About ECC
English Conversation Club (ECC)
How does ECC differ from other mainstream English teaching programmes ?
We have met many children who achieved great results in English contests, some of them in the first 5 in the country for their age category on the Cambridge tests, who put into the situation to have a day to day conversation with a native English speaker, struggled to find their words, mainly due to their lack of confidence in their English abilities and their lack of practice.
It is known that there are three main stages when learning a foreign language:
- Listening
- Understanding
- Speaking
These are the stages we take into consideration in our working sessions with the children.
They listen when Robert (English native) speaks, explaining to them what they are going to do during the session and introduces them the conversation topic of the day.
The understanding side of the learning process carries throughout the conversation, where an important role is played by Gabriela (Romanian native) who helps the children when they don’t understand or when they don’t manage to express very well what they would like to say.
Obviously, the speaking stage unfolds throughout the working session.
The topics are chosen considering the children’s age and their interests and during the working session they are constantly encouraged to speak and guided with questions in order to avoid the stagnation of the conversation. Some of the topics include: fast-food, future, Great Britain, humour, social networking, internet, bullying, discrimination, memory, motivation, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, school in Great Britain and many more.
Our first working session focuses on getting to know each other. We introduce ourselves, and we ask the children to talk about themselves, then we tell them all about our English Conversation Club and we play.
We have general knowledge contests, riddles, tongue twisters, reasoning contests and much more. We embrace learning through play, the only rule of the Club being mutual respect. We teach the children to respect each other and to have the patience to listen to each other when they express their opinions, because there are no wrong opinions, just different ones.
English Conversation Club (ECC)
Care este diferenta dintre ECC si alte cursuri de engleza ?
Astfel am intalnit multi copii, unii premianti la olimpiade, altii in primii 5 din tara pentru categoria lor de varsta la testele de acordare a certificatului Cambridge, care pusi in situatia de a purta o conversatie de zi cu zi cu o persoana nativa vorbitoare de limba engleza, nu reuseau sa isi gaseasca cuvintele, in principal din cauza lipsei increderii pe care o aveau in cunostintele lor de limba engleza si a lipsei practicii.
Se stie ca exista trei etape principale in invatarea unei limbi straine:
- Ascultare
- Intelegere
- Vorbire
Pe aceste etape ne bazam si noi in sesiunile noastre cu copiii.
Au parte de ascultare cand Robert (nativul de limba engleza) le explica ce vom face in ziua respectiva si le prezinta tema pe baza careia se va desfasura conversatia.
Partea de intelegere urmeaza in mod natural pe parcursul conversatiei unde un rol important ii revine Gabrielei (nativul de limba romana), care ii ajuta pe copii acolo atunci cand ei nu inteleg foarte bine sau cand nu resusesc sa exprime foarte bine ceea ce doresc.
Evident, partea de vorbire se desfasoara pe tot parcursul sesiunii de lucru.
Temele sunt alese tinand seama de varsta copiilor si de interesele lor si pe parcursul intregii sesiuni de lucru copiii sunt continuu incurajati sa vorbeasca si ghidati prin intrebari pentru a evita stagnarea conversatiei. Unele dintre teme sunt: fast-food, internet, stiinta in viitor, Marea Britanie, umor, retele de socializare, internet, bullying, discriminare, memorie, motivatie, Craciun, Paste, Halloween, scoala in Marea Britanie si multe altele.
Prima intalnire se axeaza pe cunoasterea reciproca. Ne prezentam si ii rugam si pe copii sa ne vorbeasca despre ei, apoi le povestim despre English Conversation Club si ne jucam.
Avem concursuri de cultura generala, de ghicitori, exercitii de dictie (tongue twisters), concursuri de probleme de logica, si multe altele.
Suntem adeptii invatarii prin joc, singura regula a clubului fiind respectul reciproc. Ii invatam pe copiii sa se respecte intre ei si sa aiba rabdarea sa se asculte unii pe altii atunci cand isi expun opiniile, pentru ca nu exista pareri gresite, ci doar diferite.