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Teacher & Teaching

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who is my teacher?

Stretton Taborn is a state-recognised teacher, with a B.A. in English Language and Literature, an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and a first-class teaching diploma. The author of several books and over thirty articles on teaching methodology, he has 40 years experience of teaching English as a Foreign Language in schools, colleges, universities and companies in France, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden, as well as in the U.K.

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are you a recognised language school?

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Wessex Study is recognised as an educational business, but we are not a school. We are a specialised educational service which aims to offer small-scale, high-quality tuition and accommodation to students of English (private or professional) who wish to reach the highest possible standard in the time they have.

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what about teaching methods?

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The material you will use has been specially made for Wessex Study students; you will find it nowhere else. It has been designed to help you use your English creatively.

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Whatever  you  choose to study, the emphasis is on using the language. It is not enough to learn grammar, vocabulary or phrases: you must be able to use them too. For this reason you will have many chances to practise your speaking, using quizzes, pictures, videos, the internet, puzzles, surveys, personality tests, story-telling, simplified articles, interactive games and much more.

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The aim is always, wherever possible, to copy the way we use language in real-life. For example, the present perfect will have a large place in a job interview, so students get an interview simulation. The present simple will be the main tense used in a street survey, so the learner and teacher hold one. And so on. At least 80% of class time is taken up by student speaking.

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give me some examples

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Here is an example of one page on a grammar point:

This sheet comes from Paperwork, a short course on business letter and e-mail writing:

Business English, like everything else, gives students a lot of conversation practice:

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what can I study?

Most students choose, as a basis for their studies, some grammar, vocabulary work, social English, listening and pronunciation, and (of course) speaking practice. You also have the chance to work at

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-    business English (telephoning, negotiations,

     letter-writing, presentations etc)

-    legal English

-    financial and banking English

-    export-import English

-    the writing of scientific articles

and other fields.

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how long do I study?

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The standard course lasts 28 (45') hours per week, although a 20 hour week is also possible. Note that this refers to formal tuition. In addition to this you can expect to have 18 or more extra active (60') contact hours with your tutor, during travel time, breaks, meals, and on excursions. "Active contact time" means conversation time during which your mistakes will be corrected.

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describe a typical day

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A typical student chooses a 28 hour programme like this:

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8:30               pick up from the host family

9:00-10:30     grammar

10:30             coffee break

11:00-12:30   topic work or professional English

12:30-13:30   lunch break

13:30-15:00   conversation, listening (etc)

15:00             return to host family

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If this timetable is followed, one day and one afternoon are free.

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what do students say?

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The following written comments are from students who studied with Stretton Taborn in 1:1 or 2:1 courses: 

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"It was an excellent opportunity to improve our English language skills... quite a new experience to have fun by learning English."

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"I really, really think you are such a talented teacher."

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"I would like to tell you I enjoyed studying with you. You are the most amazing teacher anyone could ever know. You study very hard for students all the time."

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"You made me relaxed and happy and gave me a lot of enjoyment."

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“You are the best teacher who I have known.”

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"[Ihr Unterricht] war für uns alle einmalig, denn wir haben es vorher noch nie erlebt, dass sich jemand mit so viel Mühe und Abwechslung auf den Englischunterricht vorbereitet hat."

“You’re an excellent teacher and your documents are one of the best parts of my English fundamental base.”

“It was the best English-study in my life!”

"It was a pleasure to learn from a such charismatic teacher!"

“In tutta sincerità posso dire che per me tutto era perfetto. Il metodo di insegnamento è chiaro e divertente. Le ore di studio passano rapidamente, il materiale è ben fatto e chiaro.”

“Das Lernmaterial war umfangreich und abwechslungsreich. Die Spiele zwischendurch fand ich auch super.”

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