Foundations Newsletter

In the Fall of 2012, Fujairah Women’s College allowed the ‘repeating’ Level 4 students to take a different type of course, which did not involve the same kind of curriculum that they had previously used. Because of Mark Barnes’ encouragement and Brian Keenan’s approval, the Intensive English Pilot (IEP) project was started.

Reading and writing are the two major components of the IEP program. In reading, students are encouraged to find a comfortable level of reading without the use of a dictionary. Then, both in and out of class, they are given the opportunity to read, listen and speak extensively through online programs that have been adopted for this new class. They read both extensively (practice) and intensively (skills-based). In addition to this, they also listen and speak using authentic videos outside  the classroom for about 2-4 hours a week. Teacher monitoring of student progress is a vital part of reading success.

The writing component of the IEP focuses on the individual writing abilities of the students and enables them, collaboratively, to draw upon the different strengths of each group member. The aim of the group writing is to produce, overall, a more accurate piece of writing. Typically, the end result has more substance, increased vocabulary and an improved grammar range with fewer mistakes. Collaborative writing requires the instructor to be constantly monitoring the groups, offering support, guidance and occasionally intervention if necessary, to ensure students are engaged and working as active group members.

The program starts where the student is academically comfortable and moves incrementally (step-by-step) through progressively more difficult material. Students who come into the program are discouraged at first but, if they complete the assigned work, they leave the program much more confident about their learning, as well as a good number passing IELTS.

— Vicky Allen & Gillian Wright FWC