Studying English at a Language School

Hello, folks. So this morning, we've come along to a very good language school in London

because we want to have a look at what it's like to be a student in one of these schools.

Come, and let's find out.

-- Hi, Lee.

-- Hi, Ben.

-- So our viewers are learning English on the Internet. What would be an advantage of

coming to a language school for a time to learn some English?

-- I think the key difference is that when you're at a language school, then you are

part of a whole experience. If you're learning online, it's great, but it's for an hour or

two, and that's it. Whereas if you come to the school, then you have complete immersion

in a whole day of English if you like. If you're staying with a host family, you have

English experience before you come to school. All day, you're speaking English, and if you

take part in our social activities in the evening, then you're carrying on. So it's

constantly learning and taking in and processing of new information.

-- Sure. So if someone was studying here and staying with a host family, they might share

meals with the family.

-- Yeah.

-- And I guess there are students coming from many different countries.

-- Exactly. And of course, then you get this interaction with loads and loads of different

students from all over the world, which, again, really challenges you in different ways when

you're learning English, I think.

-- And do students come here for a couple of weeks?

-- Some do. Some students come for a couple of weeks. Some students come for a year. It

depends on what that student is looking for, what they need, what their plans are. So it

can be either-or.

-- And I guess it's very exciting being here in London. You know, we've got a lot of English

culture around us.

-- Of course. I mean, the history, the art, the literature, the theatre scene is just

really advantageous to learning English. It's just an amazing city. So to come and study

here is a really good thing, I think.

-- Yeah. I mean, I guess the student can learn more the more they put themselves in an English

environment, the more they speak.

-- Exactly. If you immerse yourself in something completely, then you're going to get more

out of it, I think.

-- Cool. Well, is it possible to go and have a look at a class this morning?

-- Yeah. Absolutely. I think Dan is waiting for you upstairs.

-- Great. Thank you very much. --You're welcome. --Let's go upstairs.

So let's go and have a quick look now at a general English class and what that looks

like in a language school. Okay. Come have a look.

-- Hi, there, Dan.

-- Hi.

-- Hi. We've just come to have a look at your general English class today.

-- Hello.

-- What exactly are you going to be doing in class today?

-- Today, we're looking at the difference between literal and non-literal meanings of

nine elements of vocabulary. I was just asking Nir what he thought about the difference between

"enough food" and "too much food". So, sorry.

-- I think it depends.

-- Okay. In this meaning, do you think that it's -- if there is "lots of", is it good

or bad?

-- Yeah. It's good.

-- Good? Would you agree, guys? It's good?

-- I think it's bad.

-- Okay. Hands up if you think it's good. Nir, you stand alone, my friend. I'm sorry.

Hands up if you think it's bad.

-- In fact, that's what I looked like last night at about 10:30. But what other words?

Fly. That's what I'm looking for, "fly". Read the sentences with your partner. I want you

to decide two things. No. 1, which sentence is the literal meaning? Which sentence is

the non-literal meaning. No. 2, what do you think the non-literal meaning means in other

languages? Okay. Good. So it's a word. You can use it, but it doesn't mean what you think

it means here. In this case, you mean "hard", not "hardly".

-- "To question." "Question" can be a verb?

-- Yes. Of course. "I question." Yeah. Good guess. Well done.

So that was a great lesson from Dan. They're really engaging in the teaching, and the students

were obviously enjoying it. We're going to go down to the lunch hall now and grab a bit

of lunch. And then, we've got a couple of students who we'll be talking to. They're

from different parts of the world. So I'm hungry. Let's go and eat.

[Crowd chatter]

Well, that was a delicious lunch. And we enjoyed having a look at Dan's class. Now, we've got

three students at the London School of English here. And firstly, folks, could you tell me

what course you're doing and how long you have learned English for? So starting with

Takami.

-- I'm taking a Cambridge English examination preparation course. It's called FCE. So just

this course I have studied three weeks. Yeah. I have another five weeks.

-- Okay. And before, when you were in Japan, how long did you learn? Like, one year, two

years learning English? Or --

-- Honestly, no. Nothing.

-- Nothing at all? Okay. Wow. Very interesting. Okay. Thanks. And Veronica?

-- I've done the general course for one month, and then I've started three weeks ago the

CAE course, which is the Cambridge Advanced Exam. And that last --

-- Why did you choose this course?

-- The CAE?

-- Yeah.

-- Because I needed to get into university, and I've also heard that this academy prepares

very well students to pass the exams. And I've been --

-- So you're hoping to study in a university in England?

-- No, not in England, in Switzerland.

-- Okay.

-- And they are asking for a B in CAE. And yeah. They've told me that this academy really

will help you to pass the exam successfully.

-- Good luck to you.

-- Thank you.

-- And Francis, tell me, how long have you been learning English, and why did you decide

to come and study in England?

-- I started English in secondary school and some more in university. And I decided to

come here because I want to improve my English a lot. But only for pleasure. And for me,

the best place to learn English is in London.

-- Sure.

-- So I come here, and I'm learning here in this school.

-- Cool. Veronica, had you been studying in Spain how to speak English?

-- I've studied English in Spain, but with au pairs. At school as well, but the level

in my school was pretty low. So yeah. The au pairs have helped me to get this fluency.

-- And how do you find the teachers different in London and in a language school compared

to in a school where you're from?

-- Well, I think that teachers here have more experience, and they do really know which

mistakes do students make. Whereas the teachers in Spain, obviously, they are experienced

as well, but not as much as a language teacher would be.

-- So they're more specific?

-- Yeah. More specific. They know the mistakes that people from different countries make,

and yeah. I think that's the main reason, I think.

-- So Takami, do you feel you're improving your English in a good way?

-- Yeah. Just getting better. But of course, I need to more improve. But I feel that day

by day getting my English better.

-- Cool. And so for all of you, it's been stimulating; it's been an interesting time

being here? You're obviously making really good friends here. Is it something you'd recommend

to people?

-- Absolutely. You should go.

-- Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I've already spread it all over.

-- You should come here. It's a life experience. You have to do it once at least in your life.

I enjoy it a lot. I improve my English a lot. I make a lot of friends from different parts

of the world. So it is amazing. I enjoy it a lot.

-- So guys, I've lived in London for six years. And I feel I know it well, but for you coming

to London, is it a good place to come to? Is it easy for you to speak to people and

practice English being here in London?

-- Yes. I met some very friendly people in the pubs or wherever you are. And yeah. It's

very easy. For me, as I said, it's a life experience to be here. So London, for me,

it's the capital of the world.

-- Wow.

-- It's not the United States; it's not Washington. It's London. Very cosmopolitan.

-- London's on the map.

-- Yeah. Absolutely.

-- And are there enough things for you to do?

-- Definitely.

-- On the weekends, for example, are there opportunities to do things?

-- Yeah. You won't run out of chances or different activities to do. One weekend, you can go

and see a theatre play, a musical, and then visit different areas from the city. It is

a very versatile city. You can go to the north of London, and it's completely different from

the south of London. So you won't ever --

-- I feel like I'm in a different country in some parts.

-- Yeah. It's like a country. So you won't ever get bored of living here.

-- Great. So the best way for you guys to learn English, is it from reading? Is it from

listening? Is it a mixture? What's the best way?

-- I think it's a mixture because you learn the grammar basics in class. Then, afterwards,

you can socialize at lunch. And then afterwards, with the social program, you're able to talk

to everyone and get to know everybody and talk about your country, their country. You

learn different cultures. You -- yeah. You get to socialize.

-- Is it difficult for you to speak English to someone from Spain?

-- Well, if we --

-- It was easy the first day that we met each other, so it's easy. Yeah. If you met someone

and you start speaking English, it's easy to ongoing with that.

-- And if both of us want to speak English, then it's okay. Because I know other Spanish

students here that they feel that they want to speak Spanish with me, for example. But

don't do that because we are all here to improve our English, and we are interested in learning

English, not in speaking our native language.

-- It's true.

-- And here, you have the possibility to speak 24 hours.

-- That's why it's the best way.

-- So after school, you can go to the pub.

-- No sleep.

-- Exactly.

-- We are trying to speak English even with same country people.

-- That's cool.

-- It's important.

-- Well, thank you so much for coming in and speaking today. It's been really useful. And

I hope there's been something for you to learn back home. Thank you, guys.

-- Thank you.