23 September 2011 / by Radmila Gurkova

Friday Meeting 23/09/2011

Developing the S1 Beginners Course

Teaching Beginners in any language can be a daunting task, which is why this week, a group of teachers set up a workshop in order to improve the S1 course. We came up with the idea of ‘building blocks’ - common vocabulary that will be incorporated in practically all the classes. Each class taught will cover the contents from the previous class meaning that students will be continuously learning without actually skipping any material.

WORKSHOP SUMMARY  

After a very intensive meeting at Oxbridge we are pleased to report the following:

  • The S1 course is almost completed with 25 classes (previously 16)

  • The material and content is easier to follow making it teacher friendly

  • Classroom activities are not repeated but used for revision purposes in the following class.

  •  The first couple of lessons will be focused on instructions, introducing yourself and others and allowing students to not only interact which the teacher but also freely interact with other students. (At this stage we are making the students feel comfortable with the language and the class itself).

  • Each class will consist of the same format as the other levels, meaning  formatting 4 activities per class. Each class will start with a revision of the previous contents so that the students retain all the vocabulary used and put it into practice for the duration of the course.


Now, it would sound too perfect if I told you that this week has been a total success which in many ways it has, but many language issues were raised, for example some common verbs and in which order they should be taught, should they be incorporated into the same class or taught separately? How do we teach certain verbs? Are they suitable for absolute beginners? Or are we confusing students at this stage? (To go, To like, To want, etc)

Another important issue for the S1 beginners course is of course the transition to P2 level. How can we incorporate everything covered in the S1 course to P2 transition? We understand that vocabulary and simple structures are the foundation of all learning so at this stage we want our students to have a basic concept of English.

We will start the preparation of the new classes soon. We’ll keep you posted.

24

February 2012
Both either neither
by Radmila Gurkova
We use Both/Either/neither for two things: Both Films are good Neither film is bad I don't mind seeing either film Listen carefully to the video - Both of the earths Poles.... Both of ......is always followed by the/those/th...
Read More...

24

February 2012
all or the whole......?
by Radmila Gurkova
All/the whole..........? The whole We usually use the whole...
Read More...

24

February 2012
I am able to understand English
by Radmila Gurkova
Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could", which are modal auxiliary verbs. Structure subject + be + able + infinitive Be able to can be used with all tenses: I am able to drive.....
Read More...

24

February 2012
Friday Fun: The History of English #8
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbvumrknAKs&feature=relmfu The series about the history of the English language continues with more examples of how English has changed over time. This video includes details about American English. It may be something that people are a lot more common with, especially with the impact of American 'movies' ...
Read More...

20

February 2012
Words are made of letters
by Radmila Gurkova
Made is the past tense of MAKE Make in this case means - produced or shaped as specified It is made of gold ...
Read More...

20

February 2012
Did you win?
by Radmila Gurkova
TO WIN Definition To be first in a contest, a race or something similar To gain victory ...
Read More...

20

February 2012
I actually think that Pigs are cute
by Radmila Gurkova
first 30 seconds of the video For Spanish speakers actually is a false friend. It does not mean right now, nowadays it means in reality. Adverb: Really. This time he actually applied for the job. It is also used when something someone has said is surprising ...
Read More...

20

February 2012
A lot and Allot - Confusing words
by Radmila Gurkova
Confusing words? A lot & Allot A lot Usage: As a noun and an adverb - A large number, very, many For example: A lot of people think that the economy is getting worse. I have a lot of CDs. A lot of planning went into it. ...
Read More...

17

February 2012
Willy Wonker and a boat made of chocolate
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5U_jW-OQS0 A man in France made a boat 3.5m long boat out of chocolate and sailed it in a port in Northern France. The boat turned around two or three times and then broke apart. It carried three passengers or sailors! The boat weighed 1.2 tons and reached a speed of 15km/h. It took a team 1.5 ...
Read More...

17

February 2012
185 things to do with a Pig
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRETz2F-heQ Christien Meindertsma, author of "Pig 05049" decided to take a look at the afterlife of this pig and find out how many parts of this animal were used and for what. It resulted in at least 185 non-pork products, from bullets to artificial hearts. In Denmark there are 16 million people ...
Read More...
Inicio
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33