Archive for September, 2010

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take the pledge

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

The National Centre for Languages (CILT) have announced the launch of a national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of language learning across the UK. It was launched on Friday 24th September which was the European Day of Languages.

On this day schools across the UK take part in a range of different activities to demonstrate the importance of learning languages. Over 40 countries across Europe joined in to celebrate multi-culturalism through music, drama, dancing, poetry, bilingual board games, and even using Twitter for language learning. 

CILT says “The Languages Work Pledge is an online campaign for businesses and individuals to sign up and show their support for improving our nation’s intercultural and language skills for employment and the UK economy.” You can find the link to the pledge here  Languages Work Pledge

The idea is that by signing the pledge, employers, schools and others can keep up pressure on the government to keep the idea of language learning right up there on the agenda. CILT have always stressed the importance of developing intercultural skills and foreign languages regularly quoting research which shows increasing numbers of companies are looking for employees with language skills and multicultural experience.

The Times Higher Education  in a rcent article respond even more strongly and make a request to our Prime Minister (acknowledging he can speak French and his deputy 5 languages)  “No longer is it acceptable for the UK’s political class to float into international encounters in a unilingual bubble”.

At UIC we continue to see a massive rise in take up for our foreign language classes – this year an increase of something like 40% on previous years. Whether you want to learn French in London, or Japanese in London, or one of the other languages we regularly teach (Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese) then you might be interested to know we have classes starting regularly – usually every month – and this can be a simple and interesting way to re-start your language learning (or to continue it).

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Spotlight on Notting Hill …..again

Monday, September 27th, 2010

This week sees the beginning of a new programme on British TV following the life of residence of the very famous and fashionable area of London called Notting Hill. The area became famous in 1999 when the hit film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts showcased the area to the world. Notting Hill then became the place to be for the rich and famous. And it still is today with very very expensive houses around the whole area.

However not everyone who is lucky to live in such a lovely area is London is extremely wealthy. That is the beauty of Notting Hill. It is a blend of rich and poor, with many different people and cultures living in harmony side by side. The Notting Hill carnival encapsulates this, as everyone comes together once a year to have a huge street party.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 Those studying English in London would have heard of the world famous Portobello road. It really is a place to visit while in London. Right in the heart of Notting Hill, it has a range of shops from vintage clothing to bookshops to top designers. Here are some places in and around Portobello road you should defiantly check out.

Food – Traditional butchers, Kingsland is the place to get your fresh British meat, while sampling fruit and vegetables from all over the world at Cheryl’s Stall. If you don’t feel like cooking, why not try some authentic Italian pizza at Osteria Basillca.

Cinema – Why not see an independent film at one of Britain’s oldest cinema’s , the Electric Cinema.

Hair – Get a local feel of the area by getting your hair cut at Children of Vision, a popular hairdressers.

Entertainment – Remember the bookshop in the film Notting Hill, well its still that with all the Travel books you will ever need. And if your looking for that certain CD, then you might just find it at Rough Trade an old-fashioned

This is just a selection of places to see but there are many more. Have a look an article in The Independent newspaper to learn more about the area.

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the centre of London

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

UIC is fortunate to be in one of the best locations in London. For those coming to study English in London the choice of the best city in the world is quite easy, but once you are here then to us it makes most sense to be right in the centre of things. UIC is in Mortimer Street – seconds form Regent Street, minutes form the BBC and a 5 minute walk from Oxford Street(If you walk slowly). The centre of London is divided into areas, some of which you may be familiar with – Soho, Mayfair, Bloomsbury… UIC is in an area called Fitzrovia, which is north of Oxford Street and between Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road. It has a fascinating mixed use which is still unusual in London and no one type of business or activity dominate. So you can find offices, cafes, shops, designers, Westminster University, lots of residential areas and of course language schools. Actually there are several language schools in the area but none up there with UIC! The area took its name form the Fitzroy Tavern in Charlotte Street which was a popular hangout for poets in the 1930s – amongst them Dylan Thomas. In order to better develop the idea and to attract visitors to Fitzrovia the ‘Fitzrovia Partnership’ has been recently established with the aim of  spreading the news about this wonderful part of London. “The cooperative has been set up to position Fitzrovia as London’s ‘hidden jewel’. The group recognizes the unique character of the area and wants to encourage Londoners and visitors to London to discover it too.” You can read more on their website or find them at www.fitzroviavillage.com.

Just to give you one example of what you can find here – at 46 Eastcastle Street is the Getty images shop/gallery, showing all sorts of themed photos form the Getty Collection. At the moment there is an exhibition called ‘A city of Stars’ showing pictures of Hollywood stars in London. Its free and so easy to just pop in for 10 minutes. Once you’re in there though you will see you can buy prints of the photos – from £40 depending  on the size of the image, and there are many many photos you’d be pleased to have!

We’ll be bringing you more details of what’s on in our part of London over the comign weeks and hope you have some time to enjoy the London Design Festival which is being sponsored by the group.

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a new game for London

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Never been good at football? not sure about team games (maybe with horrible memories left over from school) do you want to try something different? There’s a new trend in London of playing a game called CIRCLE RULES FOOTBALL. Reported on in The Evening Standard this week you can now play a variation of football, basketball and most other ball games you know of but with a difference. Instead of any of the traditional balls the game is played with an exercise ball – (for those who don’t know this is a soft ball about a metre across which is usually used for exercise or physiotherapy.

The Evening Standard quote the rules “A team sport played on a circular field roughly 40 metres in diameter. A single net-less goal stands in the middle of the field, surrounded by a small, circular perimeter — the “key” — that’s roughly four to eight metres diameter and can be marked out with cones or painted. Players aren’t allowed to enter the key or touch the ball while it’s inside. Two teams, of a minimum three players each, chase an exercise ball around the field trying to hit or kick it through the goalposts, each from a different side of the goal. Players aren’t allowed to carry the ball, and contact between players is limited to jostling for the ball. Play lasts for four 15-minute periods.”

Have a read of the article and see what you think. If you are a student at UIC then we will be experimenting with this in the near future so you might like to come along and have a game with us in Regents Park sometime. Of alternatively you might like to just go to the park and join in with some of the people who might be playing there.

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6 secrets of a happy classroom

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Classroom management – which is really concerned with the control and motivation of students – is something that many teachers struggle with. Particularly in traditional school classrooms where the students might be studying a subject they don’t particularly want to study. At UIC we find that students who come to London to learn English, or who learn one of the modern foreign languages we teach are on the whole very self-motivated, they are adults who have not only chosen to enrol at the school, but who have decided that learning a language is for them – that is is important for them in some way.

At school this is clearly not always the case. An article in the Independent today follows a trial for several months where some different ideas about classroom management were tried out. It was research form Professor Dylan Williams who is now hosting a BBC2 programme called ‘The Classroom Expert’. The ideas are all quite low tech but challenge some very widely help ideas. He felt it was important to introduce ideas which didn’t rely on complicated technology and which were also cheap and easy to impliment. For example one of the most common ways teachers use for getting answers to questions is to ask the class and encourage students to put up their hands if they know the answer. He reports that “Only a quarter of students consistently put their hands up” – so his solution (which required unpredictable selection) was to write every students name on a lollypop stick, put them all into a pot and pull them out at random. This initially upset the students who always volunteered answers but had an overall beneficial effect very quickly. Other ideas he introduced were:

giving children 3 different painted cups – red orange and green and letting them put them on the table to show how much of a particular activity they had understood.

Giving each child a mini whiteboard so they could write down answers to questions and then show the teachers or other students.

Asking all children to come to class early and do physical exercise for a few minutes before starting to work and concentrate.

Stop putting grades on work which has been marked so students could concentrate on the comments form the teacher.

Allow students to assess the teachers’ performance.

Read the full article in The Independent and let us know what you think. Some of the ideas have already been part of the culture at UIC – for example feedback on teachers, feedback from teachers on written work and randomly selecting students to give answers, and we are exploring ways of adapting the other ideas!

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fancy a run in London?

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

Running in London is one of the nicest things you can do – plenty of nice parks to runa round and it’s one of the best ways to get some exercise. There are also lots of running clubs you can join and lots of races for you to try out your newly developed racing skills. One of the most famous races in the world – The London Marathon is held every year in April and then you’ll be able to see thousands of people completing the 42km run form Greenwich to Buckingham Palace. If you haven’t already entered though you’ll have to wait though – the entries are organised through a lottery and it is already full for this year. Other races …. have a look at this running diary website.

Otherwise if you want to find a good route to run, have a look at the good runners guide / If you still can’t decide then here are some suggestions form us about the nicest places. The best place to start is the river – its nice and flat and there is no traffic. There are paths alongside the river pretty mucha ll the way from Richmond to Greenwich (which would be about the length of a marathon) so if you’re feeling especially energetic that might be for you. One really nice thing to do is to start by one of the bridges along the river, run over and then along to the next bridge and back again.They are about every 800m so all you have to do as you get better is go one bridge further!

If you want to run in a park we think the nicest is Battersea Pak – there is also a proper running track there if you fancy a go and a lovely cafe for refreshments after. It’s also next to the river so you get a great view of a part of the river. Hyde Park and Regents Park are OK but a bit boring for running – flat and big. If you are ready for the hills then try one of the bigger parks – Richmond Park or Hampstead Heath.

There are also plenty of groups who go running regularly and it’s an easy way to meet people. Have a look at Hash House Harriers.If you want something a bit more energetic and serious then try one of the athletics clubs in London – for example the Thames Valley Harriers. Why not organise a run – post something on the UIC social pages.

Good luck!

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free tours of London

Friday, September 10th, 2010
When you come to London to learn Englishone of the obvious things to do is to take a bus tour of all the sights – the tourist buses even have their information in different languages. However, while this can give you a great overview of the main sights, it can be expensive and there is a far cheaper way of doing it. Just get on a normal bus, go upstairs and look out the window Only £2 - and if you have an oyster card its free! If you can get at the front it’s even better – the best way to guarantee that is to go to the beginning of the bus route. Our favourite bus trips in London are:No 9 Hammersmith – Kensington High Street - Kensington Palace – Albert Hall -Hyde Park - Green Park - Piccadilly - Aldwych
No 15  Blackwall Station – Poplar – Aldgate – Tower Hill -Tower of London – Cannon Street – Aldwych – Oxford Street – Paddington – Paddington Basin
No 38  Clapton – Hackney – Islington – Holborn – Oxford Street – Green Park – Victoria
No 6  Willesden Garage – Donnington Road – Kensal Rise – Queens Park – Warwick Avenue – Marble Arch – Oxford Street – Oxford Circus - Regent Street – Piccadilly Circus – Trafalgar Square - Aldwych
No 11: Fulham – Chelsea – Chelsea FC ground – Victoria – Westminster Abbey – Big Ben - Aldwych – St. Paul’s Cathedral – Bank of England – City of London – Liverpool Street Station (Petticoat Lane market)
No 23: Westbourne Park – Ladbroke Grove – Portobello Road Market -Westbourne Grove – Notting Hill – Paddington – Oxford Circus – Aldwych – St. Paul’s Cathedral – Bank of England - Liverpool Street station
No 55:  Leyton Green – Clapton – Hackney – Shoreditch – Clerkenwell – Holborn – Oxford Circus.
No 139:  West Hampstead – Lisson Grove – Baker Street – Oxford Street – Oxford Circus – Regent Street – Piccadilly Circus – Trafalgar Square – Aldwych – Waterloo.
No 205  Bow – Mile End – Whitechapel – Aldgate – Liverpool Street Station – Moorgate – City of London – - City Road – Angel – King’s Cross – Euston – Marylebone Station – Paddington.
No 211 Hammersmith – Fulham – Sydney Street – Chelsea – Victoria – Westminster – Waterloo Station.

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Charles Dickens part 1 – Rochester

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

London is an extremely Cosmopolitan city, full of energy and activity, where there is always something new to see. But if you are staying with a host family or you are thinking about renting a car, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Rochester, a city in Kent. Despite being a small village, you will probably need more than a day to visit all the charming places you will find there. Rochester is located near the confluence of Thames and the River Medway, close to the southeast English countryside and about an hour from central London.

The first thing everyone should know about Rochester is that this was the favourite city of the eminent writer Charles Dickens, where he was born and where he enjoyed the happiest years of his childhood. In fact, many of his novels were based in this area.

It is not difficult to understand how frustrating it would have been for a ten-year-old Charles Dickens to be transferred to the decadent London of the 19thCentury when his father fell into debt. Dickens found it difficult to reconcile his dreams of being a gentleman to the life he found himself in -  sticking labels onto pots of boot blacking at Warren’s Blacking Factory in London. He took on the responsibility of family debts; on many occasions he couldn´t afford the payments, and because of that he was arrested and prosecuted. He thought he was a complete failure. But in the end, he overcame his misfortunes and his dreams came true: he became a great story writer and one of the most famous people in the country –  and returned to the city of his childhood

In Rochester you can see many places which either inspired Dickens’ stories or featured in them . The Poor Travellers House (visited by Dickens in 1854) is a MUST DO if you go to Rochester. This house provided Dickens with the subject for his Christmas story “The Seven Poor Travellers”. The house was built  in the 16thCentury to provide a nights free lodging to poor travellers. When you visit the Poor Travellers House, you may find out what Charles Dickens meant when he wrote “I know I am not a Proctor; I wonder whether I am a Rogue!”. There is a charming garden at the rear of the almshouse that you cannot miss.

Rochester is a good place even just for a walk. In the 16thCentury, the High Street was redecorated with Victorian-style street lights and hanging flowers baskets to give it a more welcoming atmosphere. It is very curious paying attention to the front of the buildings, because the Victorian aesthetic is kept along the whole street, no matter if you are looking at a typical English pub or at a Thai restaurant.

There is much more to see in Rochester, such as the Cathedral and the Castle.  In the first weekend of December the whole town really becomes Victorian with the local people dressing up as characters from Dickens. If it’s not cold enough there is even a snow machine just to give it that authentic Christmas atmosphere! So make a note  in your diary and don’t miss the chance to go and get a taste of 19th century England.

Sofia, Registrar at UIC

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more on the language crisis

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

The discussion on language teaching in British schools continues to rumble on – the British Education secretary recently announcing the introduction of a new qualification for any students getting 5 passes at GCSE (16 year old) which include a modern language. Certainly this government seems to be right behind the idea of encouraging children to study languages. The professor of the British Academy Sir Adam Roberts describes the situation in the Independent today ‘Any moves to reverse this dismal trend, which damages UK skills and research, and the UK’s international competitiveness, deserve support. They cannot come too soon’.

There have been plenty of comments in the press ranging from ‘its a terrible situation’ to ‘I can speak 5 languages and its never done me any good’ but perhaps the most interesting from our point of view as language trainers is one that made the point that even when students do study a language and have a GCSE the level is so low that it’s practically useless. The level of a GCSE in a foreign language is about A2 on the CEFR which makes it just a bit more than elementary. Really to a very high level, and the suggestion is that when our 16 year olds meet German 16 year olds and try out their ‘fluency’ in German they are completely embarrassed and give up.

So, although we fully support the idea of learning languages and understand the implications of being part of a world culture which is not just an English speaking one the benchmark for a pass in a modern language surely has to be a little more ambitions than it is at the moment.

If you want to learn French, Spanish or Chinese then there are always other options – for example our classes at UIC. Come and have a look and see how far you can really get in a language.

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london is fashion capital

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

well, so says the Evening Standard – and they should know. The main London evening newspaper reported that London has the greatest range of ‘affordable’ fashion shops in the world, according to a global poll. You can also find the same story in the Sun Newspaper(in a bit more colourful language). Drapers magazine – one of the most influential fashion magazines carried out a survey on 50,000 fashion professionals to ask them what they thought was the best high street. Oxford Street got 89% of the votes which is really an amazing endorsement of the streets attractiveness. The Sun delights in telling its readers the Champs Elysee in Paris only got one award and the main shopping streets in New York, Milan and Tokyo received no votes at all! The organisation that represents the shops says there are 67 flagship stores there, from Gap, H&M, Nike, Topshop, Uniqlo and so on and shoppers spend £6million a year there. Oxford Street’s awards included Best for Edginess, Most Affordable, Speediest Turnover of Fast Fashion, Widest Choice of Shops, Best Variety, Quickest Turnover from Catwalk to High Street and Best Celebrity Collection.

We know that people who come to learn English in London also come to enjoy other features of life in the city, and the proximity of Oxford Street to UIC is one of the nicest things about being at UIC. Its literally a 5 minute walk from UIC to Oxford circus where you will find yourself right in the middle of what is now the best shopping street in the world in a country which is the leader of global fashion. Come on and give it a try!

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