Maritime English - Oral presentation evaluation criteria

Based on an evaluation scale, student English language usage will be assessed on five criteria values:

Pronunciation
Vocabulary
Fluency
Grammar
Content
Intelligibility

Additionally, students will also be assessed for their oral presentation when using multimedia innovative resources and materials.

The scale is 1 to 5, being 5 the maximum achievable mark, which it is equivalent to 20 points. Abilities and multimedia innovative resources will sum up 18 plus 2 points respectively.

Value estimations

5 points
Speaks fluently, coherently and accurately and it is easy intelligible, makes no grammar mistakes and shows great control over the richness of the vocabulary. Reveals language command for this level.

4 points
Speaks intelligibly and fluently. Shows high degree of control over the grammar. Most of the constructions are mature and complex with very few repetitions. Able to incorporate with ease varied lexical items. Show very few mispronunciations. Reveals an adequate for the level.

3 points
Speaks with certain degree of fluency but message is inaccurate or incomplete. Mispronunciation and grammar errors tend to increase as topic is developed. Construction tends to be simple and generally out of focus. Message distorts reflects a certain degree of language communication inadequacy for this level.

2 points
Speaks haltingly and it is often at a loss for words and phrases. Shows great difficulty coordinating ideas in a simple or uncomplicated manner. Frequent mispronunciations and grammar errors make message unintelligible. Overall pattern of communication is rather inadequate for this level.

1 point
Practically unable to coordinate ideas or communicate a message. Shows a poor level or lack of control over the vocabulary and makes abundant grammar mistakes which make communication unintelligible. Shows great difficulty pronouncing and articulating words and or expressions. Overall performance reveals definitive lower and fossilized level of English.

Parts of a ship and ship types (FIND THE WRITTEN ERRORS)

Knowing the parts of the ship will increase your understanding about the mariner’s tasks and occupations at these places.

The major parts of a ship

The core of a ship is the structural keel, a heavily reinforced spine which runs along the bottom of the ship, in the middle. The keel supports the structure of the ship, and is the first part of the ship to be built, since it serves as a foundation. Some ships also have a hydrodynamic keel designed to increase their performance efficiency, which takes the form of a streamlined projection from the bottom of the ship to help it move quickly and smoothly through the water.

The framework for the hull or shell, the body of the ship, is attached to the keel. The hull is the most visible part of a ship, because it is the body of the watercraft. The hull makes the ship buoyant while providing shelter to those on board, and is divided by bulkheads and decks, depending on the size of the ship. Bulkheads are compartments which run across the ship from side to side, creating isolated areas in the ship, while decks are analogous to the floors of a house.

A small ship may only have one primary deck, while larger ones may have over 10 decks, stacked from top to bottom. The very bottom of a ship is known as the bilge, and the top is usually called the top deck. The top deck is broken up by the bridge, a covered room which serves as the command center for the ship. On larger ships, the top deck may have several levels, designed to isolate various types of the ship. A larger ship may also have several deck areas topside, including the poop deck, the deck in the rear of the ship, and the afterdeck, located directly behind the bridge. The rig, including masts, rigging, and sails, rises up from the top deck. The front region of a ship is called the bow, and the rear is the stern. When someone is fore, they are in the front of the boat, while a sailor located amidships would be in the middle of the ship, and a person to the rear of the ship is aft. The right hand side of a ship is starboard, and the left is port.

Please view the parts of the ship diagrams on the following sites:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/page/e-11.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ship_diagram-numbers.svg

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/ShipsDiagrams/ShipViews.cfm

Type of ships

Knowing about the parts of a ship leads us inevitably to learn about the characteristics of ships in accordance to their uses and purposes.

The following pages offer a very good comprehensive classification and illustrate the job ship choices available to mariners and potential mariners around the world:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/page/e-11.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004706/contents/2ndsea/engineering/e-index.html

Marine occupations and the importance of English communication competency

Non-English language speakers interested in working in the maritime industry should be familiar with marine occupations terms.

Maritime students should also be familiar with the wide range of professional occupations found in the maritime industry, from marine transportation to human resources. Their job descriptions suit different ship and off-ship departments, which are related to deck, engine, safety, security, medical, service staff, platform and shore operations. These national or international seagoing related opportunities may include the following career disciplines and positions:

Marine Surveyor
Cargo Adjustor
Operations Manager
Freight Forwarder
Chief Engineer
First Assistant Engineer
Second Assistant Engineer
Oiler
Deckhand
Able-Bodied Seaman
Logistics Specialist
Logistics Manager
Bookkeeper
Accountant
Captain
First Officer
Second Officer
Third Officer
Electronics Officer
Radio Officer
Training Specialist
Instructor
Human Resources Specialist
Human Resources Manager
Clerical Assistant
Brokerage Coordinator
Analyst
Sales Representative
Customer Service Representative
Ocean Coordinator
Inland Coordinator
Student Intern
Cadet Trainee
Engine Cadet
Electrical Technical Cadet
Strategic Planner
Cost Control Analyst
Risk and Loss Management Specialist
Procurement Specialist

These occupation terms correspond to highly skilled professionals, responsible for moving or helping to move passengers and cargo safely around the world. They are trained to do the navigation, engineering and use the latest information technology. Considerable leadership and managerial skills are essential to ensure the safety and well being of the community of people living and working together at sea.

Since the correlation between English competency and safety is now widely recognized, non-English speakers, who are preparing themselves to work or are working in the maritime industry, should consider mastering the English language. Note that without speaking this language, the opportunities to find a job or the changes of career advancement within the industry are less to nothing.

The importance of successful English communication at sea cannot be overestimated. Effective communication onboard and between ship and shore is essential.

Prescription for success: a high performance mind-set for Maritime English Learners

Being effective in searching for a job requires efforts in researching and planning, and most of all, it requires a person who wants to thrive on outpacing his or her job seeker peers or competitors.

This is a work per se, a work of high performance, that when it is done smartly, it brings a great personal satisfaction, and obviously, a career’s job. This path can be understood as the productivity making process of an achiever. A path that depends on how a solution oriented person faces today’s tougher employment climate.

The key to success for a job seeker lies on his or her self-disciplined and creativity. This implies managing or developing a mindset that is destined to approaching life from the view stand of “being better means being different and multitalented”.

Approach 1 – Commitment to achieve

Achievement is success at finishing a job, which in turn means, having the attitude for getting only results, but effective results, through strategic decisions and practices.

All this is possible, when the job seeker brings innovation to shape his or her initiatives to find a job. Test and invest on yourself through new concepts. Distinguish yourself through discipline execution. Commit yourself to achieve success to bring out a new you within you.

Approach 2 – Plan to achieve

Success is achieved by planning and through research. First you need to understand the reasons “why” you want a particular job. Then the research will answer the “what” you want, the “when”, “where” and “how” to get the job that is being looked for. This planning works better if you write it down, or when your writing recognizes the “who” in terms of your own outstanding talents.

Advancement is based on merit, not tenure. In order to multiply your talents, you need to plan to achieve what you want.

Approach 3 – Work with excellence to get the job done

Follow your plan, do prompt follow ups, and don’t wait to get results. Insist constantly in networking. Remember that your results are obtained by moving forward, by daring to do the unexpected and by walking the extra mile.

Value working with excellence. Deliver the best in you. Failure is not a defeat, but it helps you to improve what needs to be changed.

Approach 4 - Self-assessment

It is very important for a job seeker to be clear about his or her own talents, abilities, work skills and education achievements in terms of the aimed work. A self-assessment or self-analysis helps you to do that because one should specialize in bettering one’s own strengths.

Once the personal inventory is at hand, seekers are in position to match their considerations with the work they are looking for. But in order to make these considerations really effective, a résumé should be written.

Approach 5 - Writing a résumé

Get the job done where the job is wanted presupposes the writing of an eye-catcher résumé. One that is unique and distinguishable among the other seekers. One that combines personal accomplishments with the understanding about the field occupation one wants eventually to work in.

There are a lot of Internet sites that address résumé writing issues. One of them, the Canadian University of Waterloo, offers very useful and friendly information for those learning English as a Second Language.

Please visit http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/steps.asp and complement your maritime career development with the information found in this e-manual.

Approach 6 – Explore job opportunities

At this state, you translate data into decisions.

The maritime industry has a wide range of available jobs for working on ships and in land. These jobs can be found by narrowing down personal options in accordance to some of the maritime industry segments. These options are traditionally segmented as follows:

· Cruises and ferries
· Offshore
· Port and shipyard
· Shipping
· Fishing
· Naval

Getting to know the segment where your potential occupation is, in relation to your core capabilities, allows you to calculate your risks and to foster yourself to specific targeted companies.

Approach 7 – Continuously renew yourself

High performers are never satisfied with the “status quo” and strive to revitalize themselves on an ongoing basis. They are permanently learning new ways to do things and live life. They understand the importance of building a wining mindset.

Final approach

A prescription to success involves the practicing of your personal comparative advantages to outperform your peers or competitors. Be the master of your own performance.