tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21478225.post8530746036783363687..comments2024-03-21T15:56:12.599+01:00Comments on Life in Culebrón: Crime and punishmentChris Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15157237713117339719noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21478225.post-30954234342130106352017-10-09T11:35:18.783+02:002017-10-09T11:35:18.783+02:00Thanks for the information.
That is so interestin...Thanks for the information. <br />That is so interesting... and sad. I know a teenager in the same situation. She knows English better than her teacher (she is actually C2), but she gets corrected (and punished, as you say) for idiomatic forms that she says no Briton uses in normal speaking English. It is so frustrating that having so many Britons in Spain we still have to have Spanish teachers of English!<br /><br />Yes, it is for someone near Pinoso. I'll ask and let you know because I think what she is looking for is having some interaction with other students. Online education would be better because they have forums, etc. But, as far as I know, most online centers (NEC, ICS,...) prepare only for AQA examinations (Cloudlearn is the only one I've seen with Edexcel and CIE, but they don't have English Language A Level, only English Lit). AQA doesn't allow private students from outside UK. And most examination places here in Spain (British Council, private schools) have only CIE or Pearson Edexcel examinations. Which is weird. Maybe it is me who doesn't know. I'll find out.<br />Thanks anyway. <br />M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21478225.post-1778804459906512682017-10-09T00:36:48.431+02:002017-10-09T00:36:48.431+02:00I'm going to be useless here for you I'm a...I'm going to be useless here for you I'm afraid, Nearly all the people I know who teach are teaching English to Spaniards (mainly Spaniards) following things like the Cambridge and Trinity CEFR exams (generally at B1, B2 and C1) I've bumped into a little bit of IELTS and TOEIC stuff too but nothing related to A levels. In my own case I haven't been to the UK very much in the past few years and I wouldn't know which exam boards still exist, what the syllabuses cover etc. Things change and I no longer need to keep up with examination bodies in the UK.<br /><br />Are you talking about a friend near to Pinoso? The reason I ask is that I do know a couple of full time teachers who are here at the moment from the UK and taking time off for one reason or another. Their knowledge would be up to date but I don't know enough about them to know whether they taught A levels in the UK let alone in what subjects or which board they presented students to. I can ask if your friend is close to Pinoso.<br /><br />I don't have children either. I don't think I know many Britons with school age children. I have heard stories about British children correcting the English of Spanish teachers of English and being disciplined for that. I've also come across lots of "first generation" British Spaniards (the youngsters were born here in Spain or have grown up since they were very young in Spain) and they have significant difficulties with English. They can speak English perfectly well, under normal circumstances, for instance with their parents but, because they live in a Spanish world speaking with Spanish peers and breathing in Spanish culture, their exposure to more complex English, to extended vocabulary, to British culture and the language that goes with it is very limited. They make the same mistakes of "translation" as Spanish youngsters - so they talk of my fathers (for parents) my uncles (for aunt and uncle), their spelling is phonetic and they do not understand the evolving and more up to date idiomatic English.Chris Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15157237713117339719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21478225.post-57831430156052030812017-10-08T14:24:10.391+02:002017-10-08T14:24:10.391+02:00Hi, you are right. I studied English at a Spanish ...Hi, you are right. I studied English at a Spanish school and later at the EOI and got the official Escuela Oficial de Idiomas certificate. But I can tell you it is a waste of time. All my teachers were Spanish and the system is quite depressing. It has nothing to do with how you British people learn your own language. I remember I was talking to a British woman once and I started talking about "phrasal verbs" and grammatical names like that and she didn't knew what I was talking about. I mean, we in Spain memorize that kind of useless stuff and don't learn how to communicate. And when we are finally in the street trying to speak in English our head is full of "What verb should I put in here?...Wait" British education emphasize the comprehension, not the memorization. My English is awful now but it was much worse when I ended the EOI.<br /><br />By the way, what do the British kids do in the Spanish schools?? I mean with the English lesson? Can they skip them or do they have to stay? You must know a lot of kids around here with that problem. <br /><br />Other question: Do you know any good online center, or teacher to help a private (Spanish) student with English Lit and English language A levels?? (Cambridge or Edexcel. Most of the online centers I've seen are Aqa). <br />Thank you. <br />M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com