[EDLING:700] Re: Program Helps TAs' Language Skills

[Nitza Krohn]

is it one on one? I have long suspected that acquiring speaking skills in
a language classroom situation is a losing battle.
On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 16:33:35 -0500 "Francis M. Hult"
<fmhult at dolphin.upenn.edu> writes:
> Program Helps Language Skills
>
> Minnesota Daily
>
> http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/03/09/63622
>
> Learning to speak conversational English is much harder than picking
> up
> written English.
>
> Some retired professors at the University are putting their teaching
> skills to
> work again by helping international teaching and research assistants
> with
> their English skills through the Partners in English program. The
> goal is to
> help the assistants with conversational English they encounter in
> their
> classrooms. The program will result in a more efficient class for
> both the
> student and teaching or research assistant.
> The program is voluntary for both the retired professors and
> assistants. The
> program is voluntary in that those teaching assistants who feel
> their
> classrooms would benefit from the program are taking action.
>
> Learning how to read and write a language is a completely different
> skill from
> the conversation ability one acquires from practicing speaking. The
> professors
> are spending time with the international assistants speaking at the
> fast pace
> they will encounter in their classrooms.
>
> Eight professors are working with approximately 30 international
> graduate
> students, with 20 more waiting to start the process. The program is
> hoping
> that more people will sign up to teach so it can serve as many
> assistants as
> want to participate. Program organizers are also stressing that
> people other
> than retired professors are welcome to volunteer to teach, because
> the more
> volunteers, the better.
>
> A program such as Partners in English is a good example of the
> campus doing
> what it can with its own resources to better itself. The English as
> a Second
> Language program was cut in 2004 because of a decline in enrollment
> causing a
> loss of skilled professors in the field. The cutbacks hindered
> international
> assistants from using an important resource to get help with their
> spoken
> English. The Partners in English program is a sufficient new way for
>
> international assistants to get help if they want it.
>
> The Partners in English program will benefit both students who are
> enrolled in
> classes taught wholly or partially by international assistants and
> the
> assistants themselves inside and outside of the classroom.
>
>
>
>