- 02 Mar, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 4 Mins Read
Book Launch Coming Soon!
Yes, the Masterclass – Excellence in English course is being published as a book. All the written resources that go with this course have been collated and will be published on Amazon & Kindle Direct on the 20th of March.
I just pulled that date out of my head because it’s my eldest son’s birthday and the next day is World Down Syndrome day, 2 events that hold very special places in my heart. It’s not got anything to do with the actual time-line of getting it up and out there. Now that I’ve put a date on it, it has to happen now.
I’d like to thank Jessy who purchased the Masterclass last year and offered the feedback of collating all the information into one document, which is something I have been thinking about for ages just never got around to it. So with that little push, I did it and she’s been given the book as a thank you gift.
You too could win the book, just reply – ‘yes, please’ and you’ll automatically go into the draw.
PS – here’s what Jessy had to say about the Masterclass course –
Why is speech so important?
I’ve been in education and training for over 30 years, as I keep saying, with clear and confident speech the heart of all my teaching. It’s hard to put into exact words why I think it is so important, but here’s a wee go…
First, let’s narrow that down a bit. Speech is important for all people but the reasons why differ from one person to the next, depending on their gender (even if you prefer not to be recognised as one particular gender), ethnicity, level of education, age.
Looking at age, what age should a child’s speech be clear?
If this statement is true, and I believe it is, to a certain extent –
“Oral language underpins all learning and all social interaction.”
Page 7, ‘Learning Through Talk’ Ministry of Education, Learning Media, Wellington, New Zealand, 2009.
Then you’d want your child’s speech to be clear by the time they start school. If a child starts school with a level of oral language that is below their current age this can cause challenges with making friends, which is possibly the most worrying aspect of poor oral language.
If children don’t have the vocab to chat with other children, they tend to remain silent. They can’t express themselves clearly, find it challenging to play with other children and are more likely to be alone in the playground.
They also can’t understand what the teacher is talking about, they can’t follow instructions. For the child, there is a level of frustration that can result in disruptive behaviour that affects the whole class and the teacher’s ability to, well, teach.
The delay in oral literacy means teachers have to spend more time bringing the children’s oral language up to the correct level before starting to teach them to read and spell, so they are on the back foot from the start.
International Women’s Day is March 8.
“International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.”
For women to Find Their Voice and Find Their Words, to learn the strategies and techniques to be heard, understood, appreciated and respected is paramount in leading their life, their family and community.
Being able to have the courage to speak up and the consideration to hear others’ speak can be challenging for all of us, which is why it is so important to learn these aspects of communication.
If you speak English as another language
Communicating effectively is a life-long skill. We build our confidence when we correctly enunciate sounds, pronounce words and to speak with an effective voice that is heard clearly, is interesting to listen to, and, above all, wins us what we are seeking.
English pronunciation has been one of the most asked for resource – how do we say this sound, this word & what am I saying it in the right context. Living in New Zealand presents the unique challenge of our colloquialisms or phrasal verbs as the Americans call it.
The Masterclass course presents in video and written format the ‘how’ of our spoken English and as you are listening to me, the way we speak English becomes easier to understand.
Covered a lot in this blog but clear and confident speech and communication involves everyone at whatever point in your life you are at.
View the courses on the Books & Courses page, if you think you’d like an extra helping hand with your voice, speech and communication.
Have a great week, Miriam.