Select the Very Best Cleaning Company Uppsala Offers
Whether you might be an individual who wants your residence cleaned or an office manager that desires the building to look as professional as possible, you need to invest in a cleaning corporation. Numerous the time, persons make the mistake in thinking that they can handle the job on their own, but that’s normally not what occurs. People are busy, and cleaning ordinarily gets put to the side. In case you need to avoid that, hire the most effective Cleaning provider Uppsala/Städfirma Uppsala has. You will have the ability to rest assured that your property or workplace will probably be spotless.
It really is pretty critical for a business to hire the best Cleaning organization Uppsala has. If your workplace is dirty, your employees won’t have the ability to focus and you’ll also need to deal with them getting sick additional often. Whenever you have a professional cleaning crew that cleans the region, you’ll not have to deal with dust, germs, or clutter. It’ll greatly boost productivity and mainly because of that, you’ll see a fantastic return on your investment. The very same is accurate for homes, as you do not want your children to continuously be getting sick for the reason that of all the germs.
ESL Exams: A Teacher’s Guide
It’s the end of another class, and one student has stayed behind. No problem, you think, maybe an easy grammar question, or a comment on how they enjoyed the class (or not!)… or maybe it’s a question about an ESL exam. “What’s the difference between TOEFL and TOEIC?” “Should I take the FCE?” “Who recognizes IELTS?” So if you don’t know your BEC from your KET, or your CAE from your CELS, here’s a brief guide to the most popular ESL exams.
ESL exams fall broadly into three main categories: General English, Business English and Academic English.
General English
Probably the most popular in this category are the Cambridge ESOL exams. One and a half million people in 135 countries take Cambridge exams every year. There are five General English exams, sometimes referred to as the “Cambridge Main Suite.”
The first two levels are the KET (Key English Test) and the PET (Preliminary English Test). The KET and PET have reading and writing, listening, and speaking components, and are most often used to assess progress or to prepare for the next exam in the series. The PET is also recognized by some employers and universities. KET and PET have two pass grades, Pass with merit and Pass.
Next up from the PET is the FCE (First Certificate in English). The FCE has five sections, reading, writing, use of English, listening and speaking. It is widely recognized by employers and educational institutions and so is very popular with students who want to study or work abroad.
Many universities and employers, however, prefer the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English), which is the next level up. This exam shows that a student is capable of following a university course or can function in a range of business contexts.
After the CAE comes the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English), the highest level in the series. Students who pass this exam have the ability to function effectively in almost every English speaking context. The CPE is also a typical requirement for non-native speakers who want to train as English teachers. Students typically need 3 years of study after passing the FCE to reach this level (depending, of course, on how often they study and other factors).
FCE, CAE and CPE have five grades, A-E, of which A-C are passes.
Cambridge also has a series of General English exams for Young Learners aged between 7 and 12 (YLE). There are three exams in the series, Starters, Movers and Flyers. They are taken mainly as a means of measuring progress, and also as preparation for the KET and PET. There is no pass or fail - students are awarded up to five “shields” for each component (reading and writing, listening, speaking).
Other General English exams
Cambridge also offers CELS (Certificates in English Language Skills). These are individual exams in each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking). Students can choose which of the exams they want to take, according to their strengths and requirements.
Pitman, part of the British City and Guilds Group, is another examining body with a series of General English exams. The International ESOL covers listening, reading and writing, and the International Spoken ESOL is a one to one structured interview. Both have six levels, from basic to advanced.
Business English
Every year four and a half million people take the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), run by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The TOEIC is a multiple choice exam in two sections, listening and reading, each scored out of 445, giving a total of 990. Many companies and government agencies use TOEIC as a criterion for recruiting or promoting staff, or for sending staff abroad. Some universities also use TOEIC, requiring their business school students to achieve a particular score prior to graduation, for example.
Cambridge also has a series of business exams called the BEC (Business English Certificate). BEC comes in three levels, Preliminary, Vantage and Higher. The types of exam task are similar to those in the Cambridge Main Suite, but test language ability in a business context. They are recognized by many employers worldwide, and students take them to demonstrate language skills required for international business. There are two pass grades for BEC, Pass with merit and Pass.
Other Business English exams
Cambridge offers BULATS (The Business Language Testing Service). BULATS is designed specifically for companies and organizations to test the language ability of employees who need English in their work, and for students and employees on language and business courses.
Pitman has a three-level series of exams called English for Business Communications, which tests business writing ability, and English for Office Skills, a two-level series designed to test the ability to carry out office-related tasks where accuracy in writing and following instructions is important.
Academic English
A common question from students is “What’s the difference between TOEIC and TOEFL?” Well, both are run by ETS, but whereas TOEIC evaluates language skills for the workplace, TOEFL evaluates language skills in an academic context. It is therefore used primarily as a prerequisite for admission to universities and colleges. More than 5000 colleges and universities in 90 countries recognize the exam. During 2005 and 2006, TOEFL is phasing in a new internet-based test (iBT), which will replace the current computer-based and paper-based exams. The iBT has 4 sections, reading, listening, speaking and writing, each with a score of 30, giving a total score of 120. This is likely to cause some confusion for a while, as most students and universities are used to working with the paper-based total of 677, or the computer-based total of 300!
Cambridge also has an academic exam, the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), which they jointly manage with the British Council and IDP:IELTS Australia. IELTS is recognized by universities and colleges, as well as employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies. The exam has listening, reading, writing and speaking components. For the reading and writing, students can choose between an academic and a general option. IELTS is scored on a scale of 1-9.
Comparing levels
One of the most common questions from students is how exams in the different categories compare to each other. Is the FCE equivalent to one of the BEC exams? If I have the CAE, what TOEFL score can I expect? Luckily, we have a reference guide to help us here, called the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” (CEF). The CEF divides language learners into six levels, and enables us to compare all the ESL exams according to these levels.
The six levels are A1 (Breakthrough), A2 (Waystage), B1 (Threshold), B2 (Vantage), C1 (Effective Operational Proficiency), and C2 (Mastery).
Here’s a quick comparison of exams at the different levels. Bear in mind that this is a general guide only — students’ scores in different exams will of course depend on many factors, such as preparation time and motivation!
A1: YLE Movers, Pitman ESOL Basic, IELTS score 1-2.
A2: KET, YLE Flyers, Pitman ESOL Elementary, TOEIC score 246-380, TOEFL iBT score 32-42, IELTS score 3.
B1: PET, TOEIC score 381-540, BEC Preliminary, TOEFL iBT score 43-61, IELTS score 3.5-4.5.
B2: FCE, Pitman ESOL Intermediate, TOEIC score 541-700, BEC Vantage, TOEFL iBT score 62-91, IELTS score 5-6.
C1: CAE, Pitman ESOL Higher Intermediate, TOEIC score 701-910, BEC Higher, TOEFL iBT score 92-112, IELTS score 6.5-7.
C2: CPE, Pitman ESOL Advanced, TOEIC score 911-990, TOEFL iBT score 113-120, IELTS score 7.5-9.
There is of course much more information about these exams on the Cambridge ESOL, TOEIC, TOEFL and Pitman websites — you will find the links at this ESL exams resource.
Keith Taylor is the founder of http://www.eslbase.com, providing free resources, information and advice for TEFL teachers, as well as the latest job opportunities and a directory of TEFL courses worldwide. He also maintains the eslbase language exchange, an easy way to practise any language online.
TEFL jobs, TEFL courses and ESL resources from eslbase.com
Convenient Ideas to Fit Audible Books around Your Daily Schedule
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler is surely a good read, however busy lives make finding time difficult to do. Lengthy journeys to work and day-to-day activities could eat up sizable amounts of your time everyday. A career, caring for children or even looking after your family all cut down the time you have to persue your hobbies. You can simply utilize the hours spent doing chores to get up to date on those books you don’t have time to read. With user-friendly technology, it’s easy to savor Body To Die For by Kate White by Download Audio Book Online, or audiobooks brought to life by James Patterson and Andrew Cross without even flipping a page. Multi-tasking is becoming necessary in the modern world. Audiobooks like Pimsleur French I, II, & III Complete Courses by Dr. Paul Pimsleur available from Download Audio Book Online occupy the wasted minutes in our daily routine, it might be waiting at the dentist’s surgery or perhaps grocery shopping. Numerous audiobooks may be downloaded immediately in mp3 format these include Daily Readings From Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen, so pick up your mp3 player you have the chance to hear the current best seller, for instance audio-books by Jerry Robbins without hauling a cumbersome book with you. Another advantage of audible books is the ability to rent or buy many titles and peruse them at your leisure. Want to study a foreign language? Why not try out audio-books? It’s easy to catch up on current business trends, or you can enjoy reflecting on the newest opinions in religious thought. A massive selection of literary genres and titles are accessible. Whether you’re a film devotee, or you are mad over love stories even interested in self help, you can access many audiobooks now. Choices are wide open; it’s simple to take a subscription to a service and rent or else make a purchase. Reading will invariably have its place, even so audiobooks offer a convenient alternative. Numerous stories, such as audio titles told by W.W. Jacobs, are even better when narrated by the author or a celebrated actor. Simply reading a book is not quite the same experience as listening to an audio title told by Dan Brown, with niceties presented during a rendidtion. Hearing audio titles performed by Terry Brooks can add something extra to the story and go much deeper the written word.
Make sure you review this marvelous site for www.audiofrombooks.com hints.
Don’t forget audio titles next time you think of buying a novel, audio-books are a tremendous means of fitting all the titles you desire into a busy schedule.
Learn Spanish Words - It’s A Breeze
What are the first words learned when living in a foreign country? Well I can tell you when I started to learn Spanish words the first ones I picked up and began to use were the swear words. Why is that? Why do we focus on the negative aspects of a language first? The first thing we want to be able to do is yell at people and express our displeasure eloquently. Why do we not instead ask how to say something is amazing, or delicious, or fabulous? So to learn these important Spanish words the first thing we do when we get of the plane is make friends and ask them how to swear.
Well what about learning other Spanish words? Reading is a good way. Pick up the local newspaper and translate all the words you don’t know. This takes a long time and can be frustrating but is very effective. I have also found it helps to write down the words you learn to get a visual of them as you memorize them. It is a lot easier to remember a word when you know how it is spelled. You can figure out the pronunciation and remember it better than simply listening to your friend with the very strong Spanish accent say it and trying to imitate.
Unfortunately sometimes it seems like the more words you learn the more you don’t know. I constantly learn new Spanish words and think I can now say what I want until I try to formulate a sentence and realize there are 5 other words I need. It is a never-ending uphill battle to learn all I need.
Gregory Newell is a web author who’s written about hot to learn to speak Spanish. If you want to learn Spanish words then you might be interested in reading more.
English In The New World
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Different countries have developed their own unique way of using English. For example, the Australian English, a dialect I have grown accustomed to, uses the letter ‘ u ’s in certain words. They use suffixes such as - ise instead of - ize as well as - t instead of - ed . Below are some examples of the common differences between how Australians spell words and how these words are spelt elsewhere.
Centre rather than Center
Endeavour rather than Endeavor
Colour instead of Color
Armour instead of Armor
Dreamt instead of Dreamed
Spelt instead of Spelled
Learnt instead of Learned
Jeopardise instead of Jeopardize
Organise instead of Organize
Organisation instead of Organization
When I wrote my book: The Part-Time Currency Trader , I had to think about who my audience was. People who might be interested in this book were not just going to be Australians. In fact, currency trading is big in America , Europe and Asia . I would have to communicate with them as well. Therefore, I had to do a little researching and what I discovered for myself would be relevant to all writers, website owners and anybody who wishes to communicate with the global community and compete internationally.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. I found it most intriguing that there are so many English dialects.
Below are the types of English dialects (Source: http://www.wikipedia.org):
Types of English that evolved from the British Isles :
English English
Highland English
Mid-Ulster English
Scottish English
Welsh English
Manx English
Irish English
Types of English that evolved from the United States:
AAVE (Ebonics)
American English
Baltimorese
Boston English
California English
General American
North Central American English
Hawaiian English
Southern American English:
Spanglish
Chicano English
Types of English that evolved from Canada :
Canadian English
Newfoundland English
Quebec English
Types of English that evolved in the Oceania :
Australian English
New Zealand English
Types of English that evolved in Asia :
Hong Kong English
Indian English
Malaysian English
Philippine English
Singaporean English
Sri Lankan English
Types of English that evolved in other countries:
Bermudian English
Caribbean English
Jamaican English
Liberian English
Malawian English
South African English
Other Classifications of English:
Basic English
Commonwealth English
Globish
International English
Plain English
Simplified English
Special English
Standard English
With this many types of English to cater for, writing can get complicated, especially when it comes to spelling words. If you are writing a book, people expect you not to make any spelling errors. None of us are perfect and I’m sure there are mistakes in most manuscript or on most websites but the last thing you need as a writer, is that your readers attribute spelling mistakes to you because of these basic differences in English.
If you want to know how I got around this problem, I simply wrote my book in my local dialect, Australian English. Then, I added a page in my book where I explain to the reader the most common differences between the Australian English and the English they may be accustomed to.
I just thought I would let you know and I hope this helps when you are reading or writing.
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About The Author:
Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader. It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: http://marquezcomelab.com.
Advantages of E-Learning Over Traditional Instruction of a Second Language
Benefits of E-learning
When it comes to Second Language Acquisition, E-learning has definite benefits over traditional classroom training. While the most obvious are the flexibility and the cost savings from not having to travel or spend excess time away from work, there are also others that might not be so obvious. For example:
* You learn at your own pace and much faster without depending on someone else’s progress. If something is too easy you can pass on to the next topic with the click of a button. If something seems too hard for you, you can devote as much time as you need to comprehend it entirely.
* You can work from any location and any time - E-learners can go through training sessions from anywhere, usually at anytime. This is crucial; in a world in which many busy professionals, business managers or just students need to travel on a regular basis, sometimes within their own country, and sometimes abroad, E-learning is the only choice to enable them to continue studying just as if they were at home. This of course, could never happen in a traditional course.
* For those students who need to improve their speaking or listening comprehension skills, E-learning, especially the one delivered via audio or video conferencing, is an unbeatable alternative. The student talking time is maximized up to 100%, something unthinkable in a traditional course in which every single student’s talking time is very restricted.
* When classes are delivered by native Spanish speakers via audio or video conferencing, Spanish learners can acquire the language almost as effectively as if they traveled to a Spanish speaking country. After all, they will be learning not just language but also culture, from someone who is originally from that very same setting. In addition, if the online instructor is a native Spanish speaker, the student can be practicing his or her listening comprehension skills in real time, around real contexts and listening to the same Spanish that is used outside the classroom. In most traditional classrooms, students are exposed to simplified recordings that have no resemblance to the way native speakers talk. In an online class with a native speaker of the language that does not happen. It is REAL Spanish, all the time.
* It can be updated easily and quickly - Online e-learning sessions are especially easy to keep up-to-date because the updated materials are simply uploaded to a server. In traditional instruction this is more difficult. Imagine a book that had to be reprinted in the light of new discoveries. It may take at ages to reach the bookstands, whereas online, changes and updates can be posted overnight.
* It can lead to increased retention and a stronger grasp on the subject - E-learning goes in line with the theory of multiple
that basically states that we all learn differently. For example some people have visual memory, so retention is produced by watching, reading or visual stimuli. Some others are more musical, and rely on their auditory memory. And there are of course many other different ways in which people learn. E-learning is ideal due to the fact that in presents students with info from very different angles. This is because of the many elements that are combined in e-learning to reinforce the message, such as video, audio, quizzes, interaction, etc.
* Quick and fast revision of contents: at any time you can revisit or replay sections of the training that might not have been clear the first time around. It goes without saying that this is literally impossible in a traditional classroom setting.
These are just a few of the MANY substantial advantages of E-learning over traditional instruction when it comes to the teaching and learning of a second language. In future articles we will study each of these advantages in detail.
Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language and a teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.
English Only in the EFL Classroom: Worth the Hassle?
Introduction
In considering the use of L1 (the learners mother tongue) in ELT (English Language Teaching) on the part of the teacher, one of the first assumptions is that the teacher has a sufficient command of the students L1 to be of value in the first place. Another assumption which may well impact this scenario is that all the learners in a class or group have the same L1. While these assumptions may often be the case in numerous EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching / learning settings, many times they are not. In the case of multi-cultural classes (i.e., in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, etc.) where the learners have different L1s, or when the teacher does not have a working knowledge of the learners L1, a frequent occurrence in Asia, Africa and eastern Europe, applied L1 use in the EFL classroom is severely limited or may be rendered virtually impossible.
Use of L1 in the Classroom
In my case, I’ll talk about those instances where I do in fact use the learners L1 in my EFL classes. I have acquired a working knowledge of Spanish and all my university and independent students have Spanish as their L1. Although I’m against any substantial use of L1 in ESOL (the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes, there are situations where its use is quite valuable. In addition, at early levels a ratio of about 5 per cent native language to about 95 per cent target language may be more profitable than the use of “English only”. (Atkinson, 1987) On the first day of class with a new group, I explain to the learners that they are allowed to ask “How do you say ______ , in Spanish?” where the Spanish (L1) word or phrase is filled in the blank. This allows the students to get key vocabulary in their written or spoken expression while limiting their use of L1 in class.
When learners are stumped for abstract lexis, a word or phrase which cannot be easily elicited during the course of a lesson, I’ll simply “give” them the word in Spanish to aid in continuing with the smooth flow of the lesson and not get “bogged down” in trying to come up with the elusive lexis by other means. When a student gives me production of incomprehensible language, i.e., I (nor the other learners) cannot decipher what the student is trying to say in English, I’ll say “Tell me that in Spanish.” Armed with this new understanding I (or one of the other learners) can then provide that learner with corrected, comprehensible forms which otherwise might elude both (or even all) of us.
During a written exam, I’ll also “give” the learners a word or phrase writing it on the board in English and / or Spanish to avoid extensive disruption of the test-taking process. Since I do not prepare the exams, new lexis can creep into readings, instructions or exercises. When a learner, and as additional learners, ask for meaning or explanation of the word(s), I’ll simply point to the lexis on the board without speaking.
When playing communicative, TPR (Asher, 1966 and passim) or “fast-paced” vocabulary games such as a learner favorite called “STOP”, I’ll again provide a translation of new lexis to help develop the learners vocabulary. These could be lexis of places, names in English / Spanish, foods, animals or some verbs or use of the L1 in various code-switching activities. (Clandfield - Foord, 2003) This happens especially frequently when I need to explain why a particular word is incorrect or cannot be used.
L1 Use with LEP Learners
One additional instance when I switch to Spanish is when I must talk to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners about important administrative matters or procedures for which they do not have the necessary depth of vocabulary to understand. The importance of the material and their need to understand it outweigh the adherence of sticking to “English only” which is my “standard operating procedure” in the classroom. This is especially true in my case with groups of learners with less than about 250 contact hours of English which is equivalent to third semester or less. Note: Atkinson (1987 and passim) states 150 hours or less (second semester) for this stage although I have found it often extends into an additional semester.
On occasion, students will bring in a song or lyrics, usually Rock or Pop music, and ask the meaning of a word, phrase, expression or sometimes even the title. In providing the requested explanation (when I can), I use comparisons and / or translations into Spanish as often as is necessary. The same may occur with dialogue from popular films, movies and videos produced for native speakers of English. In rare instances, a cassette recording of a radio broadcast or book-on-tape has made its way into my classroom for the same reasons.
A final common instance in my use of L1 in the classroom is with learners in “repeat” or “remedial” classes of LEP learners. Since these learners have already demonstrated that the “traditional” teaching methods provided for in their course books is insufficient in teaching them the material. All these learners have failed the course at this level at least once, some twice or more. I subsequently use a series of alternative methodologies including translation and other types of input / feedback in the learners L1 to aid in the learning - acquisition process. These methods have, in fact, proved to be very successful. One reason may be that use of specially-targeted methodologies and altered classroom conditions help to lower the learners Affective Filters (Krashen - Terrell, 1983) and direct the new material and lexis to them in ways more compatible with their individual Multiple Intelligences and preferred learning styles (Gardner, 1983).
Conclusions
In conclusion I have stated that my use of L1 in the EFL classroom is minimal and should not exceed a ratio of more than 5% of the L1 to 95% of the target language. Key EFL classroom situations in which L1 can be utilized include:
• requesting new lexis
• explaining abstract terms
• to aid in the generation of comprehensible input / production
• during exams and other high-stress situations
• to maintain the flow of dynamic activities
• to explain idioms and expressions in songs, movies and videos
• giving information / instructions to LEP learners
• in adapting materials to the special needs of the learners
While the use of the learners L1 should be strictly controlled, it is plausible to make accurate use of it in activities to promote learning and acquisition. Ongoing language acquisition research and in-class practice supports that use of L1 should not be prohibited for its own sake, but allowed occasionally as an additional tool in the repertoire of the teacher and the learners as conditions warrant.
Note: Academic references for this article are available on request.
Prof. Larry M. Lynch has taught EFL, published ELT articles as an expert author, presented at numerous TESOL conferences and trained teachers in the USA, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Panama and Spain. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape from America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. At present he teaches at the Universidad Santiago de Cali in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for your newsletter, blog or website or information on TEFL presentations, specialized teacher training programs or conference speaking engagements contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com