Easy Education Ideas on the Future

Language and communication resources are one of the most popular educational and special need resources areas, with a wide range of resources to help learners to develop their language and communication skills.

Visual memory skills book

Visual memory skills are so important in the classroom context, they are an essential element of reading, spelling and retaining all sorts of information.  This book is a fantastic resource to boost children’s visual recall skills and therefore their ability to effectively access the curriculum.  Children will love the imaginative tasks and won’t even realise they are practicing this important skill as they work through there challenging activities. The book is divided into handy sections, each of which is designed to improve a different aspect of visual memory, such as remembering objects, object details and elements of objects like colour and pattern.  The second part of the book explores sequential memory for objects, letters and digits; and object details such as orientation and size.  The book focuses on higher order skills as it progresses, and the tasks become increasingly challenging within each section.  This enables children either to work through the book in order or to pinpoint a particular section they wish to focus on.

Containing 48 pages of appealing activities, this book is ideal for children aged 4+ and older children with particular needs in this area. It is the perfect companion to Auditory Memory skills.

Auditory memory skills book

For children in class who find it difficult to follow instructions or forget important information they have been given.  Recalling auditory information is such a vital skill, but it can often be overlooked in a busy classroom.  Auditory Memory skills enables children to improve their auditory recall ability in a focused, innovative and enjoyable way.  It is packed with over 40 beautifully illustrated photocopiable activities, and divided into easy-to-use sections of increasing difficulty.  This book is ideal for children aged 4+ or older children with particular needs in this area.

Socially Speaking

Socially speaking is a unique social skills programme that lasts a whole school year and is divided into three units: let’s communicate, let’s be friends, and let’s practice. As pupils progress through the carefully structured programme, their self esteem will increase, their listening skills and expressive language abilities will improve.  The programme contains teacher’s notes, photocopiable A4 illustrated worksheets, and assessment and evaluation forms. Socially speaking is perfect for children aged 7-11, as well as older children with special needs.

The Socially Speaking Game

The socially speaking board game teaches and reinforces social skills in a fun way.  Designed to complement the Socially Speaking book, the game focuses on social interaction in three key areas, home, school and the wider community.  Children are able to practice vital skills such as listening, turn taking, asking question, making telephone calls and conveying emotions.  The game contains a game board, 100 questions cards, playing pieces and teachers note’s and is ideal for 3-6 players aged 7-11 and older children with special needs.  The socially speaking game comes highly recommended
 

With the globalization, the world became a global village. The constraint of the boundaries of different countries became mild which gave rise to easier different migrants from around the world to reside in any part of the world. Globalization has also emerged as a major reason for international business ventures. This has given an emergence to foreign language education. It has created a huge demand for teacher who can teach foreign language.  Thus the foreign language teacher education is in increasing demand as it is considered as a flourishing career. Those individuals who have extreme passion for foreign language and teaching can prove really successful in this profession. In recent times the demand for foreign has seen to increasing at the school level too. In simpler words foreign language teacher education has been in great scope for the recent times.

Foreign language teacher education enables the students with effective teaching and language skills that transform you into an effective foreign language teacher.

There are various education options that are basically offered at many online schools and universities; however those are really small in number. Some schools require teachers who have an apt educational qualification and just a certification in the particular language to be taught while some colleges require a specific degree in depending on the level of the students. Bachelor Degree in Foreign Language Teacher Education grants the students with a graduation degree and opportunities to teach in public schools. Master Degree can grant the teachers with a complete certificate to teach a foreign language, this is specifically required by many schools.

A doctorate is basically required by those who wish to teach at college, university level or wish to opt for foreign language education researcher.

However it is highly important for a student who wishes acquire foreign language teacher education to posses certain qualities. The foreign language should have a complete fluency over the language which is to be taught. However it is not just that acquiring fluency over a language is enough for you to become a teacher. You should be artistic and flexible enough to understand the frame of mind if the children and teach them according to their pace.

Students need to acquire a wide range of educational courses in order to prove capable to teach the students. The courses include Teaching Foreign Languages to Young Children, Teaching Foreign Languages to Secondary School Students, Language Acquisition in Young Children, and Advanced Conversation in language, Culture and Civilization of language, Technology in Foreign Language Education, Internship – Observation, Internship – Student Teaching and Study Abroad Program (optional).

After the completion of education the student can teach in schools as well as colleges. However if you wish to teach at college or university level you need to acquire a doctorate degree. The career has a wide range of scope for foreign language teacher education and the teachers can achieve flourishing success in the long run.

In the midst of multiple international conflicts, an interwoven global economy and the shrinking nature of our techno-driven world, language learning can no longer be considered an elective subject, but should rather be a necessary core to modern education. Typically, we put language learning on hold through much of elementary school, but this is the time when children’s minds are most adept for absorbing words and languages.

Schools throughout the country are realizing this need and implementing Dual Language Education.

From neighborhood schools to charters and magnets, these schools are providing their students with greater opportunity to academically compete with students abroad by diversifying their skill sets in areas of communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and analysis. Some education leaders are even predicting that dual language education will be the future of American schools.

Dual Language Education vs. ESL/ESOL

Dual Language Education is often confused with ESL/ESOL programs. While there are similarities between the two, there are major differences in their agendas.

The Breakdown: Compare & Contrast

Dual Language Education
- Schoolwide approach
- Goal: To provide ALL students with the skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) necessary to become fluent in both languages
- Programs usually begin at a young age (kindergarten or 1st grade) and continue for at least five years
- Students automatically opt in by enrolling in the school
- Depending on the type of program, requirements are placed on instructional time in partner language
- Not available in every school

ESL/ESOL
- Select group of students
- Goal: To provide non-native English-speaking students with the proper skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) necessary for academic success
- Program entrance is on an individual basis and can begin at any grade for any length of period
- Students may opt in or may be chosen based on entrance exams/placement tests
- Program is supplemental to classroom curriculum
- Most public schools have ESL/ESOL

Variation in Dual Language Education
Within the last few years, there has been a steady increase in the number of dual language programs throughout the United States.

Results vary depending on the type of program and structure implemented however overall results remain positive. Parents and educators have taken great interest in such programs because they feel they will provide students with multilevel thinking strategies, stronger linguistic skills, and greater communication skills to succeed in the interdependent world.

Dual language programs can be classified into four categories:

1. Two-way Immersion- This type of program requires an enrollment of both native English-speaking students and native speaking students of the partner language. Schools may choose to implement programs that are either full-immersion (50-50 model) or partial-immersion (90-10 model). Both immersion programs have been proven to have high success rates.

2. Heritage Language Programs- Participants of this language program are dominant in the English language but have parents, grandparents or other ancestors fluent in the partner language. This program addresses the needs of heritage language learners.

3. Foreign Language Immersion- Also known as one-way immersion, foreign language immersion involves students that are native English speakers in hopes to become fluent in the partner language. It is more in-depth than spending a portion of your day in Spanish class or French class.

4. Developmental Bilingual Programs- Enrollment in this type of program is specific to those who are native speakers of the partner language. Participants of this program will develop the necessary skills and strategies to not only succeed academically, but also be fully proficient and comfortable in both languages.

Currently, the vast majority of dual language programs in the U.S. are in English and Spanish however other languages with growing popularity include: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

These variances in languages are a determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, school district demographics, community needs, and educator or student interest. Dual language programs are most commonly used in states such as Texas, New Mexico, California, and Hawaii however schools nationwide are looking into implementing this type of curriculum.

Success of Dual Language Education
Singapore’s current national bilingual education policy is an excellent example of how successful these programs can be.

By government order, students in the Singaporean education system are required to learn two languages, English and one of the other three official main languages of the country (Mandarin, Malay or Tamil). This has allowed nearly the entire literate population of Singapore to be fully bilingual all while unifying all members of its nation without sacrifice to any heritage.