Page 30 - ELG1804 Apr Issue 456

COMMENT . FEATURES & COMMENT

Point someone else from overseas, so they lose both students are familiar with the Ielts task types OUT
OF THE
before taking the test.
Finally, most universities provide EAP
of View the international student and the revenue that orientation once students have arrived. BOX
comes with them.
For example, Katie Skarlatos, a first year
Why not test their English at the beginning
Andrew of the cycle? All that’s needed is a level psychology student at Bath University,
test, remotely delivered and with an output
says: ‘We had a whole module dedicated to
Stokes that correlates with Ielts (or Toefl) bands academic study skills. Our tutors taught us a) Time Granny
how to write in an academic style, b) to read,
sufficiently accurately. This would enable two
outcomes. critique and present academic papers, and c) to
‘The university sector out those applicants whose level of English is questions and become familiar with the process went to the
reference all our sources in APA style.
Firstly, a university department could filter
‘The department encouraged us to ask
just too low – and could do this right at the
start of the process. of writing university-level papers. Heading
This benefits everyone. The unsuccessful into the second semester I feel much more hairdresser?
applicant can immediately move on, which
is failing international is kinder, and the university can target offers The application Language school feedback surveys may
of places more effectively. In industry, this
students before they approach is routinely applied as an early-stage and actively include Ielts be asking the wrong questions
journey should explicitly
filtering mechanism by large employers such
as Amazon, L’Oréal and Samsung. They test in
even arrive’ skills areas such as verbal reasoning and maths, guidance When language schools hand standard questionnaires ask
how students created their own
out questionnaires to EFL
and it’s equally logical to use it for language.
There are high-quality tests that can do this
learning? Do our questions
students at the end of their
effectively. confident to take novel approaches in my courses, it suggests that the elicit a self-examination by
A second outcome from this approach is assignments because my department took the school values their opinions students of their learning
Using technology to check students’ English is up to help identify the level of Ielts preparation time to teach me the basics.’ about the teaching they have processes, or simply ask them
This is great, but there are other elements
to scratch during the application process could needed by applicants. According to Dr Victoria of EAP that would be better addressed pre- received. babyish questions about how
And indeed, the school can
Clark of the British Council, ‘Depending on
well or badly they feel we
save everybody a lot of pain, says Andrew Stokes motivation and talent, a student can raise their arrival. demonstrate its genuine respect teachers did? I would suggest
level of English by half to one Ielts band score Marc Lebane of Hong Kong’s Lingnan for student needs and wishes that what we ask them is
in three months if they put in enough work.’ University considers these to be: ‘Firstly, if the questionnaires are given typical of most consumerist
For those who need to improve their level of making notes from reading, but more out at regular intervals and the questionnaires that treat
t the age of 16, Adrian Chu boarded Typically, overseas students accept an offer of general English, then, an early diagnosis is importantly from lectures. feedback is acted on. their responders as if they had
a flight from Kuala Lumpur to the a university place about six months before the essential, given the time available. ‘Secondly, improving vocabulary through But this has not been my
UK to start his A Levels in London. academic year begins. However, most will not And general English level is only part of listening, not reading. When they hear an experience in most of the Do typical UK
AOver the next two years he worked take their Ielts test until three months later, the story. Clarity runs an Ielts Facebook page, unknown word, their brain freezes while schools in the UK I have
hard, passed his exams and got into Durham and inevitably a certain percentage fail to which receives dozens of posts like ‘Warm they try to define it, rather than trying to worked at or led training EFL student
University to study politics. greetings! Please, how to get started?’, ‘I want understand it from context. sessions in.
He was happy, loved England and wanted Students who to learn Ielts for my university, but what ‘Thirdly, paraphrasing. It’s not just In many places the first questionnaires
to stay – but under new immigration rules should I do?’ or ‘We need to take Ielts for our rearranging words, it’s identifying the main satisfaction questionnaire to be
imposed by Theresa May he was booted out fail their Ielts have to go university application. How do we start? Please ideas and rewriting them. Plagiarism amongst placed before students comes ask student s
two months after his graduation day. through the upset and guide us accordingly. Thank you.’ Asian university students is very problematic.’ on the last day of the course.
Not an uncommon story. But equally, not As these posts show, all too often students Students are right to feel they should be Does this mean it has nothing about the role of
the whole story. I’d like to argue that it’s heartache of losing the are left to devise their own Ielts prep strategies. treated better both at the beginning and to do with students and is the host family
not just the government that’s letting down Most of them can’t do this because they are the end of their university courses. We can’t exclusively for the benefit of
overseas students at the end of their degree place neither sophisticated language learners nor do much about what happens after they’ve the school’s marketing dept in their language
courses, but that the university sector itself is aware of the particular challenges posed by the graduated, but there are measures we can put and the overseas agents who
failing them before they even arrive. achieve the band score required for the course. Ielts task types. in place to make students feel more wanted supply a flow of clients? learning?
I believe there are three simple ways we can By this time, it’s too late to apply elsewhere, The application journey should therefore when they first apply. Do typical UK EFL student
do better through the effective application of so they have to go through the upset and explicitly and actively include Ielts guidance questionnaires ask students no imagination, intellect or
technology, which is my field. heartache of losing the place. For the using online preparation tools. As a minimum, n Andrew Stokes is managing director of Clarity about the factors that are creativity.
Let’s start with the recruitment cycle. university, there is generally no time to recruit universities should ensure that international English, an online English provider based in Hong Kong. likely to affect their learning? In a posh hotel have you ever
What about the role of the been asked to express your real
host family? For some students feelings about the place?
this has been central in their The end of course
progress in the language. questionnaire is like Granny’s
Do typical questionnaires hair-do.
ask the students about their We‘ve known it for years and
state of mind and heart during it is comfortingly familiar.
the course? How often have But maybe it’s time Granny
they been bored in class? When went to the hairdresser?
have they felt themselves
to be the most creative and
awake? How have they found n Mario Rinvolucri, a Pilgrims
the food? How have they associate, is author of Grammar
Universities should not coped with those aspects of Games, and co-author of Once
present international UK culture that may at first upon a Time, written with John
students with too many have seemed outlandish? Do Morgan.
close doors
30 April 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 31