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.

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November 2011

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by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89r_G1NLkI Do you know the days of the week? With this wonderful song you can revise them day by day. Are you able to answer the questions of the quiz? ...

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by Radmila Gurkova

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November 2011

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by Radmila Gurkova

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November 2011

Dutch judge rejects pleas for killer whale freedom

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEkIvVNm1hI&feature=grec_index A Dutch judge has ruled that a rescued killer whale can be sent to a Canary Islands amusement park, despite pleas to release the animal into the wild. The case of Morgan the orca sharply divided opinion in the Netherlands. The orca was rescued by a dolphinarium in Harderwijk ...

22

November 2011

Passive Voice

by Radmila Gurkova

The passive voice is used when focusing on the person or thing affected by an action. The Passive is formed: Passive Subject + To Be + Past Particple ...

22

November 2011

Business interaction: Giving and accepting excuses for not meeting commitments

by Radmila Gurkova

Here are some useful phrases related to excuses for not meeting appointments or commitments: appointment ...

22

November 2011

Second Conditional

by Radmila Gurkova

Form If + past simple/continuous + would Functions and examples We use the second conditional to talk about situations or actions in the present or future, which are not likely to happen or are imaginary, hypothetical or impossible. If I won the lottery, I...

22

November 2011

Human Resources - Recruiting

by Radmila Gurkova

Here is some useful vocabulary related to HR and recruiting: Division of labour ...

22

November 2011

This Week's Class: Upper Intermediate English C23

by Radmila Gurkova

This is a sample class for you to try out with your students this week. You can find useful materials and blog posts on the 'Learn English' section of our blog. This class includes activities on: ...

22

November 2011

English tips #10 As a matter of fact

by Radmila Gurkova

Have you ever hear the expression 'as a matter of fact'? Would you know how to use it in a sentence? As a matter of fact simply means actually example: "As a matt...

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23 September 2011 / by Radmila Gurkova

Friday Meeting 23/09/2011

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