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28/07/2005
BBC launches 'soap' to help teach English
BBC World Service is to launch an online soap opera aimed at English language learners around the world.
‘The Flatmates’, which begins on August 1, features a multi-cultural cast of young people who share a flat and live, work and study in the UK.
Visitors to the website - www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates - will be able to read and listen to the latest episode as many times as they like.
The soap will enable listeners to learn at their own pace as well as participate in a vote to decide what happens next to the flatmates.
A language point from the episode is also highlighted, so visitors can tell the BBC what aspects of vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation they would like to learn and they will also be able to test their knowledge with a quiz.
The writer and producer of the series, Nuala O’Sullivan, created the new interactive drama to appeal to active learners who want to be in charge of their own learning. She said: “Online is a fantastic way of learning English because people can go at their own pace and interact with the web in a way they want to, at a time that suits them.
“We also know from experience that participation in learning helps make it fun and the more people participate, the more effective the learning.
“The Flatmates appeals to people who also want to learn English as it is lived and spoken, rather than as it is sometimes taught in more traditional text-books. It engages learners, enabling them to interact directly with the characters and to help shape the everyday life storylines through an online vote.”
(KMcA/SP)
‘The Flatmates’, which begins on August 1, features a multi-cultural cast of young people who share a flat and live, work and study in the UK.
Visitors to the website - www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates - will be able to read and listen to the latest episode as many times as they like.
The soap will enable listeners to learn at their own pace as well as participate in a vote to decide what happens next to the flatmates.
A language point from the episode is also highlighted, so visitors can tell the BBC what aspects of vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation they would like to learn and they will also be able to test their knowledge with a quiz.
The writer and producer of the series, Nuala O’Sullivan, created the new interactive drama to appeal to active learners who want to be in charge of their own learning. She said: “Online is a fantastic way of learning English because people can go at their own pace and interact with the web in a way they want to, at a time that suits them.
“We also know from experience that participation in learning helps make it fun and the more people participate, the more effective the learning.
“The Flatmates appeals to people who also want to learn English as it is lived and spoken, rather than as it is sometimes taught in more traditional text-books. It engages learners, enabling them to interact directly with the characters and to help shape the everyday life storylines through an online vote.”
(KMcA/SP)
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Census Shows 138,000 People Speak No English
Figures from the 2011 census have revealed that 138,000 people living in England and Wales could not speak any English. The 2011 census was the first to ask how well the population could speak English when it was not a person's main language. After English, the second most reported main language was Polish, followed by Punjabi and Urdu.
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One in Four People Prone To Using Text Words Instead Of 'Normal English'
A survey from SecurEnvoy has found that text phrases - such as C U L8r, LOL etc – have become so much part of our daily lives that one in four Brits claim they are Textlexic – prone to using text words instead of normal English.
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Simon Andrews Dies After North West 200 Crash
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Labour Lay Out Skills Expectations For JSA Claimants
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Labour Lay Out Skills Expectations For JSA Claimants
Labour have called for all new claimants to meet a basic skills standard in order to qualify for benefits. Under the plans people making a new claim for Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) would be expected to take a basic skills test, involving English, maths and computing, within six weeks in order to qualify.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A dry day with long spells of sunshine for most, however eastern coasts will see rather more in the way of cloud at times, with just the risk of an odd light morning shower. Mainly light northerly winds. Maximum temperature 13 °C.Tonight:A fine end to the day with some evening sunshine. It remains dry overnight with a touch of frost possible in places, although cloud is expected to increase towards dawn. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
