English: the best second language for your child to learn

Children sat at desks in a classroom, one is smiling and looking to the front of the class
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As adult learners, our very motivation for learning English can sometimes hinder our progress because we are focusing too much on the end result. The informal way in which children learn English – through music, games and fun activities – offers an environment where they can learn and practise without worrying about the importance of it all. This relaxed attitude, in turn, gives them confidence in learning English and sets them up for more opportunities in their academic pursuits and future career options.

the positive impact bilingualism has on a child’s cognitive development. Catherine Ford, head teacher of Moreton First Prep School, says that children : “Before children become self-conscious they can try out their newly acquired languages without fear of embarrassment”.

Starting the English learning process at a young age will provide the head start that most parents are keen to give their children in life, education and career. More than 77% of parents who were interviewed as part of said they would consider sending their child to study at a university abroad, which involves studying in English.

Educational benefits

The number of students pursuing postgraduate studies overseas continues to rise, reflecting the global nature of education. According to the seeking diverse academic experiences and cultural immersion. One crucial factor in this journey is having the right level of English skills, especially when applying to universities in popular destinations such as the US, UK, and Australia.

Learning English from a young age provides a solid foundation, enabling students to tackle more complex language skills tailored to their academic goals. Traditional English teaching often emphasizes reading, writing, and grammar, but studying abroad offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in an English-speaking culture, enhancing speaking and listening skills.

Future career benefits

Mastering English at an early age can be a transformative asset for future career success. English is the lingua franca of business, opening doors to global opportunities and enabling individuals to pursue diverse career paths across borders. As the most widely used language in business worldwide, proficiency in English is a powerful motivator for students aspiring to join global companies.

Bilingualism is becoming increasingly advantageous in the job market, improving employability and making candidates more appealing to employers. , underscoring the competitive edge that language skills provide.

Empowering the next generation

The benefits your children are given by learning English at a young age are invaluable and as they go through life, the possibilities for advancement in their academic and business careers will be wide open. Children are fortunate to have intuitive language learning capabilities from a young age and this is certainly something to capitalize on.

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    The challenge of teaching business English to C1 level students

    Once your English students reach a B2 level of English, they’re fairly competent communicators. For many learners, their motivation to improve starts to suffer when they reach this intermediate plateau. They understand almost everything and can express themselves clearly enough - so why would they want to continue learning English and achieve a C1 level of English?

    The CEFR describes C1-level learners as proficient users of a language. C1-level students have a high proficiency in English and perform well in an international work environment.

    How can we help our upper intermediate students reach this level and see the benefits in their own lives and careers? Here are nine steps you can take as an English language teacher to help your students achieve language proficiency.

  • A business woman in a suit sat at a laptop

    6 tips for teaching business English to low level learners

    By Margaret O'Keeffe

    The CEFR describes A1 and A2 learners as ‘basic users’ of a language. So how can we help these students to develop their English for the workplace?

    Here are our six top tips:

    1. Focus on high-frequency vocabulary for work

    Learning English vocabulary for work context is the top priority for many low-level learners in business English classes. It helps them to communicate their message in a simple, effective way. This makes it important to teach common words and set expressions for everyday work situations.

    These include:

    • lexical sets (words related to the same topic or situation) – for example, days, months, numbers, verbs to describe work routines, verbs in the past.
    • common collocations with verbs and nouns (for example, manage a team, have meetings, place an order, solve a problem).
    • functional language and fixed phrases – greetings (How are you? Nice to meet you.) and offers (How can I help you? Would you like…?).

    2. Help students with vocabulary learning

    Teach vocabulary items in realistic contexts. For example, phone calls, to-do lists, short emails, text messages etc.

    While it might be tempting to give students lots of vocabulary to memorize, this can cause overload, be frustrating and ultimately demotivating for learners. Instead, you should aim to present eight to ten new words in a lesson as a general rule. This is an achievable number for working memory and helps to build learners’ confidence. The number of words can be a little higher if items are easy to show in images or there is repetition; for instance, the numbers 20 to 100.

    Have students make simple decisions about new words, as this helps with recall later. Start with simple tasks, such as matching words and pictures or verb and noun collocations they’ve seen in a short text (for example, managing a team, call customers, writing emails, etc.). Next, ask students to complete sentences using the target words and write their own sentences using these words.

    Getting students to personalize new vocabulary makes it more memorable, for instance writing sentences describing their work routines. Repetition also aids long-term memory, so make sure vocabulary is recycled in the materials in later lessons.

    Finally, make a list of vocabulary games to use for revision exercises, warmers and to finish classes.

    3. Maximize student speaking time

    Learners need to develop their English-speaking skills for work. The classroom is a safe, low-stakes environment for them to gain fluency and confidence.

    Use the audio and video scripts of short dialogues or an extract from a longer script. Students read the dialogue aloud in pairs or groups. Give feedback by drilling the stress and rhythm of any words or phrases which were difficult with the whole class. Back-chaining phrases – starting with the last sound and building up going backwards – is an excellent way to drill. Get students to swap roles and repeat the task.

    You can also use another technique called disappearing dialogue. Put a short dialogue on the board for students to practice in pairs. Then delete parts of the dialogue and ask them to repeat the task, swapping roles each time. Gradually delete more parts to increase the challenge. Students can reconstruct the dialogue as a final task.

    Moreover, surveys, questionnaires, true/false games, and information-gap exercises are ways to practice speaking in English, target structures, and vocabulary.