On Glo-Busuu platform, grammar sheds abstract shell

The way many teachers introduce grammar concepts in the class make a lot of students view them as abstract, dry things. As a result, they learn the concepts for learning’s sake. Part of the implication is that many candidates perform poorly in the English Language in major examinations such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Often, the performances of those who score up to credit level is low, thus landing the candidates in trouble since, like Mathematics, English is a must-pass subject for those seeking admission to tertiary institutions.

Another injury that uninspiring handling of the subject inflicts on students is that, later in life, a lot cannot appropriately apply the topics and rules they were taught to everyday contexts as well as official ones. There are fluency issues, just as the syndrome is the genesis of the popular fear that many Nigerian graduates cannot write error-free letters. Although poor infrastructure is a major issue in the country’s education system, the fact that many language teachers are never creative in the way they teach English is a huge problem.

This is where an intervention like the Glo Busuu Language scheme is instructive. Busuu is a powerful language learning platform on web, iOS and Android that allows users to interact with native speakers from around the world. The package’s style is unique in the sense that it breaks down the language’s structural, vocabulary and phonological elements and delivers such in a down-to-earth, user-friendly way, self-helping way. In this wise, the methodology makes the platform a place to rediscover major English topics relevant to various forms and levels of communication.

On the platform, visitors will learn (or relearn) the art of saying a statement as familiar ‘Hello’, with videos demonstrating different voices, but with a discerning ear picking the consonant H that starts its elocution. In many cases, what chaps say is ‘Ello’, instead of ‘Hello’, because the ‘h’ is not a silent sound. Among the multiple grammar diets available on the Glo Busuu platform, pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘they’ as well as articles ‘a/an’ and ‘the’ are smartly reintroduced. It is a great opportunity to, for instance, discover that when the teacher says ‘a’ precedes a word that starts with a consonant and ‘an’ the one with a vowel, it is consonant and vowel sounds that they have in mind, not the alphabetical ones. It is the reason we say ‘a boy’ and must sill say ‘a European’ since, in pronunciation, the element that starts ‘European’ is still a consonant, not a vowel! The Glo Busuu curriculum is, besides, so versatile that it includes topics like greeting people, introducing oneself, ending a conversation, and talking about one’s nationality.

Yet, it is not about the English Language alone. Described as the world’s largest community for language learning, it provides courses in 12 different languages on web and mobile to more than 90 million learners worldwide. The other 11 are Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic.

To benefit from the initiative, Globacom offers subscription for Premium membership, alongside other packages, to “unlock further features like advanced grammar lessons, Offline Mode, McGraw-Hill Education certification or our adaptive Vocabulary Trainer.”

According to the company that clocked 21 years on August 29, 2024, each language course on Busuu is developed using the Common European Framework of Reference(CEFR), an internationally recognised standard for creating language lessons.

“The CEFR is broken down into six stages, ranging from complete beginner to completely fluent. Busuu courses cover the first four stages of the CEFR, from A1 to B2 level,” it adds.

Busuu too assures that the lessons are designed by experts in linguistics and pedagogy to help you achieve fluency in a structured and engaging way.It says, “Each lesson is designed around a useful topic, and contains vocabulary, grammar, and practice exercises which gradually build conversational and writing skills. We teach you all the language we need before asking you to form sentences, have a conversation or do a writing exercise. Each lesson repeats language you’ve learned in previous lessons, reinforcing your memory and building your confidence. We’ve chosen topics that are relevant to your language level and to the types of conversation you’re most likely to be having at each stage of your language-learning journey.”

Overall, the language panorama is among the impressive flavours that Globacom has added to the telecoms feast that the mobile era introduced to Nigeria. The first major joker Globacom stormed the industry with in 2003 was the per-second billing system, which eternally influenced the costs of mobile telephony in the country. As a result, Globacom’s founder and serial investor, Dr Mike Adenuga, is saluted as The Game Changer till today. This is as Glo’s impacts on the development of education, sports, arts and entertainment and other sectors are real and have been widely appreciated. Courtesy of its durable Globacom Ambassadorship project alone, the company that sponsors the Wole Soyinka Literary Prize in Africa, the Ojude Oba Festival, Ofala Festival, among others, has empowered many Nigerian musicians, filmmakers, comedians and sportsmen. While King Sunny Ade, Omawumi, Basketmouth and Gordons are among the early beneficiaries, the likes of Anthony Joshua, Kizz Daniel, Asake and Chike are the latest brides in the world of the juicy deal. Globacom’s 21 years of existence has, indeed, being a huge blessing to Nigeria and beyond.