Online English training company englishbox.co.uk launches one-to-one tutorials

Englishbox.co.uk, a leading provider of online English language courses has launched one-to-one tutorials. This allows students to choose a time that is convenient to them and offers the undivided attention of a highly-qualified teacher. It also gives students the opportunity to take an active role in the learning process, by adapting the English lessons to suit their individual needs.

London, October 27, 2009: The online English training school englishbox.co.uk has launched one-to-one English language courses online, allowing students to receive individual coaching from an English tutor in real time. This enhances the learning process by offering English language training adapted to the exact requirements of each individual student.
Englishbox.co.uk has already proved itself to be a leader in the field of English language courses. We are always able to anticipate the needs of our prospective students and develop courses for them that deliver satisfying results. We took the decision to launch one-to-one tutorials because we have seen that the majority of people who contact us about our English language training courses are either full-time students or working professionals, commented Tomas Busse, CEO of englishbox.co.uk. This new development in our history gives prospective students the flexibility of choosing exactly when and where they would like to have their lesson whilst taking an active role in their own progression.
englishbox.co.uk is so confident about its new venture that it is even offering students a trial lesson so that they can experience its content and unique training style before organising an English language course of their own. It gives them complete access to the whole site for two weeks, allowing them to browse the extensive library of online lessons, videos and other pre-recorded material. The site also has a group of dedicated teachers on hand to provide technical assistance and offer free live tuition. Potential students are then able to develop a good idea of the learning experience they can expect.
Our students come from all over the world, and are well aware of the clear advantage that improving their English will offer them in gaining a promotion or a higher salary, adds Tomas. Recent years have witnessed an explosion in the number of English language courses being offered online, but we are certain that their highly qualified native English speakers have what it takes to make the difference. This is what has helped our regular students pick up the language really well over the years and now they have the chance to do this in their own time.
To find out more about englishboxs one-to-one English language courses, visit www.englishbox.co.uk

About englishbox.co.uk
englishbox.co.uk is a leading online English language school which offers English training courses for all abilities. The website features live and interactive video based lessons where experienced teachers guide students through a variety of grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading exercises. All of the lessons are recorded and can be watched many times over, providing the opportunity to continue studying in between the lessons, anywhere and anytime.
The company is offering a free trial lesson for students to gain an insight into englishboxs wide-ranging content and teaching methods. The company also provides English language courses in groups for companies who would like to train their staff in English.

Media Contact Information

Name: TomasBusse
Website: http://www.englishbox.co.uk/
Email: englishbox@rediffmail.com
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Country: United Kingdom

Odyssey offers online classes for Hispanic adults

Now that her son is a second grader at Odyssey Elementary, Bertha Martinez is finding that it’s getting harder and harder to help him with his homework because she doesn’t know very much English.

“We speak only Spanish in the house,” Martinez, who emigrated from Mexico five years ago, said.

She wants to learn English so she can give her son the help he needs. And Odyssey is going to help her do it.

The school recently launched a free adult education program for its Spanish-speaking parents in partnership with the government of Mexico and the Mexican Consulate in Seattle.

The Yakima School District introduced the program to Washington state in 2005.

“We have 117 students who list Spanish as their primary language at our school, which means we have a lot of parents who … speak very little or no English,” Dean of Students Steve Raymond said.

Many of those parents never finished their schooling.

“We had a need here in the community for writing and reading lessons for Spanish-speaking people,” program coordinator Carmen Ziranda said. “It’s amazing – I never knew we had so many here in the area … who don’t know the basics of schooling.”

The program, called Plaza Comunitaria – Horizontes Latinos (Community Plaza – Latin Horizons), offers online courses for Spanish-speaking adults looking to continue their studies in primary, secondary and preparatory school.

“We’re providing the opportunity and support for Spanish-speaking parents to further their own education in hopes that it will in turn impact and improve their children’s education,” Raymond said.

Diamantes de Jalisco performs a traditional Mexican folk dance at the inauguration ceremony of the Community Plaza – Latin Horizons, an adult education program at Odyssey Elementary

In the self-directed program, parents can earn their primary and secondary school certificates accredited by the Mexican government at their own pace and in their own language.

Courses on the English language and job training are also available, including classes on carpentry, the art of baking and mechanical repair.

“Some parents cannot help their kids do homework,” Ziranda said. “Their kids see them struggling and think, ‘If my mom doesn’t know this and she’s doing OK, then I don’t have to learn it either.’ It becomes a vicious circle that we have to break. This is a way to break it.”

The Mexican government provides the textbooks, videos and other course materials necessary to complete the program.

School computer labs are open to parents Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30-8 p.m. to do course work, take exams and get tutoring help.

“Education starts at home,” Ziranda said. “When you have an educated parent, it’s more likely that they’re going to help their kids do their homework, and it’s more likely that they are going to see education as an important thing in life.”

Currently, the program is offered only to Odyssey parents. However, program coordinators hope to open it up to other parents in the Mukilteo School District in the future

To register for Plaza Comunitaria – Horizontes Latinos, call 425-356-1303 or fill out a registration form available in the school’s main office.

New Care2Learn Online Courses Provide the Latest H1N1 Guidance for Healthcare Workers

Essential preparations and precautions for healthcare staff based on up-to-date info from the CDC and Department of Health.

Care2Learn, Inc., the leader in online continuing education and training for post-acute healthcare providers, has released two new online learning courses in response to the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus. The courses detail the latest authoritative guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Health, and give post-acute healthcare providers an easy, cost-effective way to disseminate priceless information in a convenient format.

Workers at all levels need to be properly educated on the latest guidance for identifying flu symptoms and using personal protective equipment to prevent its spread to coworkers and other patients or residents. However, as the specter of an H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve in different demographic areas, most of the information about safe practices is cobbled together hurriedly and a bit at a time as news is breaking.

“The static web pages and printed bulletins we’re used to seeing are, perhaps, inevitable when a large amount of information needs to be distributed among a diverse population quickly,” says Ryan Sparks, Vice President of Content for Care2Learn. “However, those formats are not conducive to learning – let alone sufficient to train the broad spectrum of workers who staff healthcare facilities or provide home care. What we’ve done is create two courses that combine continuity with interactivities and assessments to ensure students are engaged and have absorbed the information.”

The first course, “H1N1 Influenza in Post-Acute Settings,” is targeted to non-licensed healthcare professionals and volunteers and features audio narration to help accommodate all learning levels. The second course, “Influenza: Seasonal, Avian, and Novel H1N1” prepares licensed healthcare professionals and healthcare management to recognize and react strategically to an influenza pandemic. Minimizing impact and developing effective coping mechanisms are emphasized.

About Care2Learn

Founded in 2000, Care2Learn provides online education solutions to the post-acute healthcare market, which includes nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, and home healthcare and hospice facilities. The Care2Learn course library includes approximately 2,700 accredited course hours delivered to more than 320,000 healthcare professionals in all 50 states.

Acquired by RedVector, an online continuing education company for the design, engineering, and construction industries, Care2Learn continues to grow by offering customized online eLearning universities to companies who want to offer training and education solutions to their entire staff in a cost-effective, easy-to-use, and readily accessible manner. For further information, call 1-866-703-9497 or visit www.Care2Learn.com.

Why Learning the Spanish Language is Growing in Popularity

Being able to speak Spanish has become extremely important for many reasons. This article explains why this is so and what methods of learning Spanish are popular?

Popular culture is currently dictating that learning Spanish is the correct and wisest choice if you are choosing a second language to learn. The increasing number of Europeans and Americans that are now learning Spanish gives evidence to the fact that being able to speak Spanish is not only required for easier co-existence in our modern multi lingual society but it is also very much needed in order to help break down the barriers in the business and commercial worlds.

The interest in learning Spanish has developed through the many professional opportunities now available to foreigners but also because of the popularity and affordability of travel that has created a thirst for an understanding of Spanish and Latin American culture.

The challenge for many is not just that of learning the language but of understanding the culture and this has been why immersion courses, previously only enjoyed, on the whole, by the younger student body, have become increasingly popular with people of all ages.

Immersion courses are a fantastic way to explore the Spanish and Latin American culture whilst learning the language at the same time, a very 'hands on' approach to learning that is both exhilarating and enjoyable; a working holiday if you like.

There is now a huge choice available to the student, who can now learn Spanish whilst herding a group of llamas in Peru (maybe not the most desirable method of learning, but some may want to choose it) or maybe whilst sipping a 'cafe solo' on las Ramblas in Barcelona; with courses available in most if not all Spanish Speaking countries the choice is amazing.

But not every person has the opportunity, the time or maybe even the inclination to take advantage of this incredible way of learning Spanish and for those people, learning Spanish has to be interwoven with their busy hectic lives and schedules.

Online Spanish language learning software is perfect for this group of people, which is also a far bigger group than those who take the immersion course route. These often downloadable courses allow students to study at their own pace and are easily integrated around a busy home, social and work life, again, as with the immersion courses the choice is large and caters for all levels of ability and budget!

The most well known brand names are, as would be expected, excellent quality but are also very often expensive and sometimes they don't always deliver on their price tags the other end of the scale does offer the occasional pearl but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

However, the increased popularity of the downloadable course has offered an affordable alternative to both, providing affordable quality by cutting out the production costs.

Always remember that whichever method a person chooses to learn Spanish it must always be remembered that the language itself will never change but the methods of teaching it can. This is why it is extremely important that a course is chosen based upon the suitability for the individual, rather than the price or any other factor doing so will make all the difference between struggling and conversing confidently.

Learning Spanish, contrary to what many people have said, is neither difficult nor boring and if you find a course you have purchased to be either of those you have bought the wrong course, so always take advantage of the many trial courses on offer and try before you buy and choose wisely.

For more information about Online Spanish Language Courses and other Spanish learning aids including irregular Spanish verb conjugation visit www.irregularspanishverbs.com where you can also download a FREE Spanish verb conjugation book!

Web site offers online Cherokee language courses

Cherokee language courses are now available free to the public online at the Cherokee Nation Web site, www.cherokee.org.

The second class began June 3 and will continue for eight weeks from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. More classes are being planned, which may include evening classes, said Ben Phillips, Web site technician. Future schedules will be available on the Web site.

Class size is limited to 100 students per class, with an additional 50 allowed to sign up on a stand-by list.

“Those who do not make this class from the stand-by list will be the first notified for the next classes available,” said Tonia Williams, Cherokee Nation webmaster.

“If an individual misses a class, they will be able to view the video and see each lesson because we will archive each class,” Phillips said.

Phillips said the first course with 14 students was recently completed.

“It’s part of that push of the chief’s (Chad Smith) to get the language out there,” Phillips said. “Anybody who has a computer and an Internet connection can take it.”

The class is being taught by fluent Cherokee instructors from the Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center and Cherokee communities.

Lessons begin with basic Cherokee vocabulary and pronounciation. Video, slides, discussions and quizzes are used for interaction between the students and instructors.

The goal at the end of the eight weeks is for students to build basic sentences in Cherokee at the end of the eight weeks.

Anna Huckaby, language training coordinator for the Cultural Resource Center said, “The highest point for me was when I heard the students putting their own words together and making phrases. That was great.”

“One of the missions of the Cherokee Nation Web site is to provide information, education, as well as preserving and assisting in the revitalization of the Cherokee history, culture and language,” Williams said. “We hope that this teaching tool will provide a new and exciting user experience while learning the Cherokee language.”

Phillips said students would need to have an Internet connection of 56K or more, a later version of Windows Media Player and a later version Shockwave to take the course. The Windows Media Player and Shockwave software can be downloaded from the Internet for free, he said. The software allows students and teachers to see and hear each other and ask questions via live-stream video. Students would also need to download reference material such as the Cherokee syllabary and archived lessons from the Cherokee Web site.

“We usually start about 15 minutes before the scheduled class so it gives the students a chance to log in and chat amongst themselves, get familiar with each other,” Phillips said. Volunteer teachers for the course include Huckaby, John Ross, Ed Jumper, Ed Fields, Marilyn Cochran, George Byrd and Dennis Sixkiller.

Different class: How a new online approach aims to revolutionise language learning

Kicking a football about and discovering the joys of augmentative suffixes might not sound like obvious bed-fellows, but making languages relevant to contemporary life is all part of the game at Bradford City Football Club. It has teamed up with a local boys' comprehensive school to improve Spanish learning among both players and pupils with the hope of challenging the linguistic insularity common to many people in the UK.

"Our interest in Spanish dates back to our signing of the Chilean player Billy Topp, and our desire to make him feel at home with us here at the club," says Bradford's director of operations, Dave Baldwin. "Since then, five or six of our squad have voluntarily gone back to the classroom so they can speak to other players and understand more about Spanish culture and, in turn, we have identified young supporters, ball boys and even potential players at one of our local schools. Whether they want a career in sport or in business, the pupils at St Bede's in Bradford now understand that languages are a really important leg up."

Five years since secondary school pupils were allowed to drop languages after the age of 14, the number of young people taking a modern foreign language at GCSE has slumped. The Government currently has no plans to make languages a compulsory subject again, preferring instead to make them available to all primary schoolchildren. But there are new initiatives afoot to encourage secondary school pupils to learn foreign languages.

The Open School for Languages (provisionally called MYLO), a £5.4m online learning project, is one of the main initiatives being unveiled next year to support teenagers learning a key language. Aimed at harnessing the best of new technology and the interest that most young people have in online as well as face-to-face learning, the open school is designed to provide 11 to 16-year-olds with a new range of online materials relevant to their world, as well as new resources for teachers.

The scheme will begin with French, German, Spanish and Mandarin, but more languages will be added if initial results are positive. The first modules will focus on the basics and preliminary skills for Key Stage 3, while the later modules will be for GCSE students.

Key partners in the project, which is being developed by Lightbox Education, include Cambridge University Language Centre, which is responsible for developing the e-learning content and teacher support materials, and Cilt, the National Centre for Languages.

Kathryn Board is the chief executive at Cilt, the National Centre for Languages, which is working to motivate young people through initiatives such as the annual Language and Film Talent Awards (Laftas). She says the removal of foreign languages as a compulsory element of education for children older than 14 puts British youngsters at an unfair disadvantage when it comes to carving out international careers. But her message is more about using language-learning to boost employability, literacy and reading skills than attempting to push school-leavers into specialised languages-based careers.

"What we are saying to pupils and their parents is you don't need to be fixed on a career as a translator or interpreter to find having some level of language skill a competitive advantage. Even though the EU, for example, is crying out for language graduates in Brussels and has a load of interesting vacancies to fill.

"Whether you are sufficiently fluent to have a degree or an A-level in a language, or have simply followed a Key Stage 3 or GCSE language course and enjoyed at least some elements of it, we want to celebrate the fact that people understand a bit more about their world, even if their grammar and pronunciation isn't perfect," she says.

"Studying a language as a teenager not only boosts your ability to use your own language properly, but also gives you a marked advantage if you need to learn German, or even Mandarin, much later on in life," she adds.

While our sometimes smug attitude to foreign languages rests on the belief that the rest of the world speaks English, this is no longer the case, according to Cilt.

In 2000, 51 per cent of internet use was in English, but this figure has now dropped in favour of Chinese and Arabic. While English remains a key language of business for the present, it is quite possible that Mandarin will overtake it.

"Less than 7 per cent of the world speaks English as a first language and 75 per cent of the world's population don't speak any English at all," says Board, "so to assume that our mother tongue is sufficient to get by in most circumstances simply isn't true any more."

If, at a time of increased globalisation, being able to offer at least a smattering of someone else's language puts you ahead of the game in all sorts of different walks of life, then in terms of popularity, languages are at an all-time low.

To Mike Kelly, professor of French at Southampton University and speaker of six different languages, the removal of compulsory education in languages is only one part of the problem. A significant part of the reluctance to learn languages to GCSE level and beyond, he argues, is the entrenched way in which they are often taught in schools. "For the 14 to 16 age group, languages come under the heading of boring and difficult, and can be a particular challenge for boys of that age who feel self-conscious when they are asked to attempt a foreign accent."

"At a time when other subjects such as English, geography and science are tackling the meaning of life and the universe, the simplistic way in which languages are often taught – via topics such as My Hobbies and My Family and the like – make it very difficult for teenagers to use another language to express the things they care passionately about at that age."

But with a new approach to teaching languages at secondary school now on the starting blocks, Kelly hopes that the anti-language culture among many young people will begin to change.

"Language teaching has been far too prescriptive and inflexible in the past and that is, we hope, being addressed by programmes such as the open school," he says.

"By giving teachers more room to come up with topics and methods that reflect what our teenagers are all about today, rather than what they were about several decades ago, we are hoping that far more students will decide that learning a language is relevant and interesting right up to sixth form and beyond."

Learning English in the Internet Era

More and more people today are learning English, and this is due, in part, to the influence of the World Wide Web. The ‘Internet Era’ has made it almost a necessity to know English at least somewhat. It has also made it easier to learn the language, even if access to quality English instruction is not readily available.

English Is the Universal Language Online

If you spend any length of time on the Internet, you will find that it seems to be designed for people who can read English. While many sites will have translations available, specifically internationally known sites and sites owned by international companies, the everyday website or blog that you might land on in your search is going to contain information in English. Translation programs may be available, but reading the site in English is going to be the best way to get your information.

Why is this? Perhaps English has grown to be the language of the Internet due to its prevalence in the economic world. English is the language of money and technology, two of the things that drive the Internet. The people with the money speak English, at least as a secondary language, so by posting things in English online, you will reach the vast majority of your potential market.

English Can Be Learned Online

For those who do not know English, this may seem discouraging. However, the Internet Era has also sparked a change in the way people can learn English. It is now entirely possible to learn English online, even if you have a very small budget.

One way to learn English online is to enroll in an English as a Second Language course. These courses vary tremendously in their effectiveness and cost. The best programs are going to cost quite a bit, but if you need to learn English for your job, this may be the best option. These online courses typically have reading, writing, and listening components. Some may require a microphone so you can speak the language as well.

If enrolling in an online course is out of your budget, you can learn English for free online with a little creativity and persistence. There are multiple websites that will post grammar rules, vocabulary, and learning exercises for you to access without paying anything. Even if you are enrolled in a course, these sites can help you prepare for tests and projects.

The Internet is also full of games that can make learning English fun. This will help encourage students to stick with their decision to learn the language. Again, many of
these programs are offered free of charge.

The World Wide Web also provides English learners with the chance to interact with English speakers on a regular basis. Forums, chats, and online communities allow learners to practice written English in a non-threatening environment. Surfing the Internet can help learners practice reading English as well.

Considerations When Learning English Online

If you are going to use the Internet to help you learn English, keep a few things in mind. First, many websites have content that is not written using proper English grammar. Use websites as sources of conversational English information, not proper grammar.

If you choose to enroll in an online program, determine what dialect of English you want to learn. There are quite a few differences between British and American English, for example. Then, make sure the program has a good reputation before you pay anything. With so many free options available, you need to make sure you are getting your money’s worth.

Finally, the computer will never substitute for personal conversations with English speakers. Once you have the basics down, find a way to converse with native English speakers. You may even be able to use the computer for this by taking advantage of video chatting programs, but make sure you get the chance to practice what you have been learning.