Focus on Fluency
Our English language courses combine
online learning
with
classroom discussions
What We Believe
We believe that language acquisition is a natural process and, like our mother tongue, the key to fluency is time,
regular exposure to authentic language, and a great deal of practise.
Our Courses
The English Language Film Club
The principal aim on all our courses is to help students advance from simple direct forms of communication (B1), to speaking fluently and spontaneously on a wide variety of topics without much obvious searching for expressions. (C1)
Two Components
Our method combines online homestudy with classroom activities, enabling stundens to engage in both passive and active learning. Homework provides students with exposure to natural language, authentic reading, comprehensive listening exercises and, crucially, time to complete each task.
A significant benefit of providing learning material in advance is that classrooms can easily be repurposed. With information transferal no longer the chief aim, rooms can be prioritised as a group space for active learning. In language learning terms, the entire time can be used exclusively for pair work discussions
Engaging Content
We make beautiful lessons that require engagement because students learn best when they are active participants in their own learning.
Recognising that people want to talk about things that actually matter to them, we offer thoughtful lessons on diverse subjects like family, travel, smartphones, books, love, et cetera.
On our English language courses, students are exposed to the widest possible range of authentic voices, dialects and opinions. Homework packages comprise extensive reading, listening/watching,vocabulary, comprehension and discussion questions.
Immersive English
Home Study and Classroom
The English Language Film Club
Home Study and Classroom
Workshops
Contact us for more details
Please feel free to contact us for more details on our Workshops, The English Language Film Club, and Immersive English. We welcome all comments as we aim to provide high quality, interactive courses through which students can improve fluency.
Background
Immersive English, a 12 week flipped learning language course, was uploaded onto vhsteacher.com in February 2017. The aim was to gather feedback from teachers and students on the benefit, or not, of using flipped learning on a language course, and to gain experience of managing an online course that contains a weekly classroom element
The course was trailed in three separate adult education colleges in Germany. Bremen (3 terms ) Oldenburg (3 terms) and Mönchengladbach (2 terms). 60 students were involved with the trial. As expected, feedback was very positive. Click on the link below to hear an interview with Stefan Hicke, one of the teachers involved, and written feedback– including times spend on homework.
Following the trial we decided to create a course that runs 60 weeks. (5 terms of 12 weeks each). The key aim of the course is to help students become fluent in English. Contact frank@vhsteacher.com for details on how to register your students on this unique 60 week course
The course material used on vhsteacher.com recognises the need to combine two critical elements involved in acquiring a second language; Input and Output.
Input: (online) Individual Exposure to English (2/3 hours per week)
Each week students complete comprehensive learning exercises– reading, writing, hearing/watching, vocabulary, and comprehension question – on the dedicated website vhsteacher.com.
Output: (Classroom) Talking English (90 minutes)
The classroom is prioritised as a place for output, for practising English. The role of the teacher/mentor is to ensure that each student is using the available time for engaging in meaningful communication.