Blog: TESOL
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/postsecondary
NNEST of the Month: An Interview with Guofang Li
United States: Dr. Guofang Li is an associate professor of second language and literacy education in the Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University. In this interview, conducted by the TESOL Nonnative English Speaking Teachers (NNEST) Interest Section, she discusses her experiences as a female minority scholar working in the U.S. higher education system.
Read more
Posted on Monday, November 29, 2010 at 02:49 PM in Asia & Oceania, North America, Post-Secondary Education | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Digg This | Save to del.icio.us
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Blog: TESOL
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/postsecondary
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
Many untrained native English speaking ESL teachers confuse language learning difficulties with low cognitive learning abilities. If the ESL teachers are not professionally prepared to identify their ELLs' needs and challenges and address them, they will be frustrated themselves for not being effective with their ELLs. NNESLT have gone throughout the process of leaning a second language as a second language learners. Therefore they experienced the feelings and challenges that face the second language learns.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
English, Globalization, and Higher Education: US, YÖK launch major English language program - Hu...
English, Globalization, and Higher Education: US, YÖK launch major English language program - Hu...: "US, YÖK launch major English language program - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review"
US, YÖK launch major English language program
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Blog: TESOL
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/postsecondary_education/
US, YÖK launch major English language program
United States, Turkey: The United States government and Turkey's Higher Education Board, or YÖK, are involved in a new joint effort to send scores of U.S. English Teaching Assistants, or ETAs, to dozens of Turkish universities. "The aim of this program is not to teach English in the classical sense, but rather to raise the general familiarity of students with the English language and help them improve their communications skills in English," Dr. Bradley Horn, English language officer at the U.S. Embassy here, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review at the weekend.
Read the full story
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
I believe that America should get more involved in helping other countries with their English language programs. Language is an integral part of any culture. The spread of the English language leads to better understanding and embracing of the American culture and ideology. Ultimately, that might lead to better understanding and cooperation between America and other countries.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Blog: TESOL
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/postsecondary_education/
US, YÖK launch major English language program
United States, Turkey: The United States government and Turkey's Higher Education Board, or YÖK, are involved in a new joint effort to send scores of U.S. English Teaching Assistants, or ETAs, to dozens of Turkish universities. "The aim of this program is not to teach English in the classical sense, but rather to raise the general familiarity of students with the English language and help them improve their communications skills in English," Dr. Bradley Horn, English language officer at the U.S. Embassy here, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review at the weekend.
Read the full story
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
I believe that America should get more involved in helping other countries with their English language programs. Language is an integral part of any culture. The spread of the English language leads to better understanding and embracing of the American culture and ideology. Ultimately, that might lead to better understanding and cooperation between America and other countries.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Professors of pronunciation help immigrants
Blog: TESOL
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/
Monday, September 13, 2010
Professors of pronunciation help immigrants
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/2010/09/professors-of-pronunciation-help-immigrants.html
United States: A growing number of immigrants are taking lessons and taking classes on how to speak English like an American, experts in pronunciation say. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's most recent survey addressing accent modification showed its members spent an estimated 5.7% of their time providing accent-modification services in 2009, up from 3.7% in 2007.
Read the full story
Posted on Monday, September 13, 2010 at 02:37 PM in Adult Education, North America | Permalink
Digg This | Save to del.icio.us
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e3932f12ff88340133f42ccb74970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Professors of pronunciation help immigrants:
Comments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
I do not believe that the foreign accents of a certain university graduates has any relevance to the university's credibility. The presence of a foreign accent or the lack of it has nothing to do with graduate cognitive abilities or academic achievements either. The feeing of inferiority and inability to fit-in in the mainstream culture motivate speakers of English as a second language to get rid off their foreign accents. Some of the factors that speed or impede success in that endeavor are:
The age of the non-native speaker when she/he move to the target English speaking country;
The intensity of exposure and practice of listening to and speaking with native English speakers,
The degree of accepting and embracing the culture of the new language and the readiness to assimilate in it.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/
Monday, September 13, 2010
Professors of pronunciation help immigrants
http://blogs.tesol.org/inthenews/2010/09/professors-of-pronunciation-help-immigrants.html
United States: A growing number of immigrants are taking lessons and taking classes on how to speak English like an American, experts in pronunciation say. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's most recent survey addressing accent modification showed its members spent an estimated 5.7% of their time providing accent-modification services in 2009, up from 3.7% in 2007.
Read the full story
Posted on Monday, September 13, 2010 at 02:37 PM in Adult Education, North America | Permalink
Digg This | Save to del.icio.us
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e3932f12ff88340133f42ccb74970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Professors of pronunciation help immigrants:
Comments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
I do not believe that the foreign accents of a certain university graduates has any relevance to the university's credibility. The presence of a foreign accent or the lack of it has nothing to do with graduate cognitive abilities or academic achievements either. The feeing of inferiority and inability to fit-in in the mainstream culture motivate speakers of English as a second language to get rid off their foreign accents. Some of the factors that speed or impede success in that endeavor are:
The age of the non-native speaker when she/he move to the target English speaking country;
The intensity of exposure and practice of listening to and speaking with native English speakers,
The degree of accepting and embracing the culture of the new language and the readiness to assimilate in it.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
International Education Spotlight: West Virginia
Blog: NAFSA
By Clark Egnor September 27, 2010 by
Internationalizing a college campus is not easy work, but in a state like West Virginia where we have so many financial, cultural, and demographic challenges, it’s especially challenging.
For example, study abroad is a hard sell in a state that has the second lowest personal income per capita among the 50 states, where only 17 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or beyond (the lowest proportion in the nation), and where first-generation college students make up 70% of the enrollment at most of our state public universities. Recruiting and integrating international students is also no easy task in a state where there is so little diversity. Only 1.3 percent of West Virginia’s population is foreign-born (compared to 12.5 percent nationally). While West Virginia’s lack of diversity should make international education arguably all the more critical, the reality is that our rural institutions are constantly in danger of being left behind. Fortunately, our state higher education leaders in West Virginia have started placing a priority on international education, they understand the challenges we face and they have been doing something about it.
In April 2006, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), which oversees our state’s eleven public universities, sponsored a statewide conference that addressed the topic of internationalizing higher education in West Virginia. Over 200 faculty and administrators attended the conference, representing every public and private university in the state. The Consortium for Internationalizing Higher Education (CIHE) was an outgrowth of this conference. A council of leaders from higher education, business, and government were appointed to guide the Consortium and provide a strategic plan for internationalizing the state’s public higher education system. The Chancellor directed the Provosts at each of the public institutions to establish a Campus Internationalization Committee to carry out internationalization at each campus. These Committees receive support and guidance from the Consortium.
We now have a strategic plan in place and our Consortium receives $120,000 per year in funding from the HEPC. In 2008, both houses of the West Virginia Legislature adopted a resolution supporting international education, and for the first time, the HEPC included international education goals in West Virginia’s master plan for higher education. In order to address the goals of the master plan, each institution in West Virginia must develop a compact with the HEPC and address how it will meet statewide goal of “promoting global awareness and international education.”
The West Virginia Consortium is more broad-based than other such statewide consortia, which typically focus on promoting their states as destinations for international students. Our Consortium is concerned with comprehensive internationalization. The activities that we implement throughout the year target every facet of international education, including study abroad, international students, and the curriculum. For example, we offer training workshops each year on topics like faculty-led study abroad, international student recruitment and securing grant funding to integrate international experiences into the curriculum. We award grants (from $10,000 to $15,000) to institutions to support various international initiatives, and we fund scholarships for study abroad for foreign language teachers in training. We also sponsor and subsidize a faculty-led study abroad bus trip each summer to Quebec, Canada aimed at freshman throughout the state.
You can learn more about our Consortium, its goals and the strategic activities we are using to engage all of our public state universities in the process of internationalizing their campuses, by visiting our Web site. I am very interested in learning how other states are using consortia to internationalize their higher education systems and the kinds of statewide collaborative activities they have found most effective.
Clark Egnor is a NAFSA member and the Executive Director of the Marshall University Center for International Programs in Huntington, West Virginia.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Higher education should prepare students to be effective and successful professionals in the labor market. In the age of globalization, the labor market is not local or even national any more, it is international and global. College graduates around the world find themselves in competitions with their fellow professionals and colleagues representing different countries, cultures, and languages. Therefore, for these college graduate to be successful in their international and global labor market and economy, they need to have international and global education while in college. Also, their international and global education need to be supported by exposures to and first hand experiences with people representing the international cultural, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
By Clark Egnor September 27, 2010 by
Internationalizing a college campus is not easy work, but in a state like West Virginia where we have so many financial, cultural, and demographic challenges, it’s especially challenging.
For example, study abroad is a hard sell in a state that has the second lowest personal income per capita among the 50 states, where only 17 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or beyond (the lowest proportion in the nation), and where first-generation college students make up 70% of the enrollment at most of our state public universities. Recruiting and integrating international students is also no easy task in a state where there is so little diversity. Only 1.3 percent of West Virginia’s population is foreign-born (compared to 12.5 percent nationally). While West Virginia’s lack of diversity should make international education arguably all the more critical, the reality is that our rural institutions are constantly in danger of being left behind. Fortunately, our state higher education leaders in West Virginia have started placing a priority on international education, they understand the challenges we face and they have been doing something about it.
In April 2006, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), which oversees our state’s eleven public universities, sponsored a statewide conference that addressed the topic of internationalizing higher education in West Virginia. Over 200 faculty and administrators attended the conference, representing every public and private university in the state. The Consortium for Internationalizing Higher Education (CIHE) was an outgrowth of this conference. A council of leaders from higher education, business, and government were appointed to guide the Consortium and provide a strategic plan for internationalizing the state’s public higher education system. The Chancellor directed the Provosts at each of the public institutions to establish a Campus Internationalization Committee to carry out internationalization at each campus. These Committees receive support and guidance from the Consortium.
We now have a strategic plan in place and our Consortium receives $120,000 per year in funding from the HEPC. In 2008, both houses of the West Virginia Legislature adopted a resolution supporting international education, and for the first time, the HEPC included international education goals in West Virginia’s master plan for higher education. In order to address the goals of the master plan, each institution in West Virginia must develop a compact with the HEPC and address how it will meet statewide goal of “promoting global awareness and international education.”
The West Virginia Consortium is more broad-based than other such statewide consortia, which typically focus on promoting their states as destinations for international students. Our Consortium is concerned with comprehensive internationalization. The activities that we implement throughout the year target every facet of international education, including study abroad, international students, and the curriculum. For example, we offer training workshops each year on topics like faculty-led study abroad, international student recruitment and securing grant funding to integrate international experiences into the curriculum. We award grants (from $10,000 to $15,000) to institutions to support various international initiatives, and we fund scholarships for study abroad for foreign language teachers in training. We also sponsor and subsidize a faculty-led study abroad bus trip each summer to Quebec, Canada aimed at freshman throughout the state.
You can learn more about our Consortium, its goals and the strategic activities we are using to engage all of our public state universities in the process of internationalizing their campuses, by visiting our Web site. I am very interested in learning how other states are using consortia to internationalize their higher education systems and the kinds of statewide collaborative activities they have found most effective.
Clark Egnor is a NAFSA member and the Executive Director of the Marshall University Center for International Programs in Huntington, West Virginia.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By: Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Higher education should prepare students to be effective and successful professionals in the labor market. In the age of globalization, the labor market is not local or even national any more, it is international and global. College graduates around the world find themselves in competitions with their fellow professionals and colleagues representing different countries, cultures, and languages. Therefore, for these college graduate to be successful in their international and global labor market and economy, they need to have international and global education while in college. Also, their international and global education need to be supported by exposures to and first hand experiences with people representing the international cultural, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Foreign Students Bring $18.8 Billion to U.S. Communities – and Much More
« Why We Shouldn’t Stop Funding Educational ExchangesInspired Study Abroad Alumna Becomes Student Mentor »
Foreign Students Bring $18.8 Billion to U.S. Communities – and Much More
November 15, 2010 by Katie O'Connell
In these tough economic times, foreign students and their dependents continue to make an important economic contribution to communities and campuses across the United States. NAFSA’s new report of economic impact shows that college students from other countries contributed $18.8 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2009-2010 academic year through tuition, fees, and living expenses for themselves and their families. This is a $1 billion increase from the previous academic year.
As international educators know, they also bring much more to our communities and campuses. A recent article in the Southeast Missourian highlights why foreign students matter to one college in the Midwest, where they bring $4 billion to the region. Gerald McDougall, dean of the Donald L. Harrison College of Business and international programs at Southeast Missouri State University told the newspaper:
The growth in the institution’s international community is by design. A couple of years ago the institution launched an initiative to internationalize the campus…While the economic effect is a happy consequence of the expanded enrollment, the culture and perspective the international students bring is invaluable to a university preparing young minds to compete globally.
If you are on a college or university campus, NAFSA’s economic impact statements are great information to share with your federal and state relations offices as well as local news media (view NAFSA’s guide for working with the media). The statements contain the following information, organized by state, institution, and congressional district:
Number of foreign students enrolled
Cost of tuition and fees
Cost of living expenses (including those of dependents)
U.S. financial support
Total financial contributions of foreign students and their dependents
This data, combined with personal stories, can be powerful tools in bringing to life the real-world value of international education.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response By:
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Greetings,
The growing number of foreign students in America has many positive implications both nationally in America and internationally in other countries. When foreign college students come from various countries around the world, that means that they value and trust the American educational system. These students learn and practice the American ideals in America. Then, when they return to their countries, they work as catalysts in spreading the American ideals in education and democracy. I also wish that more American students venture out internationally for academic experiences, especially in countries that are not academically explored by many American college students. These countries may not be advanced or reputable in their educational and academic systems. However, these college students will have other gains such as the first hand cultural interactions. The whole experience will be beneficial for all participating students, higher education institutions, and countries. Now, in the age of globalization, no one country can live in isolation. The whole world is converging; countries around the world are becoming more interdependent. They must work collaboratively to achieve better understanding, peace, and prosperity.
Thank you.
Abdelmonem Saad Ahmed
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)