Viewpoints
“We have said for years that this type of educational service has been missing from Hungary” Mark Davies, interim Principal of an international school in Budapest
“ELC’s attention to getting the well qualified and experienced staff will make a big difference in children’s progress” David Clapp, former Principal of Britannica and Department Head at the British International School Budapest (BISB)
“The foundation teacher is not just an excellent teacher, but has real pedagogical skills. Both his personal and your entire school's approach towards the students and teaching English, is something that makes your institution really valuable”. Kinga Pall, mother of Beni aged 6.
“The results that the ELC teachers achieved just in a few month time, was much more than I ever expected. Hanna enjoys going to ELC, even after her long hours in the local Hungarian school. She never ever wanted to miss a class in ELC as she loves learning English”. Read more Kiss Katalin, mother
English language learning
"English language courses for children from native English speaking teachers"
To provide the best rate of English language development for children, it is essential that ELC employs teachers that are native English speaking and are highly qualified. Susan says " our teachers have qualifications that include university degrees in primary education and some have a higher level masters in primary education". Teachers need to have specialist qualifications, training and experience in teaching children in order to be able to understand how to implement the latest teaching techniques and methodologies.
The best teaching methods, just like the best science and the best medicine practices, are methods with evidence of results. A shift has happened in education, from viewing teaching as an "art" toward viewing it as a "science". We must now use "research based" best practices when choosing instructional strategies. Our world is changing everyday, and our instruction needs to be valid and up to date for today's children. So, the process of pursuing best practice is just that: a process, something fluid and dynamic. At ELC, we are actively involved in the pursuit to make sure that our teaching methods bring results that are driven by the data of assessments.
As educational director, Susan's main task is to be aware of all the world's leading educational practices and then bring them to ELC classrooms. Keys tasks include:
1. Hire Qualified Teachers
2. Provide Instructional Teacher Training
3. Oversee Lesson Design and Planning
4. Provide Curriculum Mapping
5. Implement Technology into Daily Lessons
6. Provide Quality Control & Vision Planning
ELC is very aware of the size of the challenge for children to learn English learning.
"Language is the air that we breathe and the water in which we swim. It comes as naturally to us as seeing the sky or digesting our food. It is as vital a part of us as our name and our personality. But, what if we suddenly had to breathe different air or swim in different waters?"
Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners by Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn.
What then is the best way for children to take on this task. We know that children learn best by doing;
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." Confucius
Research supports the use of Active Participation (doing!) The table below shows research that has measured different instructional strategies and the consequent retention rates.
| Teaching Strategy Employed | Percentage of Material Retained |
| Lecture | 5% |
| Reading | 10% |
| Audiovisual | 20% |
| Demonstration | 30% |
| Discussion Group | 50% |
| Practice by Doing | 75% |
| Teach Others/Immediate use of Learning | 90% |
Source: National Training Laboratory, Bethel, Maine, U.S.A
In fact the research shows that the most effective results in learning were achieved when children worked in small groups and actually helped the fellow students in class. Combine this result with a strong emphasis by getting the children to involve themselves directly in a task "by doing", and children will engage with the learning at a much higher level.
Teachers that are both qualified and experienced with primary aged children know and understand best as to how to engage children in "doing based" learning.