Variety is the spice of life

We know our bespoke, learner-led sessions are one of our students’ favourite things about The Yorschool Way. But just how tailored can a lesson be? Today on the blog, our founder Rita Bose takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the world via a week in Yorschool sessions, and explains how we work to create highly personalised lessons for each student.

During lockdown variety is one ingredient which we’ve all been lacking, but I’m very blessed to be able to say that all of my lovely students have provided just that!

Let’s talk you through a typical week back in March 2021…

I began a grey day in March with a wonderfully talented Brazilian musician. Fernando is a guitar player, composer, singer and an extraordinary percussionist. As a beginner in English, our conversation is somewhat limited, but this never stops us from endless smiles and laughter. During this particular lesson we actually co-wrote part of a song, which was a new experience for me! Fernando then spoilt me by playing me a recently written song.

Switching from London to southern Germany, I then taught Norbert, who is (he won’t mind me saying) in his 70s and happens to love English rock music from the 70s, such as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. Norbert is a beginner in English, but he and his wife are planning a road tour through South Africa next spring and he’d like to be able to at least order their food and drinks without any unpleasant surprises! I always make sure that I plan my lessons based around specialities from Cape Town, looking at real menus and day trips, such as to Robben Island. Luckily, I’ve been there myself and I too am a fan of 1970s rock music, so we have plenty of mutual topics to discuss. We do this in (a slightly simplified) English, but that doesn’t matter at all, as Norbert is speaking more and more English each lesson…and we’re laughing more and more.

Then it was back to England, Easingwold, in fact, just down the road from York. Mark is motorbike enthusiast and loves riding over to Germany with a group of mates to enjoy places like the Black Forest and Bavaria. He wants to learn enough German to be able to challenge that preconception that ‘English people don’t bother to learn languages!’ Mark loves practising ordering beers and food in German, as well how to make conversation with potential fellow bikers they might encounter in Germany.

From there it was over to snowy Moscow, where a very charming Russian student was stranded, unable to travel back to his UK boarding school, due to Covid restrictions. Ural is keen to get his German up to scratch, to prepare himself for studying at the University of Vienna after his A Levels. Ural kept me up to date with the weather conditions in Russia, which made me feel better when temperatures were still above freezing here!

Popping over to Paris to chat to the very lively, enthusiastic and highly intelligent Loïc. Loïc is a 15-year-old exceptional canoeist, who also loves talking politics, the British Royal Family and history. He is always the first one to tell me the latest about Boris Johnson and the Royal Family gossip! Loïc loves speaking English at length, as he is so restricted in his normal lessons, particularly over the last year, when most of his own school lessons have been online. We often follow his French curriculum and also discuss varied topics, from Edgar Allen Poe’s work to the US Presidential Election.

Back in Germany, in Hamburg this time with the lovely Nina. She’s an extremely bright and motivated student currently studying for her Abitur (A Levels) and is therefore striving to achieve the best possible oral grades in English. I love our lessons, as I never know what we’re going to discuss from one week to the next. A day or so before our weekly lesson, Nina texts me to let me know which direction her teacher has gone in this week and then I prepare some suitable material accordingly. Our topics have included: The African Slave Trade Triangle, George Orwell novels, the US Inauguration ceremony, the Angie Thomas novel, The Hate U Give and more recently, Nina has asked if we can prepare her for the IELTS exam, which she needs for her university course.

Let’s end our journey for now by going to the beautiful south coast of England, to Brighton. Two good friends, Tom and Paul decided to use the whole of the lockdown period to learn some German. They are planning to move to Berlin as soon as they can, as they both love techno music, a few beers and a lot of parties…and so Berlin is their chosen place! They’ve been a few times, but without speaking the language and so when they next go, they’ll be well-equipped with the language to make new friends in the pub, order food and drink, read German adverts about apartments for rent, seek medical help, buy furniture from the wonderful markets there and of course, buy tickets for gigs!

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Are you interested in taking our student-led classes for whirl? Get in touch with us to schedule a free, 30 minute consultation.

Yorschool Lockdown Lesson Support

Like all teachers, we at Yorschool are keen to ensure that school pupils can maintain and boost their learning throughout this new lockdown.

Yorschool is offering its own language teaching by highly qualified teachers to any Key Stage 3 or GCSE student for German, French, English, or general study skills support. This is free of charge to all.

Called the Lockdown Language Leap programme, this will provide:

- 6 intensive lessons in German, French or English

- An opportunity to dramatically improve the next teacher assessment grades or mocks

- Interactive and lively lessons

- A confidence boost and the perfect platform to bridge any gaps in knowledge

- The chance to promote effective study skills

At the end of this short course, students will have the option of reverting to normal schoolwork or supporting that further, by joining Yorschool’s regular online lessons.

To apply, please email Rita Bose, our Head of Learning at rita.bose@yorschool.com

Bridging the Gap

We’ve been hearing it on the news, from our students and the international business community all year: these are unprecedented times for everyone. 

In the UK, there have been so many changes to education and our learning systems, that as a parent, so often it might have felt completely bewildering, and difficult to keep up with.

Thankfully, Yorschool has been able to be there for all of our students since the first stages of lockdown. As both an in-person and online business, our teachers were already au fait with Zoom and Skype, as well as having an understanding of the steps students had to take to acclimatise.

Now, as we enter September and a new school year, we’re hearing a lot of concerns from parents about how to establish some consistency with their child’s language learning.

Since March this year, many students have seen regular lessons disrupted and their normal classmates split off into different groups. In August, the government’s handling of the GCSE and A Level results only compounded this stress, bringing yet more uncertainty for students.

Even younger children will be aware of the disruption to GCSE and A Level results because of coronavirus. While we know schools are working quickly to adapt to the current situation, and producing new materials and ways of teaching, educators as well as families are facing the unknown. The important thing to focus on is establishing routine and consistency where possible, so your child can focus and be receptive to the task at hand: learning.

Over the past few months of lockdown we’ve added some bitesize resources for parents on our blog, including Home Tutoring Language Tips and Six Ways to Support Home Tutoring. Now that the new school year is approaching, we’re hearing new concerns from parents...

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Concerned about your child missing another year of face-to-face 'normal' schooling?

• Preparing for your child to begin Year 7?  

• Keen to get ahead in French, German, or brush-up English skills....

• Worried that your Year 7 child has missed out on half of the first crucial year of secondary school as they prepare for Year 8?

• Perhaps you have a Year 10 child unsettled about GCSE from September (or Year 9 and starting their course)?

• Worried that a second wave of coronavirus could result in mock exams being used to determine your child’s final exam grade?

In this blog, we’re here to assuage your fears a little.

Teaching is continuously challenging, exciting and rewarding - and 2020 will certainly prove to be a year of challenges. But our language school is also focused on bridging the gaps in education your child may be feeling right now.

When there has been so much else changing in the world, it is vital that your children have consistency with teachers and their peers. 

With the Autumn Term about to begin, we’re here to bridge the gap between the face-to-face learning your child may be used to, and the uncertain classroom set-up they may be returning to.

What Yorschool can offer:

• If you’re concerned about more upheaval for your child, why not consider bubble teaching all year-round, with bespoke-group tutoring?

• We all know that you can't learn a language on your own at home. Your child needs regular contact and feedback from an actual live teacher - and we can certainly help with that! Find out more about Yorschool founder Rita Bose’s extensive experience in the field, including 26 years as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher.

• Yorschool sessions build consistency between your last real lesson and the next - our teachers can pick up where your child may have disengaged, or circle back to parts of their learning that may need more time. 

• We can fill in all those vital grammar gaps, and answer all the lingering questions your child may have from missing some of the syllabus.

• In a full class, your child won’t often receive regular 'air time' - why not make the most of personal tutoring to be able to ask and answer as many questions as you like?

• In the past, mock exams were viewed as a practice exam, but they may have a lot more sway now in your child’s end result. Therefore pupils returning to school in September need to hit the ground running and prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible for the forthcoming mocks in the Autumn Term.

We specialise in bespoke courses to suit your child's needs. With 16 years’ experience as Head of Modern Foreign Languages at an Ofsted-graded ‘Outstanding’ secondary school, our founder Rita can quickly establish the areas your child requires help with, and provide tailor-made lessons to bridge those gaps.

Not forgetting that we also encourage small groups to sign up. By getting your children together with a friend or two, you can keep costs lower than individual tutoring, and still create the peer camaraderie so many of our young people have missed out on by not being at school for four months or longer. 

If your child was taught in a small bubble during the last Summer Term, it’s likely they’ve already seen the benefit of being taught in groups of around eight - and managed to retain a lot more of the key learnings by having so much more time with their teacher. Now imagine that experience all year-round, thanks to a bespoke course of online tutoring?

Yorschool offers lessons of 30, 45 and 60 minutes in length, with materials sent via email and all feedback, corrections and grading taking place between classes. We can support with school work or cover aspects of the curriculum you’re aware your child may need further assistance with. 

In the end, we’re all facing unknown waters this year, but with a little preparation, there’s no need for your child to miss out on developing their language skills at such a vital age. Yorschool is here to bridge that gap, and minimise the impact of COVID-19 felt by all of our students.

Book a free 30 minute taster lesson to see how your child can benefit from our lively approach to language.

6 Top Tips to Support Home-Tutoring

1. Devise a timetable for the week, based on your child’s normal school timetable. This will provide a routine, as well as ensure that the home curriculum is a balanced one.

2. Set realistic and achievable goals for each day and make sure that your child has the opportunity to tick off what they have achieved.

3. Give your child feedback on their work and the results of any mini tests.  This is so important for their morale.

4. The place of study should be comfortable and quiet with all  their school equipment organised in one place (in a tray or box).

5. Regular breaks are essential – including fresh air, water, exercise and social interaction.

6. Have fun! Enjoy this rare quality time spent with your child – you are both learning new skills together.  Be creative and let your child lead a PE lesson for you, or have a family quiz on the countries and capitals of Europe. 

Home-Tutoring Guidance

Following our first tip yesterday, we will be holding a free open Zoom meeting tomorrow to answer any questions parents or students may have. Anyone can join using the following link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/155105818 and Meeting ID: 155 105 818 .

Home -Tutoring Language Tips

Day 1 - Getting Started with vocabulary

If you son or daughter is learning a language, you may be struggling with how to provide help.

As we know, vocabulary learning can be a bit of a chore, but it’s essential, as it’s the route to success.   Make vocabulary learning more fun and try out some of these ideas:

• Get some coloured card to make vocabulary flashcards.

• Stick these up around the house (you’ll be sub-consciously learning then all the time).

• Always learn vocabulary in context (e.g. learn all food & drink together).

• Draw out colourful mind maps – fill a large sheet of paper with vocabulary (one colour for the English, another colour for the French/German, etc. word). Use one sheet of paper per theme.

• Use ‘Freemind’ to create your mind maps, if you prefer working on your iPad.

• For more advanced learners, who love grammar, you can colour code for opinions, nouns, adjectives, connectives, etc.

• The app Duolingo is fun to use.

• Try to revise vocab for 15 minutes a day and you’ll be amazed by the results!