Service Category: Training / Coaching

English Training to College Students

I know of an Engineering college in Chennai that trains each and every one of its students for British Council’s Cambridge Business English certification - right from the first year. I had been there. It has a good language lab - equipped with a library and software for students to learn grammar and practise pronunciation, and conversations. English and engineering are like the two eyes of this institution, the founder proudly remarked.

This may look unusual but it is a welcome move for students and parents. Placement rates have long become the metric to go by to evaluate the performance of any college. And if there is no English communication skill, there is no job - no matter how great a student is in his or her subject.

But I never expected that I myself would be working with college students to improve their (and my) English. When one teaches, two learn. A month ago, an advisor to AKD Dharma Raja Women’s College, a renowned arts and science college in Rajapalayam, approached me to get my assistance in helping his students improve their English communication skills.

The Inspiration

Having worked with many students through my Atlas English centre, and Toastmasters Club in Rajapalayam, I knew that what students need are the opportunities to practise what they know. They don't need additional and unused knowledge. One off events don’t work. Short term programs will store English only in short term memory. I shared my thoughts and the advisor agreed to sign me up for a weekly training class.

I was thrilled at the possibility of catching students young (during the very first year of their enrollment), training them week after week throughout their college days (three years for a bachelor’s program) so that they become proficient in Written English and Public Speaking (conversational English is not our focus) by the time they graduate.

The Model

We floated a Forum (we call it Forum for Practising English). It is a blended forum, which means students learn and practice in real and virtual classroom settings (thank you, Google Classroom). The process - and hence, the experience - is new for the students. There is no one to teach. Certainly, no grammar classes. No use for black board (or smartboard).