An online English lesson or, what we call at Latitude, a virtual instructor-led training (VILT) session can be the ideal way for aviation professionals to fit an aviation English course into their busy schedules. Imagine that you have 24 hours in your hotel down route or have finished a shift at 22:00 but are not ready to go to bed yet. These could be the perfect opportunities to think about improving your aviation language proficiency. For many people though, sessions with a living, breathing instructor are quite a daunting prospect. Although the name “virtual instructor” implies that the people appearing on your computer screen or telephone app are not quite real, they are. Anyone who has tried to learn a second language will have experienced the apprehension of meeting an instructor for the first time, perhaps even the fear of feeling foolish as you struggle to master new sounds or remember strange words and translate from your native tongue.
Working as an aviation English instructor in a virtual environment, I am often asked the same questions or hear the same concerns about online aviation English lessons. I would like to share some of the most common worries with you and some advice which may be useful if you are considering improving your aviation language proficiency with an online course.
Will I be on my own or part of a group?
Whether you are on your own or part of a group may be your choice or a decision made for you by your company or organisation. There are advantages and disadvantages for both types of VILT sessions: group or individual. In a one-to-one session you will have the instructor’s full attention for the whole time, you will be able to work at your own pace, and the session can be more easily tailored to your language needs and interests. If you are part of a larger group you will have to share the instruction with your colleagues and sometimes may need to wait for a learner who is finding English more difficult than you. However, when there are other learners present it is possible to work in pairs and you might learn something new because someone else makes a mistake or asks an interesting question. At Latitude, we restrict our group sessions to 4 or 5 participants so that the instructor can devote time to each individual. Whichever type of session, it is very common for the instructor and learners to build up a good relationship quickly and some even remain friends after the training has finished.
Where will the instructor be?
The great thing about virtual sessions is that we can work from home. Ninety percent of the time your instructor will be in his or her own house or home office. With years of experience of online aviation English teaching, we know how to make this environment suitable for effective learning. Ideally, it is quiet, with the correct equipment (headphones and a laptop or personal computer) and no distractions apart from the occasional cup of coffee. It is different from the traditional classroom, more relaxed and informal.
What happens if my internet fails?
This is a concern for us as much as it is for you. Latitude’s record of missed sessions caused by technical failure is extremely low but sometimes circumstances mean that they are unavoidable. We try to make sure that we always work with stable internet connections. Having said that, we cannot do anything if our internet unexpectedly fails or the network is so weak that it is impossible to do the VILT session. In these cases we just have to accept that we try again another time so we would ask you to book another session - it may be annoying or disappointing but it’s a minor inconvenience compared to the many advantages of preparing for your ICAO level 4 or 5 using an online aviation English course .
I don’t know how to prepare for the session.
If you are on a blended learning programme with Latitude, you will have an e-learning course to follow alongside your VILT sessions. E-learning is independent study and designed to introduce you to new vocabulary, grammatical structures and the sounds of pronunciation alongside plenty of listening comprehension practice. You can study these at your own pace and go back to review areas that you find more difficult. The topics and exercises in the e-learning are linked to the topics that you will talk about in the VILT sessions. During the VILT sessions the instructor will guide you through a set of activities and provide any documents or material that you might need. The focus of the VILT session is speaking and we are trained to extract as much speech from you as we can. All you have to do is talk!
What type of activities will I do in a VILT session?
Talk, talk, talk! The activities that we do in VILT are all designed to promote spoken English. You might have a discussion about an aviation topic with your instructor. For example, we could talk about the potential dangers of flying in stormy conditions or what typically causes delays where you work. We may ask you to describe a picture which is usually an excellent way to learn new words and develop a more accurate use of English. As aviation professionals you will already be familiar with the topics used in the activities; our job is to elicit the type of language that you need on a daily basis at work. A good example of this is the many information exchange activities that we use to practise asking questions and giving answers and to encourage interaction (an essential language skill for an ICAO level 4). Although we don’t try to teach phraseology, we do simulate radio conversations between ATC and pilots to practise the times when you might need some plain English to explain an unusual situation where there is no standard phraseology.
I think the instructor will think my English is very bad.
Instructors are not there to judge you. Many of our instructor team speak one or more foreign languages themselves. They have experienced the challenges involved in learning a second language. I myself arrived in France many years ago only knowing the basic French that I had learnt at school. Everyday tasks like doing the shopping, making an appointment or going to the doctor’s were complicated. I felt stupid and restricted because I couldn’t communicate. Good aviation English teachers are not listening to you as a friend or a colleague would. They are busy identifying the areas of your aviation language proficiency where you are having problems and thinking about how they can help, what advice they can give you. They don’t expect your English to be perfect. This is what makes their job interesting and worthwhile.
What if I don’t know how to say something? It will be embarrassing
One technique we use as instructors is called “eliciting”. If someone is unable to find the words to say what they want to say, we know how to ask questions and offer alternative ways of saying something. This way we help you find the right words to express yourself and, of course, if you need more vocabulary, we will give you the word and help you use it in the correct way.
Something to remember is that we are all interested in the aviation industry. Amongst our instructor team there are pilots, air traffic controllers, fixed base operators to name a few. Just like you, we enjoy talking about aircraft and flying. We have the greatest respect and admiration for the job that you do and want to find out more about it. It might be frustrating at times when you cannot express your opinion or tell a story as you can in your own language, but as your aviation English course progresses, you should feel less and less self-conscious.
I’m worried that the instructor will speak quickly and I won’t understand
At the beginning of your session your instructor will speak to you just like you would with someone you meet at work or the park for the first time. It’s called “getting to know you” and we use this time to make a quick, informal assessment of your level of spoken English and how easily you understand what we say. Then we adapt our speech to you. If we think you need more time to process the language, we will speak more slowly and make our words clearer. As aviation professionals you will appreciate the importance of checking and confirming information. English for aviation is no different - it is correct procedure to ask someone to say something again, to make it clearer or simply to slow down.
Finally,
Advances in technology offer us so many new opportunities. I am still amazed that I can spend my day speaking with people from Beijing to Los Angeles or Jeddah to Hanoi without having stepped outside my front door. Initially, I may feel shy and apprehensive about meeting new learners too - that’s human nature. Just as in the aviation world, I find that training is the answer to overcoming any uncertainty or nerves. Once you have practised a situation you know what to expect and how to deal with it. So why not give a VILT session a try? I am sure that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
