Why Hi-London Again?

As a crowd of eager and excited children and teenagers forms around us on Monday mornings, we are often delighted to recognise a few familiar faces. The faces are those of returning students alongside those of their guardians or parents.  We try very hard to create a welcoming atmosphere and deliver engaging programmes, and it’s rewarding for us that our unique teaching methods through conversations and activities are appreciated by the kids and adults, making them want to return year after year.  Below is what a few of the students and families say about their reasons for returning.

A Mother’s Perspective:  A Fun and Effective Holiday Experience

First, we spoke to Daniela from Milano Bergamo, mother of two girls. For the past three years, she’s trusted Hi-London for her children’s summer education. At Hi-London, the girls always seem to be in a great mood, eager to learn and looking forward to the next activities, whether it is games or a museum workshop. Daniela believes in what we do and in our method of teaching as her children’s English skills keep improving as the days pass. Her feedback was nothing but positive as she explained why Hi-London will still be a popular choice for the children’s future summers.

Content with the activities we propose, Daniela mentioned how reasonable the price was for the week we offered as it covered not only food but also all the entry and workshop tickets to museums and other venues, ensuring a week of fun!

Having the children just break up from school, she wanted them to learn English in a fun and more casual way as she did not expect them to want to sit at a desk all day like at school. Though we have a few classroom hours, Hi-London’s teaching methods are mostly based on oral communications through activities adapted to the student’s English skills. Daniela also liked the fact that the school gave them the opportunity to live in London as the English taught during the day could still be practised throughout the week in an English environment.  Daniela believes that learning in a comforting, supportive environment like the one we create at Hi-London helps to improve her children’s confidence and English.

A Teen’s Perspective:  The Best in London for Me

We also spoke to Nicole, a bright twelve-year-old student from Milan who has been coming to Hi-London for the past two years. After trying out different summer schools throughout the city, she’s concluded that Hi-London suits her best. What she appreciates most is our way of teaching. When discussing this with her, she mentioned how the grammar taught at school was very rarely put into practise, making the language hard to relate to. Hi-London gave her the chance to fully grasp what she had been taught previously, as conversations flowed throughout the week. Not only does she love the activities, her favourite being the workshops in the Natural History Museum, but so does her aunt, who lives in London and acts as Nicole’s guardian during her stay. Her aunt mentioned that our programmes are well suited to her niece’s needs and ensures a fun time. Nicole always values the friendships she makes during her time with us, and this too is a big part of her Hi-London experience.

A Child’s Perspective:  It’s Fun!

We also spoke to a very smiley seven-year-old Dzonni from Russia. This year was his second year with us, and his daily enthusiasm and good mood always brought a smile to our faces. He is a big fan of London and adores the London Eye! As a keen tennis player, he wishes to practise his passion later in life. His feedback was that the school was very fun and that he loved the activities that we proposed as well as the teachers - something that we always love to hear!

Angelica's Story: From Hi-London Student to Early Years Teacher

Angelica is an Italian university student studying to become an early years teacher, but don’t let that fool you- she is quite the cosmopolitan world traveller. At just 20, she has friends in France, Poland, and Australia and has spent three summers in London to visit family. Her ability to speak English makes this all possible. However, she does not credit this to the 13 years she spent studying English in school.

“We only learned academic English,” she said. “We studied grammar, learned vocabulary, but never learned how to actually speak, to interact. It was pretty useless considering I could not actually speak after all that.”

You might be wondering, “Well how did she learn to speak then?” All it took was spending three summers in London as a teenager. That does not quite tell the whole story though, as she spent her summer days travelling around the city with Hi-London, an intensive English immersion programme for all ages and ability levels.

With Hi-London, students spend a small amount of time in the classroom learning concepts appropriate to their level and for the rest of the time they practice these concepts in the real world. Students practice with each other, the teachers, workshop leaders and those they meet on their days out, making the entire city one big classroom. Angelica and her classmates became such good friends that they even talked in the months between her summers at Hi-London.

Not surprisingly, Angelica prefers the Hi-London approach over how English was taught at her schools in Italy. “I prefer Hi- London because it is more fun, and you learn more because you are interacting with your friends, and you want them to know what you are saying.”

The notion that the more fun the educational method is the more effective it is may seem too good to be true. However, Angelica swears that she learned more in three summers with Hi-London than she did in 13 years of studying English in school. To anyone looking to improve their English, Angelica has a message for you: “I would recommend Hi-London to everyone because you get to go around London and meet different people from all parts of the world.”

Angelica also appreciated her “classwork” which included performing in plays with her classmates and even going to the theatre to see a Shakespeare production. “I liked how the teachers had us put on plays. It was fun to be somebody else and also a great way to learn English.”

Angelica is glad she found Hi-London, as she formed many strong friendships and had a lot of fun. She is also looking forward to the cultural, academic and professional opportunities that fluency in English provides. She is thinking about studying in London and once a week teaches an introductory English class for nursery children: “I just really want to say thanks to Hi-London,” she said. “It has given me lots of opportunities.”

A Summer of Discoveries

Hi-London came into being 10 years ago, and since then, we have seen a steady improvement in the English level of the teen students who come to us. We are thrilled to see the investment that many families are making in English language tuition for their children and excited about the opportunities this offers for us to explore our weekly themes in greater depths with our students.

Understanding the World Around Us

This summer, we are covering issues like climate change, natural disasters, evolution and technology with our teen students. We have discovered how tectonic plate interactions shape landscapes, generate earthquakes and form volcanoes and how plant life has evolved over the years. If all this sounds rather too serious as summer holiday activities, rest assured! We have our fun too. We dodged the falling grocery items in an earthquake, and clung to each other as we took in the views above the treetops. Ali – we will remember you always on that treetop walk!

                                   

Tea is History

The English are famous for their tea drinking, whether it is the Tetley tea with milk and Digestive biscuits or afternoon tea. On a tea clipper and through a special tour on tea at a museum, Hi-London teens explored the history of tea and how the tea trade led to the growth of the British Empire. An afternoon tea at the Kensington Palace Orangerie topped off a session on tea for some lucky students. A French teen helped to reinforce the global nature of the drinks business when he realized that the fizzy drink he bought in London was in fact made in France!

The Darker Side of London Town

London is the birthplace of Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twist and Romeo and Juliet. It also became the birthplace of murder mysteries created by our teen students. Inspired by a murder on the Victorian docks and with props bought at Camden market, they entertained us and made us proud. There was also the opportunity to see some gangster action on stage with the damage being done with pies and cream!

May the Summer Sessions begin!

A Wild ​T​ime 

It is a truth commonly acknowledged that children love animals. So far this summer, the youngsters have already ​met​ a whole lot of wildlife. The Royal Parks are wonderful places for urban animal spotting. Rosaria's favourite ​was ​the squirrel; ​she ​was delighted when she got to touch one. Whilst drawing under a tree​,​ the children were lucky enough to have a glimpse ​of​ no less than 14 horses belonging to the Queen's guards​. ​Paolo was responsible for counting​,​ and there were indeed 14 of them!

The children have also had the chance to encounter and feed lamas, goats, rabbits and ducks at a farm in central London. Nadia, one of the youngest in the group, kept expressing her excitement by repeating the word "happy". Back in the classroom​,​ it was ​interesting to see​ the children link​ing​ animals to their favourite superheroes: Batman, Superman and Spiderman.

 Foodies on ​B​oard 

Spending most of the day together means that we soon get to know our students​'​ eating habits. Manuela, the oldest of the Teens​,​ could not hide her love for sushi; so much so that she acquired the nickname 'Sushi Girl'. A multicultural eater​, ​she also confessed her love for the English carrot cake​, ​which she pointed out can​'t ​be found in Italy. Exploring ​the ​food markets ​with such students is a joy​, with​ ​them ​gasp​ing​ ​with​ excitement at the diversity of ​the ​food ​found in ​London. Having said that, there is still one summer staple that is like no other after a long day of learning​ and ​exploring​ -​ ​a ​refreshing ice-cream ... Right, Bihar?

Show Time! 

With a focus on creativity and alternative ways of learning, Hi-London often employs the performing arts as a way of not only teaching English but also to motivate kids to learn. Role playing at a Victorian School, the children were encouraged to try on period costumes. One of the boys opted for a velvet red dress. It is fair to say that he was surprised when he looked in the mirror and realised that what he had on was not a magician's cloak!

With some background on theatre and its vocabulary provided by Hi-London teachers, the ​t​eens were well prepared to produce their own theatrical performance. ​They wrote their own script, shoppe​d in Camden Market for props and wardrobe items​, and​ ​performed their piece under the trees in Hyde Park. ​​W​ith accessories on hand such as a Sherlock Holmes hat and a pink dress, ​theirs was​ a murder plot worthy of an Oscar! Click here to watch the video on our Facebook page!

Spring is in the air

Spring is always a lovely season in London. Our parks slowly wake up from their long winter sleep​, with​ daff​odiles signalling​ the arrival of warmer days. Days become longer and even those staying behind to enjoy our After School Club can go home whilst the sun is still shining bright. At Hi-London ​,​ we ​embrace the changes in weather, allowing our students to enjoy each season. Whether they are making and flying a kite in Hyde Park or exploring how animals at the Zoo respond to the change in seasons, our students hopefully leave London with memories that will stay with them forever.

BFFs: Best Friends Forever 

Time and time again, we bare witness to countless friendships in the making. We see this as an

essential ​part​ of our courses; the relaxed and informal environment we create for our students makes socialising all the more possible. ​Our students' ​ newly developed confidence in the language bridges the intercultural gap ​,​ and ​they​ realise ​rather​ quickly that they have a whole lot in common. This term,​ we saw Shuani from Thailand and Frida from Germany bond over their love for playing hide and seek. ​O​n one occasion ​,​ they were so engrossed in playing that we even missed our bus! Shuani gave Frida a gift at end of the week as they bid farewell and said "See you soon...I will miss you." In English of course.

A ​B​irthday to ​R​emember 

Parents often allow their children to miss school on their birthdays,​ but here at Hi-London,​ children look forward to coming in on their special day. That is because we make every student's birthday another memorable occasion during their time abroad. This ​spring​,​ we celebrated Gan's 11th birthday, with ​a ​cake and ​a ​song. The team and the class were all smiles,​ but truth be told Gan was puzzled that the cake didn't taste anything like its ​ counterpart ​ back home​. Must be the water! 

New ​Y​ear, ​K​nown ​F​aces 

This spring ​,​ we welcomed back Andre, who was with us during our Autumn session. We love catching up with our alumni​, ​especially when they come back with the good news that they are now ​ at​ the top of their English class back home. It is great to see ​our ​ students ​ make this kind of progress. We still remember the panic ​o​ n Andre's face last year when spoken to in English. ​In the spring, he was as happy as can be, chatting away with everyone. ​ We are very proud of you! ​Also b​ack again this spring were​ the Gomez brothers from Barcelona. The boys' mother confirmed that their knowledge of the language comes mostly from the two weeks they spent with us ​during​ the summer ​ of 2015​. We enjoyed a packed programme with them last year,​ and they could not wait to come back for some more educational fun. The family was​ very impressed with our new location in South Kensington​,​ and we look forward to welcoming them back ​for the third time ​this summer!

Hi-London Student Showcase

At Hi-London,​ we offer our students the chance to engage with the real world, beyond the classroom and boring textbooks. Here is 16-year old Matheusz​'s ​take on the subject of the role played by women during W​orld War II​. Enjoy the read​,​ and watch this space for more gems by our Hi-London students. 




How Did World War II Change the Role of Women in Society?​

World War II was a time when Britain and its Allies were fighting against Germany in Europe. Many men had to go to the front line to fight for their countr​ies. The fighting took place on land, at sea and even in the air. But what about women in England? Before the war, most of them were living at home and taking care of their kids. After 1945 everything changed.

During the war, women were assigned jobs that they weren't doing before. The type of job that they did depended on which organisation they joined. The most important organisations were the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Land Army and Women's Voluntary Service.

In 1938​,​  the Women's Voluntary Service was helping many people in need because of the German air strikes. The organisation was working during and after war. Until 1942​,​ this work, led by its 200,000 members, took up much of its time. The watchword of the WVS was: “Never say no”, meaning never give up. Six years later, the numbers grew to 1 million members. In Britain, taking care of war workers’ children was part of the national service – helping the country in war. Working mothers could leave their kids for the WVS to take care of.

In 1939​,​ Britain formed the Land Army. Their aim was to find women who were able to work in the countryside and take the place of men at their jobs. By December​,​ the number of members counted 80,300. It shows how much women were needed during war time.

The ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) was helping the British army defend the country. Women were not allowed to fire guns or go into action​.​ ​I​nstead​,​ they were employed to spot enemies. One year later​,​  the organisation had 17,000 members. By 1943 ​,​ the number grew to 200,000 members. In the ATS, sometimes women had higher ranking jobs than men which hadn't been the case before the war. This resulted in men being annoyed because of women telling them what to do. However​,​ women still received lower wages than men.

After the war women went back to their old jobs. A lot of women went to do ​medical work ​as​ nurses or first-­aiders​.  ​343,100 women served as such during the war.  At the end of the war, child benefits were paid directly to mothers, making them more independent and free. By 1945​,​  women proved they could compete in a man's world.

Rethinking the Classroom: Experience, Facts and Figures

Arriving in London

Moving to London at the age of 13 was a leap of faith on my parents’ part. My younger sister and I started mainstream school straight away, and sadly, we soon found that the weekly English lessons we took whilst back in our country had not been enough. With a foundation in vocabulary consisting of ‘cat’ and ‘dog’ and  ‘Whatchy-timyiseaty?’, we were badly equipped to succeed in school and even worse unable to socialise, make new friends and enter adolescence with confidence and a sense of independence. However, this is not a sob story. Our malleable young brains were about to soak up so much culture, language and information that our progress in learning English was palpable daily. All that singing along with the Beatles, reading the menu at our local kebab shop and information plaques at the British museum, watching soap operas on BBC1 and shaking our heads to questions we did not understand murmuring ‘I don’t know...’ were a big part of our process to learn, a process through which in the end we became ‘kinda English’.

What the Experts say

So as it can be guessed, I am a big fan of learning outside the conventional parameters of the classroom, away from the textbooks and the forced memorisation in front of a blackboard. There are some numbers to back up my leaning towards a more holistic approach to learning in a research done by mindServegroup in 2005. The Learning Triangle points to two of the most efficient ways to retain information: Immediate Use and Practise by Doing. These are both inherent to what we are talking about here - experiential learning.

                             

The Learning Triangle: National Training Laboratories © mindServegroup 2005

LOTC (Learning Outside the Classroom), a registered UK charity engaged with the promotion of experiential learning, places language fieldwork visits abroad amongst what it lists as ‘out-of-classroom places’.

‘These (experiential learning activities), often the most memorable learning experiences, help us to make sense of the world around us by making links between feelings and learning. They stay with us into adulthood and affect our behaviour, lifestyle and work. They influence our values and the decisions we make. They allow us to transfer learning experienced outside to the classroom and vice versa.’

The topic of finding inspiration outside the conventional classroom is of such importance that it has found a voice even in politics. In the British parliament, a select committee led by the politician Barry Sheerman, who was the Chair of the Children, Schools and Families Committee until 2010, came forward with a report titled ‘Education outside the Classroom’. In it, the committee defended that ‘Outdoor learning supports academic achievement (...) as well as the development of ‘soft’ skills and social skills’.

Memory and Motivation in language learning

This shift from ‘memorising’ to ‘memorable’ is key here, especially when applied to English being learned in English-speaking countries; the excitement of being abroad helps you remember what you learnt since your time spent learning was memorable. Memory plays such an essential part in language learning, and it is the ‘memorable’ which we should be focusing on. The LOTC Manifesto goes on to highlight the six main ‘pathways to learning’: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling and doing. When it comes to studying English, only an immersive experience could possibly offer a way along all these pathways. With all your senses and curiosity activated, the motivation to learn the language comes naturally. Motivation is key to developing skills and gaining knowledge, and what greater motivation to do so than to want to belong or understand where you are.

When learning English in an English-speaking environment, children quickly realise that the main use of English is in communicating with their peers and the society around them. In an article for Forbes Magazine Katharine B. Nielson, the chief education officer at Voxy,affirms that what language students need is ‘the chance to use language the way it was intended, as a tool for communication, not as a complex set of rules to master.’ As a radical approach to language learning, she even suggests dispersing the discipline into other subjects: arts, music, science. The language thereby becomes a vehicle through which to communicate about the world around us.

‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’

Benjamin Franklin

Sources and further reading:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/Education%20outside%20Classroom_tcm4-391163.pdf

http://www.lotc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/G1.-LOtC-Manifesto.pdf

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2014/04/22/the-best-way-to-learn-a-foreign-language-is-the-opposite-of-the-usual-way/

http://www.hermanmiller.com/research/solution-essays/rethinking-the-classroom.html