81% of ESL (English as a second language) teachers use
English-speaking celebrities to engage their students during lessons,
according to a new study.
Research by Kaplan International Colleges, a leading provider of English language courses,
revealed that 81% of ESL teachers use English-speaking celebrities to
enhance lessons and help students improve their understanding of the
language.
Kaplan discovered that Barack Obama was the most popular
English-speaking celebrity used by ESL teachers with 57% stating that
they introduced the President during lessons to increase their student’s
interest in learning the English language.
The President was more popular than the British Royal Family as only
35% of ESL teachers used the Windsors to engage students. David Beckham
was the most popular sports star with 28% using the England soccer
player. Pop singers Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber polled 15% and 11%
respectively.
Katie Hull Sypnieski, co-author of The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival
Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching
English Language Learners of All Levels, said: “In our ESL classes my
teaching partner, Larry Ferlazzo, and I use international celebrities to
increase engagement with our students. We also use celebrities in our
lessons on developing successful life skills.
“In these lessons, we focus on the non-cognitive traits of
celebrities such as self-control, taking personal responsibility, and
having grit. For example, in a lesson on personal responsibility, we use
quotes and videos of President Obama admitting his mistakes and
accepting responsibility for them.”
Kaplan surveyed more than 500 ESL teachers from 40 countries to
discover what tools they use to enhance their lessons. The results of
Kaplan’s “How to Teach English” survey have been published as an infographic. The infographic page has quotes covering all aspects of the research.
Other survey results include:
- 86% of ESL Teachers have used music in class: The Beatles being the most popular band (used by 40% of those surveyed).
- 76% have used Movies in class: The Harry Potter series being the most popular.
- 75% have used Newspapers in class: The New York Times being the most popular.
- 60% have used TV shows in class: Mr Bean being the most popular.
- 34% have used the Radio in class: The BBC World Service being the most popular.
- 33% have used Comics in class: Spider-Man being the most popular.
- 24% have used Computer Games in class: The Sims being the most popular.
Kaplan surveyed 503 ESL teachers from: the UK, USA, Australia, New
Zealand, China, Japan, Russia, India, South Korea, Turkey, Georgia,
Germany, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Greece, Vietnam, Spain,
Cuba, France, Taiwan, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Mexico,
Iran, Ukraine, Jamaica, Malaysia, Romania, Poland, Argentina, Czech
Republic, Latvia, Uganda, Malta, Singapore and Chile.
In a previous study conducted in February 2013, Kaplan found that Barack Obama was the most popular celebrity for inspiring people to learn English with 52% of those surveyed claiming that they learned English to better understand a celebrity.
About Kaplan International Colleges
Kaplan International Colleges is part of Kaplan, Inc., an
international education services provider offering higher education,
professional training, and test preparation. Kaplan is a subsidiary of
The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). CHECK THE SITE
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