Help Needed For Mrs Bojangles

[mrbojangles]

Good day Ajarn's

I wonder if any of you English Teacher's to foreign students, could be of assistance, please.

Mrs BoJangles has been applying for ESOL courses here in the UK but unfortunately the beginners class is full and she can't get on it until September 2007, which is also the same month that we apply for ILR. She must also comply with the new rule starting in April, that she passes the Citizenship test.

So we have managed to get her on the next level up but she is struggling with reading and writing and all of the other students are at least 1 1/2 years in front of her. My view is that at least she is learning something, rather than just waiting until Sept. Her speaking is fine but reading and writing are pretty poor but can do A-Z etc.

I am now more than aware just how difficult Teaching is and that although i am a native English speaker, this skill isn't enough to try and teach but we can't just sit around and do nothing. So can anyone please give me some tips has to how i begin to teach her the first steps of reading and writing and/or links to any useful sites etc.

Many thanks

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Hey BoJ!!

One thing, IMHO, that can help with reading is finding what interests she has and buying magazines that she is likely to read.

Another thing you can do is look for graded readers. These are books for adult English learners aimed at adults with adult themes (not the xxx kind of adult themes though).

If you do a google search you can find more info, although UK bookshops should carry such things.

Hope this helps!

[mrbojangles]

Thanks DSK

But i think i'm after something simpler at first. Something that shows word construction and soundings or something like that, i think.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

you mean phonics?

BoJ, the best way to learn is practice. Graded readers are also designed for absolute beginners. You can look at the stuff that the Oxford University Press has.

I thought this looked like something you would like. You're not supposed to put links in - so guess a mod will be along shortly to remove it!

http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/isbn/9958?cc=th

What do you think? I thought you might like the self-study aspect of it.

My schoold uses the Oxford Reading Tree for the kids, so I can recommend their stuff.

Edited March 6, 2007 by The Dan Sai Kid

[mrbojangles]

Thanks again DSK,

I'll take a look at that

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Mr BoJ, another idea occurred to me when I was reading one of your posts. When your wife practices reading don't let her use a Thai/English dictionary. Buy her a learners dictionary - it is a dictionary with definitions in plain english. If she can get into the habbit of using one then it will help her reading improve.

BTW, I'm surprised there haven't been more replies.

[mrbojangles]

Cheers for that DSK. I was thinking about an alternative as to how she currently looks up words. At the moment she looks it up in my Eng/Thai dictionary. Get's the Thai word and then looks it up in her Thai dictionary which gives her (in Thai) how to pronounce the word in an English way.

BTW, I'm surprised there haven't been more replies.

Yeah, me too considering this is a Teachers forum who, in the main, specialise in helping non english speakers learn english

[mrbojangles]

I don't know if something like this is possible or if it would work but I thought I would mention it.

She'd struggle to fit the time in to do something like that but for anyone with the time, it definately seems practical. Thanks R4199246 BTW was that an id number in the forces? I can still remember mine

[mrbojangles]

Yes it was my number from 1957 onwards Royal Air Force Mobile Air Movements

Thought so. Tattooed on your brain. Same here, i was in the Royal Navy from 1979 and when going for our weekly wages, we had to salute with left hand, hold your right hand out and say surname D179058A sir. Before getting the spondoolies. Oh memories

[totlanh]

Mr Bo,

Have you decided not to reclaim your Irish roots and go down the EEA Family permit route?

[mrbojangles]

Mr Bo,

Have you decided not to reclaim your Irish roots and go down the EEA Family permit route?

No tot, i am indeed going down my Irish route, t'be sure, t'be sure It will save alot of unnecessary hassle and a rather large amount of money.

But we both still want her to improve her English and at least now we can do it at our pace and not get rushed by the goverment.

[Mossfinn]

t'be sure, t'be sure

I thought we had talked about this?

Good Luck

Moss