It’s the last week of summer school, but there is still plenty of learning to do, activities to do and excursions to go on.
Learn English, but not only English
Core English lessons help students develop their language skills through a variety of engaging ways, many of which greatly benefit their personal skills too. For example, they take part in class debates and discussions on complex issues such as international politics, gender equality and ethical tourism. Such activities are especially important in today’s age of rampant misinformation – it has never been more important for teenagers to learn how to think critically.
Another 21st century skill our teachers make sure students work on is creative thinking. At first, such a way of thinking may seem almost redundant in an ever growing market of STEM jobs, however that is exactly where creative thinking is most needed. If they want to help push the world forward, young people will need new ideas and ways to approach global issues.
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einsted (adapted)
Lunch time!
Our chefs started off the week by revisiting the epitome of British dishes, fish and chips. With a nice desert, some vegan and vegetarian options, it made for a fantastic afternoon meal – just what we needed to tackle on the rest of our busy day.
We know you’d love some too!
Get Ahead introductions
Today, students meet their expert teachers and get right into their preferred activities. Whether they chose something they’re already good at or decided to try something new, they will certainly learn a lot and get a perfect environment to improve their skills.
Model United Nations class is working on preparing their big debate
David from Poland taking a swing at golf
Evening is time to relax and have fun
At Club Time, students always have a choice of different activities. Today, they could get sporty and play rounders, a classical English game, or get creative and make lovely cushions.
It feels great when you make something on your own
Bowling – a great time to get to know your friends better
A fantastic day to kick off the week, don’t you think? Let’s get some rest and do it all over again tomorrow.
News from the world’s biggest English Language Teaching Conference: IATEFL
Albrecht and Becker, IATEFL April 2019
Marley Dias(13) realised that young black girls were not represented in the library in her school. So, she assembled a collection of 1000 books containing black female protagonists and distributed them to 11,000 schools and colleges.
Greta Thunberg (15) understood that climate change is the biggest problem facing humanity. Her frustration at the lack of urgency given to this issue by governments boiled over and she started a campaign of direct action encouraging students to take a day off school in protest in order to force governments to listen.
Rishab Jain (14) developed an algorithm that allows doctors to more accurately target cancer cells in the pancreas while allowing good cells to live. Yes, at 14 years old, Rishab has already made advances in the way we treat cancer.
What do we learn from this?
Never underestimate teenagers.
It was the famous educator Montessori who said that the teenage years are a “time of heightened creativity and passion.”
From the examples above, you can see that when they are given a little freedom, teenagers can achieve almost anything. From developing cancer treatments to influencing government policy to creating more inclusive education systems the power of teenagers to have a transformational impact on the world is real.
Teenagers have all of this passion and potential, however, as Annika Albrecht and Prof. Dr Carmen Becker from the Technical University of Brunswick argued at the IATEFL teachers’ conference, the reality of learning in many education systems, curricula and schools fails to harness (utilise) this teenage energy.
The reality Annika Albrecht and Professor, Dr Carmen Becker, IATEFL Conference April 2019
How can we utilise teenagers’ creativity and passion in the language classroom?
At More Than English we utilise teen power in many ways:
(1) Get Ahead study options
During the academic year a lot of students are following curricula with quite narrow learning objectives, such as high school exams or the Cambridge Exams: FCE and CAE. Of course, these exams have a lot value and they encourage students to build up their English to a high level. In fact, we also offer preparation for these exams.
However, such exams also constrain (limit) teenagers. For example, the FCE speaking exam asks students general questions about their hobbies and interests: not very challenging. It asks them to compare two photographs: for what purpose? At least in the final section of the exam, students are encouraged to consider a problem, for example how to improve a town. However, that’s a pretty safe topic: generally teenagers engage more with topics that are a little more controversial, a little more ‘impactful’ and a lot more relevant.
At More Than English we give students the opportunity to break free of the limitations imposed on them by exam systems and discover just how much they can achieve with their English.
For example, in ‘Get Ahead’ Middle United Nations students explore topics such as the impact of Artificial Intelligence on humankind or whether immigration has benefits for host nations.
Another example is that in “Get Ahead” film students are challenged to use their English to storyboard a film, learn how to use camera equipment and work collaboratively in an international team.
Find out more about our Get Ahead study options here.
(2) Task based and Project Work
Another way in which we give students the opportunity to use their English in more meaningful ways is through project work during morning English classes.
Morning English classes at More Than English follow this pattern:
3
one-hour lessons a day:
0900-1000
1 hour – Language Input (for example from a National Geographic Course Book)
In these lessons students have to perform a task. They have to produce something. They use their English to perform the task.
Examples of tasks: debate, role play, presentation, panel discussion, research, video, exhibition, poster, display, STEM task
The role of the teacher is to create interest, offer an example of the task and provide students with the language they need.
The theory
As Annika and Carmen, experts in pedagogy from the Technical University of Brunswick, outlined at the IATEFL teachers’ conference, such lessons have 3 stages:
Albrecht and Becker, IATEFL April 2019
Annika and Carmen also identify a number of key benefits and we’ve added some extra ones:
Ownership
By choosing the product that they create and by negotiating within their teams how to make that product, the students are taking ownership of their own learning. They are becoming autonomous learners who are taking control of their own learning.
Student centred learning
The teacher is helping. The students are discussing, making and planning. More ‘student talk time’ means more learning.
Motivation
It is extremely motivating for students to use their English to perform a task that they have chosen.
Pronunciation
Students have to present their final product. That automatically means that they have a reason to focus on getting the pronunciation correct.
Practice
When we present something, we always want to do a good job in front of an audience. Because students know that they have to present the final product, they are very motivated to practise, practise, practise beforehand – and we all know that practice is one of the most important ingredients of successful language learning.
Confidence and sense of achievement
Presenting a product that they have worked hard on gives students a huge sense of achievement and more confidence about public speaking in the future.
Relevance
Students choose topics that they are interested in and passionate about. There are no artificial limits for their ideas.
International team working skills
Planning, discussingand delivering a final product through working with other teenagers from 18+ countries, means that teenagers are learning… more than English…!
+ They might change the world…
Meet Zvonimir who studied Speech Making, Business Challenge, Model United Nations and Shakespeare at More Than English. Zvonimir is a high school student, but here he is explaining to university students in Croatia how he and his team of teenage coders created a new more efficient system of administration for a department in the Croatian government. As we said, don’t underestimate teenagers!
Credits:
We are indebted to Annika Albrecht and Professor, Dr Carmen Becker from The University of Brunswick for their wonderful lecture at IATEFL on 3rd April 2019, which inspired this blog:
“Reforming the teenage EFL classroom: from external control to self-mastery.”
This month the teaching team from More Than English have been learning alongside 3000 other English teachers from around the world at the IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) conference in Liverpool.
Never underestimate teenagers Weronika – Speech Maker
Teenage years: “a time of heightened creativity and passion.”
Summer school 2018 has finished, but your new ‘school year’ has just begun. We hope that after studying in Ludlow this summer you’re feeling more confident about writing and speaking in English and more motivated than ever. In this blog we’ll remind you of some tips on how to boost your vocabulary.
Boost = improve or increase quickly
Question:
What do these 3 photos of summer school classrooms ‘have in common’?
Answer:
In each class the students are using their vocabulary boxes to boost (improve) their vocabulary.
Are you still using your vocabulary box?
We hope you are. It’s simple, remember?
Record:
Write down each new useful vocabulary item (words and phrases) on a small piece of paper
Box:
Put the vocabulary items in the box.
Practise:
At least once a week take the words out the box and practise them.
Tips:
(1) Categorise:
Tip (throw) all the items on the table and sort them according to topic areas. This activity is even more useful if you discuss with a friend why you have put each word into which group.
(2) Explain:
Focus on the meaning of the new items:
Recall (remember) why the item was important in the text where you found it.
Make up (create) a new sentence containing the item
Put a translation on the back of each piece of paper. Put the pieces of paper upside down. Look at the translation. Recall and say the item in English (also good for pronunciation).
Make up (create) a strange story containing all the words. The stranger the story, the more you will remember the items.
Which word means…? Provide a definition and see if your friend can say the word or phrase.
(3) Record
After you’ve sorted all of the vocabulary items into groups, write them in your notebook. Include the pronunciation and an example sentence.
- Which ways are best for you?
- What other ways do you use to practise and remember the vocabulary from your vocabulary box?
Practice makes perfect
Remember: the more often you review your vocabulary, the faster and deeper you will learn it. If you can review the words once a day, you will learn very quickly.
Imagine how much vocabulary you will learn if you use your vocabulary box every day until the start of the next summer school on Thursday 11th July 2019!
Definition:
In common: to have something in common with somebody or something = to have something the same: the same interests, the same characteristics, the same ideas
We have a lot in common: we both like dance. Mediterranean countries have a lot in common: they all have fantastic food.
Before breakfast, our lovely House Parent Seth gives the boys their morning briefing full of all the information they need for the day.
Cinema night
We go to the cinema to see Show Dogs.
Core English
Lucy’s A2 English class develop their team working skills, practise question forms and solve the mystery of ‘The Man and a Women on a Train’
There was a man and a woman on a train. At first they didn’t recognise each other, but then the woman did something. The man said: “It’s you!” The train went through a tunnel. Something happened in the tunnel. At the next station the police arrested the man, but 24 hours later they were forced to let him go free.
Who was the man?
Who was the woman?
Why didn’t they recognise each other?
What happened in the tunnel?
Why did the police arrest the man?
Why were the police forced to let the man go free?
So many unanswered questions…
Use these 5 words to help you ask more questions:
30 years
Garden
Lover
Glove
Disappear
Can you solve the mystery?
Lucy’s class are ready for your questions.
Ghost walk
Also today students bravely go on the famous More Than English ghost walk. Here’s the video from last year:
New video out soon!
The night ended with Jai doing native relaxing chants by the campfire.
Teachers are starting the week with some challenging learning objectives:
Calvin’s C1 class analyse and then write news articles also focusing on the more advanced language of deduction and probability.
Eugenie from France – getting ready to learn more
Mat’s B1 class focus on academic English. Specifically they use the language of cause and effect to write a report about recycling.
Active Learning
They also develop their Critical Thinking skills and take ownership of their own learning by asking “thoughtful questions” themselves.
Academic focus
Academic English – report on recycling
Meanwhile, the B2 students in Jai’s class discuss the future of robots in human society and follow their spoken work with an academic essay.
Get Ahead options this week:
This weeks Get Ahead options are:
Get Ahead pro-Football starts today
Performing Arts: Dance Choreography
Leadership: Speech Making
Creative English: Creative Writing
Pro-Sport: Tennis, Golf, Football
Intensive English: FCE
Dance Choreography
The Dance students have 9 hours to create a show ready for performance in the theatre:
Yes, we said 9 hours.
Is it possible?
Watch the video and tell us what you think! This is what they achieved working together after just 2 hours and 15 minutes.
…Let’s just say, that we’re looking forward to the show on Friday 20th July.
Monday night means we’re going out
We love Monday nights out. It’s the perfect time for new students to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. Lucia, Taissa and Priscilla from different parts of Brazil “show us how it’s done”.
We’re off-campus bowling
Happy birthday Michal
<<< Warning: the next photograph is from the boys' accommodation area >>>
Finally, the day ends with all the boys singing happy birthday to Michal. How many people experience this? New friends from 16 countries “singing happy birthday to you”.
Happy Birthday B2 student Michal from Radom, Poland!
Goodnight everyone!
After such a busy day, everyone is going to “sleep like a log”.
Good night everyone!
International Summer School
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