Britain leaving the EU could put the Erasmus student exchange scheme under threat. Six former students explain why this matters.
Click here to read article.
Wednesday 30 November 2016
WHY I LOVE ... BILBAO
The once dirty, industrial city now revels in its modern architecture and enterprising outlook, while preserving its traditions and cuisine.
Click here to read article.
Click here to read article.
Sunday 20 November 2016
Testing, Testing | Linda Darling-Hammond | TEDxStanford
Many of you seemed to be interested in the topic of exams. You might find this video interesting.
After watching the video, can you answer the following questions?
1. Linda Darling-Hammond says that exams are 'a distraction from real learning', 'useless' and 'they predict almost nothing about your success later in life'. What makes her think that?
2. What skills do they look for in companies like Google?
3. What happens to schools in the US if they don't meet the targets?
4. How are students assessed in successful countries like Singapore?
5. How are exams changing in California (Lexi's state)?
Is there anything she says that you agree with?
After watching the video, can you answer the following questions?
1. Linda Darling-Hammond says that exams are 'a distraction from real learning', 'useless' and 'they predict almost nothing about your success later in life'. What makes her think that?
2. What skills do they look for in companies like Google?
3. What happens to schools in the US if they don't meet the targets?
4. How are students assessed in successful countries like Singapore?
5. How are exams changing in California (Lexi's state)?
Is there anything she says that you agree with?
Friday 18 November 2016
Hillary Clinton: I Want To Curl Up And Never Leave The House Again
You never know when you're going to come across the vocabulary we've studied in class. Here is Hillary Clinton using one of the expressions we saw the other day.
Tuesday 15 November 2016
GOBBLEDYGOOK
GOBBLEDYGOOK: Meaningless, empty phrases that make it look like you know what you're talking about.
'It was too hot, even to leave home': stories from the world's hottest year
GROUP 671: We talked about climate change in Lexi's class. Here is the whole article
Sunday 6 November 2016
Connected speech
In English it's very common that the last consonant of the first word is joined to the first vowel of the next word.
Try reading this aloud:
Look what happens with -ed endings
Try reading this aloud:
Look what happens with -ed endings
EDsongs 1 from Luiz Otávio Barros on Vimeo.
Saturday 5 November 2016
Native English speakers are the worst communicators
In a room full of non-native speakers, ‘there isn’t any chance of understanding’. It might be their language, but the message is often lost.
By Lennox Morrison
31 October 2016
It was just one word in one email, but it triggered huge financial losses for a multinational company.
The message, written in English, was sent by a native speaker to a colleague for whom English was a second language. Unsure of the word, the recipient found two contradictory meanings in his dictionary. He acted on the wrong one.
Months later, senior management investigated why the project had flopped, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. “It all traced back to this one word,” says Chia Suan Chong, a UK-based communications skills and intercultural trainer, who didn't reveal the tricky word because it is highly industry-specific and possibly identifiable. “Things spiralled out of control because both parties were thinking the opposite.”
Read more
By Lennox Morrison
31 October 2016
It was just one word in one email, but it triggered huge financial losses for a multinational company.
The message, written in English, was sent by a native speaker to a colleague for whom English was a second language. Unsure of the word, the recipient found two contradictory meanings in his dictionary. He acted on the wrong one.
Months later, senior management investigated why the project had flopped, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. “It all traced back to this one word,” says Chia Suan Chong, a UK-based communications skills and intercultural trainer, who didn't reveal the tricky word because it is highly industry-specific and possibly identifiable. “Things spiralled out of control because both parties were thinking the opposite.”
Read more
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