10 October 2011 / by Radmila Gurkova

Friday Meeting 07/10/2011

 

A busy start to the month but here's little update for the week. Last week we spoke about the classes at the gym and the new S1 course. Feedback has been generally good in both areas but we there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

‘Learning Capsules’ – as mentioned last week these are 30 minute learning capsules that will take place at a well-known gym in Barcelona. Several levels were taught this week (S1, P3 and P4). This precise way of teaching for s1 did not work because the S1 students are still at a level where they are learning basic vocabulary. However, the P3 and P4 class at the gym were really successful, staring off with Quick Questions (QQ), 2 structure activities and finishing off with a vocab and topic activity. Having mentioned this it is important to take into account that the Quick Questions need to be done for both 30minute capsules.

As for the S1 course, we had positive feedback mentioning that class 1 was really good, easy to follow, teacher friendly and interactive rather than repetitive. The flashcards have been updated, more pictures have been added and there is a clear guideline for the Teacher to follow. 'Building Blocks' is a work in progress...Well done guys!!

Lastly, everyone will have an extra current affairs topic for P4 starting next week. The reason for this new development is that we need to keep up-to-date with current news. We’ve decided to call this ‘breaking news’ and as this will be printed a week after, students will have the chance to read about it and have enough information to engage in the classroom.

Next week we will discuss news stories that we think would be interesting for the students.  One of the teachers will post videos related to the activities, giving students the chance to listen to news stories before the actual activity is taught.

Hope everyone has a nice week!

 

 

03

November 2011
Do you speak English?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM Why do you want to learn English? Do you think it would be useful on holiday? Have you ever had any problems making yourself understood? This is a little bit of fun... "Simon Pegg and the Big Train comedy sketch team perform a funny short on life of an English speaking tourist in France." ...

01

November 2011
Current News - Trick or Treat!?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://youtu.be/R-VRAemIvbI Halloween isn't just costumes and candy; it's a cultural holiday rich in tradition. Do you know why it is celebrated?! ...

28

October 2011
Oxbridge TEFL - Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFs9WO2B8uI "Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist describes the real differences between the left and right halves of the human brain. It's not simply "emotion on the right, reason on the left," but something far more complex and interesting." If your intention is to become a teacher, knowing a little bit more about...

28

October 2011
Friday Meeting 28/10/2011
by Radmila Gurkova
This weeks meeting focused solely on students. How to evaluate students? How many levels exist in English? and teaching students who don't want to learn. We often find that when lev...

28

October 2011
Oxbridge Madrid - 'Working Together, Sharing Experiences'
by Radmila Gurkova
 ...

27

October 2011
Breaking News - Eurozone leaders agree emergency deal
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDSauvALHk Eurozone leaders have reached a "three-pronged" agreement they say is vital to resolving the region's debt crisis. As part of the deal, banks have agreed to take a 50% loss on Greek debt. Read more here: ...

23

October 2011
Current News - Herman Cain on Obama's Race Card
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_YEj5P-Bv0 "Everytime someone disagrees with the President, one of his service men play the race card. If the policies aren't working that's not racial, that's just simply a failed policy." Herman Cain talks about Obama playing the Race ...

21

October 2011
Friday Meeting 21/10/2011
by Radmila Gurkova
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. ...

21

October 2011
Breaking News - An end to ETA violence?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OCkyZ7dlq8 Basque separatist group ETA declared a ceasefire on Sunday in its bloody 42-year campaign for a homeland independent of Spain, vowing to give up guns and bombs to seek a democratic solution. Spain's prime minister has hailed the end of Basque separatist group Eta's arme...

19

October 2011
Current News - All we are saying is 'give pizza a chance'
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://youtu.be/Am4uhFH66HE As anti-capitalist protests spread in cities around the world, the number of people involved has been growing. Some demonstrators have been camping out in New York for several weeks, presenting the organisers there with plenty of difficulties for which they have had to find some very creative solutions...