News: How Competition Is Killing Higher Education

Mark C. Taylor of Bloomberg Views gives his opinions on how competition is detrimental to higher education. Here is a snippet of his article:

But in higher education, competition often discourages risk taking, leads to overly cautious short-term decisions, produces a mediocre product for the price, and promotes excessive spending on physical plants and bureaucracies. 

The construction arms race on campus is the most visible example of competition run amok. To become more attractive to potential consumers, many colleges and universities undertake overly ambitious expansions. In some cases, new facilities contribute to educational programs, but too often they are tangential and trap institutions in a costly cycle: The new athletic center, dorm or student center starts to look faded when competing schools open theirs, and it never ends.

You can read the rest of Taylor's writing here:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/competition-is-killing-higher-education-part-1-.html

Education News: Russia's University Mergers Pit the Old School Against the New

Anna Nemtsova of the Chronicle for Higher Learning writes about how "bringing together Soviet-style instructors and Western-influenced researchers has led to impasse, not improvement." You can read more about how societal and cultural influences affects education by clicking the link below. 

http://chronicle.com/article/Russias-University-Mergers/131844/

Education News: Students Learning With Online Textbooks

Nicole Winters of Keloland Television wrote this news report about schools using online textbooks as tools for learning. You can read more about this educational tool at the link below. Here is a brief preview:

"We don't really use the textbook anymore," Harrisburg High School sophomore Taylor Mouw said.

Instead, the students log on to Math Excel. 

"I like this because you can see how to do it and you can see if you get the answer right, right away," Harrisburg High School sophomore Sommer Williams said. 

"It gives them that engagement. They like having their computer and being able to use those things," Harrisburg High School Math Teacher John Stearns said.

Stearns uses the program in two of his math classes. Besides engaging the students, it also makes teaching and learning more efficient.

"It grades it instantly for the students and instantly for me as well," Stearns said

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm/Students_Learning_With_Online_Textbooks_/?Id=131484

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Are universities scared of the online learning movement?

Peter G. Klein of The Christian Science Monitor wrote this article about online learning and how traditional universities are reacting to it. You can read a preview of it here:

As Morgan Brown wrote earlier this year, universities are guilds, and it’s this organizational structure, not bad leadership or the wrong ideology, that underlies the universities’ hostility to markets. If there is fundamental reform, it will surely come from outside the guild system, not within it. It’s great that Harvard and MIT and other elite universities are offering some classes online. But look instead to bolder experiments like the Mises Academy — not a duplicate of the standard degree program, but a modular, flexible, focused approach to teaching Austrian economics and related subjects. Call it guerrilla teaching. Let’s see where this new movement can go!

Education News: Reform in Washington

This special opinion article by Rosemary McAuliffe of the Seattle Times discusses the educational reforms in Washington state. Here is a brief preview:

Gov. Chris Gregoire recently said Washington cannot fulfill its education responsibilities without new revenue. I couldn't agree more. No amount of shifting state dollars or slashing health and human services will free up the kind of money needed to fully fund the reforms our kids deserve.

 Unfortunately, our state has a chronic history of passing reforms, without funding them. With education as our paramount duty, we need the public's support of new funding to achieve full implementation.

Education News: The Presidential Campaign And Latino Education

This article by Gabriel Sanchez Zinny of the Huffington Post discusses the relation of education, politics and demographics in the USA. It is entitled "The Presidential Campaign And Latino Education." Here is a brief preview of his reporting:

The achievement gap between Hispanics and other ethnic groups in standardized testing and overall education is significant. The U.S. Department of Education found that the average SAT scores of Latinos lag behind the U.S. average by 100 points. Additionally, 13.9 percent of the Latino population holds a bachelor's degree, whereas 29.9 percent of the total U.S. population does.

The reasons for this are related not only to lackluster education policies, but also to other factors such as poverty, language skills and school attendance. The 2010 Census found that 35 percent of Latinos were living in poverty, compared to 12.4 percent of Caucasians; Latinos typically attend schools where a higher percentage of students speak English as a second language, making instruction more cumbersome. In addition, Latinos drop out of high school at a 17.6 percent rate, compared to the 8.1 percent rate of the entire U.S. population.

Education News: Education Protests in Chile

This article by the Associated Press discusses the Chilean education crisis and the protests in response to it. Here is a brief preview:

The march, organized by the Confederation of University Students of Chile, was the second of its kind this year.

Thousands of protests were held last year by high school and college students demanding an end to for-profit education and the implementation of free higher education.

The Santiago Times said President Sebastian Pinera has proposed ending reliance on student loans from private banks, which made an estimated $500 million last year off of government-backed student aid.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/05/17/Chile-Students-protest-education-system/UPI-43161337270383/#ixzz1v9QlyGJU

Education News: Course Era Offers New Opportunities

This article by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times discusses new developments in online education. Here is a short preview:

Andrew Ng is an associate professor of computer science at Stanford, and he has a rather charming way of explaining how the new interactive online education company that he cofounded, Coursera, hopes to revolutionize higher education by allowing students from all over the world to not only hear his lectures, but to do homework assignments, be graded, receive a certificate for completing the course and use that to get a better job or gain admission to a better school.

"I normally teach 400 students," Ng explained, but last semester he taught 100,000 in an online course on machine learning. "To reach that many students before," he said, "I would have had to teach my normal Stanford class for 250 years."

Education News: ESL Conference

Alleen Brown of TC Daily Planet discusses a recent ESL Conference in Minnesota. Here is a preview:

The winner of this year’s ESL Advocate Award, Denise Harlos, described an experience many of the ESL teachers attending last week’s Minnesota ESL, Bilingual and Migrant Education Conference seemed to relate to.
She recalled starting as an ESL teacher in Shakopee 12 years ago, when she said there were 75 EL students speaking 10 languages. There was no English learning program. The schools couldn’t communicate with non-English-speaking parents, and they couldn’t find licensed ESL teachers...

Educational News: ESL Students Using I-Pods

This article by Brittany Cooper of KMVT of Idaho discusses the use of Ipods by ESL students to improve their English language skills. It is very interesting. Here is a brief preview:

Currently there are I–Pods in a couple of specialty classrooms and one general class in the school, But the overall goal is to expand this technology.

"Today we're doing Hot Timing and they've practiced that. And they'll chart it," says ESL Teacher Loretta Crockett.

These ESL students are recording passages into individual I–Pods.

Crockett tells the students, "you're the teacher...Now listen to yourself."

The use of I–Pods in the ESL classroom provides a way to improve fluency among english language learners. They can read, record their passage quickly And then check themselves again.

Principal Matt Seely says, "it helps them self–correct so the teacher isn't always correcting them and I think it's a powerful tool."

News: 2012 International TESOL Convention in Philadelphia

This article by PR Web services through Yahoo! News discusses an international convention in Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Here is an excerpt:

In support of participants in this year’s International TESOL Convention and English Language Expotaking place in Philadelphia March 28 -31, ESL Shop is offering extended conference pricing on all online orders. With a database of over 20,000 titles, it is the hope of ESL Shop to connect English language teachers worldwide with the materials they need to best serve their learners.

The rest of the article can be read here:

http://news.yahoo.com/esl-shop-shows-support-teachers-participating-2012-international-070402879.html

Language Learning Expands Platform to Support ESL Education in Libraries and Workplaces

This article from PR News Wire discusses the use of games in education and learning, specifically language learning and ESL. Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Learning Games Network, a non-profit spin-off of the MIT Education Arcade that bridges the gap between research and practice in game-based education, today announced a $1.99 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand Xenos, its flagship integrated social learning environment gaming platform, for Hispanic adults learning English (ESL) in libraries and workplaces. The goal of the Play Games-Learn English Project is to provide self-directed ESL instructional resources to adults in informal learning and vocational training settings. Pilot sites include the Boston and San Francisco Public Libraries and BJ's Wholesale Clubs.

News: ESL Now Free For Canadian Citizens

This article by Julie Larsen discusses a change in tuition for ESL (English as a second language) students in Canada. Here is an excerpt:

English as a Second Language courses are now tuition-free for everyone at 17 public post-secondary institutions in B.C., including the College of New Caledonia.

Dean of Community and International Education, Barbara Old, says while the course was free for non-citizens, that has now been expanded.

News Commentary: No Child Left Behind Increases Gap in Arts Education

This article by Laura Sauer at Yahoo! discusses the effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in American education. Here is a brief excerpt:

A recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics comparing changes in arts education in public schools from 1999-2000 to 2009-2010 shows that since the start of No Child Left Behind, our public schools have seen a reduction in the arts education offered to students. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, commented on the results, stating it is imperative that "we continue to elevate, enrich, and expand arts education in our nation's schools", according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Among the most disturbing findings in the report is that economically disadvantaged students, many of whom do not have access to arts education anywhere but in public schools, have suffered a 20 percent reduction in arts education offerings, from 100 percent of schools offering such programs in 1999-2000 to only 80 percent in 2009-2010.

"SAT and ACT to Change Tests' Rules After Cheating Scandal"

This article by Jennie Anderson of the New York Times discusses the changes for the ACT and SAT, American university entrance tests, after recent cheating scandals. Here is an excerpt:

The SAT and ACT college entrance exams will now require students to provide a photograph when they sign up for the exams, and officials will check those images against the identification the students present when they take the test.

The new rules were part of a broad set of changes announced on Tuesday in the aftermath of the cheating cases, in which high-scoring students used fake IDs to take the SAT or ACT for other students. The revelations had proved embarrassing for the testing services, on which virtually every American college relies in making admissions decisions.

ESL News: Professor Articulates the Need for ESL Teachers

This article by Christine Metz at JL World discusses Professor Hyesun Cho's speaking on the importance of ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. Here is a brief excerpt:

“Every teacher will have an ESL (English as Second Language) student at some time. If not now, in the future. That is pretty much guaranteed. Unfortunately, these teachers aren’t being prepared to utilize the student’s background,” said Hyesun Cho, an assistant professor of curriculum and teaching at KU. 

Cho has co-authored an article with Terri Rodriguez of Duquesne University that examines the experiences of bi- and multilingual student teachers and the insight it could provide in developing more effective teaching practices. 

The article, published in the journal Teaching and Teacher Education, studied the experiences of Latino teaching candidates in the Midwest and a group of bilingual student teachers in Hawaii. Those in the study described what it was like to be a bi- or multilingual student and how their backgrounds influenced their teaching styles.

The rest of the article is available here.

ESL News Article: Schools on Shoestring Budgets

This article by Manny Fernandez of the New York Times discusses what schools in the USA are like after heavy budget cuts. You can read an excerpt here:

For Hutto and the 1,264 other public school districts in Texas, this has been the year of doing without. Texas lawmakers cut public education financing by roughly $5.4 billion to balance the state’s two-year budget during the last legislative session, with the cuts taking effect this school year and next.
The budget reductions that districts large and small have had to make have transformed school life in a host of ways — increasing class sizes, reducing services and supplies and thinning the ranks of teachers, custodians, librarians and others, school administrators said.

The rest of the article is available here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/us/for-texas-schools-a-year-of-doing-without.html?_r=1&ref=education

Free ESL Lesson: Writing Letters

This blog entry is about writing letters in English. Writing letters is a very common mode of communication across the world and a very important step in becoming literate and an engaging communicator in the English language. 

Whether by paper (or snail mail, as it is often called) or email (internet mail), letters are used both formally and informally to pass on information or make requests. Students use letters to communicate instructors and administrators. Workers use letters to request information from colleagues and bosses or to inquire about their job or new opportunities. People use letters to inform, ask for help or catch up with family, friends and acquaintances, usually in an informal fashion. Here are the basics of writing letters:

Salutation

A salutation is a greeting. In letters, the word “Dear” is the most commonly used and appropriate salutation. For instance, a salutation for a letter might be “Dear Mr. Chen” or “Dear Debra.” For letters to friends or family members, just the first name is used while business letters feature titles such as Mr. (Mister), Dr. (Doctor), Prof. (Professor), etc. The salutation takes up an entire line.

Body

The body is the message of the letter. While the other parts feature greetings, formalities and contact information, the body features sentences or paragraphs about informing, asking or requesting information or action from the recipient. Sometimes people refer to the body as the letter itself. In cases of informal letters to someone you know well (like an email to a friend), the body might be the entire composition of the letter itself.

Valediction

The valediction is a sign-off or goodbye to end the letter. It follows the body, and is then followed by the written name and/or signature of the sender. The most common valedictions are sincerely or regards. So, a valediction might look like

Sincerely,

John Smith

OR

Regards,

Jane Doe

OR

Kind regards,

Jason

Other valedictions are more informal, intimate or friendly such as your friend, your sister/brother, xoxo(very casual shorthand for hugs and kisses), love, and take care.

So, combining these different elements, let us look at a sample of a simple letter written in English.

Dear Professor Watson,

I would like to thank you for writing the letter of recommendation in my favor for graduate school. Your positive recommendation helped me get accepted, and I am very grateful for this. I know you did this despite having a busy schedule. Your dedication to your students past and present is a testament to your character and professionalism. I hope we can keep in touch. Thanks again.

Sincerely,

John Smith

A friendly letter, perhaps through email, might look like this…

Dear Bob,

I was writing to see what your upcoming weekend plans were. Tammy and I were planning a camping trip for this Friday, and we were curious if you wanted to join us. Let us know and we will pass along all the details.

Love,

Jane


Have you written a letter before? Do you have any questions or comments about this or any other ESL subject? Leave them in the comment section and we will answer them. Stay tuned for more free advice on this and other subjects as well as promotions and news!

If you want individual tutoring and help in learning English, contact Kingston University USA today!!

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Benefits of Online Education Emphasize Accessibility of Higher Learning amidst Threats of Global Economic Crisis

This article is from PR Web

The recent global economic struggle has crippled many countries in one important aspect necessary for their recovery – education. It is one of the most important building blocks of society and its loss would be profound. For this reason, Learnstream.com, an education-oriented website, has put effort in helping more and more people realize the great potentials of online learning. With various articles relating to different online courses currently featured on its homepage, visitors are given a more concrete view of how learning through the internet could help land them a great job in the future or simply further their education.

For many people, learning usually takes place in a classroom or any place that could serve the same purpose. Recent technological advancements have opened up doors for more unique means of acquiring education. “The ever expanding world of the internet has become a medium for people to do all sorts of things,including online learning. The public accessibility and convenience of online communication makes long distance interaction so simple that teachers have the chance to educate a wider range of students, from different places, all at once,” points out Greg Wells of Learnstream.com

Students should explore online learning style

This article is from tcu 360

Many college students seek online classes because they need a more flexible academic schedule. I have done a great amount of schooling online and, although there are tremendous difficulties that go along with it, I have to say it is pretty rewarding.

Students who cannot afford to go to school and simultaneously work a full-time job often seek classes that will fit around their busy lives. My first year of college I worked 40 hours a week in a factory, headed home to do my schoolwork, then went to sleep and repeated this process for two semesters.