Pearson responds to global demand for improved standards of English language teaching
In response to the demand for improvements in English Language Teaching worldwide, Pearson is launching a Teacher Toolkit to accompany its Global Scale of English (GSE).
A report released by Pearson, including survey findings of English Language Teaching (ELT) teachers and businesses around the world, highlights the challenges of teaching and learning English in the 21st century:
- 90% of ELT teachers believe standards of English need to be improved [1]
- 92% of employees said that English was important to their career progression but only 7% felt their English was good enough to do their jobs [2]
- 90% of ELT teachers believe that a single, global standard of English is needed in order for standards of English language learning to improve [3]
The Global Scale of English (GSE) is the culmination of years of comprehensive academic research, involving over 6,000 teachers in 50 countries worldwide. It provides the most comprehensive way to date of profiling an English language learner’s proficiency and progress.
To accompany the GSE, Pearson is launching a new Teacher Toolkit, designed to improve standards in English teaching globally. This free online service helps English curriculum creators and teachers develop a consistent, connected and impactful curriculum focused on real-world language challenges. The toolkit includes a suite of English teaching resources, which includes over 1,600 GSE Learning Objectives, over 300 Grammar Objectives and 36,000 items of vocabulary. Data is searchable by English specialism, such as business or academic English, skill required and CEFR/GSE level, to facilitate personalised and tailored learning.
Tas Viglatzis, Managing Director of Pearson English commented, “English language skills are crucial for many individuals across the world but there is an urgent need for a global framework that reflects the practical application of English today. By helping course creators and teachers to identify proficiency more precisely and develop lessons that are tailored to specific goals, the GSE Teacher Toolkit will help to raise standards of English teaching worldwide.”
While many individuals learn English as a second language for pleasure or to broaden their cultural horizons, global business today increasingly demands proficiency in the language. Pearson found that English was deemed relevant for 80% of roles for which global employers recruit [4] and 92% of employees said that English was important for their career progress. However only 7% of employees think their English is good enough to do their job [5], highlighting a real need for improvement in English that will benefit global business.
Download the resources from teacher toolkit
About the Global Scale of English
The Global Scale of English (GSE) is a standardised, granular scale which measures English language proficiency. Unlike some other frameworks which describe attainment in broad bands, the Global Scale of English identifies what a learner can do at each point on the scale across speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.
The scale is designed to motivate learners by accurately demonstrating step-by-step progress. Using the Global Scale of English, teachers can match a student to the right course materials to suit their exact level and learning goals.
The Global Scale of English serves as a standard against which English language courses and assessments worldwide can be benchmarked, offering a truly global and shared understanding of proficiency levels. Visit the official GSE website to learn more.
- ^ GSE Teacher Toolkit usage survey, 2016 (N=235)
- ^ Pearson English Business Solutions and CEB, Measuring the continuing impact – Business English as a prerequisite for global business, 2015
- ^ GSE Teacher Toolkit usage survey, 2016 (N=235)
- ^ Pearson/LinkedIn survey, 2014
- ^ Pearson English Business Solutions and CEB, Measuring the continuing impact – Business English as a prerequisite for global business, 2015