Student magazine 4th edition

Abril 2017

BRITISH COUNCIL

STUDENT MAGAZINE Doctor IELTS the man with the answers

www.britishcouncil.co

What we do

find out more about our activities

Who we are

Meet our teachers and staff behind the scene

4th Edition

CONTENTS 

Welcome



Teacher Interview



Young leaders in English language Teaching



Doctor IELTS

A WARM WELCOME FROM SEAN & RICH

the man with the answers 

Beyond the classroom



Getting to know you



Student Interview



Monthly madness



English at home



Tips for learning



Crossword competition

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Hi everyone, welcome back to the British Council! We hope you are learning lots and enjoying term two of 2017!

So, we have just enjoyed a week’s break for Semana Santa, and the weather in Bogota seems to be finally improving after quite a rainy few months! We hope the extra sunshine will convert into extra positivity and motivation as you fight to achieve your language-learning goals.

Since the last edition we have held another hugely successful pub quiz at La Villa in Zona T. If you didn’t come, you really missed out! The atmosphere was fantastic and everybody had a great time.

This edition of the magazine is packed with features and tips. It includes exclusive interviews with teachers and other British Council members of staff.

As usual, if there is anything you like in the magazine, or anything you would like to see in the future, please let us know!

Best wishes, Sean, Rich and The Student Magazine Team

British Council Student Magazine

TEACHER INTERVIEW

RICHARD NICHOLSON Where exactly are you from?

England, though a bit of all over. My family is from Newcastle, I grew up in Yorkshire but moved to Reading when I was 12 and guess I never stopped moving.

What do you like about your job?

Sharing stories and ideas. It could be an idea about a grammar point, or a being able to tell a story about an experience. I also love helping someone pass the IELTS so they can study in Europe or somewhere else – it’s nice to know you played a role in helping someone’s dreams come true.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

science fiction – I love escapism. I watch the same kind of things on TV and movies as well.

I also love cooking and like to make a lot of different dishes. It sounds a bit boring when I say it out loud really – maybe I should start a new hobby?

What do you miss about your home country?

Not much if I’m honest. I miss my friends and family but now we’ve got things like Skype and Whatsapp and Facebook it’s a lot easier to stay in touch. I try to go back every two years or so as well. It’s been over 9 years since I first left the UK so even when I go back it feels visiting like a new country sometimes!

I read a lot. I’m a big fan of historical fiction and British Council Student Magazine

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YOUNG LEADERS

IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In March last year, the British Council

national meeting with the participation of 52

launched one

the most revolutionary

additional leaders. Their main objective was to

programmes in order to promote leadership,

set the foundations for the creation of an

innovation and change management in the

academic network of leaders in ELT in

English

Colombia, able to promote change leadership

of

language

teaching

Colombia:

Students

universities

with

community in

from

44

Language

different

in three levels:

teaching

 Among

programmes in Colombia, most of them in semesters 6th and 7th, were chosen by their respective directors and coordinators, based on

their

academic

record

and

their

leadership initiatives.

the

students

of

Modern

Languages at their universities  With the university officials  Among students from other universities in Colombia

A total of 96 students attended this first

The participants in the network elected a

session held in Bogota, where they explored

Board

areas of innovation, creativity, and leadership.

representatives from all over Colombia. The

They went back to their universities and began

board

to network with other classmates from all the

leadership,

semesters

officials.

organizations, fundraising, and other topics in

In December 2016, we held the second

the UK in February 2017. At the moment, all

4

and

the

university

of

Directors

attended

training

managing

and

regional

sessions

on

professional

British Council Student Magazine

regional coordinators and members are putting

international networks. Their common goal is

together a National Agenda for Influence that

to exchange knowledge and experiences in

will be then reviewed and supported by the

research and innovation in ELT field with

British Council Colombia. The agenda includes

change management and leadership so as to

face-to-face and online training sessions, the

shape a sustainable future for both leadership

identification and setting up of Special Interest

and quality in the ELT profession in Colombia.

Groups, mentoring visits from British Council staff, and eventual connections with other

British Council Student Magazine

Interested in this topic?

Contact carlos.amaya@britishcouncil.org.co

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Doctor IELTS is here to help you with your IELTS-related questions.

DOCTOR IELTS

Doctor IELTS has been diagnosing exam-related problems for several years but wishes their identity to remain anonymous.

How can I prepare for the speaking?

A lot of students find it hard to find a place to practice speaking outside class. Talk to reception about the Conversation Clubs we offer, and book a spot. These are a great chance to practice discussing yourself and the world around you (part 1), as well as giving opinions and discussing complex ideas (part 3).

You can also watch lots of videos of other people speaking on youtube. IELTS Speaking Test and IELTS Official have a whole range of videos to watch for free. While you’re watching, try to analyse the candidates - What do they do well? What can they do to improve? Can you notice any language mistakes? How do you compare?

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If you still want help, book in to our Tutorials (Face2Face or Online) for extra practice and help.

Where can I find practice exam questions?

Probably the best way to prepare for the exam is to practice, practice, practice. The question students often ask is where to find materials for this. If you look in the BC library should be able to find the Cambridge IELTS Past Papers books, which you can borrow from reception. Some good websites include ielts-exam.net and examenglish.com. Both sites have lots of reading and listening papers, as well as some vocabulary practice.

Try to do at least one reading activity, and one listening activity (total about 15-20m) every day while you’re preparing for the exam.

British Council Student Magazine

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

John Maldonado, IT legend What is your role here at the BC? I provide IT support and solutions to… pretty much everyone!

What’s the best thing about your job?

Being able to learn from teachers and other staff. I have a great group of colleagues from many walks of life!

What’s the worst thing about your job?

Well, I guess sometimes I am so focused on problem solving that I forget I must eat what my doctor tells me to.

Some people think IT professionals are really serious people, is that true?

No, not always. My boss, for example, is very creative and good humoured despite being

British Council Student Magazine

under pressure. On the other hand, I have heard that humour is the most serious thing :) Well then, when was the last time you laughed a lot?

Probably when a friend showed us a name tag full of spelling mistakes. Instead of his name printed on the label, it read 'Juan Va De Puente' which locally means 'Juan is going on vacation for the bank holiday'. I still wonder how that happened!

What song would be in the soundtrack of your life? ’Message in a bottle’ by The Police. It reminds me of how it can be to live without hope.

Is it true that you can fix most problems by turning something off, then turning it on again?

No, it’s much more complicated than that!

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU Daniel Johnston Senior Teacher, YL Programmes What do you do at the British Council?

I am the Young Learner Programmes Manager and Child Protection Coordinator, which means I am responsible for all our courses for children aged from 5 to 17 years old and their wellbeing.

We currently have around 850 students studying with us in five different age ranges: 5-6, 7-8, 9-11, 12-14, and 15-17. The majority of our classes are on Saturdays and we have them at all of our centres so it’s a very busy day at the office!

So what’s the difference between teaching Young Learners and Adults?

The approach changes depending on the age of the students and this relates to their stage of cognitive development. The main difference to the approach is the importance of embedding the language in a clear context, which mirrors how children learn their first language. There are also a lot more songs and chants because children are such good mimics and this helps develop pronunciation from an early age. There is also more movement and competitive activities, which helps motivate students. If anyone wants to find out more about our courses, they can speak to the Customer Service team, their teacher or have a look at the webpage.

How long have you been in Colombia?

I arrived in 2009 so it’ll be 8 years in August.

Wow, that’s a long time, so do you feel Colombian now (or at least partly Colombian)?

I really love it here and I’m married now, with a four year old daughter, so I’m in no rush to leave!

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I do feel well settled and after all this time, I love the culture and feel part of it. There are so many reasons why I like living here: the opportunities for travel, the food, the people and the music so the next step is to apply for a passport and make it official.

How many languages do you speak?

I’ve attempted to learn a lot of different languages like Japanese, Cantonese, Arabic and Thai but they never really stuck. The best Asian language I could speak was Thai but that has all been replaced by Spanish. There is only really room for one extra language in my brain!

You’re thinking of learning French? Really?

Why? My daughter just started at the Liceo Francés British Council Student Magazine

and my wife speaks French, so that’s the main motivation. I want to be able to help my daughter with her homework and understand my wife and daughter when they talk about me in French.

Do you find learning languages easy or difficult?

I didn’t have much success with languages at school but I think that was due to the methodology. We just used to sit there and listen to the teacher drone on while we copied down endless tables of verbs and lists of vocabulary out of context. It was done in such an abstract way that it lacked any meaning. However, while living abroad, I have found it much easier due to the clear context and need. I mentioned my level of Thai used to be good and that was because I lived in a village with few other foreigners and nobody spoke English. I think this is why we try to provide a clear context in the classroom to mirror this process and you can see the difference in student motivation as a result.

Somebody told me that you are into Vallenato music. Not many foreigners like it.

How did you get into it?

I’ve liked it since I first arrived. The main reason I took to it was because it was so uniquely Colombian. I also found the history of it really interesting because it was originally used to deliver news from town to town. This is why the lyrics to a lot of Vallenato songs are so interesting. I used to listen to songs by Diomedes Diaz (and other artists on Youtube) to translate them and improve my Spanish. The last reason and probably the most important is that the parrandas are great and the music is a lot of fun to dance to.

was music blaring out of packed tiendas and lots of people talking and laughing around tables full of beer bottles. The city had such a great feeling and I nearly kissed the ground when I got out of the taxi. I think that first day has always stuck with me and I still love the atmosphere of Bogota, apart from the rain! I have been really lucky to be able to travel around the country and see the diversity of culture and landscape which Colombia has to offer. I still have so much to see and explore.

Can you tell us one Colombian food you love, and one you hate?

I really like the food from the coast, especially carimañolas and arepas de huevo (with suero and spicy sauce of course!). On the opposite end of the spectrum, two very similar kinds of Colombian food I have never got used to, and my wife’s favourites, are mute and ubre. I tried to eat them on a number of occasions but I just don’t get the appeal.

POLÍTICAS DE PROTECCIÓN A MENORES

El British Council reconoce su obligación fundamental de prevenir y proteger a todos los niños con los que trabaja, en especial contra los abusos. Para ello actuamos conforme a la legislación británica de protección de la infancia y a las leyes pertinentes en cada uno de los países en los que operamos, y defendemos firmemente la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos del Niño (CDN) de 1989.

What was your first impression of Colombia?

Has it changed over the years?

I arrived in Bogota after a year in Libya so you can imagine how I felt as I drove through the city on that sunny Sunday afternoon. It was the complete opposite of where I’d come from. There

British Council Student Magazine

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STUDENT PROFILE

How long have you been a student at the British Council?

About a year now!

Have you improved a lot?

Slowly but surely. I started in Elementary 2, and now I’m in Pre-int 3. It’s taking a long time, but I’m definitely making progress.

What do you do?

I’m at university at the moment. I’m studying Graphic Design, but I already have a degree in Merchandising & Advertising.

Oh, and I’m also a belly-dancer!

Name: Diana Torres Level: Pre-intermediate 3 Profession: Merchandising & Advertising Hobbies: Belly Dancing Teacher: Chris Cox

Wow, cool. Will you need English for your career in the future?

Of course, I think English is essential for pretty-much every career these days. I’ll definitely need English one day, and I’m going to keep studying and improving my English as much as I can.

What’s the best thing about the British Council?

The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable. They are native speakers, so we can trust their pronunciation.

How do you study English outside of class?

I like watching movies. Actually, last week I saw Beauty and the Beast in the cinema.

“I think English is

Did you like it?

essential for pretty

I loved it! It’s spectacular visually. There is one scene I really liked, where everything is enchanted, and moving around in the air, it was beautiful!

much every career these days...”

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Actually I’m just in the British Council now reading the book version. I’m learning loads of new words!

British Council Student Magazine

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born and grew up in Bucaramanga.

STUDENT PROFILE

How is Bucaramanga different to Bogota?

It’s warmer than Bogota over there. The people are very tough and hard working. Bumangueses are also really loud.

What do you do in your spare time?

Well, at the moment I’m learning and practicing my English, that takes up most of my free time!

What are your plans for the next 5 years?

I’m hoping to emigrate to Canada at some point. I would like to get a job in healthcare administration. I might do a doctorate in healthcare too. Eventually I’d like to get a better job in my industry, perhaps be a CEO. Oh, and get married too!

Why did you study medicine?

I think it’s a fantastic industry, and makes an extremely positive contribution to the world.

How has medicine changed in recent years?

Research has led to much better understanding of genes, and how the body works at the molecular level. This has caused a revolution in ‘precision medicine’, which allows doctors to treat illnesses much more effectively.

Name: José Pérez Level: Pre-Intermediate Profession: Doctor Hobbies: Reading, especially non-fiction Teacher: Richard Mayne

Describe the British Council in 3 words!

Fun, fascinating and complete!

“At the moment I’m learning and practicing my English...”

British Council Student Magazine

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MONTHLY MADNESS JOKE OF THE MONTH Q: What starts with "P", ends with "E", and has millions of letters?

A: The "Post Office"!

IDIOM OF THE MONTH

Behind the times If someone is behind the times, they are old-fashioned and their ideas are out of date.

“Neil is really behind the times. He doesn't even know what rap music sounds like!”

Do you have a similar expression in your language?

SPANGLISH, SPANISH SPEAKERS OFTEN SAY: Spanish speakers often say ‘I’m very compromised with my learning’. compromise ≠ compromiso We should say – ‘I’m very committed to my learning.’

Compromise means a mutual agreement, usually when both sides make concessions.

‘We couldn’t agree on where to go out, so we compromised and stayed at home.’

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British Council Student Magazine

ENGLISH AT HOME Website of the month: http://www.eslcafe.com/students/

If you want somewhere where you can find some resources to help you study at home, Dave’s ESL Café is a good place to start.

As well as some really clear reference pages for things like phrasal verbs (come on! Come over and we’ll come across some tough words to learn) and idiomatic expressions (which can really rub someone the wrong way if you don’t understand them).

There’s also a great section on slang and colloquial language.

The best thing about it, though, is the ‘café’ feel to it. There are a few forums where you can talk to other people about your problems. The ‘Help Center’ is a place to ask about things that are confusing you or you find difficult – there are always a few teachers happy to help out with this.

The ‘Student Forums’ is where you can

chat with other students around the world.

The site is divided by topics, such as food or cinema or science or sport, each with a range of sub-topics to discuss. The beauty of this is that it gives you a great chance to practice and share with other learners from around the world, where you have to use English to communicate with each other.

Another great site is http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/ studyzone/. The University of Victoria in Canada has a load of materials for their English Language Centre available online for free. The materials are split by levels, and each area has a lot of grammar lessons but it also has reading practice with activities for each level, often with an audio file to listen while you read, and related writing practice.

NEXT PUB QUIZ COME AND JOIN THE PARTY! We invite you to join us at our next fun filled Pub Quiz.

When: Saturday 13th of May 2017, from 4:30pm.

Where: La Villa Bar, Cra. 14A # 83-56 Entry: 15,000 COP (which includes entry into the pub quiz, two drinks, the cost of the prize and money to a charity) Quiz teams: - Six people per team - Teams can include students, friends of students and teachers - You can invite up to 2 friends Please register by telephone 3259090 or at the front desk British Council Student Magazine

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TIPS FOR LEARNING Set goals It’s a great idea to have a long-term goal in mind when you’re studying.

Maybe your reason for studying at the British Council is to be able to speak to foreign colleagues better, complete your degree or be understood when you travel.

Setting small goals each term (and sticking to them!) is an important part of your learning and you should be doing this if you really want to succeed.

What did you set out to achieve this term? How are you doing it? How can you tell if it worked? If you can’t answer any of these questions, then you need to think about them!

Make it specific. We’d all love to ‘improve my vocabulary’. But what part of your vocabulary are you talking about? Is there a specific event in the future you’ll need to speak English at (a cousin’s wedding, for example) or do you have an exam soon that you have to learn specific language for? Focus on this.

Write your goal like this ‘This term I’m going to improve my vocabulary for media and marketing by making lists of new words in articles, choosing 7 each week and using them in class and at work. You can keep the list in a notebook or on your phone and review it when you’re waiting for a meeting to start or when you’re on transport. You can also tick the word every time you use it, so you have a record of your success.

How much time outside of class do you have to spend on your goal, if you can’t incorporate it into class? It’s important to do what you say you’re going to do, so be realistic. That way you’ll be extremely happy when you put a big tick next to your goal at the end of term.

Your goal for each term is part of your learning journey. Reflecting on each term’s achievements can help you build your confidence and see what areas you need to work more at. Write yours in the space below: This term I’m going to improve _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ by___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 14

British Council Student Magazine

STUDENT CROSSWORD COMPETITION!

...Fill in this crossword, and hand it in at reception for the chance to win a mystery prize*! *Terms and conditions apply.

Across

Down

5. Work without getting money (v./n.)

7. Past tense of 'see' (v.)

9. Happy and pleasant personality (adj.)

11. Weird, unusual (adj.)

12. Something to keep you dry in the rain (n.)

13. A person with ginger hair (n.)

16. Responsible, industrious (adj.)

17. Open the ____ and let fresh air into the house (n.)

19. Company you work for (n.)

21. Opposite of throw (v.)

23. Past participle of 'do' (v.)

24. The opposite of day (n.)

1. Opposite of short (for a person) (adj.)

2. They _____ taking turns riding the bike. (past tense of 'be') 3. Individual, special (adj.)

4. Past participle of 'wake' (v.)

6. Schools, universities and studies (n.)

8. Past participle of 'write' (v.)

10. Things you have done (v./n.)

14. Past tense of 'shake' (v.)

15. Past tense of 'freeze' (v.)

18. We wear this on our wrist to tell the time (n.)

20. Something you dance to (n.)

22. She had already ______ the exam. (past participle of 'take')

Congratulation to the winner of the previous crossword competition: Milena Contreras / Elementary 3 British Council Student Magazine

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