The 3 most Important Factors that determine English Language Learning Success.

The first Factor is knowing yourself as a student.

There are some key questions you should know as they are part of the first factor that determines your English Language Learning Success

How many times do you have to write and repeat English words to memorize them, put them into your vocabulary and "know" the word in proper context.

How often do you have to repeat lessons to keep your vocabulary intact?

What English can you learn best when studying alone, with a group or with a tutor?

Can you benefit using accelerated English language learning methods such as mnemonics to remember lists.

Does music or games help you to relax making learning easier?

Does realia or field trips stimulate and integrate your English language learning?

You need to know how you learn and retain information and be able to use English as a language.


The Second factor is What English do I study.

The best way to know what English to study is to form a goal.

Top Goals for studying English as a second language

Immigrate into an English speaking country
Get hired at a first job
Be hired at a better company
Be promoted in your company
Sell products to English speaking countries
Operate a business completely in English.
Publish articles in English
Study in a North American university.
Study in a North American university graduate program.
Travel independently in English speaking countries.
Perform for English speaking audiences
Enjoy entertainment produced by English speaking artists
Use English instructions for computer applications.
Surf the net in English
Score 950 on the Toeic test or 280 on the new Toefl exam
Study English Literature in the original text

When you have your goal - then you can plan what English you need or work with an educational consultant to set up a comprehensive plan of English language studies for you.

The Third factor is creating the time to properly study enough English to reach your Goal.

An example is the time to score high on the new TOEFL or TOEIC English tests

Students require a vocabulary of between 8,000 and 10,000 words to score high on the new TOEFL, TOEIC, AP, IELTS and Cambridge tests. Students must have studied and practiced English for 2500 to 5000 hours counting school classes and self study. To score high students require all four English skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening), technical language structure knowledge (grammar) and the application of the grammar knowledge in the active productions of speaking and writing.

When you have your goal - your plan of English studies and necessary time - you can be successful as a student learning English as a second language.

More information is available at:

https://eslincanada.blogspot.com/

http://study-english-in-toronto.blogspot.com/

eslincanada@gmail.com

Headlines are Important

News Vocabulary

News is reported in printed newspapers, magazines and through television, radio, wire services, and web broadcasters.

There are many categories of NEWS.

Breaking News is featured "LIVE" as broadcast and cable news services use online satellite technology to bring current events to their audience live as it happens.

Extreme weather is always considered as news. The daily weather is typically presented by an experienced meteorologist or weather presenter and is packaged within the news.

Sports news is a never ending storey of predictions, observations, speculations, actual results, almost results, sidebars, personalities, money, and actual sports highlights.

Business news is typically presented by a specialist and covers a wide range of activities. The business news could cover local, regional, national or international companies, industries or entire economies.

Celebrities are now packaged as news makers when they promote themselves or their projects.

Most printed newspapers feature a very large headline on their front page.

The bold headline dramatically describes the biggest news of the day.

A headline is text at the top of most printed articles. The headline indicates or features the nature of the following article.

Most print formats keep headlines brief and this leads to unintentional double meanings, if not double entendres.

Many internet portals have used the word headlines to describe summary statements of the days most important or most popular stories.

Headlines are even packaged as a gadget to increase web traffic to affiliate websites. This from the CBC: Affiliates can receive up to three headlines per category, choosing from various news and information categories, such as: Regional, Canadian and International news, Health and Science, Sports and more.

Headline mistakes are used on Jay Leno's show for comedy.

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ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/

Can your Agent honestly help you!

 Prospective ESL "English as a Second Language" students should investigate the agent and agency before giving them any money.

There are honest, hard working and professional agents who have visited the Canada schools,  universities, colleges that they represent, have professional educators on staff, post actual student testimonials and continue to offer good advice based on years of experience. 

Students who work with professional agents and consultants actually save the most money and time going to the right school the first time.

In Canada, USA, UK and many other countries anyone can use the title education agent, counselor or consultant without any prior training, education, certification or registration. This is a completely un-regulated industry with no standards and no policing associations.  The internet is full of "agent complaints" from students, teachers, schools, homestay and service  industries.

Many students and their parents will sit across the desk from a convicted criminal in a fancy suit, expensive looking office, who is using a false name, a new business agency name which sounds like an established agency, and is falsely representing his agency contracts and licenses from schools, universities and institutes. 

Eliminating the obvious frauds is not that difficult. Prospective customers should ask to see personal ID, business registrations, business licenses and references from the schools they represent and references from previous students.

Prospective customers should ask to see what education or training or experience qualifications the agent has. Did they finish high school? college? university? Did they study abroad? Have they ever traveled overseas? to that school? been to that homestay?  Why are they recommending that school?

Many times the local discount agents describe all schools as the same and then try to place students based on discounts. Any school advantages of professional programs, curricula, teachers, or systems are completely lost using price only discount agents.  I have seen many agent whiteboards with the "price du jour" -  just like the fish market. Some of these prices were falsely high then "discounted" to make the price appear better.

Students are also increasingly aware that most of the larger agencies are promoting their own schools located in Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Many Canadian ESL schools do not know that they are competing with "foreign agency owned" ESL schools. The foreign agencies have the market presence in the local markets and simply place the students into schools where they have an ownership interest. The MBA's call this vertical integration. 

The mega agencies would rather make 40 to 50% than the regular commission of 10 to 25%.  When the 50% is transferred internationally the "Canadian Schools" run at a loss and do not pay taxes. The "Mega Agencies" located internationally pay from 3.5% to 15% income taxes.

There are some "marketing organizations" taking advantage of the education agents and enabling fake agencies by offering an overhyped or overpriced accreditation. Some of these "organizations" offer their certificate to agents after they complete an open book 80 question test and of course pay them $350 and ongoing annual fees etc etc. Maybe the certificate looks pretty.

Using a bad agent can destroy years of hard work to complete language training and a complete college program.

Just ask the 700 international students facing deportation in Canada.

hundreds of Indian students in Canada could face deportation over bogus admission letters

https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2023/fraud-prevention-month-2023-fraud-losses-canada-reach-historic-level

Original Article published in ESL in Canada Directory 2002