Tag Archives: #study

момчетата

момчетата

 

Както най-често се случва, децата учат английски като посещават някакъв курс или в средата, в която учат – училището или детската градина. Така беше и със сина ми, докато ходеше на детска градина. Нещата се промениха, когато навърши 6 години и започна да посещава предучилищна група в едно училище. Там вече нямаше уроци, часове или каквото и да било на английски. Търсехме начин да запазим знанията натрупани до момнета и да ги развием и надградим. Имаше няколко варианта, но за нас най-подходящ и желан беше възможността да учи език онлайн с Илдико, заедно с едно негово приятелче.

 

Познавах Илдико и знаех, че мога да разчитам на подкрепата и професионализма ѝ. В курса по образователен коучинг, който тя водеше и който съм завършила, ми беше показал възможностите ѝ. Въпреки притеснението ѝ, че децата са в предучилищна възраст и не пишат все още, тя намери начин да ги обучава и на тях да им е интересно и забавно.

 

За всеки урок подбира тема и материали, които да са им интересни и разнообразни. Чрез различни активности и упражнения успява да ги увлече в процеса, да им е забавно и да запомнят материала, който им поднася.

 

Децата рисуват, лепят, изрязват и оцветяват, докато повтарят думи и изрази. Сътворяват света около тях на английски и неусетно, дори и за тях, започват да употребяват думите и да пеят песничките.

 

В един момент сина ми започна да ме кара да му пускам песните, които слушат в часа по английски, защото му харесва да си ги пее и защото му е забавно.

 

Заедно с езика, децата научават и неща от ежедневието, разбират интересни факти за света, който ги заобикаля, забавляват се и израстват.

 

Радвам се, че синът ми има възможността да учи именно с Илдико и вярвам, че това е ценен опит за децата, за мен, а надявам се и за Илдико също.

 

If you want to ‘ lean’  English with me, get in touch by clicking on the pictures below.

Darling! :)

Darling! :)

In this post I discuss the importance of playful learning and how to do it.

My little 6-year old students call me ‘darling’ because I call their mum ‘darling’. Children copy what they see and hear, and follow the examples.

Adults should do the same. Why don’t they? Because they feel silly.

 

The boys give me so much joy! I love teaching them. They are funny and serious at the same time. They are serious about their participation in the class and it is really sweet and funny the way they go about it.  🙂

 

They are Bulgarian and though they studied English before, they do not speak English. Hence the classes. One of the boys’ mum is a friend of mine whom I call ‘darling’.  So, they boys assumed that this is how you call each other and when they want my attention, they call me ‘darling’. I just love it! 🙂

 

It is amazing to observe how quickly and easily they pick up the language just by listening to it and playing with it. They cannot read or write yet, so all we do is watching videos, making art and craft, or doing some other activity. They learn through creative play.

 

The reason, I believe, behind the longer time invested in learning a foreign language for an adult than for a child is that children perceive the language classes as fun and games. They don’t see it as something they have to suffer to obtain. They participate with expectancy and enthusiasm.

 

It seems that adults lose their ability to play as they grow up. Picasso said it well:

 

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

 

Learning a language – learning anything – should be a fun, exciting and an awe-inspiring process. Einstein said that

 

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

 

What it means to me is that if we want our eyes (minds) to stay open to the new, we must find the way to stay in the present, enjoy what is in front of us, participate with enthusiasm and release expectations of self and others. As we allow ourselves, like children, just to be and do, we simply find that learning becomes more like play and fun rather than hard work.

 

If you want to ‘ lean’  English with me, get in touch by clicking on the pictures below.

Self-expression thru communication

Self-expression thru communication

In this post, I would like to inspire you to ask yourself the question ‘do I want to be able to talk to others? is the bare minimum enough?’

Why do you study English (or any foreign language)?

 

Most people look to learn English to get by when travelling abroad.

 

But is it enough?

 

You may be able to ask your questions but will you be able to understand the answers?

 

And when, don’t you want to have a chat and learn more about them?

 

Particularly after COVID, don’t you want to connect with others and talk to them beyond ‘Where is ALDI, please’?

 

I understand that most people need to learn a foreign language for work purposes. It is not enough. if you are not motivated, you will find it hard to put in the work. Communication is the best motivator. Being motivated to communicate with others will carry you through the difficult times.

 

Even if you are introverted, you still, probably, want to communicate in writing in a way that others can understand it.

 

I used to teach a teenage girl. She was introverted and loved playing games on line. It motivated her greatly to speak English well. Even if she did not actually speak with anyone only chatted with them.

 

I suggest that you think about your motivation and your need for communication. Ask yourself: Why am I learning this language? For what do I really want to use the language? Search until you find a strong  motivator that will help you commit to learning in the long run.

 

Speaking a foreign language opens a new world and can connect you with many new people, even likeminded ones!

 

If you want to ‘ lean’  English with me, get in touch by clicking on the pictures below.

 

Study or not to study?

Study or not to study?

In this post I discuss why it is not necessary to ‘study’  a foreign language.

It is not hard to learn a foreign language, it is ‘ learning’  that makes it feel challenging! 🙂

 

Most students I have taught over the years strongly believed that STUDYING is the key to learning. Well, I am sure there is some truth to it, but trying to consciously learn a language is not very helpful.

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Learning thru creative play with KIDZ

Learning thru creative play with KIDZ

In this post I share about my experiences of teaching two six year old children.

 

I have been teaching two boys for a few months now. They both are 6 years old, and they don’t read or write yet.

 

OMG! Aren’t they the sweetest?! They are funny and engaging. They have no idea what is going on most of the time because their English is not strong enough to understand me, but they are up for it!

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