February 2019
British Council branch in the symbolic Candelaria neighborhood in Bogotá.
Princess Anne’s visit to Colombia in 1975.
BRITISH COUNCIL
STUDENT MAGAZINE 80 years making history in Colombia
8 decades creating opportunity www.britishcouncil.co
We are moving!
Visit our new main centre in Chicó (Parque93)
Who we are
Meet our teachers and know more about our projects... 7th Edition
TABLE OF
CONTENTS 2. Welcome message 3. We’re moving! Our new main centre near Parque93
4. 80 years in Colombia 5. Sharing knowledge Overcoming a notorious student problem: The Intermediate Plateau
7. Doctor IELTS Improving your Listening score
8. Getting to know your teachers In this issue we talk to Henry
9. Computer-Delivered IELTS New options for how you take the test, and tips to choose which is right for you
HAPPY 80TH
10. Beyond the classroom British Council Colombia projects in 2018
12. Student Social Committee update 14. Student interview 15. Students corner
Welcome to the latest issue of British Council Colombia’s Student Magazine as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary in Colombia. We first began teaching in Bogotá in 1940, with a total of 425 students that year. Nowadays, things have grown! In 2018, across our centres in El Nogal, Salitre, Cedritos, Niza and in the North of the city, we taught over 12,800 students!
Some of the best writing from students
16. Tips for learning Ted.com
Our main news at the moment is that we are moving out of our centre in El Nogal and into a new location in Chicó, near Parque93. Check out page 3 for all the info.
17. A bit of madness Jokes, idioms and Spanglish
18. IELTS calendar 19. Crossword competition, and Football in Manchester
2
FROM IZAAK AND Dr. IELTS
This issue has a number of articles for students at the British Council, to help you with your English and also learn a little bit more about the British Council’s activities over the last 80 years in Colombia. 80 years is a fantastic testimony to the relationship between the UK and Colombia. Find out more inside!
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
WE’RE MOVING! As part of our 80 year anniversary celebration, we are moving our headquarters from El Nogal to a brand-new specially designed teaching centre in Chicó (near Parque93).
CARRERA 11A #93 - 35, PISO 6
We did extensive research to decide where the best place in Bogotá would be for our main teaching centre. We found that Chicó, specifically around Parque 93, offers the best location as an accessible place for most of our students with a rich mix of restaurants, cafés, culture and business centres for networking, socialising, and, of course, practising English. The new teaching centre has been designed to create the best learning experience for our students. The classrooms, technology, library and other spaces outside the classrooms for students to interact, are all improved.
The design is also environmentally-friendly, and accessible for everyone, with spaces designed using modern architectural features to promote a positive atmosphere. We are very excited to begin teaching in this fantastic new centre, making what we currenty do even better. If you have any questions about the move, please talk to Customer Services and they will help you. Visit us at our new centre from the beginning of March. See you there!
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
3
BRITISH COUNCIL IN COLOMBIA: 80 YEARS MAKING HISTORY Every major project has a spark to set it off, and for the British Council, it was the signature of an agreement between the Colombian Ministry of Education and the British Government in 1939. The new alliance brought five teachers to work in Bogota’s high schools, and it encouraged Colombian teachers to learn a second language – this was when the British Council was born in Colombia! Today, we want to look back over the history of our organization and the way we began to work with Colombians to build the projects and initiatives which we are known for today. The first Council classrooms here opened on March 3, 1940, and 425 people came in to fill them. And that was just the first year! Originally, classes aimed simply at teaching English, but they became an opportunity for the discovery of British culture, art and literature: and not only in Bogotá, but also in other centres such as Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Medellin and Cali. One of the most important and long-lasting nitiatives has been to help people come closer to British culture; and one of the first activities in that field was the British film cycle, which started in 1959 with no less than 1,778
British Council in Colombia, in the 50’s.
4
British Council in Colombia, in the 60’s.
#80YearsInColombia
followers. Our English programmes have worked hand-in-hand with the arts, education and social development ever since. This interest in strategic lines can be seen in projects such as the “Mutual Recognition Agreement”, signed between the United Kingdom and Colombia in 2016: it allows Colombians to validate their studies so that they can continue them in Britain. Why? Well, just to go on creating trust and opportunities for Colombians. We began to lay that out 80 years ago, and it has led to closer relations between the United Kingdom and Colombia. Our celebrations today mark the work in cultural relations that the Council has done over all these years, which have made a real impact to the lives of many Colombians. Yes, eight decades of projects, initiatives and challenges. And it is thanks to you that we have been here for eighty years, making history. Visit www.britishcouncilencolombia.org to learn more about our story in Colombia.
British Council Graduate Fashion Week, 2000
Ciarán Devane, British Council CEO and María Ángela Holguín, Colombia's Foreign Minister in 2015.
British Council Student Magazine
SHARING KNOWLEDGE
PUSHING PAST A PLATEAU Progression means moving up, but sometimes this can be difficult. A learning plateau happens when we are learning something new and stop progressing. Despite our efforts, we feel “stuck” and don’t perceive any improvement. This can happen with anything we learn, and English is no exception. But fear not! With your English studies, we have some top tips to help you rise above the plateau and get back on track with progression and achieving your goals.
making? Does your teacher correct you on the same mistake again and again? Are you making the same mistakes in your writing? You need to slow down and focus more on what you are saying. Sometimes we become too focused on the message we are communicating and we forget to pay attention to how we say it – this can be catastrophic for English-learning progression! In class, we don’t have the same pressure to talk quickly like in a normal conversation. Slow-down and think carefully – there’s no need to rush. If we continue repeating the same errors, we don’t progress. Experiment and make mistakes
The most important tip is don’t give up! Remember that this is a completely natural part of the process—the good times and the frustrating ones. Be honest with yourself – if you don’t understand something, you need to revise it. Talk to your teacher or book a myClub tutorial to discuss the areas you’re having problems with. Once you understand a new area of grammar or vocabulary, use it in class as much as you can. New structures = progress.
This is particularly important with learning English. One of the biggest obstacles to progression is fear of using new structures because we don’t want to make mistakes. However, it is essential to practise and experiment with new structures in order to learn them! Experiment and pay attention to the feedback your teacher gives you. If you’re not sure about a phrase, check with your classmates and teacher – remember you’re all learning together so everybody can learn something. To learn English, we need to constantly try to use new phrases and structures. It’s all about remembering, experimenting, and then learning from our errors (not repeating them!) If you are a perfectionist, remember that you will get it perfect eventually, but you need to practise first.
Slow down
Try a new study method
Do you know what kind of mistakes you are
How long have you been studying English?
Keep calm and stay focused
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
5
Challenge yourself and set goals
When did you last change the way you study out of class? If you feel that you’ve reached a plateau, it’s probably time to try a new way of studying. This will help you identify new areas of English that you need to focus on to progress. Record yourself on your phone, listen back to find the errors and then re-record yourself (and try not to repeat the same errors!) Think about what you have studied in class and imagine a conversation where you could use the new phrases or structures. This is a little crazy but extremely practical – the more you think about new phrases, the easier they are to remember in conversation. Visit a new website to practise. Go to breakingenglishnews.com, yabla.com or, of course, learnenglish.britishcouncil.org and select your level. If you are Upper-intermediate or Advanced, sites like coursera.org and edx.org offer a wide variety of courses in English for free. Register for a myClub session you haven’t tried yet – Conversation, Pronunciation, Practical English for socialising and work there’s a lot to choose from. Find a new session you enjoy, and which is something different to what you have been studying.
Have you got a plan for reaching your English-speaking goals? Have you written it down? Writing down your plan makes you take it more seriously, so you stick with it. Other important questions are: What level do I need to achieve my goals (studying abroad, speaking to foreigners at work, etc.). How much time realistically do I need to reach that goal? How much time do I really have to study? Organise it so you can prioritize what you need to practise first. Keep your plan visible to stay motivated. Finally, create personal goals for each class. Perhaps you want to start using more than one past form (past simple > past continuous > past perfect > past perfect passive) – make a checklist of the specific structures you want to use and give yourself a point for each time you use it in class. Check your notes after class to make sure everything is correct. The plateau is something everybody encounters in their studies. The difference is how we deal with it – making it something easy or difficult to resolve. Keep these tips in mind to stay on track and the plateau will be a small walk up Monserrate, and not a life-long trek up Mount Everest! Bibliography: http://www.language-learning-advisor.com/language-lessonplans.html
Read a book from the British Council library and practise the new vocabulary. It’s a classic strategy, but very effective if you haven’t tried it yet.
6
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
DOCTOR IELTS
Doctor IELTS is here to help you with your IELTS related questions.
you hear while the audio is being played. In particular, note down what you hear when you think you hear an answer to one of the questions. When the audio finishes, you can then check back what the question says and compare your notes to get the right answer. If you don’t make notes while listening, it can be very difficult to remember the specific details of what you have just heard – some candidates even completely forget everything they have heard! This can be disastrous for your results – you may have understood the recording, but if you can’t then remember what was said, you’ll have to guess all of the answers. This does happen – make sure it doesn’t happen to you! Beware of distractors
Listening is possibly the trickiest area of all to improve when studying English. However, there are a number of things you can do to improve your performance in the exam.
For most questions in the Listening paper you will hear two or more potential answers, but only one is correct. The incorrect answers are intentionally included in the exam and are designed to test if you really understand what you hear or not. They are called distractors. Be careful of these and don’t write down the first answer you hear – listen to everything to be sure.
Follow the instructions carefully
Practise beforehand
This may sound obvious, but so many candidates lose points because they don’t pay close attention to the questions. You are given 30-45 seconds to look at the questions before the audio starts. Use this time wisely – underline key words in the questions (main verbs, adjectives and negatives in particular) and then in the answers if you have time. Underlining key words helps you focus on what’s important.
Get some copies of old IELTS papers and do the Listening section so that you are completely comfortable with the format. Check your answers – if you make any mistakes be sure to listen to the recording again and check your answers carefully to try and identify why you didn’t get the right answer the first time.
How can I improve my Listening score in the test?
Make notes while listening
Listen to a range of accents. Listen to different genres (lectures, instructions, conversations and old IELTS exams).
This is the simplest strategy, and the most effective! After focusing on the questions, make notes of what
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
7
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS London in 2009, got married a couple of years later, and lived in London until 2014. We wanted to try something new, and as she is a chemical engineer we thought it would be easy for her to find work here. I also used to work in the civil service, which I enjoyed, so I wanted to try and find work with either the British Embassy or the British Council, and luckily I was able to do so. Other than teaching, what do you enjoy?
HENRY FAIRBAIRN Where are you from? I am from a town called Welwyn (/welɪn/) Garden City, which is about 20 miles north of London. It was designed as a so-called ‘new town’ after the First World War, because it contains a lot of trees, parks and grass. It is a relatively quiet place to live, though you can get to London quite easily by train.
I studied history for my Bachelor’s degree, and then medieval history at Master’s and Ph.D level. I still read, research, write and publish on the topic, especially in the Coin of King Cnut (not the cat), 1016-1035 area of social and economic English history from the tenth to the twelfth centuries. I am especially interested in bringing documentary and coin-based evidence together to form new hypotheses and conclusions about English society a thousand years ago. We also have two cats, named Cnut and Matilda, who are named after eleventh-century kings and queens of England. I also like spending time in Villavicencio, which is where my wife is from. It is very warm and relaxing, so within three hours of Bogotá you can have a nice change of speed and environment. What do you miss about home?
Why did you come to Bogota? My wife is Colombian, so we decided to move to Colombia about five years ago. We met in 8
#80YearsInColombia
Apart from family and friends, I do not really miss much about being in the UK. Perhaps I miss more regular, defined seasons – I was born in November, so I like cold weather and wintry conditions as well as summer. British Council Student Magazine
IELTS GOING COMPUTER-DELIVERED IELTS tests soon to be available on computers, with faster results and more test availability.
individual test booths and fewer candidates. It’s no surprise that many candidates say that they would prefer to do the test on a computer! However, if candidates prefer to take the test on paper that option will still be available. If you are planning to take the test and you’re not sure if you want to do the paper or computer version, here are some pointers: •
•
•
It’s no secret that nowadays more people spend time writing on computers than on paper. It can be faster, easier to edit and send, and of course it saves paper. And the good news is that from April 2019 the new CD IELTS (Computer-Delivered IELTS) test will be available in the new British Council teaching centre in a specially adapted computer testing room. This will mean some key changes in the way IELTS testing is conducted and the impact for candidates: •
•
•
•
•
•
The Writing Section will be easier if you are accustomed to spending a lot of time writing on a computer. You will be able to edit all of your answers more easily on a computer. You can still plan the Writing Section answers on paper before you start typing on a computer.
You won’t have an auto-correct for your grammar on the computer. You will be able to highlight and make notes on the computer. Additionally, you will have some paper to make more notes. The Speaking section remains face to face.
Make sure you do the format you feel most comfortable with and talk to Customer Services about the options if you have any questions to ensure you make the right decision.
Faster results (from three to five days from test completion) More frequent exam test dates with at least three options in different time slots each week. More
comfortable
exam
British Council Student Magazine
conditions
with
#80YearsInColombia
9
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM BRITISH COUNCIL COLOMBIA PROJECTS IN 2018
Teaching English is extremely important to the British Council, but it’s not all we do! We run many projects every year in Arts, Education and Society. Here are 3 projects from last year that we are particularly proud of.
Storytelling for peace Conflict is traumatic. Talking about your experience can help people to feel better and more positive about their situations. We visited some of the communities that have been most affected by conflict in Colombia – Chocó, 10
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
Valle del Cauca and BolĂvar. We went to schools to connect with students there. We did workshops on how to communicate and gave them skills to help them talk about their experiences, stay focused on education, and have a positive image of society and the future.
Backstage to the future Latin America is a vibrant place, music is everywhere. This presents lots of opportunities if you have the right knowledge and expertise. In this project, we worked with young, disadvantaged people in San Andres and Providencia to give hem the necessary training to transform these opportunities into successful businesses. The training focused on organising music events and festivals, promoting live music, networking to build and maintain contacts, as well as other skills needed to work and be a leader in an international capacity.
Girlpower Codefest Everybody uses computers and mobile devices nowadays, but not many people know how to programme them. In particular, in Latin America, there are not enough people with the skills in technology to meet demands of the economy. In this project we held a large event in Medellin, specifically for girls aged 11-13. The day focused on the skills required for programming computers, which many of the girls who attended could already do very well! We helped them understand how they can continue to improve these skills and stay focused on education and their futures. We also ran workshops where we helped the girls to identify some of the problems they face in their communities and how they can help to resolve them.
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
11
STUDENT SOCIAL COMMITTEE UPDATE A round up of the activities our Student Social Committee has organized and plans for future events. Last year, the Student Social Committee organized a five-a-side football tournament at La Grama F6 near Av Rojas in Bogota. Students, teachers and other British Council staff
met for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning to test each other’s kicking and goalkeeping skills. Teams were made up of males and females of mixed abilities. Players were divided into four teams which played against each other until there was a winner. It was a great friendly tournament, with an opportunity for students to practice lots of new vocabulary and chat between games. Students and teachers met up again for a fantastic evening of games and social drinks at Meeting House near Centro Internacional. Groups of people spent the whole evening playing games including Hedbanz,
12
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
screening, a spelling contest, and a cider tasting session. We hope you can join us. If you want to get involved with the Student Social Committee please talk to Customer Services at any branch of the British Council.
Guess the Meme, Pictionary, Boggle, Riddles and Guess Who. Students said they were glad to have had another opportunity to practice their English skills in an informal setting outside the classroom. They also loved Meeting House, saying it was a great place to put into practice what they were studying in class at the British Council. Everybody had a great time - it was a late evening! This year in 2019 we are planning to run several activities including a guided tour, a film
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
13
STUDENT INTERVIEW Student: Patricia, Upper-intermediate Teacher: Sam Sam: Hi Patricia, so how long have you been studying at the British Council? Patricia: I have completed three upper-intermediate courses, two with you and before that one with Tom. Sam: And why do you want to study English? Patricia: I want to improve my English level for myself. I want to be able to travel and speak to English speakers by myself, without feeling embarrassed, and without my children or husband helping! Sam: Do your family speak good English then?
Patricia: Not my husband, no. But my children speak excellent English, in fact my daughter is living in London now while she is studying for a Masters at Queen Mary University. I’m going to visit her later this year and I want to be able to go to the pub and speak English. Sam: So you want to improve your English before you travel to the UK? Patricia: Yes, I want to be able to speak to British people and really enjoy my trip. Sam: Have you got any advice for others learning English? Patricia: Yes! You should speak to yourself when you’re at home alone. Not with anyone else there or they’ll think you’re crazy. But you can say things in English by yourself to practice pronunciation and you will find you remember words better, it becomes more automatic and of course your pronunciation will improve. I do it every day. Also, do a course at the British Council! Sam: Great advice. Thanks Patricia. Patricia: No problem. 14
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
STUDENT CORNER: MOVIE REVIEWS Roma, reviewed by Javier Martínez Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is critically acclaimed mainly because the director is able to make even the most banal moments seem real. The setting is Mexico in the early 1970a. The main character is Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a maid working for a well-off middle-class family. Cuarón wrote, produced and directed the film (which is based on his own childhood) but shot it too, in emotive black and white. It is a remarkably basic story that portrays the middle-class household in two lights: warm on one hand and occasionally cruel and satirical on the other. Roma is extraordinarily interesting despite the extended wide shots, tellingly observed detail and the lack of dialogue throughout much of the film. It is a dense, intimate drama that develops in real time as we watch. Roma is utterly astonishing. I recommend it!
Schindler’s List, reviewed by Ana Maria Quintero León Schindler’s List is an absolutely brilliant movie. It shows Oskar Schindler, a businessman that rescued more than a thousand Jews during the Holocaust. The scenes are extremely real, sometimes they are utterly shocking and make you feel the reality of war. The main character is unbelievably convincing, he is particularly different to a normal hero. As a businessman at the beginning he finds the Jews utterly irrelevant, but the character grows during the movie. It’s extraordinarily interesting from the beginning and the fact that it is shot in black and white is highly important because it gives a feeling of being in another time.
The X-Files Revival, reviewed by Maria Alejandra Medina There is a saying that reboots are never good, which is often true. In 2015 when I discovered that my incredible X-Files would return to TV, I was more than excited. Three and a half years later, my deeply painful disappointment could not be any greater. As the true fan that I am, for over 25 years now, I feel nostalgic and completely outraged over how good television became really bad. Scripts about inexplicable situations became highly basic and had predictable endings. Scientific explanations which made this show radically different were moved to second place, replaced by utterly irrelevant plots with unnecessary politics. But the most shocking of all was the relationship between Mulder and Scully. Their extraordinary relationship as partners was relegated to a particularly basic romance. Seriously boring. Fortunately, we have the power to make decisions about what to see and what not to, and I clearly choose to watch my old X-Files. As a fan, I want to believe that this revival never happened. I want to remember it just as it used to be.
The Kissing Booth, reviewed by Mariana Cuellar I recently watched The Kissing Booth. This movie is best described as an unbelievably predictable rom-com. It stars a girl who has this intensely boring friendship with a guy who just happens to have the perfectly-designed older brother. She develops a crush for the older brother, and the entire movie is her having to make the notably cheesy dilemma of dating the hottie older brother and betraying her predictably average friend. As these stories always end, in a pretty commonly heroic way, the friend helps her to start dating the hottie without sneaking around and just in time before he leaves for college.
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
15
AHEAD OF THE GAME: TIPS FOR LEARNING •
•
Website: www.ted.com It can be difficult to understand when English speakers talk naturally. People talk quickly, change topic often and use colloquial expressions, especially when there is more than one person talking. This can be difficult to follow. A much simpler form of dialogue is Ted.com. Ted.com is a collection of presentations by world experts on topics including Design, Communication, Innovation, Personal Growth, Psychology, Child Development, and many others. There are playlists on topics like Unleash your Creative Genius, The Future of Food, The Evolution of Music and How to Tell a Story. Ted.com is particularly great for English studies. Firstly, presentations are clearly structured and easy to follow. Also, as one person is talking, it is much easier to pay attention to everything that is said. Finally, Ted.com has a written typescript for every talk. Click under the video and you can find this.
•
•
•
•
•
Watch a video without subtitles or the transcription first. Instead of reading, watch and take notes on what you hear or find interesting/important. Listen to the video a second time and see if you can add extra information to your notes.
Check your notes with the transcript – did you understand everything correctly? Go back and listen to parts that you didn’t understand - sections of no more than 10 seconds. Repeat these sections and you’ll start to separate the different words and understand how they connect in pronunciation. Practise saying the parts that you found difficult if you want to practice pronunciation – try to connect the words like in the video. Listen to the video one final time with the transcription to consolidate your understanding of everything in the video. Make a note of any new vocabulary from the video that you find interesting or useful. Try to put the words or phrases into personal examples about you, then try to use them in class when studying.
This process will help you improve your listening skills, vocabulary, pronunciation and of course speaking. Enjoy!
To get the most out of your English studies with this website, we recommend the following: •
16
Find a topic you like.
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
A BIT OF MADNESS JOKES •
•
Two jewel thieves are chatting. One says, “Ooh, that’s a nice diamond. How much could you get for that?” The other replies, “9-10 years!” The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was a tense situation.
IDIOMS: DOORS •
The door is always open. This means you are welcome to visit anytime – it can relate to a person’s house, office, or even just getting in touch. // “Stop by anytime, my door’s always open.”
•
Behind closed doors. This refers to things that happen in secret. // “He seems very serious, but behind closed doors he’s actually very sensitive.”
•
Get your foot in the door. It usually means to start working in a company you want to work for, but not the job you want. We make a sacrifice and work in a job we don’t want because we hope to get promoted. // “The job doesn’t pay well, but at least I’ve got my foot in the door.”
Do you have a similar expression in your language?
SPANGLISH, SPANISH SPEAKERS OFTEN SAY: I am lawyer.
I am engineer.
I am student.
When we talk about our job, we use an article before the job (a or an). I am a lawyer.
I am an engineer. I am a student.
This is a basic error that students at all levels make. Remember, if you make errors in the first phrases you say, it gives the impression that your level of English is lower than it really is. Remember to use an article and show your true level of English!
British Council Student Magazine
#80YearsInColombia
17
2019 IELTS CALENDAR
18
#80YearsInColombia
British Council Student Magazine
CROSSWORD COMPETITION! Fill in the crossword, remove the page and hand it in to reception for a chance to win a mystery prize!* The answers will be in the next issue of the magazine. *Terms and conditions apply.
Name: Level: Branch: Student number:
Adult Summer Course in Manchester If you are a sports fan, Manchester is the ideal city to visit.
in
British Council Student Magazine
You can Join the adult summer group (travelling from 1 to 16 June, 2019) for Teaching Centre students +18, learn and practice your English while enjoying the best of football, including visits to the Manchester United Stadium + BBC tour, to the National Football Museum and other football related activities. For more information, contact us: ELTPlacement@britishcouncil.org.co #80YearsInColombia
19
VISIT OUR BRANCHES Nogal - until February 2019 Main Centre, Carrera 9 # 76 - 49, piso 5
ChicĂł - from March 2019 New Main Centre, Carrera 11A # 93-35, piso 6
Salitre Business Centre, Calle 26 # 57 - 83, Torre 7, Piso 5
Niza Montessori British School, Calle 128A # 72 - 59
Norte Escuela Colombiana de IngenierĂa Julio Garavito, Carrera 45 # 205-59, bloque F
Cedritos Colegio Anglo Colombiano, Avenida 19 # 152A - 48
Telephone: 325 9090
Email: servicioalcliente@britishcouncil.org.co
FOLLOW US
BritishCouncilColombia
coBritish
coBritishArts
