John Kirk
Gorham, Maine 04038
kirkjohnb5@gmail.com
www.aokbasicskills.gratis
January 2, 2024
Syllabus/Study Plan
How to Become an Independent Language Learner (ILL) with the European Language Learning System
Introduction
Welcome to the AOK Basic Skills Project at www.aokbasicskills.gratis and this ILL workshop.
- If you have found this course on the internet but missed the overview workshop, please read this syllabus and then check out the different free to use files on the front page where you found this one. This information alone should help you on your way to becoming an “independent language learner”!
- Also, if you speak Spanish, please go to the Spanish section of www.aokbasicskills.com and look in the section entitiled – Talleres de Ingles and open the workshop: Taller – Como ser estudiante de idiomas independientes – A1-B2.
- This workshop is part of John Kirk’s personal retirement project. AOK is not a company, organization or registered entity. AOK offers basic skills introductions through its workshops.
- The workshops are free, educational and provide an overview of the topic at hand through a PowerPoint presentation with supporting links and other files/guides.
- In this workshop several URL website guides are also included. The included URLs explain the workshop content in depth and serve for self-study on the topic.
- Website guides for adults, children learning English, and information on forming English Clubs is provided, and some of the included websites are written in both English and Spanish.
- This workshop was written in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education on 1/2/2024.
- E: kirkjohnb5@gmail.com (workshop e-mail)
- W: aokbasicskills.gratis.
- John Kirk has also given basic skills workshops in Ecuador and was registered with SRI there (IRS) to provide “Professional Services” for his English school & his AOK noncommercial retirement projects. These are listed and explained on his website.
- The “works cited” for this presentation can be found at the end of the AOK ILL Website Guide.
How to Get an Overview of this Workshop on Your Own
- As indicated by the workshop files that you see when you open this workshop on the AOK website (p. 1), becoming an accomplished “independent language learner” on your own isn’t easy.
- After you read this study plan, for background read “The Development of ILL”, “Tips for Learning English” and “Courses or ILL”.
- Then read the PowerPoint Presentation.
- Then read the Adult Website Guide to familiarize yourself with the some of the free study sites available, and then begin your studies.
- As there are so many people studying in the world, there are always new websites popping up and a number of good sites in YouTube that I haven’t mentioned, so you might look there, too.
- As you read in the PowerPoint presentation, one of the most important things to do when studying on your own is to choose several CEFR skills to work on that are both interesting and a little above your current speaking level.
AOK ILL Website Guide
This guide is 45 pages long and lists popular, free websites for learning reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and study skills in English at different levels of difficulty. It can help participants review for their current English class, study something that was presented in class but for which they were absent, or to learn and study English independently.
How to Start an English Club Guide
This file provides various ideas for how to start an English club. It also lists a number of websites with suggestions on this topic and includes language for work such as in a hotel or a restaurant, as a tour guide or for business English. Included are ideas for instruction and games for adults. The handout is 21 pages long.
AOK ILL Website Guide for Children
In this website guide – Level A1 Elementary School EFL Sites – you will find a series of suggestions to study reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and teaching your child to study English. This guide is designed as a starting point or continuation point to sites that you already might have. Since elementary school English classes are basically designed as an introduction to English, the sites included here are supportive sites for beginners and advanced beginners, but some include more advanced material for general interest.
Power Point Presentation Table of Contents
The Workshop Plan
Part I – For CEFR Levels A1 & Higher
- Unit I: How to be an ILL with the CEFR Curriculum: Slides 15-23
- Unit II: How to use the internet & chatbots to find free materials: Slides 24-41
- Unit III: The AOK Website Guides for Age 15+ & Children & How to create your own study team at home: Slides 42-44
Part II: For CEFR Levels A2 & Higher
Unit IV: How to use the CEFR (CEFR in English) with the European Union Language portfolio which explains how to be an ILL: Slides 45-55
Unit V: How to make English clubs with friends and fellow workers: Slides 56-75
Unit VI: Other key strategies, clubs with friends or co-workers, and higher education: Slides 76-81
- Conclusion: Slides 82-84
Disclaimer
This is a free workshop written primarily for adult education programs and individuals. It is non-commercial, non-profit and part of John Kirk’s personal retirement project. The workshop is part of the “AOK Basic Skills Project”, which is the name of John Kirk’s Internet domain. AOK is not a company or a registered entity.
The websites John presents are professionally written, but he does not certify that all information provided is correct or that important information has not been omitted.