Isaac TP #2

I had the opportunity to tutor a young man named Ali on Thursday. He is from Kuwait and is learning English to pursue a masters in electrical engineering. Ali showed a copious amount of ambition and enthusiasm. He was eager to display his knowledge, this quality worked as the proverbial "doubled edged sword." Ali, although well versed in verb conjugation, lacked the necessary vocabulary to hold conversations of depth. His enthusiasm made him very vocal, this led to interruption of my instruction and therefore slowed our progress. This is not to say it cannot be used for his benefit. We worked on listening and speaking, discussing our lives, ambitions, and pasts. I have created lesson plans based on listening and pronunciation, as these were the areas that he showed the most interest. I know Ali's social circle consists of other CIES students who speak his native tongue, Arabic. Language learning above all else requires practice, and the deterrence of a social circle consisting of people who do not speak the language that is wished to be learned is vast. The social aspect seems to be the biggest obstacle for most of the students I have come into contact with. As we began to discuss more I could see Ali was taking a very analytical approach to English, as most engineering majors do with every endeavor they undertake. He took vivid notes and asked many questions. I could not answer all of his questions but I did attempt to help him see language learning as more than just a subject like science or math.  I explained to Ali that learning English is a process that will incorporate many aspects, the largest being culture. I encouraged him to watch movies and listen to the radio, and to branch out of his social circle. Ali and I will meet again tomorrow.