Meet Jerry ...

Xinlong (Jerry) is a MSc Architectural Engineering: Environmental Design student at the University of Bath. 

Jerry has kindly taken some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us today about his experience on the English pre-sessional course which was combined with his degree offer, and gives some advice about academic skills and culture.

So first question Jerry, why did you apply for the University of Bath?

I applied for  Bath because this university has a very good reputation in the architect industry in the UK and the courses in the degree are very well organised - covered most of my interests. Plus, Bath is a very delicate town.

How did the pre-sessional English course help you?

Firstly, as this is my first time to study abroad, the pre-sessional course helped me start to talk to people in English, which made my following study much easier. Secondly, the writing part of the course was extremely helpful. I learned how to structure an academic essay in English properly. Thirdly, I met many friends who were going to take the same degree course as me in the course. Overall, the pre-sessional course was a very good start point of my study in the UK.

"the pre-sessional course helped me start to talk to people in English"

Were you surprised by the differences between the academic culture in your country and in the country where you studied?

Yes, the academic atmosphere in the UK is more active than in my country.

What differences did you not expect?

The relation between tutors and students is more like friends.

Do you think it's a good idea for students applying to an English language university to do an academic course/pre-sessional course to help them prepare?

Yes I think it’s a very good idea to do a pre-sessional course before the degree course for students who plan to study in English for the first time, even if your English level has reached the requirements, because this can help you to get familiar with the academic style beforehand.

"It’s a good idea to make clear what you need to improve in particular."

Do you have any advice for students who are thinking about taking an academic preparation course?

It’s a good idea to make clear what you need to improve in particular. This could make the course more effective. Also, try to engage in the course as much as possible, the more uncomfortable you feel during the pre-sessional course, the more comfortable you will feel during your degree course.

Are you happy with your experience on the course?

Overall I am very satisfied with my experience during the pre-sessional course. I feel very lucky to have met all the people in the course.

Thank you Jerry, and we wish you the best with your studies in the future.

Let's read an English book ....

The idea of reading a book in a second language can be scary. Many people think they don't have the time, or that it will take too much effort. This does not need to be the case. Reading in a second language can be very enjoyable and motivating. It is also great for improving your knowledge of the language. In last week's blog, we looked at some books suitable for English language learners.  

Today we will share with you some tips on how to be a better reader.

Tip no. 1 - You don't have to understand every word you read.

When you read, it is very important to remember that you don't need to understand every word to understand the overall text. A lot of the time, people who are starting to read in a second language make the mistake of using a dictionary for every word that is new to them. This slows down the reading process and makes reading less enjoyable. Think about it ... do you do this in your first language? Guessing the meaning of the word from the context is a much better sub-skill to improve your reading skills.

Tip no. 2 - Understand the overall content

When you begin to read in a second language, it is a good idea to try to summarise in your own words what you have just read. Start with paragraphs of texts, then pages and then chapters. By summarising, you are clarifying to yourself that you have understood the main points of the text.

Tip no. 3 - Take note of some words.

Reading is a great way to learn some new vocabulary. When you read a book, you often find the same word being repeated over and over because of the context of the story. This may apply to nouns and verbs especially. For example a book about a court case will use words related to the court room again and again. If you do find a word being used over and over, then take note of the word, and look it up in a dictionary if the meaning is not very clear. Notice how the word is being used by the writer at different times. Notice if the writer is using different forms of the word, for example making the noun into an adverb or adjective. The sub-skill of 'noticing' is very important to developing your language knowledge.

Tip no. 4 - Read in your first language, read in your second language

This is something I did a lot when I was learning Spanish. A metro newspaper published a short story each week in Spanish and in English. It was a great way to compare the vocabulary and sentence structures in both languages.

Later I used this technique when I was reading my first novel in Spanish. I read a few pages in English first and then the same few pages in Spanish. It was a slow process but I was very motivated when reading the Spanish book and excited at how much I could understand. I very rarely used a dictionary and could guess which part of the story I was reading from my memory of the English text.

Tip no. 5 - Read with a friend

If you need motivation to read a book in English, then read with a friend - just like a book club. Set you and your friend a weekly goal of a chapter or two. Then, each week try to get together to talk about what you have just read, and help each other out with vocabulary and meaning. It can make reading in a second language much more interesting and fun. When I was learning Spanish, my friend and I read books together. She was learning English, so she read the book in English, and I was learning Spanish so I read the book in Spanish. If either of us had a problem, we would help each other. After each chapter we would quickly compare notes before moving onto the next chapter.

Tip no. 6 - Make time in your week for your reading in a second language

If you want to begin reading in a second language, it's important to make time in your day or week for your reading. Maybe your time is on the train to work, or maybe it's during your lunch break. Having a set time is a good way to motivate you to read, even if it's just for 15 minutes a day.

Tip no. 7 - Enjoy the experience

Reading stories and books in our first language is a great hobby. We read because we enjoy the experience. Reading in a second language should be the same - it should be an enjoyable experience. So make sure you enjoy your reading experience. Start with something simple, and allow yourself the time to develop and improve. As you get better, the experience will get better too!

Have you any other tips on how to be a better reader in a second language? Please share you tips with us in a comment!

Literature for English language learners

Books are a great way to improve your English language level. They are a great source for vocabulary and grammar. They also show learners how the language works. Reading a book in a second language might feel like a big task for some people - a task that could be very time consuming and difficult. Therefore it's very important to begin with a book that you can read easily and enjoy, and will motivate you to read more in English.

So in this week's blog, we will look at three of the books that we sometimes use with our learners in Solas English.

Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken. 

This children's book was written in 1971 and is based in Ireland. It is the story of two young children who run away from an abusive uncle to live with their grandmother. Their journey takes them across the country. On this journey they meet many different people and find themselves in many situations, both good and bad.

The English in this book is easy, so it is a good book for pre-intermediate and intermediate level learners. It is also a good starting book for first time readers.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

This is a beautifully written book about a friendship between two young boys during the Holocaust. The language in the book is simple because the naivety of the children is an important theme in the book. However the story is not so simple, and it takes a very sad turn at the end. It is a popular book for English language learning readers, and it was the best seller in Spain in 2007 and 2008.
There is also a film of the book which was released in 2008.

This book is suitable for upper-intermediate level learners or for advanced level learners who are reading an English book for the first time.




The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

This book is a favourite in Solas English and we use it to practice reading skills with our students a lot. The book was written in 2003 and is a mystery story. The story is told from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with learning difficulties who describes himself as "a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties".  Because it is written from a young person's perspective, the language in the book is easy. Not only does this make this book an easy read, but the story is great and very engaging.

This book may be a little challenging for intermediate level learners, but intermediate level learners should be able to manage reading it. Upper-intermediate level English language learning readers should enjoy this book very much.

A Giant's Dream by Alan Fisher

Two folk cultures come together in this magical and mystical story. For a long time now, Ena would regularly enter Fionn's dreams and play his bodhran drum so the Giant couldn't sleep. As Fionn seeks revenge on this mischievous leprechaun, events spiral out of control. This story brings the two beautiful worlds and cultures of Ireland and japan together. Full of loveable characters, tales and twists, this book is an escape like no other. There are some cultural references and names that might confuse at the beginning, but the story is told by Fisher in a very simplistic way making it an easy read for strong intermediate English reading levels. The book is also published in the Japanese language which makes it ideal for dual-language reading for Japanese learners of English and vice-versa.

Are you an English language learner who has read any of these books? What did you think of them? Was the English in the book easy for you to read? Do you know of any other books that you could recommend to English language learning readers? We would love to hear from you - please write a comment below. We would love to hear from you!

Starting up Solas English

Our first blog post is by Deirdre, the owner and founder of Solas English. In this post Deirdre tells us how Solas English started and what she hopes for the future of Solas English.

I have been working in the English language teaching profession for ten years. In that time I worked in many different countries including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. I also developed and up-skilled by completing my DELTA, and then going on to get a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Throughout my career I have had great experiences which have given me many ideas of how to make English language learning more dynamic and interesting for the different types of learners. However, applying these ideas in the classroom was not always easy for various reasons, so I decided to build my own school.

"imagine you want to improve your English ... Imagine you had the opportunity to go online and find a language school ... There are no travel and accommodation expenses, no visa issues - all you need is a computer and good internet connection. 

This is what Solas English offers - not just classes but a school."

The word Solas is an Irish language word that means "light". I decided to use this word because, personally, it is nice to have a name of a school with my own native language in it. Not many people know that the Irish language exists. For me, the word Solas has a positive feeling to it. This reflects how I feel about this school - a positive place to learn English. Also, it is important that students can say and spell the word easily, and the vowel sounds in the word allow for that.

The idea for an online school seemed the best and easiest way to get started as a freelance teacher. I looked around at what other teachers and learning platforms were doing and looked for a way to be different to what was out there. The key thing about Solas English is the direct link to your teacher through Skype. While many schools offer a "log in and learn" type of model, I decided to focus on a "log on and learn" model. The difference being: you log "on" to have your own one-to-one live class with your teacher on Skype, rather than logging "in" to watch videos as your main way of learning. However, I did note that logging in to a platform was valuable to learning and decided to develop an online platform for students to access if they wanted to. This platform compliments the Skype classes I do with the students, so overall it feels like an online school.

Another reason for starting the online school was the ability to connect worldwide. The one thing I love about English language teaching is meeting people from different cultures and countries. I learn so much from this. Having an online platform enables me to meet people from so many places in the world. It makes Solas English very diverse and interesting for me.

The online option works very well for my students too. Imagine you want to improve your English language and English language skills, but you are not in a place in the world where there are good opportunities to do so. Imagine you had the opportunity to go online and find a language school at your fingertips with qualified and experienced teachers to work with. There are no travel and accommodation expenses, no visa issues - all you need is a computer and good internet connection. This is what Solas English offers - not just classes but a school.

"Solas English started because I wanted to turn those ideas into reality"

Learning online is a new experience for many people. A lot of people think because you are not in a classroom, it is not as valuable an experience. I find from working on Skype that this is untrue. Technology today can make things very easy, and the one-to-one Skype classes are very intimate and focused. I would recommend giving Skype classes a go. It's not for everyone, but you could be very surprised how much you like them and how well they work for you. There are many people who offer Skype classes now. I think it's very important that you find a teacher with good qualifications and experience. A good teacher to work with is important and well worth investing in.

"... it's not for everyone, but you could be very surprised how much you like them (Skype classes) and how well they work for you"

Solas English is very small at the moment. There is a lot of work to be done, but it will take time and determination. I hope to build the online school platform more as I go, so there will be more activities and options for the students. Hopefully further down the line I can extend and offer more courses and classes. I am currently working on IELTS material, and I hope to start IELTS classes in September. Ideally, it would be great to see a language school grow out of it, but I'm not sure where that location would be yet.