ESL Marketing – Know your student demographics

June 3, 2010

Do you know what countries your students come from? Better yet, can you articulate what percentage of your students is from which countries? Although most program coordinators or managers could tell you where the majority of their students come from, you might be surprised how many do not know basic statistical information about their own programs and students. Depending on what privacy laws apply to business and schools in your area, you may be able to ask your participants’ age, occupation, gender, marital status, number of children and so on. The more information you can collect, the clearer picture you can build of your typical student. Before you go ahead and design a questionnaire though, I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with any privacy laws that may apply in your country with regards to the collection of personal information.

Most programs keep statistical information in some form, either on registration forms or in a database. Few actually use the data for any real purpose. If you have statistical information, it really is worth the time and effort to compile it into useful reports that can help you assess who has been registering in your program over the past little while.

I suggest that you go back at least 3-5 years to compile your data. You want to know:

  • where your students are from
  • what is their first language
  • how old they are (age range and average age)
  • ratio of males to females
  • information on education or occupation

The idea is to build yourself a “big picture” of who is registering in your program.

After you have that picture, you can assess whether or not the demographics you have fit the demographics you want. For example, if you have mainly female students and you think some gender balance would benefit your program, you could tweak your marketing materials to attract more males (for example, appealing to all-male schools or men’s sports teams).

An analysis of your student population costs you little money, just an investment of your time. It’s an investment that could help your program grow in phenomenal ways.

This post is adapted from “Idea # 9: Assess your current program demographics” in 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on ESL Marketing – Know your student demographics | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, ESL, language program administration, languages, leadership, marketing, recruitment, research, second languages, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Thoughts on literacy issues in Cameroon

June 2, 2010

Recently a colleague suggested to me that I put together an abstract for an upcoming conference in Cameroon. I’ve never been to Cameroon, so naturally I did some research. Research, of course, leads to more thinking. Here’s a thought-piece on literacy in Cameroon, just because I’m a thinker.

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Learning is changing in the 21st century at a global level. There is a rise in the importance and recognition of non-formal and informal learning. This is particularly important in the case of literacy and languages, not only in Canada, but in other countries as well. Let’s take Cameroon as one example. The Republic of Cameroon is located in central and western Africa. Bordered by Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, it is home to almost 19 million people.

UNICEF reports that the total literacy rate for Cameroon from 2003-2008 was 68% of the population, with 77% of the males and less than 60% of the females having basic literacy skills. That’s significant.

I ask myself what countries in the west can do to improve the situation in countries like this? What are the implications for the 21st century if we do not? Literacy today includes more than just reading and writing. It includes thinking skills, technology and information literacy and the ability to communicate with others. Together these skills allow us to work together, build partnerships and continue to improve collectively, rather than having the gap between those who “have” and those who “have not” widen even further. It is time to close this gap, or at least narrow it. This is more possible today than it has ever been in any point in human history. It is a possibility in the 21st century, if we work towards it being so.

There is a movement in the west to link second language learning to leadership. How can people in the developed nations, particularly the youth, use their own skills in literacy and second languages to improve the lives of those in developing nations? There are those who would argue that we must work first to improve literacy conditions in our own country. I don’t disagree. I also know that 20-somethings get itchy feet. They want to travel, backpack and see the world. What would happen if we created a world where literacy was so important and so “cool” that youth with itchy feet from developed nations were inspired, of their own volition, to combine their travels with a deeply-rooted personal desire to help others in developing nations improve their literacy skills? Wow.

Educational leadership guru Michael Fullan states that “leaders learning from each other raises the bar for all”. The youth of today are the leaders of the 21st century. They live in a globalized, technologically progressive world unlike that of their parents and grandparents. How can we, in the 21st century, mobilize youth on a global level to transcend geographical, political and economic barriers to raise the bar for each other, using the improvement of literacy skills as a starting point?

Literacy is the key to improved education, skills, and employment. These, in turn, build the capacity to improve our situation, increase our human dignity, provide for our families and contribute to our communities. I believe that it is the responsibility of developed nations such as Canada and the United States to work together with other nations to “raise the bar” for everyone across the globe. I believe that literacy and improved language skills are foundational skills for leadership in the 21st century, a century where technology will change at rapid rate. I also believe that the youth from western developed nations must be mobilized to use their skills to help others from around the world.

Bibliography
Eaton, S. E. (2010a). Formal, non-formal and informal education: The case of literacy, essential skills and language learning in Canada. Calgary. Retrieved from http://library.nald.ca/research/item/8549

Eaton, S. E. (2010b). Leading Through Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of Gandhi. Paper presented at the Interdisciplinary Language Research: Relevance and Application Series, Language Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=Eaton%2C+Sarah&searchtype=keyword&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b80400b42&accno=ED508664&_nfls=false

Fullan, M. (2006). Turnaround leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Index Mundi. (n.d.). Cameroon Literacy. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from http://www.indexmundi.com/cameroon/literacy.html

UNICEF. (n.d.). Cameroon: Statistics. Retrieved May 31, 2010, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cameroon_statistics.html

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Thoughts on literacy issues in Cameroon | education, leadership, Literacy, Uncategorized, youth | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

The truth about language learning and job prospects

June 2, 2010

Today’s tech-savvy students have a world of resources and information at their finger tips. They balk at vague promises that language learning will get them better jobs. Today’s job market requires more than knowledge of another language. In the twenty-first century, a comprehensive essential skill set is needed for employment. This includes competence in areas beyond languages such as:

  • numeracy
  • thinking skills
  • computer use
  • the ability to work well with others

This isn’t just my opinion, by the way. These skills are recognized by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada as being essential skills for all adults. Not only are the skills needed in Canada, they’re needed in just about every other country, too.

Today’s young people understand that lifelong learning is going to be the norm for them. The idea that learning a second language is a ticket to a higher-level job or an international position is an outdated myth. Today knowledge of second or other languages is just one of the skills which may help an individual acquire meaningful employment.

Further reading on this topic:

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | education, ESL, languages, second languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning)

May 31, 2010

Mobile Assisted Language Learning, or “MALL” is creating the same buzz in the new millennium that computer-assisted language learning (CALL) created in the 1990s. MALL is language learning using mobile devices such as:

  • cell (mobile) phones (including the iPhone)
  • MP3 or MP4 players (e.g. iPods)
  • Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) (e.g. Palm Pilot, Blackberry, etc.)

Here are a few articles — all published since 2000 – that I’ve found on MALL:

Chinnery, G. M. (2006). Emerging Technologies: Going to the MALL: Mobile Assisted Language Learning. Language Learning & Technology, 10(1), 9 – 16. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/vol10num1/emerging/default.html

Collins, T. G. (2005). English Class on the Air: Mobile Language Learning with Cell Phones. Paper presented at the Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT’05). Retrieved from http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/ICALT.2005.137

Edvista.com. Mobile Assisted Language Learning Applications.   Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www.edvista.com/claire/pres/iphoneapps/

Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Shield, L. (2007). An Overview of Mobile Assisted Language Learning: Can Mobile Devices Support Collaborative Practices in Speaking and Listening. Retrieved May 15 2010, from The Open University, UK: portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1520087

These are just a few articles that I found. If you have other online resources for MALL to share, please let me know.

Related posts:

Cool Apps for Language Learning http://wp.me/pNAh3-mQ

Techno-Tools for the Second Language Teacher http://wp.me/pNAh3-M7

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

5 Comments | education, languages, second languages, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Short story radio – Excellent listening practice for ESL students.

May 31, 2010

Here’s a nifty resource I found for ESL learners. It’s not directed towards ESL learners, but I think that’s the beauty of it. Short story radio has audio podcasts of original short stories. The readings are done by native speakers, giving the listener exposure to authentic language. Check it out: http://www.shortstoryradio.com/index.htm

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

1 Comment | education, ESL, second languages, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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