Mise à jour en février 2020.
What if there is a way to meet new people, take part in engaging conversations AND improve your foreign language skills?
Would you like to try out “an original concept: read books and practice English, while chatting about it with interesting people from various parts of the world.”? This is what Marija, one of the Book Waves Course participants, said about our new course.
Another participant, Jugana, wrote: I was very excited about our first English session in your virtual classroom. Now I can say it was very useful and motivating experience for me. It was great fun talking English and meeting other interesting participants. I also realized that there were some words I didn’t know, although I understood the meaning of the sentences. So I would say, more sessions would be beneficial for me. Next time I should note the words or just ask immediately what they mean.
What if, sometimes, you just need a friendly ear, somebody to talk to about the things that matter to you? What if, sometimes, you just feel like having an interesting, funny, conversation? What if, sometimes you would like to meet new friends, but you’re simply too busy or tired to go to social gatherings?
What if you could have it all? What if there is a way to meet new people, take part in engaging conversations AND improve your foreign language skills?
Our new Pathway to Fluency Life-Long Learning (3L) series might be just right for you.
In our last session, we hosted learners from three different countries (Switzerland, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina), with different backgrounds but a shared love for literature and English language.
We simply had a great time together – it was a fulfilling experience.
Requirements
English: A strong Level B1 and above.
French: Level A2 and above
How much time to invest each week? This depends on you. We recommend a minimum of one hour of reading and a minimum of 20 minutes online to listen to summaries, vocabulary words and games made to help you retain words, discover additional linked content and hear what others are saying. Then, you can take a few minutes to drop a word and practice your English. The weekly lessons with the instructors are highly recommended but not mandatory.
—What you need: Stable internet connection, speakers, and a microphone enabled on your mobile or laptop/desktop device.
—What you prepare: To get the most out of this class, we suggest you prepare the audio, video or written summary although there are many ways of starting and participating in a discussion.
The aim of the course
- To improve the participants’ vocabulary, diction and grammar.
- To practice active, real world listening and improve reading skills.
- To facilitate genuine, student-driven discussions, as opposed to text-driven discussions.
- To help students make connections between the readings and other resources, themselves, their cultures and the world.
- To promote reading for pleasure and authentic conversation.
- To build communities around their reading groups and make new friends.
By the end of the course
The participants will have increased levels of reading for pleasure, expanded their vocabularies, diction, and pronunciation in English or another selected language, practiced higher-order thinking skills, such as analyzing and evaluating stories (news articles, poems, etc.) and the ideas in them, in class discussions.
Also, as adult learners become competent readers in English or French, they can enjoy fiction, newspapers, magazines and other reading materials at home, acting as reading role models for their children.
Find out more at our Life-Long Learning Online Community site at www.ohyes.ch.