Posted in: Yemen Observer
Written By: Raghda Gamal
Article Date: Nov 29, 2008
Global English Products is a program managed by the British Council which produces materials for learning the English language and manges the technical facilities that the British Council provides to learners. After the opening presentation in the Sheba Hotel Sunday November 23rd, director of the British Council Mr. Michael White said that the British Council is the world’s largest educational and cultural relations organization, and is also the largest network of English teaching centers which focuses on teaching the language to non-native speakers.
The opening presentation was launched by Maggie Milne, who came to Yemen to conduct some workshops related to English education matters. She explained that learning doesn't stop when students leave schools or college, but rather that it is a continual process which lasts a lifetime. She added the Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is a new way of teaching the methodology of teaching English to speakers of other languages. TKT aims to increase teachers' confidence and enhance job prospects by focusing on the core teaching knowledge needed by teachers anywhere in the world.
The speakers presented a variety of data about learning English through a documentary movie which showed how English teachers try to develop their student’s capacity to learn the language. One of the teachers in the movie said that the problem she faced with foreign students came from the intonation and the accent. Another teacher said problems have surfaced because her students are too shy. After showing the movie, Milne announced that the British Council came with seven products to help learn the English language.
The first of these was the “Learn English Family.” This program seeks to make teachers and parents work together in the hopes that children will have a better chance to acquire the language, because parents are in an ideal position to motivate their children to learn- even if they themselves know only basic English.
Another benefit of this product is that is allows the parents themselves to learn alongside their children. The second new product is Learn English Audio, which is a technology which allows parents to download English materials students can listen to at any time.
The third is Premier Skills; another documentary movie which shows interviews with football players from other countries, who explain the obstacles they have faced in pursuing their chosen careers. This film includes such well-known players as the Egyptian Medo.
The fourth product is Second Life for Teens- a kind of computer game which takes place on an island, and gives teens the opportunity to learn English in different ways, improve their computer skills, learn about changes in the UK, and how traditional village life can sit side by side with modern technology.
The fifth product is Learn English Mobile, which is especially useful in poor countries which don’t have access to the internet. So, rather than relying on computers, mobiles are used as a tool to learn the English language, especially because they represent the perfect way for teens to communicate. Newspapers are also an important way for teens to learn, and represent a portion of one of the products.
The final product is Your Global Home, the new global home for English teachers on the web, which brings together everything busy teachers need for the classroom as lesson plans, worksheets and teaching tips.
Besides to the activities mentioned above, English Project Assistant for the British Council Huda Saleem said that the British Council focuses on English learning through workshops for teachers in every sector in many governorates.
Twenty-three teachers have been sent to Qatar for a training course, which they were able to do with other teachers. British Council Projects have provided free materials for English teachers which can be downloaded through their website and played as MP3’s.
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