Culture File USA: Presidential Elections, Part 3 - Red, Blue & Swing States

The implementation of the "winner-takes-all" electoral system in the USA results in most individual states not splitting their congressional representatives and their electors proportionally among the political contenders but favoring the party with most of the votes.

The color "red" thus represents states which go to the Republican party, and those won by the Democrats are called "blue" states. 

Despite a long history of associating the main political parties with the colors red and blue, modern media broadcast eventually led to today's color coding, most visible in the electoral maps on the screens of TV sets across the country on election night. 

Culture File USA: Presidential Elections, Part 2 - The Electoral College

In terms of candidates winning an election, the popular vote remains the most significant parameter in modern western democracies. 

In many democratic states, proportional representation means that the distribution of seats in a legislative institution such as a parliament corresponds closely with the number of total votes cast by the electorate for each political contestant. Thus, the seats in parliament for each contender reflect the proportion of votes cast and, in many cases, political parties have to build a coalition to achieve sufficient mandates in order to form a government.

In other cases, a "winner-takes-all" system is in place; the party with the most votes can gain a majority of seats in the legislature and form the government consisting of solely its own representatives, excluding political competitors from active participation. This system favors two or more larger parties and systematically disadvantages smaller contestants. The United Kingdom is a prominent example of the "winner-takes-all" system.

Culture File USA: Presidential Elections, Part 1

With the United States of America remaining a global super power and arguably the most powerful country in the world, presidential elections in the USA and their outcome potentially impact on geopolitics around the world and the global economy. Their significance warrants a closer look at the US political system and how it works. 

Vocabulary practice: trees in autumn

(Topic vocab: seasons, nature, trees)

In mid-autumn, nature presents itself in the most vibrant colours. But are you familiar with the the names of the trees clad in a symphony of autumn hues?

Language practice: idioms with "moon"

Last night's hunter's moon, a super moon, reminds us of some idioms containing the word "moon".

to the moon and back - usually used to tell someone how much you love them (to love someone to the moon and back)

to promise the moon - to say that you do much more than you actually achieve

once in a blue moon - not very often

many moons ago - a long time ago

to shoot for the moon - to ask for the best or most you could hope for

to be over the moon - to be very pleased

to moonlight - to work an extra job without telling your employer

TEFL in adult education: the blog

English as a global language

Among the many languages around the world, English has established global significance and leads competitors such as Arabic, Spanish, and French by a wide margin. 1.5 billion people are assumed to speak English, either as a native language, a second language or a foreign language. 

What is more, English is the means of communication which can be used nearly everywhere around the globe, a fact that does not equally apply to other global languages as they are often limited to certain world regions. 

Contexts of language usage

Terming English 'a global means of communication' does not reflect its significance for the many different contexts of usage beyond everyday communication, especially those which are marked by international collaboration or which can be seen as global industries such as tourism, business and finance, or aviation. 

Education and academia are among those areas where research and findings are nowadays better communicated if made available in English. The same applies to news media and online communication in general. 

The growing importance of English language instruction

As a consequence, English language instruction has become a sought-after option for many people to gain basic language skills or improve their language proficiency. 

In educational contexts such as in schools or at tertiary educational institutions, language classes have long been a permanent component of national curricula or have even been offered as full degree programs. 

Besides, language schools, often privately run enterprises, are providing the opportunity to study the language in a less institutionalised setting. 

The challenges of English language instruction in adult education

English becoming more and more important also leads to new challenges in language instruction. Besides the established teaching contexts in schools and universities, adult education has seen a surge in English language courses and classes, which cater to different needs. 

Teaching English to adults, though, comes with its own challenges and requirements. Often, students have no or very little language skills, or have not had institutionalised language instruction for many years. Moreover, the reason for taking up English language classes vary tremendously with many students focusing on improving their professional language skills, and some just enjoying social aspect of classes and preparing for a holiday abroad. 

TEFL in adult education: blog objectives 

For the aforementioned reasons, teaching English in adult education deserves more profound considerations, which this blog is about. 

More general observations on the nature of language instruction for an adult audience will be extended by concrete ideas and experience on teaching methodology as well as useful resources.