The English Speaking Consultants offer one-on-one tutoring to all
graduate students, and are especially helpful for international students who need to improve their general English language skills or to prepare for specific communication tasks (e.g., conference presentations, department presentations, job talk, interpersonal interactions with various audiences, etc.). This two-type model for English Speaking Consultations will provide you an overview of the different steps.
The consultants operate within three dimensions, helping students in the following ways:
Language needs awareness | - Diagnose oral English communication difficulties and understand own needs for language improvement,
- Discuss oral communication issues in a culturally sensitive environment,
- Identify cross-cultural differences in oral communication patterns,
- Locate and effectively use resources for independent and/or guided English speaking practice and development.
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| Speaking and pronunciation | - Identify individual vowel and consonant differences between first language and the English language,
- Use of correct vowel and consonants for effective oral communication,
- Use thought groups, intonation patterns, word stress, focus, and/or volume appropriately for effective oral communication,
- Use of appropriate speech patterns in English to enhance overall fluency,
- Use different communication strategies to maintain and repair oral discourse.
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| Listening, lexicogrammar, and pragmatics | - Use strategies to listen effectively to successfully respond during oral communication,
- Expand and use English lexicogrammar to improve overall fluency during oral communication,
- Differentiate implicit and explicit meaning of utterances,
- Use appropriate utterances for various situational settings.
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