21 October 2011 / by Radmila Gurkova

Friday Meeting 21/10/2011

This weeks meeting focus is on telephone classes, the S1 beginners’ course, Legal (Law course) and P4 structure material. Although we’ve had positive feedback on most issues covered in the meeting, we still need to improve in some areas.

This year we began teaching low-level (P2) telephone classes and although at the beginning it was a bit tough because most of the time was spent on explaining each activity done, now the teachers have created new activities which make it more teacher friendly to teach over the phone. However, there is still big room for improvement and we want to know how we can teach an effective 30 minute class.

We’ve just opened up a new Legal course and wanted some feedback on how to begin the course. Where do we start? How can we incorporate our method to this course? Next week we will cover this topic more in-depth.

 

The S1 beginners’ course is still underway and so far we have reached the half way mark, and as the weeks go by the S1 course is modified and changed slightly with all the feedback that teachers give in these meeting. More flashcards are being added to aid the student to fluency at this level

The P4 structure material this week has been a bit repetitive. We’ve had the similar structure activities focusing on reported speech. On the one hand, this is a great way to practice a structure in different ways in class (if it is a low-level P3) however, for a P4 or P5 (high and advanced levels) we need to think of different structure material that we could use in class as repetition leads to boredom in class and this is what we want to avoid.

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November 2011
HAKE HOAX? - Get Your Teeth Into This Topic!!
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwyQC71vfxA Consumers in Spain trust the mild-flavored white flesh of hake, which is the most popular fish in a country that eats more seafood than almost any other in Europe. Hake is considered safe for pregnant women, and kids crunch into the cod-like fillets as fishsticks. “There’s trust because of the cul...

30

November 2011
A Cutting Story for a great Topic
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28jvlBA0RMk&feature=youtube_gdata_player Here is something to 'highlight' your day!!!! A documentary movie showcasing one of the best known names in global hairdressing to date - Vidal Sassoon. They say that Vidal Sassoon is more than just a hairdresser - he's a rock star...

29

November 2011
English tips #15 Brother-in-law. PLURAL?
by Radmila Gurkova
What is the Plural Form of Brother-in-law? The most common mistake made in English. What is the plural of brother-in-law? My brother-in-law's or My Brothers-in-law? The co...

29

November 2011
Happy and You Know it
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ2aEF337tY And what about starting the new week with this funny song with easy vocabulary. Pay attention to the musical instruments and the words related to likes and dislikes. And if you've listened carefully... ... you'll be able to ans...

28

November 2011
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by Radmila Gurkova
The two pronouns are often wron...

25

November 2011
Friday Fun: 'Romans Go Home'
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8 Seeing as it's Friday I thought it would be time to post something for a bit of fun! Hopefully you've all seen the excellent 'Life of Brian' by the Monty Python guys. This is an excellent excerpt from the film where 'Brian' is having difficulty with his Latin grammar and conjugations! Hopefully yo...

25

November 2011
English tips #13 Good and Well
by Radmila Gurkova
GOOD and WELL (Often confused by native and non-native speakers) Good is an adjective - It describes nouns ...

24

November 2011
English tips #12 Tag questions
by Radmila Gurkova
Tag questions can be difficult, can't they? A tag question consists of two parts: 1. a statement and a short yes/no question. 2. the two parts are separated with a comma. ...

24

November 2011
Spain's Lost Babies
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Hf-woEDeg How much are children worth to you - especially your own child?! In recent news..... Spanish society has been shaken by allegations of theft of thousands of babies by nuns, priests and doctors, which started under Franco and continued up the 1990's. More then 900 cases are being ...

24

November 2011
Who is your Hero or Heroine?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGt5iiEsThk What is a Hero or Heroine and what is the definition? A hero or heroine is......."A man or woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities" or "A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities o...