I cannot forget the moments of my 15 minutes demo lecture which was held at one of the top ranked university for teaching one computing course as an adjunct faculty, sometimes back. Demonstrating teaching skills has always been intimidating because you can win (or lose), an opportunity based on your performance during a limited demonstration session. I have been introduced by one of my colleagues and he gave me one tip that I should deliver my whole lecture in English language. Presenting your knowledge in English when you’re not a native speaker, is a challenging task for everyone, so for me as well. Anyhow, I started my lecture but quickly I realized that my audience was not taking interest in my lecture, so I switch to my native language (Urdu) to transfer my knowledge to students. It was my wise decision because I was given a good feedback by students. But we do not invalidate the significance of English in academic institutions because most of the literature is in English. I do believe that improving your instructional skills along with good spoken and written English language can bring powerful and positive impact on one’s teaching skills, which ultimately result in professional competence.
Fear of public speaking is a common phenomenon but with professional competence, one can overcome on this.
As a professional teacher, I do read a lot; which includes research papers, technical articles, work of fiction, manual, mythopoeia, cli-fi, V-logs etc. even text books. I have to confess that I worked hard to become fluent in English. Pressure to deliver lectures in English at academic institutions is continuously growing because almost all academic literature is available in English and majority of the breed which comes to private Universities are from English medium schools. However, mastering a new language requires time and consistent efforts that unfortunately most of us are not struggling with.
Due to the weight that the English language carries globally, now it becomes an essential component for people who are looking for a job abroad, especially in the USA and Europe. Moreover, one interesting fact about the English language is that around 1.75 billion people are using the English language for communication purposes and most of these people are not native speakers. Furthermore, English is considered to be a language of academia because most of the literature is mostly available in the English language. Even now top Chinese Universities offering graduate & postgraduate programs in English. Interestingly, currently, Chinese universities are producing more scientific research papers in the world as compared to other nations, including the USA.
One question always comes to our mind is what’s the easiest and fastest way to learn English and the straight answer is ‘there is no shortcut to success’, but few tips could help people to learn English more effectively. If you are serious about learning business English, the following strategies and tips could work well:
Set specific goals and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. One of the good strategies for learning is setting up your specific learning goals. One of the common mistakes which we as learners do is to leave the timeline open-ended, either; set clear deadlines for ourselves. Specific goals with a clear timeline beat vague goals. In order to achieve your desired goals, one can choose SMART management theory i.e. Goals must be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
A goal like “I want to learn English to pass the IELTS exam” is an example of a vague statement. Instead, say “I want to be able to learn English to pass the IELTS exam before July 2022″
- Practice, practice, and practice: There is a saying that “practice makes man perfect”, which tells us the significance of consistent practice for learning anything, but hard work only pays off when it meets the right plan of action. We cannot perform well in any field till continuous practice is not being done. Constantly strive for opportunities to evaluate your English skills.
- Use unconventional English material: Textbooks, newspapers, magazines and other English literature have their own importance but try to watch English movies, TV shows, and TED talks, which give you exposure to its native habit. Real-life situations prepare you in a more conducive way as compared to strictly educational materials.
- Make a habit to learn new English words every day. One of the good techniques to improve your existing language skills is to add one new word every day. This way you can increase your vocabulary. Through a rich vocabulary, you can add your value in writing business English, writing poetry, writing for journalism, etc.
- Take feedback: Feedback has a very significant role to evaluate your skills. Never shy to seek feedback from the people, who are either native speakers or possess good English reading, writing, and listening skills.
In today’s digital age, the Internet has become a great resource for refining your English skills. However, I believe that through continuous efforts one can achieve his/her milestones.
Moreover, no one can deny the importance of the English language in academia, but your subject knowledge is a key factor to excel in your teaching profession.
[box type=”note” align=”” class=”” width=””]The author, Muhammad Iqbal, is a freelance columnist. He is an academician by profession. Currently is engaged with Bahria University as Assistant Professor. Mr. Iqbal could be reached at Mohammad Iqbal miqbal.bu@gmail.com”[/box]