On 12 January, 2011 I am starting a new course for people from my hometown of Brno. So I was wondering, whether you would be interested in hearing about the course on this blog as it develops? In the new year, I can post videos and photos and talk about the progress the students are making and the activities they are following.
The course goals
Have fun while learning/teaching - immersion in the language through real-life activities and meeting new people both offline and online. No coursebooks, no tests and no repetitive syllabus activities.
Set the students free - create successful, disciplined, independent learners.
Motivate people to reach their goals. Because everything is possible if you allow yourself to dream! As my friend Marc says: "Kids dream big because their needs are small, adults dream small because their needs are big."
The activities
Real-life activities with native speakers/fluent internationals - cooking, shopping, karaoke, dancing, etc.
In-class or pub lessons with me and/or native speakers/fluent internationals - video lessons, music lessons, conversation meet-ups.
Study-group/consultation - with me, once a month we´ll discuss the students´ progress with the self-study tasks.
The self-study part
During self-study time students will be primarily using the Internet, specifically two interesting video learning projects and the EOT programme which I wrote about in my latest blog post.Throughout the course I will be taking advantage of the modern technology, especially video and audio. And I will ask the students to do the same at home.
The students will be encouraged to be in touch with native speakers and fluent English internationals both online and offline. I will give them tips where to meet internationals in Brno and online.
The ideal student
The ideal student is hard-working, motivated to improve, dedicated to achieving their goal, very communicative and open, eager to learn new things. They are enthusiastic about learning without books and tired of the traditional approach most language schools still offer, to my surprise.
There will be 6 students in the course, I believe 6-8 is a perfect number for this type of group learning.
Where and when
The lessons with me will take place in my private classroom, the rest of the lessons will take place all over Brno and there might even be a surprise trip outside of Brno!
I am also thinking of doing some lessons live on the Internet. Will have to figure how, that would be fun!
Prices/prizes
Throughout the course I will be evaluating everyone´s work and according to measurable criteria, the most hard-working student will receive 50% off the course fee at the end of the course.Another 50% off the course fee will go to the lucky winner of a ballot that we´ll have at the final garden party. So if someone is both hard-working and lucky, the course will be for free!
Students will be offered all the lesson and self-study materials, refreshments during the lessons in my classroom, the ingredients for the cooking session and refreshments at the garden party.
Among others, these guys are gonna be on the course with me: Glenn (USA), Matt (India), Aaron (USA). Would you like to watch them be interviewed on camera?
Let me know what you think, I would love to have your feedback! Any suggestions for improvement are welcome! Please, comment below or EnglishBrno fanpage.
Cheers, Nina
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