By / Wally Fadoo

What is AMEP?
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) helps migrants and refugees learn English, Pre-Certificate, Certificate 1, Certificate 2, and Certificate 3. Upon eligibility, the program provides free English lessons and childcare. The English classes are designed to enable them to participate confidently in Australian life, whether in the workplace or with services and individuals in the community.
The Adult Migrant English Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. Migrants and refugees are and will always be an essential part of Australia›s economic and social fabric. They have helped build Australia›s modern dynamism and diversity, contributing their skills, experiences, and cultures to the creation of a nation that is both outward-facing and internally cohesive.

AMEP, effective teaching methods and techniques
Every student has their own pace of learning. For that reason, it is irrelevant to apply the same methodology for teaching a topic. English is an important language to learn, as are the mother tongues. The methods of teaching English vary depending on every learner’s environment, learning needs, and objectives. It is also essential to understand that there is no single way to introduce the language.

Effective methods of teaching English.
The English language is taught in TAFE from basic, pre-certificate to certificate 3. Learning teaching methods are based on and influenced by various assumptions of language learning. There are multiple ways of teaching English. Some of them are listed below:

Lexical approach.
A direct method of teaching English is the lexical approach. It is based on computer analysis of the most often-used words. This teaching method revolves around acquiring vocabulary and delivering lexical chunks organised by frequency and usage. In the lexical approach, teachers strongly emphasise authentic resources and actual scenarios for increasingly crucial learning. In this approach, fluency (higher levels) is determined by the capacity to quickly access this inventory rather than a set of creative grammar rules independent storage of isolated words. These play an important role in aiding language creation and are essential for fluency.

Total physical response.
TPR, or total physical response, is a learning-by-doing approach. For instance, a beginner will learn English through a series of exercises like “open your book”, “stand up”, and “close the door”. In TPR, the most important ability has to be auditory perception, and everything else will be normal. Most of the class time in total physical response courses is spent on drills in which the instructor issues commands in the imperative mood. Students physically respond to these directives. Initially, students learn the meaning of the directives they hear through direct observation.

Grammar & translation method.
The grammar-oriented method of teaching English in AMEP classes is highly interpretable for the lower level. It is a traditional or old-fashioned technique of learning the English language. The basic idea behind this method is that students become more acquainted with all the grammatical rules to interpret varied sentences effortlessly. Furthermore, it prevents learners from thinking directly in the target language. As a result, it makes it difficult to establish a straight relationship between ideas and expressions. The grammar and translation method thus does not strengthen student’s communication competence in the language but focuses on developing excellent language writing abilities.

Communicative language learning technique.
The idea behind this technique is to help students communicate more effectively in a realistic environment. As a result, this training focuses on critical skills like recommending, thanking, inviting, seeking directions and complaining, to name a few. Simulation, language exercises, role play, pair work, discussion, group work and information gap are some learning and teaching approaches that may be used in communicative language teaching classes. All of these strategies can help learners participate in the communication process.
This teaching method shows students how to communicate effectively and confidently in real-world situations with other English speakers. With the communicative language technique, teachers can teach second and foreign languages to students by establishing communicative ability. This method emphasises the use of language for meaningful objectives in real-life settings.

Outcome.
Learning English is very important for refugees and migrants career advancement. Apart from learning the language, students must become skilled in this language to gain a strong foothold in the professional world. Teachers› methods can make the process of acquiring the language easy, but students must exercise these methods to master the language.