British Council launches brand new, free English workshops

Monday 22 September 2014

British Council launches brand new, free English workshops for parents and adult learners
Parents and students of primary 1 to 6 can also join the demonstration lessons and information sessions at Whampoa English Language Centre

The British Council is launching a series of brand new, free English workshops in October offering parents and interested adult English learners practical English tips in a fun-filled environment. To help primary school students prepare for the new school year, an open day will also be organised at the British Council’s Whampoa English Language Centre on 5 October 2014 with demonstration lessons, parents’ information sessions, and free English placement tests.

1. Brand new free English workshops at Admiralty English Language Centre

Parents can learn useful tips for teaching their children at home at these workshops. ‘Learning English through Play’ and ‘Phonics Fun’ workshops on 9 October will focus on delivering new language to pre-school children to Kindergarten students, while the ‘How to help children with their reading skills’ and ‘How to help your children remember vocabulary’ workshops on 16 October are for parents whose children are studying in primary schools, and will offer advice on how to develop their children’s reading skills and help them learn new vocabularies. Parents of secondary school students can attend the ‘How to support your children’s English learning at home’ and ‘The HKDSE English examination – a parents’ guide’ workshops on 23 October to learn how to support teenagers in further developing their English skills and preparing for public exams.

Interested Adult English learners are also welcomed to the British Council’s Halloween English workshop on 30 October to polish their English in a fun, seasonal way with new friends.

All activities are free of charge and conducted in English. Registration is required at http://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/events/english-workshops on a first-come, first-served basis.

Details of the English workshops:
Location: British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Audience

Date & Time

Workshop details

Parents of

Pre-school to K3 students

9 October 2014

(Thursday)

6.30 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.

Learning English through Play
Play is work for children, and children learn best by playing. Come and get practical experience by doing fun activities that will encourage children to use English.

Phonics Fun
In this session, parents will learn fun ways to get children working on their letter sounds, letter formation, blending and segmenting.

Parents of

P1 to P6 students

16 October 2014

(Thursday)

6.30 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.

How to help children with their reading skills
Reading for pleasure is one of the most valuable ways children can spend their time. In this session, parents will explore how reading supports their children’s learning, and how to encourage a lifelong love of reading.

How to help your children remember vocabulary
This session demonstrates how learning vocabulary can be both fun and memorable, with practical activities parents and their children can do at home.

Parents of

S1 to S6 students

23 October 2014

(Thursday)

7.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m.

How to support your children's English learning at home
This session will look at different methods of supporting children’s skills development, as well as some techniques to help with grammar and vocabulary practice. Recommendations on some resources that teen can make the most of at home will be provided.

The HKDSE English examination – a parent's guide
This information session will highlight the areas where students often have difficulty in the HKDSE English exam. Parents will be given some ideas for supporting their children as they prepare for the exam, as well as an alternative solution if children do not achieve their desired result.

Adult English learners

(aged 17 or above)

30 October 2014 (Thursday)

7.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m.

Adult learners can celebrate Halloween and polish their English before setting off for parties the next day. Learn interesting and fun English with various activities and get into the Halloween mood with some spooky music.

Grammar Doctor
Confused by perfects, passives and participles? The Grammar Doctor is here to answer grammar questions.

In the News
This is an opportunity to talk about topics related to recent news events. Get a better understanding of local and global issues. Participants can bring their own news articles for debate.

Music Lounge
English music is popular around the world. Play fun games with a variety of top tunes and learn new words and songs.

2. Open Day at Whampoa English Language Centre

Primary school students are in need of support on English learning as they enter the new school year. In light of this, parents and students of Primary 1 to 6 are encouraged to join the British Council’s open day at the Whampoa English Language Centre, where experienced teachers will demonstrate their teaching methodology and introduce the courses. Students can immerse themselves in an English learning environment through demonstration lessons and free English level tests. Parents can also participate in information sessions to get practical tips for helping their child at home with English.

Details:
Date: 5 October 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 2.00 p.m. – 5.45 p.m.
Location: Alliance Primary School, 21 Tak Fung Street, Whampoa Garden, Hung Hom
Audience: Parents and students of Primary 1 to 6
Activities:

	Primary 1-2	Primary 3-6
Demonstration lesson	Students will participate in typical classroom activities, such as speaking, writing, and pair and group work, while parents observe.
Parents’ information session	Parents will learn more about the teaching methodology and course structure, and also receive tips for helping their children at home with English.
English level test	Not applicable (Primary 1 and 2 students are placed into courses according to their school level - no English level test is required).	Free English level tests are only available to Primary 3 to 6 students who have not taken our placement test in the last six months (6 April 2014 to 5 October 2014). If students have taken our placement test in the last six months, their result is valid for six months from the date of the test.

Activity Schedule:

Current school level	Activity timeslots
Primary 1-2	2 p.m. to 3.15 p.m. (Excluding English level test) 4.30 p.m. to 5.45 p.m. (Excluding English level test)
Primary 3-4	2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Primary 5-6	2.45 p.m. to 4.45 p.m.

Enquiries: 2913 5100 / enquiries@britishcouncil.org.hk

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes. In Hong Kong, we have been doing this since 1948, giving people opportunities to learn, share and connect worldwide.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than 25 per cent of our turnover, which last year was £781m. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.