AIM Program
The Immersive English Language for Aviation (IELA) program is a 10-month English as a Second Language curriculum specifically designed to help non-native English speakers prepare for academic study within an Aviation Maintenance Technology or other technical program within a post-secondary institution. The program teaches basic English language skills, such as listening and speaking, grammar and punctuation in written English, vocabulary specifically applied to technical settings such as aviation, tools, and maintenance concepts, public speaking, and American culture. Each course within the eight-course curriculum builds upon the students’ ability to listen, understand, and converse successfully in English, and the program builds the student’s confidence in writing, speaking, and learning in English.
The IELA program is divided into two 20-week terms of instruction. Both terms are divided into four separate courses, which focus on a specific set of English language skills. Block A focuses on developing English listening and speaking skills, American cultural practices and social norms (such as counting money, paying bills, and other daily practices), written grammar and punctuation, and reading and vocabulary. Block B builds upon the skills from the first four courses, focusing on basic writing, technical vocabulary within the maintenance environment, public speaking, and technical research and writing. At the end of the 8-course program, students will be prepared as an intermediate-level speaker, writer, and learner within the English language. They will be equipped with the language and cultural resources needed to succeed within an American post-secondary educational program, and they will have the confidence required to read, speak, learn, and succeed within technical courses taught in English.
IEL101: English Listening and Speaking
Elementary listening, separation of linguistic sounds, identification of words and inflection, and reading facial expressions are the fundamentals of spoken language. In this course, students will explore basic social transactions such as greetings, introductions, and asking and answering simple questions. Students will learn to confidently request and provide basic information (address, phone number, personal background, likes and dislikes, etc.), and build skills in conversational English. Students will learn to listen and take notes on instruction, will learn pronunciation of basic vocabulary words, describe people, places and things within the American environment, and understand the basics of verbal conversations. Students will begin to understand stress patterns of words and sentences, and will perfect conversations both in person and over the telephone.
IEL102: American Culture and Diversity
Attending a post-secondary institution in America is significantly different than studying within the student’s home culture. In this course, students will understand basic cultural norms within American culture, will practice conversation within a variety of social contexts, and will practice conversational English in an immersive context. Students will learn to read a map of the local area, understand the history and social significance of landmarks and destinations within the campus community, practice using the local transit system, discuss driving and other transportation options, and understand a range of resources offered within the city and state in which the campus is located. Additionally, the student will learn basic personal financial literacy, including counting American currency, using a cash machine in English, paying bills and utilities, budgeting for trips and leisure activities, and succeeding as a student in America. The course also addresses cultural diversity and expectations within the city, state, and country, and it teaches English language skills within the context of being a successful American student.
IEL103: Grammar and Punctuation
Attaining a grasp of written English requires an understanding of basic grammar and punctuation. Within this course, students begin to understand the rules and guidelines of written English, focusing on parts of speech, expression of thoughts and ideas, and punctuation. Students learn to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and they learn to use and identify tenses, possessives, and other grammatical structures accurately. This knowledge is applied to the construction of grammatically correct sentences. Students learn to use numbers, apostrophes, mathematical characters, and simple scientific notation properly, and they are provided a range of reference guides to support their learning throughout their academic careers. Students also discuss and practice grammar and punctuation within social media, and discuss the different expectations of correctness within formal and informal writing situations.
IEL104: Reading and Vocabulary
Building an English vocabulary is essential to the educational process, and within a technical program, learning to read for new vocabulary words and concepts is essential. Within this course, students will learn to read magazine articles, websites, technical articles, and newspapers to understand main concepts, read for new vocabulary words, and investigate unknown words within other resources. Students begin with simple texts and discuss with the class the main concepts and ideas, and learn to identify words, phrases, and concepts they do not understand in order to conduct further research. Students build a weekly vocabulary bank of new English words and phrases and apply a growing vocabulary to daily life. Students also study vocabulary of daily life, including road signs, information on posters and billboards, menus, and vocabulary within other social situations.
IEL105: Basic Writing
In this course, students use the fundamental building blocks of language learned within Block A of the curriculum to begin to formulate written paragraphs, sets of instructions, and a final course essay. Students learn to connect sentences within comparison-contrast paragraphs, cause-effect paragraphs, and chronological narration. They also learn the basic parts of an essay and business letter, including an introduction, body, and conclusion. Students learn to apply their understanding of grammar and punctuation as they use description, supporting detail, and arguments within their writing, and they conclude the course by constructing an argumentative essay.
IEL106: Technical Vocabulary and Language Resources
Building a vocabulary specific to the technical environment in which the student will be learning is essential for the new student. In this course, students will apply their reading, comprehension, speaking, and learning skills to the technical environment, identifying tools, equipment, parts, and processes of the aviation environment and attaining an intermediate level of technical understanding. Within both a classroom and laboratory environment, students learn basic parts of aircraft, learn a range of tools and techniques related to hands-on maintenance, and build a vocabulary necessary to succeed as an aviation maintenance technology student.
IEL107: Public Speaking
Becoming a successful student requires not only skills within informal conversation, but also the confidence and ability needed to present information to an audience within more formal contexts. This course guides students in formulating a message, preparing detail and supporting information, and presenting a message to a public audience with clarity, precision, and confidence. The course addresses how to seek opposing opinions, how to professionally refute counter-arguments, how to avoid interruptions, and how to provide meaningful instruction, opinions, and arguments within public presentations. Students are taught how to field questions from an audience, and also are guided in using presentation software such as PowerPoint or other visual aids to support a public presentation.
IEL108: Technical Research and Writing
Becoming a successful written communicator requires students to understand the physical cues of text, including headings, tables, charts, graphs, summaries, and conclusions. In this course, students learn to read technical documents efficiently, and learn to use the physical attributes of English text to quickly skim, notate, learn, and summarize information. Students also learn to write simple technical documents, including creating lists of instructions, writing directions, and incorporating formatting such as bold, headings, images, and other graphical components of a technical document. Students complete the course by composing a technical document related to aviation maintenance or other fields in which they will be pursuing an education, and present that technical document to a novice audience.
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