Anybody here familiar with teaching English as a second language?

[Faithr]

We have a French speaking houseguest.  She can get by in English but she needs much improvement.  We've been correcting her occasionally (don't say 'more good' say 'better' instead, that kind of thing). But I think if she had some kind of an English as a Second Language workbook or text that she could study from, it would be a great help.  I went to Amazon and looked but soon got overwhelmed.  Can anyone recommend something?  This woman is an adult; she is not a beginner in English but she's got a ways to go to become fluent.

 

Thank you!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If she already has the basics of English down, then just lots of conversation, tv programs, and books will be her best bet.  

 

Someone may have an additional book recommendation, but it's hard to give one without a better idea of her English level.  Has she taken any placement exams?  

 

In all likelihood, her knowledge of English is actually considerably more advanced than her conversation level.  Conversation is really the last piece of the puzzle for language learners, and is a matter of lots of exposure and practice.  

 

I would keep corrections to a minimum (unless she has asked you to correct her each time) and instead focus on whether or not her meaning is coming across.  

 

How fun to have a language learner house guest!

[Liz CA]

If she already has the basics of English down, then just lots of conversation, tv programs, and books will be her best bet.  

 

Someone may have an additional book recommendation, but it's hard to give one without a better idea of her English level.  Has she taken any placement exams?  

 

In all likelihood, her knowledge of English is actually considerably more advanced than her conversation level.  Conversation is really the last piece of the puzzle for language learners, and is a matter of lots of exposure and practice.  

 

I would keep corrections to a minimum (unless she has asked you to correct her each time) and instead focus on whether or not her meaning is coming across.  

 

How fun to have a language learner house guest!

 

This is my experience as well. I am visual learner so I read books in the foreign language. This has the advantage of being able to look up a word or expression without stalling a conversation or getting embarrassed. Writing in the foreign language may be the next step. It exercises "thinking" in the foreign language. Could she keep a journal?

Speaking is the most difficult part since fluent conversation requires you to have a fairly good vocabulary and you have to "think on your feet." Fluency is greatly helped by practice and an ever enlarging vocabulary.

Do you have well written children's books she may want to read for easier vocabulary and less complex grammar structure?

Would she be interested in watching a good newscast or other show where people are more likely to speak in complete sentences, with a minimum of slang and using well constructed syntax?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Has she asked for formal language instruction? I say "formal " due to your request for books. I've taught English for many years and grew up learning Japanese through immersion. It would have put me off big time if people had tried to give me unsolicited formal lessons. Hearing, speaking and being surrounded naturally with both oral and print language was what I wanted. That also is part of the whole point of an exchange program. I think that some judicious corrections are OK as long as they don't put her off from trying to communicate.

 

 

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[myfunnybunch]

We host exchange students from all over the world, and have for years.

 

Has she asked you to provide explicit instruction? Unless she's voiced an interest, I'd trust to the immersion process and continue to treat her as a guest. Conversation is the best way for her to learn the rhythms, patterns, and oddities of English.

 

A student who is at the level of saying "more good" instead of "better" is probably doing quite well as a second language learner. It means she's able to take the pieces she already knows and use them to communicate her thoughts clearly even if it's not 100% grammatically correct.

 

We try to keep our corrections to a minimum, provided only if it won't impede the conversation. (Though some seemingly minor errors, like the difference between I'm bored/I'm boring need immediate correction. :D ) Sometimes we'll have explicit conversations about the oddities of languages: In English, we say good/better/best instead of good/more good/most good, even though more good makes perfect sense. I wonder why? Do you have something similar in your language? But we typically focus our informal conversational teaching on things like idioms, slang, unusual constructions, jokes. It's more fun, and it allows our students to practice their English without fear of mistakes. :)

[Crimson Wife]

Several of the libraries in my area host free ESL conversation groups for people to practice. You might want to check if there's anything like that near you.

[Tita Gidge]

I'm familiar with learning it as a second language :D

 

Immersion is the key. The aforementioned: tv with or without captioning and as much conversation as possible. I found it helpful to sit in busy places such as the school cafeteria or today I guess it'd be a coffee shop. It was a great place to eavesdrop and hear natural conversations that I could mimic and practice. That's probably how I'd have made the switch from "more good" to "better" - just by hearing it over and over in normal conversation.

 

Music is another thing that helped me. Not so much with perfect grammar, but vocabulary and pronunciation and slang. It's easy to learn to music, even without realizing you are!

 

I was very stubborn about wanting to learn to speak like a native, and I've mostly gotten there. There are some words I don't know, phrases I don't get, or saying I still confuse, but for the most part I can pass for a native speaker in writing and sometimes in speech (if our conversation is short and I make great effort - usually I just speak in my normal accented English). I married into an immigrant family and they've lived in the US longer than I have. They still speak broken English, decades later. But they can communicate and are happy with that level of the language. We all have different goals. Good luck and thank you for helping your guest reach hers!

Edited June 4, 2016 by Tita Gidge

[Faithr]

Thanks all.  She's actually going to school right now, so she is pretty good at writing English.  She does seems to be intimidated a lot though and I think she misses a lot.  For instance, the English teacher wanted her to bring in a book of poetry and she didn't even know how to pronounce it.  She has asked for support in learning English better, especially the spoken because she eventually wants a job here.  She said that when she was a student back in the Ivory Coast she deliberately avoided the learning English track and went to the math/science one, just because speaking English is so intimidating for her.  I think it was a desperate measure to escape the poverty that has engulfed her homeland that made her figure out how to get here.  We have a plan that she will teach us French and we will help her with English.  I just thought a nice methodical book approach would clarify things for her as she converses with us.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Faithr

[myfunnybunch]

Here's what I would encourage her to do, based on my experience with our exchange students: Converse, converse, converse.

 

We've hosted around 30? students by now. Maybe more. The students we've had who've learned the fastest have been those who plowed ahead and talked, talked, talked without worrying about mistakes. They tend to gradually absorb correct grammar naturally, or come to us with questions. :)

 

It's not uncommon for a student to not know how to pronounce an unfamiliar word. Those are the natural teaching opportunities right there. :) Learning from real life interactions and mistakes is a fabulous way to learn a second language.

[Annie G]

DD teaches ESL to adults and had them set up Duolingo accounts for the summer while classes are on break. Perhaps that might be an option...it's free.