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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
FROM PARENTS
1. What can
they learn in 1 or 2 weeks?
2. Can the teachers speak Turkish?
3. What happens if my child doesn’t like it?
4. Is there a test at the beginning and end?
5. How can you have a group of mixed ages?
6. Can we invite the teachers to our house for a meal?
7. Do the teachers understand that Turkish culture is different to
that in European countries?
8. Are all the teachers English?
9. Are all the teachers qualified?
10. Is the certificate recognized?
1. What
can they learn in 1 or 2 weeks?
Don’t think of the course as 1 or 2 weeks. On a 2-week course your
child will have 60 lessons with a native speaker in a smaller group
of students. How many weeks of English lessons would that be during
the normal school year? There will be some input of new language but
rather than increasing new knowledge by a great amount, we aim to
activate all the knowledge the child has gained during the year at
school. They will be able to use the language much more effectively
as a result of the English in Action programme, which is based on
communicative activities.
2. Can the
teachers speak Turkish?
No. The teachers come to Turkey from England. Some of them may know
a few words of Turkish if they have been here before; just things
like merhaba, günaydýn, teþekkür ederim. The classroom language is
totally English. When children are with their Turkish teacher, even
if they use English for the lesson, the children know that it’s a
form of playacting because they can speak in Turkish and the teacher
will understand. With an English in Action teacher, the children
have to speak in English to communicate.
In case of an
emergency situation, there is always an English-speaking Turkish
teacher on duty in the school throughout the course who can liaise
between the children and the English in Action teacher.
3. What
happens if my child doesn’t like it?
Sometimes on the first day of the course, a child may feel nervous
and worried because it is something new and different. All our
teachers are aware of this and do everything to settle nervous
children. In our experience in Turkey, even on the very rare
occasions that a child says that they don’t like the course on the
first morning and even cries that they want to go home, by the end
of the day they are happily joining in with the activities with
their friends.
It is very
important that we are told if there are any problems which may
affect the child. When a child is unhappy, there is usually a good
reason – maybe the recent death of a much-loved grandparent, parents
divorcing, an older brother or sister away from home at a summer
camp or course, a close friend whose family have moved to another
town so will not be returning to school, an illness or accident in
the family. All of these could be factors affecting a child’s
behaviour and happiness so it is useful for us to know.
4. Is
there a test at the beginning and end?
No. The basis of our programme is communicative activity. Sometimes
a child may perform very well in written tests in school but may not
have the confidence to speak. A language is all about communication
and the most used form of that is listening and speaking, so we
concentrate on those elements with a little writing and reading to
reinforce the activity.
At the end of
the course, the students present a small show and invite all the
parents to attend. Every student will take part and have something
to say in English. That is when parents and teachers will be able to
see the progress that the students have made. As teachers, we can
see progress usually from Day 2 as students greet their teachers in
English and want to tell them lots of things about themselves, their
school, their city and Turkey. Suddenly the children realize that
this school subject has a valid application in the real world.
5. How can
you have a group of mixed ages?
If a school has few students for the programme, we may have to form
a group from a mixture of ages. This is not an ideal situation but
can be dealt with by experienced teachers. As our programme is
communicative activity based, children of different ages and
abilities may work together. Sometimes a younger child may not have
had so much grammar input, but they have such a lively,
communicative personality that they will find a way to get their
message across, possibly in a better way than an older quieter child.
For some activities children can be sub-grouped, in much the same
way as the old type of village schools used to work, so that each
child is challenged to his own limits.
6. Can we
invite the teachers to our house for a meal?
Turkish people are wonderfully hospitable! And Turkish food is
delicious!
Many parents want to do this and it is a very kind gesture. Our
English in Action teachers are interested in different cultures and
appreciate the opportunity to see family life. However, because of
the type of programme that English in Action is, the teachers do
have to spend quite a lot of time on preparation in order for the
course to be as successful as possible. They cannot go out every
evening. If you would like to invite the teachers to your house,
please organize it with the Contact Teacher at the school at the
very beginning of the course then the English in Action teachers can
make a suitable schedule.
7. Do the
teachers understand that Turkish culture is different to that in
European countries?
All our teachers are culturally sensitive. They travel and work in
different countries all over the world and know that there are
different cultures. Caroline, the Manager for Turkey, has lived in
Bursa for nearly 20 years so has made the staff at Head Office in
England aware of Turkish parents’ expectations of teachers. Before
they sign their contracts for the work in Turkey the teachers have
been given a lot of information about life here and Caroline is
always on hand to help with advice about the Turkish way of life and
answer any questions for them.
8. Are all
the teachers English?
All the teachers are English native-speakers. 95% are from the
British Isles and the others may be from Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa or Canada. It is only accent which differs, in the same
way that a northern English accent is different from a southern
English one.
9. Are all
the teachers qualified?
All the teachers are professional qualified teachers of English as a
foreign language. Many are specifically ‘young learner’ qualified,
many have further qualifications in linguistics, educational
development, music, drama, dance, child psychology etc. They bring
their varied backgrounds and experience as a strength into the
classroom. Before the course starts, the school is sent a brief
profile of the teachers who have been allocated to their course.
10. Is the
certificate recognized?
Every student on the course receives a Certificate of Attendance.
This is issued by our own company. At every level, students feel a
sense of satisfaction and achievement when they receive a
certificate so are motivated to continue on the same path. Our
company, English in Action, has been operating worldwide for 20
years and has very close links with Stafford House School of English
in Canterbury, which is accredited by the British Council.
FROM THE
SCHOOL
1. This is
new for our school. How can we explain it to our parents?
2. Why do we have to pay in advance?
3. How can we group the students?
4. What is the minimum number of students?
5. Can our teachers observe the lessons?
1. This is
new for our school. How can we explain it to our parents?
Look at the website.
• Download the General Information and read it carefully, then you
will have a good idea of what English in Action is and how we do the
programme.
• Talk about an English in Action programme when you have your
parents meetings. You can then organize dates with the school
management.
• Download the Letter for Parents. This is written in Turkish and
can be given to parents. You can design your own brochure or use the
example one on the website, filling in your own school’s details.
• Keep in touch with Caroline and ask her about any questions or
worries the parents may have (see the FAQ above)
2. Why do
we have to pay in advance?
So that we can be sure of the number of students and the dates and
the type of course. There is a lot of organization to be done before
the course starts. Teachers are allocated and sign contracts for the
work. Travel and accommodation arrangements are made.
3. How can
we group the students?
We would like the groups to have an average of 15 students. The
ideal way is to group them according to their school year groups. If
two or more year groups have to be combined it is useful for the
school English teachers to do this because you know the students
personally and their strengths and weaknesses. It is desirable not
to have more than a three year range in one group.
4. What is
the minimum number of students?
For a full course (6 lessons per day) we need 15 students and for a
half course (3 lessons per day) we need 30 students.
5. Can our
teachers observe the lessons?
We are happy for the Turkish teachers to observe our lessons if it
has been arranged between the Contact Teacher and the English in
Action Senior Teacher. It is best not to have any observations in
the first few days to allow the English in Action teachers to form a
good relationship with the students. On a 2-week course, it’s
preferable to leave it until the second week. The Turkish teachers
should understand it is only observation and we would ask them not
to interrupt the lesson and not to translate things for the children. |
