The world is changing! When a business man in China talks to a business man in France, what language does he use?

Nowadays, businesses may ‘outsource’ to companies all over the world. For example, a film company in Australia may use a Polish company to do their graphics, an Indian company to do their sound editing and a company in Germany to do their location searches. They use English to ‘talk’ to each other and so English has become the ‘Lingua Franca’ or language of common use.

It is interesting, that even in countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where people traditionally could understand each other’s languages; now choose to communicate in English.

That is why students need to learn to understand English accents from all around the globe. Cambridge exams now use a variety of accents for the listening tests and are emphasising the importance of not relying on the traditional British accents.

So, having an ‘accent’ other than the traditional English one is no disadvantage to being an English teacher. Non native English speaking teachers who have had to learn learnt and English teachers who have learnt another language are usually wonderful English teachers. They understand the challenges of language learning. They tend to have a greater understanding of grammar structures than native English speakers and they tend to be more sympathetic to the frustrations of language learning.

So, if your teacher has a non traditional English accent, don’t think you are disadvantaged. It is not a hindrance to your English learning. The next time you are doing group work, remember that listening to the other students will help improve your global English skills and  help yourself, by talking to as many different nationalities as you can around your school every day.

Becky

Director of Studies

GV Noosa

Here are some tips for learning Foreign Language

1) Spend the time!

By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases. This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other students who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are learning.

2) Listen and read every day!

Listen wherever you are on your MP3 player. Read what you are listening to. Listen to and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than many hours of class time.

3) Focus on words and phrases!

Build up your vocabulary, you’ll need lots. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make your own vocabulary lists for review. Soon you will run into your new words and phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to use them. Do not worry about how accurately you speak until you have accumulated a plenty of words through listening and reading.

4) Take responsibility for your own learning!

If you do not want to learn the language, you won’t. If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content of interest,that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.

5) Relax and enjoy yourself!

Do not worry about what you cannot remember, or cannot yet understand, or cannot yet say. It does not matter. You are learning and improving. The language will gradually become clearer in your brain, but this will happen on a schedule that you cannot control. So sit back and enjoy. Just make sure you spend enough time with the language. That is the greatest guarantee of success.

Written by Steve Kaufmann

Learning English is an ongoing process that doesn’t end when classes do or when you finish your course. It may even surprise you to learn that a good proportion of what you learn is learned incidentally, so, take advantage of the fact that you are currently living and studying in an English speaking country. Here are some helpful tips:

Speaking:

Speak English as much as possible and try to stress words appropriately. Intonation is really important and how you say something may have a totally different meaning to what you want to say, for example, ‘hello’ could be said in a friendly, sarcastic or indifferent tone.

Use your imagination and try this exercise:

Ask three different people, your friend (1), someone you don’t really know (2) and someone you don’t like (3):  what time it is, or invite them out for a cup of coffee.  You will probably find that you will say it a little differently each time.

Avoid speaking your own language while you are here because each time you do, you reproduce your own language’s stress and intonation patterns making it difficult to master the ones required for English. This is partially why you speak English with an accent. Mimic the sounds you hear, it’s a good way to learn. Besides, we know that you can speak your own language fluently so work on English!

Some students mistake speaking very quickly with being fluent. Speak slowly and clearly, so even if you make a mistake the listener will understand most of what you are trying to say. If you speak quickly the listener will find it difficult to understand you.

If you can’t find someone to practise speaking with, read aloud to yourself. This really helps with stress and pronunciation. Have you ever noticed that everything sounds great in your mind when you read silently, but not so great when you are asked to read aloud in class? If possible, tape yourself and listen to your pronunciation.

Listening:

 Listen to the radio and watch the local news. Make sure you listen for ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘how’ and ‘why’.  Listening to music and learning lyrics to songs is a fun way to learn vocabulary. You can try and guess the lyrics to songs before you download the lyrics from the net.

Eavesdrop on conversations on public transport, it isn’t difficult because most people use their mobile phones and they’re quite loud. Even so, try not to make it to obvious you might upset someone.

Watch DVDs without subtitles because the idea is to improve your listening not your reading.

I hope these tips are useful so stay tuned for the next instalment.

Patty Thomas

Academic Manager – GV Sunshine Coast

GV Noosa’s Assistant Director of Studies, Nina Schiller has some good tips for keeping track of your progress.

Often it is very difficult for students to see the progress they make when learning a language.  Students sometimes come to my office and say, ‘I am not making progress, what can I do?’. The first thing to remember is that learning a language is not like learning ‘mathematical or chemical formulas’ – it is not something that can be studied the night before an exam. Language takes time and lots of practice. 

But, to help you keep track of the progress that you are making, especially if you are in an Exam class, why not try keeping a ‘Portfolio’ of your work. 

In this ‘Portfolio’ keep a record of your in-class test results and examples of your writing.  Don’t just keep work that you produce at the end of the course, keep examples that you produce at the start as well (then you will really see how much you have improved!).

You can buy a folder with ‘plastic sleeves’ or simply use an exercise book.  Keep all examples of writing homework – even if it has lots of mistakes!!!  Every time you look back over your own work, you will learn from your mistakes.  When you re-read your work, make comments and write down ideas about how you can improve.  For example, I need to revise the Past Perfect Tense or Passives.  I need to improve my vocabulary.  This week I will focus on Phrasal Verbs.

Over the length of the course, you will see how much your writing improves!

Your teachers keep a record of your test results – you can too!  Below is an example of one way you can record your test scores:

                               Date of Test:         Date of Test:         Date of Test:         Date of Test: 

                                      28/3/11                 4/4/11                   11/4/11                 18/4/11

                                    Result:                    Result:                    Result:                    Result:

Grammar               58% Fail                 62% Pass                74% Pass                75% Pass

Reading                 55% Fail                 58% Fail                 61% Pass                65% Pass

Listening                49% Fail                 56% Fail                 59% Fail                 62% Pass

Writing                          Fail                          Pass                        Pass                        Pass

As the weeks go by, you will see the ‘Fail’ marks disappear – be proud – you are making great progress!!!

Nina Schiller

There are many reasons why you may want to study in the IELTS class……

• If you are planning to study at University in Australia, you need an IELTS test score.

• Maybe you want to live in Australia; an IELTS score is required with your visa application.

• You may have studied General English for some time and you are now ready for something more structured and challenging. (You can be in the IELTS class even if you are not going to take the test!)

• If you do decide to take the test, you can use the results as proof of your English ability in many places around the world. Today, the test is recognised even in the U.S.

• You will have a great opportunity to communicate with classmates who may have a good level of English. Every morning we focus on Grammar and Vocabulary, and every afternoon we practise Speaking and Listening. (You will notice how quickly your vocabulary improves!)

• Finally, ask the students currently studying in the IELTS class, and they will tell you how useful it can be for you.

If you have decided to study IELTS, don’t forget to write your name up on the waiting list on the Academic notice board, or see Mariana today!!! The next IELTS course begins next week!

Last week, our Upper-Intermediate students had a creative writing session, and this is one of the stories they came up with.

It was a snowy day.

There were a lot of houses in the town.

A boy who was living in one of the houses had never seen snow before.

As soon as he noticed that there was snow outside, he ran.

He was really excited about snow.

He wanted to make a snowman which he saw on TV yesterday.

When he finished making it, he thought it looked like a person.

He wanted it to be his friend.

He brought some clothes from his father’s closet. He put them on the snowman.

”It looked like a real person”, he thought.

He started to talk to it. He talked to it everyday before he went to school and after he got home.

A few weeks later, it was getting warmer.

He’d never imagined he would separate from his best friend, but time passed so fast.

The snowman got smaller each day.

Finally, winter had gone and spring had come.

He cried a lot, but he will never forget his best friend, the snowman.

Thanks for sharing this sweet story with us Yuki!

Due to popular demand, we will be holding the pronunciation seminar for students with an Asian mother tongue again this afternoon!

We held this seminar last week, and it was requested to be held again, so Vivienne will be giving the session once more this afternoon from 2pm. Come along to get some great tips on your pronunciation!

Raqwan, from Pre-Intermediate, has borrowed The Lion King.

This is what she thinks of the movie:

I like the movie because it is very clear to understand and I can learn more when I watch. I really like the music, it is very nice. The movie is very old but when I watched it the first time, I didn’t watch it in English. It reminded me of when I was young. It is a good story.

Thank you very much, Raqwan! It’s great to see your progress, congratulations!

If you want to borrow one of our DVDs, see Mariana. She’ll lend you one and give you a worksheet to learn English while you’re watching it!

Last week, our Pre-Intermediate students set out for a very special challenge.

Students were given letters asking for advice on what to wear in different situations. They then went to shops and, using the vocabulary and grammar they learned in Module 10, they asked for the right clothes to wear in each situation. Then they tried them on… and here are some of their fancy looks!

Sarah and Thaisa’s group had to find clothes to go on a date that night. This is their response:

If you are going out with your boyfriend, or your best friend, you must have some beautiful fashion clothes.

For example, if you go our for dinner, you must wear a beautiful dress with a lot of jewellery and nice high heel shoes. Don’t forget a little make up and a beautiful hairstyle.

If you go out to movie, you should wear pants with a nice T-shirt and nice sandals.

For both, you must have a fashion bag!!!

Samuel and Rafael’s group had to find the perfect outfit for a beach party. The last 5 pictures of the gallery is how they think you should look!

Research shows that reading increases your exposure to the English language which increases your vocabulary knowledge which MAKES YOU A BETTER ENGLISH SPEAKER.

Research strongly suggests that free reading is one of the best things you can do to bridge the gap from beginning level to truly advanced levels. Once you are confident reading English you will be more confident writing and speaking English.

• Borrow a book form our library – it is free and works on an honesty system
• If you are a long term student, join the Brisbane City Council Library. It is free!
• Read the free daily local newspaper , MX
• Read magazines that interest you – sport, gossip, current affairs, etc

Whilst you read:

• Try to interpret new words from the whole meaning of the sentence
• Write down new words in an exercise book and look up their meaning
• Try to use the new words in your conversations.

Do you want to challenge yourself a bit more?

Our EAP2 teacher Margie and one of her recent students

Next Monday we are starting a new EAP2 class! This course will run for 8 weeks, and you will need to be in Intermediate class or higher to join.

The EAP2 course will enable you to develop and acquire language and study skills needed to perform competently in tertiary study environments in Australia.

Students who receive a B grade pass in the EAP2 course can use the course as an academic pathway. This means they can gain direct entry (without needing to pass the IELTS test) into diploma level courses at associate tertiary institutions.

In this course, your teacher Margie will encourage you to become an independent learner, so you will develop skills that will help you learn how to learn, and also academic language skills – the EAP2 course focuses on reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary & grammar, research and study skills, note taking, computer literacy and critical analytical skills, all within an academic context.

The subject areas covered can be used for further studies in Australia, but if you are not interested in this, no problems! You can also use them in your home country, as the skills that are learnt in this course can be translated into any language.

If you are after a challenging course that will help you improve your level of English and also give you the possibility to keep studying in Australia at a higher level, then this one is for you! See Mariana for details, but hurry! The course starts soon!

The ever popular English Out & About class is back!

The course is only 2 weeks long but it will help you improve your confidence in the use of English in a real-life context. You will talk to locals, go on excursions in and around Brisbane (all paid for by the school!) and use the English that you learn from the book in practical situations.

This course is exclusively for Intermediate students, so if you are in the lucky group and want to make the most of your studies and your time in Australia, see Mariana before Friday.

Start date: 15 February

If you would like to see the previous class’ experiences, check out the video below:

Before the upcoming IELTS Course start date on the 22nd of March, GV Byron Bay’s Director of Studies, Justin, has given us some helpful tips on the Listening component of the exam.

Director of Studies, Justin and student

The IELTS Listening Test:

Key facts:

-          30 minutes to listen plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet.

-          Four sections

-          40 questions in total.

How to PREPARE for the test:

In the test you have to listen to a wide range of accents: Australian, New Zealand, British, American, Canadian etc. The best way to practise this is to listen to as many different sources of spoken English as you can. Easy ways to access a wider variety of accents is through watching things like the Australian Network, the BBC, CNN etc. Within the test, there will also be a variety of different situations in which people are speaking. For example, you might hear examples of radio shows, friends hanging out, lectures at University etc. A good way to prepare for this is to practise listening to different situations such as TV soap operas, lifestyle shows, radio shows, and other media which have less formal spoken English, as well as things like documentaries or the Discovery channel, which are usually more formal in their spoken form.

TOP TIPS TO FOLLOW DURING THE EXAM:

You have time to look through the questions at the very start of the exam. Make sure you get used to using your time in the most efficient way possible. PREDICT what kind of information you think you will hear, and also try and predict what kind of word or words you will need to use to answer the question.

Think about the form of the words, are they looking for adjectives, nouns, adverbs etc? Try and guess as much as possible BEFORE the listening starts.

Listen REALLY carefully to the introduction of each question. This will give you useful clues about the situation and the topic you are about to listen to.

At the end of the listening test, CHECK YOUR WORK carefully. You have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Make sure that you use this time wisely. Have a look at your answers. Do they fit grammatically? Is your spelling correct? Remember, spelling is important in the IELTS exam.

Have a look at this Listening task as a quick example:

Listening task one:  table completion

You have to complete the table with words from the recording. You should write no more than three words or a number in each space.

Study the table carefully before doing the listening.

Strategy: Try and predict any possible answers. This will help you when listening to the key words in the test. Also have a close look at the parts of the table that are complete. These will help you predict the type of answer that is needed.

HINT: Always check the numbering to see whether it goes across or down the table.

There are several different listening task types. If you are interested in learning more about the exam and our courses come and see the Director of Studies in the office any time.

***Click here for the answers***

Are you always curious about some of the slang that Australians use? The Director of Studies at GV Brisbane, Mariana, has provided some helpful information this week on Australian slang.

GV Brisbane's Director of Studies, Mariana, with Edson from Brazil

Australian English is an accent that is full of lively colourful phrases. Some of the words and expressions used are taken from British slang (very informal vocabulary items).

Some words have a completely different meaning in Australia than they do in other English-speaking countries. Other words are indigenous to Australia and derived from Aboriginal terms, such as ‘boomerang’ and ‘kangaroo’. But the most characteristic aspect of the Australian accent is that common words and expressions have been shortened considerably, turning three- or four-syllable words into two-syllable ones.

It is important to notice that Australian slang exists primarily because Australians take the English language as a game to play, and they love to have fun with words.

Here are some of those everyday words and their shortened Aussie versions for you to use to sound more Australian, but more importantly, to understand natives when you talk to them! Use them whenever you can, and enjoy the language!

• Breakfast – Brekkie

• Afternoon – Arvo

• Australian – Aussie (pronounced ‘Ozzie’)

• Australia – Oz, as in Oz-tralia.

• Barbecue (BBQ) – Barbie

• Bring Your Own (meat and drinks) – BYO

• Aggressive – Aggro

• Motorcyclists – Bikies

• Chicken – Chook

• Delicatessen – Deli

• Eskimo box – Esky (Large insulated box for keeping beer etc. cold)

• Garbage collector – Garbo

• Journalist – Journo

• Mosquitoes – Mozzies

• Poker machine – Pokies (Slot machine or fruit machine with playing card pips. Found in clubs or casinos)

• Postman – Postie

• Registration (car registration) – Rego

• Kangaroo – Roo

• Member of the Salvation Army – Salvo

• Day off work pretending to be sick - Sickie

• Coffee or cigarette break – Smoko

• Sausage – Snag

• The television – Telly

• Thing - Thingo

• Truck driver – Trucky

• University – Uni

• Utility truck or vehicle – Ute

• Cold beer – Coldie

• Petrol Station – Servo

• Present – Prezzy

Are looking for ways to improve your English over the holiday break? Becky, the Director of Studies at our Noosa campus, has passed on some ideas that will help.

GV Noosa's Director of Studies, Becky chatting to some students

Students always ask me how they can improve their English over the holiday break. Here are some ideas.

Read
• Christmas cards.
• Newspapers – local papers are delivered free to every house. keep a ‘new vocabulary’ log-write and down every new word you read
• Magazines and junk mail (also free)
• Borrow a book or two from our library or join the local library – it is free!
• Read the subtitles on your favourite movies

Write
• Keep a holiday diary
• Christmas cards and/or happy new year cards
• Write on your facebook in English and impress your friends

Listen
• Movies- always great new films out at Christmas time
• Carol concerts- check your free local paper
• Christmas CDs

Speak
• Australians love to chat – start up a conversation with the person next to you on the bus/beach/supermarket queue/bus stop
• Sing Christmas songs with your friends
• Go to a Karaoke Bar
• Check out Website: www.volqld.org.au and join a volunteer group

Lastly, don’t forget the great interactive CD Rom that comes with your student text book. Catch up on all those lessons you missed!

Have a great holiday break everyone and remember: Use it or lose it!

Patty, the Academic Director for GV Caloundra, has passed on some great study tips to help you get the most out of your time whilst at Global Village.

Patty, the Academic Director for GV Caloundra

Learning a second language can be fun and easy for some but difficult for others. For most of us it doesn’t happen over night and it takes lots of practice.

We all learn differently and have preferred ways of studying but one thing that would really help you improve your English is to keep a study journal. It’s an easy way to monitor your progress. It allows you to assess what works and doesn’t work for you and it makes you take responsibility for your learning.

I am sure you have your own ideas about how you like to study and the types of activities you enjoy doing and don’t enjoy doing.

It is important, however, to think about whether or not you have been successful doing these activities or if you should try something new, if you should use different strategies to help you reach your goal. If you are serious about trying to improve in a particular area you should set an achievable goal and then think about how you are going to do it.

If improving your listening is your goal then think about which area of ‘listening’ you are weakest in.  Do you need to improve; listening for specific information or general ideas? Once you have decided there are many different types of exercises you could do.

• A good website you can access is http://www.abc.net.au/news/btn/topics.html

(There are even lessons and questions provided if you are interested. This website would probably suit Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate students.)

• For something a little more challenging you can access the following website for IELTS – listening exercises http://www.ielts-exam.net

(This would be suitable for Intermediate to Advanced students.)

• Of course, there are fun ways to improve your listening like watching movies, DVDs, (but without subtitles because the purpose is to improve your listening not your reading) and downloading lyrics to popular songs and creating your own gap-fill exercises.

You can use the template below as a starting point. It can be as detailed as you choose it to be.

Remember we are here to help so ask your teacher for some advice!