From: April 12, 2024 Presenter: Dr. Jan Dormer, Taylor University Forming friendships with people who speak a different language and have a different culture can be both daunting and rewarding. A strength of church based English language programs is that they can foster an environment for these relationships to form, but it doesn’t happen by...
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Actively using English is critical for people who are learning the language. Because many of the people coming to our English classes don’t speak English very much outside of class, it’s vitally important to their success that they speak English as much as possible while in class. However, one of the most common mistakes teachers
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As classes start up again this fall, it’s a good time to look at classroom rules and the impact they have on student learning. Every “rule” should be necessary to move us toward our end goal and provide each student with a fun, supportive, healthy learning environment. Fortunately, for most adult ESL classes rules don’t need
From: July 20, 2023 Presenters: Amy Mitchell and Anna Hannum, Faith International English Classes in Indianapolis Amy Mitchell and Anna Hannum shared a wealth of practical information about working with volunteers that is relevant to any program or ministry. During the Q&A following the presentation, they answered questions that covered more than just the insights about...
Caring for Your Program by Caring for Your Volunteers Read More »
Allowing students to talk about their culture in the classroom is a great opportunity to for them to share a part of themselves with other students and their teachers. It also helps students recognize and respect differences and learn about their host culture. This great activity by Ann Flood in her book English Teacher Training
Dive into the challenging issue of student retention with Dianne Dow as she explains how evaluating your program's goals and values and understanding your students' needs and culture can improve your program's effectiveness & increase student retention.
Evaluating Your Community Based ESL Program Read More »
Has someone asked you to help them learn English, and you don’t know where to start? Learning any language is a marathon, not a sprint, and understanding this concept and a few basic principles about learning a new language can guide you as you help your friend in their English study. Understanding Language Levels Unfortunately,
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English as a Second Language (ESL) Ministries face a myriad of challenges: quality volunteer acquisition, training and retention, program funding, student participation and growth – to say nothing of lasting spiritual fruit. Often ESL ministry directors start off with little more than a heart for the Lord and their community, a handful of classes, and
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