LearnEnglish - British Council
Interviewer: LearnEnglish Professionals is talking to John Woodrow, who works in the Human Resources department of a large UK-based company. John, tell us about your work ... John Woodrow: I work on recruitment, especially – so I’m the person who reads the hundreds of CVs we get sent each year! Interviewer: Do you accept CVs as part of your recruitment process? John Woodrow: When we advertise for a particular post, we send out our own application form, which is tailored to our company, and we can use it to make sure we find exactly what we’re looking for ... Interviewer: So a CV is useless?
How to teach children English using illustrated storybooks
What makes illustrated storybooks such a good resource for teaching young learners of English? The British Council’s Gail Ellis, co-author of a storytelling handbook for primary English language teachers, explains. Listen to an interview with Gail in our podcast and register for her webinar taking place on Thursday, 2 October. Illustrated storybooks provide an ideal resource for helping children learn English. This is because children love listening to stories.
Ten ways to support your child’s English-learning at home
As the British Council opens a new Learning Time with Shaun & Timmy centre in Mexico for two- to six-year-olds, senior teacher Sarah Reid offers some useful tips for supporting your child’s learning at home. More and more parents want their children to learn English from a young age. I often meet parents of children as young as two or three who say that proficiency in speaking English will help their child 'get ahead in a globalised world'. In other words, the sooner their children get started, the better. The single most important factor in a child’s success with English is their parents' interest and encouragement, no matter what their child’s age.
21 of the Best Early Years Books for International Friendship Day
We know that skills like empathy aren’t fully developed until later in a child’s life, which is why there are so many stories on friendship and how to treat people aimed at Early Years. International Friendship Day, then, is a great opportunity to share some of these amazing books with your children. It does, however, fall on Sunday 30 July.
How can parents and teachers best educate young children?
What principles can both teachers and parents bring to the education of very young children? Gillian Craig, who was part of the Learning Time with Shaun and Timmy writing team, explains. As teachers and parents, we follow certain principles in our roles. Often though, these principles overlap and all we need to do is recognise and reinforce these areas. Ask (the right) questions When my daughter came out of her class one day shortly after her course started, I asked her, 'What did you do in class today?'.
Verbs followed by ‘ing’ or by ‘to + infinitive’ 1
When one verb is followed by another, the second verb can either be an infinitive or an –ing form. Some verbs can be followed by only an
How teachers can help children enjoy singing
Music is one of life's greatest pleasures. So how can teachers encourage shy children to sing? Jane Wheeler is a singing leader on the British Council's World Voice programme teaching children around the world to sing in each other's languages. She shares her tips here.
Practical tips
By Opal Dunn, educational consultant and author Introduction Young children learn English differently from most adults. Most have an innate ability to pick up English while taking part in activities, by making sense of what they are doing and picking up the adult’s language that accompanies the activity. You can find out more in the British Council booklet ‘How young children learn English as another language’, also available on the parents pages of the LearnEnglish Kids website.