a thing. Speeding things up, she now speaks perfect English, and many take her for a native.

The second person I’ll mention is a former student of mine. When he came to take his placement test, I put him at an advanced level. I was quite surprised when he told me that he had learnt English through programming computer softwares and watching TV. The association of sounds and spelling complemented each other as good sources of language.

I can even mention myself. I did attend a language school, and for a very long time (8 to 9 years, I’d say). But I can’t remember doing my homework or studying that much. In fact, my interest was to get the pronunciation right so that I could sing some songs while playing the guitar. Getting to understand what I was saying was the next natural need.

So what do all these examples have in common? All these people, including myself, had an objective that was more important than the language itself. The need was to use and communicate in English. To one, communicating in an online game was a priority, whereas to the second, software programming language came before English. To me, music came first, and English was the way to get there.

So, if you want to learn fast, here’s my suggestion: think about something you love. Your favourite free time activity might do the job. If its the cinema, maybe start reading or trying to write reviews. If its music, why not learning how to play an instrument? How about Reading? And what about, technology, painting or Cooking? (yes, cooking! What about trying some international recipes?)

Happy Proclamação da República

Happy Proclamação da República (Nacional) guys!

Today is a holiday and that' s always nice, isn' t it?
People here in Recife often travel to some beaches nearby or to Gravata for this weekend. Others decide to stay in Recife and go to the beach here or do something else nice.
I started wondering about holidays people celebrate in other countries and then I wanted to know about the weird and the strange holidays.

Here is what I found:


November, 2013-2014 Bizarre and Unique Holidays

International Drum Month
National Model Railroad Month
National Novel Writing Month
Peanut Butter Lovers Month
Real Jewelry Month
National Sleep Comfort Month

What... A National Peanut butter month???

Here is a text I found when I Googled "Peanut Butter Lovers Month": November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month, time to celebrate our favorite food! Americans will celebrate by eating more than 65 million pounds of peanut butter during the month of November.

Southern Peanut Growers, representing southeastern peanut farmers, started the celebration as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, 1990. November 4 marks the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on November 4, 1895. It grew to a month-long celebration in 1995 when peanut butter celebrated its 100th birthday!

- See more here 

I'm pretty sure that "Real Jewelry Month" would make me go broke!


I also stumbled upon these Daily Holidays. I found them quite amusing as well!

November, 2013 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:

Deviled Egg Day
Sandwich Day
Gunpowder Day
Saxophone Day
Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
Cook Something Bold Day

I love the idea of cooking something bold one day!

One is not enough!

I recently read an article on the Forbes site discussing the expansion of the English language to more and more places in the world in face of China`s growing economic might and the prospect that perhaps Mandarin and not English could emerge as the dominant language of global commerce.  I won`t summarize the article since I feel it`s worth a read, and where the accredited author sites various references of English continuing to be the dominant language of communication for the foreseeable future.  She eludes to an underlying pitfall by many native speakers, not to speak a second or third language.

I echo her sentiments for a stronger desire by individuals to speak a second or third language, especially amongst natives.  As a Canadian, a bilingual country, I`m removed from this pitfall, which has befallen my American neighbours to the south.  Only an astonishingly low 10 percent of them speak a second language.  Now I am not absolving Canadians or British or Australians, as some of them too fall into this category, and like many Americans, miss that cross -cultural awareness exercise, which occurs when one learns a second language. 

This of course has come back to haunt Americans through their often controversial foreign policy and their reputation outside of their borders.  I mean come on, most claim to be Canadian when they are travelling – some my friends.  Regardless, this is not about coming down on Yanks – I love most of them, ok a few – more than 10.  Anyway, the finger should be pointed at all who speak only one language.  Yes only one, because one is not nearly enough, especially in the world we live in now. 

Now I am not saying that English should be the premiere language, it is in fact the default language but acquiring a skill set in another should be something we all should seek out.  I always wondered how Brasil has maintained its Portuguese inspite being surrounded by Spanish speaking countries or why they never chose to be bilingual, and adopt Spanish?  I am sure some of you will weigh in on this query, and I hope so. 

I believe that it’s a necessity especially now when the world is getting smaller and more people are living on it that learning a second language whether it be English, Mandarin, (Julius) or Sinhalese it’s the cross-cultural exercise that every human needs to indulge in at some point in their lives.  Seeking new ways to communicate must be a social responsibility as individuals of a world in the 21^st Century.

So, congratulations to my dear students who have taken those first steps towards greater cultural awareness through language – Parabens!

Clieque aqui para link do artigo no Forbes…

 

It's not my fault!

Many years ago, I interviewed a rather interesting candidate. Very interesting, actually. And for very simple reasons.

He was applying for a sales position at a sports store, and I happened to take part in the selection process. We were used to receiving many candidates with prior experience and no current job, and we obviously asked him the reason for leaving his/her past job.

Answers varied enormously, but I can remember some popular ones:

·         The department was cutting expenses and some employees were fired;

·         The manager didn’t really like me;

·         It was a temporary job;

What do all these answers have in common? It was never the candidate’s fault.

Then this one candidate told me something like this: “I wasn’t really producing much. It was not my favourite job, so I guess I didn’t put enough effort into it. They noticed it, and they fired me”.

He really caught my attention and he got the job, and the decision of hiring him was based on his honest response.

The result? Not much. He wasn’t the best salesperson we had, nor the best employee. He was ok. He wasn’t fired, but not long after he quit this job. His salary wasn’t really attractive based on his numbers.

I think he probably didn’t really like the job once again. He was probably looking for some interesting job where he could invest his attention in. Or maybe he was the kind of a person who doesn’t really like any kind of jobs. I don’t know.

What I do know is that I’d probably hire him again. This time I’d probably ask him what kind of job would please him before making the decision, though.

But the point is that this kind of self-awareness and attitude to take responsibility for what happens in one’s life is quite rare, in my opinion. It’s always so much easier to put the blame on the boss when you get fired, on the salesperson when you buy something you don’t really want, or on your partner when things start to go wrong. It is also easier to blame your teacher when you don’t learn.

The reason why I’m writing this post is to highlight how important self-awareness is for a learner.  Knowing what works best for you, what interests you, what to do to learn quicker, what to change when something is not working.

There are all kinds of teachers, schools and methodologies out there. At least one might work for you, and even if you think it doesn’t, you can still find creative ways to make it effective. I’m not trying to take the responsibility away from the teacher. I’d be out of business if I convinced people of that. But being collaboratively responsible for your learning will definitely take you further. So in my opinion, self-evaluation is a good start.

Saturday for Fun

I saw this video on a famous comedy TV show this week and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Jimmy Kimmel is the host of this TV show and this is the 3rd year in a row he plays this prank on kids.
He lets parents tell their children that they ate all their Halloween candy... Imagine! How sad would you get if you´d just spend all your night walking from door to door and asking "Trick or Treat" to strangers, humiliating yourself in a ridiculous outfit haha

I thought this kid at 2:00 was the funniest one in the video.. He looks really buffed (muscular) but I don´t think he´s older than 8!?




Have a fantastic weekend guys!

Kristin

Present Perfect rap!

I know that learning Present Perfect can be a bit of a headache..
Learning all those past participle verbs (been, seen,driven, eaten, etc.) can be hard but there are ways to make it easier on you.

You could for example choose the verbs that are similar and learn them first.
They might have the same ending or they might sound the same.

Here are some examples:


Come - came - come
Become - became - become

Teach - taught - taught
Bring - brought - brought
Think - Thought - Thought

Ring - rang - rung
Sing - Sang - Sung
Swim - Swam - Swum

Take - Took - Taken
Shake - Shook - Shaken


I found a video on Youtube of this teacher, who likes to call himself "MC Mr. StickStuckStuck!", and I've seen it help my students understand a little better how Present Perfect works.

See if this video can help you!




Some students love grammar (as I do!) so here are some exercises on Present Perfect from English Page - a really nice webpage that shows both tutorials and has many helpful exercises to practice grammar.

Present Perfect tutorial

Exercises: Simple past vs. Present Perfect


Enjoy and have a nice day!
Kristin

A very specific kind of shower

We’ve had a group of students since August that fit into a special category. These students quickly became our friends. Every teacher knows that tension that naturally comes before starting a new group. Sometimes this feeling goes on for a few classes, until teacher and students finally bond. With this group, this anxiety lasted for about 5 minutes. The ice was immediately broken due to their sense of humour added to great doses of eagerness.

I caught myself covering a range of vocabulary that I never thought I would teach before our classes. One example is ‘shit shower’ (apologies!). It came up in class #1, if I’m not wrong, when I said I really liked the tie one of my students was wearing. Immediately the term was on the table and they were all trying to explain what the expression meant.

My first understanding of the term was a rather superficial one: (;)  ‘shit shower’ means complimenting someone. Last night I realized there was much more to it than I had actually realized.

We were at Underground Pub and the term came up. Kristín, who’s also a teacher here at C.E.O., was indeed puzzled when the unexpected collocation came up. I then asked a student, the creator of the term, to explain in his own words what it meant.

He explained that lawyers live in an extremely competitive world, full of dispute for prestige, status and results. Quite a stressful life, as one can imagine. "In this kind of atmosphere", he continued, "it is very natural to hear some unpleasant comments: people pointing out that your tie knot is a bit too much to the left, or that your trousers are a bit tight because you might have gained some weight." I must agree when he says that there’s nothing positive about such comments.

Then something started in his group of co-workers. During a tough job, for example, they noticed that words of support really helped them give that extra push. Something like ‘you’re a great criminal lawyer and you know it’ was something really good to hear at 2am when you’re trying to find a solution to a conundrum in a client’s case.

So the group of lawyers got into the habit of saying nice things to each other. The interesting part is that they’re not lies, not at all. ‘A  ‘shit shower’ is just a verbal representation of the truth’, quoting my wise student. Why shouldn’t you tell someone he looks terrific that day if you really think he does?

These guys are great lawyers. They work for one of the biggest and most respected law firms in town, and they found a way of helping and supporting one another by expressing positive impressions they had. Needless to say their friendship has thus become stronger, and how thier productivity has been positively influenced.

As for me, once again I confirm that us teacher get so much in return, that I’m not sure who learns more, us or our students. Because of them, I’ll really try to fit more positive comments in my routine.

And for this specific group of students, my ‘shit shower’ of the day: It is indeed a pleasure to be your teacher and your friend.

TGIF - tomorrow here at CEO!

Hi guys!
We´re having an event here at CEO tomorrow night; "TGIF" - which stands for Thank God it´s Friday! (Don´t we all love Fridays!!)

We will have some drinks, some food, mingle and of course most importantly, speak English. I know that some people get nervous when they have to speak English in public because they feel either shy or they don´t want to make mistakes, so I decided to post this highly entertaining article I found online by Amanda Moritz; "Speaking Alcohol: Why do we speak Foreign Languages Better when we’re Drunk?"

It is common to hear foreign language learners say that they are able to speak more fluently when in a state of inebriation. They seem to identify a direct relationship between alcohol consumption and their ability to speak a certain language. What scientific evidence is there to back this up?
One thing we do know is that drunken states are often actually detrimental to one’s learning and memory abilities by inhibiting the proper functioning of the hippocampus, an integral part of the brain’s memory system. On the other hand, some types of seemingly debilitating states have been shown to increase learning and memory despite their seemingly illusory effects. For example, people under deep hypnosis have been shown to perform better on learning tasks than people who have undergone lesser types of hypnosis.

So what exactly might be happening when you’re drinking that helps you speak foreign languages better? The fact is that, in our state of drunken debauchery, we lower our affective filter. In other words, we tend to lose many of our inhibitions and current worries. As a result of this decrease in inhibitions, we also tend to worry less about the grammatical rules and possible mistakes we can incur in and we adopt a more relaxed attitude towards verbal communication, thereby resulting in a more fluid stream of words out of our mouths.

But don’t go running for a bottle of Jack Daniels as your language-improvement solution just yet! There are two major downsides to this strategy. The first is that despite your increased confidence and fluidity, you are also making many more grammatical and pronunciation errors, and perhaps you are even ingraining bad habits that will persist back into sobriety.

The second downside is that any improvements in confidence/fluidity that may be experienced while drunk are unfortunately short-lived. If you rely on alcohol as your primary facilitator of communication, than you might end up resorting to alcoholism to master your language of preference!

The important lesson to learn here is that the seemingly positive effects of alcohol on foreign language fluency are not due to alcohol at all. They are due to confidence in your skills. If you build confidence by practicing speaking and use a confidence-based learning system such as Brainscape, you will experience much better improvements in your language skills than you would from a bottle of vodka or whiskey.

Is my English getting better?

This is a common, and important, question asked by many English students. They certainly hope so! And if it is getting better, they feel good about themselves and they’re motivated to keep working at it. But how can they know?

In the classroom, and with my tutoring students, I always try to notice improvement and let my students know about it. Sometimes they don’t believe me at first (Remember that language acquisition happens subconsciously, so they don’t always notice the improvement themselves as quickly as I do).

But what if you don’t have a teacher who can do that? What can you do? I have several suggestions. None of them is a complete answer to the question, but all of them will help you know if your English is getting better.

Your friends can tell you

The biggest encouragement one of my students received came from a friend he hadn’t seen for several months. After a few minutes together, the friend turned to Greg and exclaimed, “Your English is so much better!” Greg hadn’t been aware of how much better his English was until his friend noticed it and told him.
This is something you and your friends can do to help each other. But for this to work, you and your friends need to be focused on improved communication, not absence of mistakes. You need to pay attention to the quality of English communication you share with each other. If you are mistake counters, focusing on what’s wrong, it will never work! However, if you focus on how your ability to communicate improves, this can be powerful encouragement.

You’re able to read and listen to more difficult material

If you are consistently, or regularly, choosing reading and listening material that is easy to understand, it is natural for you to choose more and more difficult material as your English improves. Take a look at what you were reading last year and compare it with what you’re reading right now. You’ll probably be surprised!


You depend less and less on your first language

I asked Adrian, the student I wrote about in Frustration to success and Frustration to success: how he did it, how he measured his improvement. Adrian acquired English autonomously (by himself), without attending classes. He told me that as his English improved, he noticed that he depended less and less on Portuguese. He said he didn’t hesitate as much when he used English. He began to read faster and pause less. He read and listened to more difficult material.
Adrian made a special point of “respecting the process,” of reading and listening at an appropriate level – easy enough to understand without stopping. He told me that when he did that, he made faster progress. As a result, it was easy to recognize how his ability to read and listen to more difficult material changed as his English improved.
Yusmary, another student, told me that, as her English improved, she didn’t have to think so much about what she was doing. The words came easier and easier, and she understood more of them. She says she’s reading faster, and she doesn’t have to pause to think as often as she did in the past.


The reflective English student

When I was studying for my master’s degree in education, we were encouraged to be reflective teachers. We were encouraged to be aware of what we did in the classroom and how students responded to it. We were encouraged to spend time thinking about our teaching, about what we did well and what we needed to improve.
This is a good habit for English students to develop. Take time to reflect on, or think about, your English. Don’t focus on your mistakes (That’s a big mistake!). Think about how your ability to use English – for reading, listening, speaking, writing – is changing. How it is getting better. Notice some of the things that Adrian and Yusmary notice. If you do, you’ll begin to get a good sense of how your English is improving. You’ll feel good about yourself. And you’ll be motivated to keep working at improving it!

Warren Ediger
[1]Krashen, Stephen (2003) Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use.
- See more at: http://successfulenglish.com/2010/06/is-my-english-getting-better/#sthash.EEFq66gy.dpuf