The most rewarding aspect of teaching English to overseas students is being part of their adventure in Australia and the learning process itself. Seeing them improve and have fun with English gives me a great satisfaction and motivates to work hard. The opportunity to meet students from different parts of the world and all walks of life is yet another thing.
General English classes are designed to practise all the language skills: reading and writing, speaking and listening, and to develop knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Students joining these English lessons are assessed for level and allocated to an appropriate English class. Join our extra-curricular activities and practice speaking English in social settings. This way you will be fully immersed in the foreign language and develop your language skills effectively.
Keep working hard and never give up! Practice makes perfect. Attend all the classes and try to use what you learn in class outside the classroom environment.
The most satisfying aspect of teaching Academic English is the students themselves. There’s a huge array of different personalities that come together, all with different learning styles and who all respond to me in very different ways. While the course is rigorous it is scaffolded so that students learn in stages, building each day on previous knowledge. There is lots of one-to-one time with the teachers to help students work through presentations, research, report writing and essays.
The learning is student-centred – which means that the teachers coach but not lecture – we try to ensure that students do most of the talking. There is loads of time for students to practice speaking with their classmates in breakout rooms to improve conversation and presentation skills.
For English teachers there is no greater satisfaction than seeing a student’s improvement throughout the course and sharing in their joy at achieving the scores they require for further study at the tertiary level in postgraduate, undergraduate and diploma courses. On a personal level it is also a wonderful experience developing a relationship with students from a wide variety of different cultures and language backgrounds.
Academic English teaches students the formal writing skills essential for success at university level. The programs provides students with strong critical thinking and research skills. Through the speaking units and assessments students learn formal presentation and debating skills that are required at university and in the workplace. Students learn about appropriate grammar with a focus on realistic academic writing genres. The academic English course utilises an online learning platform (Moodle) that integrates face to face and online learning while also providing plenty of materials for independent learning.
Never be afraid to use the English you have. Mistakes are expected and it is how we all learn new languages. Participate in class and never be afraid to ask questions. Read and listen to English at every opportunity even outside of what is required for your course.
One of the best things about teaching international students is the chance to meet people from all over the globe. I love working with a group of people who are diverse yet heading towards the same goal of learning a language and advancing academically.
Academic English really teaches you how to be a student in a Western context. In an AE class, you’re not only learning English to improve your communication skills, you’re also learning about the academic culture – the attitudes, values and ways of doing things that are common at Australian universities. Learning academic culture and language together will really improve your chances of being successful in your tertiary studies, whether in formal presentations, group work and discussions or better academic writing.
Our courses are really interactive. We also have group work and group assignments as part of the curriculum, which helps you learn even more and also truly prepares you for realistic tertiary study. At college and university, you’ll be expected to interact with your classmates and work together, so studying AE is good practice for that.
