Teaching methods & how we help you succeed
All our General English classes involve a balanced mix of skills and systems, and therefore cover the receptive skills of reading and listening and the productive skills of speaking and writing, along with different aspects of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. All of these are put to communicative practice, so that they can naturally enter students’ own everyday language repertoire.
Lessons involve plenty of interactive activities with a topical or task-based focus which allows students to use and apply functional language in various situations. This helps students feel that they are taking something practical away with them after every lesson, which they can easily transfer to their everyday real-world language use.
The resources we use are chosen to ensure maximum relevance, variety and interest. These include a wide selection of the most popular course books, supplementary resources targeting specific areas for language development, and audiovisual material that can be operated using the classrooms’ digital equipment (interactive whiteboards, TV screens, DVD players etc.). Moreover, students have access to the school library, computer workstations and Wi-Fi, and are encouraged to make the most of the books, magazines, graded readers, DVDs and audio CDs which are available to them (on loan, free of charge), and which can contribute a great deal to their learning experience by filling their free time with rich exposure to English in use.
Our teachers are very dedicated to the academic needs of their students, so students with any concerns at the start of the course, any suggestions for future lessons, or any questions throughout, including difficulties or problems (for example with following lessons, understanding certain grammar points, carrying out speaking activities etc.), are encouraged to consult teachers regularly, whether to ask for help or feedback on their progress. Also, all our teachers are native speakers of English.
Very importantly, we are extremely committed to our students’ progress, which is why we give a lot of weight to all and any student feedback we receive. We do this both formally through our regular questionnaires and tutorial sessions (held by the Director of Studies for each student individually), as well as informally in the regular chats that the Director of Studies and teachers have with individual students. We make it a point to know all our students by name and country, so our full attention is guaranteed at all times and our door is always open!