Celebrating Robert Burns at ELA!!

As all Scots know January 25th is Burns Day in Scotland, the annual celebration of our national poet and a good excuse to let our hair down in the dark days of January! At ELA it was a golden opportunity to get our students involved in learning at little bit about Scottish culture and tradition.

ELA Burns supper 2017

Scottish people across the world celebrate the poet-farmer from the South West of Scotland every 25th January with traditional Scottish food and drink, his poems and songs. Copious amounts of haggis, neeps and tatties are eaten while whisky and Irn-Bru (Scotland's national soft-drink) wash down the food. Scots believe Robert Burns is worth celebrating not only because of his beautiful poetry and songs but also because of his eloquent commitment to equality and fairness.

The Immortal Memory

Typical Burns Supper nourishment

Students and staff tuck into their Haggis

We held our Burns Supper on Wednesday afternoon after class, but not before our teachers made sure that the students knew something about our famous poet. As all good teachers know, it's very important to let the students do all the hard work. So we decided that the students would make the speeches at our Burns Supper. The first speech gives some information and thoughts on the life of Robert Burns, this is the Immortal Memory. Our students delivered it in their own unique style, drawing on their own national traditions for support!

The highlight of any Burns Supper is very often the 'Toast to the Lassies' (or girls). This should be funny and self deprecating but ultimately complimentary. Our toasts quoted Bob Dylan and featured some original poetry, written especially for the occasion.  At all Burns suppers the lassies have the last word with the 'Reply to the Laddies' (boys). Our reply went down a storm and was greatly appreciated by students, teachers and guests.

The toast to the lassies

To put it in a nutshell, everyone at ELA had a wonderful time celebrating Robert Burns and we believe that this kind of fun is part of learning a language. At ELA we are lucky to have such amazingly friendly staff and students to make events like this a great success!

The reply to the laddies

Vocabulary builder:

Can you guess what the under-lined words from the text mean?

Let your hair down: a) Dance b) Have fun c) Read poetry

Golden opportunity: a) Perfect chance b) Lots of hard work c) A small chance

Eloquent: a) Elegant and persuasive b) honest and caring c) long and difficult

Supper: a) Breakfast b) Lunch c) Dinner

To draw on: a) Using an experience b) Remembering c) Ignoring

Toast: a) Hot bread b) Drink to health c) Joke

Tuck into: a) Start eating b) Enjoy eating c) Stop eating

Self-deprecating: a) Have no fun b) Make fun of others c) Make fun of yourself

Go down a storm: a) Be controversial b) Be very funny c) Be very popular

Put it in a nutshell: a) Talk for a long time b) Tell a lie c) Say something in just a few words

Tweet us @E_L_Academy when you have the answers!!!

New Year’s Resolutions to help you study in 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017

As Edinburgh welcomed 2017 in style at our world famous hogmanay street-party, the ELA team are here to help you start 2017 with an academic bang!!

Edinburgh started 2017 with a bang and so can you at ELA!!

Make sure this is the year you make the improvements you want in your English; take control of your learning and become a better student. All our teachers at ELA encourage our students to take responsibility for their own learning. We know it is our job as teachers to make our students better at learning.

Here are some resolutions for 2017 to make this come true:

Be Prepared

Come to class with a pen and a notebook for new vocabulary and grammar. It’s amazing how many students expect to remember language without writing it down! Sadly, most people do not have such good memories….

Write down new vocabulary!

Don’t be shy!

Tell your teacher what you need and what you want to study. Be ready to give your teachers feedback on the lessons and let them know if you want to change anything.

Move your cultural life into English

Remember that most language is learnt out of the classroom so the most important thing is exposure to the language. Learners who become fluent all really enjoy using English to socialise, read, watch TV or listen to music. Even if you don’t think you’re learning anything, your brain is busy remembering things.

Take advantage of the UK

Here in Edinburgh you will be surrounded by English. You can never understand all the new language you meet everyday but be prepared to guess its meaning. Use the context to help you and don’t be afraid of making a mistake!

Use your teacher as a resource

Will you be the teacher’s pet?

Write down some of the new words you have met in your cultural life and check their meaning with your teacher. You’ll soon be the teacher’s pet!

Set yourself targets

When you study a new piece of grammar look for opportunities to use it! Remember that satisfaction you feel when you use the 3rd conditional perfectly. After all, what’s the point of using the language on paper but not being able to produce it in conversation?

Be Honest

When you don’t understand something or get confused please do tell your teacher. Mistakes are good because we can learn from them and they give your teacher an idea of how to help you.

If you follow our advise and take advantage of the great teachers we have here at ELA, we’re sure 2017 will be a successful year for you!

You will be as successful as this young student

Posted in Edinburgh language academdy, established language schools, General English, Learn English, living abroad, vocabulary Leave a comment

Our New Home in George Street

Posted on December 15, 2016

We have some exciting news to share: ELA has moved to a brand new location in the heart of the Edinburgh city centre: 71 George Street, 4th floor.

Our new location at 71 George Street

While we will miss the building on Melville Street, this new location offers incredible views of the city from every room! Who needs a decorative poster of Edinburgh Castle or the view to Fife when they can simply look out the window? Our new classrooms get lots of natural light and have a far more modern layout, offering our students and staff more comfort and convenience. We still have our fantastic interactive smartboards as well as classrooms perfect for groups classes, individual lessons or business English

The Castle meeting room

Our morning class make use of of our smartboards!

Additionally, the new site is in a far more central location, surrounded by a great variety of shops, cafes, restaurants and more. It is easily accessible from any direction of the city and perfectly situated for our students to go out and discover the best Edinburgh has to offer once their classes end for the day.

We are so thrilled to share this news with you – stay tuned for a special invitation to come see it for yourself and help us celebrate!

ELA is ten!!!

Happy birthday to us! Join us as we get misty eyed and take a trip down memory lane. Along the way there will be some fantastic vocabulary for you to learn- just see the bottom of the blog!!

A decade ago this month the Edinburgh Language Academy opened its doors for the very first time. From just 3 classrooms in Leith the school has grown to ten rooms spread over 3 floors in the west end.

For the last decade Olga, our director, has been here to oversee the smooth running of the school. We asked her for some personal highlights. Here are some of her most memorable moments from the first ten years at ELA:

• 12 year old Simone locking himself in the toilet and refusing to come out because he was so homesick for Italy! Olga remembers “we had to bribe him with chocolate to come out!”

• Abdullah from Iraq finally getting the 7.0 in IELTS he needed to bring his family to Scotland and start his masters. “It was his third attempt and he had so much riding on the result, it was really very emotional” says Olga.

• A day trip in 2010 to St. Andrew’s that coincided with the Open golf championship and tens of thousands of golf fans. “We had planned everything for the students but nobody told us about
  

  One of our early classrooms in Leith
  the golf! We were waiting in traffic for 3 hours.” (It’s fair to say that this isn’t one of Olga’s happiest memories….)

• Attracting our first big of students in November 2006 was a bigbreakthrough. “I remember thinking: we can do this. It proved to me that we were going to be a success.”

• The first teacher development course, for a group of Georgian teachers, the school ran. “It was a big challenge for us and it went really well; it was a big step for us and something I want us to do more of us.”

We have been in contact with staff from past years to see what memories they have of the school. Almost of them said: the students! It seems their happiest memories of ELA are connected to the students. David and Sarah, who taught at the school over several summers, remember the chaos of enthusiastic Spanish teenagers during summer school. “You never knew what exactly was going to happen but you knew it was going to be fun.”

Current staff also stress the students are the best thing about the job. “Working with people from all over the world, all in one

building, is incredibly rewarding” says Steve, our director of studies.

From Scottish Bridges to…

…horse riding. We’ve done it all at ELA!!!

Over the last ten years we have taken groups to every tourist attraction in Scotland and taught a huge range of exams to people from (almost) ever country you can name. We’re looking forward to ten years more!

To celebrate our 10th birthday we’re offering some great treats on our website, check out www.elacademy.co.uk for more information!

Match the underlined expression to the meaning, when you think you know the answers tweet! @E_L_Academy

1. Misty-eyed (adj)                                      6. Riding (v)
2. Take a trip down memory lane (v)       7. Coincided (v)
3. Oversee (v)                                               8. Breakthrough (n)
4. Bribe (v)                                                    9. Stress (v)
5. Treat (n)

a) To pay someone to do something in a dishonest way     e) To be in charge

b) Depend                                                                                   f) To remember things from the past

c) Upset and Nostalgic                                                              g) A big and important development

d) Something that isn’t ordinary but is very good                h)  To emphasize

e) To happen by accident

Trinity's certTESOL might be your dream ticket

Here at ELA we’re getting very excited about the Trinity CertTESOL courses that we’ll be running in the near future:

• 30/1/17 -24/2/17
• 5/6/17- 30/6/17
• 30/10/17-24/11/17

Maybe …..You’re looking to launch a career in language teaching,

..…You want to work while on a gap year

……You already have teaching experience but need a qualification

……You’re a non-native English speaker who needs to have their skills recognised

..OR.. you just want a career change

In all these cases Trinity CertTESOL can help. It’s one of the main qualifications in English language teaching and recognised world-wide by schools, governments, NGOs as well as multi-nationals. Doing our course means you can move into the next phase of our career with confidence or move abroad knowing you’ll work for a reputable school.

With certTESOL you can avoid this....

.....and enjoy great facilities!

So why choose certTESOL to take the next reason? Here’s how it compares to the CELTA:

• You’ll teach both adults AND kids, not just adults
• You’ll practise 1-1 classes, something the CELTA ignores
• Experience producing your own materials, a vital skill
• certTESOL is generally cheaper than CELTA, currently it’s £925 at ELA

Course Content:

The certTESOL is made up of 5 units and involves 130 timetabled hours per trainee, ten of which you will be teaching. You will need to pass all internal assignments to gain the certificate. But don’t worry; you’ll have two highly qualified teacher trainers to support you every step of the way.

At ELA your day will normally be:

0900-1215- teaching sessions with your trainers

1215-1300 Lunch

1300-1800 Lesson planning, teaching and observations.

Nearly everyone who has done a certTESOL course remembers it is an intense but extremely rewarding 4 weeks. Reading between the lines; expect a great experience but be prepared to put in the hard work!

Non-native teachers

Non-native applicants will need to do a pre-course interview with our qualified teacher-trainer before signing up. In general, Trinity trainees need IELTS 7.0 in all skills to join a course but remember: it’s the trainer who has the final say.

Could Erasmus help you?

If you feel your level of English may fall short of this, don’t worry. ELA has purposefully designed intensive courses to get you ready for the certTESOL.

Remember, as you’ll participating in an educational course you might qualify for theErasmus + programme, specifically designed for lifelong learning.

Still pondering certTESOL? Have a glance at some of our earlier blogs for ideas of great places to jet off to when you’ve finished your course at ELA.

Trinity's certTESOL might be your dream ticket

Here at ELA we’re getting very excited about the Trinity CertTESOL courses that we’ll be running in the near future:

• 30/1/17 -24/2/17
• 5/6/17- 30/6/17
• 30/10/17-24/11/17

Maybe …..You’re looking to launch a career in language teaching,

..…You want to work while on a gap year

……You already have teaching experience but need a qualification

……You’re a non-native English speaker who needs to have their skills recognised

..OR.. you just want a career change

In all these cases Trinity CertTESOL can help. It’s one of the main qualifications in English language teaching and recognised world-wide by schools, governments, NGOs as well as multi-nationals. Doing our course means you can move into the next phase of our career with confidence or move abroad knowing you’ll work for a reputable school.

With certTESOL you can avoid this....

.....and enjoy great facilities!

So why choose certTESOL to take the next reason? Here’s how it compares to the CELTA:

• You’ll teach both adults AND kids, not just adults
• You’ll practise 1-1 classes, something the CELTA ignores
• Experience producing your own materials, a vital skill
• certTESOL is generally cheaper than CELTA, currently it’s £925 at ELA

Course Content:

The certTESOL is made up of 5 units and involves 130 timetabled hours per trainee, ten of which you will be teaching. You will need to pass all internal assignments to gain the certificate. But don’t worry; you’ll have two highly qualified teacher trainers to support you every step of the way.

At ELA your day will normally be:

0900-1215- teaching sessions with your trainers

1215-1300 Lunch

1300-1800 Lesson planning, teaching and observations.

Nearly everyone who has done a certTESOL course remembers it is an intense but extremely rewarding 4 weeks. Reading between the lines; expect a great experience but be prepared to put in the hard work!

Non-native teachers

Non-native applicants will need to do a pre-course interview with our qualified teacher-trainer before signing up. In general, Trinity trainees need IELTS 7.0 in all skills to join a course but remember: it’s the trainer who has the final say.

Could Erasmus help you?

If you feel your level of English may fall short of this, don’t worry. ELA has purposefully designed intensive courses to get you ready for the certTESOL.

Remember, as you’ll participating in an educational course you might qualify for theErasmus + programme, specifically designed for lifelong learning.

Still pondering certTESOL? Have a glance at some of our earlier blogs for ideas of great places to jet off to when you’ve finished your course at ELA.