Posts Tagged ‘education’
Online Foreign Language Education
May 4, 2011 | 
Author Comprehending a new foreign language might be time consuming. Academical language courses add a great base, but some students are too busy today to attend physical classes. Fortunately, the Internet has alternatives that are convenient and allow you to train for any kind of idiom at your own time and pace.
Free Foreign Language Resources on the Internet
Free language courses can be ascertained on many websites that provide foreign language resources. Their quality might vary from awfully dismal to superbly distinct. Do an Internet search and select which websites will help you the most.
Online Educational Games
Online educational games are fun alternatives, and many breed of games operate online. Their central advantage: learning about a foreign language becomes more entertaining and comfortable. The downside is that this approach utilizes more time than approaching other processes, but the retention that’ll grow through playing games will dwell in your mind longer.
Media and Foreign Websites
The Internet is home to different media platforms, which is beneficial when educating yourself about a new language. For example, streaming or downloading audio and video files in the language you’re training for might prove magnificently beneficial in building your vocabulary and pronunciation talents. Reading websites written in the foreign language you’re training for is also an excellent path of getting accustomed to vocabulary, spelling, and grammar basics. However, you must already possess a basic foundation of the desired language, otherwise you will fail to grasp the content you’re reading.
Video Conference Lessons
Angelina Jolie Deserves an Award for Leadership in Language Education
People often ask me, “How can I teach my 3 year old French or Spanish?”
I always say, “First let me tell you how Angelina Jolie is teaching her children French.”
The first thing you should know is that she isn’t spending a penny more for her children to learn French than other Hollywood moms are spending whose children aren’t learning French.
So what’s she doing?
She hires French nannies to do most of the care for her children. It’s that simple.
The French nannies care for her children in French and her children automatically learn French.
French nannies work just as cheaply as American nannies, so it doesn’t cost her a penny more.
Don’t worry about her children not learning English, they live in Hollywood, California, USA. They’ll learn English just fine. If You Can Afford To — Follow Her Example
Angelina’s method for teaching small children a language is an excellent one. If you can afford it, it will work every time. Just make sure that your nanny talks to your children in the language you want them to learn.
It’s just as cheap to hire a French nanny as is it to hire an American one, so if you are going to pay for this type of premium childcare, you might as well have your children get a great language education at the same time.
How to Follow Angelina’s Example Without Spending as Much Money
If you don’t plan on spending the money to hire nannies, you can get almost as much benefit for your children by putting them in foreign language day care.
Posted in Language | 
Tags: Angelina, Award, Deserves, education, Jolie, Language, Leadership | 
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Business and English Language Education in Japan: Another Step in the Nova Saga
The Osaka District Court recently sentenced Nova’s president, Nozomu Sahashi, to three and a half years in prison for skimming off employee funds. Sahashi stole the funds in 2007 during Nova’s last days; he was just a step ahead of the giant foreign language school’s bankruptcy in October.
Prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence and many were surprised that the judge handed down such a severe sentence. Sahashi will undoubtedly appeal and the appeals process will take some time. Some Japanese businessmen sentenced to prison terms never serve them. Nova was Japan’s biggest foreign language school chain and employed more foreign nationals than any other company in Japan.
The Nova Group was founded in August 1981. Nozomu Sahashi opened the first Nova classroom in Shinsaibashi, Osaka with two high school graduates from Sweden and Canada. Sahashi had met them thanks to a friend who was studying abroad in Paris. Over 20 years later at its peak points, Nova was nearing a half a million students with 50% of the total market share calculated according to revenue and a 66% market share calculated according to the number of students.
Nova’s high numbers were thanks to their very aggressive and extensive advertising in newspapers and on television and billboards everywhere. Many Nova classrooms were located in visible locations near train stations, key locations for doing business in Japan. Nova used the Nova pink rabbit as their company character and the rabbit often appeared in television commercials. Children liked the rabbit and its popularity skyrocketed. Nova introduced Nova pink rabbit merchandise, selling over two million dollars worth in the first two weeks alone.
Aiming to be Different: the New Hi-tech Player in Jakarta?s English Language Education Sector
Aiming to be Different
The new hi-tech player in Jakarta’s English language education sector.
By David Keating.
Jakarta, May 5th 2007
Both learning and using the English language have now become a major part of the lives of many Indonesians. From a young age children begin learning English at schools, meaning the majority of Indonesians who complete formal school education have at least a basic grasp of the fundamentals of the language.
Increasingly, families are recognizing that children who take language education one step further are getting a ‘head start’ on their peers when it comes to higher education and the employment market. From an early age, some modern Indonesian families (especially those in the big cities) incorporate English into the daily lives of their children through family conversation and after-school language classes. The result of this upsurge in demand for language education has been an increasing number of language schools, and nowhere can this trend better be seen than in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta.
A bewildering variety of English language courses are on offer for Jakarta’s youth, from ‘private’ classes with individual teachers to the array of different types of programs offered by the multitude of commercial language schools in the city. There are now English courses aimed at people from all walks of life, and for an array of different purposes:
Academic English, Business English, IELTS preparation, General English, Conversation, TOEFL preparation, writing classes, business communication, ESP(English for specific purposes)… the list goes on…
2 questions will be addressed here:
Dual Language Education
In the midst of multiple international conflicts, an interwoven global economy and the shrinking nature of our techno-driven world, language learning can no longer be considered an elective subject, but should rather be a necessary core to modern education.
Typically, we put language learning on hold through much of elementary school, but this is the time when children’s minds are most adept for absorbing words and languages.
Schools throughout the country are realizing this need and implementing Dual Language Education.
From neighborhood schools to charters and magnets, these schools are providing their students with greater opportunity to academically compete with students abroad by diversifying their skill sets in areas of communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and analysis. Some education leaders are even predicting that dual language education will be the future of American schools.
Dual Language Education vs. ESL/ESOL
Dual Language Education is often confused with ESL/ESOL programs. While there are similarities between the two, there are major differences in their agendas.
The Breakdown: Compare & Contrast
Dual Language Education
Schoolwide approach Goal: To provide ALL students with the skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) necessary to become fluent in both languages Programs usually begin at a young age (kindergarten or 1st grade) and continue for at least five years Students automatically opt in by enrolling in the school Depending on the type of program, requirements are placed on instructional time in partner language Not available in every school
ESL/ESOL
Should We And Can We Develop An African Philosophy Of Education?: Pedagogy Of Sagacity
MICHAEL KARIUKI – 0721 666 098, mickariuki@yahoo.com
Should we and can we develop an African philosophy of education?: Pedagogy of Sagacity
In 1986, Njoroge and Bennaars, published Philosophy and education in Africa; an introductory text for students of education. Since the publication of this textbook there has been an intellectual aridity in this area of educational philosophizing in Kenya. This is in spite of the said textbook being merely introductory or prolegomenon. More importantly is the model proposed and formulated in this textbook intended as a conceptual framework for developing an African philosophy of education (1986; 92). This model has remained un-attempted.
My paper will argue in the affirmative while distinguishing should as a non-moral normative imperative and can as a question of ability. While indeed we should develop African philosophy of education this imperative remains unachievable until we have experts with requisite scholarly abilities.
Problem of shortage of educational philosophers
Experts in philosophy of education are called educational philosophers. They should be trained in technical philosophy and educational sciences. The two disciplines must meet in one. To ‘meet in one,’ means that an educational philosopher should integrate both technical philosophy and educational sciences as an integral area of academic specialization. Educational philosopher is the middle term between technical philosophy and educational sciences. In other words one should have academic qualification as a technical philosopher and as a trained professional teacher.
Lack of this ‘meeting in one’ of the two areas is to blame for lack of resources in this area. It means persons who are lesser than the ideal are teaching this discipline. There are two types of categories of teachers of philosophy of education in Africa who are lesser than the ideal.
Posted in Philosophy | Tags: African, Develop, education, Pedagogy, Philosophy, Sagacity, Should | No Comments »