Ready to move to Canada?

Abstract

Imagine yourself moving to a new country you have never been to and you are going to settle down for the rest of your life. How would you feel? You might feel frustrated, insecure, and low in self-esteem. Loss of self-esteem, insecurity and frustration are common symptoms among new immigrants to North America. This textbook is intended for learners of English who are planning to immigrate to Canada. Canada is often referred as a nation of immigrants. This could reflect the fact that Canada welcomes many different immigrants from all around the world. South Koreans make up one of the largest immigrant populations in Canada. According to the Embassy of Canada (2012), “On average, 7,000 South Korean immigrants have arrived on an annual basis between 1999 and 2008, bringing the number of Canadians of Korean origin to more than 200,000” ; South Korea has become the seventh largest immigrant population in Canada, contributing to a total of 141,895 in number (Statistics Canada, 2006). Responding to this trend, it can be argued that many Korean immigrants need survival English to meet their needs in Canada. Survival English is a form of simplified English used by people who need language skills high in demand for their daily lives and at work (Answers.com , n.d ). As a result of this specific purpose, the EFL textbooks of survival English adapt a variety of different language skills to fulfill the basic needs for tourists and newly-arrived immigrants. However, there are not enough published EFL textbooks for prospective immigrants to Canada. Most EFL textbooks only address survival English for travellers and other books with a focus on Canada do not deeply address both linguistic and cultural aspects and are almost written in Korean. In order to fill the gap, the textbook targets immigrants who need both language and culture. The textbook is designed to cover both language and aspects of Canadian culture. The ideal target audience would be a group of 16 to 20 people, middle-aged, mixed gender Korean prospective immigrants to Canada. As they are planning to move to a new country, basic understanding of English is expected. However, to be specific, the proficiency level of the targeted group will be placed in Benchmark 4 based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) (2012). An English learner at the CLB Benchmark 4 is believed to be a fluent beginner. They are expected to communicate information and exchange both formal and informal conversation about common everyday activities, experiences, wants and needs (CLB, 2012). As compared to other guidelines, they could be at A2 as for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CFRL) and Intermediate Middle according to the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The textbook aims at CLB Benchmarks because the targeted group will eventually become members of Canadian society and thus following the language guidelines set in Canada would be ideal. The targeted situation would be an intensive course as a five-week session in the evening and the class meets every week from Monday through Thursday, three hours a day. The age of the targeted group is expected to be between 30 to 40 (middle aged), and as they are expected to work during the day, the evening class would be ideal for them. In addition to this, as to meet the purpose of the class, the course should be intensive and short term. The goal of each material presented in the textbook is to prepare the learners as much as possible before they head to Canada.