Pernambuco Tour Guide

If you’re coming to Recife-Pernambuco for the FIFA World Cup 2014, or any other time as a matter of fact, you might find this material useful. Let me contextualise it a bit first. 

Here at C.E.O. we teach Business English for adult students. These students of all levels took part in a project to prepare this material. The idea was simply to record their own recommendations as residents. Many times you’ll find interesting places recommended by other tourists, but every now and then some people prefer a local’s perspective. And that’s what we’re trying to convey with this material. 

In exchange, our students used their language skills to produce a material with a realistic and palpable outcome. 

Hope you enjoy using it as much as we did while making it. 

Download the PDF here

Um Recife mais cosmopolita, variado e interessante

Matéria publicada no Diário de Pernambuco no último dia 15 de maio:

"Muitas vezes nossas vidas profissionais dão diversas voltas. Com certeza foi o meu caso, mas posso dizer que estou hoje em uma situação privilegiada, escolhi e consigo trabalhar com o que gosto: sou sócio de um curso de Inglês inteiramente voltado para Negócios. E essa atividade me faz pensar bastante sobre como o Recife tem mudado.

Nos anos em que morei em São Paulo, uma das coisas que me impressionava era a quantidade e criatividade de opções que a cidade oferecia em diversos setores. Um amigo na época brincava, dizendo que era possível encontrar um restaurante de comida mexicana preparada por argentinos, com um grupo de espanhóis tocando bossa nova.

Exageros à parte, a impressão passada é de que o mercado paulista permite a entrada de negócios mais voltados para nichos, focando em interesses bem específicos.

Há poucos anos, esse mesmo cenário parecia pouco provável na Veneza Brasileira. Pare e pense quantos restaurantes de cozinha francesa havia nela há cinco anos. E quantos ‘Pubs’? 

Estabelecimentos japoneses especializados em temakis estão por toda parte. O Outback é um sucesso, apesar do Applebee’s ter falhado recentemente. E não é apenas no segmento da gastronomia que isso está acontecendo. Já se pode comprar uma moto Harley Davidson aqui. Ou encontrar produtos para ‘nerds’ e ‘geeks’ no Paço Alfândega. 

O crescimento econômico do estado gerou não só um aumento de remuneração e de oportunidades profissionais. Ele trouxe ainda variedade de escolhas e opções para gostos mais peculiares. 

Na área onde trabalho, não foi diferente. Houve algumas tentativas anteriores de se oferecer cursos de Inglês para negócios voltados, exclusivamente, para adultos. Mas nada parece ter ‘vingado’, e a alternativa era continuar oferecendo o ‘básico’ e ‘seguro’ ‘General English’, que abrangia um número maior de interessados, sacrificando o atendimento de necessidades específicas.

Ainda bem que isso mudou. Hoje, pode-se optar por aprender Inglês voltado para uma realidade profissional em turmas formadas apenas por adultos. O mercado recifense abriu espaço para produtos especializados, e uma demanda latente que esperava ansiosa por uma solução agora está sendo atendida. E a reação mais comum que percebemos é ‘finalmente, por que vocês demoraram tanto?’. 

Assim como em outras áreas, o mercado de nichos tende a ser (muito) menor que o tradicional. Acredito que os bistrôs franceses não irão atrair mais público que as churrascarias. A diferença é que eles, agora, não estão fadados ao fracasso.

Quanto a mim, fico feliz de ter minha pequena, porém válida, participação em também oferecer uma opção diferenciada nesse Recife mais cosmopolita, variado e interessante."

Lendo em Inglês? Desapega!

Para muitos alunos que conheço, ler em Inglês pode ser uma atividade não muito prazerosa. O comentário mais comum que ouço é o fato de haver muitas palavras novas e difíceis em textos autênticos (não alterados para uso em sala de aula). Essas palavras normalmente tornam o entendimento de textos mais difícil.

É verdade que nos deparamos com diversos termos novos quando lemos em Inglês, e quando nós paramos para olhar todos esses termos no dicionário, nós transformamos o que inicialmente era uma atividade prazerosa em algo incrivelmente maçante.

Normalmente nós lemos por causa do conteúdo que foi escrito, e quando paramos para procurar o significado de novas palavras, a leitura se torna em um exercício, uma tarefa. E geralmente tarefas são chatas. Eu não conheço muita gente que goste de passar 20 minutos para ler um pequeno artigo no jornal, nem eu lembro de muitas pessoas que gostassem de ler Machado de Assis na escola com um dicionário ao lado (para ser sincero, conheci alguns que achavam essa atividade interessante, mas garanto que eram a minoria).

Então proponho um novo jeito de encarar textos em Inglês. Que tal focar apenas nas palavras que conhecemos e ignorar as desconhecidas? A maioria dos professores com quem trabalhei conhece essa técnica, e até a acham um pouco óbvia. Muitos alunos que conheço também já ouviram falar sobre isso, e também a acham óbvia, mas na prática eles, os alunos, comumente não conseguem aplicá-la. 

Essa ideia pode ser aplicada em qualquer tipo de texto, mas é especialmente eficiente em textos não literários, como romances. Isso se dá porque há muito mais por trás das palavras e entre as linhas de um texto desse gênero do que há por trás de um artigo imparcial no jornal, por exemplo (sem diminuir o gênero, claro).

Todos sabemos que o Português é uma língua com base latina. O Inglês não é, porém foi altamente influenciado pelo Latim. Há uma tendência que à medida que um texto se torna mais formal em Inglês, mais ele toma emprestado expressões do Latim. Consequentemente, temos mais chances de encontrar em textos formais palavras muito semelhantes ao Português. E é bastante comum que esses termos carreguem bastante significado.

Então vamos à parte prática. Como falado, a ideia é focar em palavras que são parecidas com o Português. Depois, adicionamos alguns termos que normalmente são conhecidos para a grande maioria das pessoas (ex. car, house, world...). Fazendo apenas isso, temos uma boa chance de entender o sentido geral de um texto. E mesmo quando essas palavras não são suficientes, elas nos ajudam a deduzir o significado de outras. Você pode até mesmo aprender novas palavras sem necessariamente abrir um dicionário.

Vamos tentar?

Abaixo segue um texto retirado do site da BBC no dia 16 de abril de 2014.

Eessa é a imagem:

Começando pela imagem, vemos que o texto, de alguma maneira, deve abordar um assunto que fale de bebidas.

O título do texto é o seguinte:

Sweet or sour? Altering how we taste our food

O título contém uma palavra parecida com o Português:

Altering – alterando

E contém três palavras bem conhecidas em Inglês:

Sweet – doce

Food – comida

We - nós

Agora tente deduzir o que esse título quer dizer:

Doce XX XXXX? Alterando XXX nós XXXXX XXX comida

Dá para ter uma ideia?

Se você chutou que ‘sour’ é ‘salgado’, infelizmente você errou. ‘Azedo’ seria mais apropriado, mas será que isso altera o que o texto realmente quer dizer? Veja o resto: ‘alterando COMO nós SENTIMOS/SABOREAMOS/SENTIMOS O SABOR de NOSSA comida’ Veja que mesmo traduzindo pouco ou até mesmo errado, se você chegou em algo parecido com ‘o texto fala sobre opostos em comidas e como alteramos como a sentimos’, missão cumprida.

Agora tente deduzir o seguinte parágrafos do texto com as palavras abaixo:

Companhia (company)

Aplicou (applied)

Multissensoriais (multisensory)

‘Insights’ (insights)

‘Desenhando’ (designing)

2014

Chinês (Chinese)

Novo (new)

Ano (year)

Introduzindo (introducing)

Novas (new)

Cores (colours)

E (and)

Texturas (textures)

Dá para ter uma ideia? 

Tente com as palavras lado a lado:

“Companhia aplicou multissensoriais insights desenhando 2014 Chinês novo ano introduzindo novas cores e texturas.”

Com um pouco de imaginação, talvez você chegue a uma interpretação parecida com o seguinte:

“Dá para imaginar que uma companhia ou empresa desenvolveu novos produtos, possivelmente na China, introduzindo novas cores e texturas, e o lançamento provavelmente foi no ano novo. “

Agora veja uma possível tradução do texto abaixo e compare:

“A companhia aplicou esses novos ‘insights’ multissensoriais quando desenhou suas novas embalagens para presente para o Ano Novo Chinês de 2014, introduzindo novas cores e texturas à embalagem”

Chegou perto? Viu só?

E por que as pessoas normalmente sentem dificuldade em aplicar essa técnica relativamente simples? Porque nosso cérebro tenta nos ajudar, mas na verdade atrapalha. Estamos acostumados a entender 100% ou quase isso quando lemos em Português. E a sensação de não chegar nem perto disso em Inglês nos deixa ansiosos. E não saber o que as palavras significam nos deixa frustrados. 

O importante então é praticar a arte do ‘desapego’. Ensine seu cérebro a não focar no que não sabe, e sim no que pode ser entendido. Possivelmente você vai ver que a experiência é bem interessante.

Wha do ya think of ma English?

Wha do ya think of ma English?

I am often asked as a teacher; ‘’what do I need to become fluent?’’ Usually the best thing to do in this case is to ask the question right back to the student and work from there. Following said protocol, the answer returns, invariably with pronunciation firmly atop the list, and more specifically ``I need to speak more like a native. ``

I guess coming from an immigrant country the idea of pronunciation, and when it comes down to it, accent – is kind of a mute subject since most Canadians have become accustomed to English being spoken with different accents from many different cultures. In my case, even more so, coming from the capital Ottawa. 

I went to an international high school in the centre of the city where all the diplomats’ kids went, so most of my friends growing up were from different countries but had lived in Canada for most if not all their lives and have had to adapt their native accents to one that is more standard ‘’Canadian’’. For most, the transition has been smooth, but for others, their native accents were so strong that transition was more difficult. So the result was an interesting and unique – sub accent. One that has become idiosyncratic of many cultural accents in English.

Take for example, how Spanish speakers of English regularly pronounce their ``Vs`` like ``Bs``, so ``levels`` sounds more like ``lebels`` or how about - "mush" for "much". Not sure why this is since the ch does exist in Spanish. In fact we do not have to go too far to see how the language even by natives has been bent to accommodate regional dialects like "da" for "the" – thanks Chicago. Or what about warning those teachers that say "rahd" for "ride"? Should we send half the teachers in Southern States of America to fluency classes? What about "cah" for car? Shape up or ship out, Boston teachers. A slippery-slope problem looks likely. 

Clearly pronunciation is non-standard and it is impossible in many cases to make it such. These, after all, are native English accents, and different in the class than a foreign accent in English. But then the problem arises – we would be discriminating, basically, on the basis of national origin. Lest we forget that English is defined by diversity. So perhaps a good middle ground is to adopt a standardized approach to English Grammar, and embrace the diversity and expand our global perception of the language.   

Following protocol; ‘’What do you think?’’

GET INVOLVED Video: 8 secrets of success by Richard St. John

8 secrets of success by Richard St. John

Before watching

Is success important to you? In your opinion, what are the steps of success? 

Example: hardwork

altertanive link to video on TED.com click here

After you watch, please leave a comment below answering the two questions (alternatively, email us on contato@ceoenglish.com.br):

1) According to the video, what are the 8 steps of success?

2) How would you personally describe success?

GET INVOLVED Project April 2014

World Cup Brochure

Let's help our tourists? Take part in the project of developing a brochure about Recife to help the tourists who will come for the World Cup.

It is easy to participate, just answer the questions below with your recommendations:

Step 1

1) What is your favorite restaurant in town?

2) What is your favorite bar?

3) What is your favorite tourist attraction?

Soon you will receive step 2 via email.

GET INVOLVED Book Club: April 2014

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/ communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.

(review from www.goodreads.com)

Download free here
Paperback available at C.E.O. To pick from our library, leave comment below

Let us know you are reading the book (email luciano@ceoenglish.com.br or leave a comment below) so that we can send you some interpretation questions

GET INVOLVED Website of the week

Premiere Skills English

Football English

The British Council and The English Premiere League created a website for English learners who are crazy about football. Check it out here.

GET INVOLVED News of the week 31/03/14

S&P downgrades Brazil

Not junk, not great

Mar 25th 2014, 14:39 by J.P. | SÃO PAULO

DILMA ROUSSEFF may say she is committed to monetary and fiscal orthodoxy but few are convinced. Standard & Poor’s (S&P), for one, isn’t buying the Brazilian president’s attempts to shake off her anti-market vibe. On March 24th the agency cut Brazil’s credit rating. Debt denominated in local currency, the real, and foreign-currency bonds both fell by a notch, to BBB+ and BBB-, respectively.

Full article click here

Discussion:

1) Do you agree with the downgrade? Why?

2) Do you agree with the opinions stated in the artcle? Why

GET INVOLVED Event: Outback

Outback April 11th at 12 p.m.

Where: Outback Shopping Recife

When: April 11th at 12 p.m.

Leave a message on the comments below or send us an email confirming your presence and see you there!

GET INVOLVED Poll April

Poll: What is your opinion about the World Cup in Brazil in 2014?

Recently Jornal do Commercio asked people from Recife their opinion about the World Cup. Now, we'd like to know your opinion. Please write your answers in the comment box (feel free to skip any of the questions).

1) Are you pro or against the protests that have been taking place in Brazil?

2) Are you pro or agains protests taking place in Recife during the World Cup?

3) Are you pro or against the World Cup being held in Brazil this year?

4) Are you going to watch the World Cup matches?

5) Where are you going to watch the matches (home, friends'/relatives' homes, bars/restaurants, public spaces, somwhere else)

6) Are you going to watch any matches at Arena Pernambuco?

7) Which country do you think will win the World Cup?

8) Will you support the Brazilian national team during the event?

9) Do you think the public infrastructure work will be ready in time for the World Cup?

10) What benefits do you think the World Cup will bring the country after the event is over? (none, more jobs, improve the economy, ...)

GET INVOLVED Song of the week 31/03/14

Pharrell Williams - Happy

Watch on youtube

Complete the lyrics (use comment box below):

"Happy"


[Verse 1:]
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to 1) __________
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way

[Hook:]
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what 2) __________ is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

[Verse 2:]
Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,
Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold back, yeah,
Well, I should 3) __________warn you I’ll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don’t waste your time
Here’s why

[Hook]

Hey, come on

[Bridge:]
(happy)
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
I said (let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
My level's too 4)__________
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
I said

[Hook 2x]

Hey, come on

(happy)
Bring me down… can’t nothing…
Bring me down… my level's too high…
Bring me down… can’t nothing…
Bring me down, I said (let me tell you now)

[Hook 2x]

Come on

Dicussion

1) What is happiness to you?

Inglês para Negócios e C.E.O. na CBN, com Julius Fialho da Orbe Consultoria

Entrevista realizada com nosso aluno, Julius Fialho, na CBN Recife em 22.0314.

Julius Fialho: Administrador pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco e Consultor parceiro da Orbe Consultoria conversou com Júlia Arraes na CBN Recife sobre Inglês para Negócios.

1-JULIA: Bom dia Julius, o nosso assunto hoje é o mercado de Inglês para Negócios ou “Business English”, certo? 

JF: Bom dia JULIA. Bom dia ouvintes da CBN Recife. Justamente JULIA. O Inglês para Negócios também conhecido como Business English, tem foco no vocabulário em Inglês que um profissional utiliza para conduzir os negócios dentro do ambiente corporativo; nas relações comerciais com empresas e governos de países de língua inglesa, bem como empresas multinacionais que utilizam o Inglês como língua oficial.

2-JULIA: Julius, e qual seria a diferença do Inglês para Negócios em relação ao Inglês convencional?

JF: A principal diferença JULIA, é que o estudo do Inglês para Negócios procura desenvolver as habilidades profissionais para redigir e-mails, criar relatórios, fazer apresentações, conduzir e participar de reuniões, como também auxilia o profissional nas negociações com os clientes e fornecedores no idioma. Ao contrário do Inglês convencional utilizado para socialização, o objetivo do Inglês para Negócios é a comunicação eficiente entre as partes em situações relacionadas ao mundo dos negócios.

3-JULIA: Quais os fatores que levaram ao surgimento desse mercado no Brasil?

JF: Além do impulso econômico gerado pela realização de grandes eventos esportivos como a Copa do Mundo este ano e as Olimpíadas em 2016, em pouco mais de dez anos, os investimentos estrangeiros diretos no Brasil tiveram um crescimento significativo, saltando de R$ 32bi para R$ 65bi. Entre outras palavras, houve um aumento na participação de empresas estrangeiras no Brasil. Em Pernambuco, ainda temos como fator atrativo o Porto de Suape.

4- JULIA: Julius, o Brasil está preparado para este cenário?

JF: JULIA, de uma forma geral, ainda temos um longo caminho a percorrer. De acordo um estudo realizado em 2013 pela GlobalEnglish, empresa que atua com Inglês para Negócios em organizações de todo o mundo, foi medida a habilidade com o idioma de mais de 200 mil funcionários de empresas ao redor do mundo que não têm o inglês como língua materna. Dentre os 77 países pesquisados o Brasil aparece na 71º posição com 3,27 pontos. A boa notícia é que melhoramos no ranking em relação a 2012 quando obtivemos apenas 2,95 pontos, entretanto, nesse quesito, ainda estamos atrás de alguns países emergentes como Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul.

5- JULIA: E como anda o mercado de Inglês para Negócios em Pernambuco? 

JF: Em forte expansão. No Recife, existem escolas de Inglês para Negócios que oferecem aulas tanto em seus escritórios quanto dentro das empresas clientes. A exemplo da C.E.O. (Corporate English Office), que oferece cursos de Inglês para Negócios com material didático específico para a área. Segundo Luciano Lapa, diretor pedagógico “Qualquer idioma é um meio, e não um fim. As pessoas aprendem para utilizá-lo na prática, na vida real. Se existe a necessidade de se falar o Inglês no trabalho, então o idioma deve ser contextualizado em situações profissionais para que seja relevante e útil.” Já na opinião de Cristiano Andrade, diretor de negócios da Optimum Technical Language, escola que oferece cursos de língua inglesa para diversos segmentos profissionais: “Qualquer contexto profissional requer desenvoltura e conhecimento no que se diz, de modo a passar credibilidade e profissionalismo. Esta situação, portanto, não é diferente quando se usa a língua Inglesa em ambientes corporativos.”

6- JULIA: Interessante, e qual é o perfil dos alunos nessas escolas? 

JF: O perfil desses alunos é composto por homens e mulheres entre 25 e 50 anos que administram o próprio negócio ou atuam em empresas multinacionais desde analistas até diretores. Dentre as razões que os levam a procurar estes cursos estão: a exigência profissional, principalmente para aqueles em cargos de chefia; a busca por diferenciação, onde essa motivação pode partir de oportunidades perdidas, por exemplo, uma promoção. Interessante JULIA é um estudo recente realizado pela consultoria Catho mostrando que o domínio de um idioma estrangeiro pode aumentar o salário em até 51,89%.

JULIA: Julius, obrigado por suas informações.

JF: JULIA, eu que agradeço a você e aos ouvintes pela atenção e desejo a todos um excelente fim de semana! Apenas lembrando, essa entrevista será postada no site da ORBE, www.orbeplan.com.br. Bom dia a todos.

Link para o post original no blog da Orbe, clique aqui

Feeling sad? Teach something!

Not long go I was watching a great video on how your body can shape your mind. It sounds rather obvious, but the conclusion is hard to believe: standing for two minutes in what is called a ‘high power pose’ can actually trigger the production of testosterone and therefore make you more confident to deal with stressful situations. (Link here: Your body language shapes who you are)

Of course I immediately started to think how this could be applied to the classroom.

Then I started thinking about those days that you don’t really feel like teaching. Every teacher has been there, secretly wishing that his/her one-to-one student doesn’t show up, or even worse when you actually feel like calling all your students to cancel a lesson.

I figured this wasn’t a feeling that belonged only to myself. I actually heard from a teacher trainer I had, in a moment when she was getting off her chest, who told me she wished the administrative staff understood that teachers need to be 100% to deliver a good lesson. That, unlike other professions, we’re just not good enough when we’re on a 70% level, for example. This conversation is of course used here without context, I’m not actually trying to crucify her or anything. I actually agreed to the statement at the time.

But what I realized with time is quite the opposite. Every time I had to teach a lesson when all I felt like was going home, the lesson proved to be a great mood twister. Invariably I left the classroom feeling great, many times wondering how much my mood had changed so much in so little time.

I think I may have found a reason for that. As a teacher, our goal is to deliver great lessons, making sure students engage, participate and learn something from the time we spend together. Our students don’t have anything to do with our mind set. They don’t have anything to do with our problems. They’re paying to get great service, so I guess the old ‘leave your problems at home’ do apply for us.

But after I watched this video, I wondered if by forcing myself to smile and be ready for my students actually had the power to make me feel better. After observing this phenomenon for a while, I am quite sure it does. I do believe that when you make an effort to keep you troubles aside in order to provide a great lesson for your students, you are actively working on your troubles. I would even say you might find some good answers after making teaching a good lesson.

I’ll go a bit further and reveal something about myself. When I first started teaching, I was actually recovering from a quite long and severe depression. At the beginning, many were the times when I felt like quitting because I felt I wouldn’t be able to deliver a decent lesson. Many were the times when I stood facing the director’s office, almost knocking on the door to reveal my weakness. But something always convinced me that I should go on and teach the lesson, and in case I felt like that at the end of it, then I would quit. Glad I did it, as never did I feel like quitting the job after a lesson. Quite the contrary, I actually thought to myself how I could possibly have thought about it some hours earlier.

Teaching can be a really challenging experience at times. It makes you turn all the engines on and makes sure your students are getting what they paid for. And I think this drive to excel and do a good job is a powerful tool for those days when you’re too comfortable feeling idle and miserable.

So my suggestion is simple: feeling a little bit under the weather? Teach someone.

When Profiling Works

Profiling people is certainly not a new concept for many – something we each do almost subconsciously. It comes in the form of social orienting, and of course environment. It rose to prominence after 911 and the rise of terrorism, and while homeland security was and still is a primary mandate for most responsible states, should it supersede individual rights when based on profiling? The safe answer is depends.

In Brasil, the issue of profiling has come under the spotlight with the manifestations which occurred recently in shopping malls in Sao Paulo, commonly known as ``rolezinhos`` - and most recently the incident in Rio involving the alleged 15 year old thief from the favelas – who was beaten, stripped and finally locked to a post by white vigilantes. And even here at CEO, through the profiling of our own students.

Now, relax - there is no diabolical plan in effect to take over your minds with English and thereby mount an attack on other language schools in the city and then the country and then… Sorry got carried away there, but rest assured; no calculated plan other than that to provide the best quality teaching is being formulated at HQ. Having said that profiling our students is something that we do every day, especially when it comes to lesson planning.

The practice or should I say science is fascinating. There are so many variables, socio economic, cultural, gender - that come to bear when projecting the personalities of students. Profiling as teachers allows us to cultivate lesson plans that address specific areas of interest in students, but more importantly, it gives us insight in how to best impart the knowledge. Working exclusively with Executives, accurate profiling based on carefully accumulated data is essential to the education process, especially with respect to language teaching.

So how does one accurately profile the adult Brasilian learner? Last year, The Guardian ran an article which helps to explain the recent interest in Brasil`s burgeoning middle class, and sheds light on the unique issues faced by Adult ESL students in the country. Here is part of that article:

“…the rise of a formerly poor social group that is now in the most powerful consumer stratum in the country. Brazil’s “C-class” – as they are categorized – have grown rapidly in size and influence over the past decade thanks to the growth of the Brazilian economy, widening credit lines and the government’s efforts to address income inequality. Since 2004, the government says, 32 million Brazilians have been lifted out of poverty. Last year, this helped the C-class – defined as those earning between 1,000 and 4,500 reals (£300-£1,400) a month – to constitute for the first time a majority of Brazil’s population of 196 million.”

The fact that in a global economy more and more people need to speak English is nothing new, of course. What is new, I believe, is the kind of student that has emerged because of the economic boom The Guardian described. At the risk of oversimplifying matters, I would describe these new middle class adult students as people who:

1. Are in their early-20s to mid-30s.

2. Need English to become or remain employable. Travel, culture and fun are secondary interests.

3. Need to learn English more than they might want to learn it. And they need to learn it fast.

4. May have never been to an English-speaking country.

5. May be relatively impervious to American / British culture.

6. Are mostly A1 / A2 when they start a new course, since they didn’t learn enough English as kids / teens and grew up with limited exposure to English – partly because of item 5 above.

7. May have limited literacy in L1 and a very feeble grasp of learning strategies and study skills.

8. Tend to be very career-oriented. They have no time to – in their words – “waste” on topics, situations, words, functions and grammar that they don’t perceive as directly relevant to their career goals.

9. Tend to gauge their progress by the degree to which they are able to “get stuff done” at work.
 Fast.

10. Are not willing, for the most part, to spend more than 2 years in a language school. *

Add to all this the amount of pressure these students live under, makes you wonder why they even bother trying. But then, that’s where we come in as teachers of adults – dealing with and understanding these issues through profiling better enables us to address these specific needs and provides us an insight into their obstacles and motivations behind learning the language.



*Taken from an excerpt from Luiz Otávio`s blog: http://www.luizotaviobarros.com/2013/12/learn-english-fast.html

                   In case you missed it...

WORLD – With many Brasilians worrying about the World Cup in less than 130 days, with Stadiums still to be completed – the question is raised; Will Brasil pass the world’s test?  In less than a few hours another member of BRIC, Russia, will have to answer the same question with the Sochi Winter Games.  Terrorism, social inequality and corruption have so far littered the headlines - will Russia pass?

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/05/sport/sochi-winter-olympics-first-impressions/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

SPORT – If you thought the bludgeoning the Broncos got was unexpected - the multicultural America depicted in the Coca Cola ad aired during the game got some shocking reviews too.  Have a look:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/03/coca-cola-super-bowl-ad-ignites-online-debate/

CINEMA, ARTS, CULTURE – One of the great actors of our time, Phillip Seymore Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment earlier this week from an apparent Heroin overdose.  He was an Academy Award winning actor with a prolific body of work, but his legacy may be measured by the number of lives he might save from people trying to avoid a similar fate.  Hoffman was only 46.

http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/05/aaron-sorkin-philip-seymour-hoffmans-death-saved-10-lives/?hpt=hp_c5

BRAZIL – Last week it was the impromptu flash mobs forming at shopping malls in Sao Paulo and Rio that sparked the debate about racial profiling and the issue of what are public and private spaces – this week another story will surely further stratify a society already in conflict.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551406/Brazilian-vigilantes-strip-naked-thief-shackle-neck-lamppost.html

COME AGAIN? – In the most tech savvy part of the world, South Koreans are becoming more and more isolated.  The new online trend of watching other people eating has taken things even further.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/29/world/asia/korea-eating-room/?hpt=wo_mid

Purpose

Most teachers know this term rather well: purpose. When it comes to classroom practice, think everyone who has been observed by a peer, coordinator or teacher trainer has heard something like this: “tell me more about that activity you did. What was the purpose behind it?”

We learn quickly that “to have some fun”, “to enjoy ourselves a little” or “to practice” are not usually enough. There is a deeper connotation to it. You are led to ask yourself why your students should perform the activities you ask them to. In the beginning of our careers, we wish to know a lot of ‘whats’ and ‘hows’, but at same stage, the question that matters the most is ‘why’.

Thinking C.E.O. as a huge lesson plan, we started asking ourselves why we exist. What is our purpose? To teach English in business contexts? To provide a solution for adults who want to share a classroom with people who share similar interests? To offer convenience and value for money? If you analyse these questions closely, you will notice they are all related to what we do, and not why.

Therefore, we dug deeper, and it did not take too long to realize why we exist. We want our students to succeed, simple. We thrive through our students accomplishments. It’s not a great lesson that matters. It is when we realize that our students use what they learned in their real lives for their own benefit. Suddenly, we saw that all our ‘whys’ are linked to our ‘whats’.

We succeed when our students are able to hold a telephone conversation in English with their bosses. To help, our students have their teacher’s and my cell phones to call us up any time for a quick chat in English.

We win when our students succeed in presenting something in English at their jobs. To be there for them, we provide special lessons for this kind of circumstance.

We succeed when our students do well in interviews, and of course we schedule some rehearsal Skype interviews with them beforehand.

We hate when students miss classes that they have already paid for, and so we offer them make-up ones, or have them on Skype for the lesson when they are travelling, for example.

We are happy when students are able to socialize with someone with work colleagues from other countries, and that is why we have happy hours in local bars and here at the office.

I could continue, but there is no purpose (got the catch?). We do everything we do because we want our students to get there, wherever ‘there’ is for them. There is no successful lesson if students do not succeed outside the classroom.

Having come to this realization, we have decided to do more, much more. I think our students could already notice some changes. And there is much more to come.

In addition, we have decided to change the way in which we communicate with students and the market. That is why today we are releasing our new campaign “you do good, we feel good”. We want to show why we are here, we want people to know that our success comes through theirs. Based on what our students have accomplished up until now, we feel GREAT.

In case you missed it Jan 31

WORLD – The Ukraine – Ok, so maybe it might not matter to you what is going on in this small former Soviet State, but after several weeks of brutal protests with multiple random arrests of civilians and the country poised for civil war, what does the President do? He takes sick leave. Come on, seriously?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/world/europe/ukraine-unrest.html?ref=world

BRAZIL – Hanging out was not so fun if your favourite place is a shopping mall, especially if you were in Sao Paulo this week. No sweat, the excitement could be coming to a mall near you. Here is what the BBC had to say…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-25746456

SPORT – The NFL season comes to a glorious or should I say frigid end this Sunday in New York. With temperatures sure to drop well below the zero mark the Denver Broncos and Seatle Seahawks are set to vie for the title in a rare ``white Superbowl``. Who`s your pick? 

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/28/us/super-bowl-fans-should-know/index.html?hpt=isp_t3

SAY WHAT? This Chinese tycoon`s offer to any man in the world caught my attention this week. His $65 Million dollar dowry to marry his lesbian daughter – any takers?

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/29/world/asia/hong-kong-tycoon-lesbian-daughter/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

Leave your excuses at the Door!

We make many excuses to avoid fulfilling our responsibilities and if we stop to think about, the reasons, it is because they are normally boring and aren’t rewarding. We should try to change some daily activities and make them better to make our life easier and good. 

Today I was really tired, and I was not sure if it was a good idea have a class at the end of the day, especially English. First because after a full day’s work you just want go home and relax and recharge your energy for the next day, the second reason is, you automatically think “Oh, I have to think and speak in another language” and after you think “It’s just a one class, there isn’t problem miss it, next week I will study more (lie)”. 

So I skipped the excuses and I went to the class. Was difficult keep motivation after the work, but I tried. Magically, in 5 minutes I just forgot all excuses and stopped thinking about anything different than the conversation in the class. I was having fun with the colleagues and the teacher. I forgot the time and enjoyed the conversation practicing my English. At the end of the class I stopped to think what made me so happy, and I had the conclusion that when I have fun in class, everything is easy and good, and I learn. The class was amazing, we learned a lot I could see how important it was for me to forget the excuses, and skip the obstacles. 

Next class I may have the same problems, I will probably feel tired, I will have some excuses, but now I have the feeling that it is just the beginning, and in the end I will be better than now. I am pretty sure that the class is better, when you are relaxed and having fun. The mix of the teacher, the students and the content have to be a perfect combination to have fun. 

If you want learn something, specially a new language, you should go, day by day and maintain the effort to continue. It’s not easy and isn’t something you can see the results clearly. So enjoy your time, skip the excuses, be strong and try to relax and have fun.

How 007 Inspired my English

Technically, English was not my Mother tongue, Singhalese the native language of Sri Lanka was. And although English was spoken to me from birth and my first words were in English, my real learning of the language began when I arrived in Canada at the age of two. I was fed on both languages growing up, but as few people spoke Singhalese the language never stuck. English therefore became my first language and as I learnt it at school, it was a little later that I was introduced to a certain fictional character that would shape the way I use it today – Bond, James Bond.

I know what you might be thinking; ok maybe you should consider getting a life. In addition, where you may not be incorrect, indulge me a moment. For most who learn English as a second language, influences come from a myriad of sources – literary, music and movie icons come to mind. For me, the love affair with the language came from the barrel point of a Walther PPK, courtesy of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

James Bond always had a flare for words, a knack for women and cool toys, and one might assume that as a heterosexual man, the middle criteria would be the most important – ok it was and likely still is, but it was the former that shaped my usage of the language. It began quite early, I remember the first time I watched ‘’Thunderball’’ with my Dad and the scene in which he is dancing with the female antagonist and then places ‘’Fiona Volpe’s’’ body in a chair after she is shot, and says; “Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She’s just dead.” I thought to myself, this person always knows what to say and how to say it. It was his humour - the English understatement and his choice of words, which hooked me. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that I am some sort of William Shakespeare or George Orwell, far from it in fact, but somewhere between puberty and that time watching Bond flicks, my use of English had become influenced by this character for good.

Bond’s style of speaking and use of the British Understatement was inspirational. Here are a few tidbits for your inspiration:

Octopussy

Bond: [Handing a wad of Indian cash to his accomplice.] “That should keep you in curry for a few weeks.” 

[Bond is dragged from a river onto a tour boat.] 

Woman on Tour Boat: “Are you with our group?” 

Bond: “No, ma’am, I’m with the economy tour.” 

The Spy Who loved Me

[The motorcycle henchmen flies off a cliff in a cloud of feathers.] 

Bond: “All those feathers and he still can’t fly.” 

[After structure falls on Jaws.] 

Bond: “Egyptian builders.” 

[Bond and Anya are discovered making love] 

Sir Frederick Gray, Minister of Defence: “Bond! What do you think you’re doing?” 

Bond: “Keeping the British end up, sir.” 

Bond: [After detaining Jaws with a huge magnet.] “How does that grab you?” 

Captain Carter: [As James is removing the warhead to a nuclear missile.] “James, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” 

Bond: “Well, there has to be a first time for everything.” 

Moonraker

Dr. Holly Goodhead: “You know him?” 

Bond: “Not socially. His name’s Jaws, he kills people.” 

[Bond dangles from a cable car a thousand feet up.] 

Dr. Holly Goodhead: “Hang on!” 

Bond: “The thought had occurred to me.” 

[Bond and Drax are shooting pheasants.] 

Hugo Drax: “You missed, Mr. Bond.” 

[A sniper falls from a tree.] 

Bond: “Did I?” 

Dr. Holly Goodhead: “Come on, Mr. Bond. A 70-year-old can take 3 G’s.” 

Bond: “Well, the trouble is there’s never a 70-year-old around when you need one.” 

Bond: “Bollinger? If it’s ’69 you were expecting me.” 

So, should you go out and buy the Blu-ray collector’s edition of all the Bond films? Not necessarily, but having a role model or perhaps a fictional character from the movies, TV, or even literature could provide you the necessary inspiration to fine tune your English or even kick start it. In my case it was Bond, in yours it could be Hugh Grant, Amy Winehouse, Harry Potter or Kelly Clarkson – whomever you choose, if you choose, try not imitate but rather adopt and make the style your own.

This is? Sithan, Sithan de Silva signing off!

Perceptions of different age groups

As a non-native English teacher, I’ve worked with many different age groups. From the beginning of my career, my directors saw me as a teacher that could have many kinds of groups, so the consequence of that was I had really young beginner children from the ages of 5 and 6, to more advanced levels of adults. Naturally, I loved it, as it meant more groups at the end of the month and therefore a better salary. I guess my struggle in saying ‘no’ also contributed to the highly heterogeneous mix of classes. When I became a coordinator, we tried to share the groups amongst the teachers bearing in mind teachers’ convenience and expertise. Whichever groups were hard to find teachers for, I came in. Simple.

Different perceptions I had of each age group then:

Kids: a love and hate relationship. It all depended on my level of enthusiasm and patience, and I guess also depended on the stars, because there were days when all kids just behaved in a very particular way. One hour in class with kids sometimes seemed to take up the same energy as teaching six classes of adults in a row.

Pre-teens: they were my favourite back then. A lot of energy, and they were still at the age that being friends with the teacher is cool. But I’ve always felt that teaching techniques didn’t really apply to this age group. I mean, trying a guided discovery approach ‘by the book’ didn’t prove to be very effective. For me, it was much more a matter of personality and using the rapport you built with them and trying to transfer some knowledge at the specific moments their brains were open. This moment didn’t usually last too long. With this age group, I’ve experienced the lowest marks on tests.

Teens: quite tough. Being nice to the teacher is not necessarily trendy anymore. Quite the opposite, being nasty to the teacher was many times a way of showing off and getting some laughter from peers. But I guess it really depended on the group, really. I’ve had some super nice groups, but the nastiest ones I’ve had in terms of classroom management definitely belonged to this group.

Adults: I’ve always liked teaching adults. I think mainly because if they’re sitting in the classroom, it’s because they want to be there. So inner motivation is easier to find here, and that makes a huge difference in the outcomes of a lesson. Self-discipline and higher attention span also made a positive impact in the lessons. The difficulty I found with adults in the beginning is that they were obviously more judgmental, and they can see clearly when you’re not well prepared, don’t really know what to do or when some nervousness comes in. So I’ve always felt that the pressure with adults was higher, but I enjoyed it. It motivated me to study and try new methodologies and approaches.

Nowadays I only get to teach adults, and I absolutely love it - and with time, I started to appreciate the content generated in each lesson. When students engage in the topic and start to chip in their ideas, you realize that you’re actually learning a lot from them. You have access to information that you didn’t before, different perspectives that you couldn’t see, and many times I catch myself reflecting on what they said.

What I like the most about my groups is finding the topics and creating discussion. It’s a pretty good position to be at, I’d say. You feel you have to be on top of things, kind of knowing a little about a whole range of topics, especially dealing with business students, in order to relate to what your students are saying. It’s a good feeling to know that I’m getting so much in return, even though I think my students don’t notice it. Perhaps I should tell them (note to self).