SPELLBOUND

Skills Packages for English Language Learners

The English Language Unit

Background

English language impacts on the student’s whole learning experience and students who struggle with their English language development inevitably struggle with both their studies and their transition into university life.

This can affect the retention and progression, as well as the recruitment of future international students.

The typical international student

Enter Keele with an IELTS score of 6.0 Cram schools often mean that a ‘true’ score is

closer to 5.0 Learning main subject content + developing

English language skills = a sometimes insurmountable challenge

Stress, loss of face May turn to alternative methods to ensure

success May return to (e.g.) China during the long

breaks

Possible solutions

Increase the amount of time available for English classes = less time for main subjects

Increase pre-arrival contact with the ELUIncrease online resourcesIncrease contact with ELU during breaksIncrease in-class interactivityIncrease subject-specific resources

Deliverables

The ELU Welcome Web Innovative use of the Interactive Whiteboard Use of online resources via the KLE Interactive resources using Studymate and

Respondus Individualised corpora for PGR students E-tutorials using MSN/Skype for off-site

students

The ELU Welcome Web

The ELU Welcome Web

Pre-Arrival activities

Interactive use of the IWB – manipulating text

IWB = interactive analysis of texts

IWB use of teamwork

Online Resources – The ELU Noticeboard

Using the Academic Word List

Making learning enjoyable

Use of text-speech software

Subject specific vocabulary development

Use of individual corpora of PGR students – frequency lists

Concordancing – investigating the use of vocabulary in context

E-tutorials using msn and skype

Analysing the effectiveness

Student Feedback:“really useful – I feel more confident”“I use the e-tutorials a lot – they help me with my

research when I’m in Sri Lanka”“The whiteboard in my English class is nice. I feel

interested to look at it.”“I think the vocabulary development on KLE is useful. It

helps me a lot with my writing.”“The language I use for my research is very specific and I

cannot find it in a dictionary. The corpora that the ELU made for me is perfect because I can see which language is necessary and how it is used.”

Future Developments

Additional KLE-based resources.Additional subject-specific vocabulary

development.Design and implementation of individual

corpora focussing on different styles of research writing.