Guía práctica para estudiantes extranjeros: programas de expresión oral, integración social y preparación para estudiar en el extranjero

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A group of foreign students will soon...

Introduction

In this proposal I shall give reasons for designing a special programme to help foreign students at our university to become more proficient in their oral language skills.

Reasons for developing a programme

Foreign students coming to our university to study need to have a high level of proficiency in our language. Most of these students have passed the relevant language examinations and encounter few problems. They have often, however, had little opportunity to use the language for speaking. Although their current skills help them with their studies, they need to integrate into the general student population, and speaking the language fluently would help this.

A possible speaking programme

A speaking programme should encourage students to interact with native speakers. The programme should have a systematic element which ensures regular sessions outside their academic study time, as well as the provision of opportunities to socialise with native speakers on a less organised basis.

Recommendations

My recommendations for setting up a programme would be:

• A member of staff should be appointed to run the scheme.
• A series of classroom-based discussion sessions should be scheduled.
• Foreign students and general students should be invited to a series of organised social events such as cinema trips, walks and parties.

I strongly believe that a programme like this would benefit the foreign students and allow them to get the maximum profit from their time here.

You are on the social committee of your college...

Introduction

Starting at a new college can be daunting for new students. The purpose of this proposal is to evaluate the social and sporting activities already on offer, describe the needs of new students and suggest further activities the college should provide.

Current social and sporting activities

There are football and tennis clubs in college, where new students can make friends. However, if they are not particularly interested, these may not be of interest to them. On the social side there are meeting places like the café, but they are not particularly welcoming. Finally, there are two music clubs which are generally popular, but they only meet weekly and the type of music is limited to jazz and pop. The worst thing is that accessing information about social activities can be difficult.

Needs of new students

New students must establish social contacts, otherwise they can be lonely. Apart from finding out about activities on offer, they may be unaware of existing facilities.

Recommendations

• The range of social opportunities should be extended to include a dance club and a debating club. The latter would be particularly effective as it would also develop life skills.
• Music clubs should meet more frequently and include types of music like classical and choral. Singing has been proved to be effective in bringing people together.
• I would recommend displaying information in the Students' Union and on the college intranet.
• The café should be refurbished to improve the atmosphere.

Conclusion

The recommendations above would be simple to implement, and would not only improve the lives of new students, but current ones too.

Students at your college have to give a spoken presentation...

Introduction

In this proposal I will describe some of the difficulties students at this school have with preparing their final presentation, present the key needs to be addressed and conclude by making a series of recommendations on how teachers at the school could assist students with overcoming the obstacles to giving a successful presentation confidently.

Current situation

Following discussion among the students, it has become clear that many of them are feeling very nervous about the upcoming presentations. A number of students are struggling to select an appropriate structure. Comments made suggest that students lack previous experience in public speaking and would like opportunities to practise before the final assessment.

Key needs to be addressed

Students require additional help with topic selection and presentation structure, and opportunities need to be provided for students to gain experience in front of others.

Recommendations

I would suggest the following actions to teachers at school:

• Provide students with a list of possible presentation topics.
• There should be a lesson or workshop on structuring a presentation for those who are interested.
• I recommend that students are given time during class to practise their presentation in small groups.
• Additional upfront speaking opportunities should be incorporated into classes, including plays and games.

Conclusion

If these suggestions are implemented, it will lead to increased student confidence and performance for the final presentation.

Your college currently doesn't provide enough support...

Introduction

This proposal is intended to outline common issues students have when studying abroad, and suggest ways that a course could help them to deal with this. The final section makes recommendations about what should be included in the course curriculum.

Problems when studying abroad

Interviews were conducted with 20 students who have recently completed a student exchange programme. The majority of students were of the opinion that overcoming the language barrier in their new country was the biggest challenge, and they also said that they experienced culture shock. Other problems cited included unrealistic expectations, loneliness and packing the wrong things, particularly being unprepared for a different climate.

A course could address this

A course could prepare students for culture shock by raising awareness of the phenomenon and describing cultural differences that students may encounter in their host country. To aid participants with language, a course could include useful phrases for the first days after arrival, in addition to resources for language learning. The course could also include a discussion about combating isolation and adjusting expectations.

Recommendations

I would like to make the following recommendations:

• Invite students who have previously studied abroad to share aspects of the culture they found interesting and give advice on what to take.
• Provide a list of useful phrases, together with suggestions of useful resources for language learning such as websites, blogs or e-books.
• Facilitate a discussion about engaging with people to avoid loneliness and isolation.

Conclusion

If these recommendations are implemented, young people are bound to feel more prepared for their experience.

The company you work for is considering the idea of a flexible working day...

Introduction

This proposal is intended to display the benefits of a flexible working day at our enterprise. Despite being something new, it might turn out to be explosive and successful.

Current situation

With regard to the intensity, the working hours and the stress level in our department, the general view seems to be that it is high time the situation changed. It is no longer the case that every employee needs to be in the office to be productive. In line with what has always been defended, work is a source of personal dignity, family stability, peace and democracy. Our department is a long way from this state. Stress is one of the biggest complaints in our workforce, faces of disappointment and tiredness are found all around, and the room is full of absent-minded workers.

Recommendations

Employee well-being is a key concern for managers, as employees are the essence of the enterprise. When able to control their working day, employees play to their strengths and get the most out of themselves. They have flexibility to meet family needs as well as personal obligations, which are actually the meaning of their work. With employees satisfied, empowerment will rise.

My recommendations for setting up a flexible working day are:

• Working from home or remotely part of the time.
• Job sharing: have someone in the office working with you while you are at home.
• Compressed hours as long as the work is done.
• Review goals and build processes to be able to track and evaluate progress.

Conclusion

If these recommendations are implemented, the situation is bound to improve, as the essence of the enterprise will be motivating.