Teaching English at the Hackney Migrant Centre

As well as funding Jagtar's teaching position at homeless charity Crisis, the International House Trust also supports the Hackney Migrant Centre in East London. Here IH London teacher Ben Darby is busy teaching English to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

Read Ben's first update from the Centre to find out what he's been doing and the important role the Hackney Migrant Centre plays in the community:

"I teach English at International House London. Since September I have also been teaching English at one of the charities which International House is helping to support; the Hackney Migrant Centre.

The Migrant Centre is a charity that runs a weekly 'drop-in' for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. It is based at St Mary’s Church by Clissold Park in Stoke Newington on Wednesday afternoons.

It is an inspiring project. Staffed mostly by volunteers it offers excellent support services and a welcoming and sociable environment. Legal advisors help with immigration, welfare and housing problems. Lunch is cooked with food donated by local businesses. The centre is unique in Hackney as it offers these services to all migrants, regardless of nationality or immigration status.

The centre has been running since 2008 and in 2010 International House offered their support. In June 2010 International House started providing teachers to the centre, enabling them to run a two-hour English class every Wednesday.

English lessons are held in a room above the vestry, with the church windows as a backdrop. There are basic facilities: a portable whiteboard and a CD player. The class size averages ten.

The majority of the students are African, mostly from Eritrea. Many are refugees, not all of them have been granted leave to remain in the UK, and some have been homeless. We focus on practical, day to day language. Recently we’ve been looking at topics related to transport, for example asking for information about buses or trains, vocabulary for topping up an Oyster card, and how to ask for directions.

There’s a lot of role play and because some of the students have difficulty with written English we’ve practised tasks such as composing an email and filling in forms. The students are co-operative and very supportive of one another. They have said that they are keen to have more English lessons. International House and the Hackney Migrant Centre are currently looking for ways to try to increase the amount of English classes."

- Ben Darby

Look out for more news from Ben at the Hackney Migrant Centre in 2011.

Christmas-time at Crisis

Last week at Crisis we had our members’ Christmas party which was a great success! The party-goers were participants at The Learning Zone, which Veena described in her last post, as well as other members who access Crisis’ services in London.

Christmas at Crisis is a very busy time when we pool all our resources to give the best Christmas experience for people who are currently or have previously been homeless. Christmas is traditionally the time you spend with your family, and for our members it can be particularly distressing as many do not have this.

For the party we had a cross-cultural Christmas quiz, mince pies, dinner and most importantly – karaoke! Music has a special place in my heart and our members loved having a sing song in front of each other. Music has a special quality to transcend language and cultural barriers and it was a great opportunity for our members to express themselves.

One especially beautiful moment was when the whole group joined in to sing Happy Christmas, War is Over. There were so many cultural groups there but for those three minutes we were as one.

So have a brilliant Christmas from all of us at Crisis and here’s hoping for a great 2011.

- Jagtar Behal

English Teaching at Crisis: What's it all about?

Veena Torchia is a Senior Tutor in the ESOL department at homeless charity Crisis. ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. This is the programme that IH London teacher Jagtar is currently helping out with.

Here Veena tells us more about English teaching at Crisis, IH London's involvement, and the difference English language lessons can make to homeless people.

"The Learning Zone Skylight at Crisis is a bit like a 'mini college'. It offers homeless people accredited courses in a range of different subjects including ESOL, Literacy, Numeracy, Health and Safety, Food Safety, IT and Bookkeeping. We also have an English Club for learners who prefer more hands-on teaching methods.

Our English language learners come from all over the world and we work with refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers who are all at risk of homelessness.

Activities for ESOL learners
During the ESOL course we go on trips and attend workshops at places like the Tower of London, the Wallace Collection, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, the British Museum and the British Library. We are sometimes invited to exhibition previews at the British Museum: last term we saw the Ancient Egyptians' Book of the Dead.

Graduating in style
Each term finishes with a graduation ceremony where we celebrate our students' success and present them with certificates. There are also opportunities for students to showcase their work over the term, for example films, poetry, readings, songs and displays. Trustees, partners and ministers all come to the graduation ceremonies. The next one is on 17 March 2011.

IH London's English teachers
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CEO of IH Trust, Steve Brent, and his wonderful trustees for their support and assistance in the delivery of ESOL. So far we have been helped by two full time IH London English teachers; Jemima and Jagtar.

Jemima and Jagtar have taught a wide range of ESOL students from beginner through to those ready to take their IELTS test. Their innovative teaching methods are really effective - for example - using music and film in their lessons. This has made their classes engaging and enjoyable and always well attended! We have gained a lot from their EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching methods, and they have developed their experience and skills in working with vulnerable people."

-Veena Torchia, Senior ESOL Tutor at Crisis

Update from Jagtar's ESOL class at Crisis

This has been the last week of the Making an ESOL Musical course and I’m really happy with how well it has gone. (ESOL stands for English for speakers of other languages). I’m particularly pleased because it's the first time I have taught a class with a wide-range of student levels.

The students’ levels ranged from Pre-intermediate through to Upper-intermediate so managing that within a classroom has been especially rewarding for me during this course.

The reason we have mixed-ability groups is because we only have the resources to run one class at a time. I had to take this into consideration when I was writing the course. Luckily my teaching experience allows me to create courses for mixed abilities (although there is always room for improvement!)

This week I called in at International House London to give a presentation to the teachers about the work I am doing at Crisis. I also highlighted some of the challenges that we face working with people who are homeless or have experienced homelessness. This is a good insight for my colleagues: they are either interested in this type of teaching or put off by it!

Next time I'll tell you more about the Crisis Christmas party, which is a great opportunity for us all to relax before the build up to Christmas and all that we do during this time.

- Jagtar Behal

IH's Got Talent

Two weeks ago, IH London teachers and students took part in a fantastic show: IH's Got Talent. Expertly hosted by two of our English teachers, with a panel of three tough judges, and a huge audience of adoring fans, it was the event of the year!

Talented performers

Highlights of the show included an all-signing, all-dancing teachers' girl band; a rival teacher's boy band; an Italian kick boxer; a German opera singer; a Korean band; and a French guitarist. You can watch all the performers in our video of the event:

Raising Money for Charity

The audience voted for their favourite act by making a donation to Children In Need. The act with most donations won - a heartfelt duet by two Korean students. You can see their winning performance at 01:27 into the video.

The Talent Show raised over £1,000 in votes and DVD sales after the event. The following week, the IH London teachers baked a huge selection of cakes to sell to students, raising another £400 for Children In Need!

The grand total of money raised is now £1,500, which the school has pledged to match! That means we'll be giving £3,000 to Children In Need - what a fantastic result!!

Teaching English through Music

English teacher Jagtar is currently working at the homeless charity Crisis. This week he has been battling the snow as he teaches English with Music....

This week I have been running our Making an ESOL Musical taster course and it has been severely affected by the snow! Student numbers have been down due to the fact that many come from different parts of London and transportation has been extremely difficult.

However, we have run the course with the students who have been able to make it with great results. We transformed the classroom into a winter wonderland with fairy lights, tinsel and posters - creating a warm and inviting environment.

During the course we have discussed the topics and issues raised in The Sound of Music, and have replaced the song lyrics with students’ own ideas. We've had an endless supply of popcorn to keep our energy levels up!

At the moment we are between terms so we are running taster classes which are little bite-sized courses to give students a 'taste' of different subjects. The ESOL Through Music course that I am teaching is an example of this.

There are many other taster classes too, including Knitting, Romanian, Spanish, IT, Hat Making and Italian. These classes are run by staff, volunteers or students. Allowing the students to run classes is extremely positive and beneficial to all. It allows them to share their knowledge and skills, and also to build their CVs and confidence.

I've found that a major part of the work we do at Crisis is empowering our clients (everyone who accesses our services) with confidence and the motivation to continue. I have quite a few students who volunteer at Crisis and other charities around London. I've see the positive influence this has on their well-being: it means they generally have more motivation to apply themselves to their studies.

We have a members’ Christmas party next week which I’m looking forward to as it’ll be a great opportunity to relax and socialise with the students. We will also sing a song from The Sound of Music which will be a lot of fun.

Jagtar Behal

Teaching English at Homeless Charity

Hello I’m Jagtar and I teach English at IH London. I am currently working on a special IH project teaching ESOL at a homeless charity called Crisis.

What is ESOL? It is an acronym for ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ and it is what we teach foreign students who live in an English-speaking country.

Teaching at Crisis
The students who I teach at Crisis are either homeless, have been homeless within the past five years, or are at risk of being homeless. Many of the students are economic and political refugees so teaching them is very interesting as well as challenging.

During the past term I have taught classes at Elementary, Intermediate and Upper-intermediate levels and each class has changed slightly during our term as sometimes students come and go, and we need to change our courses to accommodate the changing students.

Raising Money for Classroom Materials
This year at IH we put on an event called IH The Musical (which I was a part of) and the money raised went to Crisis and the Pakistan Flood Appeal. With the money, I have managed to buy the necessary items to make the Interactive White Board in our classroom work. The effect this has had on our students has been phenomenal, and it’s great seeing students respond well to the fabulous technology.

Teaching English with Music
I am currently working on a short ESOL and Music course which is based on the popular musical called The Sound of Music. Students will learn language through the songs and explore the themes raised. Hopefully this will end with the students recording new versions of the songs, although I will have to see how much they respond to the course first!

In my next post I will tell you how the course is going and also give you a more in-depth report on what we do at Crisis.

Bye for now,

Jagtar Behal

IH London Business English teacher talks about the benefits of 'Systemic Functional Grammar'

Congratulations to IH London Executive Centre teacher Chia Chong who gave a hugely successful talk at this year's prestigious BESIG Conference!

Chia's talk - Systemic Functional Grammar - Why have most business teachers never heard of it? - was extremely well received at the annual Business English event in Germany.

You can watch Chia in action on You Tube, as she discusses her opinions on archaic grammar rules that can actually make learning business English harder.

Chia suggests that better knowledge of Systemic Functional Grammar might help students understand the way English is organised, and dispell the myth that English is simply a language full of exceptions.

Chia's English teaching experience:

Chia is a Communication Studies graduate and has taught English as a foreign language since 2002, including Cambridge Exam Classes, Business English, and English for Specific and Academic Purposes.

She currently runs General English and Business English classes, and teacher training (CELTA) courses at IH London, as well as also doing a part-time Masters in Applied Linguistics!

Chia speaks English and Mandarin as her first language, and Japanese, Italian and Spanish as her second.

Mat & Rosella on the Road in Germany

Rosella and I are two of IH London's Sales Managers and last week we took to the road to attend the 2010 ICEF Workshop in Berlin.

ICEF stands for the International Consultants for Education and Fairs and the Berlin Workshop it is one of the biggest gatherings of educational agents and schools in the world. Around 1,800 agents and school go to the Workshop, making it the biggest English as a Foreign Language (EFL) event of the year.

It's an exhausting few days, but a brilliant opportunity for us to meet the agents and schools we work with regularly (but who are based in countries thousands of miles away!). The workshop is also a good opportunity to make new contacts with agents who might be interested in sending student s to IH London in the future.

The International House World Organisation was well represented, with 20 IH schools from around the world there!

On the last evening the International House World Organisation organised a big party for the IH schools. We took a three hour boat tour of the canals of Berlin while eating, dancing and of course doing a little business!

Survival Guides Part 5... The Answers !

This will sadly be the very last part of the Survival Guides presented by the students in Felicity’s High Skills Class. This week we will only announce the answers from Hanan and Monica.
We hope that you have enjoyed and learned just as much as we have during these weeks. Many of the tips and advice certainly have made me smile.
The tension is building up, so, we will not keep you waiting any longer…

The country that Hanan was talking about a couple of weeks ago was Saudi Arabia.
When visiting Saudi you should make sure that you dress properly, do not get offended when someone leaves you to wait for them for 2 hours, or when someone is jumping the queue. According to Hanan it is not due to lack of respect, it’s just the way the people are. We choose to call it cultural differences.

When visiting Monica’s home country of Switzerland, you should on the other hand be bang on time! Do not try to bribe a policeman. If you do not want to end up in a jail that is. When you see a famous person, like Boris Becker, pretend you haven't seen them, even if you would love to have their autograph. He most likely wants to be left alone…

So this will be the end of these exciting weeks of Survival Guides from Felicity’s students when visiting their countries.

Do not forget to visit our blog soon to see what exciting news or tips we will give you!

Survival Guides Part 4 - The answers

This will be the final week for the students in Felicity’s Study Skills High Class to give us some tips when visiting their countries.

Last week Laurence and Balazs gave us some excellent advices when visiting their countries.

In the first country you should be careful when crossing a street, not say pleeeeeaaaase to much and quiet frankly, speak your mind. Laurence is French so congratulations to all of you who guessed… France!

The second person to give you some warnings and advices last week was Balazs.
Balazs is from Hungary and when visiting his country you should make sure that you arrive on time and also are aware of your drinking habits when stepping outside.

Survival Guides- Part 4

In our very last Survival Guides; Hanan and Monica will give you some valuable information when visiting their countries.

Country 1

1. When you go to this country. You must look suitably dressed, because females are required to cover there bodies and hair. So it is unlikely to see a women walking around in a bikini over there.

2. In this country you shouldn’t feel offended if someone is late for your appointment by more than two hours, or if someone jumps in front of you in a queue, it is not a sign of disrespect, it is just our way of doing things.

3. It is always advisable to put sun cream on before going outside even if it is just for a short period of time. You should be aware of the damage the sun might cause to your skin.

4. It is common to see a fight among a group of friends after they have had dinner in a restaurant. No need to worry, it is only a sign of generosity, everyone is insisting on paying the bill.

5. The ability to speak a little bit of our language is considered essential as English is not widely spoken. Otherwise you are going to end up very lost and confused.

Country 2

1. In my country it’s very unlikely that anyone will offer anyone a bribe, especially not to a policeman. If you do you will probably end up in a jail.

2. For all formal meetings it is considered essential to be bang on time if you want to maintain good business relations. In the event that you arrive late make sure you look suitably apologetic and embarrassed.

3. Even if a person is well known we respect he wants to cherish his privacy and always keep a distance. Very famous people like Boris Becker and Michael Schumacher like it that we are not overtly friendly and leave them in peace.

4. If people call you by your last name don’t feel offended, we always try to use the polite form. Only family members and good friends use informal language with each other.

So make sure that you read our blog next week to find out which country you cannot walk around wearing a bikini in, and where it’s bad idea to bribe a policeman. Just in case you were thinking of it…

Survival Guides- Part 3

For the past 2 weeks the students in Felicity’s Study Skills High class have been giving us tips and advice on what to do when visiting their countries.

Last week we learned how to survive when visiting Alexey’s and Louise’s countries.

The first country we asked you to take a guess on was Louise’s. In this country you have to be careful in the underground, dress well when going to a restaurant, and eat with manners! Guidelines well worth knowing when visiting… Belgium

The second country is Russia. When travelling around in Alexey’s country you have to avoid the temptation of gambling with strangers. It does get freeeeeeezing cold in the winter, so dress warmly and bring a little hip flask filled with vodka with you. Just to keep you warm.

So what will we be learning from Laurence and Balazs this week, in the third and final part of our survival guides?

Country 1

1. In this country, you shouldn’t “beat around the bush”, just speak your mind, and get to the point.

2. Because of the frankness of this country, it’s not the height of rudeness if your teacher or your boss tells you what they really think about your work. For example, if your boss or teacher doesn’t like your work, they will tell you straight to your face.

3. Politeness: Don’t put five pleases in a sentence, it’s annoying for them, and it’s too much. Just make sure you say ‘please’ at least once.

4. In this country, people drive on the right, so be careful. They will slow down if they see you crossing the street, but be careful with that too.

5. In this country, people do believe in equality, at school and on the street, you shouldn’t show how much money you have, or that you are from an upper class. It will work against you.

Country 2

1. In this country, if you are a guest, they will make you several itineraries, and entertain you, while you are staying at their place.

2. In this country drinking alcohol is banned on the streets. Policeman might arrest you if they see you drinking alcohol outside.

3. Policeman on the streets might ask for your ID, don’t be afraid it’s for public safety, so you should always have your ID with you.

4. You should always arrive on time. They don’t really tolerate it when people arrive late. It’s the height of rudeness.

5. Be careful when crossing the street. People are always in a hurry, and they might not slow down if they see you crossing the street. They can get really angry if they have to slow down just because of you.

So, in both these countries you have to be careful in the traffic, especially when crossing a street, otherwise you might end up getting hurt. Furthermore, do not get offended when people speak their mind in country number one. It will happen, sooner or later.

Can you tell which countries the students are describing?

Don't forget to check back next week for the answers!

Survival guides- Part Two. The answers

In August, Felicity's Study Skills High class wrote Survival Guides for their home countries.

Let us introduce the students to you in Felicity’s class: Costanza, Rakhima, Hanan, Monika, Alexey N, Louise, Laurence, Balazs, Tura, Donatella and Lino.

In last weeks Survival guides we asked you to guess what countries Tura and Donatella were talking about. Were you able to use your analytical skills?

The first person to describe her home country was Tura and the correct answer is SPAIN. Congratulations to Anonymous who posted a comment on our blog!

The second country that was described was Donatella’s. Now you know what to do and not do, when you are visiting… ITALY!
Anonymous did not get this one right, though, as they opted for Turkey.

Survival guides- Part 2

This week we asked Alexey and Louise what you should think of when you are visiting their countries;

Country one

1. We consider it the height of rudeness to eat without manners. You can’t put your elbows on the table and you have to keep your arms close to your body. It is impolite to block your neighbors view with your arms. You should never show your impatience, you have to wait for everybody to be served before you start eating. Finally, it goes without saying, you have to eat with your mouth closed.

2. It is common to have to pay to use the toilet wherever you go. There is always a cleaning lady whom you have to pay 50 cents. It is like this in cinemas, bars, restaurants, clubs etc…

3. My country is divided into two parts. There have always been problems between the two sides. Most people are okay with it, but late at night people from either side sometimes cause trouble for each other. It is like this because both sides are culturally very different. Both sides must not feel offended if they don’t want to get in trouble, and you should walk away if you see anything starting.

4. If you want to go to a restaurant in the centre of the capital, you must be careful. There are streets full of the same types of restaurants with maître d's who give you a lot of compliments.(okay that is nice) but that doesn’t mean their food is good. So it is always advisable to look in a guide book before you find your way. And you should also watch out for your clothing when you got to restaurants, bars or clubs. Some of them are very formal and you can’t get in if you are not dressed for it.

5. Last but not least, surviving in the subway. The underground is extremely dangerous at night. Some neighborhoods downtown have gangs and, if you would like to keep on living and keep your belongings, it would be better not to cross their paths. You would do much better to take a taxi when it’s too late. Taxis are not really expensive, although they start with a €4,50 minimum.

Which country are they describing?

Country 2

1. So that you don’t die just after your arrival, please keep your eyes open and watch your personal belongings while you are in places like the airport or railway stations. Pick pockets are common in this country so make sure you pay attention when out in public.
What is also common is gambling. A stranger may suggest you playing a card game or whatever. Don’t ever agree to gamble with strangers if you don’t want to lose everything you have.

2. Another thing that might kill you here is the weather. It’s freezing cold in winters and amazingly hot in summers in some areas. So, don’t forget to take some warm clothes in winter or a sun block cream in summer for some areas.

3. Due to the aforementioned weather, people often drink vodka to warm them up in the cold winters. This is the most common alcohol in this country. But be aware of fakes, some of them aren’t safe and as a consequence you could die.

4. An important cultural difference to mention is the driving style. Cutting someone up on the road is not the height of rudeness, in fact, it’s really widespread. Also, people don’t mind showing their impatience in heavy traffic by honking their horns and shouting out of their windows.

5. Another thing is people’s privacy. While people in my country are quite open, at the same time they cherish their privacy and stereotypes. Sometimes personal code is much more important then law. For example, some people don’t mind parking in places where it is forbidden just because they want to. The other thing which really ‘differs’ us from Brits is the lack of hedging, we prefer to speak our minds, and we get straight to the point without “beating around the bush” too much. It irritates most people in my country.

Which country are they describing?

So what we learned this week is that it is important to have good manners, be polite, keep an eye on your belongings, and drink vodka in cold weather.

Don't forget to look for the answers on next weeks blog!