Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language has been a large part of my teaching work since 1976. For international students,

Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language has been a large part of my teaching work since 1976. For international students, mainly from Asian countries, I taught English as a Foreign Language in 1999 and again in 2002. Many more years were spent teaching English as a Second Language between 1976 and 2003, first to Australian Indigenous students whose first language was different, and later to immigrants to Australia who also had a different first language. The period of teaching which I most enjoyed was with a group of international students from various countries who already had good basic English but were struggling with the vocabulary and grammar of academic English. The teaching I found most difficult was for newly arrived immigrants to Australia who spoke very little English beyond "yes or no". In that later period I found I had to speak very, very slowly and distinctly in order to make myself understood. I believe I can be very helpful to international students who are wishing to reach an adequate level of English for their studies. How will I teach? Methods and techniques depend basically on the level of English competence that the students have already reached. If the teacher can identify what the students have already learned and know, he or she can plan to improve on what is already known. Obviously if students already have a good basic competence in written and spoken English, the curriculum presented will need to aim at improving on what has already been achieved. Conversely, if students are still at a very basic level, a much simpler kind of curriculum will need to be designed. I will be seeking good information on the nature of the student or students in my care. I need to know their level of competence and what they wish to achieve. On this basis appropriate curriculum can be developed.