HICPR: (Embodied) Post-grad IELTS Speaking (6.0 or 5.0) to get work in Canada? Bon chance!

Saturday, September 21, 2024

(Embodied) Post-grad IELTS Speaking (6.0 or 5.0) to get work in Canada? Bon chance!

Have you seen this?

Among other actions taken to cut back on the number of international students coming to Canada, there are new langauge proficiency rules going into effect effective in November to get post graduate work permits (PGWP):

CORRECTION: AN EARLIER VERSION REPORTED THAT GRADS NEED AN IELTS SCORE OF 6 ON ALL BANDS. THAT IS INCORRECT. THE "OFFICIAL' ANNOUNCEMENT INDICATES THAT ONLY AN "AVERAGE" SCORE OF 6 IS REQUIRED, MUCH LESS PROBLEMATIC!

University Graduates: IELTS 6 (CLB 7)
College Graduates: IELTs 5 (CLB 5)

That will not directly impact the number of international students coming to Canada (those substantial cuts were put into effect earlier this year) but it will impact graduates getting work in Canada after they graduate. Now IELTS 6.0 Speaking may not sound all that difficult (from IELTS,com) at first,

"The test taker has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings.They can use and understand reasonably complex language, particularly in familiar situations."

But just ask anybody teaching in higher ed (in the US as well) and they'll tell you that concern with English proficiency is a relative minor "front end" problem only for them. Once students are in, a virtual panoply of support functions kick in, including testing that does not require much if any real written or oral dexterity, along with Chat-GPT et al.

Although I have not seen the study, there is no question, based in part on admissions standards, that speaking and writing English are two skills that for many easily degrade for 4 years or so once they get it. I don't teach undergrads but my students who do, report that regularly, the loos of productive skills, especially evident in junior and senior level content couses that used to evaluate oral and written form as well as content.

Here is the kicker, pronunciation (italics, mine)

The candidate uses a range of pronunciation features but the control is not consistent throughout the test. There might be mispronunciation of words or sounds which reduces the clarity. However, the meaning of what is being said is generally clear throughout the test.

The day of reconning may be at hand for the near abandonment of pronunciation teaching in the discipline, eh! So, universities may eventually be on the hot seat here to stop graduating all those sub-IELTS 6.0 speakers.

Probably not, HOWEVR, WITH THE 6.0 AVERAGE SCORE REQUIRED, NOT A 6.0 ON ALL BANDS.

Regarding 6.0 pronunciation in speaking on the IELTS, however, I really like this from "AllearsEnglish,com":

"Pronunciation: This is the easiest place to improve your score. Someone who gets a 5 talks like a robot with no feeling in their voice and all of their words sound exactly the same. To get a 6 you need to put some feeling in your voice. Practice varying your tone of voice in your English conversation practice and you’ll be ready to do in the test."

As utterly goofy as that sounds, I think they have a point, They question is. . . how? They obviously have to practice active speaking . . outloud. In a sense their competence/performnce gaps can be very problematic. What is needed, in many cases, is an approach that is more "body-centered," much like what is done in good public speaking courses. Have been working with learners like this for decades who are capable of carrying on a conversaion or speaking in public . . . but they just haven't had to.

That approach involves extensive (embodied) oral reading, structured self-analysis of recorded spontaneous speaking samples as homework, emphasis on rhythm, stress and intonation--and an occasional consonant or two if really problematic. Embodied here refers to systematic management of movement, gesture and touch in practice, in private, with key carry over to spontaneous speaking, especially when under pressure, like on the IELTS. "It works" by anchoring both the sound or words being spoken more effectively and the emotion or affect, especially the confidence and posturing that is rather easily the focus of the embodied oral reading.

You are asking, how can I sign up for that. Glad you asked! The next one begins on October 3rd! Still time to register. Even if you just have time for half that course, it'll help. "I'll else" wouldn't tell you so, eh!

Email me directly for more info that: wracton@gmail.com

Bill

1 comment:

Bill ActonSeptember 23, 2024 at 9:03 AM
Note my significatn correction on this post. The required IELTS score would be 6.0 AVERAGE, not the all bands that I reported. That is a much less challenging standard, one that grads should be able to get past. Since most schools have "non-stadndardized" test methods of allowing student in, it could still result in a bonanza for IELTS, Inc., or whoever provides the CLB 7 testing.
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What is haptic pronunciation teaching?

Basically, it is using gesture, touch and movement to teach pronunciation of English (or any language). What makes this method unique is that it is based on controlled and systematic use of gesture in doing that. (Often the problem with gesture use in language learning is that it can be "crazy" or random or intimidating or inconsistent, or not well-developed and tied to clear outcomes.)

The earlier "Essential Haptic-integrated English Pronunciation (EHIEP) approach," now KINETIK, does a better job of enhancing presentation, modelling, feedback and correction. The method is simple and easy to follow. Once a 30-minute module is finished, teacher and students have a set of techniques to use in class anytime a pronunciation problem or opportunity comes up!

Haptic Preliminaries

I often begin workshops or papers with the comment that in about 40 years in the field I have had just one idea: that the systematic use of body movement is essential to effective and efficient pronunciation instruction. That has never been more relevant than today, with the general deemphasis on pronunciation and introduction of technology into the field. From both perspectives, the "haptic" perspective approach developed here offers great promise. I can at least promise you a "moving" experience!

What is the KINETIK Method?

KINETIK is the name of the new v6.0 haptic pronunciation teaching system. About six years earlier we were using the acronym, "Haptic Integrated Pronunciation for Other/Extended Circle English Speakers" (HIPOECES)--still there in the url of this blog!

Haptic-integrated clinical pronunciation is:

A different way to learn pronunciation, based in part on Arthur Lessac’s notion of “Training the body first.” It is also based on research in the use of movement and touch in learning and training. It:

Looks somewhat like a combination of aerobics, sign language and Taichi

Provides a basic foundation for continued, self-directed pronunciation learning and classroom instruction

Designed for use by relatively untrained teachers but appropriate for all teachers (and learners) of all levels

Focuses on pronunciation used in conversation (not all words in English)

Is a highly “brain-and-body-friendly” system that promotes efficient learning of integrated tasks in general

Designed to promote integrated classroom pronunciation instruction and enable integration of conscious pronunciation work into spontaneous speaking.

Introduction

This blog was formerly named: HIPoeces (pronounced 'hI-pƏ-cIs), basically an approach to teaching English pronunciation to speakers of "outer and expanding" circle Englishes (including that population commonly termed: non-native speakers) but also compatible with the use of local models other than simply Standard" American" or RP. Using Kachru's "Inner, expanding and outer circles" model to characterize the breadth of Englishes and speakers of those, HIPoeces (now HICP) systems focus on developing haptically-centered pedagogical models and methods which can be adapted for teaching the pronunciation of various Englishes as they are spoken and taught by "owners" of those varieties.

In theory, the underlying principles can be applied to teaching the sound system of any language. Most language instructors intuitively use a great deal of movement and tactile anchoring in the classroom. The essential question is how to use that resource systematically, especially so that those learners who are less "haptic" in nature are also "moved" by the method.

Simply put, the HICP model/method is based on the idea of speaking along with arm and hand movement, not all that different from that used in sign languages. Most movement patterns are taken from either typical classroom pronunciation instruction practice or from related fields, such as psychotherapy or sports.

Most blog posts link to research that relates to the general HICP model, that is studies dealing with the role of gesture, touch, movement, learning modalities, learning in output, use of the visual field in learning, and experiential learning.

DEFINITIONS:

"Haptic" techniques- procedures that involve both movement and touch (Obvious examples include clapping hands, tapping feet, or holding an object and shaking it to the rhythm of a poem.)

"HICP techniques" - procedures that are haptic and also explicitly coordinated with phonological structures and/or discourse prosody (For example, clapping hands on primary stressed syllables in multi-syllable words, or doing a dance step on key words in conversational turns.)

"Haptic integration"- The haptic dimension probably functions as much to anchor visual and auditory material as it does to assist the learner in getting the "felt sense" of the sound or sound process. Lack of integration into spontaneous speech being such a serious potential shortcoming of instruction, haptic engagement seems a promising bridge to more accurate fluency.

"Visual field" - in HICP extensive use is made of the visual field in front of the learner. (For example, a modified version of the IPA vowel chart is anchored haptically in the imagination of the learner, directly in front of the upper body, and used for several purposes throughout the program.)