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Practically Speaking
Conversational English
Evangelism through EFL (English as a Foreign
Language) ... emphasizing
the importance of building a trusting relationship and
then sharing the gospel with unbelievers for
the purpose of salvation.
Using a unique blend of friendship
evangelism and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum
we developed especially for this ministry, we are able to gather
hundreds of nationals together for a two-week conversational English
event in a local evangelical church.
Each volunteer teacher takes classes of 8 to 15 nationals and
begins to build a relationship with them through the English lessons.
After only a few days, the friendships are established and each
volunteer teacher is invited to present their testimony to their classes
and clearly present the Gospel message.
During the final days of the event, the Gospel is again presented
through preaching, and the nationals are encouraged to respond to the
message. We are seeing
adults by the hundreds respond to the simple Gospel message with sincere
acceptance of Christ the Savior. Thousands
of adults in Eastern Europe, Central America and South America have
invited Jesus into their lives.
Follow-up
and discipleship are important to this ministry.
Therefore, the host churches with which we partner in the host
country make a commitment to following up on each national, regardless
of their decision. The
church receives from us the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of
each student, and whether or not they made a decision for Christ.
As many church members are also involved in our English lessons,
the unchurched students have developed relationships with the church and
church members.
The
attraction of learning the English language is a consistently powerful
tool in bringing the best and brightest of the non-English speaking
world into contact with serious Christians who boldly proclaim the
Gospel of Christ. Literally,
thousands of adults have come to Christ in the former Soviet Union,
Cuba, some Islamic countries, and Latin America.
Among these are mayors of major cities, government officials,
university professors, doctors, lawyers, researchers, leading
businessmen and women and military professionals.
There is no way to predict the eternal impact of taking the
Gospel to such influential, motivated and high-ranking people.
Course Description - Practically Speaking English
This English course focuses on speaking practice and vocabulary
expansion. While reading, writing, and understanding spoken English are
important, our course is designed to give each student maximum
opportunity to hear, understand, and speak the English language at their
own level of proficiency in the language. Our goal is to provide
exposure to practical English so that the student can immediately begin
to communicate in the English language. Teachers are all native
speakers of American English and have been trained in the Total Physical
Response method of language teaching.
Our course typically includes
nine to ten daily classes that last from 1 ½ to 2 hours (the equivalent
of up to 15 - 20 hours of exposure to the English language). Our classes
are usually conducted from Monday through Friday of the first week, and
Monday through Thursday of the second week.
We frequently schedule a
special event for the weekend between the first and second week. Special
events will always be announced in advance during one of the closing
sessions. The special event is not part of the course, but is offered to
our students for additional speaking practice.
Each student undergoes a
pre-registration interview with one of the American teachers. This
interview is used to place each student in the class that matches their
proficiency in speaking the English language. In addition to proficiency
level, we attempt to group students according to age. At the conclusion
of our course, those students that have met the attendance requirements
are presented with a Certificate of Completion in the Conversational
English Course.
Five Different Levels of Classes
Our course offers five
different levels of classes that match the student's proficiency in
speaking the English language.
Primary - for students who speak very
little, or no English we offer:
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-
basic sentence structures
- how to
form a question
- pronouns
- vocabulary of everyday American English words
- individual and group speaking practice.
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Beginner - for
students who already have some vocabulary of everyday words and can make
simple sentences and form simple questions we offer:
- complex sentence structures
- past, present, and future tenses
- additional vocabulary
of everyday American English words
- practice for everyday events and
situations
- individual and group speaking practice.
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Intermediate -
for students who can speak in complex sentences, but may not have a
broad vocabulary or demonstrate confidence in speaking English, we
offer:
- complex sentence structures
- idiomatic expressions
- practice for everyday events and situations
- additional vocabulary of
everyday American English words
- individual speaking practice
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Advanced - for students who are already comfortable speaking in complex
sentences and demonstrate a moderate level of confidence, we offer:
- complex sentence structures
- how to form special questions using
American English variants
- idiomatic expressions
- practice for
everyday events and situations
- additional vocabulary of everyday
American English words
- individual speaking practice
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Superior - for students who already have a broad vocabulary,
demonstrate a high level of confidence, and are able to express
themselves on a broad range of topics, we offer:
- individual speaking practice
- additional vocabulary of American English words
- idiomatic expressions
- discussions of American life
- practice for
everyday events and situations
- practice for special events and situations
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Daily Class Schedule
The daily class includes:
- The
opening session where all students gather for announcements about the
day's events
- English "warm-up" using American songs, and an
encouraging word from the School Director
- Minimum of one hour of
small-group class for vocabulary expansion and speaking practice
- Closing session where all students gather for announcements about the
days ahead, additional speaking practice using American songs, and a
final word from the School Director.
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What We Ask of Our Students
- Make
a commitment to attend all lessons, if possible
- Complete all
information requested on the registration form
- Attend at least five
lessons in order to qualify for a Certificate of Completion
- Attend
at the same hour each day and attend only one lesson each day
- Be
ready to participate in the speaking practice so that you receive the
greatest benefit from the course
- Arrive on-time for the opening
session and stay through the small-group class time and the closing
session
- Always wear your student identification badge while at our
course
- Attend the special event on Saturday or Sunday, if
possible
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