Page 14 - ELG1601 Apr Issue 435

ELIatefl special
Page 14 April 2016
ing as a ‘fellow’ – a Communicating with a native

ou have been work-
Ynative-speaker English
language teacher in the Colom-
bia Bilingüe programme – in Andrea Pérez asks Simon Whitehouse how his role as a ‘fellow’ of the Colombia Bilingüe
the Institución Educativa Téc-
nica Comercial del Valle in programme is helping his teenage students gain confidence in their spoken English
Palmira since January. How
did you come to enrol with this
programme? have a Celta qualification. This Although it is increasingly
I enrolled through ESL means that while I am learning important to speak English in
Starter, one of the partner skills from the Colombian teach- a globalised world, Colombian
recruitment agencies. They are ers, they have support with their students tend to have a closed
helping Volunteers Colombia language skills and the pupils mind towards learning the lan-
and Heart for Change to supply have the chance to practise their guage. Young people growing
native speakers, such as myself, English with a native English up in Palmira will not have
to the programme, which is run speaker. I also have fourteen much exposure to English out-
through Colombia’s ministry of hours a week planning time and side the classroom and may not
education. an hour each for working with understand its importance until
Can you describe your typi- teachers on their English and later in life. I have spoken with
cal day? running an English club with the a number of Colombian adults
I work in a public-sector students. who regret not having bet-
school serving one of the poorer Who are your students? ter English. Although they can
neighbourhoods in Palmira. The The students that I am helping lack confidence when speaking,
ministry is trying to have a posi- to teach are mainly in Years 9 and non-oral activities often demon-
tive impact on English teaching 10, which is the age group that strate that students have a wider
in schools like this where families the ministry of education wants vocabulary and better gram-
do not have the resources to send us ‘fellows’ to concentrate on. matical understanding than is
their children for private lessons. Class sizes are similar to those in initially evident.
The school operates on two the UK and are between twenty Already after just six weeks
shifts, morning and evening, and thirty students per class. Courtesy Simon Whitehouse we are starting to see students
and although I can have classes How would you assess Eng- become more comfortable when
throughout the day I mainly lish proficiency in Colombia? speaking to us, and we hope to
teach in the morning. Most I would say that English pro- build on this to make the sort of
days I wake up at 4.30am to ficiency in Colombia is largely significant improvements that
get to school by 6am. In total at an elementary level. This is SHOWING SUPPORT Simon Whitehouse (in green) says that while he’s learning teaching skills the Colombian ministry of edu-
I work for 24 hours a week in especially true of spoken Eng- from his Colombian colleagues, they are getting support with their language skills from him cation aims to achieve through
class, always with a Colombian lish. Most pupils have been shy the Colombia Bilingüe pro-
teacher. This means that the stu- and lacking in the confidence to ion the main challenges with Colombia is a country that has meant that Colombians gramme. n
dents have two teachers for their speak English, and it is a large English language learning in doesn’t have a close neighbour have not had much chance to
English language lessons. part of the role of us ‘fellows’ Colombia? in which English is widely practise speaking English with You can follow Simon’s
They have their usual Colom- to model English speaking and I think the main challenges spoken. Also, recent history native speakers. This could experiences of living
bian teacher with me supporting encourage the students to prac- for English language learning has meant that relatively few have contributed to the Colom- and working in South
them as a co-teacher. I am not a tise speaking with us. in Colombia are geography, English-speaking travellers bians’ attitude towards learning America on his blog:
teacher in the UK, although I do What are in your opin- recent history and attitude. have visited the country. This English. www.packing-it-all-in.co.uk

Learning English to a Latin beat

This regional round-up from Andrea Pérez shows how Latin America
is boosting its English language learning by focusing on teachers

sing a variety of pro- for achieving bilingualism.
grammes and initiatives, According to the British
Umost Latin American Council, one of the most com-
countries are boosting English mon ways to fund studying
language learning among schools English in Peru is through schol-
and universities. Colombia Bil- arships. The government offers
ingüe stands out as the biggest a wide range of grants, the best
project in the region. known are Pronobec and Beca.
Pronobec is a national grants
Colombia programme which helps stu-
The Colombia Bilingüe 2014– dents with limited resources to
18 programme was launched in study in the UK, while Beca is
2015 to improve the level of aimed at postgraduate students
English proficiency in Colom- wishing to study abroad.
bia. One of the most recent
steps taken by the ministry of Ecuador
education has been to bring in At the start of this year
more native-speaker English Courtesy Colombian ministry of education Augusto Espinosa Andrade,
teachers to the country. The last Ecuador’s minister of education,
group of over 400 native Eng- unveiled the It’s Time to Teach
lish language teachers arrived programme, which aims to hire
in January. They work together either native English speakers or
with 13,000 Colombian English teachers with a minimum English
language teachers in schools CAMP FOLLOWERS Students at an English language immersion level of B2 as language teach-
across the country. With the help camp in Ibagué as part of the Colombia Bilingüe programme ers. According to the ministry,
of this recent intake, more than the project’s main objective is
176,000 students are set to ben- cent to 8 per cent by 2018, and education, private language to strengthen English language
efit, according to the ministry. those reaching A2 from 7 per schools and self-access courses. knowledge and teaching method-
Another step forward was the cent to 35 per cent. ologies in public-sector schools
launch of the Colombia Bilingüe Peru and to ensure that students reach
English Kit, an English language Argentina Inspired by the policies of an adequate English language
learning methodological tool. This country leads in Latin countries such as Argentina proficiency level.
Some 22,000 kits have been American English proficiency, and Colombia, last year Peru The country seeks to increase
distributed to teachers, schools, according to the Argentinian La launched the Inglés, Puertas al the number of teachers with a B2
universities and public libraries, Nación newspaper. Since 2006 Mundo project (English, Doors level of English. According to
with the government aiming to learning a foreign language has to the World), a six-year English the British Council, the greatest
reach 3.5 million students and been compulsory in Argentinian language national programme barriers to learning English are
15,300 English language teach- schools and English is the most lasting until 2021. As part of this the high costs of study and lack
ers in 13,000 schools. Colombia common choice, more popular initiative, the government has of access to government-funded
Bilingüe, which is part of the than even indigenous languages. set itself a target for this year programmes. As in most Latin
national bilingual programme The British Council estimates to equip 280,000 teachers with American countries, the quality
launched in 2004, aims to raise that around 8.8 million people dual language skills. Arequipa, of Ecuador’s English language
the number of students reaching are learning English in public Peru’s second city, has been cho- training tends to be better qual-
B1 level on the CEFR from 2 per and private education, higher sen as the flagship municipality ity in private schools. n