Practice With An English Speaking Course Online

By Mark Spolsky


The Internet is a totally revolutionizing the future of education. Traditional education in many ways is quickly becoming outdated, and in fact many programs are moving away from the classroom and traditional methods of delivery. Many institutions now offer courses that are fully or at least partially online. The English language continues to be significant worldwide and its prominent position as lingua franca has made it essential to learn. It is therefore not surprising that communicative competence in English is very important in travel, business and academic and professional pursuits. Out of the four academic skills, listening, writing and reading, only speaking requires instruction, practice and correction from a competent native speaker or near mother tongue fluent non-native speaker. Other skills, writing, listening and reading can be acquired and and practiced without any real interaction with native English speakers at all. One way to practice and attain oral proficiency in English is to register in an English speaking course online, for real practice with real English speakers.

How It Works

Online English speaking courses take advantage of the world wide web and all of the communication possibilities it offers. Learning and practicing English with an English native speaker is now possible regardless of the learner's geographic location. Many native speakers offer private speaking conversation classes and tutorial sessions via Skype, using webcams for live interaction with non-native learners. Other companies actually employ native speakers to teach conversation classes using advanced whiteboard software. These companies can be private language schools, career colleges and even recognized universities.

The Benefits

Because oral skills usually can't be properly honed without consistent practice with a fluent native speaker, having a native speaking instructor is important. The majority of English learners simply do not have the opportunity to practice with English speakers, so extensive oral fluency practice is impossible. The majority of students must make do with minimal oral interaction with native speakers by speaking to tourists, using English abroad, with visiting professors or foreigners. The solution to this is schedule conversation with an online teacher.

Students will inevitably also learn correct pronunciation, variations in syllabification and and be exposed to variations of English, especially when exposed to native speakers of different continents and dialects. Online conversation classes teach students idiomatic expressions, cultural etiquette and expressions and phrases not taught in textbooks.

What Online Courses Includes

An English speaking course online can be serious or lighthearted. Expect the instructor to focus on techniques designed to develop oral proficiency; this generally means high student talk times and student interaction. The role of the instructor will likely be that of facilitator, rather than teacher. Still most courses are not entirely unstructured; students are normally provided with an outline which covers various topics and themes to be examined during the course. The instructor will also examine pertinent grammar points and error correct when necessary.

Where to Locate Them

A quick online search should yield a variety of online English courses offered by both institutions and individuals.




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