Turning Over a New Leaf

Start:

January 8, 2012 10:00 am

End:

January 8, 2012 12:00 pm

Who? This class is for Upper-Intermediate members. A new year at English Collective begins with a lesson on new beginnings. In China it’s common to start the new year by buying new clothes and making sure you’re ready for what’s coming. In Western cultures, we tend to make new year’s resolutions – promises to ourselves about how we plan to improve our lives, challenge ourselves or kick our bad habits. So what’s your new year’s resolution? If it’s to learn more about English and improve your prospects, then this is the class for you!

What? We’ll start off by taking a look at the past year and what we might have regretted, and our wishes for the new year. Next, we’ll think about first experiences and what new things we could look forward to in the new year, including a look at the famous British TV and radio show I’ve Never Seen Star Wars, where celebrities try new things and talk about them afterwards. Finally, we’ll discuss how we feel in new situations, and how we approach new environments – perhaps even finding time to try some new experiences ourselves! Book Now»

The Right Combination

Learn how to describe the different members of a team according to their working styles, and where you fit in.

Who? This class is for Upper-Intermediate members. We all have to work as part of a team – whether this is as part of a one-off project, or more long-term working relationships. Do you know your role in a team? How does your role change according to the task and the team’s make-up? What binds the successful team together in spite of personality problems and conflicts? Andrew Carnegie says teamwork is “the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”. If you want to be an uncommon person achieving above and beyond what you’re capable of by yourself, then this is the class for you!

What? In this class, we’ll start by looking at your individual working style by taking a personality test to determine which of four categories you fit in to. Next, we’ll decide what characteristics make up the most successful teams. Finally, we’ll take a look at a shortlist of candidates for a new TV show, and how we can take our knowledge of working styles to evaluate their potential for success (or failure!). Book Now»

The Medium is the Message

Learn to describe the influence of news and the media on society.

Who?This class is for upper-intermediate members. The media is a central part of our lives. Almost everyday, we all spend time reading a newspaper, watching television, listening to the radio or browsing the internet and, though our media consumption habits might differ, we all rely on the information transmitted by these different mediums in one way or another. This is a class for people who understand the growing importance of media in modern society and would like to speak about across national boundaries.

What? During this class we’ll look at different ways of categorising the media. Is it news or entertainment, for example, and is it old or new, liberal or conservative? We’ll also look at the areas where politics and the media connect, and how different societies view these connections differently. This are areas of hot debate, so we’ll also work on your ability to argue and convince people of you opinion in English during the class. Book Now»