ESOL class

 This week I would like to talk about ESOL, which I took in the Mount school. ESOL is a lesson for foreigners and we go to this lesson instead of the lessons that are hard to keep up such as French, Literacy and etc.

 Generally, in ESOL class we study for Cambridge test. The level is varied so in the first lesson we took a test and see what level suit me. I started with the lower level that is called KET but the time I go back to Japan I was the level of CELS. I also had a chance to take level 4 of the LAMDA, which was a speaking test. I had hard time memorizing the words and intonations but by helping each other with my friend in ESOL, I was able to pass this exam.

 It was not always studying by oneself but we sometimes work in groups and help each other by discussing and also sometimes we just had a chat including teacher. There was only one teacher so it was very easy for me to talk with her. As I had a chance to talk in the lesson I was able to have the confidence of talking in English and it didn’t take time for me to get used to enjoy talking with the classmate.

 In each term there were trip that we can learn about England. I loved this trip so much. This trips open up my interest towards British history and culture. Before we go to trip we have a month of study on the place we are going. These studies were for all levels so when we had this lesson the upper students had the chance to practice translating English to Japanese to small students. We also went to see the “Mid Summer night’s dream” and another play by Shakespeare which play I can’t remember its name in open theatre. Before we see the play the higher-level students read few pages of the old English and also saw some movie on this play. There were so many characters in the Mid summer night’s dream so first I read the story I couldn’t understand but the ESOL teacher explained it to me very neatly so I was able to understand the play and watched the play enjoyably.

 ESOL celebrated the celebrations too. For example in Easter we had an Easter party. Each students decorated the egg and we competed which one had the best decorations. In Christmas party we made the cookie house in a group and competed. Upper students contrived the games so I also had fun by contriving the games.

 ESOL gave me many things. It opened up my interest of the British culture and also after having educated in ESOL, I felt I want to teach English to Japanese children in a way ESOL did. It was a great experience for me to know more about England and also enjoy learning English.

 I believe the English education in Japan is only reading and understand. However the English education in ESOL was read, understand and then express what we understood by making things such as poster. When we studied about the fire of London in the ESOL lesson, we first learn what the fire of London is and then we made the newspaper of that time. Not only writing the newspaper but we also dip the paper in to the tea and made it as if it is old and also we burnt some part of the paper.

 So I would like to do the lesson, where students can learn first and have the chance to express what they have learnt, if I were able to be the English teacher in the future.