How might we help non-native English speakers communicate on equal footing with native speakers?
Many fluent, non-native English speakers feel the need to speak the language on a superior level. In 2021, some of them reached out to me. They did not want regular conversational English classes. They were looking for a solution that took them to the next level. They were not looking to impress or belong in English-speaking environments. Instead, they were looking to speak on equal footing with native speakers. Here are a few learner profiles:
Victoria Pacheco (she/her/hers)
Brazilian, 20, Journalism student at the University of Sao Paulo
She has studied English for at least 7 years. She lived in Boston for 1 year. She feels the need to write and sound as eloquent as a native speaker.
Program Goals & Outcomes
The Master program had its initial launch with a group of 3 students in 2021. Now in its fourth iteration, it helps 30 learners develop their English language skills through the development of soft skills (presentation, public speaking, and writing) and hard skills (grammar and composition). Over the months, I have analyzed learners' preferences and priorities through one-on-one interviews, surveys, and reflective essays. I identified specific skills and topics that matter to the learners and have been learning what activities keep them more engaged. With the findings of the first three iterations, here are the programs' learning activities and desired outcomes in its fourth version:
During this version of the program, students:
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Engage in high-level discussions
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Offer and receive peer feedback
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Write weekly assignments
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Create an outline and a final assignment
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Make a final presentation
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Learn from guest speakers
By the end of this program, students are expected to:
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Discuss complex topics with fluent English speakers
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Evaluate written work
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Develop a final assignment (written and/or recorded)
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Identify areas for growth in their own writing
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Develop content for the school’s blog
Community Building
Program Structure
Community Building
Master groups meet weekly in person and/or online for discussion sessions. They create their own profiles on the Master app, follow their peers, and join groups both on the Master platform and on WhatsApp.
Discussion Sessions, Assignments, and Feedback
Each week, learners engage in discussion topics in different ways. They go through flash writing exercises, recommended readings and videos, discussion prompts, and finally, assignments and feedback.
Presentations and Guest Speakers
Master works in cycles. During each cycle, Master students welcome and interact with international guest speakers. At the end of each cycle, they craft and host their own presentations.
The Master community meets in groups online and in person (formerly only online). The screenshots below show the first three members of this community interacting with the online app through the Master group and profiles they created for themselves. Now, they can follow one another, find interests in common, and express themselves on the platform. Learners also meet live online or in person every week, where they have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their posts with their peers. Because they are focused on improving their English writing, metacognition is fostered in the program by giving them the chance to reflect together on what they write. In sessions, learners are encouraged to read and pay attention to detail. Similarly, they practice active listening and offer peer-to-peer feedback.
Discussion Sessions, Assignments, and Feedback
This version of the Master program consists of cycles. Each cycle consists of the following structure:
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Three discussion topics are distributed over three weekly sessions. Each week, learners dive deep into one topic through readings, videos, discussions, and flash writing exercises. After each of these sessions, learners write a "mini assignment", which is a text (1-3 paragraphs) on the topic. They are encouraged to choose one of four discussion prompts to write about. They also have the option of writing on the topic without any discussion prompt.
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The instructor reads the mini assignments in between sessions and provides personalized feedback. Feedback is given to learners through in-line comments and a paragraph of summative feedback. Summative feedback is written in the "sandwich" structure and asks learners thought-provoking questions about their own writing.
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After getting feedback from the instructor/expert, learners also read their mini assignments to their peers so they can give and receive more feedback. They are reminded of guidelines on how to give and receive feedback before this activity.
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After the three sessions, learners start building an outline for a "culminating assignment". For this assignment, they choose one of the three topics they studied to expand on their previous work. However, they may choose to pivot and write about something else. Learners collaborate with the group by brainstorming ideas together: sharing links, videos, readings, and quotes on a Padlet board. Then, they go through the culminating assignment guidelines so they can build their outlines using a good writing structure.
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Next, they choose the format they would like to give their culminating assignments. They can choose whether they would like to write an essay, record a video, make an online page, or a slide deck. They also craft a presentation for their Master group.
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Finally, they submit their culminating assignments for feedback and present their work to their peers. They are encouraged to reflect in session on what their glows and grows were and are questioned about what they learned in the cycle. After feedback, they can choose to post their works on the Master blog.
Presentations and Guest Speakers
At the end of each cycle, members of the Master community celebrate their learning by presenting their culminating assignments and reflections to their groups. They can do so synchronously and/or asynchronously by hosting presentations or posting their assignments on our blog and online groups.
Additionally, I look for guest speakers who may be subject matter experts on the topics they are currently studying so they can interact and speak with them on equal footing. While the international guest speakers are not always native English speakers, all communications within Master happen in English.
Here's an example of a culminating assignment:
