Immersion

Google Alerts were light this week. However, there was one gem in the mix of market share research that I received. It’s a blog from a website called Virtual Writing Tutor, which is an online grammar checker. The site is geared towards ESL students that are working on writing goals. The blog post I read is written to ESL students and makes suggestions for how to write more like a native English speaker.

Many companies hire diverse writing staff, so there are many times when non-native English speakers are writing for both native and non-native English speakers. The blog recommends that students learn grammar and spelling rules. It also suggests studying how native speakers build phrases and choose words depending on context.

One of the 7 tips that I found interesting was that ESL writers (and speakers) should practice immersion. It suggests that immersion is one of the fastest ways to learn a language. Immersion occurs when you write, talk, think and read in the target language only. Suggestions for practicing immersion (short of moving to an English-speaking country) include switching all devices to English only, read only in English, use Google in English, and watch only English movies.

I think that practicing immersion might be a good way for ESL students to learn. If I think about ESLs in our classrooms, that is basically what is happening. They get some pull out support, but most of the time they are in the classroom learning and speaking in English only. The more English they hear, the better they become at speaking and writing it.

You can check out the other tips at https://blog.virtualwritingtutor.com/7-secrets-to-write-like-a-native-english-speaker/