Chan TP#2

(Jarrah)

            I met Jarrah after a succession of text messages in which we arranged our first meeting in front of the Westcott Building.  He was with a friend who wished to observe.  Jarrah followed me into the Westcott Building, and we sat in the lobby area outside of Ruby Diamond Hall.  Jarrah's friend sat apart from us, and quietly observed. 

            Jarrah looks about 19 years old.  He told me he has come to Florida to study English at CIES in order to pass a standardized English proficiency exam.  He has set a deadline for passing the exam, which is three months from now.  He has a long way to go, as his knowledge of vocabulary is limited, and as I understand it, the English exam will require a somewhat expansive knowledge of English words.  I spent the entire session assessing his English skills.  I focused on “action words”, verb tense, and simple conversation to structure the assessment.  Although his knowledge of English words is limited, Jarrah has the will to learn, and seems positive regarding his ability to pass the exam.

            Jarrah wishes to pass the English exam in order to be admitted to study Petroleum Engineering in the U.S.  He is from Kuwait, where oil is the primary export.  The only regions in the U.S. where Petroleum Engineering is taught are where massive deposits of oil have been found (e.g. Texas, Oklahoma).  

           The exam consists of four parts: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.  Jarrah says he will have the most difficulty with the writing portion, which is in two parts: describing tables (150 words) and writing an essay (2500 words) about a given topic. 

            My plan for our second tutoring session is to develop simple tables/charts consisting of basic information about our population (e.g. a pie chart regarding U.S. exports, American musical preferences, or American eating habits).  Jarrah and I will discuss the charts.  He will be motivated to expand his vocabulary in order to understand and discuss the charts.  The “chart” activity will help to develop reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills.