60 Years on the Throne!

If you were in England this last week it would have been quite difficult to not know that the Queen of England celebrated 60 years from when she was crowned Monarch of England.

All over the country there were celebrations, from street parties and concerts to fireworks. The country celebrated by having a bank holiday added on to the the late Spring bank holiday, making it a four day weekend.

LSI decided that it would open for the Diamond Jubilee holiday, for any students who preferred to study.

To mark the occasion and to have a little fun (after all it was a holiday) we had a little party in the student social area with some nibbles and quizzes.

If you’d like to read more about the event check this out:

http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/

LSI Hosts the First IELTS Conference in the UK

 May the 19^th and LSI holds the first ever IELTS conference in the UK.

LSI has a fantastic reputation for their IELTS courses, and, with a published IELTS course book author as head of the team, the classes are constantly full.

In May LSI hosted the ‘IELTS Conference – Ideas and approaches for teaching IELTS’, led by three of our very own teachers and a guest speaker and attended by over 50 different visitors from ten institutions.

All the speakers generously offered advice and tips on how to make the potentially dull exam classes lively and interactive, each drawing on their many years of experience.

‘We were very proud to be able to showcase our school and what we have to offer.  It was great to meet everyone and as teachers we really enjoyed being able to share what we have and also to hear from others’ says Lewis Richards.  Teacher, teacher trainer and co author of ‘IELTS Advantage: Writing Skills’, Lewis outlined practical ideas and approaches for teaching IELTS writing, addressing the difficulties of how to make IELTS writing more interactive and student centred.

Senior teacher trainer Suzie Coates looked at how to help lower level IELTS students improve their speaking for the exam.

One of our most popular IELTS teachers Fiona Lewis focussed on methods of training students to improve their listening skills, giving practical tips and advice.

We were delighted to have multi-published author of IELTS and Medical English course books Sam McCarter as a guest speaker.  Sam looked at the difficult subject of reading and how to make this more interesting and dynamic, which would surely be welcomed by teachers and students alike. ‘Sam was just so generous with his time and knowledge and everyone really appreciated the time and effort he put in to come here and share his ideas’ explained Lewis.

The day was rounded off by an informal and interactive session where everyone was able to share ideas and talk about the problems they face in teaching IELTS.

As Lewis says "What made it really special was the way everyone joined in and shared ideas, we couldn't have hoped for a better day".

New Self-Catering Accommodation Opens

In April, our new year-round LSI self-catering student house was opened for business and has so far proven to be a great success.

While the majority of our students are extremely happy staying in home-stays, there have always been a few students who would like an alternative to the home-stay or hotel accommodation that is on offer. 

Completely renovated and redecorated, close to shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, 8 study bedrooms afford a different style of studying a foreign language away from home.  With two fully equipped kitchens, flat screen wall mounted TV in  the living room, and wifi throughout, this new house has all that the independent adult student could want when staying for a longer period.

As in any house there are rules, which are in place to ensure no neighbours, or students who are staying in the house, are disturbed.  The aim is for the house to be a safe, friendly place to stay while offering the opportunity for real independence.

We caught up with house manager Mama Carolina (at 32 an unlikely Mama, but this is her new nick-name) to find out how things at the house were going.  “When new guests arrive I try and get us all to eat together to get to know each other.  Of course if someone wants to be on their own that is fine too.  What do I like about the place? I can be who and what I want to be - I can be an adult. I LOVE my house”.

For more information click here for a downloadable PDF